Page 114 of Gideon
“The Reverend asked me to meet with him at the end of the day today. My guard was up from the beginning,” he explained. “I had expected the Reverend to pull me into his office and for the two of us to have a conversation, but that wasn’t what happened.”
He paused, taking another hissing sip of his drink.
“What I was met with when I entered the room was an entire cadre of Elders,” he muttered, his eyes unfocused on the table before him.
“Oh shit,” Ollie exclaimed softly.
“It wasn’t everyone, only seven of us gathered,” he continued as we all listened intently. I was literally on the edge of my seat, my leg bouncing with dreaded anticipation and anxiety. “Once we were there, they made small talk, which only put me further on edge. In the end, I’m pretty sure they were just stalling, giving time for the rest of the building to clear before the real talk began.”
Levi put his fist over his mouth, hiding a belch that I’m sure threatened to be more based on the tone of this conversation. Whatever had been said in that room was not good.
“They sat me down in one of the chairs opposite of the Reverend’s desk, like I was the problem student in the principal’s office. Father was there, as were several of our respective Fathers-in-law,” he explained. Ruth took his hand, offering him support as he told the story of what had happened.
“Once a little time had passed, they told me what was going on. Christ, Father was literally beaming with pride as he told me they wanted to bring me in on a project that the upper echelon of the Elders had been working on.” He laughed humorlessly, his face twisted in a grimace. “For decades, he had admitted.”
“Oh fuck,” Zeke swore under his breath.
“Oh fuck, is right,” Levi muttered. “They have asked — if you can call a direct order an ask — They have asked me to go along with them on a trip.”
The room nearly buzzed with pure silence. Not even the summer bugs were chirping outside, almost as if they, too, understood the gravity of such a statement.
“You don’t think —” I began.
“I do. I do think, Gideon. I think that they are taking me on one of their trips to capture children. They told me that there is a shipment due soon and that they would like me to go along with them. Father actually congratulated me. Told me how proud he was to have me join the — how did he word it?” Levi scoffed. “The real family business.”
“Oh my God,” Ruth barely breathed.
“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Levi muttered, bending over and holding his head in his hands.
“What do you mean?” Ollie asked him.
“How the fuck am I going to get out of this?” Levi laughed humorlessly.
“No! You can’t do that, Levi,” Zeke argued. Levi’s head shot up quick as lightning, eyeing our brother with a fury and confusion that made even me cower, and it wasn’t even directed at me.
“Excuse me?” Levi spat at Zeke.
“You cannot get out of it, Levi. Think about it,” Zeke began calmly. I envied his ability to stay calm in such a situation.
“Think about it? Think about it!?” Levi yelled, sliding his chair back forcefully enough that it knocked clear to the floor as he stood, pressing his knuckles onto the table as he looked at Zeke with an almost hate-filled stare. “What in the ever-loving fuck do you think I’ve been doing?” he seethed.
“Levi, I just —”
“Shut the fuck up, Zeke. I’ve done nothing butthink about itever since that goddamn motherfucking meeting. So much so that I have lost the contents of my stomach over it not once, not twice, but five goddamn times. Don’t you fucking tell me tothink about it.”
I had never heard my brother speak like this before. His body literally trembled with his barely reined in rage. It was frightening. I would not want to be at the receiving end of his wrath.
“Levi,” Zeke began cautiously, trying to calm our brother. “We all know that we need proof. This is it. This is where you can get proof. This is how we do it.”
“No. I refuse,” Levi spat resolutely, tossing his hands in the air. “You expect me to… what? Just go along with them? You know what this is. They are kidnapping children. Little girls, for Christ’s sake! How can I — how could I?! Jesus fucking fuck!” He ranted, raking his hands through his hair, taking handfuls and tugging. So that’s how his hair got so fucked up.
“I get that, Levi. I do. But you have an opportunity here. A chance to get what we need so we can take them down for good,” Ollie reasoned with him. But it was no use.
“I will not — I refuse to lower myself to doing what they do,” Levi nearly growled with rage.
“You fucking will,” Malachi barked, pushing back from his perch against the wall. He walked over to where Levi stood, meeting Levi’s rage with a rage all his own.
“Excuse me, Kai? But what the fuck do you even know of it? You’ve been the one to push off this plan from the very first moment. Howdareyou sit here and tell me what I will or won’t do?” Levi hissed in anger.
