Chapter 26: Man in Black

Alexander sat on the wraparound porch with a glass of water and his Bible in his hand. He would occasionally raise his gaze at the sound of rustling bushes or the various colorful birds that flew past him.

He seemed to never notice their beauty before, but ever since his first encounter with the Lord, how quickly it was that he began to see beauty in His creation.

Admittedly, after a day or two of being at the cabin, it took a little while to adjust to the consistent silence. Even though he yearned for a slower pace, he had gotten accustomed to a fast-paced life. Yet by day four of being at the cabin, he had grown used to the silence.

The limited distractions helped ease his mind and expose the thoughts running rampant. The many thoughts that he learned needed to be grasped and taken into captivity as so perfectly explained in scripture.

After the first day at the cabin, he decided he would pair his seeking with a fast. The first two weeks would be without food and entertainment, while the last two weeks would simply be without entertainment.

A rustling of a bush toward the east of the house grabbed his attention and he found himself looking toward it. Within a few moments, a squirrel emerged, holding something small within its grasp.

Alexander chuckled and shook his head.

They were intriguing little creatures. They seemed rather skittish, but they were very sensitive to their surroundings and doing what was necessary for survival.

A flurry of wind found its way to him, causing him to have a mild shiver. The season was surely changing.

He pulled his flannel closer to him and soon decided that it was a good time to return inside. Without missing a beat, he grabbed his glass once more and kept his Bible steady in his hand, and began to make his way inside.

The warmth of the home was very pleasant to him. The sound of fire crackling in the fireplace brought a natural heat to the open living area. It suited the house to have such an open floor plan, only closing off for the three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Alexander grabbed a blanket and decided to bring his book over to the couch with him and enjoy the warmth of the fire.

Throughout the rest of the day, into the evening, he talked to God.

Old memories would flood his mind, as early as his toddler years. He realized there were some things he had not yet healed from, so for the rest of the evening, he spoke to God about those painful memories, and one by one, they were dealt with.

He knew that the first step was trusting God and being willing to forgive. Scripture told him just how important that was.

As the fire continued to crackle in the distance, Alexander snuggled further under the blanket and decided that he would retire for the night right there.

It had been ten days since Alexander arrived at the cabin. He stared in the bathroom mirror and he could easily see how gaunt he had become since he began his fast. Not even he realized just how quickly the combination of his metabolism and the lack of food would leave him looking malnourished, yet there he stood.

He swiped at his jaw and the beard that at least hid his narrowing face. He knew that he would likely look different even after resuming his diet. It would take a few days or even weeks of eating normally to return to his usual size.

He was grateful that the home was already stocked with food, likely Devin's doing after his near last-minute departure. Alexander hadn't thought that far.

He walked from the bathroom to the connected bedroom that he had been staying in.

For a moment, he felt weird. As if something had shifted where he was. Furrowing his brows, Alexander began to walk gingerly, keeping his focus geared at his peripheral vision.

For some reason, he didn't just feel as though someone was watching him, but he knew that someone was watching him. Making the conscious decision to stay within the house, Alexander decided to check the cameras. Thankfully the Gullings had installed a security system for the house and the property, giving Alexander a few different cameras to look through.

He sat out of sight of the window and scrolled through the phone from beside his bed. He may have looked strange to another person if they were in there with him, but he didn't want whoever may have been on the property, to see him. Sitting beside the bed on the floor that was on the opposite side of the window seemed to be the best resolution to this.

Scrolling through the twelve available camera feeds, he couldn't find anything- that is until he reached feed nine.

For a moment, his heart raced. A hooded figure could be seen crouching, staring at the home. They likely didn't realize the few cameras that littered the trees outside. There were four main locations that the cameras were perched at further away from the home while the remaining eight were closer.

The mystery person happened to be nesting under just one of them.

They had their duffle bag and Alexander was convinced that it didn't include the innocent necessities that were in his own bag.

