behind us.
Richard had been lurking near the corner of the barn, his face drained of every drop of color. Behind him, Vanessa’s smug expression had completely dissolved into panic.
“You senile old bitch!” Richard roared, lunging forward with his fists clenched. “You don’t know what you’re talking about!”
Years of combat training took over before he could take two strides. I stepped between him and Mom, pivoted, and caught his incoming wrist. With a swift twist and an open-palm strike to his chest, I drove him back into the dirt. He crashed onto the hard gravel, gasping for air.
“Touch her again, Richard,” I said, my voice dangerously calm, “and I will treat you as an enemy combatant.”
“Vanessa, run!” Richard wheezed from the ground, scrambling backward. “Burn the study! Burn the damn desk!”
Vanessa turned on her designer heels and sprinted toward the farmhouse.
I didn’t have to
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