Page 2

Chapter

Two

LUNA

G od is arriving today.

He’ll want me to be ready, so I make sure to put on my best dress: a light blue floral dress that ends above my knees. The straps reveal my arms. It clings to my body.

I’m sure God will like it since he always talks about my body.

I stare out my window, wondering when he’s going to arrive. My body is both tense and excited. I’ll finally meet him. I’ll get to see what he looks like, smells like, feels like.

But I’m also scared. He wants to touch me, and I’m not sure I want that. I don’t know what I want.

I don’t know anything.

The more I read, the more I get a sense of how small my life is. Just the lighthouse. My window with the view of the ocean. Just me alone.

And then I hear it: the sound of something rumbling. With a frown, I look out my window and see four men arrive on … some sort of contraption. It kind of looks like a bicycle but not. God never told me he was coming with more than one man.

From what I've read, I do know the differences between men and women. I know these are men. They look so different from me.

They get off their contraptions and come closer to the lighthouse. I can’t see them any longer from my window.

Then I hear a loud bang, and I gasp before diving under my covers and hiding there. God didn’t mention anything about loud sounds. He told me I’d be ok.

So, why do I feel so afraid?

The door creaks open, and their footsteps thunder over the floor. It has to be God. Who else could it be?

I tell myself not to be afraid. I’m going to be ok. I have to be ok.

The footsteps start coming up the stairs until they reach the second floor. Until they reach me.

Telling myself to be brave, I look up.

And come face-to-face with a man who makes me feel breathless. My stomach constricts with something that isn’t fear, but I don’t fully understand it. All I know is that the man standing before me is pleasing to look at.

“God?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper.

The man frowns. “What?”

One of the men behind him hits the handsome man on the arm. “You hear that, Maxim? This girl thinks you’re God. Lucky bastard.”

“Sal,” Maxim warns. “Shut up.”

A different man looks around Maxim at me. He’s pleasing to look at, too. “Jack didn’t say anything about a girl.”

“I know.”

“Maybe we should go,” another man says. He’s the youngest out of them. Where the other men have facial hair, he doesn’t. “I don’t like this.”

“Is there anyone else here?” Maxim asks.

And it takes me a moment to realize he’s talking to me.

“You’re not … God?” I ask. My heart is pounding hard against my chest. My hands feel numb.

“No, I’m not God,” he answers, his tone softening. “Are you here alone?” He takes one step closer to me, and I press my back against the wall, trying to get as far away from him as I can.

“God is supposed to be here today.”

“So, you’re here alone.”

I look at him and the other men behind him. This was not part of the plan. I know that much. “Are you here to hurt me? God told me men would hurt me. Are you going to rape me?”

“No,” Maxim says in a heated tone. “I don’t hurt women. My men don’t hurt women. We’re not going to hurt you. We’re just here for a statue. Once we get it, we’ll leave.”

“A statue?”

“Yes. Just a statue. We’re not going to hurt you. If you could just tell us where it is, we’ll be out of your hair.”

I touch my hair slightly. The red strands seem so stark in the pale light. “Out of my hair? I don’t understand.”

He looks at me more closely. “It’s an expression.”

“An expression?”

Sal snorts. “You don’t know what that means?”

I shake my head.

“Jesus,” the other handsome mutters. “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Jasper,” Maxim says. “Shut up. I got this. Go wait downstairs with Colin and Sal.”

“But I want to stay,” Sal objects.

“Go.”

The three men shuffle back downstairs, leaving Maxim and me alone. I shift on the bed, feeling my dress ride up my legs. I know God likes my legs. He always talks about them.

But Maxim doesn’t even look at them. He keeps his eyes on mine. “I’m Maxim. What’s your name?”

“Luna.”

“Ok, Luna. My men and I are not here to hurt you. We were sent here to retrieve a statue. Once we have it, we’ll be gone. Can you tell me where it is?”

I shrug. “There’s no statues here.”

“There’s not?”

“No.”

“Ok.” He sighs, running his hand down his face. He really does have a pleasant face. I just want to keep looking at it. “Can I look around? See if I can find it?”

“You’re not going to hurt me?”

“I’m not going to hurt you.” The way he says it feels genuine. I believe him.

“Ok. You can look around.”

“Thank you.” I’m expecting him to leave, but he doesn’t. “You live here?”

“Yes.”

“By yourself?”

“Yes.”

“You seem young to be living on your own.”

“I’m eighteen now. That’s what God tells me. I’m legally an adult.”

“Who is this God you keep talking about?”

I point to the speaker on the wall. “He talks to me through that. He watches me, too. He keeps me in here. He says I belong to him.”

