Forty Acres: A Thriller
Page 36
Martin and Anna greeted Glen and Lisa at the front door. There was an exchange of hugs and kisses, then Lisa sniffed the air. “Mmmm . . . Is that lamb? Smells incredible.”
“God, I hope so,” Anna said, biting her lower lip. “It’s kinda your recipe. Actually, since you’re here, you can help. Come, come.” Anna grabbed Lisa’s hand and dragged her into the kitchen.
Glen reached into a Toys “R” Us shopping bag and pulled out what looked like a brand-new chess set. He handed it to Martin. “Just a little gift.”
Martin looked baffled at the box. It wasn’t just a chess set. It was a Mephisto talking chess trainer. A shiny gold sticker on the shrink-wrap promised that the gadget was endorsed by Kasparov himself. Martin frowned blankly at Glen. “Um, thanks . . . I think.”
“Not for you, Perry Mason. It’s for our future partner. Why do you think my mind is so sharp? When I was a kid I played lots of chess with my dad.”
“Glen, Anna’s not even showing yet.”
“Sure, sure, it’s a little soon. But the game talks. You and Anna can play and the kid can hear every move. Kids begin learning in the womb, that’s a proven fact.”
Martin shook his head in disbelief. “You’re crazy, you know that?”
“Says the man who single-handedly took down the biggest conspiracy in the history of ever. I still don’t believe it.” Glen gave Martin’s good shoulder a friendly slap. “You okay? How you holding up, bro?”
Martin felt himself stiffen. Glen had probably called him “bro” a thousand times over the course of their friendship, but this was the first time that it had grated on his nerves. He felt a strong urge to ask Glen not to use that term again. At least not until the bullet wound in his shoulder had healed and the nightmares had stopped and the world had returned to normal. But Martin decided against it. He didn’t want to put a damper on tonight’s dinner, and more importantly, he didn’t want to poison his relationship with his best friend. So, for the second time that evening, Martin heeded his wife’s advice.
He turned it off.
“I’m getting there,” Martin replied, putting on a brave smile. “I’m getting there.”
Martin led Glen over to the living room wall unit and popped open a small liquor cabinet. He was about to pour Glen his usual Jack and Coke but Glen insisted that, like Martin, he’d just have a Diet Coke. “When you’re off the meds,” Glen said, “the first round’s on me. But just the first.”
Martin chuckled and reached for the Diet Coke, but the front doorbell interrupted the moment.
“Hey, who’s that?” Glen said. “You never mentioned another guest.”
Martin looked equally surprised. “There isn’t one. At least, not that I know of.”
Anna appeared in the kitchen doorway wearing oven mitts and an accusing stare targeted at her husband. “Did you invite someone and forget to tell me?”
Martin raised his hands. “Not guilty. I swear. Hold on.”
Martin crossed to the window beside the door and peeked past the curtain. “That’s odd,” he said, turning back to Anna. “It’s the cable guy.”
Anna glanced at her watch. “Now? I thought the upgrade was tomorrow.”
“I did too. At least that’s what they told me.”
“That is odd,” Glen said with a chuckle. “Who the hell ever heard of a cable guy coming early?”
The doorbell chimed again.
Anna sighed and said to Martin, “Well, dinner’s ready. Could you ask him to come back another time?”
“I’m sure that won’t be a problem.”
“Then could you two come help carry in the food?”
“On our way,” Glen said.
Anna thanked them with a smile then retreated into the kitchen.
Martin reached out to open the door but suddenly paused. With his hand inches from the brass doorknob Martin stood there, frozen, in a moment of deep thought.
“You okay?” Glen asked.
Martin withdrew his hand and turned to Glen. He whispered, “I have a bad feeling about this.”
Glen looked confused. “What? Why?”
Martin pressed a finger to his lips, then continued in a hushed voice. “Do you know how long it takes to get an appointment? If I send him away, the cable company might insist on rescheduling. But if no one’s home, there’s a chance they’ll figure out their error and send someone tomorrow as planned.”
Glen smiled and whispered, “Very smart.”
Martin eased away from the front door. “Come on, let’s go help with dinner.”
As Martin and Glen quietly stepped toward the kitchen, the doorbell tolled for a third time, its beckoning tone lingering in the air like an unanswered question.
Acknowledgments
The journey from coming up with the idea for Forty Acres to having the book finally published was like a dream come true.
First and foremost, I’d like to thank Mr. Bill Teitler. Bill and I met initially to discuss one of my screenplays. Typically, during a first meeting between producer and screenwriter, the producer will ask, “so, what else are you working on?”
I told Bill about my half-finished manuscript called Forty Acres . . . and he loved it. For a year he poked at me to finish, but I was too busy. Finally, he convinced me to let him read what I had. Bill liked it and asked if he could show it to a literary agent he knew. Then things really took off. Without Bill Teitler’s encouragement and tenacity Forty Acres might still be sitting in a drawer.
Also, a huge thank you to the Friedrich Agency: Lucy Carson, Nichole LeFebvre, Molly Schulman, and most of all to my agent Molly Friedrich. When I walked into their offices in New York for the first time, the enthusiasm in the room was palpable. Being new to publishing, there’s a lot I don’t know. Led by Molly Friedrich’s wisdom, the support, guidance, and patience that these amazing women showed me has been invaluable. And even when the pressure was on, Molly’s frank yet delightful wit always kept me smiling.
And thank you also to the team at Atria Books for their hard work on Forty Acres. Publisher Judith Curr, Daniel Loedel, Stacey Kulig, Jeanne Lee, and my editor Peter Borland. Molly said I was lucky to have Peter as an editor and from the moment I met him I knew she was right. Peter’s passion and insights were truly an inspiration. Everyone at Atria did a great job. I couldn’t be more proud of the final product.
I write alone, but not really. Instead of a writing partner, I use the people around me as sounding boards. I always feel self-conscious about calling up friends to test yet another idea, worried that I bug them far too much. Surprisingly, they are usually very generous with their time and show a great amount of patience as they help me find my way.
A heartfelt thanks to my friends William Massa, Gordon Chou, Suzanne Miller, Al Valentine, Robert Brody, Glen Beltran, Greg Zehentner, Michelle James, Craig Feagins, Angel Nieves, and Felicia Rivera.
One final thank you to my fiancée, Stephanie Warren, for making an exciting time in my life . . . even more exciting.
We hope you enjoyed reading this Atria Books eBook.
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Jacket design by Lucy Kim
Jacket photographs: Cotton field © Dana Tezarr/Getty Images, Afican Black Eagle © Stephen Alvarez/Getty Images, Barbed wire fence © Stephen Shepherd /Getty Images
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Smith, Dwayne.
Forty acres : a thriller / Dwayne Alexander Smith.—First Atria Books hardcover edition.
pages cm
Summary: “A thriller about a Black society with a secret”—Provided by publisher. 1. African American lawyers—Fiction. 2. Secret societies—Fiction. 3. Human trafficking—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3619.M58165F67 2014
813’.6—dc23
014000803
ISBN 978-1-4767-3053-0
ISBN 978-1-4767-3055-4 (ebook)
Contents
* * *
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Acknowledgments
Table of Contents
Cover
Dedication
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80
Chapter 81
Chapter 82
Chapter 83
Chapter 84
Chapter 85
Chapter 86
Chapter 87
Chapter 88
Chapter 89
Chapter 90
Chapter 91
Chapter 92
Chapter 93
Chapter 94
Chapter 95
Acknowledgments
Copyright