Promise Me (19 page)

The next morning I awoke before Gray. I slid out from underneath him carefully, kissing away the frown which briefly touched his sleeping face as he felt me slip out of his arms. 

“Sleep, baby,” I whispered in his ear, touching his face lovingly before I searched out something to wear.  He had be
en up most of the night alternately pacing or restlessly sitting at the table as his fingers absently toyed with nearby objects.  I knew occasionally he had ventured outside alone and stared angrily into the darkness. 

I was worried.  I remembered the brief conversation with Maddox at the hospital yesterday.  When I tried to discuss it with Grayson, he shushed me and kissed my forehead. 

The coffee I made was still scalding hot but I sipped it anyway, glad for the startling jolt it brought as it rolled down my throat.  I wanted Winston dead.  There were few things which would give me greater satisfaction that to know that he would never draw another breath.  Gray had warned me about the power of anger and hatred.  And last night whenever my eyes would open in search of him, I saw how he was forgetting his own words. 

Yes, I wanted Winston dead.
  Or if not dead, at least reduced to something which had no control over other human beings.  

No, I would never sacrifice Grayson to achieve it.  Not his freedom, certainly not his lif
e.  If Grayson and the Defiant men descended on Jericho Valley they wouldn’t be confronted with a handful of resistors.  They would be met with a small army. 

There had to be another way. 

I flexed my hands and toyed with the bandages covering my cuts.  The light outside was still gentle this early.  The staccato call of a nearby kestrel echoed through the thin walls of the trailer. 

Feeling a little restless myself, I slipped on a pair of shoes and resolved to take a short walk.  I was not going to allow yesterday’
s events to permanently warp my peace of mind.  I left a note for Grayson and, almost as an afterthought, I grabbed the rifle from beside the door.  As I paused and listened to the sound of Gray’s even breathing, I spotted a piece of paper on the counter by the sink.  I had looked at it dozens of times over the past few weeks and still did not know how to make use of the information it contained. It was the forum conversation Orion had printed.  I folded it carefully and placed it in the pocket of my shorts. 

It felt good to be outside.  The morning air was still fresh and I breathed in deeply.  I heard the rustling of
small creatures scrambling with anxiety as I drew too close to their cozy dens in the brush. 

The crunch of my own footsteps on the parched ground was startlingly loud as I made my way past the quiet trailers. 
A flicker of movement caught my eye and I realized the garage adjacent to the house was open.  Orion was inside, shirtless and frowning over his bike. 

Orion saw me approaching but
didn’t pause or smile politely or do anything else which was customary.  But then, Orion was far from a usual man.  Which was why I needed to talk to him. 

“Kira ain’t up yet,” he said irritably by way of greeting as he tried to wrench a bolt on the front wheel.

“I was actually wondering if I could speak to you.” 

“Fuck!”  Orion cursed w
hen the wrench slipped.  He still didn’t look at me.  “You are speaking to me.” 

I swallowed and took the piece of paper from my pocket.  As I unfolded it with care, Orion finally looked up and grabbed it from me witho
ut asking.  He scanned it briefly and then stared at me, waiting for me to talk. 

“What s
hould I do?” I asked the Defiant Motorcycle Club leader. 

Orion pointed to the paper, leaving a smudge of black grease.  “Figure out who the fuck this is.”

“The Faithful Cooperative?  I thought-“

“No!” he said with exasperation, shoving the paper under my nose.  “This fucker, this guy who calls himself ‘Formerly Faithful’ and seems to have all this shit figured out.”

I snatched the paper back and stared at it, musing.  Orion was right.  Whoever this was had insider information and seemed eager to expose it.  The date on the post was only two months past.  “I could go back to the page and see if there’s any contact information for this user.” 

Orion had already returned to his bike.  “So why the hell are you still standing here?  Hey,” he called as I started to walk away.  “You can use Kira’s laptop.  Last I saw it was hanging out on the dresser.  Don’t worry about tiptoeing around in there quietly.  Nothing wakes that girl up until she’s damn well ready to wake up.” 

“Thanks,” I muttered, heading into the house as Orion unleashed another explicit torrent of abuse directed at his tools. 

Kira looked positively angelic as she snored lightly in a tangle of bed clothes, her arm curled
protectively around her still flat belly.  I touched her hair briefly, smiling over this sweet picture of my friend and she sighed vaguely in her sleep. 

