Page 167 of Like A Moth To A Flame

Tommy was a good person,I reminded myself.

So why did he scare the fuckin’ shit out of me?

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. This was not the time for hesitation or fear. Barrett would die if I didn’t act… yet I couldn’t convince myself that wouldn’t be for the best.

I aimed my gun at Tommy as he turned, his wild eyes locked onto mine.

“Step away from him, Tommy,” I commanded, my voice firm and authoritative. But there was no response. His gaze remained fixed on me, his knuckles stained with Barrett’s blood.

“He hurt her,” he said simply, and the monotone, emotionless tone of his voice only shook me that much further.

I could feel my resolve waver as I stared into Tommy’s unsettling eyes. The sight of Barrett’s still and silent body sent a chill racing down my spine.

“He hurt her,” Tommy repeated, his voice devoid of any emotion. The words echoed in my mind until they replayed like a broken record. I couldn’t deny the truth in his words, but I also couldn’t ignore the danger he posed.

He was a rabid dog on the end of a broken leash.

Would I have to be the one to put him down?

Taking a deep breath, I tried to steady my trembling hands. I had to stay focused, to protect Barrett, even if he was a monster. It was my duty. I had taken an oath.

With every ounce of authority I could muster, I commanded Tommy once again.

“Step away from him, Tommy. That’s an order.”

But still, there was no response. Tommy remained locked in his trance-like state, unyielding and unresponsive. Fear gripped me, tightening its hold on my chest. I had to find a way to reach him, to break through whatever darkness had consumed him.

I heard a sudden, low, mournful whine and looked up to see Duke, his fur stained with blood as he cowered in the doorwayleading to the living room. He had no wounds and appeared unharmed, yet there was no denying that fear overwhelmed him.

I had seen this before when tracking dogs came across a bear protecting a kill in the woods, and it was clear what Duke was afraid of.

There was a much larger animal in the room.

I took a step closer, my gun trained on Tommy.

“Tommy, please,” I pleaded, my voice desperate now. “We can fix this. We can find another way. Vanessa is hurt. The baby could be hurt. They need you.”

For a brief moment, a flicker of recognition flashed in Tommy’s eyes. His expression quickly turned cold and distant once more, extinguishing the hope that had ignited within me. The realization hit me like a punch to the gut—Tommy was beyond reach, lost in his torment.

With a heavy heart, I made a choice. I couldn’t allow Tommy’s madness to continue unchecked. The consequences were painful, but I had to do the right thing. With shaking fingers, I summoned what was left of my courage and I pulled back the hammer with a click of finality that sent a boulder hurtling down into my gullet.

“Tom, you need to listen to me,” I said, my voice shaking. “You got a little lady over there that’s bleedin’ bad and needs to get to a hospital. She needs you more than your anger does. Your child needs you more than your anger does. Do the right thing, Tom. You’re better than this—better than your daddy was.”

I watched him stiffen, his jaw clenching as my words penetrated his anger-filled haze. But as seconds ticked by, it became clear that Tommy was wrestling with his demons, caught between thelove he had and the darkness that had taken him over. His eyes flickered with conflicting emotions, a battle raging within. A single tear slipped down his cheek, and I finally understood.

I understood because I had been there once. I had been so angry that I didn’t know how to handle the emotions as they whirlpooled around me.

In that moment, I saw a glimpse of the man Tommy used to be, and who he could be again—before the person he’d become after Vanessa’s return to Cottonwood Falls. A man who had dreams and aspirations, who cared deeply for those he loved. It was a flicker of hope, a glimmer of the person buried beneath the layers of anger and despair.

Silence enveloped the room. I watched as Tommy’s shoulders tensed, his fists clenched at his sides. The battle raged on within him, a war between the demons that haunted him and the love he still held onto.

“Tommy, please. Vanessa and your child are waiting. They need you to make the right choice.”

And then, in a moment of clarity, Tommy turned towards me. It was a small victory, but one that gave me hope.

I watched as he got to his feet, and when he turned into the light, I saw the extent of the horror that waited for me.

Blood had splattered across his face and caked in his beard. It dropped down the front of his grey t-shirt, staining it burgundy and sticking it to his skin. His hands shook, the knuckles bloodied and split. It wasn’t until he was hurrying past me, out the front door, that I saw Barrett and the state he was in.

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