Broken is the Grave

by Candle Sutton

  Willie held up his hands slowly. “Nah, man.”

  “How about solitary? ‘Cause I can make that happen, too.”

  “You’re talkin’ about killin’!”

  “And you’re lookin’ at three strikes!”

  Willie clamped his mouth shut. Big surprise. Tobias cleared his throat and gentled his tone. “Look, it’s not that bad. Fake an accident. Then you’re not pulling the trigger or anything.”

  “So you do it.”

  “Normally I would. But I need this done now and I’ve got bigger fish to fry, know what I mean?”

  Willie wavered, indecision evident across his face. “I ain’t no killer.”

  Spoken without conviction.

  Tobias fought the urge to grin. He had him. One more push oughta do it. “You think those drugs you peddle never killed no one? That no one has died because of the fake bills you spread? What’s the big deal about maybe rewiring a switch and letting nature take its course? There’s good money in this for you.”

  Silence. Finally, Willie sighed. “What’d you say the dude’s name was again?”

  “Hezekiah Shepherd. Longish black hair, maybe Middle Eastern descent. Spends a lot of time at the mission, I think.”

  Willie’s forehead scrunched, probably trying to figure out who the guy was. With the amount of time Willie spent at the mission, he ought to know. As near as Tobias could tell, Willie had been a regular there for years.

  Suddenly Willie straightened. “You talkin’ ‘bout Zeke?”

  Tobias rolled his shoulders in a shrug. “Maybe. I don’t know. Probably about your height, little bit bigger, though.”

  Then again, most people were broader than Willie.

  Willie shook his head aggressively. “That’s Zeke. Forget it, man. No way. That dude’s got powers or somethin’. I ain’t messin’ with him.”

  He assessed Willie. “You afraid of him?”

  “You know what’s good for you, you would be, too.” Willie leaned in, eyes wide and wild. “Dude knows things he shouldn’t man. He’ll see me comin’ and put a curse on me or somethin’.”

  Stupid superstitious nonsense. Tobias crossed his arms over his chest and stared down at Willie. “Oooh, voodoo powers. Scary.”

  “I’m serious, man. That guy’s protected by powerful forces.”

  “Fear me. Not some invisible force.” Tobias strode toward a nearby bench, where he’d tossed his duffel bag, and withdrew a roll of bills from the front pocket.

  Willie followed like a puppet.

  Waving the roll in front of Willie’s face, he dropped his tone. “They’re all real. This is the down payment. You’ll get another roll once he’s six feet under.”

  After only a second’s hesitation, Willie snatched the roll from Tobias’ hand.

  “Good. I don’t care how you do it, but I want him dead by the end of the day.”

  Ten

  How had he talked her into this?

  With her gloved hand, Bethany scooped up another sandwich and handed it to a tattered man who wouldn’t even lift his eyes to see her smile. He was one more face in a line of weary souls, many of whom were so used to being invisible that they had bought into the lie themselves.

  It made her heart hurt.

  When her kids returned from the park, they were all chattering excitedly about helping Zeke serve food. It’d been so long since the kids, JJ especially, had gotten excited about anything that she hadn’t had the heart to say no.

  Especially when little Becca had placed her hands on either side of Bethany’s face and said “Love people.”

  It must’ve been something she’d heard Zeke say earlier and it stuck.

  He’d assured her that she and the kids had nothing to fear from the people here. So far, his words had proven true.

  Most of the people in the line were men, but a handful of women and children dotted the area.

  A dark-haired boy who couldn’t have been any older than Becca turned shining eyes on her and grinned as she put a sandwich on his outstretched paper plate.

  “Tank u.” The plate tipped and the sandwich slipped toward the edge, but the boy’s mother caught the edge and righted it.

  Bethany set a sandwich on the woman’s plate. “God bless you.”

  The woman offered a shaky half-smile before shooing her child down the line.