Maxim looks between me and the speaker. He frowns harder. For some reason, I don’t want him to be upset. “You’re not allowed to leave the lighthouse?”

“No. He keeps the door locked.”

“So, you’re a prisoner?”

“What’s a prisoner?”

“Someone who’s locked up somewhere and isn’t allowed to leave.”

I quickly shake my head, but I hold my blanket tighter to my chest. “No. I’m not a prisoner. I’m God’s. I belong to him.”

“Who is this … God? Have you met him?”

“No. He was arriving today for the first time. He said he was finally going to claim me as his. But I’m not sure I want that.”

“Why not?”

“I don’t know what I want.”

He lets out a rough breath. “How long have you been here?”

“All my life.”

“All your life? Shit.” He looks around the room and then turns back to me. “OK, um … I’m gonna search for the statue now. My men will leave you alone. I promise. I’ll be right back. Ok?”

I nod. Maxim hesitates for a moment, then walks to the stairwell that leads to the third floor.

He looks back at me once more before he heads upstairs.

MAXIM

What the fuck is going on here?

That’s all I can ask myself as I go upstairs. But the third and final floor is empty. There’s nothing on it. I go up the final set of stairs, which leads to a balcony. There’s also nothing out here.

From what I can tell, there’s no statue inside this lighthouse.

There’s no prized possession Jack was speaking of.

Unless …

I stop dead in my tracks.

Unless Jack was talking about Luna. She’s all alone here and is clearly innocent, given how she speaks and acts. She’s lived in this lighthouse her entire life. Someone named God has kept her here.

It couldn’t be Jack. If he was God, he wouldn’t have asked for my help.

But does that mean Jack wants Luna?

I need to get to the bottom of this. I quickly call Jack. “You didn’t tell me some girl was living in the lighthouse.”

“Didn’t I?”

“No, you didn’t. There’s no statue here. Your information is wrong.”

“No. My information isn’t wrong. It’s the girl I want, Maxim. Just bring her to me, and you’ll get the rest of your money.”

Shit. “I do not deal in trafficking people, Jack. Keep your goddamn people.” I hang up and hurry back inside. Luna is still seated on her bed, looking confused. I realize at this moment that I have to help her.

She’s clearly a prisoner, even if she doesn’t realize it. Her God keeps her locked in this shitty place. He’s kept her locked up here her entire life, and by the sounds of it, he wants to rape her. What else did she mean by God wanting to claim her?

This woman needs help. But I have no fucking clue how to help her.

“Stay right there,” I tell her as I head downstairs. Sal’s sitting at the table while Jasper leans against the wall, and Colin paces the room, looking terrified.

“There’s no statue here,” I tell my men. “Jack wants Luna.”

“Luna?” Jasper asks.

I point to the ceiling. “He wants us to bring her to him.”

Jasper shrugs. “So? Why do you sound like you don’t want to do that?”

“Because I don’t want to do that.”

“But we could use the money,” Sal says.

“No. I’m the president. What I say goes. We’re not going to just sell this girl to some asshole.”

“So, what are you going to do with her?” Jasper asks.

Sal raises his hand. “I’ll take her.”

I glare at him. “No. That’s the last thing that’s going to happen. I’m not giving her to anyone.”

“You just want her for yourself,” Sal mutters.

“I don’t want her for myself. She’s a prisoner here. I need to get her out.”

“And then what?” Jasper asks. “What are you going to do with her?”

I run my hand down my face. “I have no fucking idea. But she’s better off with me than whoever ‘God’ is. He’s the man who took her prisoner. She’s been here all her life.”

Both Jasper’s and Sal’s eyes light up.

“So, she’s an untouched virgin,” Japer clarifies.

Sal practically salivates at the idea. “I’ve never been with a virgin before.”

“And you’re not going to get the chance,” I tell him, smacking him upside the head. “None of you are. I’m going to take her to the clubhouse and keep an eye on her. Maybe Rose can help. After that, I’ll figure out how to help her.”

“I think this is a bad idea,” Colin mutters.

Jasper rolls his eyes. “You think everything is a bad idea. You’re such a scaredy cat. Why join the Knights if you’re so scared of everything?”

“I’m not scared of everything. I just don’t think this is a good idea.”

“Leaving Luna here isn’t a good idea. I’m pretty positive the man who kidnapped her is coming today to rape her. I’m taking her with us. End of discussion.”

“Fine,” Japer mutters. “But how are you going to convince her to come with us? If she’s been here all her life, she might not want to go.”

“Just leave that to me. You three stay down here.” I smack Sal upside the head as he tries to take a bite out of the bread on the table, and he immediately drops it. “And mind your fucking manners. Stay out of trouble.”

