Page 60 of Axton

Koty nodded. “Yes, but do not fall for anything my father said. Especially around Belle. I want her to forget all that and start a fresh new life. I don’t want her weighed down by that prophecy any longer.”

Creed was listening to every bit of that shit, and I knew he was going to be all over it. Dammit!

“Did your community have much to do with any of the reservations out west?” Magnus asked.

Koty quickly looked at him. “Not the community but definitely Jeremy. He liked their women, and I followed him several times. I knew it was risky, but I had to find something on him to present to my father. I needed to prove he was a bad man just so he could talk to my older brothers about Belle. My oldest brother, John Henry, was to become her guardian when my father passed away. Since Jeremy couldn’t get my father’s blessing, he got it from my brother before my father even passed. That’s why father helped us escape.”

“Hypothetical question here.” Creed sat forward. “Let’s say Axton here marries your sister and shows his birthmark. Will the cult know what it means, and your brother will take back his blessing?”

Fuck you, Creed.

Koty looked at me, growled a little mousy growl then looked back at Creed. “Why?”

“Because Jeremy has at least thirty men here ready to take your sister. We learned today that your father had a vast estate, and her husband is to inherit it. Would a marriage between them cost Jeremy the support of your father’s cult?”

Koty looked at me and tapped his finger on the table. “They are looking for their next bishop. Someone to lead them, but yes, that would convince them she’s not meant for Jeremy.”

Creed sat back in his chair. “That could buy us some time, at least to get us through the holidays. We’ve neutralized Satan’s Disciples, at least most of them, but I still want to get my hands on Jeremiah. We think he could be a link to a much larger case. How does your sister feel about divorce if it’s not a spiritual marriage?”

“Wait, are you trying to get my father’s inheritance?” Koty was playing it smart.

“If Axton were to get the inheritance, he would use it to help members of your cult to establish new lives, and what’s left will finance a much larger case of missing Indigenous women.”

Koty crossed his arms and sat back in his chair as he thought. “He could make everyone think he’s the next bishop, end child marriage, and essentially end the cult.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “That frees my mom and Belle’s from being forced into another marriage. But Belle…I don’t know.” He looked at me. “She likes you, I don’t mean that as just a friend. She’s questioning our religion, and of course a legal marriage doesn’t mean much to our people, but she would be dependent on you. You’ve lived as a normal man and I’m not even sure how she would take the news that you’ve shared a bed with other women out of wedlock. I don’t know about this plan. I like it as far as how it will benefit our family, but I worry for Belle.”

Creed was a fucker, dammit!

Irons spoke up as he looked at me. “Think about it, Axton. Not only would this help the children being forced to marry old men, you’d be helping all those missing women. Think of Kayla, what if she was missing, and nobody would help you find her? Imagine her at thirteen and being forced to fuck an old man. That’s what your sacrifice would be doing, ending all that shit.”

Fuck Irons for laying all that on me.

“We wouldn’t be going after her brothers, men she loves, in order to stop this. You’d show them your birthmark and the marriage certificate, and they would abandon Jeremiah and listen to you about starting new lives. Maybe we could avoid sending her brothers to prison for doing what they were raised to think was right.”

I snarled. “They fucked little girls. That’s not forgivable and there’s a price to pay.”

“You will end it, not just in Arizona but in all their communities.” Irons reminded me.

I looked at Koty. “Has Jeremiah ever slept with a child?”

“I don’t know, he does a lot with women. All I know is he would go to the bars and visit the motorcycle compound to meet the women. He really likes Indigenous women and so does his brother.” Koty answered.

“Will any of this hurt Belle?” That was my main concern.

“I think that’s up to you.” Koty said.

“Are you on board with this?” I asked him.

“Let’s just say I’m coming around to it. It makes sense.”

“She would be my wife on paper only.” I warned him.

“I understand that, but the question is if Belle will understand that.” He answered.

Granger spoke up. “They’re going to make a move on us, not that they would get through our barriers, but it’s coming. We get them married, send the women and children to the bunker and allow them in the gates. Make them think we’re putting up a good fight, but we’ll trap them inside. Separate Jeremiah from his flock and hold him until we get our answers. That way Axton can address the men from the cult. He will show them proof of marriage and the birthmarks. You’ll get the inheritance and set all of the cult members up with new lives. Then we can focus on the missing women, but this has to happen very quickly.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Belle

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