The Silencer: A Bad Boy MMA Romance (18 page)

“He’s not my dad. His name is Tim. He only donated the sperm that created me,” Ashley said, darting her head towards her mom as she gave her a stern look.

“Okay, your Tim.” She corrected herself. “I’m sorry that your Tim did this. I had no idea that she’d act like that or that he’d do what he did. Please, forgive me. Forgive him.”

“Are you nuts?” Ashley protested.

Keith returned with a clean pair of training pants and the container of wipes so Ashley could change Brooke out of her soiled diaper. As they all gossiped about what had happened and what might have provoked him to do what he did, Ashley unfastened Brooke’s diaper and pulled it down. With a baby wipe in hand, she grabbed Brooke’s feet, slightly lifting her bottom off the ground so she could clean her up. That’s when she saw it. Bruises and welts were plastered across her bottom. You could see each individual fingerprint from Tim’s fingers as they were bordered in bruises. The belt impressions ran through the dark blue, outlined handprints.

“Oh my, God! Keith! Look at this!” she yelled as he walked over to them and looked down. Her mom followed behind to see what she was talking about.

“What the hell is that?” he growled.

“He must’ve done this before he brought her home,” Ashley’s eyes filled with tears as she remembered him doing the same thing to her when she was little and how bad it hurt. “She’s only two,” she cried.

“Ashley, I swear, I’m going to beat the shit of
him
!” Keith threatened as he grabbed the car keys off the counter.

“No, you can’t do that,” she insisted. “If you go over there, you’ll be the one who gets into trouble.”

“What are you going to do?” Brenda asked her daughter.

Ashley looked to Keith for advice, but she knew better than to ask him his opinions. With his jaw tightly set and his fists balled up, his solution was to go pay Tim a visit.

“I don’t know, mom. I’m going to call him right now to see what he has to say for himself.”

She fished through her purse, grabbing her cell phone and began dialing her dad’s number.

“What the hell is your problem? I just changed Brooke out of her diaper and she has bruises and welts all over her bottom! They’re in the outline of your handprints. Oh, and belt marks run through the handprints. What would possess you to do that?” she demanded.

“I don’t know. She just wouldn’t stop crying,” he explained as he tried to sound remorseful. It was an act; one he’d put on many times after beating her and her mom. It wasn’t working.

“She wouldn’t stop crying? So you beat her? What the fuck is wrong with you?”

Keith looked at her in disgust as she repeated her dad’s words so everyone would know what was going on. He balled his fist and shook it in the air.

“I…I guess I snapped,” was all her dad had to offer.

“You know what I
don’t
do when my kids make me angry? I don’t beat them! I put them in time out so we can both cool down.”

Ashley looked at her mom, standing there like a deer caught in headlights. She was speechless.

“I’m sorry,” he said sarcastically.

“Well, you know what, Tim? Don’t expect to see your granddaughters ever again! I hate what you did to her! That’s
my
baby, and I’ll be damned if you treat her like you treated me!” she hung the phone up.

She turned to her mother, “I want you out of my house right now! I can’t believe that you’d leave him with her. Do you see what that monster did? And you used to stand by, watching him do the same thing to me. You guys haven’t changed one bit! Get out now!” she screamed pointing to the front door.

“Ashley, I’m sorry, I didn’t…” Brenda tried to apologize again.

“Get. Out. Now!” she grabbed Brooke, holding her tight and turned her back, heading into her room.

“I think you better leave now,” Keith asserted.

Teary-eyed, Brenda hugged Chloe goodbye and told her she loved her as she made her way to the front door and left. Keith locked the door behind her and went into Brooke’s room. Taking her from Ashley, he hugged her as she cuddled him and fell back asleep.

“I swear Ashley, your parents will never see them again. It’ll be a cold day in hell over my dead body,” he promised her.

As the couple sat in her bedroom holding her as she slept, they spoke in hushed tones, debating how Tim was able to get into their garage while they were gone.

“I’m telling you, Keith. He can—and does—things like this. If I said everything he’s ever done to my mom and me over the years, you’d be scared. Very scared. He’s not right in his mind. I don’t know how my grandma ever raised him.”

After discussing it for several weeks, the couple decided it was best to move—with no forwarding address. They knew what was at stake if Tim began indulging in his drug activities again though they weren’t entirely confident that he hadn’t already done that. His erratic behavior was definitely a concern for them. As they looked for a new place to move their family to, Ashley slowly began filling her husband in on all the horror stories she had about her dad. He realized that he was dealing with a slick psychopath who was magnificent at evading the law. What worried him most is that it took that long for him to recognize who—and what—exactly Tim was. He would’ve never guessed by the way Ashley was. She was the complete opposite of her parents. She was sane and in control of herself; he couldn’t say the same for her parents, or at least her dad.

