"To thine own self be true" Yellowstone fanfiction

chapter 36 "living on the run"

2000

I was 24 finishing up cleaning the kitchen after feeding my siblings. I stepped outside to shake the rug off on the front porch, as I stood staring out towards the bunkhouse I noticed two things. It was Friday night 11pm the cowboys were wild, and I noticed Beth's car was gone. Beth had a boyfriend at the time, think his name was Tony. she met him at the rodeo around three months prior when I took her and the boys. She fell head over heels in love with the kid, although I never got the chance to meet the boy. I knew that's where she had to be. I walked down the porch wiping my hands in the back of my jeans as I walked up to the loud bunkhouse. the cowboys played a game of horse shoes every Friday night, all night long. I glanced down at rip who was finishing up his duties on the horse barn. "Little late to be finishing up don't you think June bug?" I crossed my arms leaning on the wall. Rip looks up with flustered cheeks. "You're telling me. That asshole fred dumped my wheel barrow of shit right over after I was done. I had to redo it!" He huffed. I furrowed my brows. "He did?" Rip nods. "Everyone laughed at me!"
"Don't let it bother you baby. You're the new guy still. They'll pick on you until you get to the top. And trust me baby you'll be at the top!" I patted his shoulder before walking up to the tournament taking place. "Hey pretty girl" Fred sucked his teeth. I rolled my eyes. "Who do you think you are Fred?" I put my hands on my hips. "Your future baby" he giggled to himself. "You fuck around with my boy one more time I'll cut your balls off and stick them in my purse" he laughed. "Take em baby" he snickered before looking around at the others to see their amusement. The other cowboys were quiet as they respected me and who I was as a person. "This is a warning. You fuck with any of my men again and you're fucking gone. Rip may be new here but so are you. You've been here for 3 years. That ain't very long. Don't get comfy"  Fred let out a laugh. "You think you've got balls because your daddy is the big boss huh?"

"I know I have balls Fred. I don't think I do. I know" I took the beer from his hand walking over to the horse shoe game "restart. Let me play" I say as I finish off his beer. Fred watched me a bit turned on. I was never interested in him until years down the line. Something about him caught me off guard. He had this persona of being a real man. That all came to an end as we know it. "Mother fucker!!" A voice screamed from further away. Everyone's head shifted. I watched as 16 year old beth slammed her car door then kicked it. She was angry. The shadow of her angry posture shined onto the ground. I sighed then made my way over. She continuously kicked and punched the vehicle. "Bethany" I say calmly. She continued her angry fit. "Bethany!" I called louder. Beth bent over picking up a tree branch than began whipping the car. "Beth!!" I shouted as I tossed my beer bottle into the back of my old pick up. I started by pulling her arms behind her shoving her against the car. She was panting and sobbing all at once. I cupped her cheeks with one hand as the other hand held her hands firmly. Her lip was busted and her cheekbone was bruised. My curiosity quickly turned into rage. "Did that son of a bitch touch you?" Beth didn't reply. She shoved off me then hung her head. "Bethany! What did he do to do!?"
"You wouldn't understand Twitty!"

"Try me beth!"

In defeat she plopped down on the porch steps. She laid her head in her hands. "He called me a slut because of my outfit! Even though I wore it for him!" She cried out as she looked back up at me. "I noticed him hiding an ugly bitch in his truck when I pulled up! And he had the right to get mad AT ME!! He...he kept hitting me so I hit him back! I..I just wanted to look good for him" she sobbed. With pity in my heart I kneeled to the ground infront of her. I placed my hands on her cut up knees.  "Don't you ever let a man treat you like that again. He isn't a man if he lays a finger on you. He didn't do anything else to you right?" I rubbed my thumbs gently on the top of her knees. "Right" she said quietly. "Alright... Go upstairs.. have a hot shower... Head to bed. no man is worth any kind of pain. Physical or emotional. You're more of a man than any man will ever be. You don't look good for any man or boy! For that matter. Only look good for yourself. Go upstairs and clean up" I patted her thigh before both of us stood up and split directions. I jogged to my old beaten pickup truck slamming the door as I got in. I stepped on the gas I a flew in reverse all the way to the horse barn. I leaned over the bench seat to roll down the window. Rip stared up at me from the barn. "Drop the shovel and get in!" I shouted. "I still have some work to do!" He says. "Not anymore. Let's go!"
R

ip got in slamming the door shut. Before he could even shut the door I was already speeding down the drive. "What's going on?" He questioned. "Some punk beat the shit outta beth" I say as I began to load a pistol in my lap as I drove. He watched with concern. "Tony did?" He questioned. "Yeah tony. You fuckin know Tony rip?" Rip shrugged. "Not much. I know that he pushes her around alot. Beth made me promise I wouldn't do nothin about it. I threatened to kill that mother fucker. Beth got mad at me" I glanced over at him. "I gave her my word Twitty" he says with guilt in his voice. "Is she in rough shape?" I shook my head. "Busted lip and a bruise on her cheek. If you have her your word I won't have you do nothin okay June bug?" Rip nodded. "You care about her right?" Rip nodded. "Good. Then you won't care what I do' I sped down the road as fast as possible. My old 1976 Chevy was 24 years old still trucking it at 120 miles per hour. Once I found Tony's address on the reservation I noticed familiar trailers surrounding the area. This is where Robert lived. "Do you know Tony's last name?" I asked. Rip shook his head. "Beth never told me much" he says. I huffed as I drove around slowly. Dogs barked loudly and people argued louder than the dogs. The reservation was a trashy area at the time. "There's the fuckers truck" I say quietly as I pulled up beside it. I rolled down my window staring into the passenger side of his truck. I could see tony kissing some girl like her face was on fire. I pushed my foot down on the gas to receive Tony's attention. The young boy looked up with an irritated look on his face. The young girl he was with rolled the window down. "Can I help you?" Tony blurted. "You put your hands on my sister son?"  Tony smirked. "I don't fuck with that bitch no more. She's a fuckin prude!" He snickered. I glanced at him and then at the girl. "She ain't a prude. She just isn't a slut that that thing you got there" I smirked as the girl scoffed "fuck you! You don't know me!" She yells. Gently I lifted my pistol laying in on the open window frame, aiming it at the both of them. "I know that you should probably get the fuck out of that truck before I blow both your heads off" I threatened. The girls eyes widened as she quickly got out. She ran quickly down the neighborhood in fear. I watched tony with a smile on my face. "If you ever touch my sister or see my sister again I will blow what every fucking balls you got to pieces. I will shove this gun so far up your ass the bullet will come out of your mouth you. understand me son!?" I shouted. Tony gripped the steering wheel tight, he gulped his fear. "Y...yes ma'am" he stuttered. I put my truck in reverse. Before backing out I shot both of his tires as some parts of his trucks body. Some neighbors yelled at the shots that were fired. I peeled out as fast as I could rolling down the dirt road. "The hell did you shoot for!" Rip yelled. I glanced over at him. "I put the fear of Dutton in that boys head. He ain't fuckin with her again Junie" I leaned back in my seat smirking to myself. Rip let out small laughter then also leaned back in relief. That until we suddenly hear a boom come from behind the truck. I glanced in the mirror at a giant ball of fire shooting up in the sky. My eyes widened at the light. I looked back out the window as I drove. "Oh...fffuck" I gasped to myself. Rips eyes grew twice the size. I grabbed rip my the shirt pulling him close to me with aggression. "We don't EVER speak or this you hear me! My old man will never know what happened tonight correct?" Rip nods frantically as he looked down at my dashboard. We it 145mph. I rubbed my face. "Oh fuck me!"

"Slow down Twitty! We look suspicious!"