"I don"t know how you expect me to buy the cow when she won"t listen to a word I say," Silas said.
"Too late to turn back now. She"s traveled all over h.e.l.l"s half acre with you," Walter said.
Silas laughed. Emmie frowned at him. She did not like this conversation one bit.
"You two do realize that I"m standing here, a grown woman, perfectly capable of making my own decisions," she said.
"She is right. Speaking of her decisions, she talked Marco into bringing her back down here to meet her mother"s family. As you can see she is no longer in Chicago. Which is why I"m here at your doorstep. I don"t think Emmie is safe until I can find Parbour"s older brother and anyone else responsible for all of this and bring them to justice," Silas said.
Parbour"s older brother was calling the shots now? Neither Silas or Walter acted like that was new knowledge. She wondered if Parbour"s brother had been on the way to the cabin that day. Had he been the one Revenuer Parbour was watching out the window for? Was his brother going to arrive with the police?
"Emmie"s always welcome here, unless she was planning to stay with some of that new family she"d been finding lately."
Now it was Emmie"s turn to laugh. "Do you know them?"
When Walter shook his head Silas filled him in on a few details about her uncles, the butcher brothers. His eyes went wide with surprise, but he never said a word. While the situation with Marco was new and awkward, Emmie did feel like she would become closer to Gabe, especially now that he and Ava were married. She didn"t think she would be calling Marco "Pa" anytime soon, but she didn"t hate him either. That had to be a good start. But her uncles and Aunt Eve, she wasn"t sure what to think about that one yet. When Marco had told her they weren"t bad people exactly . . . he"d hit the nail on the head. They weren"t bad people they just made her feel uneasy. She"d like to meet them again sometime . . . when they weren"t dragging some crooked cop bound and gagged through their living room.
"Trick has a friend who works for the station in Louisville. He"s volunteered to let you all stay there. I"m hoping you"ll keep her for me so I can get business done. There"s no one here I"d trust to ask," Silas said, looking at the old man.
"Silas, I"m not a child. You don"t need to ask Walter to babysit me," she said, annoyed.
These men had made her feel like a cow and a child in the course of the last five minutes and no one had even mentioned the Johnsons yet. What was Silas playing at? He gave her a pointed look. She could tell he didn"t want her att.i.tude right now but she didn"t care.
"You don"t think my house is safe enough, Silas?" Walter asked, chewing on his pipe.
Silas shrugged. "I just think your family might be safer with the police officer. I"ve checked out the address; he"s close to the hospital. Max could probably walk and you wouldn"t have to drive him. I know that gets expensive for you. So if it turns out to be in vain, at least you"ve saved a little money, right?"
"I suppose saving a few dollars won"t hurt," Walter said, rubbing his whiskers. "You sure this little change of location don"t have nothing to do with the fact that Bo is coming to town tonight?"
Silas looked at Walter with wide eyes. "Tonight?"
"Mmm hmm," Walter mumbled, "he called just after you left. Said he was going to bring his sister and needed to know how to get here from the train station."
"Emmie, go inside with Mae and Max," Silas said with urgency.
She opened her mouth to ask why but he shouted, "Now."
Emmie tore through the door as fast as her feet could carry her. Silas had gone from calm to panicked at Walter"s words. Even though Emmie couldn"t believe Bo would hurt Walter she did respect the fact that Silas looked scared. If he looked spooked about something that was enough reason for her to hurry.
Silas was hoping to not need to give the old man too many details. It would be for his own good. He trusted Walter to take care of Emmie, but he did not want him to confront Bo alone. If Bo was dangerous, he didn"t want the old man to go off and get himself shot on some fool"s errand. If Emmie lost Walter at Bo"s hand, he didn"t know if she could bear it. Walter stared at him with wide eyes as he shouted at Emmie to get in the house to find Max and Mae.
"What"s got your dander up, boy? Is this still because you think Bo"s involved somehow?"
