Covet Not (28 page)

XLIV

Josiah didn't sleep that
night. He sat in the chair next to the bed and watched Eve sleep.

He stored the
makeshift rope high up in the small closet.

He didn't
know what to do yet, but he knew one thing to be true:

He and Eve
were meant to be. Josiah believed it was ordained by God.

Any truth
after that was irrelevant, but knowing the first truth helped him see more
clearly. The distractions, obstacles, and lies stood out starkly, and separated
themselves from sacred Truth.

He could see
Eve clearly. She was named thusly, and Josiah appreciated the divine
interference.

But God did
not lead him to a Mary or an Esther. He led him to a woman who birthed Original
Sin and changed the course of God's perfect plan.

Josiah was
being tested.

And the
challenge was even greater than that of Adam.

He was
chosen.

He was
selected personally to make right what Adam failed to do. This time, he would
bite the apple first.

Josiah placed
the stack of money on the bedside table. He didn't like it, but he didn't want
to execute anything drastic unless he had to.

He had to
speak the language of sin.

He believed
they were wed, but he would not underestimate the devil.

Josiah hadn't
been sure what he wanted before her, but he believed strongly that it was Satan
who made him doubt where he belonged.

He'd
entertained the idea of staying in New York, but Eve corrected his path.

Texas was the
only place in the world where the agents of Hell never tread.

XLV

Clara gripped Raphe's hand as
they approached the wild hedge. She'd never taken this route to the Agnesson
farm, and hadn't fathomed the beauty of it.

There was one
person on the porch: Her Jude.

Her heart was
racing. Clara thought maybe she'd take Raphe and go live with her mother. It
would be a scandal, but she was already pregnant. Living with Raphe had skewed
all sense of propriety.

It didn't
matter if she was impertinent. She was kidnapped and bred when she was
obedient, so it proved to be a hindrance.

She'd rather
claim her place. The law was one thing, but personal autonomy was another.

And the only
man she had to legally answer to was her husband, but there was another man she
needed to protect.

Raphe had
been very good for her.

The car
pulled to a stop, and she watched Jude jump over the railing to the porch and
run toward them.

Her heart was
in her throat. She couldn't get the door open fast enough, but he was there
hauling her up against him. He pressed his face to her neck. “I didn't think I
would ever see you again. I've nearly killed him a million times, but then I
would have never found you.”

Clara wiped
her tears with her sleeve. “You should've killed him. I would have found my way
back.”

Jude laughed
and pressed his forehead against hers. Then he lifted her, and squeezed her
tight.

“
You might want to be careful, Jude. She is
with child.”

Clara closed
her eyes and several errant tears fell. She wasn't ashamed of crying, but she
didn't want Mr. Agnesson to see.

“
I bet it will be a beautiful baby. The
less Agnesson blood, the better.” Jude meant it. It was still a knife in his
gut, but what's done is done. It's not like she had a real choice. Shula had
been right.

“
Come Mr. Achen. Don't be shy. We know you
aren't. Jude, this is Raphael Achen, he's the one who has kept your wife
occupied these last few months. He's going to be employed here on the farm.”
James tried for impassive, but it was difficult not to sound pleased with
himself.

Clara saw
Jude cut his eyes upward, though he kept his face tilted down toward hers.

“
Jude,” she whispered quickly, but calmly.
She didn't want to be overheard. “He kept me sane. He reassured me that I would
be back with you one day and that you wouldn't toss me aside. Every day, Jude.
Sometimes more than once. He never hurt me. And he was patient when all I could
talk about was you.”

Clara was
interrupted by James. “You'll be staying in the room in the barn. It's not
quite complete, but there's a toilet there. You can come to the main house for
meals. Sofia, she's the new maid, will let you know when that is.”

“
No,” Clara said clearly, with a bit of
bite.

“
No?” James laughed. “Goodness, me.” He
laughed again.

“
Raphe will be staying with us.” She
squeezed Jude's hand and turned to face Mr. Agnesson.

“
I don't believe that's up to you, Mrs.
Agnesson.”

“
It
is
up to me,” Clara said calmly.

“
Your mother sure has a lot to answer for,”
James said, still trying to make a joke of it.

“
No
. Not my mother.
You.
You put me in a room, for
months
,
with a man who has the most obscene mouth on the planet. A man who forced me to
find my backbone. I don't take orders from you,” Clara spat.

Raphe smiled
at Agnesson. Gave him a bit of tooth. He was feeling completely out of place,
but Clara's words were the first that ever made him feel useful.

“
Clara, Honey. I'm just trying to protect
you from things you might not be aware of.” James shrugged.

“
Father, no. Please.” Jude said
plaintively. He sounded so like a boy there, trying to appeal to his father and
it made Clara angry.

She turned
back to Jude. “There is not one thing he could tell me that would make me not
want to be here with you.” She looked back. “Will you be staying with us, Mr.
Agnesson?”

“
Of course not.”