Once I had the laptop open on the kitchen table I quickly fo
und the page of the original forum conversation.  I clicked on the ‘Formerly Faithful’ user name and was relieved to find a Yahoo email address.  I created a new address of my own, called it  ‘AlsoFormerlyFaithful’ and typed out a message. 

After I hit the ‘Send’ button I sat there for a moment, staring at the computer screen an
d thinking about people, and about a place.  In the search bar I typed in ‘Jericho Valley’ and clicked on ‘Images’. 

Emotion welled inside of me as I looked at photos of the place as familiar to me as the back of my hand.  From a distance it looked so bucolic and sweet.  And, I admitted, sometimes i
t was.  An outsider would only see quaintly dressed women and children in a beautifully serene setting.  Nothing of the underlying ugliness was visible. 

The house was still quiet.  Orion was presumably still messing with his bike in the garage and Kira was still sleeping soundly.  I looked in the refrigerator and was pleased to discover it was well stocked.  After a thoughtful perusing of the pantry I realized there
were enough ingredients to concoct a version of my mother’s applesauce cake.  I got to work and found the industry of being active helped settle my mind. 

By the time Kira wandered sleepily into the kitchen
, the cake was in the oven and I had my hands in a pile of suds as I scrubbed the mixing bowl.

“Sorry,” I said, drying my hands and gesturing to where her laptop still sat on the table.  “Orion said it was okay and I didn’t want to wake you.” 

She yawned.  “Of course it’s okay.  What are you making?”

“Applesauce cake.  It’ll be ready in about 40 minutes.
Kira, you all right?”

She grimaced
suddenly, looking green, and then lurched toward the sink, making loud retching noises as her stomach emptied.  I held her long blonde hair out of the mess as she moaned, sinking to the floor. 

“It’s good,” I told her, smiling and mixing something together in a glass. 

“Good?”  She glared at me.

“It means your body is brimming with the necessary homes.  Here, drink this.”

“What is it?”

“
Wheat germ and milk.  Yeah, I know it tastes bad but it’ll help.” 

She swallowed reluctantly and made a face.  “Promise? Can you picture a baby in this place?  With these guys?”

I sat next to her.  “Why not?”

She shrugged
miserably and I realized that the question had been weighing heavily on her mind. 

“Hey,” I poked her in the shoulder.  “You grew up this way.  And you’re pretty fucking fantastic.” 

She wiped a tear from her eye.  “Yeah,” she smiled slowly.  “I am pretty fucking fantastic.  Shit, why the hell am I crying?”

“Hormones again, honey.”
  I handed her a dishtowel and she blotted her eyes. 

A shadow passed by the door and I saw Orion, once again
silently listening.  His face though, was gentle in the way it was only gentle when he looked at Kira.  He stared at her as she wiped her eyes.  Then he shifted his gaze and gave me a slow nod of acknowledgement before silently withdrawing.

Kira hauled herself up to the chair and squinted at her laptop. 

“Is that you signed in?  You’ve got an email.”

I whirled around and clicked on it with shaking fingers.  It was probably nothing.  It was probably spam. 

“
Hello Promise.  My name is Alice Carter but I was born Alice Bastian.  My mother, Martha, was the sixth wife of Stuart Bastian, cousin of Josiah.  We fled the world of the Faithful twenty years ago when my mother discovered Josiah’s horrifying plan to marry my fifteen year old sister.  We found refuge in Phoenix.  We were lucky. I am now a reporter with the Arizona Times and have been working for years to publicly expose the depraved world of the Faithful.  As long as the Faithful Cooperative exists, supported by a deep well of money and power, the horrors of which I am sure you are well familiar will remain.  I would love to meet you, Promise.  Call me.  Please.”

Kira
, standing over my shoulder, had read through the message more quickly and I felt her eyes on me as I finished absorbing the words.  The phone number was a 480 area code, the Phoenix area.

“Do it,” she said, reaching over to the counter and grabbing Orion’s phone. 
She saw my hesitation.  “Don’t think about it. Just do it.” 

But I was already dialing the number. 

A woman’s voice answered.  “This is Alice Carter.”

“Hello Alice.  This is Promise Talbot.” 

***

Alice was very talkative.  In fact, she was downright pushy.  I supposed such qualities suited her in her line of work but I was a little taken aback when she informed me she was getting in her car at that very moment and making a beeline for Quartzsite.

I paused, not terribly sure how the men would take to a brash city reporter.  Kira saw my hesitation and waved it off.

“Fuck ‘em,” she mouthed with a grin. 

