Chapter 21 #2
“Or what, Terry?” I lifted myself to my full height, peering down at him from the other end of the table. “What will you do?”
The silence drew out around the table as Terry stewed, and Sally grit her teeth.
“Girls, go pack your bags,” I said, not taking my eyes from Terry’s. “We’re leaving.”
I loved the fact they didn’t even take a second to think. Both of them jumped up and ran out of the kitchen before Terry could say another word.
He slammed his fist on the cheap table, and I folded my arms as I looked down at him, sighing. “It’s sad we’ve got to this stage,” I said, stepping away from the table.
I could see Terry was ready to blow. He was vibrating, which was always a bad sign, but it was worth it. Once we were out of the house, Sally could deal with him. Though she’d probably just throw him out so he could start a fight down the pub.
I flicked my gaze to the ceiling as their hurried footsteps echoed downwards before focusing back on Terry.
They just had to get out of the front door. That was all.
But I took my eyes off of him for too long. There was a sharp whistle before brown glass exploded next to my ear. I cried out as sharp shards cut my face, glass falling over my beer-soaked shoulder.
“What are you doing!?” Sally screeched just as I opened my eyes. I didn’t know why I was surprised she was shouting at me even though her husband was reaching for another beer to hurl at me.
I kept my arms folded, my left ear stinging, glad my sisters didn’t stop running around upstairs.
Sally trembled as she moved toward me. “You are not taking my daughters from me.” Her voice quivered as she pressed her palm over her heart. Automatic tears spilled over as she suddenly turned up the act, the one she brought out when she needed to get her way, no matter what.
Decades of practice in the making.
I’d admit, she got to me. That look of hers woke up memories I wanted to forget, where she still acted like she cared about her only son. Even though they were from years ago, they still grabbed me, forcing me to hesitate. And she saw it.
I just wished she was a better person.
She notched her head back, a single tear rolling down her cheek. “Please, Dom. You can’t take them,” she said, shuffling toward me. “They’re my babies.”
She would have made loads more money if she’d gone for acting rather than scamming.
“Ah, right, of course. Sorry, I forgot you treat your children like absolute shite while pretending that you actually love them. Nice. You must be so proud of yourself.”
“Dom…” she choked. “How could you say that to me?”
I lifted up my hand, sweeping the glass from my shoulder, trying not to push any shards deeper, but making sure the red stains spread over my shirt.
“You can stop now,” I sighed. “The tears don’t work on me.” Even though they had.
But seeing Terry swipe another bottle from the pack he kept by his feet put me even more on edge. Because I was half sure he didn’t care if he hit Sally in his effort to get to me.
She let out a shaking sob as she wiped away the tears. I was even proud that she flicked the switch and stopped them easily as well.
“I’m not you, Mum. I’m not going to use my sisters as a fucking tool to get back at you. They’ll come home when they want to. If they ever do.”
Terry’s upper lip peeled back from his teeth and I shot him a look.
“Don’t you fucking dare,” I spat out, my hand landing on Sally’s shoulder, ready to protect her just in case. I wouldn’t let Terry hurt her, no matter how I felt about her.
He jumped up from the table, bottle in hand.
“You think you’re so fucking great, don’t you?” he snarled. The table screeched across the floor as he kicked it out of the way, tipping to the left. A head rush must have caught him as his eyes lost focus.
I pushed at Sally, but she stayed still, glaring at me. “You’re not taking them!” she yelled just as the girls’ bedroom door slammed from upstairs.
All three of us glanced upwards. It suddenly clicked for them both that we really were leaving, and I seriously wasn’t sticking around.
“You can’t do this!” she screeched as Terry took another step forwards. “You’ll never be welcome here again! We’ll report you and get a restraining order!”
Though the idea made me fucking terrified, I had to remember who I was and who was backing me. I might have truly fucked it up with Harry, but with Christian and Grace in my court, I had to trust that it would be okay.
“Do it. Fucking do whatever the fuck you want. You’re throwing all these threats at me, but what about if I tell you that you can’t ever see them again? Is that going to change anything?”