“
Then I'll be fine. I know not to answer
the door now. There is nothing I need protection from that comes close to what
you're capable of. To what you've actually
done.
”

“
You have no idea, Girl. None whatsoever.
If you knew
‒
”

Raphe's laugh
had a hint of madness. “Agnesson is right, Clara. If you knew what I've seen
him do
‒
”

James caught
on and he wasn't pleased. But he wouldn't be ashamed. “I was righting wrongs.”

“
Back in the States, there are medical
journals that explain exactly what you are. Men like you are either dead, in
prison, or institutionalized.”

“
The devil
‒
”

“
I don't believe for one minute you believe
in any god, unless you're talking about yourself, which is another diagnosis by
the way. You depend on other people's delusions, encourage them even, but it's
the only power you have. It's fucking pathetic.”

“
You're a fool.”

“
Oh, absolutely. I agree,” Raphe laughed.
“I won't be soliciting Texas plates anymore. But, I'm here now. And I know what
you want from me. But it won't happen. You made a mistake. You made me care for
her. You made her
matter
. So, whatever it is you think might happen,
will
not
. And yes, I'm aware of several scenarios.”

“
I've put her in quite a spot, but I'm sure
she could weather your charms. My son on the other hand
‒
”

“
I don't care. I don't care about anything
that comes out of your mouth. You lie. So, even if you told me the truth, I
wouldn't believe it. You might think you're planting a seed, but all you'll do
is push me closer to where I want to be.” Clara needed to get home. She felt
like she was going to throw up. Or cry. She didn't want to show weakness to
that man.

Her adrenals
were shot. She turned back to Jude. “Can we go home, please?” She turned her
head when she heard Jared's truck come up the drive. When he parked and started
walking toward them, Clara knew something was horribly wrong.

“
I can't right now, Clara. Shula is missing
‒
”
Jude began.

“
Still? It's not likely she'll be found now
then,” James snapped.

“
Shut up, Father. Just shut up,” Jared
sighed.

“
Edward had no news?”

“
Edward Kelley shot himself just as I was
climbing the steps on his porch.” Jared was worn completely down.

“
Oh. Well. I didn't expect that outcome.”
James leaned against the car and frowned.

“
What were you expecting?” Jared asked.

“
I thought he'd come help look.”

“
But, why would he kill himself?”

“
Edward apparently has always thought Shula
was my daughter. He let me know that today. Seeing as I'd never slept with her
insane mother, I found it to be ridiculous, especially as one can never prepare
to marry their own daughter.” There had been more, but James felt the
information on Mary's death was irrelevant. He would tuck it away and bring it
out later if necessary.

“
What's been done to find her? Any clues?
When did she disappear?” Clara looked from Jude to Jared.

“
No clues except Father saw her in the
woods last night
‒
”

Clara looked
back at James. “What did you do to her?”

“
I don't appreciate the insinuation, Mrs.
Agnesson.”

“
I'm not insinuating. You take off with
girls. You keep them captive. This is established. So, what did you do with
her?”

“
I did nothing to her. Told her to go
home.” James smirked at her.

“
I'm sure you offered to walk her home. You
probably scared the shit out of her and she ran.” Clara looked at Jared. “I'm
sorry. What can we do?”

“
We look. It's too dark now to do much
more, but when the sun comes up, we'll drive south and try to access the river.
We've found no evidence of her anywhere, so the river is all there is.

Raphe cleared
his throat. He didn't know if he was welcome to speak, and normally he wouldn't
care, but this was Clara's family. “Can you access satellite imaging? In the
States, it is up to the minute. You could be more precise with accessing the
river. Especially if it breaks off into something slower. You could see all
that more clearly.”

Jared didn't
even think to censor himself in front of his father. He'd always kept secret
what he was capable of. “We don't have it up to the minute, but I have detailed
instructions of where I need to go. It's moving fast, though.”

“
Start further down
‒
”
Raphe began.

“
At this point, it'll be a recovery
‒
”
He hoped Selene had made it to the bay with no entanglements. She'd be
unrecognizable, but still. Some little upstart might want to dissect her and
see who she is. They do that stuff in the States. It was barbaric.

“
Then I will bring her body home,” Jared
said, and looked at Jude. “Just a little longer tonight. If weather permits.”
The sun had nearly set.

“
Of course.”

“
I can help if you like,” Raphe offered.

Jude finally
lifted his head and looked fully at Raphe. He was trying to look at him not as
someone who'd bedded his wife, but as someone who was a victim as well. It was
difficult.

A few tense
silent seconds passed. Jude inhaled sharply. “We appreciate that...Raphael?”

“
Raphe.”

“
Right. Raphe. We appreciate that. But, I
don't want my wife to be left alone with my father nearby. If you would keep
her company, I would be indebted to you.”

James laughed
out loud. Neither son had ever heard him react in such a way. “When is my Sofia
getting back?” He asked when he walked up to the house.

“
She seems smart, Father. I don't think
she'll be coming back,” Jared said.

“
Did you say something to her, Jared? I
hope you didn't.” James asked with a pleasant tone.

“
I didn't need to. It won't take her too
long to figure it out herself. Come on, Jude. Let's walk them home. We're
losing light.”