Page 28

28

Lara

As Mario turns off the exit on his way to Wilmington, I can’t believe our good luck that he was on that road just when we needed him to be. Good old Mario. He may be the world’s biggest pain in the ass when it comes to work, but he’s always been a decent guy. I’m just glad he was the one to see us on the side of the road.

“How is Linda okay with your being out in the middle of the night?” I jokingly ask, knowing his new girlfriend keeps him on a pretty short leash. “I’m sort of surprised she’s not with you.”

He turns his head to look at me and smirks. “I told her I wouldn’t be long. She’d only be in the way anyway.”

I smile as how strange that sounds from a man who couldn’t get a date for months after his wife left him. It makes me wonder if they’re as serious as I’d thought. Mario’s always been less a catch and more the kind of man a woman ends up with when she gets sick of the dating scene. He still drags around all that baggage from his ex after she cheated on him and ended their marriage, so any woman dating him has a hill to climb with all of that anger he can’t seem to get rid of even now after more than a year since the divorce became final.

Poor Linda. I’ve only met her twice, but she seemed like a nice person. She’s got that strange obsession with horror films she tried to discuss with me that last time, but since I can’t watch scary movies without having nightmares for days afterward, the conversation didn’t go far. Still, she appeared to care for Mario, so I figured to each their own.

As I notice he’s gone the wrong way to get to Wilmington, I chuckle and say, “Hey, Mario. Did you get turned around in the dark? My car isn’t anywhere close to here.”

He smiles but doesn’t take his attention off the road. “I know, but I have someplace I need to go. It won’t take long.”

Behind me, Nash makes a noise that sounds like a groan, so I look into the back seat and smile. “Feeling tired? We’ll be to my car soon.”

In the dark, I can’t see his whole face, but his eyes flash a look I’ve seen before from him. He doesn’t say anything, but he sits up straight now and looks out the window.

“What’s wrong? I bet it’s weird being away from the farm, isn’t it?”

Beside me, Mario lets out a low chuckle. I want to explain what I meant, but it’s too long a story to get into tonight. My boss will get all the details when I turn in my article. He probably won’t believe the story, but I plan on leaving nothing out when I expose all that’s going on with The Golden Light.

Nash doesn’t answer me, but I have the sense he’s uncomfortable now that Mario laughed at him. I wish I could tell him that’s just the way he is. Nobody would ever accuse my boss of being a sensitive person, for sure.

Leaning through the space between the two front seats, I whisper, “He didn’t mean anything bad. It’s just how he can be sometimes. You feeling okay?”

Nodding, he looks out the window again. “Fine.”

He doesn’t sound fine, but I guess I can’t blame him. We’ve had to escape from a crazy cult, been shot at as we ran down a dark road, and got lucky when someone I know picked us up. Talk about a rollercoaster of a night.

I turn back around as Mario pulls into a parking spot in front of a building I’ve never seen before. Typical brick like so many others in Delaware, it looks abandoned.

“Are we still in Pennsylvania?” I ask as he turns off the engine.

“Yeah. Hang out here,” he says as he gets out and then slams the door.

“This feels wrong,” Nash quietly says behind me. “Something’s off about this.”

I wave away his concern, shaking my head as I study his worried expression under the streetlight. “Not to worry. Mario’s cool.”

Nash looks around through the window and frowns. “It’s the middle of the night. What’s your boss doing driving down a road where practically nobody travels just in the nick of time to help us?”

“We’re lucky?” I say with a smile.

“How well do you know your friend there?”

God, this guy really is a mess after spending all that time with those Golden Light nuts. Nash is going to have to work hard to learn to trust people now that he’s out.

“He’s not exactly a friend. He’s my boss.”

For some reason, that makes him lean forward, and I see genuine worry in his eyes now. “Where? Doing what?”

“Relax. It’s nothing that interesting. He’s the editor at an online magazine. Not exactly exciting, but it’s not a bad job, at least for me. Mario complains all the time since he’s got to deal with staff that can’t seem to come up with any interesting topics for articles, but other than that, he’s a good guy.”

Strangely, my explanation doesn’t make Nash feel any better. Instead of simply sitting back to wait for Mario, he shakes his head like he refuses to believe anything I’ve said.

“This is wrong, Lara. We need to get out of here. Now.”

“Wrong? Where are we going to go? It’s the middle of the night, and we’re nowhere close to my car yet. Just give him a couple more minutes. It’ll be okay. I promise. He’ll take us to Wilmington, and then once I have my car, I’ll take you anywhere you want to go.”

