“Sounds good. I wanted to give you something, Sarah, I mean, Kenzie. Sorry, that’s going to be a hard habit to break.” Grabbing his worn knapsack, Matthew put it on his lap. It was bulgy. Unfastening the top buckle, he left the flap down. “When they cleaned out your house after you disappeared, they gave my mom your mom’s trunk since they were best friends.” He opened the bag. “I thought you would want this.”
A white quilt emerged and I reached for it. “My mom’s quilt.”
Countless times, I’d remembered those few precious moments in the attic as I touched the hand stitching my mom had done.
Throwing my hands around his neck, I hugged Matthew. “Thank you.”
He was stiff at first, but relaxed into the hug. Caressing my back, he whispered in my ear, “You’re welcome. I know how precious those quilts are.”
Pulling back, I kept running my hands along the different patterns of fabric. “Do you think we’ll be able to find a way to expose The Society?”
He let out a breath. “I hope so. I’ve been thinking how we could do it. Maybe if both of us talked to the police, it’d be taken more seriously. If they’ve burned all the incriminating evidence, I’m not sure what our next step is. But, I’m not giving up.”
“Me either.” It was good to have a third person in on this mission.
The doorbell rang. “Let me see who it is.”
Standing, I tucked my cell phone into my back pocket out of habit. I walked toward the door and looked back at Matthew. He refolded the quilt. Internally, I chuckled at our habits that were alike. Nothing was ever out of place at The Society.
As I turned the knob, it flew open, and slammed me against the wall. My vision came in and out as I got my bearings while sinking to the floor.
“Sarah!” Matthew’s voice cried out. Fuzzily, I thought, I’m not Sarah. I’m Kenzie. There was more yelling and a scuffle of bodies. So much commotion, it was hard to focus on the limbs.
Click.
A cold metal something pressed against my temple. The icy voice that haunted my dreams spoke, “I’ll shoot her Matthew, if you don’t stop.”
My vision cleared as fear gripped me. Matthew was on top holding Abraham by the throat. Abraham, the enforcer of The Society, looked murderous. Matthew had never liked him.
Freezing, Matthew looked my way and held up his hands. “Don’t hurt her, Jacob.”
“You’ll address me by my proper name.” The Keeper pressed the gun farther into my temple at his words.
I whimpered, my eyes darting to Matthew. I was going to die. This was it. My breathing came faster.
“Please don’t hurt her, Keeper. Please.” The pleading in Matthew’s voice had me closing my eyes.
Satisfied, he released some of the pressure and I opened my eyes. After all the precautions we’d taken, it hadn’t mattered. I had to push past the terror that was clouding my mind. I wanted to live. I wanted to survive. Stay calm, Kenzie. Think.
The Keeper’s icy voice brought an involuntary shiver out in me. “Let’s move to the couch.”
Abraham pushed Matthew off and got back on his feet. The Keeper’s shock-white hair was prevalent under his cap. The gun was removed away from my head and I was able to breathe a little easier without the cold barrel threatening me a point-blank range.
“Sarah, join Matthew on the couch.” The Keeper was in complete control like I’d always seen him. There had to be a way out of this.
Unsteadily, I got to my feet and my balance was a little off from the hard knock on the head. With a slight zigzag, I got to the couch. Matthew brought me to him. “Are you okay?”
“I will be.”
My head throbbed and I could feel a bump forming.
Abraham stood in front of us and wiped the blood from his lip. With a menacing step forward, he pulled back his arm like he was going to strike me. Matthew shielded me.
“Abraham. Stop.” The Keepers command was followed without hesitation. The Keeper shook his head slowly at us. “I’m disappointed in you, Matthew. When we pulled in, I thought I saw Sarah going into that gas station.” He tsked. “How could you betray us like this? We are a unified group. She’s one of the doomed now.”
By the calculating look in his eyes, the Keeper had been waiting for Matthew to come to me. Matthew must have figured it out too as he spoke, “You set me up. You knew I would come to Sarah.”
I was glad that Matthew wasn’t using my real name. If we got out of this, I’d have to leave. At least I’d be able to disappear again.