Page 115 of Gideon
Malachi leaned in until they were nearly nose to nose. If they hadn’t been my brothers, it would look like they would have started making out at any moment. And wherethatcomparison had come from in such a tension-filled moment, I had no idea. I had to quash the sudden, nervous urge to laugh at the thought. That would definitely be the wrong choice just now.
“Youwilldo what is needed. Youwillhelp these girls. Youwillfollow through with the plans the Elders have for you. And do you know why,brother?”Malachi spat the word brother out like it was a vile curse.
Levi didn’t utter a sound as the two glared at one another.
“You will do what is needed because that is the man you are. You are more of a man than any of those fucking assholes in Zion. You are a better man than any of us sitting around this table. You are a man of honor and a man who is fucking fearless,” Malachi seethed his words of praise. “I know this better than anyone. Because you taught me. I have looked up to you my entire life, even when you pissed me the fuck off. You will be the man you were called to be. Don’t fucking pussy out now, you goddamn idiot. Don’t you fucking dare.”
The room stayed silent as the two of them maintained their staring contest.
Finally, they backed away from one another, no longer nose to nose.
“Fine,” Levi conceded in a huff of frustration.
“And lastly, you will do this because if you don’t, I’ll have to stay married to a goddamn fucking child.” Malachi’s last words shocked us more than any of Levi’s did.
“A child?” Levi barely muttered as we all looked at Kai in shock.
“Yes, I am betrothed to a fucking child,” Kai grumbled, reaching for his drink and slamming it back in one solid gulp. I hadn’t even seen him make it, but it didn’t surprise me for a single moment.
“Fucking hell,” Levi muttered, sitting back in his seat beside Ruth as he took a swig of his own drink. Whatever it was, it was strong as fuck. I could smell the fumes. Perhaps it wasn’t brandy, but more of a moonshine Malachi had made. He’d made his own swill before. I knew better than to touch the stuff. After trying his bathwater slop one too many times and I had more than learned my lesson. Didn’t seem to stop Levi, however.
“Are you serious, Kai? They arranged a marriage for you with a child? Withyou?” Ollie asked, reiterating the question yet again.
“Did I fucking stutter?” Kai spat back, standing to pour himself another cup. He pulled out a dark amber jug. Yup, that was one of Kai’s own making. I’d know those bottles anywhere. A shudder ran down my spine at the memory of the last of his moonshine flooded my memory — and my tastebuds.
“Her name is Eden,” Kai muttered, tapping my shoulder until I moved from my seat so he could take it. In that situation, I didn’t blame him.
“Wait, Eden Corban?” Ruth asked, shock written over her face.
“The one and only. She is the youngest child of Elder Corban and his wife. I’ve convinced Mother and Father to hold off on the wedding until next month. Granted, it’s only postponed by two weeks, but still,” Kai scoffed derisively.
“Why two weeks?” I asked, confused.
“Because that’s when she turns eighteen,” Kai answered with a grimace.
“Jesus fuck,” I groaned. Kai, marrying a girl who was only eighteen? The thought was disgusting, twisting around in my stomach as I imagined how I would feel in his shoes. I was considerably younger than Malachi, as the youngest of the five of us, and it still sickened me. I couldn’t imagine how Kai was feeling. And with his particular set of kinks? Mother-fucking hell.
“Okay, Kai. I’ll go through with it,” Levi reassured him, though the pale pallor of his face had not receded in the slightest.
“If I’m going to march my snarky ass down that goddamn aisle and wed a fucking child, then youwillhold up your end of this. Go with them on this trip. Document everything you can. And then fuck the local law enforcement. Go straight to the goddamn feds with this bullshit,” Malachi stated as he took another sip of his swill, wincing as it likely burned his fucking tastebuds off.
The entire room grew quiet for a long moment after that, each of us digesting the horrific news that had been shared, both by Levi and by Malachi. Levi had been right in his earlier assessment. As the ball got rolling with this plan, it was only growing bigger, moving faster. We needed answers. We needed proof. And we needed it fast.
“When is this trip scheduled, Levi?” Naomi asked, turning my attention back to my wife.
“That’s the worst part of it all,” he said with a groan. He took another long sip of his drink before he answered. “Tomorrow.”
“Oh God,” Ruth whispered, taking his hand in her smaller one.
“We leave tomorrow morning.”
CHAPTER28
GIDEON
Levi left the next morning after our gathering at Malachi’s. It was a somber thing, knowing that he had been thrown into the belly of the beast. The last two days since his departure had been filled with an almost ominous silence between my brothers and me. Work had been busy; the cabin we were building was starting to really take shape. I couldn’t say I was sad to have something to keep my mind occupied. It sure as fuck beat working at the church like Ollie and Zeke were forced to do. And, of course, I wouldn’t have traded places with Levi for anything. I just had to keep myself focused on the actual tasks at hand, trying my hardest to not think about the fact that I was more than likely building a cabin to house small girls that had been kidnapped while they were beaten and abused into brainwashed versions of their former selves before being sold off or adopted into Zion.
That thought rolled around in my stomach like putrid bile, threatening to spill out at any moment. No, instead I focused on each individual step, refusing to look at the bigger picture. I just couldn’t.
