Page 14 of Redemption
“No Talon, she won’t tell him anything hewantsto know,” Liv said as she turned her head to look at Dad. “I hope you don’t have high blood pressure or a heart condition because this bitch will test that to the max.” She glared at me then at my brothers. “This won’t be pretty, boys.”
I couldn’t decide if I like this Liv or not. But she had one helluva attitude. I glanced around at all of our cousins. Growing up with brothers probably made her that way, but there seemed to be more than that going on with her. Glory was tough too, but she was a lot softer in many ways than this woman who resembled her.
“Let’s go then,” Liv stated as she nodded at Talon.
She also seemed to be in charge just as much as Talon was. I took note of this as it would be better to stay on her good side if there was one.
We all went back out to the veranda, the one that looked exactly like ours. It just seemed so odd to me. Later when this all settled down, I would ask my dad…If he would tell me. That was what burned me the most. None of us Walkers knew about these Walkers. How could he have done that? Why had he done that?
Walking across the property definitely lessened the feeling of my previous deja vu. The trees were different and the land too, but the humidity and the heat was the same. Our house was just outside of Houston. Similar ocean air and weather to this area, but still different. I stopped taking in the scenery when I looked back to see that girl I met before trailing the group. Who was she and what did she have to do with all of this? They did say, O had threatened anyone associated with the Walkers, so it must be that she was associated with them, but how?
When we finally got closer, Dad turned and raised his hand at us. “Just me. You all stay out of sight.”
I opened my mouth to argue.
He glared at me.
I slowly shut my mouth. We all knew better than to argue with him. It never turned out to be a good thing. I let out a frustrated breath and glanced over to see her. The unknown factor I had just been wondering about. The young woman that had gotten my attention when I first arrived. I watched as she slipped behind the barn, just like at the first one earlier today.
Easing back, I walked off. Leaving my brothers to think I was angry at being shut out of this meeting. Then I headed over to the area to the side of the barn. Just as I did, I saw the girl knelt down at the barn wall. I silently stepped over and looked down at her.
With a gasp, she peered up at me.
Raising my finger to my lips, I shushed her. Kneeling down, I looked through the space in the wall. At only about 6 inches wide, it did give a direct view of a cage. I searched that cage and my eyes widened. A woman sat there, reclined on a rocking chair. If she was a woman. Her face looked like a Halloween mask. Maybe of a ghoul or some monster. I pulled in a breath as I stared at her scarred face then looked over at the woman next to me.
Slowly, she nodded at me to confirm that this was O.
I looked back through the hole.
The woman seemed to be in her own world as she hummed some tune. Then she raised her head and sat straight up in the chair. Her eyes rounded.
I knew then, she was looking at my father now.
Her expression changed as she beamed at him. “At first,” she spoke in an odd musical-like voice. “I thought a ghost came to visit.”
“Whose ghost, Olivia?” my dad asked in a low voice.
“Oh, you know…your lookalike.” She smiled.
“Why, Bea? Why?” Dad’s voice sounded strained.
“Why?” O scoffed. “Oh Jarret, you know why. In fact, you were probably the only one who did know.”
Silence from my dad.
“Oh? Did you forget or something?” she asked.
“I did not forget.”
“No, you wouldn’t and neither did I. If you had done what I had asked, neither of us would be here today.”
My dad sucked a breath in. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
Laughing, she shook her head as she set her chair to rocking. “Deny it all you want. But you had your chance. We all could have had what we wanted and no one would be dead!” she exclaimed as her laughter left instantly.
“By dead, you mean murdered…By you.” He seethed at her.
“Someone had to set it all straight, Jarret. I mean you were too chicken shit to do the right thing, so I was on my own.”
