Chapter 12
Jasper
I had expected Carmella to return, and when she didn’t, I knew exactly what had happened. Ocalla must have had one of his goons pay her a visit. At their age, I didn’t expect Carmella or her husband to stand up to the threats. It wouldn’t end nicely for them. If I reached out myself, it might bring further issues. The best thing I could do was let it go for the moment and circle back after the election.
At times like this, I’m glad people did not know that Reesa was my sister. If Ocalla knew, he surely would use that information against me. It was bad enough that I let her come by yesterday, but a repeat visit today would draw attention. At least I wasn’t home, so maybe they would believe she was a visitor for Alysa. Either way, I was getting uncomfortable about leaving them totally alone.
Not that I wanted him at my home, but it made me feel better knowing Burke and his men were watching me. I wanted to ensure they had someone watching my house as well. Pulling out my cell phone, I rang his number.
“Burke here,” he answered.
“I’m sure you know that I have left my home.”
“Yes,” he replied.
“I would like to believe that you still have someone watching it now. Am I correct?” I asked.
“Why do you want to know?”
“If you were, in fact, telling me the truth and Ocalla is out to harm me, I wouldn’t want anything to happen to my houseguest.” That was clear without my having to ask for his assistance.
“We have her covered as well.”
Good.I wish I could’ve done that and more. If I started recruiting an army of men at this point, it would look as though I was trying to muscle my way into a victory. I didn’t want people to vote for me out of fear. Only the scum should fear me. The law-abiding people should feel as though they could approach me at any time.
“I’ll be gone a few hours.”
“Don’t worry. We will know when you return,” Burke stated to remind me I was under surveillance. I knew damn well I wasn’t being observed for my own safety.
One day Burke and I would sit down and have a face-to-face conversation about what this all meant. Right now, I would use it to my benefit. I had protection for Alysa that I didn’t need to pay for. I might not trust them having my back, but I had a strong feeling that Burke would never allow anything happen to her.
I ended the call and headed into town. I was expecting to meet up with a small group of people who hadn’t come to the event at New Hope. Won’t come to me, I’m coming to you.
But when I arrived, I was met by my opponent and his bodyguards. Damn you, Ocalla.
“Florraz. What brings you here? I thought you’d be home playing nursemaid to your American friend,” he said.
Fuck you.I wasn’t going to back down. If he thought even for a second that he was getting to me, he’d attack. Looking him directly in the eyes I asked, “Are you afraid to come to town on your own, Ocalla? Do you have that many enemies?”
He snorted. “No one would ever be so foolish as to try anything.”
“Because you will do what, exactly?” I asked, egging him on.
“Do you really want to find out? I mean, I’m looking forward to beating you in the election and I would hate to miss the look on your face when you learn your way is the old way. We both know what happened to them.”
Inside I cringed. The leaders who were against what James Henderson had suggested somehow vanished, never to be seen again. Soon fear ran through the country. The message was clear: buck the system and die. Quickly, anyone who objected to the new way opted to go into hiding with their families. And the ones who didn’t go into hiding prayed they didn’t have any daughters.
“I’m not going away, Ocalla.” His goons puffed up their shoulders, ready to prove me wrong. Ocalla raised his hand, telling them to stand down. Making a move on me in public might get me out of the way, but it would be a huge mistake on Ocalla’s part. Burke and the Hendersons would have what they were looking for. A reason to take Ocalla out.
“You have become overly confident, Florraz. I might not be around next time to stop them. Hope that thought doesn’t keep you up at night,” he said snidely.
“Only one thing keeps me up at night, Ocalla. And that is what I’ll do on my first day as president.”
Ocalla huffed and walked away. His bodyguards waited until he was safe inside his vehicle before joining him. It looks like Ocalla’s getting nervous I might win. I must be doing something right.
Although the people weren’t to be seen, I knew they were close enough to see that I showed up and didn’t back down. That might be a more powerful statement than anything I had planned on saying. It also meant that I could return home sooner than anticipated.
I got back in my SUV and looked around. I knew Burke was out there, but damn, I couldn’t see him or his men anywhere. Damn, he is good. Hopefully they were that discreet while watching Alysa. I didn’t want her to start living in fear. I also don’t want Reesa telling her anything I don’t want her to know.