Chapter 45: Best kept secret
'Man is not what he thinks he is, he is what he hides.'
When Becca arrived at the town hall, she knew tensions would be high. Every few months, the citizens of Jackson would get together for a meeting to discuss the goings on in the town. They would vote on different proposals and budget for the upcoming year.
In a way, it's like they had their own government. Joel called them communists. He wasn't wrong. She couldn't wait until they built their own house away from everyone in town. They wouldn't have to worry about all this bureaucratic nonsense. She didn't like answering to anyone. Not anymore.
Becca looked around the room to find her husband. She saw him standing with Tommy and a few other men. They've only been married for three months and still only a handful of people know. The citizens were well aware they were together, but they didn't need to know what extent.
She understood why they had to keep it a secret. She wasn't mad about that. She wasn't even angry really. She was disappointed more than anything. She was proud to be his wife and wanted to shout it from the rooftops.
They were still in danger. At least that's what Joel and everyone else keeps saying. It's been a year since she was shot, but some of the townfolk's horses were found mutilated. She had seen the horses. It couldn't have been natural causes.
The townsfolk blamed them. They didn't say it, but she heard the gossip. She wasn't stupid. They were the kind of people that brought danger. People in the town were divided on what to do with them. Half wanted them gone while the other half were happy to have them. She didn't give a damn about what the other half thought about them.
Joel caught a glimpse of her red hair as he looked up. He saw his wife looking around as if searching for him. He excused himself from his brother and friends to walk over to his wife.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and kissed her lips, quickly,'Hey, darlin. How was work?'
She saw the gleam of his ring peeking out from underneath his collar. He went the same route she did whenever out in public. He wore his ring around a chain. It didn't feel right leaving it at home.
'It was good.' She sighed,'Crazy, but busy and it went by pretty quickly.' She nodded over towards the men on the council committee,'What are they griping about today?'
He smirked as he glanced back at them over his shoulder,'Tommy's taking Richard's spot on the committee. He's proud as pinch.' He rolled his eyes,'Woulda never pegged Tommy as the PTA type.'
She snorted as she crossed her arms over her chest,'I thought Sharon was supposed to take his place?'
'Me too.' He frowned,'The other men decided against it though.'
Becca narrowed her eyes at the councilmen. She knew why they vetoed it. She was a woman. God forbid a woman should have her own opinion.
She pursed her lips to suppress her anger and shook her head,'It makes me sad old men think they know what's right for the world. Especially when it comes to women.'
He nodded as he glared over at them,'I'm glad you rescued me. I don't know how Tommy does it. I wanted to choke those fuckers with their dentures.'
Becca smiled up at him sweetly,'There you go again. Fighting for women's rights.'
'Sure.' He grabbed her hand as he led her to the second row to take their seats,'I am a…' He put his hands up on quotations,'A girl dad as El put it.' He leaned back in the chair and wrapped his arm around her shoulders,'I'm all for women's rights. Always have been. Free the fuckin nipples, man. Nipples are beautiful.' His eyes lowered down to her chest,'Especially yours.'
She rolled her eyes and laughed, playfully elbowing his side,'Behave or we're gonna get kicked out.'
He sighed as he stretched his long legs out,'Don't threaten me with a good time, baby.'
She shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest as the head councilman stepped up to the podium. He spoke for a few moments before he introduced Tommy as their new member. As if no one knew who he was already. Joel called him 'the mayor'.
Everyone in town knew and loved Tommy. They all clapped and gave him a standing ovation. Becca and Joel clapped, but they didn't stand.
She hated when they congregated like this. It reminded her of David and his sermons. He would preach sometimes for hours on end until the early morning. If anyone fell asleep he would give you lashings in front of the entire congregation. She's been on the receiving end a few times before.
Joel carefully watched her face as Jack, the head councilman made a speech about loyalty. She was nervously wringing her hands in her lap. Her head was bowed as her leg bounced.
He pulled her closer to his side. Even though it's been almost four years since she's broken free of David and his disciples-she still needed some time to adjust. She would still have nightmares and panic attacks, but they were so few and far between anymore.
He knew being here made her uncomfortable. It didn't help matters that Jack was also the town's preacher. She didn't do well with religious man and for good reason.
It's why they didn't have religion in their wedding. He didn't care for it either. He believed, but he didn't need a church house for worship. All he had to do was step outside and he's in church.
He didn't know if Becca believed anymore and he wouldn't ask her. It wasn't his choice to make.
