Page 70 of Whispers of Helena
Ruth extends it toward me, and I snatch it without hesitation. The pages are yellowed with age. My eyes flick to the date. The day after the one carved into my stone.
And then I see it.
One word.
Arson.
A slow, guttural growl rises from my chest. “Everly.”
“Silas—”
“He wanted the land so badly he was willing to kill us for it?” The realization strikes like lightning, igniting the adrenaline already searing through my veins. My vision narrows, pulse thundering in my ears.
“You can’t take his life, Silas,” Ruth pleads. “Your killing needs to stop. It’s gone far enough.”
I slam the paper onto the table, the force rattling her coffee cup. “All this time, I thought I was just sending a warning for him to keep his hands off my legacy.” My voice drops to something dark, something lethal. “Now I have an even better reason. Mark my words, Ruth, he will regret this for the rest of time.”
Her gaze doesn’t waver. “So now you think you’re the one to sentence him? To take his soul?”
I lean in, my voice like a blade. “If God won’t, then I will.”
She huffs, shaking her head. “Just remember Silas Hayes, while you’re out here playing law of the land, your wife has been fighting to return to you. She came back to take you with her, to free you from this place. That is how much she loves you, Silas. How deeply devoted she is to you. Don’t you dare do anything to ruin that. Don’t you want eternity with her?” Her voice shakes, but it’s fierce. “You’ve missed her for so long, and now she’s here for you, Silas!”
Her conviction stuns me. Stops me cold.
“SHE LIED TO ME!” I roar, the sound rattling through my ribs.
“SHE DID IT TO SAVE YOU!” Ruth throws back, her hand trembling where it grips the table.
The chair scrapes against the floor as I push to my feet. “I’ve heard enough.”
Ruth doesn’t move. “And what do you plan on doing, Silas?”
I stride to the door, pausing just long enough to glance back. “My life continues here. My ranch. My son. My mission.”
Then I step into the night, letting the door slam behind me.
Hide
Helena
Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.
Psalm 4:1
I walk awayfrom the stables, the scent of hay and leather lingering as the night air presses in around me. Merriweather is settled for the night, but my nerves are still raw, my thoughts tangled in knots too tight to unravel. My heart aches, my head pounds. A pain that only resolution can ease.
But I know I won’t find that tonight.
Shadow’s stall remains empty. Silas still hasn’t come home.
Dragging my weary legs up the back steps, I push through the door and find Eli at the kitchen table, a steaming cup of coffee cradled in his hands. His eyes are rimmed with red, exhaustion heavy in his expression. Guilt weighs down my shoulders. I’ve kept him up.
“I take it things didn’t go well.”
I shake my head, my throat too tight to answer.
He sighs,setting his cup down. “Ruth just called. Silas left her place not long ago.”