"Walter, I don"t think it, I know it. I"ve had it confirmed that the Johnsons are in this. We questioned one of Parbour"s men. Mr. Johnson used his daughter to get information from Trick on when we were leaving town and when we"d be back. If that girl is involved, we know Bo is a part of this too. The fact he has called and asked for directions to your house only adds to the evidence against him."
"Why would asking directions to my house be a big deal? What are you keeping from me?" Walter asked, narrowing his gaze.
"I"m afraid they"ve set your house as the next to burn. Until this moment I wasn"t sure if it was your house in Bowling Green or here. Now that Bo has asked for directions to your house, I"m sure it"s here."
"No, he wouldn"t." Walter said, biting his lip, causing the tiny patch of hair on his chin to stand up. "What could he have to gain from hurting me? I"ve known the Johnsons a long time."
"This isn"t about the property or the people he"s hurting with these fires. This is about me and my family. They are sending us a message we can"t mess with them. I think the Johnson family means to take control of the bootlegging and the speaks in the south of the state and Parbour means to take over the north. What they don"t understand is I"m not as high as this goes. I"ve got people at home I answer to." Silas swore like he"d said more than he meant to.
"I"ll go with ya but I still don"t think they"d take a chance at hurting my family just to get to you," he said, hooking his thumbs under his overalls.
"Emmie"s house burned last night, right after she called Bo. They knew she wasn"t home but the message still comes across. They carved the word moll into the side of her barn. Do you know what that means?"
Walter swore and turned his back to Silas.
"I don"t think Parbour and Johnson are supposed to be here until tonight, but if Bo has already called for directions, it makes me uneasy," he said.
The older man rubbed his beard and turned to grab the door. "I don"t guess I can argue with ya there, boy. I ain"t feeling too good about it myself. Let me just get my shotgun and we"ll follow you to your friend"s house."
Chapter Forty-seven.
Mae was puttering around the kitchen when she caught sight of Emmie walking into the house. Deep wrinkles framed her eyes as she smiled and closed the s.p.a.ce between them with her arms extended. "Emmie girl, it is so good to see ya. Seems like it"s been ages. Well, have mercy if you don"t look like some fancy city slicker in those beautiful clothes. Sit down and help yourself to some biscuits and b.u.t.ter, child." Mae pulled her into a tight hug and pushed her gently into one of the kitchen chairs.
"Well, Mae, we don"t have much time for a social call right now. We need to get you packed up. We"re going to spend the night in the city."
Emmie couldn"t give Mae much of an explanation as to why they were leaving in a hurry because she wasn"t sure what to say. It wasn"t until Walter came in that the older woman really started collecting her belongings. She tried to question Walter, but he whispered something in her ear and the old woman took off like white lightning. Emmie looked out the screen door to Silas who stood staring off in the distance, scanning the surrounding area. She wondered what he had told Walter to make him eager to leave this house so quickly.
"Miss Emmie," a soft voice called behind her. Her face lit up at the sight of him. He still limped but he ran up to her without stumbling. Max"s special shoes and the brace seemed to be helping. His arms wrapped around her in a tight hug. Emmie"s heart warmed as she noticed he used both hands to squeeze her. That was a little change but a notable one. She was amazed how much progress he had made. His muscles might be weaker than his peers", but in so many ways he was the strongest little boy she"d ever met.
"Hey there, Max. You"re lookin" good kid. You all are gonna come stay with a friend of mine in the city tonight. Let"s go get you packed, okay?" she asked, ruffling his hair.
"Sounds like fun; I"ll bring some of my books. Miss Emmie?" he asked.
"Yes?"
"Why"d you get your hair all cut off like a boy?" He scrunched his nose at the question.
Emmie touched her bob and smiled down at the boy. "It was a crazy Chicago adventure. You get ready fast for me and I"ll tell you the story on the ride to town."
Max went upstairs as fast as his legs could take him. Emmie followed him to his room. She couldn"t find a bag so she laid a small blanket out on the floor adding a few articles of clothing and his books to the center. Surely those men wouldn"t burn down this house tonight. Silas would stop them.
"Do you have anything else that"s really special to you in here?" she asked just in case.
