When I came to, I found myself lying in Troy's room. I didn't remember when he came back or how I got into his bedroom, but I was here... He himself was lying next to him right in the military uniform that he had put on for hunting yesterday. I took a closer look at his sleeve, there were blood stains on it that had been absorbed a long time ago. He was asleep, snoring slightly.
The memories of last night were suffocating me. I got up and went to the window to open it. It was early morning, the sun hadn't even started to rise yet, the silence was ringing in my ears. After looking at the sparse landscape, I went back to bed and hugged Troy. Apparently, he woke up from my touch, because I felt his warm palm lay on top of my hand. After a couple of seconds, he turned to me.
"How was the hunt?" I asked.
"Hunting is great, but you'd better tell me how you handled it all yesterday?"
"You were right about Ophelia, but I didn't even think she was like that..."
"Viper?!"
"Exactly. Were you at Nick's yesterday when you got back?"
"Yes, we were all in the infirmary together. Madison is just shattered."
"How is he?"
"Bad, we would like to know what poison Ophelia added to the food. Then we can do something."
"Where is she?"
"Madison and Jake interrogated her all night."
"Torture without you, really?"
"Stop making an executioner out of me!" Troy raised his voice.
"It's just a joke," his voice made me uneasy, "Don't yell at me."
"Don't be silly, then I won't shout."
"Well, seriously," I decided to change the subject, "why aren't you with them?"
"I wanted to be with you. We weren't together all day yesterday. And beating up women is not my thing. Madison probably did it well without me."
"Troy", I ran my hand over his cheek, "she only poisoned the militia, they'll attack, right?"
"Most likely, they will not attack, we think that they have another plan: to come and put forward conditions to us that we will be obliged to accept. It's not in their best interest to solve the ranch case. They want to live here."
"And what, will you agree?"
"My father and I? Never," he lay on his back, "Jake can."
"But there's no choice, we'll have to let them in."
"Even if they find themselves side by side with us, most of us will not accept them. I'm sure."
"Tell me, what is the difference between us and them? The main problem is only in resources, but even we won't have enough of them soon, we will find some way out with them."
"You don't understand anything!" Troy snapped.
"So explain it to me! When I talked to Walker, he was ready to accept me into his settlement!"
"So go to him!"
"Great, I'll do it! As soon as they get here and take over the ranch, I'll be the first to vote for Walker!"
Suddenly, Troy grabbed me by the throat and brought his face close to mine. When I looked into his eyes, I was horrified. He was in a kind of rage. His palms were tightly clenched, forming a tight ring, it became painful and difficult for me to breathe.
"Don't you dare say that," he growled, "they'll only take over the ranch over my father's dead bodies."
After these words, Troy abruptly released me and, sitting on the edge of the bed, began to breathe heavily. I grabbed my neck and struggled to speak, so he began to calm down and come to his senses:
"No matter what you say, you know them better than me," it was hard to even whisper, I had a strong feeling that Troy wanted to strangle me, but restrained himself in time. Suddenly he turned back to me.
"Will you support me?"
"I'm on your side anyway, you helped me find my sister and brought me here. But I don't understand this attitude towards people who need help."
I was afraid to get up and leave. It seemed that Troy wouldn't let me out and would start strangling me again.
"They have no right to this land!" Troy started to wind up again.
"Stop it. Before you strangle me completely, inhale and exhale. Calm down."
"I'm calm."
"It shows," I said, still pressing my hands to my neck.
Troy looked at me. Then he darted from the edge of the bed to me. I didn't even have time to be scared. Only one thought flashed through my mind: "Is he going to kill me now?", but instead Troy hugged me.
"I didn't mean to."
"But you did it."
"I swear I didn't mean to, I don't know how I could."
He said it mechanically, I knew he wasn't lying, but there wasn't even any emotion in his voice. No compassion, no regret, no guilt.
"Della, I promise it won't happen again."
