The end begins, p.25
The End Begins, page 25
He ran his hands gently over her bare back. After a moment, he leaned in and whispered, “I’d a thousand times rather it be me.”
“I know.” Her voice broke.
Jesse tied the strings and pressed his lips to the curve of her neck.
Meryn turned to face him.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
She rested her head on his chest, then looked up and met his gaze. “I’ll be thinking about that old man and woman in front of the fireplace.”
His eyes were sad but he smiled.
Ah. That was why he had told her that story. It was a kindness, his gift to her, the only way that he could help her get through what lay ahead. She rested a hand on his cheek, hoping he could read in her eyes how grateful she was, feel it in her touch.
A knock sounded on the door.
Her stomach clenched.
Neither of them moved until he touched his forehead to hers. “If I kiss you, I won’t be able to do this.”
Meryn stepped back, head high. “I’m ready.”
37
Meryn faced the door as the major came into the room.
“All set?” His blue eyes, filled with compassion, settled on her face.
Meryn nodded and took a step forward.
He pulled a set of handcuffs from his belt. “I’m sorry, Meryn, but it’s regulation.”
“It’s okay.” She held her hands out in front of her.
He snapped the metal around her wrists and raised his gaze over her shoulder.
The empathy in the look he gave Jesse draped over her too, a temporary shelter from the pain.
The major nodded toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Meryn walked into the hall and stopped, a cold shiver spreading across her skin.
Lieutenant Gallagher, the one who had come to her store with Jesse the day she was arrested, stood outside the door. His dark, hooded eyes raked over her, like clammy fingers groping her body.
She suppressed a shudder and looked back as Jesse came out of the room, holding the white cloth bag in one hand.
He took in the two of them, and a shadow passed over his face. He grasped her elbow, turned her away from the lieutenant, and started down the hall. The major fell into step on the other side of her.
She couldn’t see the look Jesse gave his subordinate over his shoulder, but the temperature in the hallway dropped.
After several turns through the maze-like building, they stopped outside a room with big double doors. The major pressed his thumb to the pad on the wall and opened one of the doors, holding it for the rest of them as they passed through into a large room.
Meryn’s breaths came in shallow spurts.
It was the most sterile room she had ever seen. Fluorescent light gleamed off bare, white walls. No paintings or certificates broke up the endless starkness, and nothing absorbed the sound of their echoing footsteps.
A short man with a shaved head and pale, blue eyes, business-like in a navy suit and red tie, waited for them in the room. A woman with the high cheekbones and long, glistening black hair of a native Canadian stood just behind him, hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She wore a camouflage jacket and pants, and a stethoscope hung around her neck. Both of them regarded her with solemn faces.
A large, metal pole in the middle of the room extended from the floor almost up to the low-hanging ceiling. A crossbeam, both ends angled slightly forward, extended out from either side of the pole, about five feet off the ground. Another crossbeam was bolted into the pole a couple of inches from the floor.
Meryn’s heart hammered in her chest.
The man in the suit stepped forward and glanced at the i-com in his hand. “Meryn O’Reilly?”
She nodded.
He looked down again. “You have been convicted of purchasing illegal hate literature for the purposes of distribution and sentenced to fifteen lashes. Do you understand this?”
Meryn nodded again.
“Have you been informed of the fact that this sentence can be reduced if you cooperate with the Canadian government by revealing the name of your supplier or those of the people to whom you distributed these illegal materials?”
“Yes.” The word came out in a raspy whisper, and she cleared her throat.
“Do you wish to supply us with that information now?”
She met his gaze. “No.”
“You will be given two more opportunities to cooperate as the sentence is carried out. Should you refuse to comply, the full fifteen lashes will be given.” He stepped back and motioned to the medical officer.
The woman stepped forward. “I’m going to check your blood pressure and heart rate to ensure it is safe to carry out the sentence.” She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Meryn’s arm. When the woman finished, she nodded, and the government agent inclined his head toward the officers.
The ties came loose at the back of her shirt, and heat flared in her cheeks.
Jesse moved around to the front of her and began retying the strings.
She lifted her cuffed hands out of his way. The cool air in the room brushed across her back, and she shivered.
He met her eyes briefly, then focused on his task. When he had finished, he took her elbow again.