Jack looked down at Becca and smiled sadly. Every meeting, his eyes would be drawn to her. She was said to have come from a religious sect of cannibals. As a man of God, he blustered at the thought. No one in God's glory would ever eat a man's flesh, but it was true. The girl confirmed it herself.
Rebecca. There was an air of mystery about this woman. She came with the man next to her and a teenage girl. The three of them lived in sin away from everyone else.
They never came to church. They never heard his sermons. This is the only way he could bring his message to them.
Jack motioned with his hand to Becca,'Could you stand up for a moment?'
Her eyes widened as her head snapped up. She swallowed harshly as she looked up at the man behind the podium. She turned to Joel, who was glaring up at Jack. She could see her husband's jaw locked in anger.
'Who the hell does this fucker think he is?' He went to stand up and give this fucker a piece of his mind when Becca touched his arm to stop him.
He turned to her and she shook her head, giving him a small smile,'It's okay.' She met his gaze,'I'm fine.'
She turned back to the older man and took a deep breath, slowly standing up.
Jack nodded as he gently tapped the podium,'You've been with us for quite a while now. Isn't that right?'
'Yes.' She nodded as she looked back at Joel, who was leaning forward and looking like he was about to strike at any moment.
Becca looked over at Maria, who stared at Jack with contempt. Sharon whispered something to Maria and the two women shared a knowing look.
'I've been here for about…three and a half years almost.' She cleared her throat,'I love it here.'
Jack nodded and smiled,'As you should.' He tapped a finger on his lips,'I haven't seen you in church yet since you've been here.' He narrowed his eyes,'I figured since you've caused quite the strife for this town that you would at least be praying about it.' He stared her dead in the eye,'Have mercy on your soul.'
Joel was about ten seconds away from ripping this guy's throat out. He was humiliating his wife. He was clutching onto the most delicate part of her psyche. Some parts of her were still fragile. The wounds fresh.
Becca's eyes widened as tears fell down her face. She leapt from her chair and fell down upon her knees before him. She clutched at the man's shoes and bowed her head, whispering,'I'm so sorry, father. It'll never happen again. I'm sorry.'
Sharon and Maria ran over to Becca and crouched down in front of her. They wrapped their arms around her and escorted her out of the town hall.
Maria silently urged with her husband to do something. Jack was always a…devout preached. He had a God complex. Men like him should be humbled not enabled.
Joel didn't waste any time as he punched Jack square in the nose, sending him backwards onto the ground. Everyone in the town hall began gasping as they made a break for it outside.
This wasn't the first time they've witnessed Joel kicking someone's ass. It definitely wouldn't be the last. Most thought Jack had it coming to him anyway.
Joel crouched over Jack, grinning smugly as he saw the blood gush from his broken nose. Tommy and the other councilman stood around him. No one made any attempt to break it up. Out of fear of Joel and Tommy.
Tommy wouldn't interfere. He would do the same for Maria. A husband should always fight for his wife. Especially when he was being blatantly disrespectful. That could send a man to rights.
Joel grabbed Jack's collar and pulled him up,'You ever. And I mean fuckin disrespect and scare my woman again. I will slit your throat in front of everyone you love.' His voice was eerily calm, but deadly,'You even so much as look at me my wi-.' He shook his head, quickly correcting himself,'My woman then I'm knocking on your door.' He nodded,'Understand?' Joel grabbed him by the hair and jerked his head up and down as he groaned,'You understand.'
His pushed him back on the ground as he stood back up, dusting himself off.
He looked up at Tommy and frowned,'Give Sharon prick's spot.' He sneered at him in disgust,'He's lucky I didn't kill the son of a bitch.'
Tommy cleared his throat and nodded, looking over at his colleagues who quickly nodded their heads in agreement. They would agree to anything at this point.
The men went and took care of Jack, leaving Joel and Tommy alone.
Joel's eyes filled with tears as he shook with anger,'What the fuck was that?' He started pacing as he pointed out the window,'Why did he do that to her?' He ran his shaky hands through his hair and sighed,'Who is that guy? Where does he come from?'
Joel was already becoming paranoid. He targeted Becca. Out of everyone there he singled her out. Why not him? Why her? Did he know David? What was so special about her to him?
'I don't know.' Tommy sighed,'He said he came from Tennessee. He…he came with a young girl. He said it's his daughter.' He frowned, whispering,'I'm pretty sure it isn't his daughter unless they're really from the south.
Joel narrowed his eyes and placed his hands on his hips,'Becca thinks it's his wife. She said David had a lot of mistresses who were young girls.'