  As the lunch crowd dwindled, Bethany glanced over at the head of the line, where one of the shelter workers – Meg, if she remembered correctly – helped Becca and Pete hand out napkins and plates.

  On her other side, JJ stuck so close to Zeke that they looked tethered. The two moved about the room, talking with the people, picking up trash, and eliciting smiles.

  Huh. Every person they talked to seemed to change. Only momentarily, but while talking to Zeke and JJ, faces brightened and burdens seemed to lift.

  But Zeke had a way of doing that, didn’t he?

  She should know. He’d seamlessly absorbed some of her burden by being there for her kids.

  And JJ… well, she hadn’t seen him take to someone like this. Not ever.

  It was good to see. And also worrisome.

  Another sandwich, another unnoticed smile. Even as she continued to hand out sandwiches, she couldn’t let go of the doubt.

  Had she made a huge mistake? Introducing Zeke into their lives?

  When this was all over and Zeke went back to his life, she was the one who would have to pick up the pieces of her kids’ broken hearts.

  And what of her own?

  She pushed the question down with the smothered feelings festering inside her.

  Sure, she liked him. A little bit more with each passing hour, it seemed. But seriously, what did she have to offer? A messy life with three kids, no savings, and mounting debt?

  From the first time they met, she’d brought nothing but drama and trouble into his life.

  He’d repaid it all with kindness.

  She passed out the final sandwich on her current tray and swapped it with a full tray. When she looked up, she found both Zeke and JJ watching her, grins spread across their faces.

  Kneeling beside JJ, Zeke said something, then they both started weaving toward her.

  A Hispanic man crossed into her line of vision, holding a plate in shaking hands.

  “God bless you.” She smiled and put the sandwich on his plate.

  Unintelligible muttering answered her and he slid down the line. He hadn’t gotten more than two steps before Zeke clapped him lightly on the shoulder. “Rafe. How are you, brother?”

  Rafe jerked away. “Don’t touch me.”

  Eyebrows pulling together, Zeke studied him. “I’m sorry. I meant no offense.”

  Rafe scratched at a red spot on his arm. “I just don’t like to be touched.”

  Weird. Zeke’s confusion made her think that this Rafe’s hands-off approach was something new.

  “Zander’s been worried about you, brother. You should give him a call.”

  Rafe stared at the sandwich on his plate. “Yeah? Well, you can tell him I’m good. Just need time to deal with… everything.”

  “You’ll find the joy of the Lord when you embrace God’s gifts rather than fight Him.”

  Rafe’s eyes narrowed on his plate. Without a word, he pushed past Zeke, causing Zeke to stumble back a step.

  “I’m always here if you need anything.”

  A slight falter in Rafe’s stride was the only indication he heard Zeke’s words.

  As Rafe pushed through the doors and disappeared into the sunlight, Bethany looked at Zeke. “What was that all about?”

  Zeke sighed. “He’s running from God. Nothing guarantees misery faster than that.”

  That didn’t sound like the whole story, not by a long shot. “And Zander knows him?”

  “They grew up together. I never used to see Rafe around here, but he’s been by a few times in the last week for food. Ever since God used Elly’s gift to heal him, he’s been off.”

  The bu
ddy Zander had mentioned. The one who had gotten shot last week.

  No wonder he was off. She couldn’t imagine what it must be like to get shot, almost die, then have someone heal you. Something like that had to change a person.

  Especially if that person was fighting God.

  JJ had wandered over to join Pete and Becca. Still, she dropped her voice anyway. “I think he’s on something. Drugs of some kind.”

  Zeke nodded solemnly. “It’s gotten worse in the last week. If he doesn’t adjust course soon, he’s going to find himself in some serious trouble.”

  A feeling? Or a prophecy?

  How could she possibly know the difference with him?

  “Did God… tell you that?”

  Zeke nodded. “God loves him, but Rafe needs to choose for himself. I just pray he does it before it’s too late.”

