Chapter 24
Nikki lifted her head when the room echoed the “Amen.”
“Feel free to hang around as long as you want. My mom and Mae will be at the table at the back to answer any questions about food and accommodation. If you need—” Her words caught when she saw Gideon enter. “Uh, if you need anything else, let them know, and we’ll see what we can do.” She waited a beat for everyone to start moving, then hurried off the platform. But as she tried to wind her way to the back, people stopped her to give her a hug or shake her hand.
“Thank you for all that you’re doing,” one woman said. She had bags under her eyes.
“We’re all in this together.” Nikki tightened her grip on the woman’s hand in affection before moving on. “Good to see you, Tom,” she said to a man who stopped her. He’d been one of the lucky ones who’d remained unscathed by Fairfax but had come to help .
“I’m looking forward to what God has for all of our futures,” he said.
“Me too. It’s good to be meeting together like this.” She pushed past several people before she finally reached Gideon and noticed his dad was behind him with a funny grin on his face, like he was at a fair and enjoying every second.
“Gideon,” she said, glancing between him and his dad. “Hi, Mr. Stone.”
“Mornin’,” Joey said, then let his eyes rove around the room.
“It’s crowded,” Gideon said.
“Yeah. Uh, I’m glad to see you, but I thought you’d left. I thought Peters was after you.”
“Yeah. I was on my way out when I heard what Fairfax was doing to everyone. I didn’t make it past my dad’s place.”
“Is it safe for you to be here?”
“I’m keeping a low profile. My truck’s out of sight, so as long as I keep my head down, I should be fine.”
“Should be?” She was overwhelmed that he was here, but if it meant his life was in danger?—
“Nice place you’ve got here,” Joey said. “Sturdy. I expected the walls to cave in.”
“Why?” Nikki said.
“Because of my blackened soul.” He grinned that amused smile again.
“God can handle a lot worse than you, trust me.”
“You don’t know everything there is to know about me, kiddo.”
“I don’t have to. ”
“What’s your mom doing over there?” He nodded toward the table where people were lined up.
“With people losing businesses and homes, there is a lot more need than ever. Everyone’s come together to help how they can. Kind of like in biblical times, I guess. Giving what they can to help those in need.”
“Will it be enough?” Gideon said.
“Not without a miracle. We have limited resources, but I know God doesn’t. I just don’t know how He’ll do it yet.” She hoped Gideon brought that answer but was afraid to ask.
“I’ll do what I can to help. My dad wants to be a part of things too.”
Joey had wandered over to Beth and was looking over her shoulder at the lists that were spread across the table of what had been donated.
“Your dad wants to help? Really?”
“Well, he hasn’t run screaming yet, so that’s a start. He says he’s doing it to see Fairfax come unstuck, but I’m not so sure. Or maybe that’s wishful thinking.”
“Can’t blame him if that’s all he wants out of this. We all know who’s responsible for burning down his house and almost killing him, but I don’t know.” She looked over at him. “I think he might be softening up.”
“Or he likes the attention your mom is giving him.”
“You don’t think he’d get any ideas.”
“No, I don’t think so. You wouldn’t know it looking at him, but he’s got a warped sense of honor. I don’t think he’d go there. Not that I could blame him.”
“Don’t say that. That would be too weird.”
Gideon laughed. “I think he likes being pampered. He likes having dinner made for him. Looks like you guys have done a lot in a very short time.”
“Helping people in practical ways is the easy part, but I have no idea how to stop that man from hurting this town more. We’re on our own.”
“I’m afraid to say I haven’t come with a plan, but I do have a first step.”
“You do?”
“It’s been on my mind since I said I didn’t know what to do.”
“You mean when you said you were leaving?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t listening very well, but now that I’m hanging around to do what I can, I decided I’d better start paying attention.”
“That’s great. Do I get to know?”
“I’m going back to Fairfax’s place.”
“And doing what?”
“I don’t know. I told you I only have the first step.”
“Wow. When you said first, you really meant first.” They both laughed, but it was full of tension. “Okay, Fairfax’s place it is. But I’m coming too.”
“I know.”
“That’s it? You’re not going to argue?”
“Would it make any difference?”
“No.”
“I may not have known you for a lot of years, but I’ve known you long enough. It will be easier to keep an eye on you if I know where you are at all times.”
“I’m glad you finally realized there is no point arguing with me. When do you want to go?”
“Tonight. But I need your advice. ”
“Sure.”
“Do think I should let the people here know what’s happening?”
“You’re afraid you can’t trust some of them?”
“Partly that and partly I don’t expect everyone to take my limited plan as well as you have.”
“You should tell them. They’ll want to know. They’re ready for anything.”
“Should I go up to the front now, or…”
“Yeah. Get up on the stage and shout. They’ll pay attention.”
The smile he gave her had a touch of a troublemaking smirk that made her face heat. With all the stress of the last twenty-four hours, the sense of fun was a strange elixir of relief.