Tommy leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms over his chest,'You think that bothers her? Knowing she was complacent as she let him touch little girls?'
Joel didn't take his question as being contemptuous, but there was a hint of anger. While Tommy loved Becca-there were still some things he didn't understand about her.
Joel chewed the inside of his cheek and shrugged,'I know it eats her up so much she wakes up screaming in the middle of the night. I sometimes find her in the living room, praying and fuckin crying for him to forgive her.'
'God?'
'David.' Joel spat out his name in disgust.'You saw her today. What that bastard did to her.' He took a deep breath to calm his rage,'I swear on our mama, that fucker EVER tries that again and I'll cut his heart out.'
'I don't doubt it.' Tommy shook his head as he placed his hands on his chest,'Maybe if everyone knew she was your wife. We wouldn't have this problem.'
Joel narrowed his eyes in disgust and took a step back from his brother,'You think Becca needs a man in her life to be respected?' He sneered at him,'She can handle her own. She's survived this long without me.' He nodded,'Tough as fuckin nails. She is my wife though. And I take this very personal. I'm going to go check on Becca.'
He shook his head as he walked out of the town hall. He shouldn't have to deal with this. It never should've happened in the first place.
He found Becca outside in the garden. She was sitting on a bench with Maria and Sharon sitting next to her. He shoved his hands in his pockets and walked over to them. He didn't know what state of mind she was in or what he should expect, but he would support her.
In sickness and in health.
'Hey, honey girl.' He whispered gruffly.
She looked up at him and squinted from the sun. She smiled sheepishly as her cheeks reddened,'Hey, you.'
Maria and Sharon both looked at each other, taking their cue to leave.
Sharon walked past him and leaned in quickly, whispering,'Be gentle.'
He narrowed his eyes, wondering what she meant by that. He would always be gentle with her. His beautiful wife.
He sat down next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, pulling her close,'I ain't mad or nothin. You ain't done nothin wrong. Swear on my life.'
She covered her face with her hands and laughed softly,'I fell down on my knees in front of Jack. The pervie preacher of all people.'
'I broke his nose.' He shrugged,'I made sure Sharon took his place on council.' He smirked,'You're right though. I totally felt like a feminist when I knocked him out.'
Becca laughed as gently pulled her hands away from her face. He kissed her palms, whispering,'You don't have to be embarrassed about anything.' He took a deep breath,'I wanted to kill him for that, but I didn't know. Ya wanna know why?'
She shook her head silently as she pleaded with her eyes for him to continue,'I knew you wouldn't like it and it would take me away from you.'
She smiled tearfully as she cupped his bearded cheek in her hand. She was glad he grew his mustache and goatee back out. He was growing his hair out. She liked this look. He looked mature with his salt and pepper hair.
Their marriage was going well so far. Many would say they were in the honeymoon stage, but it felt like nothing's changed. They only differences is they're married and have sex on a daily basis. It easy to be happy with Joel.
'I'm crazy.' She whispered admittedly,'I wigged out in there today. I'm a nurse to these people.'
'And you'll still be a nurse.' He nodded,'Shit, everyone's got a screw loose here after what happened.'
A small smile formed on her face and laid her head in the crook of his arm,'For better or worse, right?'
He nodded as he kissed the top of her head,'You better fuckin believe it, baby girl.'
He sighed as he pulled her up off the bench,'Come on, I know what'll cheer ya up.'
She smirked as he tangled his fingers with her, pulling her along,'I had that this morning.'
He snorted as he glanced back at her,Everything is all about sex with you.'
'I can't help it.' She leaned in close to him, whispering,'Have you seen my husband?'
A burst of energy bolted through him and went straight to his dick. He bit his bottom lip as his cock twitched against his zipper. He thought about anything but her. He actually wanted to do something special for her.
He buried his nose in her hair and breathed in her scent, whispering,'You know I would never try and control you right? You're free to make your own decisions.'
She frowned as she looked up at him, shaking her head confusingly,'Where is this coming from? Is it because I spazzed out in there?'
Her eyes widened and she nodded,'Of course I do.' She linked her arm with his and smiled softly,'You wanna know the real reason why I married you?'
'Yeah, darlin.' He nodded and laughed,'Cause I ask the same question myself.'
She frowned at his self deprecating comment and looked up at the night sky,'You let me be who I am. You love even though I spaz out sometimes.'
'PTSD.' He shrugged,'We have it and there ain't nothing we can do about that. Best we can do is handle it.'
She leaned against him and sighed,'You can't always fight my battles, Joel.'
