Page 91 of Malachi
“Well?” Delilah pushed, literally sitting on the edge of her seat. We all were.
“I was right. He said it’s enough.”
Levi’s words hit like a ton of bricks, filling my chest with a hope that we had each locked deep inside of us, unwilling to let out until this day actually happened. And here it was. Finally.
“We need to lay low for a few days, but Zeke, if you can send the information you got on the flash drive over to me, I can email it over to Agent Driscoll. It’s exactly what they need in order to get a warrant. They’ll be here in two day’s time.”
“Two days,” Ollie whistled low.
“Two more days and this will all be just a nightmare we can put behind us.”
There was celebrating after that, each of us smiling and hugging one another.
“What does he mean by laying low? Do we all stay home?” Ruth asked.
No, we continue going through motions as we have. We don’t want to incriminate ourselves before this is over. Just keep our heads down. Once the FBI gets here, they will take over and we can get out of here.
“I don’t like the idea of you boys going to work. The stakes feel ten times higher now,” Ruth admitted.
“I agree,” Delilah murmured, taking Ollie’s hand. “It’s dangerous. More dangerous than ever before.”
“I know it’s dangerous, but it needs to be done. We are so close, Delilah. So very close to the end,” Levi expressed.
“But what if they discovered you guys before the FBI gets here?” Ruth argued, agreeing with Delilah.
“We have our backup plans,” Ollie reassured her.
“Yeah, but we came up with like four possible ones. With this information, what is the actual Plan B?” Ruth pressed. A thought occurred to me, one I had failed to mention the other night.
“My bunker,” I answered quietly.
“Your what now?” Eden asked, turning to look at me with confusion.
“My bunker,” I reiterated. “I built it deep into the property a little over a year ago. Right after we started this endeavor. If shit hits the fan, we run, but we run to the bunker. With the FBI so close on the trail, it’s the safest place for us to go on such short notice.”
“Where is it?” Eden asked.
“Zeke has seen it, as has Levi. I’ll show you tonight when we finish here, Eden.” I reassured her.
“I think that’s a good plan,” Ruth said..
“Solid plan, to say the least,” Ollie agreed.
“So we have a plan. And I’ll tell Gideon when I call him tonight,” Levi agreed, nearly vibrating with the excitement of the fact that this was really happening.
“This is it, guys. It’s finally happening,” Zeke reiterated with a smile. The relief that washed over me was double edged. On the one hand, I couldn’t have been happier. On the other, a lot could happen in two day’s time. But at the end of the day, this was it.
We were finally getting the hell out of here.
CHAPTER23
EDEN
I felt like my entire body was vibrating. It was finally happening. This plan they had made me a part of was finally coming to fruition. While I had only been aware of it, it had felt like a lifetime. The reality of getting away from Zion for good was just too much to hope for, yet here I stood, watching my new family walk back towards their vehicles and head home, filled with the hope of endless possibilities for my life. Hopefully, a life that included Malachi.
It’s what I wanted, though I had yet to express such desires to him. Part of me wanted to tell him right now, to be honest about all of my feelings, in fact. But the more reasonable and realistic side of my brain knew that such conversations could wait until this was all over.
Malachi stood beside me, both of us quiet as we watched his brothers walk away.