Chapter 4

Several months had passed since the incident with Brooke in the garage when Ashley received an email from Tim. She was astonished at the audacity he had to even message her. When she saw his email sitting in her inbox, her jaw dropped as she dared herself to click on it. She could only imagine what it said. Knowing him, it would be an email blaming Brooke for the whole mess that caused all the chaos in the first place. She shook her head as she clicked the link to open the email.

Ashley,

I’m sorry for what happened with Brooke. I really am. Your mom’s not doing well and she wants to see you and the kids…just in case. I hope you can forgive me and have it in your heart to let your mom see everyone before it’s too late. She doesn’t have much time. Please come see her. It would mean everything in the world to her. She’s been crying for you and the girls every day.

Love,

Dad

Ashley was eight months pregnant, and she didn’t want her mom to die without seeing them and knowing she had a grandson on the way. But she wasn’t sure how things would blow over with Keith if she presented the idea to him. He still had very hard feelings over what her dad had done to Brooke, but her mom hadn’t done anything wrong. She sent Keith a text message asking him to call home on his lunch, and he did. Explaining the contents of the email to him, she asked what he thought.

“I don’t know Ash. I don’t believe it’s a good idea to take the girls to him. What if he snaps again? You’re eight months pregnant and I refuse to let you be put in a situation like that. If he ever touches you or the girls again, I’d….”

“I know, babe, but it’s for my mom. It’s not like I’m taking the girls over there to see that monster. She’s sick. What if she dies? I’d feel horrible knowing that she was on her death bed, begging to see us, and I denied her that opportunity. I don’t know what to do.”

“Maybe you should call them and talk to them first. Maybe I could drive you and the girls over there when he’s not home. Because I’m telling you right now, if I see him, it’s not going to be a pretty sight.”

Ashley thought about it for a moment as she looked down at her swollen belly. “I think you’re right. I’ll call them first and we’ll see how that goes and what they have to say.”

After they had hung up, she called her parents to see what they might be able to arrange. The conversation quickly became heated when the discussion of Brooke was brought up. She began to wonder if her mom really was sick or if it was something he made up. Tim devolved into threatening her, swearing that he
will
find them, and when he does, he’s going to kill the man who took away his girls.

“Your girls?” Ashley asked, caught off guard by his odd comment. “These are
my
kids!” she became defensive.

“You bitches are all wicked, but you’re mine and I won’t lose all of you!”

“What the hell are you talking about? You sound like a crazy person. Do you know that?” she asked in awe.

“Keep fucking with me, bitch! I’ll make you lose everyone just like you did to me!”

“What?” she angrily yelled into the phone.

“That’s right. I’ll kill that old man of yours and then I’ll take what’s mine. You and them girls are mine. You’ll lose everyone and be all alone, just like you’re trying to make me! Alone! Do you hear me you fucking bitch?” he shouted into the phone.

She hung up on him, but she was already terrified. It was no secret that he was able to get into their old house while they were gone when he broke into the garage, and now he was threatening them. She didn’t need this, especially while she was pregnant. She and the girls would be defenseless if he showed up while Keith was at work. He was entirely capable of inflicting pain—physically, emotionally and mentally. Trembling, she called the phone company and requested they change her phone number. She wanted no further communication with him.

Not wanting to upset Keith while he was at work, she waited until he got home to tell him what transpired during her phone conversation with her dad. The couple immediately decided that they had to move again. This time, to a smaller town several hours away. They had to escape him. If they stayed in the area, all he would do is find a way to figure out where they lived. He could also still go into the bank where Keith worked. As they hunted online for a new place to live, they felt as though Tim was watching their every move. Ashley had nightmares of her dad standing outside their living room window, spying on them and breaking into the house after they were all asleep. She woke up in a cold sweat every time. It was a very tense couple of weeks until they moved.

§

Chase Marshall was born on September 30
th
, weighing in at ten pounds, three ounces. Keith was so proud to have a son. With three girls in the house, he felt as though he was outnumbered. Now the odds were beginning to even up a little bit. Chase was a fussy baby who let you know what he wanted the minute he wanted it but was otherwise content and happy. The family doted over their new addition the minute he was born. As a protective mother, Ashley kept him in her hospital room with her at all times unless the nurses took him for checkups and testing. The doctor told her that since she had a C-section, he’d like to keep her for four days. She insisted that she had to get back home to take care of the girls so her husband could return to work. They’d moved into a new apartment and had just paid a substantial amount of money for the deposit and first month’s rent. Renting an apartment large enough for them, the girls, and the new baby was quite expensive. Their rent was $900 per month alone. When they moved, it cost them almost three thousand dollars by the time they paid for the moving truck and deposits on all of their utilities.

