Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22898 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 92(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Damn. I forgot there even was one pointing there. I’m thankful no one regularly checks the feed, because I’d hate to have my brothers or father see what Merit and I have been doing there the past few days.
There.
The image is grainy, but I see Merit step onto the back porch, taking in the view. The timestamp is about ninety minutes ago. Seeing her on the screen just reaffirms what I know. I love her. And I need to tell her that. That no matter what happens, I love her, and would do anything for her.
The audio picks up a man shouting. Two men emerge from the forest, and Merit takes a defensive pose.
“You ungrateful little cunt,” the older of the two men calls out.
“Dad?” she replies, her voice meek.
“I try to protect you from this accursed world, and you run from me!”
“And you run from my love!” the younger man shouts from behind him. He’s kinda squat, and I can tell he’s pimply, even through the reduced quality of the security camera footage.
“I don’t want anything to do with the compound anymore, Dad. I’m out. Disown me if you want, but I’m not going back,” she says defiantly, but the two keep walking closer.
“You’re my daughter, you have no choice in the matter!” he says. “You belong to me, and you’re coming back right now.”
“I’m an adult! I can do what I want, it’s a free country!”
“A country that’s rotten to the core and one I don’t recognize! You belong to me, and you belong to Gregory – you promised yourself to him.”
“You made that promise, not me,” she says, stepping back, but he’s up on the porch now.
He grabs her by the arms and she tries to wiggle away, but his strength is too much. My fists ball watching the scene.
“Besides, we can’t have you talking to anyone about us. You know too much, Merit. You’ve seen too much.”
“Let me go. You can’t do this.”
“If I can’t do this, then why am I doing it? You’re coming back. You’re marrying Gregory. You’re going to be a good wife and mother, like you were always meant to be.”
God, it took everything to not punch the screen pointlessly. She’s meant to be my wife, the mother to my children, a choice she makes of her own free will.
“We’ll have so much fun together, Merit!” the young man exclaims, then lets out the most weird-sounding laugh. I can get why Merit wants nothing to do with him, and he’s barely said anything.
I’ve seen enough. I slam the laptop closed and grab my phone, dialing up Graham. He picks up after two rings. “Mac? You’re usually a texting guy, why the phone call?”
“Because bad shit’s happening. I need Johnny Law on my side.”
“Well then, what’s the situation?”
I grab my rifle out of the safe and sling it over my shoulder, then head for the back door. “I met a girl up here, brother.”
“Mmhmm,” he says. “You do know police officers and judges are different things, right? I can’t marry people. You need to go to a courthouse. Or I guess a ship captain.”
“Haha, no. This is serious. She’s been kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped? Okay, I get it now. You got any clue by whom?”
“Not entirely. Her name is Merit. Merit Monroe. She was on the run from her family, who are in some sort of prepper cult.”
I head into the forest. As half-hearted as I was tracking deer earlier, my heart is fully in this, keeping Graham on the line as I look for footprints and a trail.
“Did you say Monroe? And a prepper cult?”
“Is that important?”
“Mac, there’s a Monroe family with multiple warrants out for their arrest, and the FBI is after them too. They’re a part of a group that calls themselves the Free State. They’re a thorn in our side at the Home PD.”
“So you know them?”
“Know them? I’ve been doing what I can to bring them down. They’re dangerous arms dealers, among other twisted affairs. Do a lot of business on the dark web. They’re very bad is what I’m trying to say.”
“They kidnapped the woman I love, so I’m not in need of more convincing.”
He sighs. “That’s how it is, huh? An active threat does present an opportunity we’ve been waiting for. I’m going to make some phone calls. Don’t do anything stupid in the meantime, and I’ll be in touch.”
“Thanks, Graham. Always knew you being part of the fuzz wasn’t such a bad thing.”
“At least maybe you’ll stop referring to me as various pork products now.”
Our call ends.
As much as I want to leave it to the professionals, I can’t. As much as I hate having anything in common with Merit’s father, I can’t bring myself to trust the bureaucracy. Graham could get through in an instant or be on the phone for hours, and the latter is unacceptable. I grab my rifle from the lobby and head out the back.