I’m Watching You (Richmond Novels #1)

Prologue

Sunday, January 6, sunset

‘It’s time, Ruth.’

A cheerless finality hardened the man’s softly spoken words. His heart truly felt heavy as he stared out the frost-streaked windows. Outside, pine trees bowed under the ice’s extra weight as arctic gusts rushed over the fields, swirling around, creating minitwisters in the snow.

‘I don’t want you to go,’ he said, turning toward Ruth.

The woman sat in a wooden chair, her head bent forward. Dark hair cascaded over her tear-streaked face. ‘Please,’ she said.

The room was decorated with rose wallpaper, white iolite curtains, and a large braided rug with interwoven strands of yellow, pink, and blue. A white four-poster canopy bed covered with a cherry comforter and dozens of stuffed animals dominated the space. He’d built this room for her and the others.

‘Shh. I have to let you go. We both knew this time would come.’ Sadness tightened his throat.

Ruth raised her head a fraction. She glanced down at her wrists, lashed tightly to chair arms. ‘No. No I don’t want to go. I want to stay with you.’

The hoarse whisper was a lie. Instinctively, she understood what leaving truly meant. Dying.

He crossed the room, hoping to reassure her. ‘You don’t need to be afraid.’ He knelt beside her and laid his hand on the ropes lashed to her pale wrists, now raw and bleeding after days of struggling. ‘It’s okay, Ruth. It’s all for the best. You’ll see,’ he said tenderly.

Tears rolled down her face. ‘No. Let me stay.’ Desperation sparked in her eyes. ‘We can still be a family.’

‘You have to trust me, Ruth. I know what’s best.’ He touched her cheek.

She flinched and then offered a faltering smile as she raised her pale green eyes to meet his. ‘Allen, please.’

He liked it when she said his name. ‘I can’t. You know that.’

Lovingly he touched her chin and tipped her face back so he could look into her eyes. Fresh tears fell and dampened his calloused hand. For a moment, his resolve wavered. He really didn’t want to send her away. He wanted to keep her here forever.

But he couldn’t.

Wouldn’t.

He rose and moved behind her. Gently he stroked her hair, which no longer smelled of coconuts and summer, but of fear and sweat. ‘I’ve really enjoyed our time as well. I’ve been alone for so long. But you must join the Family now.’

She shook her head but was unable to lift it. She whimpered, ‘Please. Don’t.’

Allen pushed her hair away from her slender neck. ‘You will be grateful in the end.’

He’d been searching for her for years, knowing that one day he’d find her and they’d be together again. And then he’d found her and he’d nearly cried out in joy. For weeks, he watched her attend church, drive to her secretarial job at the engineering firm, and go to the grocery store. He stood in the shadows as she’d wept at her parents’ graveside. He’d scrutinized. Admired. Waited for the perfect opportunity to bring her to this special place that he’d created.

He slipped his hands under Ruth’s thick mane of hair and brushed the soft skin of her neck. It felt cold. Her faint heartbeat drummed under his fingers. The drugs that had made her sleepy, almost nonresponsive, were wearing off. Soon she’d be struggling again, screaming until her voice grew hoarse.

He’d not wanted to use the drugs, but she’d been so defiant and unwilling to talk to him. She’d fought, called him names, and rejected him. The drugs had calmed her, made her see the good in him.

‘I wish we had more time,’ he said.

She craned her head to the side and looked up at him. Desperation made her eyes spark. ‘We can still be a family.’

A smile twitched at the edge of his lips. ‘Not in the way that it matters. There is too much that can come between us.’

‘It could be different this time. You’ll see. I promise I will love you.’

Love. For a moment he closed his eyes and let the word roll through his mind. No one had loved him in so long. ‘You can’t really love me until you join the Family.’

‘I can.’

He didn’t blame her for the lie. He knew she was afraid of the transition. Crossing over always triggered fear in his girls. She’d say anything at this point. He understood and wasn’t mad.

‘Shh. It’s going to be okay, Ruth.’

A sob rose in her throat. ‘I’m not Ruth. I’m not Ruth.’

He drew circles on her neck with his thumbs and then slid long fingers around her neck. Her pulse throbbed faster now. ‘Don’t fight it. It’s so much easider when you don’t fight what is best for you.’

‘No.’ She jerked against her bindings and started to thrash her head. ‘I don’t want to go!’

He tightened his hold and began to squeeze.

Initially, she thrashed harder. A muffled cry escaped her lips. But the pressure on her neck quickly robbed her of air, sound, and energy. Soon, she choked and gasped for air. She pulled against the bindings and balled her slender fingers into fists.

‘Ruth, you were always the strong, brave one.’

He tightened his hold, savoring the rush of power and excitement rushing through his body. His body warmed, despite the chill in the room. In this moment he felt connected, alive.

For so long he’d been alone, lost and wondering. Now, Ruth was about to join his Family. She would be with him forever.

‘Family. It is everything. Without family life isn’t worth much. People today don’t get that. They are so busy rushing around they don’t take the time to spend with each other.’

She strained her neck and twisted her head, gagging, trying to break free.

His arms and hands ached but his grip remained tight. Her pulse drummed frantically, proof her lungs struggled for air. And then the thump, thump, thump skipped several beats. His heart raced faster. A few more erratic pulses followed and then stillness.

Life ebbed from Ruth’s body, like water down a drain. She slumped forward. A tranquility only death could create washed over her.

Lovingly, he rested his palm on the top of her head. ‘It’s better now, isn’t it? You are finally at peace. You are free of all your worries and pain.’

She didn’t move. There were no more uneven protests. No pleas for freedom.

‘Praise be,’ he whispered.

From his pocket he pulled a gold chain with a oval charm. Inscribed on the charm was the name Ruth. He slipped the chain around her neck. The clasp was small, delicate, and his large hands fumbled with the fastener until finally he hooked it.

He moved around the chair and knelt in front of her. The charm lay in the hollow of her neck just above her breasts. The pendant was a fine piece of jewelry that had taken him weeks to make. But it was worth it. He touched the shiny gold.

Ruth deserved the best.

He untied her wrists and took her hands in his. He kissed her cold fingers and then pressed them to his cheek. ‘I love you so much.’

He put his hand under her chain and tipped her face back. Under partially open lids, green eyes stared sightlessly at him. He imagined he saw laughter in their glassy depths.

‘You won’t be alone much longer, Ruth.’ He laid her hands in her lap, crossing them demurely over each other. ‘Soon, I will find the Others and I will send them to you.’

Allen smiled at the thought of the Others. Joy burned inside him. ‘Soon, we all will be together as the Family was meant to be.’