The major reached for her cuffs and unlocked them, then tucked them back into his belt as he moved out of the way.
The lieutenant grabbed her other arm, and he and Jesse led her toward the pole.
They stopped in front of it, and Jesse squeezed her elbow before letting go of her. “Place your wrists on the pads of the crossbars.”
She hadn’t realized she was shaking until she set her hands where he had told her to, one on each side of the main beam, so that her arms were stretched out to the sides and forward, following the slight angle of the beams.
The lieutenant closed the top metal piece of the ring attached to the pad around her left wrist and locked it into place.
Jesse snapped the other metal ring around her right wrist.
“Step forward.”
Meryn moved closer to the bottom crossbeam.
Both men crouched down and locked the metal rings around her ankles.
She closed her eyes. Father, give me strength.
From behind her came the rustling of plastic, the unwrapping of the cat-o’-nine-tails Jesse had told her about.
“Are we ready?” The voice of the man with the i-com, the government agent, boomed through the room.
Was she expected to respond?
Jesse answered the man with a terse “yes” before she could.
“Then let’s begin.”
Meryn focused on the image of the elderly couple Jesse had described to her, trying to prepare herself.
A whooshing sound broke the silence in the room. White-hot, prickling pain exploded across her upper back. A cry of shock rose in her throat, but she pressed her lips together tightly as the second stroke landed on her skin.
Three more strokes came in rapid succession, as if Jesse was trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. The lashes coming so close together made it difficult to draw in a breath between the flashes of searing pain.
When he stopped, she gulped for air and blinked, lightheaded.
Jesse stepped in front of the metal pole. “Do you have anything you want to tell us?” His face was impassive, almost cold, but pain roiled deep in his green eyes.
“No.”
He dipped his chin curtly and disappeared behind her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing now what was coming and that there was no way to prepare for it. Her heart pounded so loudly it almost blocked out the sound of the whip whistling through the air again. Meryn bit her lip until the metallic taste of blood coated her tongue.
Paul. Silas. Jesus. Those greater than she had endured the same punishment and more.
Seven strokes. Eight.
Each of those men had done so much for the kingdom. She didn’t even deserve to be listed among them.
Nine.
What have I done? So little. But that could change.
Would change.
The tenth stroke sent waves of shock shooting through her. Her entire body shook. If her arms hadn’t been securely attached to the bar, her legs would not have held her up.
How does anyone endure thirty lashes or more?
Jesse came into sight again. “You have the right to request medical assistance if you need it. Do you want to see a medic?”
The whip in his hand, the cords speckled with fresh blood, hypnotized her. She shook her head slightly, the instrument of her torture blurring as a fog drifted in front of her eyes.
“Is there anything you wish to say?”
A single word from her and this would all be over. Jesse was right. No one would blame her. God, help me. She blinked away the dizziness. “No.”
He blew out a rush of air as he turned away, as if he’d been holding his breath while waiting for her response.
Meryn’s fists clenched when the tips of the cords slashed against already broken and tender skin. Warm blood trickled down her back, and she couldn’t hold back a groan of pain as the next stroke sent tongues of flame licking across her flesh. God, give me strength. Help me get through this.
The trembling in her legs stilled. A warmth like the rays of sun that had flooded Jesse’s room that morning spread through her. Overwhelming peace deadened the pain of the lash as it flicked over her skin again.
She blinked, in wonder this time, at the deep breath she was able to draw in spite of the fourteenth stroke that sent needle pricks of fire skittering across her shoulders.
The whip whistled through the air one last time, the cord tips sparking over her lower back, but all Meryn felt was an overwhelming gratitude welling inside her.
It was done, and she had endured. Not on her own strength, which had failed, but on the power that had come to her when she had called out for it.
Meryn rested her forehead on the cool metal pole in front of her as Jesse and Lieutenant Gallagher freed first her ankles and then her wrists. When the manacles fell away, she turned to face Jesse.
The officer who had checked her vitals stood behind him.
“Do you wish to receive medical attention here at the clinic on the base?”
The only thing she wanted at the moment was to go home. “No.”
The government agent standing off to the side held out his i-com and a stylus.
Jesse took them from him. “You need to sign this waiver stating that you were offered medical treatment and refused it.” He handed her the stylus and held the screen in front of her.
Her hand was steady as she signed her name.
