Page 16 of Sin (Salvation #1)
Cassidy
“I’ve arranged for you to meet with a reporter Thursday afternoon,” Gideon says, looking at me for the first time since we sat down to dinner.
I wasn’t too upset about it. As much as a family dinner sounded awful, at least I’d have Sin’s company to help me through it.
Plus, I was still flying high from my successful driving lesson, and Sin offering to take me to Freedom Fest with him if I passed my driver’s exam.
He even used the term “date,” and though I know he was joking, it still made my heartbeat shift into fifth gear.
Then this afternoon, we were getting into Sin’s car for another driving lesson when his phone rang. I saw the name Oliver flash across his screen before he hurriedly picked it up and had a brief but intense conversation.
“Change of plans. I’m driving,” he’d told me, and then proceeded to break every speed limit to get home before dumping me off at the front door and speeding away to meet with Oliver.
And here I am. Sitting with my martini-ed up mother and a pissed-off Gideon who ranted through most of dinner over Sin’s no-show until just now when he announced this interview.
I swallow my bite of pork chop and then take a sip of water. “Why would a reporter want to speak to me?” I ask.
“The Gospel Review is doing an article about my stance on family values and wants to spotlight my close relationship with my sons.”
Close? “I don’t think I can make it,” I tell him, happy I have a built-in excuse to refuse his request. “I have school on Thursday.”
“Make arrangements with your professors to miss your classes,” he orders. “I need your presence to divert focus off of Sin.”
“I wouldn’t even know what to say to a reporter.”
“Your talking points will be sent to you. Basically, I want you to double down on the prodigy angle and talk about the sacrifices we’ve made for you to realize your lifelong dream of being a pediatrician.”
“But I’m planning on going into cancer research.”
He waves my correction away. “Pediatrician will read better with the Gospel Review’s demographics.”
“I’m not going to lie to a reporter.” I try to sound as firm and resolute as possible.
Gideon’s eyes narrow on me. He reaches over to grab my mother’s hand, which is resting on the table.
“Sheila, you’ve raised a righteous young man.
” He squeezes her hand. “But I fear he’s listening to his own selfish needs.
” He squeezes her hand harder, the perma-smile on her face tightens, and I swear I see pain in her eyes.
“Mom,” I say, worried he’s hurting her.
“Listen to your father,” she grits out through a clenched smile. “Support the man who’s taken care of you all these years.”
“Your mother speaks the wisdom of the Lord, Cassidy.” His hand continues to tighten around my mother’s until I’m afraid I’m going to hear the small bones of her hand snap. “‘Children, obey your parents in all things.’” A tear begins to slip down her cheek.
“I’ll do the interview,” I practically shout, ready to do anything to stop this.
“Excellent,” Gideon says, casually releasing my mother’s hand from his grip. She immediately brings it down below the table and picks up her martini and gulps it down. He gives my mother a nod. “Now that’s settled, let Leticia know we are ready for dessert.”
Shaken and not at all hungry, I decline dessert and watch as Gideon and my mother serenely chat about their itineraries for the next few days and their scheduled trip to Jordan while sipping their after-dinner cocktails and eating a torte. It’s like the previous few minutes never happened.
Once I’m sure my mother is safe from any more abuse, I escape the table and flee to my room and ruminate over what just happened. What in the hell was that? That really happened, right? Am I overreacting?
I’ve never liked Gideon. From the moment I met him, he treated me as an unwanted accessory of my mother’s.
He rarely spoke to me, and I felt my only value to him was when we were in front of an audience.
Because I was away at school, I’d never spent much time in Gideon’s actual presence.
He’d always been a cold but distant omnipotent presence in my life.
Tonight, I can see why Sin hates him so badly, and why he seems to spend most of his energy openly defying him.
A part of me wonders what it was like for Sin growing up all alone with Gideon.
I think about tonight’s dinner, and a disturbing chill goes up my spine at the thought of a young Sin at Gideon’s mercy.