King
King stared at his computer screen. Kindness and faithfulness keep a king safe, through kindness his throne is made secure.
"How bad is the damage?"
Min reported. "Forty percent of the headquarters files. Thirty percent offsite."
"Why can't our tech staff quarantine the infected files?"
"They've tried. Whoever released this virus into our system is a pro with far superior skills."
"Then hire someone from the outside. At this rate, we'll be incapable of operating by the end of the week."
"Yes, sir."
Min left King to his thoughts.
With the tag, it was clear someone was targeting King. He made a mental list of his enemies, then narrowed it down to those with enough guts to actually attack like this. The list was short. Almost non-existent. The Heavenlys had a long reputation for dealing strictly and severely with enemies, and they had a lot of enemies. Still, the Heavenly power structure made an attack from outside forces virtually a suicide mission.
Unless, of course, it came from a cyberattack like the one they were under right now.
King didn't like feeling helpless.
A reminder buzzed on his phone. King gave Teela twenty-four hours to return before he went against Bea's business. Did the woman not care about her friend, or did she not take him seriously?
A man of his word, King dialed the phone. "Kill her business by close of the day."
If Teela behaved, King might help Bea rebuild later. If not, well, he had a decision to make. Which was more important to a woman—her reputation or her family?
Teela
I stopped helping Father DiMarco convert one of the Sunday school rooms into a bedroom for Bea when the phone rang.
"Teela, King's gone after my company. Half my employees have walked out. The state wants to audit my books, and the government project I've spent the last sixty days fleshing out has gone up in smoke. I don't know what to do."
"Hold on. How do you know it was King?"
"Besides the threat? The asshole called me to take credit."
The idiot had learned nothing. I'd have to leave him a clearer line between cause and effect.
"I'm so sorry. I'll make it right. I promise."
I hung up with Bea and called King.
"Are you ready to come back?"
"Did you learn nothing in the past twenty-four hours about kindness?"
Silence. When King spoke again, his voice was deadly cold. "What do you mean?"
"You aren't stupid, King. The gift I left on your server is gone now, but it can always return if you don't leave Bea alone.
"Just think of the damage if I let it run twice as long."
"You did this to me? Did you use the money I put in your account to hire someone to launch a cyberattack on my company? What kind of woman are you?"
I rolled my eyes. Of course, it would never occur to him that I might be capable of more than cooking and cleaning."
I didn't really dislike King when I left. On the contrary, what I disliked was me and how I'd become a victim. I'd given up my power like it was nothing. He was slowly making me dislike him.
Summoning all the patience I had left to spare, I said, "I swear, I haven't spent one dime of the money you left in my bank account. In fact, I would consider it a favor if you took it back."
"I can't do that."
"King, I spent three years existing in poverty while living in the lap of luxury. I watched Anya flaunt designed bags and clothes that cost more than a new car while I was fighting to patch and remove grease stains from my limited wardrobe. I don't need your guilt money."
"It's not guilt money. Just take it."
"You just accused me of using the money to hurt you. Is that really who you think I am? Nevermind. It doesn't matter. I haven't spent the money. Take it back, or I'll give it to Bea to compensate her for the harm you've done to her."
"If you'd just come home, I wouldn't care less what Bea does."
In a way, it would be so much easier to give in and do what King wanted. Bea would be safe, but it had taken so much out of me to leave I didn't know if I could survive another round of Heavenly madness. And I still didn't believe Lettie would allow me back in the house.
I was tempted to give in and go back with King. Let him see for himself how useless it was to try to reconcile, but if he hadn't noticed how poor my living conditions had been for years, I couldn't trust that he would be more cognizant going forward.
"King, why do you want me to go back? Do you even know?"
Silence ensued as if King wasn't expecting that question. Huh, maybe the best way to fight him was to ask him the hard questions, the questions we had avoided during our entire marriage.
"Married people should stay together."
"Why? Because of some promise you made my mother. Because of an arbitrary promise made during our marriage vows?"
"In part."
"Well, King, part of those vows also was to love one another. Can you say that you love me? No, I'll make it easier for you than that. Have you ever, even for a minute, loved me?"
"Enough! Twenty-four hours, Teela, or I destroy Bea's reputation."
The line went dead.
I melted to the floor and let the tears fall. There were many reasons King and I didn't talk. This was one of them. Any time we came close to a heartfelt conversation, he shut me down. And I knew deep inside why.
King never loved me. I was a pawn in a land deal, a convenience, a responsibility. I was anything but what a wife should be.
Father DiMarco wrapped his arms around me. "Shush, it's okay. They were just words, Teela. Words can't hurt you if you don't let them."
I sobbed. "It's not the words that hurt."
"What is it then? Talk to me, Teela. I'm here for you."
"It's the lack of words. King doesn't love me."
"He wouldn't be fighting so hard to get you back if he didn't have some feelings for you."
"Lots of feelings have nothing to do with love. King is used to getting what he wants. He wants me. He doesn't even know why, but he won't let me go."
"Sure he will. It takes some people longer than others to accept the inevitable. In the meantime, off the floor, my dear. Let's have a bite of lunch, and then we'll finish whipping this room into shape.
The phone rang again.
King.
"Compromise. I can't say I love you." His voice softened. "But I want to. Come home, and I'll go to couples therapy with you."
Whoa. That was huge. Mind-blowing. Heart-stopping. Every other cliché known to man special, but it wasn't enough. Even if King was willing to try, he had no control over Lettie, and I didn't trust her to give us a second chance.
"Counteroffer. Leave Bea alone. I'll attend couples therapy, but I won't return to the estate. Outside of the therapy sessions, you leave me and my friends alone. In exchange, I'll protect the Heavenly family's reputation."
King countered. "For thirty days, we'll table discussions about going home, but Teela, you miss one session, you'll pay."
If things went to plan, in thirty days, he would be hard pressed to force me to do anything.
"Done."
I stared at the phone long after King disconnected.
"What's wrong?" Father DiMarco asked.
"I think I just made a deal with the devil."
"Well, I'll say an extra prayer for you tonight. Now, when do I get to meet this Bea? How did you meet?"
"You may not need to," I mumbled.
"What does it have to do with need? I want to meet her. She sounds like an amazing girl with a positive attitude. My kind of person."
While I was relieved King had promised to leave Bea alone, if I was being totally honest with myself, I was disappointed at the thought of her not moving in with us. Bea was my sunshine. I'd love to have her nearby to draw on her warmth and strength. I was hopeful she would help me with my special project. And I was for sure she would get along well with Father DiMarco.
"How about I cook dinner for all of us tomorrow tonight? You two can meet, and we can ask her to move in."
Or she can stay in my apartment—the apartment that I paid rent for for six months but only used for about five hours. I could have put that money toward a killer computer system or donated it to Father DiMarco. The church needed a lot of renovations to turn it from a gothic horror monstrosity into a warm and welcoming sanctuary. If I planned to stay, then it was only right that I share the expense of making my new home into something special.
Home. That word felt right, but I wasn't sure if it was the building or the man standing before me that made it feel like home.