Shattered Roses

Part II: Chapter 14

September 23

Rose Residence

“Ah, Mr. Pritchet, you’re doing a wonderful job.” Ms. Boykins entered the room to hover over his shoulder. He’d spent several minutes convincing her and Billy that Franny was perfectly fine and that he could tend her foot. A true figure of authority, he then asked her to clean up the glass while ordering Billy and Officer Smith out the door to get started on the fence. 

“I told you I could handle it, Ms. Boykins.” He gave her a charming grin and she did seem charmed by it as she patted his shoulder.

Franny almost rolled her eyes. He was holding a cloth to her foot to stop the bleeding, nothing more. But she was still too rattled to even roll her eyes. She kept her hands clasped in her lap, scared to move lest someone see them shaking. She was biting her lip as she stared down at him, not bothering to look up at Ms. Boykins. Everything was going wrong. These people should not be in her house, Officer Smith was threatening her, someone had broken her fence…

“I think my foot is fine, really,” she said but her voice was quiet and meek, even to her own ears. She felt like sinking into the couch Pritchet had carried her to.

“You let this fine young man take care of you, Franny, you’ve been through too much the last few days.” She headed back to the kitchen. “Now, to get that broom. We’ll have this place spotless and glass free in no time, don’t you worry a tick.” 

Franny stared after her before she let her gaze drift to the front door, Officer Smith on the other side of it. She’d been so alarmed, unable to move, but now that he’d left she felt like she could breathe a little. But he wasn’t far. He was lingering outside under the pretense of being a good and helpful man of the law. 

“What did he say?” Pritchet’s hand moved to her knee, capturing her attention, his voice low. She frowned at him and he spoke again, “I know he said something, you looked unnerved.” 

“Why do you care?”

He was still tired, dark circles under his eyes in full form now. “I couldn’t possibly do anything more to show you that I’m trying to protect you.”

Protect me? Not this speech again… She leaned forward abruptly until her nose was inches from his face, glaring at him as he kneeled by her foot, “You threatened me in the church just yesterday! Where in the book of law does it say frighten women to make them cooperate with your lies?”

“You—you try my patience, Miss Rose, you really do,” he said with exasperation, cheeks reddening. “What else am I supposed to do if you don’t listen?”

She snorted, “I’m not a child.”

“Then be reasonable, woman. Stop antagonizing these people.”

“You mean you.”

“I mean them.”

“The gangs? The one’s you’re with?”

“Jordy’s with them, too.” His retort was sharp and delivered with a granite expression. Her lips were already parted for the next reply when his words caught up to her and she closed her mouth. She wasn’t sure what hit harder, his first true confession that he was with the gangs that slid in and out of town like snakes, or his mention of Jordy. It stunned her into silence. His gray eyes never left hers as she processed that and he finally said, “Whatever Bobby said to you… I am trying to protect you. I don’t want this for you. For anyone. Especially not for you.”

“Especially not for me? Why me?”

He sighed heavily, his hand resting harder on her knee, “Because no one deserves this. I know what the costs of this life are and Jordy chose it, but you didn’t. I know what they’re stealing from you—”