In truth, I’m guessing Nash is going to want to stay with me for a little while as he gets back on his feet. I’m fine with that. It’s the least I can do for the guy after he saved me from those crazies of The Golden Light. I’m not sure I’m the right person to help him transition back to living in society, but if he has no one else, I’m happy to step up.

Nothing I say eases him, and when another minute passes, he starts fumbling with the door to get out. “He locked the door. Why would he do that?” he asks, panicked.

“It’s okay, Nash. Newer cars routinely have child locks. I’m guessing too many parents aren’t watching their kiddos, so car companies thought they needed some way to keep the little angels in. I swear, if I ever even tried to open the doors while my father was driving, he would have pulled over and given me the spanking of a lifetime.”

“It’s not okay! Trust me, Lara. This is off. I can feel it. We need to leave right now,” he says as he leans his body through the space between the front seats to unlock the doors on the driver’s side door control panel.

His face just inches away from mine, I can see the terror in his eyes. I don’t understand what’s wrong with him. This is Mario we’re dealing with. I realize Nash doesn’t know him, but I do. Can’t he trust me that I know someone’s okay?

He sits back in his seat only to open his car door a second later. Stunned, I ask, “Where are you going? We don’t even know where we are.”

“I know we shouldn’t be here. Say it’s a gut feeling. Say it’s intuition. Whatever you want to call it, this is not going to end well for us, Lara. Now come on. Are you staying here or coming with me?”

As he stands outside the car waiting for me, I think about what I should do. Yes, I trust Mario, but Nash has shown himself to be a good guy. He seems really unnerved about something, and although I think he’s just experiencing some kind of jitters now that he’s finally free of that farm and those people, I have to believe he’s sensing something I’m not.

I just hope we don’t end up walking for miles in the pitch black. Worse, I hope we don’t get caught by that roaming posse of Micah’s that was shooting at us just a short while ago.

“Fine,” I mumble as I open my door and step out. “I want you to know that if you get me killed, I’m going to haunt you for the rest of your life.”

It comes out funnier than I meant it to, but the horrified look on his face tells me he didn’t get the joke. Taking me by the hand, he begins to hurry me down the sidewalk of whatever town we’re in.

“We need to get out of here. Now. I don’t know this area. Any suggestions as to which way we should go?” he asks, his head swiveling left and right as he looks for which street to take.

“Uh, no. I’m not from here, and this town, whatever it’s called, is nowhere near my house or my car.”

Behind us, Mario calls out, “Lara! Come back! Where are you going?”

I turn to look back, but it’s too dark to see much of anything if you’re not standing underneath a streetlight. Nash continues to walk quickly down the street, pulling me along to keep up with him.

“Lara, wait! Look who’s with me!” Mario yells.

Again, I look back and standing next to his car I see someone who takes my breath away. Tugging my hand from Nash’s hold, I turn my body around so I’m facing Mario.

And my sister.

“Oh, my God! It’s Rina!” I say in utter shock.

Nash stops, but he’s not as happy to see her as I am. “Don’t go back there. Believe me. This is all wrong. What is your sister doing here in some small town in the middle of nowhere?”

I look at him and shake my head. “I can’t go now. My sister, the person I was trying to find, is right there. How can you think there could be anything wrong with that?”

Rina steps up onto the sidewalk underneath a streetlight, and my heart feels like it’s soaring. She’s okay. After all that’s happened, she’s safe and sound. Thank God.

Beside me, Nash whispers, “That’s your sister?”

I nod, unable to stop smiling at how good she looks. All this time, I was worried for nothing. “Yeah. That’s my baby sister,” I say with a chuckle, knowing how much Rina hates when I call her that.

“Lara, listen to me. She’s not who you think she is. Don’t stay here. Come with me. If we run now, we’ll have a chance.”

What is wrong with him? How could Rina not be the person I know she is? And he thinks I’m going to leave my sister? Is he insane?

I look at him and see he’s dead serious. Has he lost his mind?

“She’s my sister, Nash. I think I know who she is. Come on. Mario can give us a ride to my car, and then if you want, you can stay with me. I’ll probably go hang out with her for a while, but you’re welcome to crash at my apartment for as long as you like.”