  A shiver rocked her. It sounded so ominous. “Are we talking life or death here?”

  “At some point. We all die and…” He stilled. So still it was like looking at a statue.

  The color slipped from his face.

  The frozen state lasted beyond the point of awkwardness.

  Was he okay? Was he having a stroke? Some kind of seizure? Should she call for help?

  He blinked, his eyes opening to lock on her with an intensity she’d never seen from him. “Get out of here. Move people away.”

  What? The fervor in his words should’ve had her feet in motion, but she felt like the statue he’d been only moments before.

  “Bethany, please. We haven’t much time.”

  Time for what? The question drowned in the concern she found on his face.

  It didn’t matter what. Whatever it was, he was worried about it.

  “All the people?” She looked around at the thirty or so people scattered throughout the room. About a quarter of them were women and children.

  “Just those on this side of the room. Start with your kids and Meg.”

  Her kids.

  If something bad was going to happen, as Zeke’s response indicated it was, then she needed to make sure they were safe. Without voicing the millions of questions wrestling in her mind, she moved to obey.

  The door opened when she was only five feet from her kids. She stiffened.

  A lanky white guy stepped inside.

  Phew. Not a huge guy with a shaved head. She’d seen more than enough of that guy lately.

  The man’s ripped jeans and dirty t-shirt looked like so many she’d seen today.

  Probably here for a meal like everyone else. A breath eased from her.

  The lanky man glanced around. His roving eyes slid over her kids, beyond her, and locked on Zeke.

  The man took a step forward, hesitated, then pushed past Meg, ignoring the plate she offered.

  Not a good sign.

  She closed the gap to her kids.

  “JJ, Pete, Becca.” She waited for them to look at her before continuing, “I want you all to go…”

  Where? She didn’t know this building well, didn’t know where they’d be safe from… whatever.

  “Brother. You can turn back now.” Zeke’s voice, so calm, contained a warning that spiked her pulse.

  “Mom?” JJ’s forehead furrowed.

  “Over there.” She pointed to the far end of the room, an area with no windows or walls, and where at least twenty people would be between them and the potential threat. Assuming the man approaching Zeke was a threat.

  “Huh?” JJ stared at her as though she’d lost it.

  Maybe she had. “Please. Don’t question me. I need you to take your brother and sister and wait for me there. Meg, Zeke wanted you out of the area, too.”

  Meg looked over at Zeke.

  The other man had stopped a few feet away. Well within striking distance, if he was itching for a fight.

  The question was would Zeke, former sinless man from a perfect world, fight back? Would he even know how?

  Maybe it wouldn’t come to that.

  “You’ve done nothing, Willie. You can still walk away.” Zeke’s voice contained a soothing edge.

  The man gave a few jerky shakes of his head. “Can’t do it. Let’s take it outside.”

  Zeke stared at the man, his calm control contrasting sharply with the man’s increasing agitation. “No.”

  A hand flew out, jerking spastically as the man waved toward the people sitting on the other side of the room. “You want ‘em to get hurt? ‘Cause they will.”

  The oxygen felt like lead in her chest.

  The man was acting crazy. Maybe he was on drugs. Couldn’t people on drugs do crazy things? Hadn’t James done some crazy things before he’d left?

  But if Zeke went outside, he’d be on his own with the crazy man. At least in here, maybe someone would help him.

  Meg hurried across the room, slipping through a door that led to the main part of the center.

  Getting help? She sure hoped so.

  Her kids hadn’t moved.

  Placing a hand on Becca’s back, and the other on Pete’s, she nodded at JJ and herded them across the room.

  “Brother.” Zeke’s voice held a compassion that defied logic. “Your quarrel is not with me. Do not let Tobias have this control over you.”

  Tobias. Control.

  The words crashed through her mind.

  She’d been assuming that Zeke didn’t know this man. What if he did? What if he knew exactly why this man was here, why he was trying to pick a fight with him?

