Page 2 of Bounty

Heavy footfalls alert us that we aren’t alone anymore. Before I can get away, I hear the stern, deep timber of a familiar voice.

I’m in real trouble now.

“Jude!” Father Mannix bellows. “What’s going on here?”

He stands up, erasing the smirk from his face. His eyes animate with false emotion. “Nothing, Father, I was just helping her up so we can go back to the party,” he lies so easily as he gives me a plastic smile and reaches out to help me up.

I flinch, then cross my arms, hugging myself. The last thing I want is for him to touch me.

“Don’t lie to me, son. Little Jeanie is crying, huddled in the dirt, and scared shitless of you.” Father Mannix is the only person who ever calls me that. It makes me wonder if my real father, whoever he is, would have given me a nickname if he bothered to stick around.

I guess having him as a father is better than not having a father at all.

He crouches down in front of me and offers me a hand. It’s rough from long days of working on the crops and tending to cattle. It has a lot of scars on it. The stern expression on his face relaxes a little bit, but it doesn’t go away completely. Father Mannix is a large man, both in size and presence. Even whenhe’s nice, he still holds an unmistakable authority—he uses it to lead us.

“Was Jude being mean to you?” he asks.

Jude gives me a threatening glance. His jaw tenses, and I momentarily think of lying. But Father Mannix will know if I lie. Then I really will get punished at the next gathering.

“Yes. He has been for a long time. I don’t want to live with him or be his sister.”

His hand squeezes mine, like he understands. He heaves a deep sigh, regarding both of us with his moss green eyes. They almost match Jude’s except where his eyes are empty, his father’s are full of wisdom and something else I can’t place.

“Jude, in a few weeks, you’ll have a stepsister. It’s your job to protect her. You should have been all along. Everyone on the farm is family—we’re all brothers and sisters who treat each other right. Do you understand?”

Jude nods. “Yes, Father.”

Father Mannix looks at him expectantly, then gestures to me.

I see the wheels turning in Jude’s head—he’s planning something.

“I’m sorry. I’ll treat you more brotherly in the future,” he says in a neutral tone, despite the molten fury in his eyes.

Before I can think too deeply about it, I hear someone dashing through the stalks. A panting, frantic Cain McAllister bursts through, his frown rising into a smile when he sees me.

“Thank God, Colin and I thought you got lost in here.” He takes a deep breath, then stands a little taller when he sees who I’m with. “Father Mannix.” He nods in greeting.

“Son, thank you for coming to Jeanie’s aid. It’s good to see our family supporting each other.”

“No problem, sir. She’s my best friend. I’d do anything for her.” I know Cain means it, too. He’s been by my side since I arrived here in diapers. “So is Jude. I hate to see them arguing.”

“Can you take her back to the festival? Jude and I need to have a conversation,” he asks.

“Of course,” Cain agrees.

“Don’t worry yourself,” Father Mannix tells me. “It’s all in hand.”

Cain takes my hand, and starts asking me a million questions, but his voice sounds far away, because I’m not focused on him. Jude glares at me, like he’s trying to see inside me so he can rip my heart out. It’s chilling. Dangerous. As we make our way through the stalks, a cold shiver passes up my spine despite the sweltering summer heat.

I know I’m with Cain, and Jude can’t even see us, but I feel his eyes on me.

Why do I feel like something awful is going to happen?

Chapter Two

WILLA JEAN

December 23rd - Twenty Four Years Old

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