Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 122097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122097 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 610(@200wpm)___ 488(@250wpm)___ 407(@300wpm)
“What the fuck?” Amon says. “What the hell is the military doin’ up there?”
Jim Bob sighs. “This is a mistake. A very big mistake. I sent Lowyn up there to smooth things over—”
“You what?” It comes out mean. Loud, too.
“I sent her up there to have a talk with them. They’re pissed. You have no idea how badly you have pissed them off, Collin Creed.”
“I pissed some military people off and you decide that the best course of action is to send my fuckin’ girlfriend up there? What kind of asshole does that?” I wave a hand in the air. “This is why I’m actually here. Lowyn. Lasher just told me that she’s married to some guy called Ike Monroe? A festival wedding nine years ago? And this guy runs a place called Blackberry Hill. Let me guess… I stumbled into Blackberry Hill this morning, didn’t I?” I narrow my eyes at him, because I might want to be calm, and I might know that calm is the best way forward here, but I am not calm. “Is this your secret then? Blackberry Hill, whatever that place is, is part of the Trinity?”
Jim Bob huffs. It’s kind of a laugh, but not quite. “The Trinity.” He huffs again. “You know how those Catholics are always making that sign of the cross?”
My anger is building, so he better get to the point.
“They cross themselves and say Father, Son, Holy Spirit and all that shit? Well, don’t you think it’s kinda weird that they call it a trinity when it’s a cross?”
“I’m losing my patience here, Jim Bob. What the hell are you talking about?”
“I told you this already. You just didn’t catch on. There’s four points to a cross, Collin. That’s what I’m talking about. It has never been a trinity. There are four points to a cross and Blackberry Hill completes the quad. But here’s the funny thing…” He stops. I wait. But he doesn’t continue.
“Well? What’s the fuckin’ funny thing?”
“Never mind. I’m gonna keep that one to myself. But here’s what I’m gonna tell you now, Collin. And then you’re gonna get the fuck out of my office, go home, and let me handle this shit.”
“Yeah, right,” Amon says.
Jim Bob ignores him. “When you signed that contract, I promised you answers about that night you killed that man. And that’s what I’m gonna give you. I’ll pay you early, but understand that you owe me now.”
I’m clenching my jaw, so fucking angry. “Let’s hear it.”
“That man who was trying to kidnap your sister? He wasn’t kidnapping her. He was trying to take her home. Your sister isn’t your sister. Your mama found a runaway girl when you were about nine years old. This girl was pregnant and she came from Blackberry Hill.”
“Holy shit,” Amon says. He looks at me. “What the fuck is this?”
But I don’t know, so I can’t answer.
“She hid this girl in your basement.”
“No fuckin’ way.” I can’t believe it. I shake my head.
“You were away for a week or so. A Boy Scout camping trip. Does that ring any bells? At any rate, during that time, the baby was born, the girl ran, leaving the baby behind, and your mama and daddy come to me with an infant, told me the story, and asked to keep her. I said yes. I didn’t know Blackberry Hill was a thing because Blackberry Hill wasn’t a thing. At least, not like it is now. And that’s all I’m gonna say about that. The point is, Olive wasn’t your sister, that man that night was her rightful father, and you killed him because he tried to take her home.”
I take a seat and lean over, putting my head in my hands. Running these words back through my head. It’s not true. It can’t be true. I remember… well. I’m not sure what I remember about Olive’s birth. I was nine. I didn’t know anything about babies. Where they come from or how things happen. Did I ever see my mama pregnant?
I can’t say either way. I just know one day I had a baby sister.
But it kinda makes sense. It’s a reason, at least, for why a man would break into my house and try and kidnap her.
I look up at Jim Bob and let out a long breath. Anger not in check. “Why the fuck didn’t you tell me this earlier?”
Amon is pissed too. “Yeah, what the fuck, Jim Bob! What the actual fuck!”
“Collin,” Jim Bob says. “You guessed right. These people are military. This operation they’re running is beyond top secret.”
“There’s no such thing as beyond top secret,” Amon says. “Trust us, we know.”
“Then you know damn well that there are special considerations for that, then, don’t you? This operation they’re running up there is called Blackberry Top Secret. That’s what I was told. That’s all I know. I don’t know what they do up there.”