Page 31

31

Nash

For a long moment, all the shooting stops. In the lull, I see Adam and follow his gaze across the street. He’s not looking for me. He’s looking for Lara.

Son of a bitch! Why didn’t she listen to me when I told her we needed to get out of here? We could have been long gone from here by now.

A flash of lightning lights up the sky, joining with the cops’ headlights to help me see where everyone is, and Adam’s bloodlust shows as clear as day in his face while he watches for his chance to take a shot at her. I know what he’s thinking. She’s right next to one of Micah’s women, and he doesn’t dare do anything that could hurt her.

That killing her sister doesn’t fall under that category shows how messed up these people are. How is it I didn’t see that for all the time I was in The Golden Light?

Regret fills my thoughts, but I shake my head to force it away. I don’t have time to feel that right now. That can wait for later. Now I have to make sure Lara doesn’t get hurt.

Beside me, Officer Jameson practically quakes with fear. The poor guy. A small town cop like him has probably never experienced anything like this in his entire time on the job. He likely spends his nights fielding calls from old ladies complaining about their neighbors’ dogs barking and boisterous kids playing outside too long after it gets dark.

“We’ve got nearly the entire force here,” he says in a voice that barely hides how scared he is. “Any chance they’ll just come peacefully now that they’ve stopped shooting?”

I shake my head, wishing I had a better answer for him than what I know is the truth of what’s about to happen next. “No. No way. This is the calm before the storm.”

From behind one of the police cars, one of Jameson’s fellow cops calls out, “This can all stop now. Just put your guns down, and nobody will get hurt.”

Looking at Jameson, I roll my eyes. “You guys don’t understand. This isn’t going to end just because you say it should. These are true believers, and Micah has told them not to come back without me and my friend.”

“Micah? Who’s Micah?”

“The leader of The Golden Light. They won’t do anything to make him unhappy with them, and if they don’t get us to come back, he’s going to be furious. None of these people can deal with that happening.”

The officer looks at me like he thinks I’m crazy. Maybe I was for a long time. I must have been to believe in Micah and everything The Golden Light represented.

But I’m not crazy anymore.

“Well, if they’re wanting you to come back, that must mean they don’t want to kill you, right?” Jameson asks with far too much hope in his voice.

I point toward where I see Adam standing with two other members of The Golden Light and say, “See him? He’s a psycho. Nothing makes him happier than to hurt people. I saw him kill a woman in cold blood a few days ago because she tried to run away from him. That’s what he wants to do with my friend. Lara is the one he’s after.”

Even as I say that, I know Adam will risk any punishment Micah can devise to gun me down too. He’ll take the box or even whipping to enjoy the thrill of paying me back for what he thinks was my betraying him. He may be after Lara to keep her mouth shut, but he’ll kill me just because he can and deal with Micah’s disappointment.

Assuming the man I’ve served for years would be unhappy with my death, and that’s not something I’d bet money on. To Micah, I’ve done worse than killing someone.

I’ve betrayed him, and for that, I have a feeling he’d gladly accept Adam killing me.

“So if we just get him, all of this will end?” Jameson asks, again sounding far too optimistic for the situation.

He just doesn’t understand the mentality of The Golden Light people. I don’t know how to explain it to him so he gets it. They don’t just believe. They believe with every fiber of their being, and if Micah told them Lara needs to be silenced permanently, they’ll do whatever they can to make him happy.

Their leader has convinced them they’re under attack by those who don’t believe in him and all he teaches. All they see is the outside world threatening to take away all they love. For them, this isn’t a simple matter of making sure people don’t see the darker side of the group.

No, to them, it’s truly do or die, as if they themselves are under attack.

“You can kill Adam, but the guys around him aren’t any better,” I say, wishing I could explain how truly devoted Micah’s men are and how willing they are to kill for him.

My answer makes Jameson wince as if he’s in pain. “We aren’t used to this here. This is a small town. I’ve never even shot my gun the entire time I’ve been on the police force.”

I want to shake him and make him see the time for thinking his little town was safe is over. Jesus, they should have been on red alert the damn second Micah and his crew set up shop here, but as usual, The Golden Light made it seem like all he wanted was to help people. That combined with people’s fear of offending anyone when it comes to religion make it so easy for them to worm their way into this small town just as Micah has done everywhere he goes.

A gunshot breaks the silence, and I look down the block to see Adam smiling. My heart in my throat, I whip my head around to see if anyone was hurt across the street. Damnit, I can’t see where she is!

“I need to get over there to make sure Lara’s okay.”

Jameson’s eyes open wide with fear. “No way. I won’t be able to cover you with at least three of them down there. You’ll be like a target in a goddamned shooting gallery!”

Pointing toward his fellow officers down the street toward the corner, I ask, “Can’t you radio them and ask them to cover me? I can’t let her get killed.”

Lara can’t die. Not after all we risked to leave The Golden Light. I promised her I’d get her away, and no one, including that fucking psycho Adam, is going to stop me from doing that.

Before he can answer me, I hear three more gunshots and know my former fellow guards have decided they can get to her somehow. I can’t let that happen.

I take a deep breath and say to Jameson, “They’re focused on her now. They think they can get to her. I have to distract them. Just start shooting in their direction as soon as I come out from behind the building here. With any luck, they’ll only nick me.”

He doesn’t get a chance to try to talk me out of it, and with my heart racing, I jump out from my hiding spot and race into the street. I don’t get more than a few steps off the curb before Adam and his men start shooting again. Thankfully, they’re focused on the other side of the street.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see someone move near the doorway of The Golden Light building. It’s Nadine, and she’s aiming for me.

“This is for Micah!” she screams.

From behind me, a shot rings out, and a second later, I see her drop to the ground. Glancing back at Jameson, I see him smile and wave me on toward the side of the street where Lara is hiding.

I’m almost there. Just a few more steps and I’ll reach her.