Bash, Volume III Read Online Free PDF Page B

hurt you. Even back then, my dad had talked to me about how to get away with killing people if someone pushed me and I had no choice, and it all kind of happened in one long, slow, dance. I stepped to the side and shoved him, aiming so his head would hit a tree. He was unconscious when he landed, but still alive, so I put my fist on his spine, just below his neck, and wrapped my arm around his forehead so my hands never touched him.”
    Her voice had gone softer and softer, but now she went back to a normal tone of voice, as if she didn’t want to show weakness. “I lifted his head until his neck snapped, trying to get the same angle so it’d look like he tripped and broke his neck when he hit the tree. His right cheek was pretty messed up from the tree bark, and I didn’t touch it with my arm.”
    “Why didn’t you just walk away once he was out?” I asked.
    “Pushing him down and then breaking his neck happened in one long sequence. It never occurred to me to stop. Once I realized I hadn’t needed to kill him, that I could’ve just walked away once he was knocked out, I was mortified . I had nightmares for months, where he was asking me why I’d killed him, or where his kids were crying and asking why I’d killed their daddy.”
    At twelve. She’d had to deal with this at twelve . “What did your parents do?”
    “They talked to me, a lot . My dad found out the guy had been a teacher at the high school, and he convinced me I might have kept him from molesting a lot of girls, and maybe even the asshole’s own daughter. My dad didn’t ask any questions of his law enforcement friends, but the papers reported it was an accident, that he appeared to have tripped and fallen into a tree, and he must’ve been running on the trail to have enough momentum to break his neck.”
    “And how do you feel about the men you killed tonight?”
    “If I hadn’t killed them, my dad would’ve needed to make a huge statement, and he’d have likely killed more than five people. You would’ve probably been right there with him, and it’s pretty much a sure thing that some of the people ya’ll killed would’ve only been guilty by association. However, by taking them out myself, I made sure the five people who kidnapped me were the ones who paid, and I set it up so people will know not to mess with me because I will fuck them up. I’m attached to the RTMC, and I get that ya’ll need to send a message to anyone who hurts someone you consider yours, but I wanted to send my own message.” She sighed. “I feel bad they’re dead, and if I learn they have families then I’ll probably cry for their loss, but I don’t feel guilty about killing men who were planning to imprison me so they could rape me anytime they wanted. They had to know they were signing their death warrant when they took me — they expected it to come from the RTMC and not me, but that doesn’t matter. They knew what they were doing, and what the consequences were likely to be.”
    “Are the Disciples going to spread it that you took them out?” I asked, unhappy with where this was going.
    She nodded. “Yeah, and I’m good with it. If it makes it back to the cops, I’ll just tell them it’s a myth, but one the RTMC has decided to let stand and even propagate a little, because it only keeps me safer to let our enemies think I’m capable of killing five men.”
    I nodded and held her, and petted her a bit, hoping she’d fall asleep, but she asked, “Did Pit-Bull shoot Dawg?”
    “No, but he was there when it happened. We killed all but a few, and they were messed up pretty bad and then instructed to leave town and not come back.”
    “He was nice to me, tonight. So were Marlin and Razor. I know they’re still the enemy, and in different circumstances we might have to draw on each other, but they had my back.”
    “It behooved them to return you safely to us, Princess.”
    She chuckled and relaxed a little, and I kept petting her until she