Page 5 of Tactical Revival

My gaze lands on the worn Bible sitting on the edge of my desk. Tears fill my eyes as I look immediately to the right of it and take in the stack of bills piling up. Some of them are pink.

Final notices.

And I have no idea how I’m supposed to pay them.

As it so often does when this happens, my mind fills with intrusive thoughts.

I’m not smart enough to run a business.

I’m not capable of keeping this place afloat.

I might as well quit now, before I lose what little savings I’ve managed to put away for Matty’s college fund.

No. I will not let Chad into my head. Not ever again. Knowing I can’t deal with these thoughts on my own, I bow my head.

God, please help me. I can’t do this without You. I know I can’t, and I know You are here for me. Please keep me strong. Amen.

The bell above the front door dings, so I push to my feet and slip out into the front, a smile plastered on my face. That is, until I see the bane of my existence standing on the other side of my counter.

Seems the devil is working overtime to drive me out of the peace I fight so hard to maintain.

The last year hasn’t changed Chad at all. He still looks every bit the jock he’d been when we were in high school, with the years only adding a few more lines to his otherwise youthful face. When he sees me, he shoves his hands into his pockets. “Margot.”

I cross my arms. “What do you want, Chad?”

“You won’t answer my calls.”

“Because I have nothing to say to you.”

His cheeks turn red. “You don’t get to decide that.”

I can practically smell the alcohol on his breath, which makes me even more nervous. Chad was never violent unless he was drinking. The alcohol completely changed him, turning him into the monster haunting our home. I try to make myself look busy by rearranging the stacks of Post-its on my front standing desk. That way, maybe, he won’t sense the nerves. Being alone with Chad is something I never wanted again. Not after I’d finally had it with his violent outbursts. It started with screaming and throwing things…and then he slapped me.

It was the first and last time he ever put his hands on me.

“I do get to decide that, thanks to the divorce decree. Now leave. This is my home and my place of business.” My gaze drifts to the entryway security camera, and I try to breathe. I know Knight Security monitors it, so even as it’s just Chad and me, I know I’m not truly alone.

“I’m not going anywhere until you let me see Matty.” His tone picks up that all-too-familiar flash of anger.

“Matthew doesn’t want to see you.” Hearing him call our son by his nickname makes me nauseous. He lost that right when he chose to throw everything we’d worked for away.

“Because you’ve poisoned him against me.” He tightens his hands into fists at his sides, and my gaze flicks to the letter opener on the check-in desk to my right. It might be the only thing I can use to defend myself.

“I didn’t do anything. That was all you, Chad.”

He places both hands on the desk between us, and I stiffen. Surely he wouldn’t do anything here. Not in the middle of the day when anyone could walk in…but I still can’t put my nerves at ease. All the guests have checked out.

No one is due to check in for another two hours.

What if— The door opens again, and Silas strolls in. Standing just as tall as Jaxson, the man is over six feet of solid muscle. And while the former Navy SEAL is a man of few words, his expression speaks volumes. He’s pissed that Chad is here, and I send up a thank you to God for my brother pushing to install the security cameras.

“You are not welcome on this property,” Silas says, crossing his arms.

Chad doesn’t even give Silas a glance. “This is none of your business. Margot is my wife, and we’re discussing personal matters.”

“Margot is your ex-wife,” Silas corrects. “And she, her son, and her property are all under the protection of Knight Security, which makes it my business.”

Chad looks from me to Silas, then back to me, his expression even more furious—if that’s possible. “You hired your brother’s toy security company to keep me from my son?”

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