Covet Not (36 page)

But she
wasn't long for this world anyway. Josephine felt it in her bones. Her lungs
were stunted from infancy, and as long as she didn't do anything strenuous, she
would be fine.

Turned out
pregnancy was fairly strenuous, particularly as it progressed.

Various
medications helped some, but they couldn't afford them, and even if they could,
they wouldn't be able to afford a doctor. Mr. Agnesson provided two
appointments to check the gender and make sure everything looked good. It had,
but Josephine had been confused that the doctor hadn't acknowledged anything
about her health. He hadn't been concerned at all.

As her belly
grew, her breaths got shorter, and she worried about the baby constantly. She
spent hours lying down and trying to supply oxygen to her. So she would have a
chance.

Josephine
couldn't let her baby stay here in Texas. And that boy was her only hope.

Raphael
Achen.

She just
hoped he could make it.

Her mother
knew the plan, and as long as Raphael kept the secret of their location, Mr.
Agnesson would never find them. He would certainly keep his eyes and ears open,
but with the money he'd already given, half of the whole, would keep her mother
fed and housed.

Josephine
hoped to live long enough to hold her. To put her in her father's hands.

LXII

James drove home from Austin
in a daze.

He'd been
perfectly fertile all this time. And Selene had meant to kill his child.

He didn't
want a child with her, but that hardly mattered.

The physician
went on to tell how statistically unlikely it was, but on occasion, if the Lord
commanded it, then wasn't he lucky?

James had to
bite his tongue. He wanted to say how the Lord did no such thing, and blaming
divine interference for ineptitude was truly pathetic.

Still, it
saved him money he could allot elsewhere. Like for a nursery. He didn't much
like children, though he liked them a little more when they were too young to
not know the difference between their father and God.

His new
children with Sophia were going to be perfect. Blond hair and blue eyes, and
the midnight sun would rise again.

James hoped
Sophia would shrug off her missing pills. He hadn't found a back-up, but he
didn't have very long to look.

Sophia had
just returned home after taking Jared his laptop back. She felt less stress
having access to the rest of her world.

The scheme
was dangerous, but she'd eaten men like James for breakfast on a daily basis.
She'd been under them. But ultimately, she always came out on top,
business-wise. And emailing her father helped create a trail.

She arranged
to have her house in El Paso furnished and rental ready. She filled out a
missing person’s report for her sister, and shot off an email to her father
detailing what she'd done and to have him on standby should she require it.

Her father
would be angry, so she had to be clear that she had everything under control.
She lied and said she wasn't in any danger.

Sophia opened
a separate bank account through an International bank, and funded it, with
branches in Austin, El Paso, and Ciudad Juarez. It was enough money for several
people to live off of comfortably for at least a year. She ordered several bank
cards so they could withdraw money easily. It was an archaic way of doing
things, but she didn't want there to be a need for close-up photographs or
fingerprints.

She also had
two sets of Passports created for everyone. Except for the baby.  It was a
pretty penny for six of them, but they would need identification if they left.
If she was going to take them to Mexico, they would be Hildegard's. They would
be Agnesson's when it was time to return. She had the Passports sent to a post
office box in El Paso. It was next to the bank.

She ordered a
cellular phone that was email enabled and a laptop.

If they
needed to leave, even if it were within an hour, she wanted everything taken
care of.

She emailed
her brother Anton and his wife Agatha, to inquire if they still desired a baby.

She also gave
Jared her login information just in case something happened to her and they
needed to get out. Everything he would need would be easy to access, so he
would know what to do. She told him to check several times a day and to notify
her somehow. She wrote down several replies he was meant to give. Directions
and a tentative time to be confirmed later to meet her brother in Ciudad Juarez
with the baby, and platitudes to her father. And if she became inaccessible, he
knew to contact Klaus right away.

“
How did you busy yourself while I was
gone?” James asked pleasantly while they were eating dinner.

“
Dusting mostly. My father called and I
chatted with him for a little bit. If they get permission, they might travel in
for Christmas.” Sophia laid out the lie. She hoped it would be another layer of
safety for her. If what she assumed was true, she needed him to know there were
people in her life who knew where she was.

“
It will be difficult to get permission.”
James spoke evenly, and she watched him.

“
He's done business in Texas before, so I
imagine it won't be difficult. Besides, everyone knows you can bribe a guard.”
She sipped her wine slowly, assuming it was drugged, but she wanted it to hit
her gradually.