'Someone is coming after my wife like that?' He narrowed his eyes and nodded,'You better believe I'll handle it.'
She sighed and decided to drop the subject altogether. She chose her battles. Jack did have it coming to him though.
She glanced up at him as they walked down the trail to their house,'I only have one regret though.'
'Oh yeah?' He grinned as he saw the porch light on with the family dog Winnie perched on the porch,'What's that, darlin?'
'I wasn't there to watch you do it.' She gently squeezed his arm,'Thank you sticking up for me tonight. For Sharon. You're a good man, Joel Miller.'
He ran a hand through his longer hair, swiping it back. He thought he try something different with his hair. Something Ellie would call 'more modern'.
He forgot about the curly hair. His mama used to love and would always run her hands through it. The girls loved it. Becca seemed to like it. His wife.
Even after three months, he couldn't believe they were married. After a long day of hard work he came home to his wife and she came home to him. All three of them would sit down and have a meal; talking about their day.
Joel would do the dishes and Ellie would dry them. It was all so mundane, but that's what he loved about it. His beautiful wife and daughter. He was a lucky man.
Becca looked up at him and frowned,'So what's this surprise about that'll cheer me up?'
He bit his bottom lip to suppress his smirk,'I just wanna forewarn ya that if you're mad about me invading your privacy I understand.' He shrugged,'I couldn't really give ya much of a wedding gift, but I could do this.'
Her heart started pounding in anticipation as she wondered what it could be. He didn't seem to be malicious. Just cautious.
They walked up to the house and pet Winnie as they walked into the house. Joel switched on the light and her eyes widened as she saw all the photos adorning the walls. They were mostly of family, but none of them together.
Her eyes fell on a photo or a young black woman standing next to a very young looking Joel. The guy was scrawny, tall and lanky. He grew into himself. The girl had to be Sarah. She looked just like him and they looked alike.
There were even photos of him and Tommy together he must have given her.
Joel stepped into the living room as he stared at the photos on the walls,'I made the frames and Ellie painted them.' He crossed his arms over his chest,'I look at it as…the closest thing we'll ever have to…blending our worlds together.'
She smiled tearfully and shook her head,'I love this so much. I'm so happy you did this.' She looked at the wall and wiped the tears from her eyes,'We already blended our worlds together though.'
He smirked as he placed his hand on her lower back,'You ain't mad?'
'Hell no.' She shook her head and laughed,'This is such a really sweet thing to do.' She placed her hands over her chest,'I love you guys.'
Joel leaned down and pressed his lips against hers, mumbling,'We love ya back.'
She stared at the photo of Joel and Sarah. The teenage girl had a smirk on her face as she faced the camera. Joel sitting behind her, sunglasses on and a wide smile on his face. He looked happy.
'You made her happy.' She turned to him and smiled softly,'For the time she had on this earth you made her happy. You didn't fail her, Joel.'
He nodded as he sniffed roughly and bowed his head, wiping the tears off his cheeks,'Yeah, I wish I could believe that.'
She frowned as he hung his shoulders. He stared up at the photo with a melancholy smile on his face.
She wrapped her arm around his waist and rested her head against his arm.'She looked a lot like you. Beautiful and strong.'
He scrunched his nose at that and shook his head,'I ain't beautiful.' He turned to the photo and sighed wistfully,'She was though. She looked a lot like Esther, but people she acted more like me.'
'She has your eyes.' She leaned up and pinched his cheek,'And your smile.'
He bowed his head and his longer hair obscured his face. She ran her hand through his hair, swiping his hair back,'I like the longer hair by the way.' She ran her fingers through his curly hair at the nape of his neck,'It's sexy.'
He closed his eyes and sighed softly as she gently scratched his scalp. His hair was curling from the humidity. She could tell his hair was curly. If they were to have children would they get his curly hair?
She didn't think about children until she met him. She didn't want to have anyone's children. She wanted his.
'Sexy huh?' He placed his hands on her waist and pulled her against him,'The only one sexy in this marriage is you.'
She smirked as he slid his hand up her back and underneath her hair to cup her neck. He nuzzled his forehead against hers and she closed her eyes, sighing softly,'Did you really hurt Jack?'
'I broke his nose.' He grinned at the exasperated look on her face,'He'll live.' He cupped her cheek as he looked over her face,'I'm more worried about you. Are you okay?'
She nodded and smiled,'I'm okay. I didn't mean to freak out like that.' She sighed,'It happens sometimes. Jack's been…gunning for me to join the church for awhile now.'