Jesse returned the unit to the agent and reached for the strings of her shirt.
She waited as he moved around behind her and pulled the cloth loosely over her throbbing back.
The agent stepped in front of her. “Meryn O’Reilly, you have received your sentence in full and are now released from custody.”
“Thank you.”
Surprise flashed through his eyes as he stepped back.
Jesse took her by the arm. “This way.” He directed her through the double doors and into the hallway.
Footsteps echoed on the tile floor behind them as the other officers filed out of the room.
They walked past two doors before Jesse stopped, rapped lightly on a third one, and pushed it open.
“Meryn.” Kate’s eyes filled with tears as she crossed the room toward her. “Are you okay?”
“I will be, once I’m home.”
Kate looked at Jesse. “Can we leave?”
“Yes. She’s free to go.”
Ethan held out a jacket.
Kate took it from him and draped it gently over Meryn’s shoulders.
“Thanks, Kate.”
Jesse held the white cloth bag out to Kate. “Her personal effects.”
Kate took the bag, and her eyes held Jesse’s for a few seconds before he stepped back.
Rick shuffled up behind Kate, his lined face soft with compassion. “I’ll come back to your house with you, Meryn, and make sure you’re all right.”
“Okay, thanks, Rick.” Meryn offered him a small smile that faded as Drew approached, his eyes hard. “Drew. Thank you for coming.”
“Of course.” The words were addressed to her, but his gaze, filled with hostility, was directed over her shoulder at Jesse.
He must have caught the look, but when he spoke, Jesse’s tone didn’t reflect any animosity. “I’ll help you find your way out.”
Drew moved closer to Meryn. “I think Meryn’s had about all she can take of your kind of help. We can handle things from here.” His voice spewed venom.
Lieutenant Gallagher stepped in front of him, dark eyes flashing. “Watch it, sir, or you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of the same kind of help she’s been given.”
Drew stiffened. “Go ahead, arrest me. Fill your prisons with people giving out Bibles and exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech while terrorists run around blowing up buildings and killing people. Seems like a perfect use of tax-payer dollars.”
“Drew.” Meryn rested a hand on his arm. If he didn’t calm down, he would talk himself into a jail cell.
He didn’t take his eyes from the lieutenant, who stepped closer until their chests were nearly touching.
The major put a hand on the lieutenant’s shoulder. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll handle this. We’ll let you get back to your work.”
The lieutenant threw a last, heated look at Drew before offering the major what appeared to be a mocking salute. He spun on his heel and left the room.
Drew’s attention focused back in on Jesse.
The major turned to him. “Why don’t you go too, Captain? I will escort them out of the building.”
“Yes, sir.” Jesse’s gaze swept the room. He offered Ethan a brief nod before meeting Meryn’s gaze.
She pressed a hand to her stomach as he strode from the room.
Drew touched her arm. His fingers still quivered with tension. “Let’s get out of here.”
Meryn nodded.
The major stepped back and held a hand toward the door. “I’ll show you out.”
They walked silently behind him through the winding hallways. When they reached the exit to the parking lot, the major held the door open for them. A brief smile crossed her lips as she passed by, and he answered with one of his own.
Meryn stepped outside and tipped back her face to the cool, fresh air. Never would she take the feel of sunshine and wind—or blessed freedom—for granted again.
38
Caleb caught up to Jesse halfway back to his quarters but didn’t say a word as they walked. Once the door had shut behind them, Caleb did open his mouth as if to speak, but Jesse lifted a hand and headed straight into the washroom.
After emptying his stomach of the few bites he’d been able to get down at breakfast, he brushed his teeth, splashed cold water on his face, and took a deep breath before coming back into his room.
Caleb sat in his usual leather chair in front of the fireplace.
Jesse walked past him over to the mantel. Gripping the cool wood in both hands, he dropped his head down between his arms and concentrated on drawing in one cleansing mouthful of air after another.
Caleb gave him another minute before he spoke up. “She’s okay, Jess.”
“I know.”
“In fact, she’s more than okay. She’s pretty remarkable. She barely made a sound through the whole thing. I’ve seen men twice her size hollering for mercy after ten lashes.”
Jesse smiled grimly as he stared down at the smooth, dark cherry wood. “I know.”
“And she has absolutely no interest in him.”