After I told her I could be found at the Riverbottom Bar just outside town, she told me to expect her in two hours. 

As I handed the phone back to Kira I heard Grayson burst through the front door
frantically calling my name.

“Dammit,”
he said, grabbing me in an irritable hug, “I was fucking worried.” 

“I left you a note,” I told him. 

He crossed his arms in agitation.  “Yeah, a note.  Look I’m not gonna be too keen on letting you wander the fuck around for a while.” 

“Letting me?” I squeaked, growing genuinely angry at him.

“Oh boy,” Kira muttered, backing away. 

“You can’t tell me what to do and when to breathe, Grayson.” 

His dark eyes narrowed furiously.  I crossed my own arms and gave him glare for glare. 

Suddenly he sighed and looked sullenly away.  I went to him and wrapped my arms around hi
m, kissing his chest.  I knew Gray loved me.  I knew he had been horrifically worried for me yesterday and his fear had not evaporated.  But he also had to understand that I was not going to be held captive to terror over what might happen and who might be lurking around the next corner.  It wasn’t living. 

“Gray,” I started to say but he wrapped me in his arms and stroked my hair. 

“No,” he said.  “I’m an asshole.”

“You are an asshole,” agreed Orion, who had joined the party unannounced.  “Barging into my house with your dick hanging out.” 

Gray scowled at him, looking down.  “My dick is not hanging out goddammit.”  But he had thrown on a shabby pair of pants in haste.  And neglected to close them.  Kira glanced down pointedly and raised her eyebrows at me with a smile.

“Hey,” Orion snapped his fingers at Kira, “What the fuck you looking at?”

“Nothing,” she said innocently, still staring in an interested way at Gray’s unfastened pants. 

Orion rolled his eyes.  “Women,” he swore. 

Alice Carter was as good as her word.  An hour and forty five minutes later I was sitting at a table in the Riverbottom, nervously glancing at the clock above the bar when I heard a loud engine rumble to a shuddering stop on the other side of the door. 

“What the hell is that?” Gray wondered, stalking over to the door and peering out critically.  I crept behind him and looked over his shoulder. 

An ancient pickup truck, clumsily painted turquoise at some point, was sitting in a cloud of dust behind the row of motorcycles.  Gray let out a low whistle when the occupant jumped out of it. 

Her blonde hair spilled around her
shoulders in sloppy layers and she was almost embarrassingly voluptuous, a fact which she didn’t bother to hide in a short khaki skirt and tight blouse. 

She saw us immediately and hastened over after slamming the
painfully creaky truck door.  “You’re Promise,” she laughed, switching her laptop case between shoulders and holding her hand out.  She didn’t wait for me to answer, leading the way into the dim bar and quickly setting her laptop case down on a table. She had a sharp way about her; as she settled into a chair and looked around with a shrewd expression I knew she was mentally absorbing everything and everyone. 

Rachel and Grayson chose to hang
back a little as Alice crossed her long legs and watched me searchingly. “So,” she said, “how about you tell me a little bit about yourself, Promise?”

I met her stare.  “Are you going to write an article about it?”

“No,” she said thoughtfully.  “Your situation is sad and fascinating.  A human interest piece.  Good people would be outraged, as they always are, over the oppressive treatment of women, the abuse of power, blah blah blah.”  She waved a hand and looked at me flatly.  “But it wouldn’t be enough.”   She suddenly leaned over and ran a cool finger across my cheek.  “By the way, who did that to you?” 

I put a hand self-consciously over my face.  “They did.” 

She raised her eyebrows.  “They were here?”

“Yes.”  As I relayed the awful events of the day before Alice’s face softened into sympathy.  Then she looked angry.

“They believe they are beholden to none,” she muttered more to herself than to me.   “They think they can do whatever the fuck they want and there aren’t any consequences.” 

I thought about that.  “That’s because there never are any consequences.  Sure, the law swoops in once in a while and makes a good show for the cameras but it never matters much.” 

Alice nodded approvingly.  “You’re angry.  That’s good.  Just don’t wallow in it.” 

I glanced at Gray, who was standing next to Rachel and listening quietly. I reached a hand out and he stepped forward and took it.  “Someone else told me that once,” I whispered. 
 

“Is there anyone you love back in Jericho Valley?”