"My ship Silas gave me." Emmie followed his eyes to see the boat resting on top of the small chest.
Emmie told him to carry the boat, and she folded the corners of the blanket into the middle, making a pouch of his belongings before heading downstairs. She could see Trick had joined Silas out on the porch. Emmie nearly jumped out of her skin when the telephone started to ring. She stood near the old box phone as its piercing ring filled the air.
"Walter? Mae?" Emmie shouted in question. She turned to Max and asked him to go get his grandparents.
Silas yelled through the screen door, "Answer it, Emmie."
She picked up the receiver and put her mouth to the box. "h.e.l.lo."
"Oh G.o.d, Emmie, you"re there. I"m sorry." His voice was barely more than a harsh whisper.
"Bo?" Emmie whispered into the phone. "What"s happened?"
"Get out. Take Max, Walter, and Mae and get out now. How long has it been?" he asked.
"How long has what been?" she questioned.
"Emmie, I don"t know how long I"ve been lying here. Is it morning?" His voice was so groggy.
"Umm . . ." Emmie looked outside. The sun was high in the sky. "It"s probably just after noon."
"Get out. Get them out," he said louder.
"Okay, okay," she said. "Bo, we"re getting out but I have to get off the phone to do that."
Silas came storming through the screen door with his hand stretched out. "Is that Bo Johnson?"
Emmie nodded but pressed the phone tighter to her ear. She needed to hear what he had to say. Bo must have heard the male voice because he started shouting into the phone.
"Tell Silas or Trick or whoever is there with you-tell "em she didn"t know better. Please don"t let "em hurt her. He used her. He used us," Bo pleaded. "I"m coming, but it"ll be too late by the time I can get there. Please make him understand."
"Make him understand what, Bo?" she asked, trying to comprehend.
"Get out of that house," he repeated.
Silas pulled the phone out of her hands but it was too late. He looked at Emmie with an arched brow. "Next time a Johnson calls, I do the talking. Got me? You say hold on a minute, my handsome soon-to-be-husband would like a word with you."
Emmie laughed at his attempt at a joke and referenced Walter"s words earlier, "You put this on the wrong hand for that sentence, honey."
Silas grinned for a second but then his face went serious again. "What did he say? I heard him say, tell Silas something."
Emmie"s brows knitted together and she adjusted Max"s blanket of goods in her hands as she spoke, "He mainly kept saying get out. Silas they must be coming. Bo must know they are coming. But if he is still in Bowling Green, they are hours away, right?"
"Maybe, I"m not sure though. I don"t like any of this. I don"t like our responsibility-to-shooter ratio in this house." He turned his face and yelled down a long narrow hall, "Walter, let"s go. Now."
"Ratio?" Emmie asked, making the word a question.
"You, Max, and Mae are responsibility; Trick, Walter, and I are shooters. I"m starting to wish I"d had Vincent come along just to be sure. They weren"t supposed to be here until tonight but I don"t like the risk of being outnumbered," he explained.
Walter and Mae came down the hall with Max close on their heels. All three looked frightened at the urgency in Silas"s voice. They walked out the door and Silas asked Trick if he"d checked their truck. Emmie wasn"t sure what that meant. Whatever it was, Trick said he had. Walter, Mae, and Max all climbed into the front of the truck. There wasn"t room for Emmie but she knew she needed to go with them. Silas didn"t have time to be driving her all over town today. Clearly he needed to get back to the others.
"I"ll ride in the back of the truck. You go on back to the butcher brothers". Let this house go if you have to, as long as there"s no one here they can hurt-that"s all that matters," Emmie said, putting a hand on Silas"s chest.
Walter got out of the car, still holding his shotgun and turned back toward the house. "Mae forgot her knitting and won"t stop squawking about it. I"ll be back in two shakes of a lamb"s tail."
Silas nodded to tell him to go on then turned back to Emmie.
"I"m not letting you ride back to town in the back of a truck. We can take you. Besides, I"d feel better following you all anyway," Silas said.
