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I searched my memory. Something he said nagged at me, like a memory was hiding from me. “I don’t know. There's something familiar about what you just said, but if it was when I was young, I might not remember. They wouldn’t have talked about it.”
“How old are you, Cassia?” Storm asked.
“I’m twenty-two. Why?”
He looked at Blade then his wife. “Neriah is twenty-five, I think. She told us they left when she was twelve. That would make Cassia nine. Blade, I think we should take her to meet Neriah. We cleaned out the top brass, but not every single one. Some of them scattered after the leadership died.”
“Leadership died? What are you talking about? How do you know Hiram and the Converts?”
Unease filled me. Bryony was the one to answer me. “It’s not what you think. We know someone else who was part of that church. She’s married to a couple of their brothers. I think you should meet her. As for the leadership thing, Hiram and his lieutenants were involved in an unforeseen incident. They disappeared.”
“Disappeared? That means they could be anywhere.”
“No, it doesn’t. Believe me, there is nothing to fear from them. You didn’t answer. Were you married to one of the men there?” Blade growled.
“Yes. I was given to him at sixteen to be his third wife. He wanted more children and he thought I could give him several.”
“Motherfucker,” Blade shouted.
“Shh, you’ll wake Tristan. You need to control yourself. She’s frightened enough,” Bryony admonished him.
Blade gave me an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I just hate to hear that. What was his name? Was he one of the lieutenants?”
Gulping, I said the dreaded name for the first time in over three years. Just saying it made me feel sick to my stomach. Images of his hateful face rose in my mind.
“He wasn’t one of them unless that changed after I left. His name is Reuben Tully.”
“I know this is hard. Just a little more. How old is he? What were his other wives’ names?” Bryony asked. She’d come over to sit on the other side of me. She was rubbing my back.
“He’d be fifty by now, I think. He was in his forties when we got married. His first wife, Lydia, is not that much younger than him and Chloe, wife number two, is in her thirties. At the time I left, there were ten kids.”
They didn’t say anything for the longest time. All three were staring at me like they were waiting for me to say more. When I didn’t, Storm finally did. “Honey, were any of those kids yours? Did you have to leave a child behind?”
A sob erupted out of me. I shook my head no, but the memory his words triggered made me feel like I was bleeding inside.
Bryony snapped at him. “For God’s sake, this is rough. You have no idea what she’s been through. Leave it for now. I think we need to let her rest. Maybe tomorrow she can meet Neriah and talk. She and Blade have a lot to talk about. We’ll leave you two alone.”
She got up. I was surprised to see Storm didn’t argue and went to get their son. As they got ready to leave, I wanted to ask her to stay. I was afraid to be alone with Blade. I knew he wanted answers and he deserved them, but I was dreading it. She gave me a hug.
“If you need me, call. Blade has our numbers. Tell him. He’ll understand.” She whispered the last bit in my ear. Storm said goodbye then they left. Closing the door behind them made me feel like I was about to be placed on trial. I had no idea why. All I knew was I was going to just let it all out right now and then he could go. Once he knew, he’d see why there could be nothing between us.
“Do you want to rest for a while or maybe get some dinner? You have to be starved.” Blade said.
I shook my head no. “No, I want to get this over with. I suggest we sit and I’ll tell you.”
He didn’t argue. He followed me to the couch. I sat and drew my legs up to my chest and hugged them. It made me feel less like I was falling to pieces. He watched me like a hawk.
“Like I said, I was born into the church. My parents were firm believers in what Hiram was teaching. In fact, they believed he was sent there by God to get people back on the right path. My father had four wives. My mother was the first. I have seven siblings. Anyway, that’s not important. What is, is that from the day I was born, I was raised to believe that men are the ultimate authority and women are to submit to men in everything.
“As I got older, I questioned it. Questioning anything in my home was a sin. Punishments were harsh. I often found myself in trouble. I hated that whole life, but I didn’t know of a way out. A week after I turned sixteen, my father came home and informed me I was to be married in two hours and to go put on my best dress and make myself look nice. He wouldn’t even tell me who my husband was.”
“What the fuck? What did you do?”
“I argued and told him I wasn’t marrying anyone. For my impertinence, I was beaten then forcibly dressed. He made sure none of the bruises showed on my face.”
The growl coming out of Blade made me grab his arm. “I need you to stay quiet, or I can’t finish this.”
He gave me a nod to continue.