Of course my first thought was of Jenny.  Then I thought of my mother too.  I hadn’t thought much about her since I’d last seen her the day of my wedding.  She was never a strong woman.  The memory of her kind face as she tucked me into bed a thousand lost times and sang me lullabies about sweet children sleeping softened my heart somewhat.  All at once I remembered the immense cast of people who’d been left behind.  Sisters, brothers, cousins. 

“Yes,” I sighed
as Grayson drew closer and put his hands on my shoulders.  “There are many people I love there.” 

Alice gave me a
sharp look as she tapped her fingers on the table.  I noticed her nails appeared bitten down.  “Promise,” she said carefully.  “It’s ending.” 

“What is?”

Alice licked her lips.  “They are.”  She patted her computer bag.  “I’ve been working on exposing the Faithful Cooperative for years.  And my boss agrees that we finally have enough ammunition to take it to the pages.  Jesus, there’s a lot of people who are going to be in deep shit over this.  Not the kind that’ll put you in a metal box, although the feds might be interested in some of those fraudulently acquired public works contracts.  But still, the kind that will ruin people.  Public gets kind of squeamish when it comes to associating with businesses who secretly partner with those who abuse little girls.” 

She must have seen something in my face. 

“What is it?”

“My sister.  Her name is Jenny.  They married her off to Josiah Bastian shortly before his death.  She’s back in Jericho Valley now but it won’t be long before they give her to someone else. Alice, when all this blows up will it be enough to help her?”

She shook her head slowly, sadly.  “Not soon enough,” she said.  “It’ll put a painful dent in the church’s finances and a deeper look might put some of the leaders away but it will take more than that to help girls like Jenny.”  She bit her lip and searched my face.  “It’ll take someone coming forward and giving the state the ammunition to raid the damn place and see what’s going on.” 

“A raid?” I said with some alarm.  I heard Rachel’s sharp intake of breath from a few feet away and glance
d at her.  Her brown eyes were wide and she clutched the back of a chair.  From a young age the Faithful children had been taught to fear the law in the common world.  Terrors were whispered in their tender young years, about how they would be taken.  It had happened before, they were told.  It could happen again.  The majority of the people of Jericho Valley were innocent.  They did not deserve to suffer.  But it was time to ensure the cycle came to an end. 

“How?” I asked and Alice raised her eyebrows again.  “How can we make that happen?”

She smiled.  “I was hoping you would say that.” 

Alice withdrew her laptop from the case and turned it toward me.  “Do you think you can talk into the camera?  Tell your story?  Tell the world about your sister and all the girls like her?”  She saw my fear and hurried to quiet it.  “I’ll blur your face. This will be released to the public but you won’t be recognizable.” 

After a reassuring squeeze
from Gray I slowly agreed.  It wasn’t as intimidating as I would have thought.  At first my words came haltingly but strengthened as I talked.  I remembered the therapy group where I’d spoken them aloud for the first time.  I thought about all the abused women and girls out there with their own stories and was hopeful.  Maybe my words would make them feel slightly less alone. 

I had managed to say it all without crying once but as Alice turned the camera off and closed the laptop a single tear made its way down my cheek.  Grayson knelt in front of me, gently took my face in his hands and kissed me. 

“I love you, angel.” 

“
Oh, I love you!”  I collapsed into his arms and held him tightly, breathing him in and wishing for all the world we were alone. 

Rachel was smiling at me.  “Tough bitch,” she said quietly. 

The door to Riverbottom opened as Brandon and Maddox poured through it in a whirlwind of cursing and hot leather.  Maddox noticed Alice first and his eyes lit up with interest. 

“Well hello, little lady,” he said a practiced drawl as he ran a hand through his dark hair and flashed his most overwhelming bad boy grin. 

Brandon was more to the point.  “Shit, you’re fucking hot,” he said, looming over her and leering at her substantial cleavage. 

Alice seemed unfazed by their lewd attention, graciously accepting introductions and keeping them at a classy distance.  I supposed she was used to such responses from men. 

Maddox seemed to figure he had the upper hand since it was usually the case where women were concerned.  He flattered her excessively and then wanted to know if she would join him at the bar for a drink.

“Why not?” Alice shrugged.  “I’ve been rather depressed ever since I broke up with my girlfriend.” 

Brandon did a double take and Maddox’s face suddenly resembled that of a child who has had a candy bar ripped from his grasp.

Rachel laughed and poured Alice a beer from the tap.  Brandon grumbled and shuffled away but Maddox seemed to feel trapped.  He reluctantly settled onto a stool and glowered into his own beer. 