“
That could get him imprisoned.”

“
I was kidding. Honestly, anyone can take
the bus in. They don't check anything. As long as you want cheap labor, your
borders aren't truly closed.” She bit her tongue. She hadn't meant to reveal
any political or economic leanings. “Well, they let us in, but letting us out
is another matter entirely. But, it doesn't matter. Father will likely fly into
Austin. It's how he normally gets in.” She must've been more afraid than she
admitted to herself. The lies were spilling from her mouth easily.

James
frowned. Only business people with money flew in. Bankers mostly, and there was
a smattering of people who still invested in oil, or rather their family had
for centuries and they hadn't sold it, yet. They owned a bit of Texas and it
was novel. And if he had money, why did she need to come to Texas to clean his
house. “What does your father do?”

She pretended
to consider. “It has to do with money...investments, I think. Not a banker. I'm
not exactly certain.”

“
Why did you want to work here, then?” He
was watching her now, and paying attention.

A quick lie.
“So long as I remained unmarried and childless, I would be written out of the
will.”

“
Any siblings?”

She couldn't
remember what she'd told him. So if she had, he apparently couldn't remember
either. “Just me.” She hated that she couldn't remember. It was beyond foolish.

She changed
the subject. “Have you seen my pills? I've misplaced them, and it'll be a pain
to get some more here,” Sophia asked. And she could feel the wine. Finally. She
took another sip. A small one.

“
It's not like you need them,” James
reminded. “And I've already been to McAllen once this week. I'm not going back
for your pills.”

McAllen.
“It depends on what you think I need them
for. If you mean I don't need to be so promiscuous, then...” She lost her
thought. “Anyway. I take them so I don't turn into a fucking monster every
month. I'm impossible to deal with otherwise.”

His smile
showed teeth.

Sophia woke
up feeling like she'd mentally got hit by a truck. Physically, she was
pleasantly sore.

There was a
small part of her that had truly believed this would be a worst case scenario.

She
remembered coming to the room and pulling him on top of her.

She
remembered forgetting who he was and what he'd done. That was the most
dangerous thing.

She hoped she
would be pregnant quickly. She knew she was a fool to not just run, but she
couldn't leave the wives of his sons, and Raphe would need to get to safety.
The brothers, they could do fine by themselves, but they would be paralyzed
until their wives were out of danger.

LXIII

It was the night of New Year's
Eve and Raphe was on edge. They would be leaving for Greenville in the very
early hours.

They would
set out without Sophia, so Jared needed to make sure he had everything planned
from the emails. Agnesson would surely know Sophia was up to something if she
went missing for a couple of days.

They all had
slept most of the day away so they would be ready to travel without Agnesson
finding out when they left. Clara was already at Jared's, and Jude and Raphe
would go once they were done putting things away in the barn.

Once they
picked the baby up, they would take her to Ciudad Juarez, and that's what made
Raphe nearly sick. Not the baby going to a more stable home, but he was sure
Jude would ask them to stay behind, Clara and him. He didn't say, but he'd
asked her to pack a bag, and some of Raphe's inherited clothing found its way
in there.

Jude had been
frantic lately with him. Raphe's lips were nearly raw from him, but he was easy
with Clara. They both were easy with her. She had physically recovered, but she
was very cautious about getting pregnant again.

He didn't
want to be without Jude, and he knew Jude would ask him to take care of their
Clara. He understood it, but he hated it. Raphe would stay with Clara even if
Jude never requested it. Because he couldn't bear to leave her alone, but
neither could Jude.

And Raphe
wouldn't allow himself to imagine what life would be like for Jude without
their support.

They'd hoped
it wouldn't have to come to this. If Raphe could do it all over again, he
would've killed Agnesson the first week.

But Sophia
was smart, if a bit ruthless. She had good reasons, and she set up protections
for all of them.

They would be
without each other for six, seven, or eight months. That was far too long.
Sophia revealed she was pregnant by a quick run to the barn when Agnesson was
out. She wasn't sure how far along she was, but it was early.

A month
passed, and Agnesson was plenty preoccupied. The pastor came to the house to
marry them, and everything was going along as Sophia had predicted.

It was a
ridiculous plan to take him down completely, but Sophia clearly excelled at the
big picture. She'd considered every minute detail, with great risk to herself.
She arranged to protect them all.

