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Nash

I run as fast as my feet will take me, searching each building in this small town for any sign of the police. If I can find someone to help me, I can get Lara to safety. I can’t do it without the cops, though.

Two streets over from where I left her, I see a light on in what looks like an office. Since it’s nighttime, I can only hope it’s someone in authority and not just some workaholic lawyer who just happens to have an office in this backwater.

Bursting through the front door, I try to catch my breath before I explain what’s happening. A man dressed in a blue policeman’s uniform with a nametag on his chest that says B. Jameson stares at me in horror, like he can’t believe anyone is actually bothering him at this time of night.

An inch or two shorter than me with big eyes and a baby face, the policeman looks like he’s barely old enough to get into a bar. I hope that doesn’t mean he can’t handle what I’m about to tell him.

“Can I help you?” he asks in a thin voice that seems to fit his small frame.

Still huffing and puffing from running here at top speed, I take a deep breath before letting it out in a rush. “I need help. A friend of mine is in trouble a few streets away.”

The officer sits down behind his desk, the exact opposite of what I need him to do, and takes out a pen and notepad from one of the drawers. Looking up at me, he nods. “Okay. Tell me all you can about what’s going on.”

My heart beats wildly as I shake my head. “We don’t have time for this. I told you my friend is in trouble. There are people trying to take her away.”

Officer Babyface narrows his eyes like he doesn’t believe me. “What do you mean trying to take her away? Do you mean a kidnapping?”

It’s not exactly that, but I don’t have time to parse meanings with this guy. “Yes! There are people trying to kidnap her. I just ran here from two streets over. Do you know anything about The Golden Light?”

His expression morphs into something close to disgust. “Oh, yeah. I know all about them. We’ve had three calls this week about their goings-on.”

“Then you know they’re no good. I need you to help me save her. You can’t let them take her back with them.”

The man leans back in his chair and studies me for a long moment. “Back? Is she one of them? Because if she is, I can’t help you. The chief says they’re considered a religion, so if she wants to believe in that stuff, she’s more than welcome to. It’s a free country.”

Jesus, this guy and his freedom bullshit is going to get Lara taken by the time we get back there to help her. I know all too well how Micah and Nadine manipulate local officials to let them get away with practically anything they want under the guise of being a religion.

“She’s not one of them! She’s being taken away because she doesn’t know any better,” I lie, hoping that lights a fire under his ass.

He stands up and smiles. “Then I can help you with that. Two streets over, you said? I bet it’s that new information center they just opened up last month. They say it’s all about being positive, but we’ve had a number of people say they think there’s something bad going on there. The only problem is you’re the first person to say exactly what that is.”

As he comes around the desk, I scan his body for any sign of a weapon but see nothing. Is this town that safe that the cops here don’t even need guns? They better get smart quickly because with The Golden Light around, they’re going to want some protection.

“You have a gun, right?” I ask as he heads toward the door.

The officer nods but looks over in the direction of his desk. “Yeah. Why?”

“Because you need one. These Golden Light people don’t play around. They have weapons, so you better have one too.”

His eyes grow big before he asks, “How do you know so much about them?”

Even though I hate to admit the truth, I answer, “I was part of The Golden Light until I escaped tonight.”

“Escaped?” he asks as if I just admitted to jumping bail.

“Yeah. It’s even worse than you think. I’ll be happy to tell you anything you want to know, but first we have to go help my friend. She can’t go with them. She won’t make it out alive if she does.”

That finally seems to get him to want to move, and he grabs his gun from his desk drawer before hurrying toward the door. “I don’t have anyone to call for back up. We’re a small force. We’re not set up to handle kidnappings or anything like that.”

My heart sinks at his lame excuses, but one cop is better than none. At least he has a weapon. Hopefully, we can get Lara out before Micah’s men arrive. If we can’t, one gun isn’t going to be enough.

“It’s two streets over,” I say as we rush out the door.

“I know exactly where it is. As I said, we’ve been getting complaints. Mrs. Alastair said they were acting like hippies, but since she’s like a hundred, I didn’t think much of it,” he explains as we hurry down the street. “Then another lady said they tried to convince her granddaughter to join them. That’s when the chief told her religion or no religion, they have to follow the law.”

With each step, I grow more worried that Officer Jameson and I are going to be no match for even Lara’s sister and Mario. If only I can show her she can’t help her sister now. No woman who’s ever gotten involved with Micah left the group.

I break into a run and make it back to the car before the officer. Lara is standing in the middle of the street talking to her sister and Mario, and for a moment, it looks like everything’s okay. Then out of the corner of my eye, I see a flash of light and turn my head to see what it could be. As I feared, Micah’s men have found us.

“Lara! Get out of there!” I yell just before a shot rings out.