Alice didn’t linger long after that, gathering up her things and hugging me as I walked her to her truck.  After we were out of the building she gestured to Maddox who was still scowling into space. 

“Maybe some other time,” Alice winked.  “He is hotter than shit.” 

I was perplexed.  “But I thought you said-“

“Yeah, I did say that.  And it’s true.  But his mistake was assu
ming I’m a one team gal.”  I must have still looked rather nonplussed.  Alice leaned over conspiratorially.  “I’m bisexual.” 

I stared at her for a second and then began giggling.  I pointed to the bar.  “Should I tell him there’s hope?”

Alice smiled slowly.  “There’s always hope.” 

She flung open the creaky door to the truck cab and climbed casually inside.  Before she started the engine she
leaned out and took my hand.  “You know,” she said.  “I’ve been fortunate enough to meet a lot of different kinds of people in my line of work.  And, Promise, it’s not religion itself that’s bad.  I’ve even known a few loving families who practice polygamy and that’s not bad either.  It’s them, the men who lord themselves over the Faithful who are bad. Remember that.  I’m glad to have met you today. We’ll be in touch,” she called before turning the key and letting the truck’s ancient innards groan to life. 

“Bye,” I whispered. 

As I gave her one final wave I felt Grayson’s arms circling me in a protective cocoon.  I reveled in the strong feel of his body, turning around and accepting his kiss once again. 

“Hey,” he said softly.  “In case I don’t say it enough, you’re amazing.” 

I leaned my head back, looking up at him.  “I like you too.”

He pretended to be offended.  “
You like me?”

“Yeah.  I might even keep you.” 

He started kissing me and I felt his arousal.  “How long will you keep me?” 

I pressed into him.  “Long enough to take care of one or two things.” 

Gray grinded his hips.  “I can live with that,” he said gruffly.

“Well, feed me first.  Can’t have you thinking I’m a cheap date.” 

“Can I buy you for a hamburger?” 

“You could have had me for even less.” 

Grayson groaned pulling me up so I could feel the whole length of him.  “I need you now,” he begged.    

“Later,” I promised.  “Right now we should eat and bring Teague home.” 

“Fucking tease,” he shook his head regretfully. 

We borrowed Rachel’s car and Grayson offered me the keys.  It had been a while since I’d driven.  It was a good feeling, steering the car
the car where I needed to go.  It was freedom.  Gray kept his hand lightly on my thigh as we paused for lunch and then went to the hospital. 

Teague was disagreeable as ever.  He muttered several different incarnations of ‘Fucking shithole’ and spit a wad of phlegm on the floor by the nurses’ station.  I tried to give everyone apologetic waves as we hustled him out of there. 

By the time we got Teague home and settled into his trailer it was getting towards evening.  As we sat at a table in the Riverbottom listening to Brandon complain about beard maintenance in the extreme heat, Gray rubbed my arm and leaned in to talk quietly.

“Hey,” he said.  “You want to get out of here
tonight?” 

“We don’t have
to hang out in the bar all evening.” I ran my hand down his leg.  “We can go home anytime.” 

“Home is always nice,” he agreed, pulling me into his lap and nuzzling my neck.  “Just thought you
might like a temporary change of scenery.  Cas has a piece of shit cabin in the wilderness outside Prescott.” 

“What’s Casper doing with a cabin in the woods?”

“Won it,” Casper called from across the room.  “Got a good hand playing with some button down fucks from Scottsdale.  Comes in handy now and then.”  He looked at me. “Take a ride up there.  Get out of this hellish heat for a day.”

Gray smiled at me and pushed his hand
under my skirt and between my thighs.  Not enough to be graphic, but enough to make me a little wild. 

“Let’s go,” I whispered. 
 

Twenty minutes later we were on the road after hastily packing a few things.  Now that we were on our way I was very enthusiastic. 
I’d left my hair purposely loose and it whipped in the hot wind like fiery waves as I held tightly to the man I loved. 

Gray wasn’t kidding when he titled the cabin a ‘piece of shit’.  It looked rather like a pioneer relic which had been sagging into oblivion since the days of covere
d wagons.  Still, miraculously, the inside was clean enough and the place was well stocked with canned goods, blankets and everything else we weren’t able to carry with us on Gray’s bike. 

It was nearly dark, the sort of dark which can only be appreciated far away from the city lights.  I went outside and gazed up at the riot of scenery in the night sky.  Gray was close behind me. 

“I missed this,” I said with wonder. 

“The sky?”