Tommy stumbles over to the table and shoves June aside. The girl falls on the floor with a pained yelp. He shakes Ernestine hard, hard enough she nearly falls out of her chair.
June yells at for him to stop. “Daddy! Leave her alone!”
This situation is going from bad to worse.
“You killed her!” June screams when one of Ernestine’s arms flops uselessly by her side. “You did this!”
Tommy whirls around, his cheeks splotchy, eyes glassy. “Shut up, you little b***h. I didn’t do anything. The woman was on her last leg. It’s a miracle she made it this long.”
June tries to lunge at Tommy, but I hold her back. The poor girl is heartbroken. I can’t let her put herself in danger over this. She’s just a child.
“Your grandma would want you to be safe,” I murmur to her, smoothing down her red hair.