“Can I have your attention?” Gideon boomed from the stage. The sounds in the room died into a low murmur. “Tonight, I’m going to Fairfax’s farm to have a look around. I’m not sure what to expect, but I’d like a few of you to come along if you can. This is your town more than it is mine, and I’ll be honest with you, I have no idea what I’m doing.” He cleared his throat and looked at Nikki, who nodded reassurance. “I realize that probably doesn’t instill a lot of confidence, but I want to be honest with all of you. I’m relying on God as much as anyone. He’s the one in charge here, not me. If you aren’t confident in me or if you believe I’m way off track, then please don’t come along. It’s not required, and each of us has to do what we feel is right. So, whatever you think God is saying to you, I have to trust you as much as I’m trusting Him with what He’s given me. But if you believe this is a way you’d like to help, you’re invited to be a part of it. Whatever ‘it’ is.”
A young man nearby put his hand up. “Are you going there to fight?”
“Honestly, I don’t know. I don’t want to fight. I don’t want to damage any more property, but I know for a fact that there are innocent people being held basically captive on his farm.” He found Isabel in the crowd and nodded to her. “I want to help them if I can. But I want to be straight with all of you. We will be breaking some laws, and if I felt that contacting law enforcement to have them do this would fix the problem, that is what I would do. But we’re on our own out here. Sheriff Peters has ordered me to leave town, and the mayor has made threats against my life. If I’m caught, I don’t know what will happen, and I can’t promise you will be safe if you’re found with me. If you want to come, but you’re not comfortable being a part of whatever’s next, that’s good as well. We could use some of you on the outskirts praying for the rest of us. And of course, those of you who don’t come at all can be praying. Either way, I’ll meet here after dark, and we’ll head out. Any questions, feel free to ask.”
The room erupted in response.
“Hold on,” Nikki said, making her way to the front. “One at a time, please. You.” She pointed at a kid who looked like he was around fifteen.
“Do we need guns?”
“Maybe,” Gideon said. “But only those who have a license. And it’s only for protection. We’re not there to hurt anyone. ”
“Should we wear black?” another called out.
“Dark clothes are fine.”
“Won’t we be trespassing?” said another.
“Yes. If we’re caught, we will probably go to jail. You need to be prepared for that. There is risk involved.”
“How do you know this is the right thing to do?” This time it was Mae who spoke.
“I don’t know for certain. I’m doing what I think is right. I’ve looked to God for direction, but you shouldn’t follow me blindly.”
“I trust him,” Isabel walked to the front. “Gideon risked his life to save me from Mr. Fairfax.” Her voice cracked. “I was a prisoner, and Gideon and Nikki came and saved my life. But my friends are still there, and I am worried about them. They need our help. There’s no one else to save them.”
Nikki climbed up on the stage. “It would be good if anyone who believes they’d like to come would spend the day praying about it. If you are scared or nervous or if you believe it’s not the right thing—even if you are unsure, it’s just like Gideon said—there is no need for you to come along.”
“I don’t want anyone to feel like they’ve been forced into this,” Gideon said. “Once we gather tonight, we’ll talk more about the plan.”
He stepped down from the platform and was swarmed by a crowd offering their support.
“I know you’ve made the decision to come,” he said once they’d quieted them down. “But there’s time to change your mind. Don’t feel bad about backing out if you need to.”
“I won’t be changing my mind,” one of them said, and the others agreed.
“I understand, Phil, but I still want us all to sit on this. It’s not a decision to be taken lightly.”
“I’ve got a small armory in my garage. I can arm a group of us. We can finish this tonight.”
“Didn’t you hear what Gideon said?” Nikki pushed forward. “We’re not going there with guns blazing. If we can end this peacefully, that’s what we’re going to do.”
“You really think Fairfax is interested in ending things peacefully?” Phil said. “He won’t give an inch unless we force him.”
“There are other ways to do that besides showing up with an army,” Gideon said.
“I’m surprised to hear you say that since you’ve been part of the special forces. Why not bring a tactical team in?”
Gideon dropped his head for a second to regroup. “We’re not storming the farm. If you’re not okay with that, then don’t come.”
Phil shook his head. “Suit yourself, but it will be a waste of time.”
The group dispersed, a few still talking to one another. “We’ve got to be careful,” Nikki said.
“They’re desperate for change. I don’t blame them. I wish I had more to give them.”
“Maybe that’s why God hasn’t said anything to you yet. He doesn’t want us taking what He gives us and turning into something different. If you can only follow one step at a time, you won’t rush ahead and get off the trail.”
“That’s very deep,” he said lightly.
“I wasn’t trying to be.”
“Maybe not, but it actually makes sense.”
Joey walked up to Gideon. “Things are running smoothly around here. Beth’s on top of everything.”
“She’s a superb organizer,” Nikki said.
“And you too, Gideon. You’re doing good work here. I’m proud of you.”
“What?” Gideon was sure he’d misheard.
“I said I’m proud of you.” The words came out mumbled and hurried.
“You’ve never said that before.”
“Sure I have. Plenty of times. But don’t make a big deal out of it, or else you’ll never hear it again. Geez. Everyone’s so emotional in here.” He shivered. “If I’d have known, I would have stayed home.”
“We’ve all got a lot riding on this.”
“So? You don’t see me getting all teary. I’m going to go see if they need any help.”
“Who?”
“Whoever.” He wandered off in a random direction.
“I can tell he means well,” Nikki said. “He just doesn’t know what to do with it.”
“I know. I don’t know what to do with it either.”