Page 12 of Bound in Ashes

“Hush, girl,” Uncle Levi countered without looking at me.

But Jack did. Then he looked back at Uncle Levi with oddly endearing surprise. “How come that never works when I try to shut her up?”

Uncle Levi went still, and I braced myself. He wasn’t a hard man and never played the tough guy, but he didn’t tolerate disrespect, especially not toward those he loved.

A group I hoped I was still a part of.

Then it was my turn to be shocked.

Uncle Levi laughed. And not just any laugh, one of those belly laughs that reminded me of the best times of my life. “Hell, son, I’m only fifty-fifty on a good day.”

That got a gruff chuckle from Jack. The two men nodded at each other, apparently bonding over my penchant for backtalk. Not that I particularly loved this of all things being their common ground, but I’d take what I could get.

The jovial atmosphere didn’t last. “So what’s the story?” Jack said.

He had sobered quickly, and Uncle Levi followed suit.

“Y’all made it here from Atlanta?”

Jack nodded. “On foot most of the way.”

“Then you know the score better than I do,” Uncle Levi said. “Hayes seems to think this will blow over.”

“Bullshit,” Jack said.

Uncle Levi nodded his agreement. “Just like most things about him. But people are scared and falling in line behind anything that looks like authority.”

That couldn’t be good, and I looked at Uncle Levi. “What is he doing?”

“You know his standard routine, but I can handle Hayes,” Uncle Levi said.

“What about this place?” Jack said.

I watched his gaze sweep across the property, and I looked with him, trying to see beyond the corpses interrupting this pristine beauty to remember what I’d thought when I’d first stepped out of that transport van at fourteen having no idea what this place would come to mean to me.

But then I stopped myself.

All of that was gone.

I needed to see this through Jack’s eyes now.

So instead of the main house that sat on a slight rise, surrounded by oaks, I saw both potential cover and hiding places for threat.

The barn, bunkhouse, and other outbuildings were scattered across the property with no obvious way to connect or defend them.

The fence was strong, but designed to keep livestock in, not corpses out.

Uncle Levi studied Jack as Jack studied the property, taking his measure.

“Who are you again?” Uncle Levi said.

Jack looked back at him, shifting his posture ever so slightly.

Uncle Levi didn’t budge an inch.

“Jackson Thorne.”

Uncle Levi huffed, and I decided to step in.