Raphe didn't
hear the barn door open, but he wasn't on alert for it. Jude had run back to
the house to see if anything else was needed.

Jude told
Raphe he would meet him back at the barn, so Raphe was taking his time, hanging
various tools and trying to suss out their purpose. He couldn't find a
perverted use for most of them, so he was utterly bored, but the barn was
tidied.

“
I'd expected to see you and my son in a
very compromising position.”

Raphe didn't
jump, but he turned slowly. They'd been so diligent. Agnesson had his rifle at
his hip, but Raphe had his within arm's length, along with other projectiles.
“You knew I was alone. It's been a while since you've hurt anyone, so you must
be itching to.”

“
You think you're so smart
‒
”

 
Raphe laughed. “I'm a fucking genius.”

“
You're a fucking whore.”

Raphe gave
him a cheery smile. “Indeed. With an enviable work schedule.”

“
How very optimistic.” James stroked the
stock. The barrel still pointed down.

“
Well, I don't do anything I don't want to
do.” He looked him in the eye. “Not anymore.”

“
That sounds like a challenge.” The barrel
moved up a centimeter.

“
It's really not.”

James
laughed, and Raphe was bored. And irritated.

“
Jude will be back soon.”

“
Jude is...tied up with something else.”
His grip slacked.

Dread, full
fucking force in his gut. And numbing rage. “What do you mean?”

“
I mean, we can entertain each other a
little longer.”

“
Clara is expecting me.” He needed to get
to Jude.

“
Speaking of Clara, how is she feeling? Any
issues?”

“
She is fine.” He looked fully at Agnesson,
and his dread intensified.

“
I caught a glimpse of her a few days ago.
It didn't look like pregnancy was agreeing with her.” Agnesson shrugged.

“
Say what you mean, Agnesson.”

“
I'm saying...” He smiled. “I'm saying, you
should've been more discreet. There was no way I was going to allow a child be
witness to your perversions.”

Raphe saw
red. The implication that Jude had been made unavailable, and his all but
admitting to causing the miscarriage, sent him barreling toward Agnesson with a
fucking inhuman shriek.

And just the
shock of it made Agnesson falter.

Against all
odds, Raphe had him down against a hay bale, and the barrel of Agnesson's own
rifle turned against him. Raphe pressed it just under his ribs. He'd had to get
himself out of some scrapes before. He was fast, and people rarely expected him
to be effective.

Agnesson
hadn't anticipated such an assault. He wasn't used to getting out of them
either. “So fucking stupid. You can't even find my heart.”

“
I'm not aiming for your heart, you
demented fuck, if I even believed you had one. I'd rather shoot you in a place
where you'd bleed out slowly.” Raphe dug the rifle in deeper.

“
You don't have the balls
‒
”

“
You might be right.” And Raphe thought of
Daniel right then, because he'd always thought Daniel was a chicken shit. He
unbuttoned Jude's old jeans. He kept his eyes on Agnesson. “I think we should
see.”

And there it
was. Raphe hadn't imagined it. Agnesson's eyes averted downward quickly with a
harsh inhalation. It could've been arousal, but Raphe could see Agnesson
choosing his words carefully.  He would let him.

“
Jude will be back any minute.” Fear.

“
You said he wouldn't.”

“
I was trying to scare you.”

“
You succeeded.”

“
He really will be back.” More fear.

“
That's fine.”

“
You don't want to do what you're
thinking.”

“
You don't know what I'm thinking, and you
also underestimate him. He might be watching right now. He might've heard what
you said about Clara and assumed the same thing I did. Believe me, he's not
going to care what I plan to do.” Raphe smiled and palmed himself through his
underwear, hoping his erection would happen fairly soon.

“
What do you plan to do?” Quick, shallow
breaths. Sweat was framing his hairline even though it was close to freezing
outside.

“
Exactly what you're hoping I won't do.
Tell me why Jude is delayed since I already know why you murdered a fetus you
broke international laws to create.” Raphe leaned in closely. “You killed my
baby. Killed. My.
Child.
What is a parent to do when they've got the
murderer exactly where they want them?”

Agnesson
wheezed. “I just flipped the breaker. Just a harmless prank.”

Raphe laughed.
Hysteria tinged the edges. “Are you capable of harmless?”

“
He won't want you like this. He will be
disgusted that you are capable of it,” Agnesson whispered desperately.

