Take her and keep her with me until she gives in. I'm not above a little forceful seduction. Far from Providence Falls, the house my family helped me build this past year will be perfect for us to get to know each other.
Perfect for us to free ourselves, shedding the inhibitions that society forces us to dress in and just be as we were intended to be—a man and woman in the wild, claiming each other.
Just have to get her there first.
A knock sounds at the door, making me jolt. Stepping back from the window, I lean down and force my computer to sleep with a quick key combination. "Come in."
Garrick pops his head in. "Is now a good time?"
I hate when my ruminations of my unclaimed woman are interrupted, but I do still work here for the next few hours so I have to put them aside. "Of course."
He sinks down into my chair and stacks his feet on the desk. "So,this is my chair now, huh? Very comfortable. I approve. Quick question—how many times have you farted in it? If it's more than once a day, Igottaget myself a new one."
"Dude...not answering that. Not yours yet, so get your ass out of it. And get your feet off of my desk." Jerk. He knows I can't stand dirt there. Always finds its way onto important plans and contracts.
His feet thud as they hit the ground. "Seriously, man. Are you absolutely sure you want to retire this early? I'd be bored out of my mind."
As far as everyone knows, I'm retiring completely, but I still have a partnership I'll be keeping on the side. A man who stays idle is a man looking for trouble.
We've already discussed this, but for the sake of getting him out of here, I tell him again."Mymind'smade up, Garrick. I'm doing this. Shay Construction is solid; it can stand on its own two feet without me. It took off so quickly when I built it twenty-six years ago, and with the way business has steadily been creeping up every year, I've been able to build up a nest egg in addition to making out like a bandit on the stock market."
Alsobecause I had a nice sum of money bestowed to me when I turned eighteen, as did every Shay male, and I used it to build my own business so I could provide for my woman when it came time to claim her. I could have followed tradition and worked the family farm, but I’ve always preferred the satisfaction of building things with my own hands. "And no, I'm not going to be bored at all. I just want some peace and quiet. Even though Providence Falls is a small town, I'm dying for some open country air and the ability to walk around naked outside if I feel like it. Just need freedom."
"Oh, yeah...the new place. You still haven't told me where it is yet. Some secret compound out in the middle of nowhere?"
He laughs, but he has no idea how right he is. Well, it's not quite a compound, but I suppose that's objective. Mercy certainly might think so. At least for a little while.
"I know you. If I give you the address, you'll probably try to surprise me with a visit." He'd better not.I don't want anyone interrupting our courtship.
"You know you'regonnamiss my ugly mug." Garrick slaps his knees and stands. "I know we've already hashed this out, but I wanted to make sure one final time that you were ready to do this. It's a big change for you."
You have no idea. "I've never beenmore sureof anything in my life."
"Keep in touch, man."
Not likely. "Sure thing."
At his exit, my thoughts revert back to my sweet kitten. Even though she's leaving atnoon, I won't be taking her just yet. No, I need to wait for the cover of darkness. She doesn't have close neighbors, but the last thing I need is for someone to see my truck anywhere near the vicinity before Mercy Callahan disappears. All it takes is being in the right place at the wrong time to screw everything up and have the course of my life forever altered in the wrong direction. She's too precious to risk because of a lack of self-restraint, so I'll just have to be content with the knowledge that she'll soon be mine.
Slowly sinking into the chair that will soon belong to Garrick, I wake my computer and go over the plan once again in my mind.
Wait for nightfall. Let her go to sleep. Break in and sedate her. Take her.
Why sedation? Because my mom almost caused a wreck when my dad took her. No, safest thing all around is for her to sleep through it.It'll be quite the drive to get to the house in Pleasant Plain, but with the sedative knocking her out, I should be able to catch a few hours of sleep once we get home.
Home.Our new home. Built in a clearing in the middle of the woods, there's no one around for miles. And I do meanmiles. If she even managed to escape the house, the forest is raw and untamed. She could get hurt too easily. Just one more reason for me to make sure she can't leave.
I'm the only animal who gets the privilege of chasing her.
Logging into the company email server, I enter my webmaster credentials for the last time and find Mercy's account.
Click.
Selectnew email.
Click.
Schedule it for 4:00 pm on Sunday.