The most brutal part was I saw it in her fucking face. I had no expectations of Terry, but I at least thought she cared. Even just a fucking speck of kindness, but nope. It was just sitting here plain as day.
She didn’t give a flying shit.
I was just so desperate to believe that my own fucking mum was a good person that I tricked myself into believing she actually cared about her own daughters.
What a joke.
“Fuck this. You’re both fucking disgusting.” I turned from them, catching Tammy and Janie’s eyes as they sailed down the stairs and straight out the front door.
I clicked the key in my pocket, the beep of the car unlocking clear as day as I stood in the kitchen doorway, blocking them from my sisters.
Sally glared at me, but it was easy to see she knew what I was on about. I guessed it was rare for another adult to tell her the fucking truth.
“We’ll stay in touch,” I said through gritted teeth. “Promise.” I scowled right back. “Don’t fucking follow us. Not even a step.” I shot Terry a look, but I could already see him moving.
Sally got out of the way instantly. She didn’t even need to look at him. They’d been together long enough that she could see how it was about to go down.
In pure Terry style, he jumped for me. He didn’t even have anything to say. His anger was so intense that he simply yelled as he raised the beer bottle and aimed for my head.
I caught his fist, instantly twisting his wrist so his hand released the beer bottle. As it dropped to the floor I shoved him backwards, giving him a half smile as he stumbled, knocking off of the table.
“Dominic! How could you!?” Sally shouted again, running to his side.
I stepped away from the door. I didn’t even want to bother with Sally as she switched her tears back on, gasping in shock at her husband. I was so done with both of them.
“I said, don’t follow us,” I bit out as Terry pulled himself up.
I was at the front door when I saw him move. I was fucked off enough to wait for him just to punch him and see how we matched up.
In the end, it wasn’t worth it. None of that shit was ever was. As long as my sisters were safe, I didn’t want to deal with anything else.
As I turned and walked out the door, I felt some sense of relief when I saw Tammy and Janie buckled up in my car.
The black BMW looked so out of place next to their rusted Ford Focus. Part of me wondered if they actually had a nicer house and car tucked away somewhere and the house behind me was just a decoy.
“You get back here, Dom!” Terry roared from the house as I flung open the front door of the car.
“Dom!” Sally shrieked from behind him. “Dom! Come back! Don’t leave us!”
It was time for the public show. Neighbours could hear us and there were already curious faces at their windows.
I was in the driver’s seat slamming the door before he could take a swing at me.
“Open the door, Dom.” I looked up at him, sweaty, red-faced, rage flowing through him. He slammed the side of his fist against the window and the girls cried out and flinched back. “Open the fucking door and come and face me like a man.”
I laughed as I started the engine, and the doors clicked as I locked them. Disappointment and glee hopped through my veins that I’d finally done it.
“Ready to go?” I said to my sisters, and they both nodded. Nervousness showed in their smiles, so I tried to reassure them.
“He can’t get in the car, okay? I’m not letting him near you. So show him how you feel about him scaring you yesterday.”
I lifted a hand, giving Terry the finger, and my heart clenched as they copied me. They still looked unsure as I pulled away and we watched Terry jolt back as he kept shouting.
“Yes, that’s the shit.” I grinned at them both, trying to distract them. “Come on, tell me where you want to go first. You said there’s an ice cream place?” They needed a pick-me-up since they hadn’t finished their dinner.
“Oh my God, yeah!” Tammy edged forwards on her seat. “It’s ten minutes away, if you go left at the end of the road you can…”
I glanced at Terry standing on the driveway, panting, and Sally watching us from the front door with a cold expression, tears miraculously gone again. I was surprised they didn’t wave their fists at us old-school sitcom style.
But fuck them. Fuck them both. My sisters deserved so much better than them, and yet, they were stuck. It was my job to look after them, just like I was supposed to look after Harry.
I needed to contact Christian and Grace and find a legal way to get them out, because I couldn’t deal with how shaken Janie looked as Tammy chattered away.
At least my sisters didn’t create the hell they’d been forced into. Oh no, I’d done that all by myself. And, at the moment, I really couldn’t see a way out.