His smile faded as his fingers tightened on the edge of the mantel. “I know.”
Behind him, leather creaked as Caleb shifted in his chair. “All right, smart guy, since you know so much, tell me this. Did you feel something happen in there?”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“I’ve felt it before, with other Christians.”
“Me too.”
“So what is it? Do you know?”
Jesse turned around. “As profound as it is, it’s also pretty simple. I was praying for strength for her, and I’m sure she was praying for strength for herself. So God gave her strength.”
“That’s it?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Apparently it is.” Caleb drummed his fingers on the arms of the chair. “How did you leave things with her?”
“Pretty up in the air. We were both concentrating on getting through today. Kind of hard to think much past that.”
“But you’re going to try and see her.”
“How can I not?”
“It’ll be risky.”
“I know.”
Caleb pressed his palms against the arms of the chair and rose. “Look, I don’t pull rank on you very often, but—”
Jesse snorted. “You pull rank on me all the time.”
“Hey.” He lifted his hands. “Is it my fault you need to be reminded every five minutes who’s in charge?”
“No, I guess not.”
“In any case, I’m going to pull rank on you now, Captain.” Caleb walked over to stand in front of him. “I am ordering you to …”
Jesse raised an eyebrow.
Caleb let out a long breath. “To be careful.”
“I will.”
“Do you need to take some time off?”
“No. That’s the last thing I need. What I need to do is work. I’ll start by helping Hamilton set up the shooting range again. Then I’m available for whatever you want me to do. If I work hard enough, maybe I can stop thinking. Like about how, even if she has absolutely no interest in Drew, he’s the one who’s with her right now, and the one who can see her any time he wants.” He clutched Caleb’s arm. “Keep me busy, Cale. That’s all I ask.”
“I can do that.” Caleb slapped him on the back. “Let’s go.”
39
There wasn’t much the doctor could do for Meryn beyond cleaning the small, dot-like wounds, applying antiseptic, and bandaging the larger lacerations. Like Jesse had told her, both the instrument and the technique were designed to cause minimal damage to the skin, and none of the wounds needed stitches.
“I know.” Her voice broke.
Jesse tied the strings and pressed his lips to the curve of her neck.
Meryn turned to face him.
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close.
She rested her head on his chest, then looked up and met his gaze. “I’ll be thinking about that old man and woman in front of the fireplace.”
His eyes were sad but he smiled.
Ah. That was why he had told her that story. It was a kindness, his gift to her, the only way that he could help her get through what lay ahead. She rested a hand on his cheek, hoping he could read in her eyes how grateful she was, feel it in her touch.
A knock sounded on the door.
Her stomach clenched.
Neither of them moved until he touched his forehead to hers. “If I kiss you, I won’t be able to do this.”
Meryn stepped back, head high. “I’m ready.”
37
Meryn faced the door as the major came into the room.
“All set?” His blue eyes, filled with compassion, settled on her face.
Meryn nodded and took a step forward.
He pulled a set of handcuffs from his belt. “I’m sorry, Meryn, but it’s regulation.”
“It’s okay.” She held her hands out in front of her.
He snapped the metal around her wrists and raised his gaze over her shoulder.
The empathy in the look he gave Jesse draped over her too, a temporary shelter from the pain.
The major nodded toward the door. “Let’s go.”
Meryn walked into the hall and stopped, a cold shiver spreading across her skin.
Lieutenant Gallagher, the one who had come to her store with Jesse the day she was arrested, stood outside the door. His dark, hooded eyes raked over her, like clammy fingers groping her body.
She suppressed a shudder and looked back as Jesse came out of the room, holding the white cloth bag in one hand.
He took in the two of them, and a shadow passed over his face. He grasped her elbow, turned her away from the lieutenant, and started down the hall. The major fell into step on the other side of her.
She couldn’t see the look Jesse gave his subordinate over his shoulder, but the temperature in the hallway dropped.
After several turns through the maze-like building, they stopped outside a room with big double doors. The major pressed his thumb to the pad on the wall and opened one of the doors, holding it for the rest of them as they passed through into a large room.
Meryn’s breaths came in shallow spurts.
It was the most sterile room she had ever seen. Fluorescent light gleamed off bare, white walls. No paintings or certificates broke up the endless starkness, and nothing absorbed the sound of their echoing footsteps.
