Chapter 222

Cherish’s hands flew to her mouth. “My parents? Are they… are they alright?”

“They are alive,” Constantine said. “A Collective jet crashed in eastern Kentucky this morning. The pilot ejected safely. He made contact with the local resistance, the group your father is with. They hid him from the Dixie Army.”

“Praise the Lord,” Cherish whispered, tears in her eyes. “Thank you, Lord.”

“First Consul Hawks is arranging a rescue operation,” Constantine said. “But it will take some time. The area is still contested. And the Dixies are looking for the pilot.”

“Can we talk to them?” Cherish asked.

“Yes,” Constantine said. “The pilot has a satellite phone. We can patch you through. But not for long. We don’t want to risk their position.”

“Please,” Cherish said, her hands clasped together.

Constantine nodded to Erin. “Connect the call with her phone. The secure channel.” Erin took Cherish’s phone and typed on it. She made the call.

“Wolf Den, this is Pacific One. Do you copy?” Erin said.

A crackle came from the phone. “Wolf Den here. Loud and clear.”

“Are you with Mr. Nowak?”

“Yes, Pacific One. He’s sitting right here.”

“Put him on,” Erin said.

There was a pause. Then Nicholas’s voice came through. “Cherish? Is that you?”

“Yes, Papa,” Cherish said, her voice trembling. “It’s me.”

“Cherish. You’re alive. Thank God. Where are you?”

“I’m in Sacramento with Louis and my family, Papa. I’m safe.”

“Your family? What family?”

Cherish looked at Louis. He nodded. She continued. “I’m living with Louis and the six other women, Papa. You know them, except for Maeve. We are a family now.”

Nicholas was silent for a moment. “A family? With a man? And other women?”

“Yes, Papa,” Cherish said. “We love each other. And we take care of each other. We are happy.”

“I see.” Nicholas paused. “Is he treating you well, Cherish? Are you safe with him?”

“I am, Papa,” Cherish said. “Louis is a good man. He loves me.”

Nicholas sighed. “I’m glad to hear that. I really am. Your mother and I… We were worried sick about you. We didn’t know what happened to you. We thought we might never see you again.”

“I’m sorry, Papa,” Cherish said, her voice shaking. “Are you and Mom safe? And the others?”

“We’re alive,” Nicholas said. “Thanks to the Lord.”

Rita’s voice came from the background. “Cherish! Oh, Cherish! My baby!”

“Mom!” Cherish cried.

“Cherish, honey, we love you,” Rita said. “We miss you so much.”

“I miss you too, Mom,” Cherish said, tears streaming down her face. “I love you.”

“We love you too, honey,” Rita said. “Your father took a bullet in the arm.”

Nicholas grunted. “It’s just a scratch. I’ve had worse.”

“Are you okay, Papa?” Cherish swallowed.

“I’m fine,” Nicholas said. “Don’t you worry about me. We will keep fighting the good fight until the Lord’s will is done.”

“Is there a way we can help?” Louis asked, leaning closer to the phone.

There was a pause. “Mr. Collins? Is that you?” Nicholas asked.

“Yes, Mr. Nowak,” Louis said. “It’s me.”

“Thank you for taking care of my daughter,” Nicholas said. “And for keeping her safe.”

“It’s my honor, sir,” Louis said. “I promise I will always protect her.”

“I know you will.”

“We can extract you, Mr. Nowak,” Louis said. “You and your wife. And anyone else you want to bring. Just say the word.”

“No, Mr. Collins,” Nicholas said firmly. “My place is here. With my people and God.”

“Papa,” Cherish said, her voice pleading. “Please.”

“This is my choice, Cherish,” Nicholas said. “I’m not leaving my home. I’m not abandoning the fight. The Lord has a plan for us. So we shall follow it to the end.”

Louis looked at Constantine. His father gave him a slight nod. “Then let us know a secure location. We can send supplies. Weapons. Medicine. Whatever you need.”

