Brian closed his eyes and looked away for a moment, struggling against the worst rage he’d ever known. This was the first time as a doctor that he wanted to kill men rather than help them. He touched her hair again. “Evie, you were protecting our son and that baby inside you. You survived! God means for you to have this baby, honey. It’s a symbol of what we have…you and me and nobody else.” He pulled the blanket away from her face. “You and me, Evie. Absolutely nothing has changed about how much I love you and that baby you’re carrying. Those men couldn’t take that away, could they?”
Jake urged her to let go. “Let your husband hold you, Evie. Let’s all go home to your mother. She’s home by now and waiting for us and probably out of her mind with worry.”
“She’s okay, Daddy. Before this happened—”
“I know. I heard. So we have a lot to be thankful for, don’t we?”
“Evie, let me help you.” Brian’s eyes teared at the bruises on her face. “My God.” He leaned close and kissed her cheek, and she finally let go of Jake and threw her arms around Brian’s neck.
Jake tucked the blanket around her as Brian picked her up. He put a hand on Brian’s shoulder. “Go take care of her. I have some business to settle with those men over there who are still alive.” He began reloading one of his guns.
“What?” Evie caught him loading the gun.
“You go with Brian, baby girl. When I’m through, there won’t be a man left alive to talk about you or—”
“No!”
The darkness moved back into Jake’s eyes. “Evie, I can’t let this go.”
“No! No! Don’t kill them!” Evie clung to Brian as she looked pleadingly at her father. “It’s murder! You’re better than that. You killed so many men today, but only because they were trying to kill you. Don’t turn around and just murder the rest of them,” she sobbed. “That’s what it would be. Murder!”
Jake closed his eyes and turned away. “Evie, they need to pay.”
“Most of them already have, by your guns, and Lloyd’s. Don’t go beyond the law, Daddy. I know Lloyd shot that man on purpose after he gave himself up. Don’t let him turn into someone lawless too! Killing those men would be like the old Jake, the one who led you and mother to so much heartache. And you’ll make Lloyd a killer too! Please don’t kill those men! I’ll never get over this if you do. I’ll feel responsible!”
“Jake, listen to her,” Brian told him.
Jake turned and met his eyes.
“Don’t put this on her conscience, Jake.”
“Promise me, Daddy. Judging them is up to God himself, not you. I forgive them. I have to forgive them to keep my sanity.”
Jake looked at his bruised, violated daughter. Evil can’t touch her. The preacher was right. Why else would she plead for the lives of men who’d done such awful things to her?
“Don’t go over there and execute the rest of them, Jake,” Brian pleaded. “Not in front of Evie.”
Evil can use her to bring out the evil in you…this could be a reckoning…a chance to once and for all cast out that evil. Jake felt a war going on in his heart. Whatever you decide to do to those men, Evie will be watching…
“Evie—”
“I know, Daddy. I know a lot more about you than you think. I’m not blind, but I know part of you doesn’t want to be like that anymore. Don’t make me the reason you go back to prison. And I don’t want Little Jake to see that kind of revenge. You’re wearing your mother’s crucifix,” she reminded him. “I know that means more to you than you let on. And Little Jake needs to know Grandpa’s guns are for good, not for evil—not for revenge. Your own mother wouldn’t want that.”
“Jake, Marty and Hash Bryant are both dead,” Brian reminded him. “Let it go now. I’m taking Evie around back to help her clean up and get dressed. Don’t let her hear any more gunshots.”
Jake reached out and put the back of his hand to Evie’s bruised cheek, then turned away, holstering his gun but struggling with a need to make every last man pay for touching his daughter. Brian turned and carried Evie around a side of the house where others couldn’t see them.
Evil can’t touch her.
Jake kept hearing the preacher’s words. Not only could evil not touch her, but because of her, he realized evil couldn’t touch him either. No longer could his father’s blood influence that dark part of him that was always looking for revenge…for every man he killed was his father, over and over and over again.