Page 59 of Stone Rules

He starts to plead with me again.

“Shut up!” I yell, waving the gun at him. “And step the fuck back.”

In this moment, I realize how poetic it would be to shoot Karl Salzman with Tony Pellman’s gun. I let my finger caress the trigger, wanting so badly to pull it, but needing to give him a piece of my mind first.

Sweat dots his brow as he retreats a few feet, enough for me to walk through the front door. But then two things happen at once. A lady comes around the corner asking, “Honey, who’s at the door?” And someone runs up behind me as I hear familiar voice shout, “Charlie, NO!”

Chapter Twenty-seven

I can’t even turn around to look at Ethan. I can’t let my defenses down for one second or Karl could get away. I can’t think about how Ethan probably just set me up, giving me this information so he could follow me. I want to be mad at him. But my anger is all directed at the monster in front of me.

But the thing is, he doesn’t look like a monster. He looks like he could be anyone’s dad. Anyone’s husband. And he’s scared. It’s evident by more than just the look on his face. It’s evident by the wetness spreading across the front of his pants.

I smirk at his crotch. Good. Humiliation from pissing himself is an added bonus.

“Charlie!” Ethan’s words ring out from behind. “What are you doing? Put down the gun.”

I shake my head fervently from side to side. “No,” I tell him. “Not until he’s paid for what he’s done.”

The woman who has now rounded the corner and taken in the full extent of the circumstances, screams. Karl reaches out to her, pulling her behind him, protecting her with his own body.

I hear a door close behind me and then I see Ethan carefully edge against the wall next to me. “Charlie, give me the gun. Please.”

“No,” I say, never taking my eyes off Karl. “Damn you, Ethan. You shouldn’t have followed me.”

“What’s going on here, Charlie? What has this man done?”

“What has he done?” I ask, my voice cracking in agony. “What has he done?” I narrow my eyes at Karl. “Tell them, Karl. Tell them what you did to me.”

I wince knowing that if he speaks, my secret will be revealed. But then I look at my hands, pointing the gun at Karl’s head and I realize it doesn’t really matter anymore. Nothing matters.

“Karl?” his wife asks. “What is she talking about? Why is this happening?”

“Natalie,” he says, his voice trembling as he turns his head towards her. “Oh, God. I’m so sorry.”

Fury radiates through my veins. “You’re apologizing toher?”I yell. Then I motion to the woman. “Who are you? His wife?”

She nods and I shake my head in frustration.

“You married this sick bastard?” I ask. “Do you have any idea who you married?”

“Charlie, what the fuck is going on?” Ethan demands.

“Momma?” a soft whisper of a voice squeaks from the hallway. Gasps come from all four of us when a toe-headed little girl walks sleepily out into the foyer, rubbing her tired eyes.

Natalie removes herself from Karl’s protective stance, having no care for herself when running over to sweep the little girl into her arms. The child can’t be more than two. I’m grateful for so many reasons. One: she’s probably too young to remember any of this. And two: he most likely hasn’t touched her. Yet.

“You have a daughter?” I ask, vileness dripping from my voice.

I lunge for him, but Ethan steps in front of me and I’m left pointing the gun athim. “Charlie, no matter what happened here, you don’t want to do this. Talk to me. Tell me what’s happening here.”

“Move,” I tell him. I take a step back, letting him know I won’t advance further.

Ethan raises his hands in surrender as if he’s the target of my aggression. Then he moves, but not back to where he was before. He walks over and stands next to Natalie and her daughter, protecting them in Karl’s stead.

I look over at the child. “Is this your only child?” I ask.

“Yes,” Natalie says. “Please don’t hurt us.”

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