Chapter Sixty Her

Chapter Sixty Her

Present Day

Kathryn and I hit the floor at the same time. Grunting and shoving. Kicking and punching. Wyatt stood over us, yelling for

us to stop as legs flailed and our shoes clomped against the floor in the fight for leverage. My shoulder slammed into the

hardwood when Kathryn climbed on top of me. That petite frame hid her determination to win. It gave her strength and made

her mean.

The force of the adrenaline rushing through me touched off a round of dizziness. Energy pumped in my veins. All the disappointment

and fear, all those moments of feeling powerless, welled up, fueling every twist.

I’d been born out of spite and raised in a bath of vengeance. My purpose—to live out my mother’s anger—had been spelled out

and drummed into me. No amount of begging, hoping, or running stopped her from sacrificing my life for hers. Jumping to her

commands and submitting to her blackmail landed me here. Alone in a sea of dangerous, deceitful people.

That ended now. The days of doing her bidding and inhaling her fury were over. I fought for me.

I’d attended random classes here and there over the years. I never stayed long enough in one place to learn much more than the basics of any subject. The one exception—self-defense. I’d taken a series of classes in preparation for confronting Richmond. Those moves failed me during Thomas’s attack, but they came in handy now.

Unsure where the paperweight went, I hugged the bat and rolled. My body covered it. The end pressed into my chest. All the

aches and pains from my physical battle at the gate came roaring back, demanding attention. I ignored them and clenched until

my muscles shook.

Kathryn reached around me and under me. Wyatt knelt down, trying to rip us apart. Odd noises filled the room and carried throughout

the big house. Heavy breathing mixed with the sound of shuffling bodies as we rolled and fought for leverage. I banged my

shin against a chair. The floor lamp toppled over.

Great results can be achieved with small forces .

My instructor repeated the mantra several times during the four-week self-defense class. The phrase stayed in my mind even

though it sounded like bullshit. Big always trumped little. Strong defeated weak. Today, I needed determined to beat disturbed.

Kathryn draped her body over mine and dug her nails into my shoulder. A squeal built inside me. The pinching had me squirming.

I slammed my elbow back as hard as I could. Right into her stomach. The result was instantaneous. Her labored breathing turned

to a grunt as she rolled off me and onto the floor.

I scrambled to my feet, bat in hand. Still no sign of the paperweight. If I couldn’t find it, she couldn’t either.

Standing there, staring down at Wyatt and Kathryn’s stunned expressions, breaths hiccupped in my chest. Time blurred. The fight lasted a few minutes, maybe, but felt like four rounds in a boxing match. So many questions ran through my mind. How long had it been since I’d seen my mom? Where was Portia?

Kathryn stood up. She brushed her hands over her stained dress as her breathing slowed down and her composure returned. “You

will not win. Not again.”

Fine. Kathryn made her decision. My turn. “Wyatt, it’s time you know the truth about your dad.”

“What are you doing?” Agitated and fidgeting, Kathryn shifted around as her usual regal stance crumbled.

The secret begged to get out. Elias would warn me against this. Mom would be pissed because the reveal wasn’t as big and dramatic

as she wanted. Kathryn might lose it. Wyatt would be destroyed.

I hated the last part. Wyatt deserved better and dragging him further into this mess made me an unwanted accomplice in this

tragedy. I’d wanted to spare him from this showdown, protect him, but that wasn’t possible. Giving him partial information

would be worse than arming him with the whole truth. There was nowhere for him to hide. He needed to be prepared and that

couldn’t happen if he only knew Kathryn’s warped version of events.

“Your father was the one who planned the murders twenty-seven years ago. He killed your grandparents for money. He was the

mastermind.” Saying the words didn’t bring any satisfaction.

“She’s lying.” Kathryn put a protective hand up in front of Wyatt as if her arm could block him from hearing the facts. “Stop

this.”

“Your father convinced your uncle to go along with his big plan.” The words raced out of me between harsh breaths. “Cooper was younger and totally bought into everything your father said.”

Kathryn grabbed Wyatt’s hand. “Your father was a hero.”

The bat was so heavy in my hand. Dropping it would touch off another skirmish. Using it would wreck what little decency I

had left. But I had to focus on the past, not the present. “Your dad set himself up as the savior that day for the fame and

the money. Cooper had no idea your dad intended to betray him.”

“Don’t listen to her. She is a petty con artist.” Kathryn was seething. She abandoned any attempt to hide behind good manners

and proper etiquette as she shifted and gestured and fought the words.

I wasn’t done. “Your dad set up your uncle and massacred your grandparents. He lied to everyone, including you.”

“That can’t be true.” Wyatt sounded tortured by the information being thrown at him.

No more games. No more pretending. No more hiding behind a fake marriage, regardless of the cost. “I have the proof. That’s

why your father married me, Wyatt.”

“So, you did blackmail him?” The disappointment and hurt came through Wyatt’s voice.

I debated dodging the question and ended up shading it. “It’s the agreement we reached. We got married. Your dad lost control

of his life and banks accounts and in return I stayed quiet.”

My moment of triumph never came. The hoped-for catharsis fizzled. There was no payoff. Not even satisfaction at unmasking

Richmond for the psychopath he was. The scene left me with the same emptiness I’d carried my whole life.

The two of them stood in front of me like a wall of outrage. In sync and against me. They looked ready to do battle, to join forces and take me down.

I still held the bat and one last emotional grenade. “What’s worse, Wyatt, is that I wasn’t the only one who stayed quiet.

Your mother knew what your dad did.”

Kathryn gasped. “How dare you.”

“She knew before the killings happened and did nothing to stop him.”