Betrayed by My Wife, I Became the Serpent Lord

Chapter 008

Nick was silent for a moment.

"What's happened, Mr. Carter?"

The old man sighed heavily. "You've landed yourself in serious trouble. Michael Davis is in the hospital, and they're saying he's in some kind of vegetative state. His family went straight to Mayor Pugh and filled his head with stories. Now they're claiming you're possessed by an evil spirit."

Nick gave a contemptuous snort.

"Kyle Pugh has no business being mayor. If he hadn't pulled every dirty trick he could think of, you would still have the job."

Mr. Carter had served Cedar Hollow faithfully for more than twenty years. Unlike Kyle, he'd always cared about the ordinary people who lived there.

During the last mayoral election, Kyle had secretly handed out gifts, bought votes, and made promises he never intended to keep. Once he'd forced Mr. Carter out of office, he'd shown his true colors. He catered to wealthy families, ignored everyone else, and punished anyone who dared challenge him.

Mr. Carter only shook his head. Then he reached inside his coat and produced a small bundle wrapped in red fabric. Beneath the red was blue cloth, then yellow, and several more layers before he finally opened a plastic bag containing a few wrinkled bills.

"Nick, I know how much you've sacrificed for Alison's family over the years," he said. "I haven't got much, but there's about a hundred and fifty dollars here. Take it and go. If you stay, heaven knows what those people might do to you."

Nick stared at the carefully folded money. His eyes stung.

He knew Mr. Carter lived modestly and gave most of what he could spare to help orphaned children stay in school. This was no small gift for him.

Nick gently closed the old man's hand around the bills and wrapped them up again.

"I can't take your money, Mr. Carter. You've already given so much to those kids. Keep it for yourself, and please head home before these people decide to take their anger out on you too."

"I'm an old man, Nick. I've got a bit of land and enough to live on. But if you leave town with nothing in your pocket, how are you going to manage?"

He tried once more to press the money into Nick's hand.

From far down the road, Nick could already hear voices gathering. His hearing had grown so acute that he could make out the sound of Kyle and the others preparing to march on the shrine.

"You don't need to worry about me," he said calmly. "Nobody's driving me out of Cedar Hollow unless I choose to leave."

There was such quiet confidence in his words that Mr. Carter fell silent. He couldn't explain it, but suddenly he wanted to believe the young man.

Still, the old man lingered, plainly unwilling to leave him alone to face the crowd.

Nick considered this and lowered his voice.

"Actually, Mr. Carter, there is something you could help me with."

"Of course. What is it?"

Nick leaned closer and whispered a few instructions. Mr. Carter hesitated, then nodded and hurried away, his bent figure disappearing down the road.

Once he was gone, Nick turned toward the approaching voices. The family shrine stood on higher ground, and his already sharpened eyesight seemed better than ever. He could see the entire procession clearly.

Mayor Kyle Pugh was leading them, followed by Brad Davis and several older members of the Davis family. Alison walked among them with her parents, including her father, Dean Stokes. A handful of the Davis family's usual followers brought up the rear.

Joseph Sloan trailed behind them, looking nervous. When he thought nobody was watching, he slipped onto a side path toward the shrine's back entrance.

Nick smiled coldly. Joseph was clearly still weighing his options. He might even have encouraged this confrontation, hoping someone else would take Nick down. At the same time, he was frightened enough to sneak ahead and decide whether warning Nick would serve him better.

If these people wanted a confrontation, Nick intended to show them exactly who they were dealing with.

He returned to the shrine and lit incense before the memorial urn. Ruby soon appeared, but this time the copperhead had brought another snake with it.

The newcomer was black, no longer than Nick's palm, with a pair of striking white markings above its eyes. Though tiny and slender, it seemed to command Ruby's respect.

"A friend of yours?" Nick asked, smiling. "I think I'll call you Shadow."

He held out his hand, but the black snake ignored him. Instead, it glided straight to the urn, raised its head, and remained motionless, almost as though offering a prayer.

Nick waited patiently. Outside, the crowd had already entered the courtyard. He could hear them gathering, although nobody seemed eager to speak first.

At last, Shadow turned from the urn, glanced at Nick, and slid into his sleeve. When he reached for Ruby, the copperhead darted inside the front of his shirt on its own. The cold scales against his chest made him draw a sharp breath.

Nick pulled up a chair and sat facing the door.

He could almost see the crowd through the wood. The visitors had formed a line, raised their fists, and begun chanting in unison.

"Nick Pugh, get out of Cedar Hollow! Nick Pugh, get out of Cedar Hollow!"

Kyle stopped outside the shrine, raised one hand, and motioned for silence.

"Everyone, calm down!" he called loudly. "Nick is one of us, after all. If he admits what he's done and compensates those he's hurt, surely we can give him another chance."

Nick could hear every word. Kyle was trying to look like a fair-minded peacemaker without doing anything that might offend the Davis family. It was a familiar routine, and Nick wondered how the mayor would behave once things stopped going his way.

Old Mr. Davis, the senior member of Michael's family, cleared his throat with a long, wet cough. He spat onto the ground before speaking in a rasping voice.

"That depends on his attitude. We don't want anyone saying the whole Davis family is bullying a poor orphan with nobody left to carry on his name."

It sounded almost sympathetic. Nick knew better. The old man had managed to turn a reference to his dead parents into another insult, implying that Nick's family line would end with him.

Alison's father, Dean Stokes, added his own demands.

"As long as he divorces Alison without causing trouble and compensates her for the years she wasted on him, I won't pursue anything else. Our family has already been generous enough."

Behind the door, Nick's smile grew colder. He was keeping track of every insult and every demand. There would be time to settle the accounts.

Satisfied that everyone had delivered their prepared speeches, Kyle approached the door and tried to push it open. It didn't budge.

His expression tightened. He gave the door a sharp knock instead.

"Nick, I know you're in there. You've heard everyone's concerns. As mayor, it's my responsibility to resolve this fairly. If you can't afford the compensation, we'll talk about it. Now open the door."

There was no answer.

Nick remained seated, gently stroking Shadow's head to calm the little snake, which seemed eager to act.

Kyle grew irritated. No wonder the young man had ended up losing his home. He could be impossibly stubborn.

The mayor stepped aside and signaled to Brad Davis.

Brad nodded, took a short running start, and kicked the door with all his strength.

He'd expected the wood to splinter. Instead, a deafening metallic clang rang through the courtyard. Pain shot up Brad's leg, and he nearly collapsed.

The door hadn't moved an inch.

It was clearly made of wood, yet kicking it had felt like striking solid iron. The sound was so loud that everyone nearby was left with ringing ears.