Page 26 of Drowning Her

“Forrest considered dairy cows once,” I said. “But he had other ideas.”

Then I explained our terminology. New hires, once we deemed we could trust them, were promoted to ‘hunters’—men who gathered the targets, unless the buyer requested an on-site execution. The targets were called ‘livestock,’ as part of our cover, should anyone overhear. Livestock was then brought to the Dairy Barn for execution, handled by the ‘ranchers,’ the final promotional ranking in our business. Ranchers were skilled at torture and murder. Finally, we incinerated the remains with the rest of the animal waste, unless otherwise requested.

Maisie was speechless after that. I took her back to the Calving Barn. “You know most of this,” I said. She pointed to the door leading to the office.

“Who uses this?” she asked.

“Mostly Sawyer,” I said.

She pushed the door open, then pulled on a drawer. A locked box slid into view.

“The key is above the door,” I said.

“Don’t tell me that,” she said.

“No one is here at night.”

She rolled her eyes. But it was a test. Would she use that information, or would she be loyal to us? To me? And if she stole, would I blame her for it? Theft didn’t seem like a crime when it came to marrying into a family where you might not make it to your first anniversary.

Outside, we walked through the pastures together. The stars blinked above us, staring down in the night. Her scent trickled in the wind; I had never met someone as potent as her, someone who smelled as sweet. Drowned out the fur, decay, and blood.

Why wasn’t she afraid of me?

She couldn’t accept me. I didn’t accept her.

“Make no mistake,” I said. I squared my shoulders, dipping my chin. “I don’t care about you.” Her eyes never left mine. “If you follow me again, I will drown you. You will beg for your life.”

The stars twinkled in her dark pupils as she dipped her chin again. She understood, but that didn’t mean that she would be smart about it. Curiosity killed Maisie, driving her straight toward danger.

I left her in the house, then I stood outside, waiting until I saw her bedroom go dark. Then I went back to the Dairy Barn. The lights were on inside.

“You let her into the Dairy Barnwillingly?” Sawyer asked.

Forrest rubbed his forehead. “Sawyer,” he warned.

“She could give away our secrets. Jeopardize our operation.”

“She knows the consequences,” I said.

“It’s his wife, son,” Forrest said, putting a hand on Sawyer’s shoulder. “We have to trust Wilder’s decisions. If he wants to invite her into the family business, then who are we to stop him?”

Sawyer’s gaze seared into me. I didn’t understand Forrest’s infatuation with Maisie and me, but I understood Sawyer’s distrust for our relationship. He had already completed the Feldman Offering. But Forrest was on my side.

“Let him fall for her,” Forrest said. “You know how hard it is for him to connect.”

My fists tensed. He said it like I was born this way, like he had nothing to do with my lack of interest in people.

“I’m not connecting with her,” I said, gritting my teeth.

Forrest smiled. “All right, son,” he said.

Sawyer shook his head, dismissing my words. “We’ll see,” he said.

Maisie

In the morning, I made my way to an old monthly rate motel. Bambi wasn’t picking up her phone. In the far corner room, a bottle of vodka was sitting on the windowsill, a plastic cup with a bright red lipstick stain next to it. Green’s car was gone, which meant that if Bambi wasn’t out with Green, then she was sleeping in, alone and by herself. I banged on the door.

The door creaked. “The hell are you doing here?” sheasked, her voice raspy with sleep. “Damn, lady. What time is it?”

---