A short man with a shaved head and pale, blue eyes, business-like in a navy suit and red tie, waited for them in the room. A woman with the high cheekbones and long, glistening black hair of a native Canadian stood just behind him, hair pulled back in a sleek ponytail. She wore a camouflage jacket and pants, and a stethoscope hung around her neck. Both of them regarded her with solemn faces.
A large, metal pole in the middle of the room extended from the floor almost up to the low-hanging ceiling. A crossbeam, both ends angled slightly forward, extended out from either side of the pole, about five feet off the ground. Another crossbeam was bolted into the pole a couple of inches from the floor.
Meryn’s heart hammered in her chest.
The man in the suit stepped forward and glanced at the i-com in his hand. “Meryn O’Reilly?”
She nodded.
He looked down again. “You have been convicted of purchasing illegal hate literature for the purposes of distribution and sentenced to fifteen lashes. Do you understand this?”
Meryn nodded again.
“Have you been informed of the fact that this sentence can be reduced if you cooperate with the Canadian government by revealing the name of your supplier or those of the people to whom you distributed these illegal materials?”
“Yes.” The word came out in a raspy whisper, and she cleared her throat.
“Do you wish to supply us with that information now?”
She met his gaze. “No.”
“You will be given two more opportunities to cooperate as the sentence is carried out. Should you refuse to comply, the full fifteen lashes will be given.” He stepped back and motioned to the medical officer.
The woman stepped forward. “I’m going to check your blood pressure and heart rate to ensure it is safe to carry out the sentence.” She wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Meryn’s arm. When the woman finished, she nodded, and the government agent inclined his head toward the officers.
The ties came loose at the back of her shirt, and heat flared in her cheeks.
Jesse moved around to the front of her and began retying the strings.
She lifted her cuffed hands out of his way. The cool air in the room brushed across her back, and she shivered.
He met her eyes briefly, then focused on his task. When he had finished, he took her elbow again.
The major reached for her cuffs and unlocked them, then tucked them back into his belt as he moved out of the way.
The lieutenant grabbed her other arm, and he and Jesse led her toward the pole.
They stopped in front of it, and Jesse squeezed her elbow before letting go of her. “Place your wrists on the pads of the crossbars.”
She hadn’t realized she was shaking until she set her hands where he had told her to, one on each side of the main beam, so that her arms were stretched out to the sides and forward, following the slight angle of the beams.
The lieutenant closed the top metal piece of the ring attached to the pad around her left wrist and locked it into place.
Jesse snapped the other metal ring around her right wrist.
“Step forward.”
Meryn moved closer to the bottom crossbeam.
Both men crouched down and locked the metal rings around her ankles.
She closed her eyes. Father, give me strength.
From behind her came the rustling of plastic, the unwrapping of the cat-o’-nine-tails Jesse had told her about.
“Are we ready?” The voice of the man with the i-com, the government agent, boomed through the room.
Was she expected to respond?
Jesse answered the man with a terse “yes” before she could.
“Then let’s begin.”
Meryn focused on the image of the elderly couple Jesse had described to her, trying to prepare herself.
A whooshing sound broke the silence in the room. White-hot, prickling pain exploded across her upper back. A cry of shock rose in her throat, but she pressed her lips together tightly as the second stroke landed on her skin.
Three more strokes came in rapid succession, as if Jesse was trying to get it over with as quickly as possible. The lashes coming so close together made it difficult to draw in a breath between the flashes of searing pain.
When he stopped, she gulped for air and blinked, lightheaded.
Jesse stepped in front of the metal pole. “Do you have anything you want to tell us?” His face was impassive, almost cold, but pain roiled deep in his green eyes.
“No.”
He dipped his chin curtly and disappeared behind her.
She squeezed her eyes shut, knowing now what was coming and that there was no way to prepare for it. Her heart pounded so loudly it almost blocked out the sound of the whip whistling through the air again. Meryn bit her lip until the metallic taste of blood coated her tongue.
Paul. Silas. Jesus. Those greater than she had endured the same punishment and more.
Seven strokes. Eight.
Each of those men had done so much for the kingdom. She didn’t even deserve to be listed among them.
Nine.
What have I done? So little. But that could change.
Would change.
