Whiskey Black Book Set: The Complete Tyrant Series (Box Set 1) Read Free

whole town’s going to erupt into pandemonium.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “You heard what I heard, Sam. That wackadoo’s going to bring about martial law. She just listed a whole plethora of executive orders seizing everything necessary to control the masses.”
    “But she said it was for national security.”
    Sam was not canny regarding politics. Anytime there was a political issue that she saw was working on Stephen’s emotions, she had to slow him down and ask a ton of questions. She was the smart one when it came to home affairs; that was her world. The nuances of the outside world, specifically the law and government, were her weaknesses.
    “Babe,” Stephen said, looking at her and pointing at the TV, “this lady is three years into her second term. Now she’s invoking several executive orders that take the control of food, power, water, and God only knows what else away from the people!”
    “I don’t understand.”
    “She’s calling for martial law and there won’t be an election. She’s likely to keep executive powers over every aspect of our lives.”
    “I want to go outside, Daddy,” Evan interrupted.
    “You can’t go outside, baby.”
    “Why not?”
    Stephen didn’t know how to explain the situation to Evan. Her cute little eyes were looking up at her daddy, and he knew he had to give her an answer. He just didn’t know how to justify it. After thinking on it for just a couple seconds, he moved to where she was standing and stooped down onto one knee.
    “Mommy and Daddy are gonna go talk about it. Maybe we can come up with a plan so you can go outside. But for now, I need you to go to your room and wait for us to call for you. Okay? Can you do that for us?”
    Evan shrugged her shoulders and said, “Okay.”
    Stephen stood and watched her walk away to her bedroom. With his attention now going back to Sam, he picked back up on the conversation.
    “We have some tough decisions to make,” he said authoritatively.
    “Like what?”
    He could see the concern in her eyes.
    “We can’t stay here. It’s going to get dangerous. How long are we going to keep Evan in the house?”
    Sam knew he was right. The thought of barring Evan from going outside indefinitely was almost overwhelming to her. All she could think about was living life as though they were imprisoned.
    She walked up to Stephen and placed her hands on his arms as he stood there pondering the situation. Stephen was far taller than Sam. She was close enough to him that her head was level with his chest. With her head cranked back so she could look at his face, she asked the big question.
    “Are we going to have to head for Gorham?”
    “I’m not sure, hon. We’re going to have to wait on the call.”
    “Which call?”
    Sam knew that at any given time, his unit would most likely be activated. That would mean they were really waiting on one of two phone calls. Her question and concern was
which call was Stephen going to act on?
    “Do you still have that backpack I made up for you a couple years ago?” he asked her.
    “The bugout bag? Yeah, it’s buried in the closet unless you moved it.”
    “I haven’t touched it. Listen, we have some tough choices coming up, and to be frank with you, I don’t know what to do just yet. I’ve had enough time to think this out, and now that it’s upon me, I feel unprepared.”
    Sam looked into his eyes with that reassuring gaze she always gave him. Her half smile would have fooled him into thinking she was happy if not for the worry in her eyes. She had a way with sharing what was in her heart by the look in her eyes. She was easy for Stephen to read.
    “Whatever you decide, I’ll support you, as long as you and I can stay together and keep Evan safe. She’s all that matters.”
    “That’s the thing; I will do anything to keep you guys safe, but it may require me to be apart for a time.”
    “Apart?”
    “I’m just saying that I don’t know what’s at the fork. If the Guard is