I go back upstairs, trying to figure out how I will convince Luna to leave with me.

LUNA

Maxim’s footsteps are already recognizable from the others. His are softer, while the other men’s steps are lumbering. I can hear them even from upstairs.

What are these men going to do to me? I believe Maxim when he said he wouldn’t hurt me, so does that mean God lied to me? Is no one out to get me?

But I belong to God. That’s what he told me.

I’m just not sure if I want to be his. I’m not sure what I want at all.

Maxim reaches the top of the stairs, and his handsome face comes into my view. I like looking at it. There’s something calming about it.

“Luna?”

I sit up straighter. “Yes?”

“There’s something I need to talk with you about. Do you know who this … God is?”

“No.”

“I know you said you’ve never met him, but do you know anything about him? What his real name is?”

I frown. “You’re not making any sense. His name is God. He doesn’t have any other name.”

“You’ve never spent any time outside of this lighthouse.”

“God didn’t want me to leave.” For some reason, I can’t look at him as I say this. My fingers play with the blanket on my lap.

“I’m from out there.” He points to my window to the sand and the ocean below. “I’ve been around a lot of people in my life. I’m not trying to say this to scare you or upset you, but you need to understand something. The name ‘god’ is used for religion. As in a god figure, an all-powerful being.”

“I know. God told me. He said he was the real God, not like the religious god.”

“Right.” He sighs, bowing his head. I study him more closely. His jacket is strange. It only covers his chest and not his arms, which gives me a good look at his arms, and I have to admit, they’re nice to look at. Everything about Maxim makes me want to soak all of him in,

“But here’s the thing,” he says, looking back at me with his blue eyes. Those are also nice. “God, the religious god, isn’t real. At least, there’s no proof he’s real. But your God is just a man who’s trapped you here. His real name isn’t God; I can tell you that much.”

“No. His name is God.”

“It’s not, Luna. I’m sorry, but it’s not. No one names their kid God. I’m not sure who he really is, but he’s not God. He’s been lying to you this entire time. He’s trapped you in here. You shouldn’t stay here.”

“But he’s coming for me.” The words sound weak even to my ears. I look outside my window. I’ve always wanted to know what life was like out there. Maybe this is my chance.

“I know, and that’s the problem. He’s going to hurt you, Luna.”

“How do you know?”

“Because he wants to claim you. You told me so yourself. Do you understand what that means?”

“No,” I admit.

“It means he wants to have sex with you. I’m assuming since you’ve been in here all your life that you haven’t …”

“I don’t know what sex is. God’s never told me, and none of my books mention it.”

He rocks back on his heels, his face turning red slightly. I wonder why. “Right. Sex is when two people touch.”

“Like this?” I stand up and grab his hand. It feels nice and warm in mine. Maxim gently lets my hand go.

“Not exactly. That’s just touching. Sex is when you touch your genitals to another person’s … genitals.” He blows out a rough breath. “Shit, I’m not explaining this right. He wants to put his penis into you. That much is obvious to me from what you’ve told me.”

“Into me?”

“Ok. I’m not the person to give you a sex education. Just trust me when I say that I think he wants to hurt you. He already has by keeping you locked in here. But if you leave with me, I can take you somewhere safe.”

I take a step back from him. “But God told me that men would want to hurt me.”

“And I already told you I won’t. Do you believe me?”

“I do,” I respond instantly. There’s something just so warm and trusting about Maxim. But then again, this is the first conversation I’ve had with anyone other than God.

God doesn’t make me feel this way, though. With God, I felt on edge whenever we spoke. With Maxim, I feel like I don’t want to stop speaking with him.

“Good. So you can trust me. You’re not safe here. I know it in my gut. Come with me, Luna.”

“Where would we go?”

“Well, I could take you to where I spend most of my time. It’s a clubhouse for my motorcycle club. I’m the president of the Knights.”

“The nights? Like nighttime? When it gets dark?”

He laughs slightly. It’s a very nice sound—like his face. “No. Like a knight, a suit of armor. A warrior.” He slowly shakes his head. “I’m not making any sense, am I?”

“Not really.”

“I know I’m a stranger to you. But I really do just want to see you safe. I was lied to to come here. I was sent by … it doesn’t matter. What matters is that other people know you’re here. People who want to hurt you. Come with me, and I can keep you safe.”

“And if I refuse to go?”

“Then I won’t force you. But now that I’ve met you, Luna, I’m not sure I can just forget you.”

“Why?”

“Honestly? I have no fucking clue. You just seem so fragile, and I want to see you safe. Let me do that for you. Let me be that knight for you.” He snorts. “Listen to me. I sound so fucking corny. My men downstairs will never let me live that one down.”