  Her steps stalled.

  Tobias. The name seemed familiar… yet she couldn’t place it.

  She turned to look at the two men, neither of whom had moved from where she’d last seen them.

  “You don’t know me, man!” Panic tinged the man’s words.

  “I know that you don’t really want to do this. That Tobias threatened you, pressured you, and bribed you.”

  “How…?” The question seemed to freeze in the man’s throat.

  That was a good question. How did Zeke know all that?

  “Just walk away.” Zeke’s words, softly spoken, subtly entreated the man to comply.

  Time stalled.

  The man shifted slightly. His hand fisted.

  Zeke!

  The word, screamed in her head, failed to leave her lips.

  The man swung, his fist arcing in a wild, loose movement on a collision course with Zeke’s face.

  Zeke twisted back, the man’s fist connecting with nothing but air.

  A low growl emanated from the man. He sprang forward, the movement driving Zeke back several steps.

  The man advanced on Zeke, throwing reckless punches that sent Zeke scrambling.

  A fist glanced off Zeke’s shoulder, another brushed his jaw. Neither took him down.

  Yet. The way that man advanced it was only a matter of time.

  She should do something!

  But what? She’d never fought a day in her life. Didn’t even know the first thing about fighting.

  And although that man wasn’t large, he was still taller than she was, and probably knew how to hold his own on the streets.

  The cops. She should call for help.

  Could the cops even get here in time to stop this?

  Maybe. She had to at least try.

  Pulling her cell from her pocket, she unlocked the screen.

  A large African American man charged over, taking up position beside Zeke.

  Whoa. While she hadn’t viewed Zeke as tiny, the man beside him dwarfed him. And was at least twice the size of the beanpole threatening Zeke.

  The newcomer crossed his arms over his broad chest. “You mess with him, you mess with me.”

  Zeke placed a hand on the man’s shoulder. “Reuben. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

  Reuben didn’t take his attention from the little punk. “Yeah, well I ain’t about to let you get hurt either.”

  “I’ll take you both down.” The bravado sounded forced. There was no chance that pipsqueak could take down
a man Reuben’s size.

  Even so, the man swung. His fist connected with Reuben’s jaw, snapping his head back.

  Reuben’s expression soured. He hauled back and swung with enough force to break a man’s nose.

  The little punk easily dodged the blow.

  Metal flashed under the fluorescents.

  Oh, Lord, no! The man had a knife!

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  Zeke.

  His brother’s name dropped into Josiah’s mind with crushing weight.

  Something was happening.

  The crowded bus on which Josiah stood faded into the background as the urgency grew. Zeke was in trouble.

  There was no room on the bus for Josiah to get on his knees, but God heard him regardless of physical posture.

  Oh, Sovereign God. Please protect my brother…

  ₪ ₪ ₪

  She was going to see someone get stabbed. Her kids were going to see…

  Her kids!

  She whipped around to find that JJ had followed her instructions. Becca and Pete stood with their backs to the wall and JJ positioned in front of them.

  Not that he’d be able to protect them if that man went on a rampage, but she loved that he wanted to try.

  She rushed to them, pushing them toward the door Meg had gone through. “Find Meg. Stay with her.”

  If someone was going to get stabbed today, her kids sure as heck weren’t going to see it.

  JJ herded the younger two through the swinging doors.

  Part of her wanted to go with them, but she couldn’t leave Zeke.

  Besides, she had to make sure that man didn’t get any closer to her family.

  Most of the other people who’d been in the room had cleared out. All those people and only one was brave enough to fight.

  She turned back to find Reuben and Zeke slowly backing away from the outstretched knife.

  The knife wobbled unsteadily. The man didn’t advance, but didn’t back down, either.

  It was just the three of them against a potentially crazy, armed man who seemed beyond reasoning. While there were more of them than him, that knife changed things. Could they get it away from him without getting hurt in the process?