Page 106 of Ezekiel
It physically pained me to get in my car and drive away, down the road towards Zion. But I had to do it. I had an obligation to see this plan through to the end. This was my purpose. I needed to find out the details of Talia’s adoption and bring this whole fuckery to justice. No matter what it took, I would reunite Talia with her family. If it was the last thing I did.
I knew that finding out the details of her adoption would not be an easy feat.
On the one hand, perhaps her adoptive parents did not know what had truly happened. I would like to think that was the case, but in reality, we just had no idea. Perhaps they were as in the dark as we had been to this entire situation.
If that were true, then asking them about the details would only run us around in circles. They would give us the story they were told, and not the truth.
On the flip side, if her parents had been in on it, in whatever capacity, it was highly unlikely they would tell us anything. Why would they out themselves in such a way? It didn’t make sense to. Plus, if we went around asking too many questions and theywerein on it, then it could set off alarm bells for them and whoever else was involved. That could have disastrous, and even dangerous, consequences.
I wracked my brain as I drove into Zion, down the winding country roads and onto the more paved streets of town, trying to figure how to get from point A to point B in all of this.
How were we supposed to find out more information without questions?
But how were we supposed to ask questions without setting off alarms to anyone with nefarious intent?
And if we couldn’t ask questions, how were we supposed to gather any new information?
The whole thing seemed half pointless and wholly aggravating.
I was just pulling into the church when the idea came to me. The way to talk to Talia’s adoptive parents without pure chaos ensuing was to tell them we were interested in adopting a child of our own.
Yes! That was it. We could tell them that we eagerly awaited the blessing of any children the Lord gave us, but that after talking it through, we had decided to adopt as well, even if we were fortunate enough to have our own children.
We could tell them it was important to Talia. That after being taken in by such kind and loving parents like them, Talia wanted to give another child a life like hers. A life filled with love, and enriched in God’s blessing.
Even thinking about it made me want to vomit, but it could work. It should work. No, itwouldwork.
I parked my car in the space near the front, a renewed sense of purpose lifting my spirits. And just in time. I would need it to get through this meeting. The faster I got through it, the faster I could get home to Talia.
That’s all I wanted.
Everything I was doing was for her.
My wife, and my love.
Talia
What was I going to do?
I had just put on the performance of a lifetime with Zeke. I had played it off as best I could. Hell, I had even flirted with him. But I couldn’t keep it up. There was no way. It was too hard.
What was I going to do?
I listened carefully as Zeke’s car drove off down the road towards Zion and away from our home. I held my breath, listening until I couldn’t hear him at all.
Then, only then, did I let the fear get the better of me. I screamed into my pillow and let the fear swallow me up.
My pulse hammered so wildly in my chest, I was sure it would break free, cracking ribs in the process. It would kill. It felt like it was going to kill me.
I couldn’t breathe. I couldn’t think.
How was I supposed to tell Zeke that I remembered?
How was I supposed to tell him that his father was one of the men who kidnapped me?
CHAPTER24
TALIA