“I don’t have to tell them what you said.”

“A secret?”

“Yes. God told me that we’re supposed to be a secret. But I told you about him, so I guess I broke it.”

His smile disappears. “Then I don’t want there to be secrets between us. Keeping secrets is never a good thing. God isn’t a good man, Luna.”

“How do you know? You’ve never met him.”

“I just - the things I’ve seen in life … the shit I’ve experienced; I’ve come across a lot of bad men. The truth is, I’m not exactly a good man either. I’ve done bad things.”

I gasp and jump onto my bed to put as much distance between us as possible. “But you said you wouldn’t hurt me.”

“And I won’t.”

“But God told me that bad men hurt women like me.”

“Shit,” he mutters. “Ok, listen. I won’t hurt you. I promise you. The things I’ve done in life have nothing to do with women. I’ve never hurt a woman, and I never intend to. You’re safe with me, Luna. Just let me get you out of here.”

I look between him and the stairwell. He’s blocking it, so I can’t escape. Besides, even if I made it downstairs, where would I go? I’ve only known the lighthouse.

But I want to know more.

God told me I could never leave because I belonged to him. He also told me I would suffer out in the world. I don’t have any money or skills, he said. I would just be … lost.

Maxim may be able to help me, though. He knows what the real world is like.

God wants to keep me in this lighthouse, and despite not knowing what I want, I do know I don’t want to stay in this lighthouse for the rest of my life.

And I do like looking at Maxim’s face. What if God doesn’t have as nice of a face?

I step down from my bed. “Ok.”

“Ok?” His face lights up. “You’ll come with?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We should go now before your God shows up. I don’t want him to find you. I don’t want him to hurt you.”

“God has been the only person to ever care for me. Until you. So, thank you.”

His eyes soften, and it means everything to me. “Come on.” He motions me down the stairs.

I take tentative steps until I reach the ground floor, where the rest of the men are. Two of them—Sal and Jasper—look at me with … hunger? I just know that’s what my eyes look like when I need something to eat.

But I’m not food.

I step back from them and bump into Maxim.

“Woah, there.” He catches my arm and steadies me then lets me go. And yet, I don’t think I want him to let me go. His hands feel nice.

“Hey, baby,” Sal says, nodding at me.

Maxim hits him upside the head, making me gasp. “Shut up, Sal. Don’t talk to her like that.”

“You said you didn’t hurt people,” I whisper.

“Shit. Luna, hitting Sal isn’t hurting him. It’s teaching him a lesson. Whenever he acts like a pig, I hit his head to remind him to act like a man.”

I squint at Sal and take in his round features. “But he’s not a pig.”

Both Sal and Jasper laugh. The young one, Colin, just looks more worried.

“Both of you,” Maxim growls. “Shut up. Be nice to Luna. She’s safe with us. If you mess with her, you go through me. Is that understood?”

Sal nods right away. “Yeah, Prez, I get it. You want her for yourself.”

“That’s not …” Maxim sighs. “Just shut up.”

“You want me for yourself?” I ask him.

Maxim looks at me with those soft eyes again, and I feel like I could just melt right into him. “No. I just want to see you safe.”

“Oh.” For some reason, disappointment flares through me. It’s just like when God tells me I’m never allowed to leave the lighthouse.

“You got it?” Maxim asks Jasper. After a long beat, Jasper nods.

“I got it, boss.” Even though he says he understands, his tone says otherwise. He slants his eyes at me, and I don’t like it. I step closer to Maxim.

“I understand, too,” Colin says.

That makes all the men laugh. “I know you won’t do something stupid,” Maxim says.

Colin perks up at this. “Thank you.”

Sal snorts, rolling his eyes as he stands up from the table. His large belly shakes a little as he does it. I’ve never seen a body like his—I’m fascinated. “You’ve never gotten your pecker wet with any girl, Colin, so we know you won’t do anything. You’re too scared.”

“Pecker?” I ask.

Maxim sighs. “This will be a long drive back home.”

“I’ve had sex,” Colin stutters, going red in the face. Sex. There’s that word again. I still don’t fully understand what Maxim was telling me earlier. I’m unsure if it’s a good or bad thing.

“Right,” Jasper says, patting Colin on the back. “We believe you.”

“You don’t sound like you believe him,” I say, which only serves to make Sal and Jasper laugh harder.

“Come on,” Maxim says, opening the door. “Let’s go.”

And there it is. The outside. I’ve never been this close before.

All I have to do is just take one step, and I’ll be out of the lighthouse.

Forever. Or will I be right back here within a day? All I know is that I’ll never know unless I try.

So, with a large breath, I step outside and feel the sun on my face for the very first time.