Chapter thirty-one: Wild Man

Bang!

The bullet shattered a branch off an apple tree the gun went off and the man lost his grip on the gun as she kicked him. "Run!" she screamed at Ruby and Charlie as the man pulled her down to the ground. "Run!"

"Freakin' bitch." The man curses at her as he reaches for his gun. Kate reaches for it too, but he grabs it first. The man points it at her head and she instantly freezes where she is. She inhales as the man keeps it between her eyes; her heart is pounding loudly in her ears. "On your back." He orders. "Whore."

Kate could not move. His reaction was to punch her in the chest, sending her onto back as she gasped for air. In that instance, the man was atop her, his hands gripped her wrists and he slapped her hands above her head. He forcefully kissed her, causing her to scream and then bite his lip. He cursed at her as he pulled his mouth free from her teeth.

"Get off me!" Kate screamed as she tried to buck him off.

"Hell," his hands went to his pants. "you're gonna be good. Love a wildcat."

"My husband will kill you for this!" she screams at him.

"I won't be that long." He sneered as he set his gun behind him, out of her reach. "I love the sounds you whores make when you're dry."

Kate screamed again and he hit her hard in the face, stunning her for a moment. Kate prayed she wouldn't pass out as stars spun before her eyes. She could kill him; she just needed to get a hand free! She exhaled and inhaled, trying to focus. She felt blood dripping down her nose and she knew it was broken. Her lip had split and the way her cheek was throbbing, she knew she was going to be bruised.

She closed her eyes and inhaled, trying to find calm. She needed to be calm to get out of this situation. Two fat and rough fingers being shoved up inside her brought her back to life with a cry of pain. "Stop it!"

"Tight and dry." He growled as he wrestled with his belt. "You're gonna rip. Guess your husband didn't know what to do with you. Well, you'll know what a real man feels like a moment."

She screamed again, causing him grip her tighter around the throat. She gasped for air, terror enveloping her for a moment. She'd never felt so helpless in her life before. She thrashed her head, looking around for something to get this man off her. At that moment, a stabbing pain in her head caused her to hiss. Her hatpin! She had actually worn a straw hat today for a change!

The man leaned forward and torn a corner of her dress, exposing her shoulder. Kate inhaled, getting her breathing under control as he bit her neck hard, causing her to struggle against his grip on her throat. Kate reached up into her hair and pulled out the hairpin, praying she wouldn't pass out in the attempt. Her actions caused him to look directly at her and she stabbed him deep in the eye with the hatpin.

His scream echoed through the forest and he released her. She shoved him off her and went straight for his gun. He was doubled over, holding his eye as blood streamed through his fingers. She reached the gun and grabbed it, glancing over her shoulder. The man was sobbing in pain, the hatpin still in his eye.

Kate inhaled deeply, catching her breath as she pulled her undergarments back up around her waist and stood up. She wiped her nose with her sleeve, finding blood on her hand. She shoots near his hand, causing him to jump and let out a yell in terror. "Don't shoot me!"

"Then don't bloody move!" she shouts back at him. She inhales as she touches her nose with a hiss. Yes, it's broken. She inhales and with a snap, she puts it back in place. She yelps in pain before breathing deeply. She hadn't felt this type of adrenaline and stress since the war!

"Kate!" Thomas's voice is close by. "Where are ya?"

"Over here!" she called. He came racing around the corner with Arthur; both men have their guns drawn. "Oh, thank God. Are the children safe?"

"Yes." Thomas approached her first and he quickly takes the man's gun from her. "You alright? Charlie says you attacked the man when he shot at them."

"I'm fine." She nodded. "I wasn't going to let him lay a hand on those two. I made sure that he was alive for you boys to interrogate, but he will need medical assistance. He's going to most likely lose that eye, but he should live."

"You shot him in the eye?" Arthur asked as the man was pulled from his position on the ground.

"No. I didn't have a gun on me, so I had to stab him with a hairpin." She wiped at her neck in disgust as she muttered. "The man's a pig."

"Did he touch you?" Thomas demanded, his voice dark and dangerous. She looked up at him and the look caused her to pause for a moment. "He did. The bastard put his hands on you."