The tenth stroke sent waves of shock shooting through her. Her entire body shook. If her arms hadn’t been securely attached to the bar, her legs would not have held her up.
How does anyone endure thirty lashes or more?
Jesse came into sight again. “You have the right to request medical assistance if you need it. Do you want to see a medic?”
The whip in his hand, the cords speckled with fresh blood, hypnotized her. She shook her head slightly, the instrument of her torture blurring as a fog drifted in front of her eyes.
“Is there anything you wish to say?”
A single word from her and this would all be over. Jesse was right. No one would blame her. God, help me. She blinked away the dizziness. “No.”
He blew out a rush of air as he turned away, as if he’d been holding his breath while waiting for her response.
Meryn’s fists clenched when the tips of the cords slashed against already broken and tender skin. Warm blood trickled down her back, and she couldn’t hold back a groan of pain as the next stroke sent tongues of flame licking across her flesh. God, give me strength. Help me get through this.
The trembling in her legs stilled. A warmth like the rays of sun that had flooded Jesse’s room that morning spread through her. Overwhelming peace deadened the pain of the lash as it flicked over her skin again.
She blinked, in wonder this time, at the deep breath she was able to draw in spite of the fourteenth stroke that sent needle pricks of fire skittering across her shoulders.
The whip whistled through the air one last time, the cord tips sparking over her lower back, but all Meryn felt was an overwhelming gratitude welling inside her.
It was done, and she had endured. Not on her own strength, which had failed, but on the power that had come to her when she had called out for it.
Meryn rested her forehead on the cool metal pole in front of her as Jesse and Lieutenant Gallagher freed first her ankles and then her wrists. When the manacles fell away, she turned to face Jesse.
The officer who had checked her vitals stood behind him.
“Do you wish to receive medical attention here at the clinic on the base?”
The only thing she wanted at the moment was to go home. “No.”
The government agent standing off to the side held out his i-com and a stylus.
Jesse took them from him. “You need to sign this waiver stating that you were offered medical treatment and refused it.” He handed her the stylus and held the screen in front of her.
Her hand was steady as she signed her name.
Jesse returned the unit to the agent and reached for the strings of her shirt.
She waited as he moved around behind her and pulled the cloth loosely over her throbbing back.
The agent stepped in front of her. “Meryn O’Reilly, you have received your sentence in full and are now released from custody.”
“Thank you.”
Surprise flashed through his eyes as he stepped back.
Jesse took her by the arm. “This way.” He directed her through the double doors and into the hallway.
Footsteps echoed on the tile floor behind them as the other officers filed out of the room.
They walked past two doors before Jesse stopped, rapped lightly on a third one, and pushed it open.
“Meryn.” Kate’s eyes filled with tears as she crossed the room toward her. “Are you okay?”
“I will be, once I’m home.”
Kate looked at Jesse. “Can we leave?”
“Yes. She’s free to go.”
Ethan held out a jacket.
Kate took it from him and draped it gently over Meryn’s shoulders.
“Thanks, Kate.”
Jesse held the white cloth bag out to Kate. “Her personal effects.”
Kate took the bag, and her eyes held Jesse’s for a few seconds before he stepped back.
Rick shuffled up behind Kate, his lined face soft with compassion. “I’ll come back to your house with you, Meryn, and make sure you’re all right.”
“Okay, thanks, Rick.” Meryn offered him a small smile that faded as Drew approached, his eyes hard. “Drew. Thank you for coming.”
“Of course.” The words were addressed to her, but his gaze, filled with hostility, was directed over her shoulder at Jesse.
He must have caught the look, but when he spoke, Jesse’s tone didn’t reflect any animosity. “I’ll help you find your way out.”
Drew moved closer to Meryn. “I think Meryn’s had about all she can take of your kind of help. We can handle things from here.” His voice spewed venom.
Lieutenant Gallagher stepped in front of him, dark eyes flashing. “Watch it, sir, or you’ll find yourself on the receiving end of the same kind of help she’s been given.”
Drew stiffened. “Go ahead, arrest me. Fill your prisons with people giving out Bibles and exercising their constitutionally guaranteed right to free speech while terrorists run around blowing up buildings and killing people. Seems like a perfect use of tax-payer dollars.”
“Drew.” Meryn rested a hand on his arm. If he didn’t calm down, he would talk himself into a jail cell.
