Renewal 10 - Blind Force Read Online Free PDF Page B

Seth,” she said, giving the big man a quick smile. “Jared’s working hard for you. He’s been telling the story for a solid day.”
    “I’m just glad his wife let him live,” Terry said, grinning. “It’s good to see you again, Mrs. Cooper.”
    She laughed. “I was kind of proud of him. He finally put his foot down and told her to shut up. He said he had work to do, and they could fight later. He made her go round up the neighbors.” She looked over Terry’s shoulder. “Looks like they have some questions,” she added, indicating the new crowd with a nod.
    Terry looked back and saw at least fifty people filtering into the driveway. Seth followed his glance and said, “Looks like it’s time for another speech.” Seth turned to Mrs. Cooper with a toothy smile. “He’s a sweet talker, this boy.”
    Terry found himself in a mad rush of handshakes and names he would never remember. He took a moment to wave Sally and Suze down from the truck. When they arrived, Terry introduced them around as best he could in the crowd. A number of the men were noticeably staring at the young women, and Terry remembered what Bill had said about having them along. He watched Sally smiling and talking, her copper hair shining in the morning sun, and couldn’t blame anyone for staring.
    The greetings turned into rapid-fire questions, and Terry tried to answer them individually. He was quickly overwhelmed. He held up a finger in the one-minute gesture and strode across the front yard to the porch. He stood on the head of the steps, finding a stable board to use as a speaking stump.
    “Good morning, folks. By now, I expect you’ve heard the story,” he began. Another half dozen people emerged from the house and stepped past him to join the crowd on the yard. He waited until they were settled. “So, I probably don’t need to tell you what’s been happening around here. What I do need to tell you is that the Dragon army is back in Coffee County.” A round of booing and hissing washed over him.
    Terry continued, “They started out in Columbia with three thousand men, who came to help Wyatt Jenkins fight against us. When I say ‘us’, I don’t just mean the four of us.” He indicated his friends with a short arc of his arm. “I mean all of us.” He made a much larger gesture to encompass the entire crowd. “The Dragons and the Jenkins and all of the other families are on the same side for a reason. They are all in the same business, and that business is to live by taking advantage of good people. All of you have done well. I can look around this neighborhood and see that you grow your own food. You live in a back corner of Manchester that keeps you out of sight of the people who want to take what you have made with your own hands. But, I can also see that you are struggling to get clothing to wear, materials to repair your homes, and everything else that makes life easier. I grew up in this town, just like you, and I know why we can’t get those things, just like you. The families have kept a choke hold on all trade. If you can make it or grow it yourselves, you’re doing fine. The minute you need something that someone else makes, you are forced to trade for it. That’s where the families have got you.”
    Terry paused to watch the nods of agreement. “Then they control the work. They are the only ones who have work, and they use that fact to make sure that you make almost nothing for your labor. They say they own everything from the grain silos to the food stands on the square. That’s not technically true, but it’s been that way for so long that it might as well be. And finally, most of you don’t know this, but we have had a functioning state government for years. Not a strong one, but one that actually tries to help each and every one of you. Those bars of soap you have been trading two days of work for, those shirts that cost you a week’s work, those are yours by right from the State, and the families have