He felt the rage burning inside of him. She shouldn't have to be afraid of God or religion. He wished he could bring David back from the dead just to kill the motherfucker over again. He wouldn't be as merciful as Ellie. He would take his time and make sure he suffered.
He stroked the side of her hair and kissed her forehead,'We'll take care of Jack. He ain't gonna bother you again.'
Becca didn't ask him what would happen to Jack. She understood the way of things. They wouldn't kill him, but they would make him leave. They would drop him off at the nearest QZ.
She looked up at him and frowned,'He's one of the founding members of this town. It's gonna make a lot of people angry.'
'I don't care.' He shook his head he stared into her eyes, not wanting to leave any room for doubt,'I honestly don't fucking care what happens to him, Becca. You shouldn't either. It was fucked up what he did.'
She wouldn't argue with him. Not when she knew he was right. She still felt the nagging and lingering doubt though.
'Don't you think that's wrong?' She sighed,'First Marjorie has to leave because of me and now Jack.'
He sighed as he held her face in his hands. He knew what she was doing. She was blaming herself. She felt guilty for the things David did to her, like it was somehow her fault. He knew there wasn't anything that could be done about that. It would be something she would have to go through herself. He would support her though.
'Majorie had to leave because she was making and selling drugs.' He shook his head,'Jack is leaving because he's dangerous. You're not the first person he's fucked with.' He kissed her forehead and pressed his nose to the crown of her head,'I don't want you feeling bad for anything, but I know you're going to anyway.'
She wrapped her arms around his waist and kissed his lips,'Thank you for sticking up for me.'
'I'm your husband.' He shrugged,'It's my job.' He bit back a frown as he averted his eyes downward,'Tommy thinks thing will be different if they know we're married.'
She saw the distressed look upon his face and she cupped his chin, slowly lifting his head up to look at her,'Why does that matter? Everyone knows we're together.' She shrugged,'It wouldn't have made Jack stop his preaching. No offense, but me being married to you doesn't make me immune to assholes.'
He laughed and shook his head,'That's what I said. I'm well aware that you don't need me fighting your battles for you. It won't stop me from punching guys out who make you cry though.'
She smiled softly as he stroked the sides of her hair,'Who's gonna punch you then?'
He snorted and leaned down, kissing the smirk off her face,'I hate it when I make ya cry too.' He mumbled against her lips,'I don't like it.'
She kissed his lips as he kept his forehead pressed against hers,'I can't help it that you make me cry sometimes.' Her words were mumbled by his lips,'You're sweet to me.'
Her eyes widened when he slid his hand around the chain on her neck. He slid it over her head and took the ring off. She smiled, knowing exactly what he was going to do. He did this every night they came home.
He slid it back onto her ring finger and kissed her knuckles,'I'm sweet on you.'
She smirked as she took his necklace off and slid his wedding band back onto his finger,'I kinda figured that.'
They've done this ritual many times before. Every time they slipped their rings on each others fingers, she always felt like they were getting married all over again. They made sure to always wear their rings inside their home.
She stared down at the wedding band on his finger and shook her head in disbelief. It was difficult to wrap her psyche around the fact they were married. It's been three months and it still feels surreal.
He tangled their left hands together as he stared at the rings on their fingers,'I don't wanna hide it from everyone either.' He shook his head and frowned,'It doesn't feel right. I'm proud as fuck I'm married to you. We have to be careful though.'
'I know.' She nodded and gave him a small smile,'The person who shot me is still out there.'
'They are.' He nodded,'We haven't seen anything during patrols.'
'Could it have been an isolated incident?' She shook her head,'Maybe someone from town? Not everyone is happy we're here.'
He shook his head and sighed,'I've thought about that too.' He rolled his eyes,'Tommy is adamant no one in town would do this.'
'They didn't think Majorie was a drug dealer either.' She frowned,'What if we never find out who did it?'
He kissed the top of her head and ran his hand through her hair,'Then we'll live the rest of our lives without ever knowing.'
Her eyes widened at his words. He wasn't the type of man who would let things go so easily. She hoped he wasn't holding anything back from her. She would like to know if she were in danger.
He sighed as he leaned back and looked over her face,'You're safe, baby. No one's gonna hurt ya.'
She rested her head on his chest and sighed, whispering,'I hope you're right.'
As he stood there and held her tightly, he hoped he was right too.
&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&
It was almost eleven in the evening when Becca finished work. It was Joel's night to patrol and he wouldn't be able to pick her up like he usually does. She wasn't disappointed. She knew that going out on patrols were apart of living here. It was a way of earning their keep.