He didn’t take his eyes from the lieutenant, who stepped closer until their chests were nearly touching.
The major put a hand on the lieutenant’s shoulder. “Thank you, Lieutenant. I’ll handle this. We’ll let you get back to your work.”
The lieutenant threw a last, heated look at Drew before offering the major what appeared to be a mocking salute. He spun on his heel and left the room.
Drew’s attention focused back in on Jesse.
The major turned to him. “Why don’t you go too, Captain? I will escort them out of the building.”
“Yes, sir.” Jesse’s gaze swept the room. He offered Ethan a brief nod before meeting Meryn’s gaze.
She pressed a hand to her stomach as he strode from the room.
Drew touched her arm. His fingers still quivered with tension. “Let’s get out of here.”
Meryn nodded.
The major stepped back and held a hand toward the door. “I’ll show you out.”
They walked silently behind him through the winding hallways. When they reached the exit to the parking lot, the major held the door open for them. A brief smile crossed her lips as she passed by, and he answered with one of his own.
Meryn stepped outside and tipped back her face to the cool, fresh air. Never would she take the feel of sunshine and wind—or blessed freedom—for granted again.
38
Caleb caught up to Jesse halfway back to his quarters but didn’t say a word as they walked. Once the door had shut behind them, Caleb did open his mouth as if to speak, but Jesse lifted a hand and headed straight into the washroom.
After emptying his stomach of the few bites he’d been able to get down at breakfast, he brushed his teeth, splashed cold water on his face, and took a deep breath before coming back into his room.
Caleb sat in his usual leather chair in front of the fireplace.
Jesse walked past him over to the mantel. Gripping the cool wood in both hands, he dropped his head down between his arms and concentrated on drawing in one cleansing mouthful of air after another.
Caleb gave him another minute before he spoke up. “She’s okay, Jess.”
“I know.”
“In fact, she’s more than okay. She’s pretty remarkable. She barely made a sound through the whole thing. I’ve seen men twice her size hollering for mercy after ten lashes.”
Jesse smiled grimly as he stared down at the smooth, dark cherry wood. “I know.”
“And she has absolutely no interest in him.”
His smile faded as his fingers tightened on the edge of the mantel. “I know.”
Behind him, leather creaked as Caleb shifted in his chair. “All right, smart guy, since you know so much, tell me this. Did you feel something happen in there?”
He hesitated. “Yes.”
“I’ve felt it before, with other Christians.”
“Me too.”
“So what is it? Do you know?”
Jesse turned around. “As profound as it is, it’s also pretty simple. I was praying for strength for her, and I’m sure she was praying for strength for herself. So God gave her strength.”
“That’s it?”
“Isn’t that enough?”
“Apparently it is.” Caleb drummed his fingers on the arms of the chair. “How did you leave things with her?”
“Pretty up in the air. We were both concentrating on getting through today. Kind of hard to think much past that.”
“But you’re going to try and see her.”
“How can I not?”
“It’ll be risky.”
“I know.”
Caleb pressed his palms against the arms of the chair and rose. “Look, I don’t pull rank on you very often, but—”
Jesse snorted. “You pull rank on me all the time.”
“Hey.” He lifted his hands. “Is it my fault you need to be reminded every five minutes who’s in charge?”
“No, I guess not.”
“In any case, I’m going to pull rank on you now, Captain.” Caleb walked over to stand in front of him. “I am ordering you to …”
Jesse raised an eyebrow.
Caleb let out a long breath. “To be careful.”
“I will.”
“Do you need to take some time off?”
“No. That’s the last thing I need. What I need to do is work. I’ll start by helping Hamilton set up the shooting range again. Then I’m available for whatever you want me to do. If I work hard enough, maybe I can stop thinking. Like about how, even if she has absolutely no interest in Drew, he’s the one who’s with her right now, and the one who can see her any time he wants.” He clutched Caleb’s arm. “Keep me busy, Cale. That’s all I ask.”
“I can do that.” Caleb slapped him on the back. “Let’s go.”
39
There wasn’t much the doctor could do for Meryn beyond cleaning the small, dot-like wounds, applying antiseptic, and bandaging the larger lacerations. Like Jesse had told her, both the instrument and the technique were designed to cause minimal damage to the skin, and none of the wounds needed stitches.