Nicholas sighed. “We appreciate the offer, Mr. Collins. But we don’t want to bring more trouble to your door. You have already done enough for us. For Cherish.”

“Let me help you, Nicholas,” Louis said. “For Cherry.”

Nicholas was silent for a long moment. “Alright, Mr. Collins. I’ll give your pilot friend the coordinates for the drop. And I thank you. For everything.”

“It’s my pleasure, sir,” Louis said.

Cherish took the phone back. “Papa, I love you. And Mom. Please be safe.”

“We will,” Nicholas said. “You be safe too. And… be happy.”

“I am, Papa,” Cherish said, her voice breaking. “So happy.”

“Goodbye, Cherish,” Nicholas said. “Take care of yourself. And your family.”

“Goodbye, Papa,” Cherish said, her tears flowing.

“Wolf Den out,” the pilot said, cutting the call.

Cherish put down the phone and collapsed into Louis’s arms, sobbing. He held her close, stroking her hair. Donya sat on the other side of her, holding her hands.

“It’s okay, Cherry,” Donya said softly. “They’re alive. And they’re safe now.”

“Papa is a stubborn man,” Cherish said, her face buried in Louis’s chest. “He won’t leave.”

“That’s who he is, Cherry,” Savannah said, her voice gentle. “He’s a fighter.”

“But I’m scared for him,” Cherish said, sobbing. “And for Mama.”

“We will help them, Cherry,” Louis said, kissing the top of her head. “I promise. We will send them whatever they need.”

Cherish looked up at him, her face red and tear-stained. “Thank you, Louis.” She looked at Constantine. “Thank you, Constantine.”

“It’s the least we can do, Cherish,” Constantine said. “Your father is a brave man. We respect that.”

Judith came over and hugged her. “It’s going to be alright, my dear. We will take care of you and your parents.”

Cherish nodded and wiped her tears. “Okay.”

Savannah looked down at her hands. “I wonder how my parents are doing. I should call them too.”

“Please do,” Constantine said. “I have a secure line with Mr. Ellington. He will be happy to hear from you.”

Savannah looked up, surprised. “You do?”

“Of course,” Constantine said. “He’s been feeding us intel from Atlanta since last week. He’s been very helpful.”

Savannah stood up. “Can I call him now?”

“Of course,” Constantine said, looking at Erin. “Give her the number.”

Erin typed on her tablet and showed it to Savannah. “Here you go, Ms. Ellington.”

Savannah took out her phone and dialed. A moment later, she connected. “Dad? It’s me. Savannah.”

“What it do?” Marcus’s rough voice came from the speaker.

“I’m okay, Dad,” Savannah said. “I’m in Sacramento with Louis and the family. I’m safe.”

“I know,” Marcus said. “Your mama and Micah are here with me.” Gunshots erupted in the background. Marcus swore. “Just a little argument with the neighbors. Don’t you worry.”

“What’s going on there?” Savannah asked, her voice tense.

“Nothing you need to worry about,” Marcus said. “We’re handling it. The important thing is, you’re safe with that Collins boy.”

“I am, Dad,” Savannah said. “Tell me what’s going on. Please.”

There was a pause. “The Dixies decided to crack down on Old Downtown a few hours ago. Hard,” Marcus said. “We’re holding them off for now. But we’re taking casualties.”

“Shit,” Savannah said.

“Yeah,” Marcus said. “It’s a mess.”

Louis looked at Constantine. “We need to extract them. Now.”

Constantine nodded and picked up a secure phone. He put it on speaker. “Harvey, it’s Constantine.”

“What can I do for you, Connie?” Harvey’s voice came.

“I need a favor,” Constantine said. “Marcus Ellington and his family are trapped in Old Downtown Atlanta. The Dixies are trying to kill them. I want them extracted. Now.”

Harvey sighed. “The Dixies have a lot of anti-air in the city, Connie. And our focus is on Arkansas now.”