She's gone out on patrols too, but only with Joel or someone else they trusted.
She smiled wryly when she saw Bruce standing outside, ready and waiting to escort her back home. It's been over a year since she's gotten shot, but he still guarded her. If only for Joel's piece of mind.
She walked up to him and patted his arm,'We meet again, huh?'
He laughed as he crossed his arms over his chest,'It's almost like this was planned or something.'
He took her bag from her as she went and got Sadie. She made sure her horse was situated before she climbed on her. She took her bag from Bruce and slid the backpack on her shoulders. She waited until he got onto his horse before they rode off towards the direction of her house.
The porch light was on when she got back to the house. Either Joel or Ellie left it on for her. It was too late for Ellie to be up. She would be sound asleep for school the next day.
Bruce escorted her to the barn so she could let Sadie rest. She made sure she was comfortable as she brushed her mane.
She felt Bruce place his hands on her shoulders and squeeze them. She became frozen with shock as her shoulders tensed up. She could feel him standing close to her. She felt his hot breath on the back of her neck.
She tried to jerk her shoulders out of his grasp, but he was much too strong for her. He leaned in close, whispering,'Is it true what they say about you? That you'll spread your legs for anyone who can help you?'
She frowned and shook her head confusingly, wondering what in the hell he meant by that,'I don't know what you're talking about.'
He shook his head and laughed,'Sure you do.' He bit his bottom lip as he ran the back of his hands up and down her arms.
She felt the bile rise up in her throat. Joel trusted this man to look out for her. She trusted this man. What the hell is going on around here lately?
She leaned away from him and sighed shakily,'Please leave me alone. Please.'
'Or what?' He laughed,'You gonna tell your boyfriend so he can break my nose too?'
She closed her eyes. Of course he would be one of Jack's friends. Maria and Sharon said she had nothing to worry about. The townsfolk didn't blame her for what happened in the meeting. It looked as if some people weren't going to just let it go though.
She took a deep breath and slouched her shoulders, 'I'm asking you kindly to take your hands off me. I won't ask you again.'
Bruce leaned over her as he slid his hands down to her waist. She blanched at his touch and mustered all of the strength she could to pull herself away from him. She thought about screaming, but she didn't want to draw too much attention. Especially not after what happened in the meeting. They probably thought she was a basket case.
Becca pulled her pistol out from the back of her jeans. Joel always made sure she carried protection. She didn't have the heart to tell him she carried way before the outbreak. Her father loved guns and made sure his kids knew how to shoot. Growing up in the south you're given two things. A gun and a bible.
She aimed the gun at him and cocked it. She leveled between his eyes for the kill shot. Just like Joel taught her.
Bruce started laughing as she pointed the gun at him, 'You really think you could shoot me and get away with it?' He shook his head,'You made a mistake. A very big, huge and very very bad mistake.'
She narrowed her eyes as she gripped the pistol with both her hands,'Your God can't save you.'
His eyes widened as he lifted his hands up in surrender,'You really think I care about Jack? You think…any of this has to do with tjah old man?' He shook his head,'You really don't know what you're up against, little girl.'
Bruce took a few steps closer to her. He didn't even seem frightened by the gun. She started to rack her mind and trying to make sense of what he said.
'You with the Peacekeepers?' She frowned,'You knew Tess?'
'Who didn't know Tess?' He shrugged as he tried to take another step closer to her, but she kept the gun leveled in front of her,'You think you're somebody because you got a gun? You think that's supposed to make me afraid? We're all staring down the barrel of a gun.'
He quickly grabbed the gun from her and kicked her feet out. She tried to scramble up from the ground and grab the gun, but he was much too strong and trained for that.
He grabbed her leg and pulled her closer to him. She tried to scream, but he covered her mouth. She felt the heavy weight of him on her back. Tears filled her eyes as he pulled her pants and underwear down. She looked around, her eyes darting around the room to try and find an escape.
She clenched her eyes shut as she felt him shifting behind her. She heard the sound of his zipper. She had only a few seconds before this was going to turn really bad.
For the first time in a while, she found herself praying. She didn't want this to happen again. She just got married. Her husband. Her sweet Joel.
All of the sudden, Becca heard a loud wail. She felt Bruce being pulled off her. She sighed in relief. He didn't. He almost had her.
She turned her head to see Joel crouched over Bruce. She could see Joel's fists flying as he hit him over and over again. He grabbed him by his hair and pulled his head up to punch him again.
