anything to go by, Xavier’s in deep shit. As in, a mountain of it.
Knowing better than to argue with Bob, I exit the car, but before I do, I reach over and squeeze Xavier’s shoulder in what I hope is a reassuring gesture. I step out and close the door. The car drives away and I sigh out loud. With a shake of my head, I turn and head up into the church. Suddenly, I smile and walk faster. I need to find Tomas.
We have soggy cereal to eat.
Chapter Twenty
Ari, Clark and I stare, mouths gaping in shock.
“Bob…” I say weakly, but I can’t even finish my sentence. This… this just doesn’t feel right.
Let’s rewind here.
After Bob and Xavier returned from there little car ride – when I say little, I mean they were gone for close to three hours… not that I was counting or anything – Xavier walked right past me, went into the room he stayed in previously and didn’t come out till sometime after dinner. Bob retreated to his office for about the same amount of time before he walked into the kitchen and quietly asked, “Tomas in bed?”
I went to work washing our dishes from dinner. “Yeah. He had a long day. He went out like a light.”
He tapped a finger on the counter in a nervous gesture. “Okay, good. I’m calling a meeting. Real soon.”
My body went rigid. “What’s wrong? Is it Frankie?”
His face soft, he walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulder. “Oh, no, sweetie. She’s fine. I swear.”
I almost pouted. Almost. “Then why hasn’t she called me back?”
He gripped the back of my neck and pulled me close, not caring about my wet hands. I wrapped an arm around him as he rested his chin on my head. “I know her leaving has been hard on you, but you need to think about how she’s feeling. You have us. She’s alone. And pregnant. I’m confident in saying that she’s feeling a little worse than you are.”
My anger at him began to rise. I near growled. “Then let her come home.”
But he ignored me, placed a kiss to my forehead and walked away uttering, “Meeting. Half hour. Right here.”
Half hour passed quick enough. Soon Ari, Clark and I sat around the small table and waited in silence. Whatever was coming, we knew it wasn’t good.
Bob and Xavier came in from the back door. Xavier had his hands in his pockets wearing a face of stone.
That’s when Bob announced, “Meet the newest member of our team. Xavier. Codename: Mad Hatter.”
No one said a word.
All I could think to myself as I stared at Xavier was, “ You sold yourself. Now you’ll never be free .”
May God have mercy on your soul.
Chapter Twenty-One
My family is falling apart.
Frankie is gone. Bob is here, but not really here at all. Ari disappears for hours at a time. And Clark is still uncomfortable around me, no matter how much effort we put into our strained friendship.
In a moment of madness, I think about calling Marco just to hear a friendly voice. Luckily, that moment of madness is just that. A moment. Xavier hasn’t said a word to me from yesterday. And I know in my heart that he’s disappointed in us. In me . I can see the hurt inside of him. He doesn’t want this. But that’s what happens when you make a deal with the devil. Any time something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
With Xavier walking the grounds with Tom as, I am bored out of my mind. I think about tagging along, but something tells me to keep my distance from Xavier right now.
He needs time to adjust.
I was born into this. This has been my entire life. I don’t know any different. For anyone else, the change would be astronomical. I don’t blame him for feeling betrayed. I would, too.
My garden doesn’t need attending, and is looking greener and healthier each passing day, so I sit quietly on the bench under the large oak and contemplate life. In a spontaneous decision, I stand and walk over to the barn. I key in my code and enter. I try not to look suspicious, but my motivations are not good
Knowing better than to argue with Bob, I exit the car, but before I do, I reach over and squeeze Xavier’s shoulder in what I hope is a reassuring gesture. I step out and close the door. The car drives away and I sigh out loud. With a shake of my head, I turn and head up into the church. Suddenly, I smile and walk faster. I need to find Tomas.
We have soggy cereal to eat.
Chapter Twenty
Ari, Clark and I stare, mouths gaping in shock.
“Bob…” I say weakly, but I can’t even finish my sentence. This… this just doesn’t feel right.
Let’s rewind here.
After Bob and Xavier returned from there little car ride – when I say little, I mean they were gone for close to three hours… not that I was counting or anything – Xavier walked right past me, went into the room he stayed in previously and didn’t come out till sometime after dinner. Bob retreated to his office for about the same amount of time before he walked into the kitchen and quietly asked, “Tomas in bed?”
I went to work washing our dishes from dinner. “Yeah. He had a long day. He went out like a light.”
He tapped a finger on the counter in a nervous gesture. “Okay, good. I’m calling a meeting. Real soon.”
My body went rigid. “What’s wrong? Is it Frankie?”
His face soft, he walked over to me and placed his hands on my shoulder. “Oh, no, sweetie. She’s fine. I swear.”
I almost pouted. Almost. “Then why hasn’t she called me back?”
He gripped the back of my neck and pulled me close, not caring about my wet hands. I wrapped an arm around him as he rested his chin on my head. “I know her leaving has been hard on you, but you need to think about how she’s feeling. You have us. She’s alone. And pregnant. I’m confident in saying that she’s feeling a little worse than you are.”
My anger at him began to rise. I near growled. “Then let her come home.”
But he ignored me, placed a kiss to my forehead and walked away uttering, “Meeting. Half hour. Right here.”
Half hour passed quick enough. Soon Ari, Clark and I sat around the small table and waited in silence. Whatever was coming, we knew it wasn’t good.
Bob and Xavier came in from the back door. Xavier had his hands in his pockets wearing a face of stone.
That’s when Bob announced, “Meet the newest member of our team. Xavier. Codename: Mad Hatter.”
No one said a word.
All I could think to myself as I stared at Xavier was, “ You sold yourself. Now you’ll never be free .”
May God have mercy on your soul.
Chapter Twenty-One
My family is falling apart.
Frankie is gone. Bob is here, but not really here at all. Ari disappears for hours at a time. And Clark is still uncomfortable around me, no matter how much effort we put into our strained friendship.
In a moment of madness, I think about calling Marco just to hear a friendly voice. Luckily, that moment of madness is just that. A moment. Xavier hasn’t said a word to me from yesterday. And I know in my heart that he’s disappointed in us. In me . I can see the hurt inside of him. He doesn’t want this. But that’s what happens when you make a deal with the devil. Any time something sounds too good to be true, it usually is.
With Xavier walking the grounds with Tom as, I am bored out of my mind. I think about tagging along, but something tells me to keep my distance from Xavier right now.
He needs time to adjust.
I was born into this. This has been my entire life. I don’t know any different. For anyone else, the change would be astronomical. I don’t blame him for feeling betrayed. I would, too.
My garden doesn’t need attending, and is looking greener and healthier each passing day, so I sit quietly on the bench under the large oak and contemplate life. In a spontaneous decision, I stand and walk over to the barn. I key in my code and enter. I try not to look suspicious, but my motivations are not good
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