Lara, her sister, and Mario run across the street and crouch down behind a car. Officer Jameson hides behind the corner of a building but screams, “You didn’t tell me there were armed people. Get back here before you get killed!”

“Don’t think you’re getting away,” Adam yells before taking another shot.

I run back to where the cop is hiding and scan the area to find a way to get to Lara. “They’ll shoot us dead where we stand. Don’t believe for a second they won’t.”

“What the hell are they shooting for?”

“Because I escaped and that means they want me dead. My friend too. Nobody leaves The Golden Light. Not alive.”

His hands shake as he holds his gun in front of him. “How many of them are there?”

Good question. If this time is like the other times a member escaped, Adam’s got to have at least four or five men with him. I have no idea if there are men in the information center where Rina was. If I had to guess, I’d say yes, but I can’t be sure.

“At least five, I’m guessing. I don’t know about at their center, but it’s right over there,” I say, pointing at the building where Rina came from.

He mumbles something, but all I’m focused on is seeing if Lara is okay. I can’t find her behind the car, so all I can do is hope Adam and his men aren’t aiming for her.

“Come out, Nash! You know how this goes. You just have to come back to the farm, and everything will be okay. Micah only wants the best for you. He wants you to find your greatness. That’s it.”

Officer Jameson looks at me and says, “I’m guessing you’re Nash. Why do they want you back so badly?”

“Because I know too much to be allowed to leave.”

“My chief is going to want you to give a full statement. You understand that?”

He says that like I’d hesitate to tell everything I know about The Golden Light. I’ll be happy to confess everything I’ve seen and done. I want to make a fresh start, and if that means exposing Micah and every last one of them in that group, then so be it.

I nod my understanding of what he wants. “You get us out of this, and I’ll tell you every last detail of what I saw there.”

“Okay,” he says in a trembling voice. “I don’t want anyone to get hurt, so maybe I can defuse the situation. Stay here.”

He steps out from behind the building and announces, “This is Officer Jameson of the River Crest police department. Put your guns away. This doesn’t have to escalate. Let’s have a calm discussion.”

The silence that greets him doesn’t make me feel any less uneasy. While Micah always stresses any dealings with authorities are to be positive, this is Adam in charge now, and if he’ll gun down a helpless woman running away from him, I doubt he’ll have second thoughts about killing a cop from some small town.

“Just come out of the shadows and let’s talk.”

I poke my head around the building and try to locate where Adam and the rest of the men are positioned, but in the dark, it’s impossible to see. Officer Jameson takes another step out into the middle of the street, unknowingly risking his life.

He has no concept of how dangerous the people he’s dealing with are. He thinks they’re hippies wanting to live on a commune or a religious group dedicated to positivity. He couldn’t be more mistaken.

This time, the silence is broken by a woman crying. It doesn’t sound like Lara, though. Maybe it’s her sister and she’s making some headway in convincing her The Golden Light isn’t what she thinks it is.

“Nash?” a voice cries out, and this time I do recognize it’s Lara’s voice.

“I’m here! You and your sister can come with me. It’s okay. Officer Jameson will escort you over.”

I wait for her answer, but I hear nothing. The officer looks back at me like he doesn’t know what to do next, so I point at the car across the street. “They’re over there.”

He takes a few more steps toward them and calls out, “I’m Officer Jameson, ma’am. I’m here to help. Your friend says you’re in danger. That someone is trying to kidnap you. Is that true?”

“Yes! My sister and I want to leave,” Lara calls out.

Another voice sobs, “I don’t want to leave! The Golden Light is my home. I won’t go!”

Jesus, Micah really has his hooks into her. Rina sounds far too gone to be helped, but I’m afraid Lara isn’t going to leave her.

“Lara, you need to get out of there!” I yell. “You’re not safe. They aren’t going to let you go if you stay any longer.”

I wait, holding my breath to see if she’ll walk away. Officer Jameson looks back at me like he’s unsure if he should do anything more, but I don’t know what to tell him. He might be seconds away from being shot for all I know. Adam’s not exactly a rational person, so at any moment he might just unload his gun and to hell with whoever he hurts or kills.

Another shot breaks the silence, and the cop runs back to where I stand behind the building. Obviously shaken, he gets his walkie talkie and finally calls for help.

“Chief, sergeant, anyone listening! I’ve got a problem over on Elm Street at The Golden Light place. Shots fired. I repeat, shots fired! I need help!”

The panic in his voice echoes through every word, but he truly has no idea just how bad things might get if Adam thinks he has a clear shot at either me or Lara. No doubt he’s been told to make sure she and I either come back into the loving arms of The Golden Light or see to it we die before we can tell the authorities anything about what’s going on in the group.

Officer Jameson’s radio crackles with an answer from another officer telling him they’re on their way. I just hope they get here before all hell breaks loose.