Joel looked to be in a fit of rage. She's never seen him like this before. Bruce's face was unrecognizable, bloodied and bruised, but he still kept hitting him.
Bruce was curled up into a fetal position, trying to cover the blows, but Joel started kicking him in the stomach, making him groan as he weakly grabbed his pant leg to stop him, but he just kept hitting him.
'You fuckin think you can touch me wife you piece of shit?' He kicked him again as he wiped the back of his mouth,'You goddamned motherfucking piece of shit.'
His face was red and wet with tears. He was shaking as he foamed at the mouth. He was beyond anger and rage. He was almost animalistic.
Becca knew Bruce was already dead or close to it. His body was twitching and he was gurgling blood. Every bone in his face was broken.
She heard the telltale rattle and knew he was dead. She was still laying on the ground, her hands still bound together. As she stared at Bruce's lifeless body, she wasn't sad or afraid. She was grateful she would've have to deal with him anymore. Maybe something was wrong with her.
'Joel.' She sighed shakily,'He's dead. It's okay.'
The sound of her voice seemed to bring him back. He looked over at her and his eyes widened as he ran over to her. He got down on his knees and untied her.
Her hands were shaking as she pulled up her pants. She looked up at him, seeing the tears in his eyes,'He didn't. He almost….' She shook her head,'He didn't, Joel.'
His face scrunched up in pain as he cradled her face in his hands,'Baby, I'm so sorry.' His face crumpled into tears as he wrapped his arms tightly around her,'I thought he was a good guy. I…'
'Stop it.' She grabbed fistfuls of his flannel as tears fell down her cheeks,'This isn't your fault. It's his.'
She looked over at Bruce's lifeless body and sighed,'We have to…get rid of the body, Joel. They're not gonna let us stay here if they know you…'
He glanced back at him and sneered,'He doesn't have family. No one would miss him.'
She snorted and shook her head,'A whole person vanished off the face of the Earth. I'm sure no one would miss him.' She took a deep breath,'I'll say I did it. I tell them what he did or tried to do.'
He narrowed his eyes and shook his head,'Over my dead body.' He wiped the tears from his eyes as she cocked her head to the side,'Wrong choice of words, I know.' He sighed,'I'll take him to the mountains and burn his body. No one will have to know.' He stared into her eyes and stroked her cheeks,'No one will know.'
'He knew Tess.' She nodded as his eyes widened,'He knew stuff, Joel. I know he did. I think he may have been the one who shot me or at least knew he did it.'
He shook his head and let out a dry laugh,'And I fucking killed him. He could've known something.'
She looked over at him and frowned,'I don't think he would've talked. He was loyal to somebody. He said it's bigger than us. What do you think he meant by that?
He was silent for a few moments as he carefully mulled everything over in his head. He ran a hand through his hair as he stood up and started pacing back and forth.
He nodded to himself as he started saddling up Sadie. She was better at handling long distances.
Becca watched him as he gathered up his supplies and shoved them into the saddle. The shovel wasn't lost on her.
She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared up at him,'So you're just gonna go and bury him in the mountains?'
'Yeah.' He nodded and shrugged nonchalantly as if he were talking about the weather,'That's exactly what I'm going to do.'
She went over to one of the other horses and started saddling him up. He looked over at her and shook his head confusingly,'What do you think you're doing?'
'Coming with you.' He opened his mouth to protest and she lifted her hand up,'I don't want to heal it. He's dead because of me. I'm going to help you. I'm your wife.' She nodded,'We're in this together.'
He walked over to Bruce as he lifted up his body and hoisted over the back of his saddle with a grunt. He forgot how heavy dead bodies are.
He looked over at his wife and frowned. She shouldn't be dealing with this shit. She should be safe and sound asleep in their bed. Not going to bury dead bodies with him in the middle of the night.
They rode out into the dead of night, making sure to take a different route so no one on patrols would see them. The trek up to the mountains took almost a half hour. It was blistering cold the higher up they got.
Joel cut the rope on Bruce's horse as he watched him gallop away. He was sad to let a good horse go, but he wanted to cover his tracks. The snow would cover it anyway.
Joel found a spot on a hill hidden behind a mountain. She helped him dig a hole deep and big enough to hold a dead body. They couldn't burn the body without someone seeing the smoke from in town.
He kicked his body into the ground as they shoveled the dirt back onto his body. They covered the grave with heavy rocks. No one but animals would find his body.
The ride back to their house was silent. They didn't have much to say. They brought the horses back to the barn. It was almost three in the morning by the time they got back.
