Kneeling at the front door, I placed the white clematis in the center of the stoop, adjusting it so the note was facing the door. A plant seemed an insignificant thing to leave at the doorstep of a family who’d been through what this one had, but the images of Jean Price and Sue Wolff tending to theirs, plants growing into something that could not be easily ripped from the soil, quieted my doubts. It was more than a starter plant that would offer white blossoms in the summer. It was a symbol. A reminder. A promise.
Adjusting the note so it was straight, my gloves brushed the dark soil surrounding the clematis. The underrated, overlooked component that was essential to the well-being of the organic life it fostered above the surface.
The plant could not survive without what resided beneath the ground. It needed the soil to thrive, the debris and filth to secure its roots and allow them to spread unhindered.
For life to prosper—for flowers to cultivate—the dirt and darkness resting below was necessary. The grime was vital, an essential component. Every gardener knew you couldn’t sustain life without getting your hands dirty every now and again.
Instead of dusting the rich soil from my gloves, I rubbed it in, letting it absorb. Then I rose, standing tall as I retraced my steps back to him.
Noah was right. Bad men fed off the lifeblood of society’s forbearance, growing fat off of second chances and greedy from due process. There was only one way to deal with evil—to vanquish it back to hell where it had been spawned.
That was where we came in—the shepherds guiding a sick flock from one land into the next, the huntsmen who discovered those who’d gone astray. Like water over fire, we snuffed out the blaze spreading ruin among us . . . and the river was surging.
Predators had become prey, and me?
I, Grace Wolff, was a hunter.
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THE END
Thank you for reading
THESE VIOLENT ROOTS
by NEW YORK TIMES and USATODAY
bestselling author, Nicole Williams.
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Look out for her next book, DAWN OF PLAGUES, releasing in 2021.
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Nicole loves to hear from her readers.
You can connect with her on:
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Facebook: Author Nicole Williams
Instagram: author_nicole_williams
Twitter: nwilliamsbooks
Website: authornicolewilliams.com
About the Author
Nicole is a NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestselling author who got her humble start dictating books to her parents at the age of three and her big break nearly thirty years later when she signed her first publishing deal. She grew up an avid reader and writer who majored in Economics because a Creative Writing degree was lofty and impractical, not to mention a pipe dream. Irony, you wily fiend.
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When she isn’t embroiled in a book, she spends her time playing wife and mom to her two favorite people in the world, and referee to their three rescue pets/wildlings. Nicole lives in the Evergreen State on the quieter side, ideal for an admitted recluse who enjoys the diversity of outdoor endeavors the Great Northwest offers.
Also by Nicole Williams
GIRL UPSIDE DOWN (Random House)
ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE (Random House)
TRUSTING YOU & OTHER LIES (Random House)
CRASH, CLASH, CRUSH (HarperCollins)
UP IN FLAMES (Simon & Schuster UK)
GLASS CASTLE PRINCE
FOOL ME ONCE
DATING THE ENEMY
EXES WITH BENEFITS
ROOMMATES WITH BENEFITS
TOUCHING DOWN
STEALING HOME
MISTER WRONG
TORTURED
COLLARED
HATE STORY
THE FABLE OF US
THREE BROTHERS
CROSSING STARS
DAMAGED GOODS
HARD KNOX
GREAT EXPLOITATIONS SAGA
LOST & FOUND SERIES
FINDERS KEEPERS SERIES
THE PATRICK CHRONICLES
THE EDEN TRILOGY
These Violent Roots Page 31