Emmie frowned but didn"t argue. The truth was she felt better when he was with her. He opened the car door for her. Trick stood out in the yard, scanning the surroundings like he was expecting to be attacked. Just as she was about to drop down into the pa.s.senger seat, Emmie saw something that made her stop in her tracks.
"Silas," she said, his name barely above a whisper.
"Oh h.e.l.l," he swore, "go get Max and Mae. Get in the house, lock the door, and don"t you come out until you hear my voice. Stay away from the windows."
His demeanor took on an icy calm, but she knew he was anxious. Her pulse pounded in her ears as she ran to the truck parked in front of her. Trick moved over to join his brother with his arms crossed around his chest. Emmie opened the truck door and spoke quickly.
"Mae, has the house got a back door?"
"Yes, why?" the older woman asked, turning in the truck.
"Because we"ve got company," Emmie said, not wanting to alarm Max.
Mae started to reach for her belongings, Emmie put her hand on the older woman"s softly. "I think we just need to go, now."
Mae nodded and grabbed Max"s hand.
"What is it?" he asked, looking at his grandmother, his eyes large and bewildered.
"Nothing child. Come on, let"s get you in the house," she said with a smile in an attempt to calm the boy down.
Emmie took Max"s other hand and they made their way out of the car. She and Mae pulled Max in tow as quickly as they could. But Max was anxious and tripped twice on the uneven ground. She turned around and stole a glance at Silas. Millie, Mr. Johnson, and a man she didn"t know got out of the car. Millie looked worse for wear. Her hair was matted to her head and she rubbed her red swollen eyes. It looked like her father was half-pulling her along.
Silas"s gaze met Emmie"s for just for a moment and he nodded at Max. The child was scared and struggling to move quickly. She could tell by Silas"s face he wanted them in the house immediately. Emmie stopped, grabbed Max under the arms and put him on her hip like you would a toddler. Silas nodded in approval and turned back to the men that were closing in on him.
"Walter," Mae whispered loudly the minute they hit the house.
Emmie locked the door behind them.
"I see them," Walter said. He was crouched down just to the side in front of the window. He was watching the discussion in the front of the house. "Go get the extra sawed-off outta the bedroom, Mae."
Emmie looked around the kitchen and found a small pantry under the stairs. When she put Max down she saw his hands were trembling. "I"m scared, Miss Emmie. What"s going on with those men?"
"Shh . . ." She opened the door to the pantry and set him inside. She found a coal-oil lamp on a nearby table and lit it quickly. She moved into the small s.p.a.ce with Max, brushing his hair out of his face and said, "I want you to sit in here and be really quiet, okay. Don"t come out until you hear the voice of someone you know."
"Miss Emmie, I"m scared," he repeated.
Mae appeared at the door with a small kitchen knife in her hand. "I"ll stay in here with him."
Emmie nodded and shut the pantry door. She bent down and half crawled through the living room, wanting to be careful not to draw any attention from the men outside. Walter saw her coming and pointed where he wanted her to be. She sat on the opposite side of the window. She watched as the men appeared to talk on the front lawn. To an uninformed pa.s.serby it might appear to be just a casual conversation about anything-the weather, baseball, moonshine wars, blowing up cars, or burning houses.
Silas was grinning. He said something that made Mr. Johnson frown. The stranger laughed and said something, pointing at Trick. If Emmie had ever been unsure what the term itchy-trigger-finger meant, she could see it personified in front of her now. Trick pulled on the stranger, holding his gun at nearly point blank range. Millie screamed. That was the exact moment when Emmie"s world stopped turning. The first shot rang out. It came from the car. There had been another man hidden in the car. Silas stumbled backward, pulling out his gun, and shooting at the car as he did so. Walter broke out the gla.s.s and was firing out the window. More shots rang out, more shouting, more screaming. Emmie never realized the screams were coming from her. She couldn"t say how she made it from the house to the yard. She didn"t know if anyone else was around her or if the shooting had stopped. She could only see Silas lying at her feet. His white shirt was stained crimson red. A painful plea erupted from her chest, straight from her heart.