Thomas Hewitt: End Of The Line

Canary

He led her up to a small room at the end of the upstairs hallway. He had a feeling he'd started a fire far out of his control. Between Hoyt's inevitable rage at what Thomas had just done and the white hot anger he could feel radiating from the girl's arm he held he knew this was only going to end bad. Hoyt would retaliate, it was only a matter of time. He feared what the consequences would be and it made him wonder why he'd started this in the first place. There wasn't anything specific about her he could blame as to why he'd refused to follow the order he was given. However, whatever it was made him feel weak to the point of frustration, but he'd made his bed. Now he would just have to figure out how to lie in it.

As soon as he had opened the door she ripped herself from his grip and put some distance between them. She looked at him with that same enraged expression, there was no more pleading coming from her eyes. He could tell he was about to get an earful, one he knew he probably deserved.

"You sick bastard," Ronnie said through her still gritted teeth, "where do you get off actin' like you're my knight in shining armor down there? You're the whole fuckin' reason I'm here, aren't you?"

Hoyt wasn't wrong about that mouth she had on her. Though Thomas would've been lying if he said he didn't find it somewhat amusing.

"You had every opportunity to tell me not to stop at that goddamn gas station. Hell, you coulda told me to turn around and I would have. But no. You didn't wanna tell me about your 'family' of psychos up the road. You let me drive right into their trap. You wanted me here," she said in as quiet a voice as she could manage, though he could tell she'd be yelling if she didn't fear the 'psychos' downstairs.

And no. He didn't want her here. Her presence was causing more disruption to what little peace of mind he'd had than she would ever know. He could tell she was waiting for him to speak by the way she crossed her arms.

"You still ain't got nothin to say for yourself, huh?"

He let out a disgruntled sigh as she shook her head at him.

"Fine," she said as she eyed him with contempt, "you don't wanna talk, then you're gonna listen. You got two options. You can kill me right here, right now and I won't fight you."

She paused and he could tell that behind that tough exterior she presented, part of her was frightened of her own suggestion. He waited for her to continue.

"Or you're gonna get me out of here."

He knew it would be easier to kill her, there was no doubt about that. Between Hoyt's watchful eye and Mama and Monty's fearful loyalty to him it would be nearly impossible to do what she asked. But there was something about the way she held firm in her stance, the way she tried to hide the fear he knew she had to be feeling. There was a fire in her that maybe others who had passed through this house before had had, but he'd never noticed. Her's had a fury and a will to burn like he'd never seen. He didn't want to be the one to put it out. His eyes wandered over her tense frame up to her eyes to watch as she tried to read him for an answer.

"You go on and make up your mind, but I ain't lettin' you people keep me here. I won't," she said softer than before.

She held her own arms tighter as she braced herself in case he chose to end her life. He took a step forward and she took another back only to be stopped by the bed frame behind her. Though she stumbled, she never took her eyes off of him. She was fearful he had made his choice. He slowly let his hand wander up to lift her chin. He could hear her breath quicken with unease at his touch. He didn't know how to tell her he would indeed help her, he just needed her to be patient. He could tell by the stubborn look on her face she wasn't the waiting kind. She'd have to learn.

His hand dropped from her face when he heard Mama's footsteps coming down the hallway.

"Thomas," Luda said as she entered the doorway to eye Ronnie with suspicion, "go on downstairs and give the girl some privacy so she can get changed."

"Excuse me?" Ronnie said in annoyance as she took note of the items Luda was carrying.

She held a bucket of water and rags. On top of those, it looked to be an old gown of some sort. Luda waited until Thomas had lumbered out of the room and closed the door behind him.

"If you're gonna be stayin' in my home you ain't gonna be prancin' around in them clothes," the woman said with that same disapproving look she'd given her at the gas station, "they look more like under garments to me and Tommy don't need to be seein' that."

Ronnie scoffed. Prancing? They shouldn't have brought her here then. The woman turned to see the obstinate look on her face.

"Or Hoyt," Luda added reminding her of what had transpired downstairs.

Though it irritated her to admit, Ronnie knew she wasn't wrong. It her own strange way, the woman was trying to help. She watched Luda as she set the clothes on the bed and placed one of the rags into the bucket. As she wrung the water out of the towel Ronnie took a moment to study her female captor. She looked frail, but there was a sturdiness there in her worn out hands. Years of hard living had toughened her, it was apparent in the deep wrinkles in her hands and sharp lines on her forehead. Her graying hair was pulled back in a bun for the most part save a few strands that framed her tired looking face. Ronnie thought the same thing she had the first time she saw her, that she looked harmless. She knew now, that was not the case.

"Sit down," Luda said as she motioned to the feather bed.

"I can do that myself," Ronnie replied as she held out her hand for the wet rag.

Luda only looked at her over her glasses until Ronnie did as she was asked with an impatient sigh. She placed the rag to the cut on Ronnie's forehead and the girl let out a pained hiss.

"Sorry," Luda said softly as she continued to clean her wounds, "forgot to warn you about the sting."

Ronnie was more than confused. The woman was acting as though she hadn't suggested her son take her to the basement and slaughter her like cattle just minutes before. She wiped the blood from her face as gently as a mother would her own child. She seemed to be studying Ronnie just as much as she had her. After she'd finished with the rag she brushed some of Ronnie's hair back over her shoulder.

"It true Tommy sent you on your way earlier?" Luda asked absentmindedly has she brushed through Ronnie's hair.

"I suppose you could say he did," Ronnie said as she watched Luda's intrigued expression apprehensively, "he failed to mention you people were just waitin' to grab me, so I wouldn't give him too much credit."

"Don't be so hard on him," Luda chided, "Tommy don't talk."

"Don't or won't?" Ronnie asked harshly.

"Hard to say," Luda said, seemingly unbothered by her sharp tone, "all I know is I ain't heard a peep from him in years."

An uncomfortable silence fell over them as the woman continued to study Ronnie. She had that same expression she'd had when that phony sheriff brought to light that Thomas was 'soft' on her. It made Ronnie just as uncomfortable as it had the first time she saw it.

"You are pretty," Luda said with a sigh, "you seem like you come from good stock too. If we could just reign in that foul mouth of yours, you might be good for Tommy."

Ronnie shot up from the bed, "You let me go right now or I'll shove your head in that damn bucket and drown you."

Luda scoffed, "Now, you know I ain't gonna do that and it won't do you no good makin' threats like that round here."

Luda stood up and grabbed the clothing she'd brought from the bed, "Now get dressed. I've got to go sort dinner out since Tommy decided we don't have no meat for tonight."

Ronnie's jaw dropped to the floor. So that's what they were gonna do with her if Thomas hadn't intervened. At this point there was no question of whether things would get worse or not. They definitely would. What the woman had just said about her son and dinner had all but confirmed that. She had to get the hell out of there with or without Thomas' help.

Luda tossed the gown to her, "And don't go tryin' to use that pretty face against Tommy. He's in enough trouble with Hoyt as is," she gave her one last once over before she shut the door, "and close your mouth girl."