Wife Number Seven (The Compound, #1)(47)

“So, tell him you’re pregnant and he won’t touch you. It’s perfect.” Porter grinned from ear to ear, as if he were a detective who’d just solved a mystery.

“I don’t know . . .”

He walked to me, taking my hands in his. “Please, Brin. I’m begging you. I can’t share you, I won’t.”

“He’ll expect me to show.” I frowned and reached down to cup my belly.

“You’ll tell him you lost it.”

“What?” I screeched. “No, I could never do that. That’s . . . that’s an abomination. To fake the death of a child, I can’t.”

“Brinley, you’re on the f*cking pill! What’s the difference? Every single month, you trick your body into not getting pregnant. Every goddamn month! Seriously, what’s the difference?”

I had no answer. I was speechless.

“It’s no different.” He pulled me closer to him. “I know this is insane. I know I’m asking you to do something totally crazy, but I can’t be with you knowing you’re sleeping with him. I just can’t.”

“I . . .” I had no idea what to say.

“Please,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine. “You possess my soul. So much it hurts, Brin.”

Tears welled in my eyes.

“I need you to be mine.”

“I am,” I insisted.

“Mine alone, Brin. Not shared with some f*ckhead who has no idea how special you are, how absolutely remarkable you are. Please, please do this. For us.”

We stood in silence for several minutes as I processed his request. I knew my answer, but was terrified to say the words. I knew what I wanted; that much was clear. But my fear was nothing to ignore. It was a beast inside me, dominating my every breath.

I swallowed hard, pushing the beast down.

“I’ll do it.”




Chapter 17

Several years ago . . .

Alice Hammond knew.

She knew the prophet was not pleased with her husband.

And she knew why.

Her eldest son, Porter.

Alice was the second wife of Ron Hammond, and her firstborn son had always stood out in their family. Her two sister wives had no trouble reminding her each time he spoke his mind, broke a rule despite being punished many times before, or was caught speaking to a girl in the compound.

He was trouble. Always had been.

And now his behavior was threatening her husband’s place in the priesthood. And not just from one transgression. Everyone knew that God’s revelations weren’t solely based on single incidents, but on the ramifications of repeated behavior. And Porter’s behavior had been insubordinate for years. But he’d crossed the line when they found him in the woods engaging in completely outlandish behavior, drinking alcohol and smoking marijuana.

Ron had returned home after a lengthy meeting with the prophet. Exhaustion filled his expression when he asked Alice to join him for prayer. Together, they prayed to Heavenly Father, pledging their devotion to the prophet and to the Lord above. It was during this prayer that Ron shared the prophet’s revelation with Alice.

“Porter must leave our home. Our community. The prophet received a revelation from our Lord.” His face was stern, and the harsh tone of his voice told Alice this was not up for discussion.

Rather than argue with her husband, she simply said, “Please tell me more, husband.”

He nodded, accepting her compliance. “If Porter does not leave, you and the children will be reassigned to a community in Texas. We will never see one another again. Not only would I lose you, but I would never be able to take on another. I would have two wives . . . for the rest of my days. And I will no longer, and may never, have a secure place in the celestial kingdom.

Alice gasped; this was her greatest nightmare. Ron was an exemplary member of their community, an elder of the church and a respected member of the priesthood. She couldn’t allow this to happen.

Texas? She’d never been outside Colorado City, and the idea of being relocated to a different state, to a different home with a different man, terrified her.

No, the answer was simple. Ron was right. They had to listen to the prophet, for his message was straight from the Heavenly Father himself.

“When?” Her question was simple, but her husband understood her perfectly.

“Tonight.”

She gasped and pinched her eyes shut as the realization slammed into her. Tomorrow morning, Porter wouldn’t be present at the breakfast table. He wouldn’t join his father at the construction site in town. He’d be gone, and she’d be forced to remove his pictures from their home. Group photos would be altered, ink scribbled across his face to erase his presence in the family.

It was required of her, and she knew it.

She had to be brave and listen to the prophet, and to her husband to whom she had devoted her life.

“May I go with you?”

Ron nodded. “The prophet revealed that you should be the one.”

“I don’t understand.” Alice shook her head as tears pricked at her eyes.

“Porter and I have a history of arguments; he won’t listen to me. But you, he is loyal to you and will go with you. It’s easier this way, my dear.”

Of everything her husband had shared with her on this cold winter’s evening, the realization that she was to be the one to send her firstborn child into exile was almost more than she could handle. But handle it she would. It was her obligation, her duty, her role in securing her husband’s place in the celestial kingdom.