Who are you? Alexander thought. Even speaking aloud seemed unwise at that moment, so he kept his lips tightly shut.

But he had a bigger question. What were they waiting for?

Within seconds, a response came to mind.

Nightfall.

Alexander looked up for a moment as the shock settled in, but he soon regretted that decision because once he looked back down, the person and their duffel bag were gone.

Alexander kept his eyes on the cameras as he paced and paced. Now every innocent sound was met with suspicion. Was it really a squirrel or was it the man that hid behind the bush? He didn't know.

He understood that as a man with a target on his back, he could expect his enemies to follow him, but it still seemed too bizarre to even imagine.

Lorenzo must have noticed his hiatus by now. There was no reason to feel threatened by the distracted businessman, but clearly, this was rooted in much more than envy, which was bad on its own. It seemed to stink of a pure hatred that Lorenzo seemed to have for him.

Alexander took a deep breath while combing his fingers through his hair.

Thankfully, Devin and Vincent were quick to answer his calls. Vincent had arranged for some of Alexander's guards to make their way to him and Alexander already wondered how that would work. They were trained to watch from afar and usually remained in their vehicles, but changing shifts out in the open city must have been easier than changing shifts in the country.

There was an untouched shed outside. Alexander noted that he should ask Devin about it. Maybe it could be updated to have a temporary bathroom of sorts. He groaned quietly while holding his head in his hands. He didn't know what to do or how. It seemed like a precarious situation.

Yet he didn't want to leave. He learned that Lorenzo may have been running low on men. Whether it be due to money or other reasons, he simply didn't have as many resources. It could be false, but it was a tip sent in from one of his guards and Alexander hoped it to be true. Not for Lorenzo's failure, but for Arielle's safety.

Maybe if he sent his goonies after Alexander, he wouldn't be so focused on Arielle or at least his resources may be too scarce to send anyone her way.

Alexander sighed. He grew up hearing his father say common phrases like, "A man could hope," but Alexander realized that he could hope and pray. That was his plan.

Devin had offered to come by, but Alexander downright refused. He didn't want him to be in any danger.

Yet when the roaring of an engine grabbed his attention and it wasn't the usual large black vehicle that his guards would use, he knew that Devin ignored his request. Yet a small part of Alexander was relieved by that.

His guards would likely take longer to reach there, even if they took a private jet, but Alexander found no use in buying one of those.

Devin practically jumped out of the vehicle with his large bag in hand. He parked directly next to Alexander's car and raced up to the porch. Once he reached the door, Alexander had already opened it, letting him in.

"Who do you think it is?" Devin asked first, bypassing all greetings.

"I told you not to come here," Alexander skipped past his question as he locked the door back.

"I know and I don't really care that much, okay? Look, I know you want to be out here alone. I respect that, but I'm your friend and you're being stalked. I'm not leaving you alone out here." Devin defended his position without any give.

Alexander sighed but nodded.

"I appreciate it. Really, I do. And to answer your question, I believe it's one of Lorenzo's men." Alexander said as he sat down in one of the kitchen chairs, holding his head in his hands yet again.

"That man seems incapable of facing his own problems. He always sends one of his goonies." Devin muttered.

"He's never liked being too hands-on with his dirty work unless it brings him an extra sense of thrill," Alexander replied distantly, his mind trying to come up with the best plan of action.

"What's wrong with that man," Devin asked rhetorically, but Alexander still answered.

"Well, I recently learned that there may be a deeper reason, beyond me. Although it justifies none of his actions."

"Really?" Devin asked, becoming intrigued. "Like what?"

"I don't know if I should share just yet, but if it's true, it's sad," Alexander said quietly.

"Well, I already told my dad that I wasn't planning to head back, but I genuinely don't feel comfortable leaving you here alone. I can stay out of your hair, okay? But just please do me a favor?" Devin requested.

"What's the favor?" Alexander leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. His eyes constantly flickered to the window.