"Thomas-

"Did he put his hands on you?!" He shouted. Kate blinked against tears as she nodded. "Your nose was bleeding." His tone softened as he gripped her shoulders firmly, causing her to hiss in pain. He blinks and removes his hand from her shoulder. His eyes blaze with a fury as he realizes her dress is torn. She looks at her shoulder where he bit her and realizes that he'd drawn blood. Kate shifts and fixes her dress around her shoulder. "Did he try anything else Kate?" she could only nod. "What did he do?"

She drops her gaze and inhales. "He…was going to rape me." The man lets out another cry of pain, causing her to jump. She realizes that Arthur kicked the man in the head. "Don't pull the pin out; otherwise you'll have a blood flow on your hands."

"Don't worry about him Kate." Thomas pulls her against him in a tight embrace. "He will pay for that."

She shakes her head. "I'm alright."

"He touched you." he says darkly. "No one….touches my wife and they're going to pay for sending someone with those ideas in his head. You're mine Kate, no one else's."

Kate trembles. "For God's sake…will you please just hold me Thomas?"

He does so instantly. Kate closes her eyes and breathes him in deeply as Thomas holds her tightly. He kisses her forehead several times, as she clings to him. "I've got you Kate. I've got you."

"Tom," Arthur states. "we need to get her back to the house."

Kate shakes her head. "No, I've got to go see my father."

Thomas shakes his head. "No, you're going home."

"I have to who he's managed to tick off and who's bold enough to actually dare to use me as a hostage." She states. "He won't talk to you."

"He will talk to me, he doesn't have that option not to talk to you." He said firmly. "You've had enough for one day and don't need to be present."

"Yes, I do."

"Let me rephrase that." he gripped her shoulders and growled. "I don't want you there!"

"But I'm your wife and we-

"Yes, you are my wife!" he snaps at her. "I know our marriage is a partnership, but my job is to take care of you and protect you. Let me do my job. I don't want you to get hurt anymore Kate."

Kate exhales and whispers. "I feel so useless."

"You're anything else but useless." He locks an arm around her waist and leads her towards the road. "Kate, you bloody attacked an armed man to save my children. You are…one of the most impressive women I've ever met."

"Can't think of another woman doing something like that." Arthur states. "Tom made a good choice with you. You're a fighter."

She smiles weakly and holds onto Thomas's waist as they approach the road. There's another car approaching them, from the direction of the house. Thomas pauses by his car as the second car brakes and Polly hops out of the car. "What happened? The children said there was a gunman in the orchard."

"Yes." Arthur kicks the man towards their car. The man lets out another sniveling whimper. Kate knows every jolt has to hurt him deeply.

Polly's eyes widen as she sees the hatpin protruding between the man's fingers. She looks to Kate in surprise. "You stabbed him in the eye?"

Kate nods. "Yes."

"The man tried to rape her." Polly's eyes flashed. Thomas stepped towards Polly's car. "I need you to make sure she gets back home safely."

Polly nods. "Of course." She steps in and nudges Kate towards her car. "Come on."

"Wait a minute." Kate turns towards Thomas and grips his coat lapel. "Stay safe, ok?"

He nods. "I will."

"Also, everyone at my father's house is armed, even the butler. He's probably in the library, which is the first door on the right. He put it there on purpose so he could see whoever is coming. The room over, is the parlor, which has been locked since my mother died. I'm not sure if the windows are locked, but that's your best point of entry."

"Kate-

"And don't drink any of the liquor that's out on display. They're all laced with different things. The untainted and expensive liquor is hidden on the bookcase behind him. The lever is behind Wuthering Heights."

"Kate, thank you for all this information, but let me handle this. Alright? I'll just announce myself as the man who married his daughter and I've got a present for him." Kate leans forward and kisses him on the mouth. Thomas grips her around the waist and presses her to him. Those old feelings flood her again as she is again reminded by how much she loves this man. The kiss is too brief, but she understands why. He smiles faintly at her. "I'll be back in time for dinner."

She nods. "Alright. I'll see you when you get back."

He turns to Polly, his gaze deep. "Take care of her for me?"

Polly nods and reaches for Kate. "I will. I'll make sure she gets cleaned up and I'll bring a doctor over to set her nose." She guides Kate to her car. "Come on, let the men do their thing and let's get you home. The children are terrified."

Kate nods and gets into the car without any argument. At least one good thing seemed to have come out of this horrible event. Polly seemed to see her in a different light and maybe, just maybe after this they could become friends.

Idcam: Well, she didn't, but a bullet was too good for this guy. After all, he was going to shoot 2 children!