“Then send a ground team,” Constantine said. “If your men can’t do it, I’ll send mine.”

“Alright, Connie,” Harvey said. “I’ll see what I can do. I’ll call you back.”

“Appreciate it,” Constantine said, hanging up.

Marcus’s voice came from the phone. “You heard that, Lorraine? They’re coming for us.”

“Thank the Lord,” Lorraine said.

“We will hold the line until then,” Marcus said. “You just stay safe, my girl. We will see—” Another burst of gunfire cut him off.

“Dad!” Savannah cried.

The line ended. Savannah stared at her phone, her face pale. “He hung up.”

Louis put an arm around her. “They will be fine, Savvy. I promise.” He looked at Constantine. “Let’s make our own extraction plan, in case Harvey can’t deliver.”

Constantine nodded. “I’ll let Robin handle it. He’s the best at this kind of operation.” He turned to Savannah. “I’m sorry you had to hear that. I assure you, we will do everything we can to bring your family to safety.”

Savannah took a deep breath. “Thank you, Constantine.” She looked at Louis. “I need a drink.”

Constantine gestured to the liquor cabinet. “Help yourself. It’s on the house.”

Savannah poured herself a glass of bourbon and drank it in one go. She looked at Cherish, who was still crying. “Hey, Cherry. Look at me.” Cherish looked up, her face wet with tears. “We’re in this together. We will get through this.”

Cherish nodded. “I know, Savvy.”

Savannah hugged her. “Our families are fighters. They will be okay. And we will be okay.”

Cherish hugged her back, sobbing. “I’m scared.”

“I know, Cherry,” Savannah said. “I am too. But we’re not alone. We have each other.” She looked at Louis. “And we have him.”

Louis nodded. “You always have me.”

Judith watched them, a warm smile on her face. “Oh, you are all so adorable. I can’t wait to see you on the pride parade float. The whole world will love you.”

Louis groaned. “Mom, not now.”

“I’m serious, darling,” Judith said. “Venessa is already planning the whole thing. She has some amazing ideas. And she needs your input.”

Gladice’s eyes lit up. “I have an idea. For the extraction.”

Louis looked at her. “What is it?”

“We can print a lot of leaflets and drop them on Atlanta.” Gladice grinned. “With the message ‘I am a gay black man and I’m coming to take your women.’”

Maeve burst out laughing. “That would be hilarious. The Dixies would go crazy.”

“They would, Glads,” Angelique said. “But it’s not very practical.”

“It’s very practical, Angel,” Gladice said. “It will distract them. And it will give us a chance to get the Ellingtons out.”

“It doesn’t even make sense,” Willa said. “Why would a gay black man want to take their women?”

“It’s about sending a message.” Gladice shrugged.

“I think we should replace the message with the incoming pride parade announcement,” Louis said. “With some naked photos of our porn stars. That will distract them for sure.”

Cherish blushed. “Porn stars?”

“We have a lot of porn companies in the Dominion, Cherry. And they love to support the government,” Louis said.

“Okay.” Cherish forced a smile.

Constantine cleared his throat. “If you are done with your strategic planning, I have a more conventional solution for the Ellingtons. A team of our best operatives will go in tonight under the cover of darkness. They will get them out. Or die trying.”

“Thank you, Constantine,” Savannah said, her voice tight. “I appreciate it.”

“No need. You are family now.” Constantine leaned back in his chair.

“I think the distraction can still help,” Louis said. “The Dixies will demand their people to hand in all pornographic materials for burning. It will keep them busy.”

“It will,” Judith said. “And it will be fun to watch. Venessa and I can contact a few of our friends in the industry. They will be happy to help.”

“I’m sure they will,” Angelique said, rolling her eyes.

Constantine stood up. “Now, let’s have a simple family lunch before you go to your next meeting. I think you all deserve a break.”

“Sounds good,” Louis said, looking at the women. “Let’s eat.”