Raphe was
hard, finally, and watching Agnesson grow more desperate was satisfying. But he
never wanted to alienate Jude. It was disgusting, and he shouldn't be capable
of it, but he wanted to all the same. The cocksucker deserved it.

“
I
am
a little disgusted, but I'd
say you have it coming. For Daniel, right?”

And there was
his Jude and the panic on Agnesson's face went from near placid to beet red and
terrified.

Raphe leaned
forward a little more against the bale and the rifle pressed in hard, and
Agnesson hissed.

“
Open up. I do like a little tooth. Just
scrape it along the bottom. But not too much. Don't startle me, either. Finger
is on the trigger.” It was difficult to push into Agnesson's mouth.

“
Jude, do you see what he's doing? How can
you allow this?” Agnesson turned his face from side to side.

Until Jude
grabbed his hair and jerked it front and center, and hit the back of Agnesson's
head with his own gun.

 
Raphe pressed in and Agnesson's eyes
watered. “Yes. Just like that. You aren't even trying, but look at you.”

“
Do you plan on killing him like Daniel?”
Jude asked.

“
That was the original plan, but oh, no. He
can't remember it if he's dead.” Raphe pushed in and out. It wasn't good at
all, but it didn't matter.

Raphe spoke,
hypnotically. Lyrically. “You told me he was fine after you implied you'd done something
to hurt him. You also told me you couldn't allow Clara to remain pregnant.”

Jude inhaled
sharply. “He killed the baby?”

Raphe nodded
and thrust into Agnesson's throat. He cut of his air before pulling out. And he
repeated it, again and again.

“
I feel like he doesn't deserve to have you
like this since I find it such a treat, but he doesn't, does he?” Jude said, as
he watched tears gather in his father's eyes.

“
If he did, I wouldn't be doing it.”

“
Where are you going to come?”

“
Deep down his throat at first, but I'll
finish on his tongue.” Raphe thrust faster and faster. “The thought of making
him swallow all of it, and him having to wake the next morning knowing that
he'd sucked a dick, my dick, well, I really like that.”

“
I'll have to bathe you. Because I sure as
fuck ain't letting you inside me after that.”

Raphe
laughed. “I've already been inside you today. I didn't clean myself up either.
Thanks for the reminder.”

“
Fuck. Yes. I'll be feeling that for days,”
Jude sighed.

James
wrenched himself away and shouted desperately, “I will fucking kill you. I will
kill everyone you love.”

Raphe yanked
Agnesson's head back to his dick, and filled his mouth again. “When I saw him
fucking Daniel's mouth, he didn't close his eyes once. You should've seen his
face. He looked almost fond of Daniel. But he was punishing him. Like a jealous
lover.”

 “
I think maybe we should give Father a bit
of a break for introducing us.” He sucked his middle finger into his mouth and
slid it down the back of Raphe's pants. He pressed his finger in hard.

“
What sort of break?” Strangled whisper.

“
If his dick is hard, then come in his
mouth. If his dick isn't hard, then his face will do,” Jude said as he fingered
Raphe. “This should make you come so much harder.”

Raphe laughed
breathlessly. “I might be...no. I'm fairly certain I'm in love with you.”

Jude made a
sound deep in his throat, but wouldn't get distracted. “Is he hard, Raphe?”

Raphe looked
down. It was impossible to miss the way Agnesson's cock was straining against
his pants. “Oh, yes. He wants it down his throat.”

“
And I'm about to make you come so fucking
hard.”

“
Yes,” Raphe hissed. He pressed back
against that finger, and hit the back of Agnesson's throat on every thrust. He
made sure to make him gag as often as possible, and to press deeply so that he
couldn't breathe.

Jude pushed
two fingers in quickly, and Raphe slammed into Agnesson's mouth all the way as
he came. He barely remembered to pull back a couple of inches to make sure to
get it on his tongue. “Don't you dare spit. Swallow it all.” He patted
Agnesson's cheek while he calmed his breathing. “You were brilliant. Your mouth
was made to be fucked.” He looked down. “Did you need to take care of that?”

“
Don't fucking touch me.” Agnesson's voice
was wrecked.

“
I didn't offer to jack you off. You have
opposable thumbs.” Raphe stood back and fixed his pants. Jude kept the gun
trained on his father.

“
You're disgusting,” Agnesson bit out
before standing.

“
Oh, don't be like that!” Raphe laughed. “You
were a natural. I was impressed!”