Chapter Twenty-Nine
Mimi’s hands were covered in scratches, her face a battered mess.
Kara was doubled over in pain. Roland reached for her.
“Leave her alone!” Mimi spat.
“Marissa,” he said, reaching for Kara’s arm.
Kara pulled her shoulder back, dodging his hand. She ran to her mother’s side. The two women clung to each other, sobbing.
“What has he done to you?” Mimi cried.
Kara cried, leaning into her mother. “I…I don’t know.”
“You,” Roland said to Mimi. “How dare you come in here to take her away from me.” Roland’s hair fell in sweat soaked strings around his face.
Wide arcs of sweat drenched the shirt beneath his arms. The scratch on his cheek now hosted dried, brown blood.
“Marissa.” His eyes shifted toward Kara, his eyebrows drawing together.
“Damn you,” he hissed, turning back to Mimi.
“You’ll ruin everything. This is the only way. ”
Kara put her arm in front of Mimi in a feeble act of protection. Her voice grew weaker by the moment. “Leave her alone!”
Roland stumbled forward, keeling to the right. Kara and Mimi inched backward.
He took the bottle of alcohol from his pocket and took a long swig. He let out a loud breath, smacked his lips, and guzzled down some more.
“Aren’t you drunk enough?” Mimi wrapped her arms around Kara and whispered, “We have to get out of here.”
“Cut that out,” Roland said as he pointed the bottle at them. He staggered forward, grabbed Mimi’s arm, and pushed her away from Kara. Kara swung at him. He caught her hand and twisted it backward.
She screamed.
Mimi was on her feet, beating on Roland’s side with her fists. He swatted her away, hitting her with the bottle in his hand. She stumbled backward again. Roland held on tightly to Kara’s wrist, pulling it up behind her back. She fell to her knees, screaming out in pain.
“Please, please leave her alone. I’ll do whatever you want, just let her go,” Mimi begged. “Please!”
Roland dropped Kara’s wrist. “Why do you do this? You make me hurt her. This is all your fault.” His legs faltered.
He folded over, his arms wrapped around his middle.
Roland let out a guttural moan, panting in pain.
He pushed himself upright with one hand and swigged back more alcohol with the other. “Just a little more time…”
“Time for what?” Mimi looked from him to Kara.
Kara lay on the floor in a fetal position, her cheek against the concrete floor. “He poisoned me.”
“Oh, God. You bastard!” Mimi flew at him like a rushing bull. She hit his fleshy arms with all her might, then started kicking him on his legs. “What did you do to my daughter? What? Tell me!”
Roland dodged her oncoming blows, finally grabbing her arms and holding them as she wriggled and fought his restraint.
“Bastard! What have you done? I swear, I’ll kill you!” Mimi screamed.
“You killed her,” he said in a flat, even tone. He pulled another long swig from the near-empty bottle.
“Leave her alone, Roland.” Kara’s thin voice caught their attention. She lay motionless on the ground. “Let her go. You’ve got me. You don’t need her.”
“This is all her fault.” Roland stared at Mimi.
Mimi stood frozen, watching her daughter and watching Roland.
“She’s the reason we have to die,” he said.
Kara’s eyes locked with Mimi’s. Her face crumpled to tears. “Mom?”