"Don't leave this house without letting me know, not even to go to the porch," Devin said as he pointed to the large wooden door.

"I didn't really have the desire to after a hooded man came onto the property." Alexander drawled, closing his eyes as he leaned his head back.

"Smart man," Devin replied with a smile.

"Can you do me a favor if you're staying?" Alexander countered.

"Sure," He answered as he began to pull a few of his belongings out of his bag.

"I know you have a TV here, but could you avoid using it or any noticeable entertainment? I know it may seem like a big ask, but that is why I'm out here," Alexander explained.

"You know what, man? Sure. I could use the time away from all that stuff anyway. If you have any book recommendations, let me know." He replied as he stuffed his face with one of the already-made sandwiches in the fridge.

A slow smile formed on Alexander's face.

"I can recommend 66 of them."

The two men kept their distance, but Devin had kept his end of the bargain. He worked hard to not disturb Alexander, mostly remaining in his bedroom, but his eyes remained glued to the cameras.

Devin was perplexed.

How could anyone become so angry, so focused, on another person who truly didn't think much of them? It was rather odd to him, but he was sure that it would be rather odd to most people.

He ventured out of the bedroom and walked into the kitchen. Deciding that his best bet would be watching out the window for a few moments, he sat by in one of the kitchen chairs.

He pushed the blond hairs from his face and stared out at the lining of trees.

"Why did father ever choose this place as a rental property?" He muttered to himself as he continued to look toward the places that lacked cameras.

A sigh of relief left his lips as a large dark vehicle pulled into the lot, but he recognized it immediately.

Quickly opening the door, one of the four men left the vehicle and made their way toward the home.

Devin quickly got to his feet and met him at the door.

"Is the boss here?" The dark-haired man asked. Streaks of gray covered his head and his piercing near-golden eyes studied Devin's face.

"He is, but I think he's praying," Devin replied while closing the door behind him. The older gentleman raised a brow but nodded without any further questions.

"So where should we be?" He asked gesturing to the car behind him.

"As you guys probably realize, we're sort of in the middle of nowhere," Devin began.

"You don't say," the older gentleman chuckled. "The name's Glen, by the way."

"Dylan," Dylan replied.

"I know," Glen replied while taking a moment to look over the property.

"Well, my dad had converted that old shed into a private suite a few months ago for paying guests with larger families. It's not that spacious, but it does have an indoor bathroom, sleeping area, kitchenette, and a pullout couch. I know you men work in shifts, so that's a place where you men can sleep when you're off duty." Devin explained.

Glen glanced at the shed in the back.

"That's a big shed," Glen replied.

"Eh, about 250 square feet, but who's counting?" Devin shrugged. It seemed rather small to him, but that made sense since he viewed it as a sleeping quarter and not as a traditional shed.

"Clearly you are," Glen chuckled. "Well, here, you might as well meet the men on duty. Come out, gentlemen!" Glen yelled over behind him.

"Greg, Gary, and Gavin," Glen announced while waving toward the men. "This is boss' friend, Devin, but you all knew that."

"Wow, I see you all have quite the alliteration going on," Devin mumbled.

"Yeah... doesn't help that we're all related. Cousins." He answered with a big grin.

"Ah..." Devin replied nodding. It still made little sense to him, but it was something, that was for sure.

"Glen, I'll give you access to look at the cameras. You won't have access to turn them off or on, but you can look at them." Devin began to explain.

"Sounds good," he smiled. Glen pulled his phone from his pocket.

Devin felt a bit at ease having more people out there. He understood that Alexander wanted a bit more space, but he wished that it wasn't at his family's creepy rental. The rental wasn't creepy, but the large wooded area was.

Devin watched as all of the dark-haired men walked up to the porch, but his relief was short-lived. A flash of red and black could be seen rushing behind the trees. His eyes widened for a moment, capturing the attention of the other men who began to look through the surroundings.

It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize that the person creeping through the trees likely did not have a "G" name or any relation to Alexander's men.