McFall Page 32

  In the end, he hadn’t received a satisfactory answer.

  But maybe he hadn’t asked the right person. “Why?”

  McFall spread his arms to indicate the forest and sky. “These are the oldest mountains in the world, Ronnie.” He stomped the dark dirt beneath his feet. “The world’s oldest river starts down here, squeezing out from the bedrock. Science says two other rivers are older, but science doesn’t know everything. Science doesn’t believe I exist. This is where it all started. And it always comes back here, so this is where it has to end. But until then, here we are.”

  “So this is where Good and Evil meet?” Ronnie asked.

  “This is where we do battle. As you told me the first time we met: The river’s never new. It’s different every second. It never repeats itself. The same goes for us through the generations. Wendell McFall—the one you know as ‘The Hung Preacher’—couldn’t win here. Archer McFall wanted you so badly, but he still lost. I’m the one who did it.” McFall grinned with wolfish satisfaction. “I won.”

  “Why me?”

  “Why you? Because we can’t have you. Because, despite all evidence to the contrary, you still cling to faith. Because there’s always a Day who screws things up, just when everything is almost perfect. Our family has a saying: ‘I just can’t wait for the final Day.’ Cute, huh?”

  Ronnie was breathing heavily now. McFall was right; he was much stronger from all the physical labor, but he still wanted to improve. This was going to take everything he had. He needed to strengthen his mind, and his soul, too; there was plenty of metaphysical labor left for him to endure. “If Good and Evil are indifferent, why should they do battle?”

  For once, McFall seemed out of his depth, in uncharted territory. He shrugged, still walking. “It’s what we do.”

  They were at the top of the ridge now, and McFall climbed onto a moss-dappled boulder and knelt, admiring the view.

  Ronnie joined him. He hadn’t been up here since they’d finished the fence. The valleys were veiled in a thin haze, the Blue Ridge Mountains rising above it all like great beasts swimming in an ocean of lost time.

  “I wanted to turn this into a public park so that everyone could enjoy it, but Heather talked me out of it,” McFall said. “She wants to build our home up here. With lots of glass.”

  “I don’t blame her.”

  McFall gave him a gentle smile. That of a father, a brother, a lover, a savior—all rolled into one.

  “This will all be yours someday,” McFall said.

  “I’d like that,” Ronnie said. Tears filled his eyes. “Thank you.”

  Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.

  You surrendered to them, you let them trust you, you even let them love you. You gave them what they wanted. And when your enemies grew content, they eventually grew vulnerable. And that’s when you struck.

  It was the game within the game.

  And one day or another, one way or another, Ronnie was going to win.

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I'd like to thank Angela Polidoro, David Pomerico, Lexie Danner, and Death Cab for Cutie for guiding me through this wonderful journey. And you, Dear Reader, for coming along for the ride.

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Marie Freeman

  Scott Nicholson, the bestselling author of 20 thrillers including The Home, After: The Shock, Liquid Fear, and Disintegration, has sold more than 500,000 eBooks worldwide in the last three years. Nicholson has been in the Kindle Top 100 with five different books in the United States, two in the United Kingdom, four in Germany, and two in France. Amazon’s Thomas & Mercer thriller imprint has released his Fear series, and The Home is in development as a feature film.

  His website is www.AuthorScottNicholson.com.

  This book was originally released in Episodes as a Kindle Serial. Kindle Serials launched in 2012 as a new way to experience serialized books. Kindle Serials allow readers to enjoy the story as the author creates it, purchasing once and receiving all existing Episodes immediately, followed by future Episodes as they are published. To find out more about Kindle Serials and to see the current selection of Serials titles, visit www.amazon.com/kindleserials.