Joel wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they walked back up to the house,'We're burying bodies together now.' He glanced over at her, trying to lighten the mood,'This means we can never divorce.'
She looked up at him and snorted,'Like that was an option anyway.' She sighed,'I don't feel bad about what we did. Does that make me a bad person?'
'I don't care in the slightest about what we did.' He shrugged,'That fucker deserved it, Becca. What would Tommy and them done? Kick him outta town? What just so he could go to a QZ and try to do the same thing to someone else? He tried to rape you.' He shook his head as he blinked away tears,'When I walked into the barn and saw him… I ain't ever felt rage like that before. Not even when Ellie…' He sighed shakily,'I would raise him up and kill him again and again.'
He stopped walking as he turned to face her, cupping her cheek,'No one touches you. No one hurts you. No one. I will kill anyone who tries. And I ain't gonna make no apologies for it. You're my wife.'
She sighed and shook her head,'You can't kill everyone, Joel.'
He frowned as he looked over her face. He didn't like what she said. She shouldn't be used to people hurting her.
He cupped the back of her head and kissed her forehead,'I love you more than anything in this world. I'll protect ya until my dying day, honey girl.'
She wrapped her arms around his waist as he stroked her hair,'I love you too. I'm sorry you had to do that. I'm sorry.'
He kissed the top of her head as he looked down at her,'Don't be sorry for a prick who couldn't keep his hands to himself. I ain't.' He took a deep breath,'If anyone asks you say Bruce dropped you off and that's the last time you saw him. Understood?'
'Yes.' She took his hand as they started walking again,'What about Ellie? What do we tell her?'
They walked up onto the porch and he sighed, shaking his head,'We tell her the truth. She would've done the same as me.'
'I know.' She nodded and smiled wryly,'I witnessed it the first day I met her.'
She remembered how Ellie killed David. It's something she replays over and over in her mind. She didn't feel any remorse for her dead husband as his face was smashed in. She certainly wouldn't lose any sleep over Bruce. She was worried about the consequences more than anything.
Joel unlocked the door as they quietly walked inside, making sure not to wake Ellie. They tiptoed up the stairs and went into the bathroom to take off their dirtied and bloody clothes.
He put them in a bag and brought them outside, burning them along with Bruce's clothes and personal belongings. He did want a hint that man ever existed.
He showered before he went to bed. He walked into their bedroom, seeing her sitting on the bed brushing her hair. She had a blank stare on her face. She looked like she was shell shocked.
He walked over to the bed and climbed in behind her. He kissed her shoulder, she jumped slightly but instantly relaxed when she saw him.
'I'm not even tired.' She closed her eyes as he kissed her neck,'I just want things to be normal.'
'Have you met us?' He snorted,'We don't do normal around here.'
A small smile formed on her face and she shook her head,'You know what I mean. I don't want to worry about getting shot or people coming after us. I just want it to end.'
He sighed as he wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her back against his chest,'There's people in this town I don't trust. That's why I'm building us our own house away from here. You just gotta hold out for a little while longer.'
She smiled softly as she rubbed his arm that was around her waist,'I did sign up for forever. I'm not going anywhere. Danger or not.'
He sighed in relief as he kissed her temple,'That's the plan, baby girl. I'm in this forever too. I don't take that lightly. I ain't gonna let anybody ruin this for us. We've worked too hard to have this.'
'We won't.' She turned around in his arms and held his face in her hands, kissing him deeply.
He immediately responded to her kiss. He held the back of her head as he kissed her feverishly and desperately. He moaned into her mouth as his body trembled. He loved this woman so much.
She slowly pulled away from him to catch her breath as she stroked his cheeks,'We love each other and no one is going to take that away from us.'
He nodded and smiled as he kissed her lips,'Damn fucking right.'
The adrenaline was wearing off and he was starting to feel exhausted. He laid down on the bed and gently pulled her down with him. He tightly wrapped his arms around her as she rested her head on his chest.
Neither knew what would come the next morning when everyone realized Bruce was nowhere to be found. They would take the secret to the grave. Literally.
Sometimes when you want happiness, you need to fight for it. In their world, happiness doesn't come easily. Some sacrifices needed to be made. If people needed to be killed along the way; it was just par for the course.
Bruce was a dead man as soon as he walked into the barn with Becca. He needed to die to protect what they've worked so hard for. Their freedom.
(Next chapter. The townsfolk start to realize Bruce is missing. Big fun. Becca is accused of something (not Bruce's death).