The doctor was determined to keep her in the hospital for the full duration of time. He seemed worried that her incision might become infected since it was a dark shade of red. They were finally able to conclude their hospital stay on and went home on the fourth day. A couple of days after they brought Chase home, they received a letter in the mail with no return address. The envelope was addressed to Ashley Marshall. Curious as to what it was, she opened it as Chase napped while the girls were at school. Inside was a newspaper clipping of her mother’s obituary; her heart sunk. She never did take the girls to go see her before she passed. At that moment, she hated her dad for being such a jerk. She felt as though she’d been cheated out of her last opportunity to see her mom and tell her how much she loved her. As she read the obituary, she was surprised at what she saw. It stated that her mother had passed away from organ failure and was preceded in death by her husband, Tim Denton.

Sinking into the recliner, she began to cry over the loss of her mother. As she cried, she realized that she was sad and relieved at the same time. Sorry that she’d lost her mom, but relieved that her father was dead. She also felt peaceful that her dad could no longer hurt her mom, or them anymore. At last, they could breathe again with no worries, but then she began to wonder who could’ve sent it to her and how they would’ve known to send it to her new house.

With their move in Joplin being so far away from St. Louis, Keith had taken a job as a bank loan officer at another bank, JoMo Bank. He was very successful at the new location, which was great because they needed the money. When he arrived home late that evening, she shared the news she’d received in the mail and addressed her concerns to her husband as to how anyone would’ve found them.

“Oh, I meant to tell you. When I went to work on Tuesday, Tammy congratulated me the minute I walked in the door. Apparently, the hospital runs every newborn’s birth announcement in the newspaper, and it’s featured online as well.”

“But who would’ve sent this? How would anyone around here know that my mom died and know how to send me the obituary?” Ashley asked, puzzled.

“If they run it online and in the paper, it’s possible that one of your friends from the Safe House saw it and sent it to you. The birth announcement said that we live in Joplin. They probably looked you up online or something and got the address,” he shrugged.

“Yeah, you’re probably right,” she said, thinking it over. “That was sweet of them. I haven’t talked to any of the girls in the last few months. It’s nice to know that we still watch out for each other,” she smiled as she picked Chase up out of his bassinet.

§

Right before Christmas break, Brooke’s kindergarten class started a pen pal project. She was excited to have a pen pal that she could write to since the kids had learned how to write and spell quite a few words. She drove her parents crazy with spelling everything to them. Keith and Ashley hated the fact that she was able to spell; they could no longer spell words when they talked in code. The days of spelling p-a-r-k, and other words, were over because Brooke knew what words those letters spelled. Her teacher had an aid help her with the children, and every day they each picked two students that they would sit down with to help them compose their pen pal letters. The kindergartener was also fascinated with collecting the mail. She’d taken to collecting the mail from the apartment boxes on her own, and opening everything. Ashley thought it was so cute how much opening an envelope excited her daughter. Sometimes she’d stuff junk mail into an envelope before the girls came home from school and leave it lying around the apartment so Brooke could find it when she came home and open it.

Brooke’s new obsession with collecting the mail and opening everything was cute until Ashley’s renewal driver’s license went missing from the envelope that it was mailed in. She desperately searched the apartment trying to find it. Her old one expired in less than a week, and she didn’t want to drive without a license. Unable to find the new license, she waited for the girls to get out of school so she could ask Brooke where it was. As soon as the girls got into the van, they knew something was up. Ashley pulled the rearview mirror down so she could look directly at them.

“I want to ask you girls something—mainly Brooke—where is my new driver’s license?”

“What are you talking about?” Brooke asked.

“My new license that came in the mail. I found the envelope that it was in, but my renewal license was gone. What did you do with it?”

“I don’t know, mom. I didn’t see it,” she insisted.

“Brooke Marie! You better tell me where that license is or your little butt’s going to be in big trouble young lady,” she asserted.

“Mom, I didn’t see anything like that,” she said.

“You didn’t see a little plastic card with my picture on it?” she tried jogging her daughter’s memory.

“No, I didn’t see anything like that.”

“What about you, Chloe? Did you happen to see it lying around anywhere?”

“Huh-uh, I didn’t see it either,” she shook her head.

“You’re not covering for your sister, are you?” her tone was firm.

“No, mom. I promise!”

On their way home, it angered her that Brooke had carelessly tossed her license to the side and lost it. The more she thought about how she’d have to drag Chase back out in the cold and down to the DMV with her, she grew angrier. Pulling onto their street, she pursed her lips as she glanced at Brooke in the mirror. When they pulled up in front of the apartments, she began unbuckling Chase from his car seat as she looked at Brooke, who didn’t seem to have a care in the world.

“Brooke, you’re going to have to stop opening the mail. That was a crucial thing that you lost,” she expounded trying to contain her temper.

“I don’t open the mail,” she said.

“Yes, you do, Brooke. And that has to stop. Now mommy has to drag your baby brother back down to the license office and pay more money for a new one,” she tried explaining.

“Mommy, I promise! I don’t open the mail. It’s always like that already when I get it out of the box.”

“What?” Ashley did a double-take at her daughter. Her mind raced back to when her dad and ex, Billy, used to open her mail before she got it. A chill ran down her back, giving her goose bumps as she tried to shake them off.