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Lara

No matter what I say to Rina, she refuses to listen. All she keeps saying over and over is Micah has shown her how much true greatness she possesses and she can’t leave him. It’s like she’s not even listening to all the horrible things I saw out at the farm.

Oh, God. Maybe Nash was right. Maybe she is too far gone.

I can’t just leave her to these people, though. No matter what kind of brainwashing she’s suffering from, she’s still my sister.

Taking her by the shoulders, I shake her to try to make her see sense. Her eyes get big, like she can’t believe I’m doing this, but desperate times call for desperate measures. If this is what I have to do to break that man’s hold on her, then that’s what I’ll do.

“He isn’t a leader or anything else. He’s just a guy who drugs women and forces them to work for him. He drugged me! If I hadn’t been protected by Nash, his little minion Nadine would have had her guys beat the hell out of me. Or worse. And don’t think Micah’s only with you. From what I heard out at that farm, he’s got dozens of you. Rina, you aren’t this person. Forget these crazy things, and let’s go home.”

She shakes her head, and I know without even hearing another word from her that she’s not going to leave willingly. Fine. Then she’ll have to do so unwillingly, but I’m not letting her stay here for even another minute with these people.

“Why are you saying all these things, Lara? The Golden Light isn’t a bad thing. It’s all good,” Mario says like he’s lost too.

I stare into his eyes and feel like I’m never going to get them to see the truth. “What is wrong with you two? How is it you’re fooled by this greatness nonsense? You just heard me tell my sister what I saw out at that farm. Don’t you believe me?”

“You don’t understand.”

Arguing with the two of them is getting me nowhere. I’m going to have to force Rina to leave. I have no other choice.

In the distance, I hear the wail of sirens growing closer. Rina gets a terrified look in her eyes and turns to go back into the building. I can’t let her do that, or I might never get a chance to save her again.

I grab onto her arm and clamp my hand down around her wrist. “No! You’re coming home with me, Rina.”

Terror morphs into something else, something far more vicious, and she lunges at me, scratching her nails across my cheek. “I will not go! Micah is waiting for me. I need him!”

Her attack stuns me for a few seconds, and Mario yanks her away from me. Horrified by how lost she is, I try to reach her one more time.

I get into her face and hope to God there’s some part of her that is still willing to understand me. “Rina, listen to me. You don’t know what’s really happening. It’s nothing close to light or greatness. It’s just a cult that’s scamming people out of their life savings and drugging them so they work for Micah. Are you hearing me? Micah, Nadine, all of it is nothing but a cult!”

The sirens blare their noise now as two police cars skid to a stop at the corner, drowning out nearly everything else, including my pleas for my sister to see the truth. At the first chance she gets, Rina bolts away with Mario, the two of them so desperate to believe in Micah and all of the Golden Light nonsense that they refuse to hear a word I say.

I run after my sister and my boss and grab onto her shirt, desperate to keep her from going back into that building. She tries to twist out of my hold, but I clutch the fabric like my life depends on it.

“Stop, Rina! I can’t let you go!” I scream.

The sirens end their wailing, but suddenly, a gunshot breaks the momentary silence. I turn around to see police crouched behind their vehicles with their guns drawn. Chaos explodes all around us with guns going off left and right. I push Rina to the ground as Mario hurries away into the building in front of us to protect himself.

I don’t know how long the gunfight goes on because I bury my head in my sister’s neck and pray to God a stray bullet doesn’t find us. If we can just make it out of this alive, I know I can bring her back to reality.

Thank God Nash found a good hiding spot behind that building. I’m going need to thank him for getting the police here to help us. After this night is over, I’m going to owe him nothing less than my life.