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46

Outside Havenwood

Riley liked Catherine and hadn’t wanted to deceive her, but Riley wanted no more deaths on her conscience.

She trusted that the FBI had a plan, but when Calliope was forced into a corner, she acted irrationally. That put Agent Costa in danger. How could she explain it to everyone?

There was only one way to end Calliope’s control over all those people. One way to stop more innocent people from dying. For her aunt, for her grandmother, for Jane and Robert and the others.

Riley had to kill her.

The realization had come to her slowly after she learned her mother had Agent Costa kidnapped and used her aunt’s dead body as the messenger. Maybe Calliope wanted a showdown. Maybe she wanted everyone to die defending Havenwood. But Havenwood wouldn’t be at risk and no one would be in danger if Calliope hadn’t turned what was beautiful and pure into an evil, ugly cult with her at the center.

For all the psychology classes she’d taken, and listening to Dean and Catherine talk, Riley still didn’t understand what motivated her mother. Yes, she understood her need to protect what was hers. What happened to Glen and Annie, losing the baby, the people who left and came back to do them harm. But her mother had been not completely right in the head even before that. She was beautiful and evil, hot and cold, cruel and sadistic.

But she would never leave Havenwood because at the heart of everything, Calliope was terrified. Whether because of watching the murder of her father or because she saw Havenwood as her only sanctuary, Calliope was terrified to leave.

Riley understood fear. And she would use it to her advantage.

Riley was scared, but not like before. Because there was a greater good to be had.

Liberating Havenwood.

It was time to make a stand. It was time to tell her mother that nothing— nothing she could do to her or anyone else would send Riley down the same dark path.

Riley didn’t want to kill her mother, but there was no doubt in her mind that Calliope would force her to.

Just like she forced Riley to kill her horse.

Riley hadn’t known where Havenwood was in the state of Colorado, but now that she was on the edge of paradise, she remembered every inch of the land she’d been born on.

And she ran as fast as she dared down the mountain.