He shakes his head. “I had no idea she was your sister. I’ve seen her dozens of times, Lara. She’s one of Micah’s women. She came to the farm about a month ago with a guy I now realize is your boss there. She instantly became one of the leader’s favorites. Whatever you’re thinking is going to happen here, she’s not going to help you get away. She’s in The Golden Light as deep as it gets. Believe me. She won’t help us.”

My mouth drops open as he says all of that. It’s impossible. Rina would never get sucked into all that crazy nonsense. She’s smarter than that. I should have known from the start she wouldn’t be convinced by all that positivity crap and Micah’s wannabe messiah thing he has going on.

“You’re wrong. My sister isn’t anything like that. You must have her confused with someone else.”

“No, I don’t,” he says as he tugs on my arm to pull me away. “I’ve seen her, Lara. I told you I sometimes had to go to other locations when Micah sent me on errands. I’ve seen your sister with him. Come on. We have to go!”

What he’s saying isn’t possible. Even if Rina had somehow gotten involved with this group of crazy people, she would never have fallen for Micah’s nonsense. She’s too smart for that.

I look over at Rina and can’t square what Nash claims is true. He has to be mistaken. There are millions of brunette women with dark eyes in the world. He must be thinking of someone else.

“You’re confusing her with some other woman, Nash. Wait until you meet her. You’re going to like her. She’s like me but sweeter.”

Rina walks toward me wearing a big smile. “I’m so happy to see you, Lara! Come inside and meet my friends.”

Looking back at Nash, I try to get him to understand. “See? She’s just hanging out with some friends.”

“Ask her who they are.”

So he sees he’s wrong, I ask her, “Who are your friends?”

Spreading her arms, she gives me an even bigger smile as she stops in the middle of the street. “They’re people who helped me see things straight. They can help you too. You just have to come inside, Lara.”

My heart sinks as I listen to her. She sounds just like all those women back at the farm. Oh, God. Is it possible Nash is right?

He leans in and says in my ear, “See? She’s not the person you knew. She’s one of them now.”

I shake my head in disbelief. “No. I won’t believe it until I hear it from her lips.”

“Then ask her. Ask her if she’s a member of the group. Then you’ll see.”

Mario waits on the other side of the street, and suddenly, it feels like the world has stopped. Part of me desperately wants to do just as Nash says and ask her that question, but another part of me is terrified to hear the answer.

“Lara, ask her, but she’s lost. I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t have to say these things. She’s not the sister you remember. She’s with Micah, which means she’s in deep with The Golden Light. You’re not going to talk her out of staying, and if we don’t get out of here, they’re going to force us back to the farm to punish us for leaving.”

Looking over at Rina, I say the words I must and hope her answer won’t break my heart. “Who are your friends? Are they from The Golden Light?”

She beams a smile, and even before she speaks, I know Nash hasn’t been wrong about her. “You know about The Golden Light? Oh, Lara! I’m so happy for you. Come in and find your greatness.”

Tears well in my eyes. She’s one of them.

Beside me, Nash says, “We have to go now. Come on.”

I’m torn between trying to save my sister and knowing if I don’t go with Nash right now, he’s going to be in danger. I can’t be the reason he spends hours screaming from the torture.

Or worse.

I turn to face him, trying to figure out what to do. “Let me just talk to her, Nash. I can get through to her. I can make her see these people are messed up.”

Sadness fills his eyes. “No, you can’t. If she’s with Micah, she’s too far gone. Listen to what she just said. Come and find your greatness? That’s straight out of the leader’s mouth.”

From across the street, Rina says, “Your friend can come too, Lara. All are welcome to share in The Golden Light.”

I glance over at her and can’t believe this is happening. Or maybe I can. There was a reason I went looking for Rina with these people. I think deep down I always suspected she might fall prey to Micah’s bullshit, even though I tried to convince myself she was too smart for all of it.

“Lara, we have to go. We need to get away before he sends those people after us. Every second we stay here puts us in danger. I don’t want to leave you, but I can’t wait any more. What’s it going to be?”

Second after second passes as I try to decide what to do. I owe Nash my life. He got me away from that farm. He saved me. Not Micah and his messiah posing. Not the women I was bunking with.

Nash.

But Rina’s my sister. I can’t just leave her here with these people. I have to try to get through to her.

“I’m sorry. I can’t just abandon her,” I say, hating the disappointment I see in his expression.

“I’m sorry too, but I can’t stay here.”

I watch him run away down the street into the darkness and feel a crushing sadness. I may not have known Nash for long, but after what we went through, it feels like we’ve been friends forever.

Now, though, I have to help my sister.