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“What rumors?”
“I can’t say. I just need you to trust me on this.”
“I—”
“Wait. V. Before you go any further…I need to say this…I wanted to know I could trust you. Because if what you’re saying is that I can’t—I’m going to have to tell church leaders what happened with Marcia Louis. Not because I don’t agree with you, because I do. I realize it’s better to have Mrs. Louis as an ally rather than start with blackmail straight out of the gate. But I have a feeling the Men’s Alliance would hardly agree. Don’t you think?”
I don’t answer her. I get the message, loud and clear.
I have a client this afternoon, and I’m meant to be getting ready. Nearly every minute of my day must be accounted for, which means my husband knows exactly how much time I have. He’s insisted I dust the entirety of the downstairs first. He has needs too, he’s reminded me. But what he’s really saying is he has a fetish about watching me clean. We learned about those in training. He doesn’t need me to clean. The church would happily provide a cleaning crew as a way of punishment for those involved, but Sean prefers we keep this in house.
Whatever. Dusting is not such a big deal, and there isn’t a lot of prep work I need to do beforehand, seeing that my client is a regular, so there’s no point in arguing. It helps keep things running smoothly for Matthew, particularly when I have to leave for work, and at least it gives me something to keep my hands busy.
“It’s time for your next dose,” Sean calls out just as I’ve finished the downstairs bathroom. When I ignore him and go about finishing my chores, he appears in the doorway holding the pill bottle in one hand and a glass of water in the other.
“I’ve packed your bag,” he says motioning toward the living room. “Have you read Adam’s email?”
“No, I’ve been cleaning.”
“Looks like you’re taking a little trip.”
“A trip. Why?”
“We need you to get Elliot Parker out of town. Find out as much on him as you can.”
I should have headed this off before. I wasn’t sure if Melanie was testing me. It could have gone very badly, had her lover put her up to this. “I don’t want to leave Matthew. I can accomplish that here in town.”
“We know he’s been asking for an overnight, Vanessa. Quite frankly, we need this to happen.”
“Why?”
“Look—” he says, his tone exasperated. “I know you’re uneducated and all, but you don’t have to show it.”
I ball my fists and release them.
“I’ve packed you something sexy.”
“I really don’t want to go, Sean. Please.”
“You like this one. I can tell.”
“I don’t.”
He holds out the pills. “Try to get him to rough you up a bit, okay? It’ll help our cause.”
I shake my head. “I don’t need them. I’m fine.”
“You will take them or back to the rejuvenation center you go.”
“I’m—”
“I will not have disobedience in my household.”
“Sean—” He can’t send me to the center with plans to send me away with Elliot Parker.
“This needs to be his idea,” he says, cutting me off. “Let him take you where he wants. The more remote the better.”
“Remote. Why?”