I didn't believe it. I knew it would happen again if there were similar conditions. It always happens that way. The human psyche is an interesting thing. The more reactions you allow her, the more she wants to show in the future, while the strength of the stimulus may decrease. Today Troy almost strangled me because he didn't like my phrase — tomorrow he will hit me because I look at him the wrong way? Or even kill me?
"Troy," I started to pull his hands away, "I can't be sure about that."
"Don't go," he read my thoughts, "please don't go, I'm not a danger to you. It won't happen again."
I started to get out of bed, but Troy grabbed my arm roughly.
"Don't you dare," his voice sounded threatening, "I won't let you go," with every word his palm clenched on my forearm.
"Let me go!" I tried to unhook his hand.
"I'm asking, believe me," his eyes took on a prayerful expression.
I looked at him calmly, he loosened his grip, thinking that I had softened, but taking advantage of the moment, I freed myself and ran to the door. Troy jumped up after me. We flew out into the corridor. I was about to open the door of the room where I slept earlier, but he grabbed me by the hair. Suddenly Jake came out of his father's office.
"What's going on?"
"Nothing," Troy and I said with one voice. I do not know why I lied. In fact, I wanted to scream that Troy was going to kill me.
"It's great that you're already awake, Troy. Madison left with Ophelia for Walker without my knowledge. Apparently, she decided to find out what kind of poison was in the food. You're needed here."
"I'm busy."
"Your main occupation is the defense of the ranch, remember?" Jake looked at me with displeasure: "You have to stop distracting him from his work, Della."
Troy beat me to the answer, but instead of the words I was going to say to Jake in full, reminding him of Alisha, the younger brother pressed him against the wall.
"Troy!" I shouted.
"Don't get in the way!" Troy threw away my hand, which I pulled to prevent him from hitting Jake.
"Quite already? What are you doing?" The middle Otto shouted.
"The squad was poisoned because of you! If it weren't for you with your idiotic peacemaker makings, there would be no exchange! Everyone would be alive!"
"Troy, stop!" I tried to pull him back again, but he didn't seem to notice me and, pressing Jake against the wall, continued:
"And you dare to say something to my girlfriend?! He jerked his head in my direction, "Go to hell, Jake! You've been hanging out with the Clark girl all day! What have you done for the ranch in the last couple of weeks?! Where were you yesterday when that walking rat put poison in the food?!"
Alisha and Clara ran out of the room, and Jeremy appeared from the office. Troy immediately released Jake when he saw father.
"Have you both sorted out all the relationships?" said the elder Otto, addressing his sons.
Our whole company was silent. Jake gave his younger brother a disgruntled look and went into the office.
"Troy," Jeremiah made an inviting gesture, "let's go, we need to talk," and while Troy went into the office, the rancher added, "good morning, young ladies, I didn't know that you were also early risers," the whole speech was accompanied by an insincere smile.
"Troy must have gone off the rails, what's wrong with him, Della?" my sister asked me.
"Why Troy?" I raised an eyebrow in displeasure. I don't know why, but I decided to protect him: "it was Jake who started it!"
"It can't be!" Alisha shouted.
"Oh, yes it can!"
"For sure, Troy just got turned on for nothing. As usual."
Alisha's words infuriated me, and I left the room. What a fool she is! There's a lot of trouble at the ranch because of Jake, because of him her brother is now suffering from poison, but she still thinks Troy is a monster! Through the glass in the door leading to the office, I saw the men from Otto's family arguing. Their voices were barely audible. I didn't know where to go. I didn't want to go either to the room or to the street... I saw a staircase to the second floor in front of me. Hoping that Danny would be in the room, I approached him. He wasn't there. My brother must have been in Nick's infirmary. They had become very close friends back in Mexico, and now they were completely inseparable. I lay down on my brother's bed. She was wrapped in a blue blanket, and when I ran my hands over it, I felt soft. A wave of warmth and calmness covered me, I suddenly fell into a dream.