Page 107 of Gideon
“Talia's and I’s statements would be speculation? I mean, we lived through it,” Naomi argued gently from beside me.
“Yeah, doesn’t that count for something?” Talia agreed with her.
“I would think so, but I think legally speaking, we need more. I don’t want this to slip through our fingers all based on a technicality. I want to present them with hard, iron-clad evidence. Enough to take Zion down once and for all,” Levi explained further.
“We all need to keep our eyes on the goal here and do whatever we can,” Zeke agreed.
“I think the most important thing right now is time. We need more time, which means we need to keep the Elders happy, and more importantly, as distracted as possible,” Levi continued.
“Well, I guess that means I’m fucked,” Malachi sneered from the back of the room. He slammed the rest of his drink down in one fluid motion, hissing as he swallowed the bitter liquid.
“It means it’s time for you to take the plunge, brother. No more fucking around,” Levi chided Kai.
“Literally,” Ollie teased. Several of us shot him looks at that comment.
“I’ll have you know that I’ve already agreed to go through with this whole fucking shit show. Mother and Father, and I sat down last night. And no, I will not be explaining any further. Fuck you all very much.” With that bombshell dropped, Malachi stalked out of the room, the front door opening and slamming shut with his abrupt departure.
“Well, hell’s bells. The brute finally went through with it.” Ollie whistled in shock.
“I wouldn’t say that yet. He’s not marched his grumpy ass down the aisle yet,” Zeke commented. It was true. I wouldn’t believe it either. Not until the vows had been said, and it was official. Malachi had a way of getting out of things. The stubborn asshole.
Naomi tugged on my sleeve, giving me a look that told me she was ready to go home. I glanced at my watch, noting that it was already nearing dinner time and we really should be heading out. I nodded to her, letting her know that I understood.
“We should be going. Zeke, thank you for letting us bother you,” I began, but Zeke held his hand up.
“It’s never a bother, Gideon. You know that,” he answered quickly.
“We all have to have each other’s backs in this,” Talia readily agreed.
“And thank you all for coming so quickly. I am going to take my wife home and decompress a little before we all have to be back at work tomorrow. Hopefully, we will find something, anything, that will help us get the hell out of here.”
Goodbyes were said quickly and before long, Naomi and I were back in the truck, heading for home.
“Can we put some music on?” Naomi asked quietly from her seat. She was curled up, her arms wrapped around her body protectively.
“Of course,” I answered, switching the dial until a station came through the speakers clearly, music blaring into the cab of the truck.
Her voice joined in with the singer on the radio, timid and shy at first, then gaining confidence. I sang along too, both of us sounding ridiculous as we sang to a song neither of us knew. But neither of us cared.
I pulled into the driveway, both of us singing our hearts out and forgetting about anything else for a moment. When the final refrains of the song quieted, the radio DJ’s voice came on, announcing a commercial. I turned the dial down, then switched the truck’s engine off.
But neither of us moved.
“I’m not ready to go inside yet,” Naomi said quietly.
“What do you want to do?”
“Anything but go inside. I don’t want to talk anymore. I don’t want to think about it. I just… I can’t,” she explained, or rather, didn’t explain. As vague as her words were, I understood her.
I looked out at our home, the shack of a house I had bought a few years ago, with no intent of ever making it a realhome. Yet, it had become one. With one fiery, sassy woman, it had become a home. Not the one she deserved, but a home nonetheless. My eyes scanned around my property. The water, the house, the dock, my boat.
“Go sailing with me?” I asked her, hoping that some time on the water would do for her what it had done for me time and time again.
“Can we?” she asked, the sound of hope in her voice touching a part of me that had been only mine for so long.
“Of course,” I answered, taking her hand in mine.
Together we exited the truck, walking down to the dock hand in hand. Sailing would give us both a reprieve. And for a while, just a little while, none of this would exist.
