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I never imagined Country’s past would collide with the present or that any chance for a future together would be ripped apart by evil men who could infiltrate my house without raising an alarm. Where was my father? Micah? The prospects who always watched the house?
“What do you want?”
“Cut all ties with him. Break it off. Ensure he understands, or we’ll return to finish the job.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to refuse when the man hung up and dialed another number. He flipped the phone around, showing my cousin as she slept in his bed. Another call revealed my father. I understood the masked man’s point. They could infiltrate my house anytime they wanted and kill us all before we had time to react.
“Why?” I asked, needing an answer because it didn’t make sense to me.
“Because Henry belongs to us,” he answered simply.
“And we always collect our strays,” another man added, moving from the stairway.
I knew a third was also in the house.
My fingers trembled as I gripped my water bottle. “I understand.”
“I believe you do.”
My brain scrambled for a way to keep all the people I loved safe. “I want to make a bargain.”
The second man laughed.
The first tilted his head, staring at my body from head to toe. “What kind of bargain?”
“You tell me. How do I keep Henry safe?” It was weird to call Country that name. It didn’t feel right.
The third man joined the other two. He remained silent.
“One year. We’ll give you that much time, and then we’ll come back to collect. It’s you or Henry. You make the choice.”
I already did. My heart chose for me.
“Can I be with him during this year?”
The man shook his head. “No.”
Why the fuck not? “That’s stupid,” I blurted. “If I give myself up in a year, I want that time with him.”
“It’s not my decision. Henry must suffer to be welcomed into the kingdom. He knows his place and what is expected of him.”
The kingdom? What the hell?
“We live to serve. We die to serve.”
Their heads bowed as the trio slowly backed away from me, retreating into the shadows leaving as quietly as they arrived.
My knees buckled as I hit the hardwood floors, stifling a cry as my hand rose to my mouth. The water bottle slipped away, rolling across the floor and bumping into the trash can.
I stayed there for what felt like an eternity, fighting against the urge to wake up my father or Micah and tell them what happened. My fear won out. In the end, I remained silent.
How could I stop those intruders from coming back? What if they returned and shot us all in our sleep?
I needed to learn more about their organization, starting with the phrase they repeated before leaving.We live to serve. We die to serve.Those words held meaning. I just had to find out how these fanatics connected to Country.
Dawn was beginning to creep over the horizon when I finally climbed the stairs. A plan had begun to form in my head. I needed time to sort things through and research the masked men who walked into my home and threatened my family.
Unbelting the robe, I let it fall to my feet in a whisper. The fabric pooled on the rug at the foot of my bed, and I climbed onto the mattress, careful not to wake Country. He didn’t stir as I snuggled close, lifting a stray lock of hair away from his forehead. He slept so peacefully as if the evil that lurked in the darkness hadn’t reached out and touched us tonight.
