Suppressed by Bridget E. Baker

Author:Bridget E. Baker [Baker, Bridget E.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781949655025
Publisher: Purple Puppy Publishing

Chapter 11

I stomp my foot. No one's listening to me, and they're all wrong.

“I'm going in alone. Trust me, Solomon is erratic and dangerous. Anyone who comes with me is disposable. If you're Marked, they think God found you unworthy, which means you shouldn’t be kept alive. They're afraid of you too, and they'll be itching to pull a trigger. In fact it’s worse than disposable. You’d be a liability.”

Todd nods his head slowly. “She’s right. If you go onto the island Marked, you may as well say your farewells now.”

Wesley's voice is so soft I almost don't hear him. “I'm not Marked. And if I'm risking my life, well you already saved it once. You aren't going to face that man alone.”

Rafe scowls. “I still think I should go. Wes doesn't look very formidable.” He lifts his shoulders. “Sorry man, nothing personal.”

Wesley smirks. “Says the kid with a mohawk? I've got forty pounds on you, and I'm better with a gun.”

Rafe's utterly earnest tone sends a shiver down my spine. “You've got no idea the things I'm capable of. She'd be safe with me.” He’s never reminded me more of Sam. “But I'm Marked, and she's right. I'm no use to her with a bullet in my head.”

“Besides, the Marked need you,” I say. “But I'll take Wesley.”

Wesley smiles, and I can't help notice the irony. He's smiling that he can go with me somewhere we may both die. He's smiling at being able to help me retrieve my boyfriend.

Ultimately, he's only coming so I won't have to face my personal nightmare alone, knowing there’s nothing but danger and misery in it for him. Rafe’s right. I don't deserve a friend like Wes.

Rafe tries to hand him a silver handgun, but I put my hand on Wesley's arm and shake my head. “The first thing they'll do is take away any weapons we bring. It's pointless. If you insist on coming, you need to know it's only for moral support. You still okay with that?”

“Of course.”

There isn't much else to do, so I incline my head toward the bridge and Wesley nods. Before I've taken two steps, Rafe clears his throat.

“Yeah?” I ask.

He looks at my shoes and shuffles.

“Rafe, did you need something?”

He makes eye contact and then kicks at a dead tuft of grass on the ground. He looks like an armed fugitive one moment, and a scared child the next. “Just in case something goes wrong, or you know, whatever. Can you tell my brother I love him, and I'm not mad anymore?”

“Of course.”

Rafe sighs in relief and holds up one hand. “Good luck.”

When I turn back toward the bridge, I think about how many people's lives are resting on this trade going well. It's a lot of pressure. If we get that journal, it’ll be worth it. If we don’t, well I don’t envy Rafe the task of returning to the Marked empty handed. We didn’t exactly announce our intentions when we left.

“Just breathe,” Wesley says. “It's going to be okay.

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