It appeared that Jamie Lee Frost and FireWind were old acquaintances, if not friends. They fell into instant discussion, and the boss pulled T. Laine in. He left Occam and me out of the discussion. “He’ll be sending us back,” Occam said, “bringing Tandy from HQ again to deal with any interrogations. I’ll be glad when LaFleur and Racer get in from Chattanooga. And I’ll be glad to sleep a few nights in my own bed.”
I got a text from Mud, who should be on the way to school. I called her back. “Morning, Mud. Is it spurting blood, roaring flames, or dead bodies?”
“None a them. It’s worse. Esther’s gone home to her and Jed’s place. She’s got a gun.”
* * *
* * *
After a night with only a couple of hours sleep sandwiched between too many hours on my feet, I drove past the armed guards and onto the church compound. As I drove onto the property, the church guards watched me with scowling faces that told me exactly how unwelcome I was. I ignored them, if not their shotguns.
The fencing was being pressed outward by the vines and trunks of the vampire tree I had foolishly set to grow and guard the church, back when the tree was amenable to suggestions, and before I realized that it was truly intelligent and not just a plant I could push around like all the others I encouraged to grow.
I was learning the hard way what I was, what I could do by act of will, what my blood did all on its own, and I had made mistakes. I hoped the tree was a mistake I could control. I hoped the mess I had set in play with Esther staying at the farm was something I could control. Or fix. Or run away from. I’d take any of the options that didn’t end up with me or one of my sisters killing someone we loved or ending up dead at the hands of the church folk.
I motored down the road to Esther and Jedidiah’s place, aware of the scowls and anger on the faces of the church folk I passed. Mostly. It wasn’t easy, as the worst offenders were from the faction that had once wanted to see me burned at the stake. Still did. A big batch of armed menfolk were standing outside of Jedidiah and Esther’s house. As I eased into the short drive, they turned to face me, silent, accusatory. I parked, checked my weapon and holstered it, took a deep breath. Got out of the car. Wearing pants, a wrinkled store-bought shirt, and a man’s-style blazer. With a gun peeking past the lapel, under my left armpit, a weapon I didn’t try to hide. And carrying a stench that had in no way dissipated on the drive back.
I walked toward the men who barred the way, standing in a line, shoulder to shoulder. Nine of them, a Lambert and a Vaughn standing with two McCormicks, and five more I didn’t recognize right off, all of them a little older than I was, all looking mean, staring at my legs and my chest, the way weak men did when they wanted to intimidate and remind a woman that she was a thing to be used. I smiled. I let the spark of whatever I was shine through my eyes, malevolent and violent and willing to feed the land with their blood. “Afternoon, boys,” I whispered. Two of the men flinched. Weak links. They’d run if things got bad. That was good to know. “Move aside. I need to speak with Jedidiah and his wife.”
“Jed done divorced her,” a man said.
“You’un caused this,” another said. “You’un created discord and discontent and brought anger unto this holy land.” The speakers were from the Jackson faction.
“Move. Aside,” I said. I felt leaves curling from my hairline, beneath the wild curls, a tickling, insistent sensation as my body reacted to the unspoken threat.
“Let her through,” Jedidiah called out. He was standing on the front porch.
“She’s a law enforcement officer,” a familiar voice said from behind me. Sam, my brother. Backup. And I knew he’d be armed. I caught a breath, dropped my shoulders, and unclenched my hand, which had been lifting for my weapon.
“She was called to deal with this,” another voice said from my other side. Ben Aden. The man who had wanted to marry me, who my entire family wanted to marry me, and