Page 100 of Malachi
“I’m not sure I can say that’s accurate. You told us you would accept our marriage choice for you, and yet you gave push back time and time again. It was you who was supposed to marry Delilah, and then Talia. But you fought us at every turn. We had about given up when we set Gideon’s marriage arrangement into motion. We got lucky in finding you a match with young Eden,” Father scoffed.
“You’re right, but my words were not a lie. Simply a man with a fear of marriage,” I answered honestly. It wasn’t the full truth, but the best lies were woven around as much truth as possible.
Father simply shook his head, disappointment evident in his entire demeanor.
“Such a disappointment. To put one’s desires over the desires of God is truly a pathetic display of trust in the Lord. I wonder, Malachi, when did it happen?” His words were almost teasing, but none of this was even remotely funny.
“When did what happen, Sir?” I asked, my jaw clenched so tightly I felt I would surely crack teeth.
“When did you become such an utterly pathetic waste of space? Zion has done nothing but serve you well, yet you put your own desires ahead of God’s plan. Just as you tried to do all those years ago,” he nearly spat, walking around behind me. His fingers grazed over my back for just a moment as he spoke his next words. “Or have you forgotten the price you paid last time?”
I could feel the panic, the anxiety, and the fear swirl around in my gut.
“No, I have not forgotten, Sir,” I spoke carefully. It took every ounce of self-control I possessed to unclench my fists at my side, relaxing my stance even if only by a small bit.
“Good. See to it you remember,” Father sneered, walking back to his place beside the Reverend.
“So you brought your brothers together, in the dead of night, to measure the authenticity of their motives. Do I have that correct?” The Reverend asked, turning the focal point of the conversation back to Levi. He still had the gun raised, now pointed straight at Levi’s chest.
“Yes, Sir. Just a matter of making sure that Zion is being led by those who believe in God’s plan to the fullest. Surely you can see my reasoning,” Levi muttered, gesturing with his head back at Ollie, Gideon, and myself. His moves were calculated, not wanting to surprise the Reverend. That gun had me beyond nervous, but I couldn’t see any real way out. It was either talk our way out of it, or run and hope to God the casualty list wouldn’t include us. Seeing as how he had the gun pointed at Levi, that option seemed an unviable one.
“Not like it fucking matters,” Gideon scoffed under his breath. I could have decked him. He was slumped over, shuffling his feet back and forth with nervous energy.
“Gideon,” Ollie spat in a harsh whisper.
“What was that, boy?” the Reverend sneered, shifting his focus away from Levi.
“I said it doesn’t fucking matter,” Gideon spat, lifting his gaze to the Reverend in an unwavering stare.
“Excuse me?” The Reverend spoke so quietly it set fear careening to the depths of my soul. Those were not the eyes of a man of God, but those of a madman.
“It doesn’t matter what he says. You’re all fucked anyway,” Gideon said with a smirk. The fucking idiot.
“Shut the fuck up, Gideon,” Levi cursed through clenched teeth.
“Why? Why should I shut up? It isn’t going to matter, anyway. Not after tomorrow,” Gideon spat.
“Christ, Gideon,” Ollie groaned, his eyes darting between Gideon and Levi, unsure of what to do. I felt much the same, half of me wanting to get the fuck out of here and the other half knowing that it would be nearly impossible to, now. Not after what Gideon had just said.
In a split second, the Reverend leveled the gun at Gideon’s head. The fucker had the audacity to lean into it, like he had nothing left to live for. He leaned in until his forehead was literally resting against the barrel of the gun.
“What are you going to do about it, Reverend?” Gideon goaded. Bile rose in my throat. I was not going to lose a brother, not to this maniac.
“Don’t listen to him, Reverend. He’s not in his right mind,” I attempted, a last ditch effort to pull attention from my youngest idiot of a brother.
“I don’t want to hear from you, Malachi. Gideon here seems to have something to tell us,” Reverend Jacob almost cooed in response, his lips turning up in a sinister grin. He didn’t even cast me half a glance, keeping his attention squarely on Gideon.
He fisted his hand in Gideon’s shirt, pulling him closer, the barrel of the gun pushing into my brother’s forehead hard enough I could see the skin start to give.
“You were saying, Gideon?” Reverend Jacob pressed.
“I said, you’re fucked. By the end of the day tomorrow. Mark my words.” Clarity washed over me, hearing his words. He really did have a death wish. Perhaps having his boat burned to the ground, knowing all they had done to his wife… it was too much for him. They had pushed him too far, and he’d snapped. It was the only explanation that made sense.
“You’ve got balls of steel, you know that?” the Reverend chuckled derisively.
“Well, you were about to kill my brother. So why not be honest? It’s what you were asking for anyway,” Gideon shrugged, not even flinching as Reverend Jacob readjusted the barrel of the pistol against his forehead..
“So why don’t you do that? Tell me the truth,” he urged.
