Page 108 of Unhinged Kallie

D: I swear to God if you hurt my Grand Mammie.

C: Too late.

There was an image that followed, and it was so brutal that I could hardly make out that it was a person, let alone a woman.

C: Shouldn’t Sara-Lee be home from the grocery story by now? I hope nothing serious has happened.

The rest of the messages were from Darryl as he swore and cursed my dad, but he never responded again. I snatched the image off the wall and turned to face my father, who was testing the bindings on his table to make sure they were perfect.

“Dad, what the fuck?”

I was transported back in time as he answered but never lifted his head.

“I’ve warned you about your tone with me before, Angel. I would prefer we not discuss it again.” A shiver raced up and down my spine as he glanced at me.

Carter placed his hand on my shoulder, and I knew he was silently telling me to take a breath. It was so hard to stay calm when pure rage stormed through my body.

“Why didn’t you tell me you were communicating with this asshole? And if you’re talking to him, why is he not already on your table? Does being what you are mean you care so little about mom’s memory?” I stepped back as he turned and focused on me, murder in his eyes.

“If I were you, daughter, I’d watch what you say about my feelings for your mother.”

Dad’s hands were in fists, and suddenly, Carter stepped in front of me. He held out his arms and stepped back to trap me between him and the wall. I could’ve gotten loose if I wanted to hurt him, but he was wagering that I wouldn’t, and I didn’t.

“Don’t, Cain, you’ll regret it. Both of you will regret it,” he said, looking over his shoulder at me. “The two of you need a fucking timeout from this guy, he’s tearing you two apart.”

“I need to know why he’s not dead already.” My anger was still burning bright, and I wanted to argue.

“Because we haven’t been able to trace it,” Carter said, and my mouth fell open.

“You knew?” He stepped away and turned around to look at me and then my dad.

“I thought you knew,” Carter said.

“Why would I question this?” I held up the paper, shaking it. “If I knew.”

“I mean before right this moment. That was a few weeks ago now. A lot has happened and….” Carter glanced at my dad, and I felt cut out of something important.

“Why were you hiding this from me?”

My dad shook his head and walked across the room toward me. “Do you remember the night Troy invited me to help the two of you, and I told you I had a new lead?”

Oh shit, I felt the noose wrap around my neck and crossed my arms. “Yes.”

“Do you remember how you never came to talk to me even though I reminded you?”

And there it was, the noose tightened, and I felt like a child in one of my lessons. I didn’t want to say yes, but he calmly stared at me, just waiting to pounce, and I knew he would stand there all day.

“Yes, I remember.”

“Next time, instead of thinking I’m hiding things from you and insulting me and your mother’s memory, you will remember.” He turned to walk away but stopped and looked back, his eyes angry even though this voice never changed. “You keep telling me you’re all grown up, and I should trust you. Start giving me a reason to.” My face flamed hot with the embarrassment of being called out, especially in front of Carter. “And don’t ever question what your mother meant to me again, not ever.”

He walked out, and I turned, pulled down a bunch of the pictures, and tore them up as I screamed out my frustration. I grabbed more, including the photo of the man who killed my mother. Carter grabbed me from behind and held me tight before I could rip them apart. His voice was soft and soothing to the flames inside me that felt hot enough to melt my bones.

“We’ll get him,” Carter whispered.

“He’s roamed around free for twelve years. Even one more day is too many,” I said. I stopped struggling, and Carter let me go as I took a deep breath. “My prom is tomorrow. Mom was supposed to be here.” I marched away from Carter and back again. “We would’ve gone dress and shoe shopping, but I had to go with Talon. I thought I might kill her if she forced me to try on something pink one more time. Mom would’ve cried and taken pictures of us and…just so many things that won’t happen because of him.” I looked down at the photo still in my hands and then up at Carter.

“He needs to die.”