Page 25

Brittany

W hen I wake again, it takes me a minute to realize I’m in a trunk. I can smell gas and feel the gentle sway of the vehicle as it speeds away from the clubhouse. I don’t know how long I’ve been out, so I can’t work out how far away I am from Tusk and my baby. They must have dumped me into the trunk, and the prospects just waved them through the gate, not realizing that I was trapped inside.

I grope around for the emergency handle to pop the trunk open. These two didn’t even bother to tie me up. I don’t find anything except the rough edge of sheared metal. Hope dies a little in my chest when I realize it must have been torn or cut off. Neither Gina, nor Silver, look like the detail-oriented type who would do something like that. It must have been Silas Harper and his followers helping them.

The more I think about the situation, the more my head hurts. I reach around to the back of my head and feel something wet. I don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know it’s likely blood from being hit twice. When I lie still, pressing my hand to the back of my head, I hear murmuring. The voices sound female, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.

The smooth road turns into a gravel road and then what sounds like a dirt road with tons of potholes. During this time, they’ve been driving, and I’ve turned the situation over in my mind a bunch of times. I get why Tusk’s pregnant ex wants to get rid of me, but how does Silver fit into all this? It doesn’t make any sense. The club girl in me might suspect Silver wants to get close to Tusk herself, but it’s pretty damn clear that Gina plans to lay claim to him again once I’m out of the way. But what does Silver get out of this? And why did their plan involve getting their hands on my baby too?

Truth be told, my head feels like it’s splitting open, making it hard to hold a train of thought. When the bleeding stops, I pull my hand away and wipe it on my jeans. Then I start searching every corner of the trunk for something to use as a weapon. I even resort to pulling up the padding and reaching down to where the spare tire is kept, thinking I might find a lug wrench. Disappointment churns in my gut because they thought of everything and removed it.

I reach for my back pocket to find the space where I carry my phone is empty. A vague memory of texting with Tusk earlier in the evening rises in my mind. I recall laying the phone on the table between texts. Damn, that’s bad luck. If I had my phone with me, at least he could track me with the location-sharing app.

Just as it hits me how very screwed I am, the car comes to a rolling stop. Fear spikes in my gut for a second, but I muscle it down. This is Silas Harper. I’ll just refuse to comply or work out a deal to play along until he gets whatever it is he wants. I need to keep my wits about me, so things don’t go flying off the rails.

I get ready to face whoever is standing there when the trunk opens, hoping it’s the two women who abducted me. Now I’ve got my wits about me I think I might be able to fight them off. Silver might think she’s got one up on me, but I had years as a club girl and many fights under my belt. For once I’m pleased I refused to put up with any shit. As for Tusk’s ex-wife, given how pregnant she looks she should be easy to overpower. I should have been more wary of them. I just never in a million years expected them to do what they did. The clubhouse was always my safe space, but we’ve never been attacked from within before.

When the trunk pops open, all I see is male faces. They’re all wearing the dark clothing I remember from when I was a Mormon. Not all Mormons wear dark clothing, but my old fundamentalist sect does. Rough hands reach down and pull me out of the trunk. It takes me a minute to get my feet under me.

A deep voice says, “You look like a mess.”

My head turns to look at Silas. The years haven’t been kind to him, he always looked dangerous, but now there’s a different kind of hardness in his face. Staring him in the eyes I say, “You’d best throw me back and bait your hook for a better catch.”

“You’re mine. I own you,” Silas says flatly.

“No,” I tell him firmly. “I belong to myself.”

“She’s wearing a biker’s property cut,” Gina says in a gleeful tone. Tusk’s ex is doing her best to throw gasoline onto the flames of my burning life.

Silas responds harshly, “Hold your tongue, woman. We had a deal. You were to bring me my Eve and her baby.”

Silver tries to explain. “We tried to wait until she took her kid to the restroom to change her, but she ended up coming alone.”

Silas takes a menacing step closer to Silver, who is still all decked out in her silver outfit—a sequined tube top and silver mini skirt with silver boots. “I don’t want to hear about your incompetence. I’m not paying you one cent until you bring me the baby.”

Tusk’s ex tells him, “That’s not going to happen. My husband is never going to let his only daughter go. You’ll have to be satisfied with your Eve.”

He moves closer, looming over both women, who move closer to each other. “Fine. You didn’t keep up your end of the bargain, so I’m not upholding mine.”

Silver makes an indignant sound. “The money is the only reason I helped, and now you’re reneging on paying us. That’s not fair. We brought you the woman you wanted. That should earn us at least half the money you promised.”

I keep watching them argue, even as I edge away. Big hands grab me. “Oh, no, you don’t. Stay put.” Glancing at Silas, he says, “Your Eve is trying to slip away.”

Silas walks over and grabs me away from the other man. “Bring me the baby if you want your money. If not, I’ll find another woman to do the job.”

He starts hauling me towards a dark SUV and shoves me inside. I immediately scoot across the seat and try to climb out the other side. But just as I’m reaching for the handle, one of the other men jerks it open and climbs inside, forcing me back towards Silas, who is settling into place on the other side of me.

I know all too well how prideful Silas Harper is. Throwing a fit, yelling at him, or arguing will provoke a nasty response from him. There’s no telling what he might do if I’m openly defiant in front of his followers. It would be seen as extreme disrespect and emasculating to have his woman reject him openly. Therefore, I close my mouth and cast my eyes down.

I’m already formulating a plan to escape. First, I’ll figure out what he wants and try to reason with him. If that doesn’t work, I’ll bide my time, pretend to cooperate, and then run away the first chance I get. If I get an opportunity, I’ll contact Tusk and tell him where I am. Of course, first, I have to figure out where I am.

I hate that my breasts are heavy with milk that my baby will never get because this asshole have separated us. I get emotional just thinking about it. No matter what, Silas can’t get his hands on her. A shiver runs up my spine when I realize how trapped I would be right now if I’d taken Victoria into the restroom tonight. Silas could make me do anything simply by using my daughter against me.

***

I wake up in darkness with soft bedding beneath me. The room is warm, pleasant, and smells like leather and something else familiar that I can’t quite put my finger on at the moment. It takes me a second for everything to come flooding back. My hand goes to the back of my head. Instead of blood, there is a bandage wrapped around my head. My first thought is that I might have been rescued by Tusk and his club brothers. Then I hear the faint sound of religious music filtering in from another room. Nope. Silas Harper has me tucked away on one of his properties. I remember Zen telling us he was rich now.

When I try to sit up, my arms give out, causing me to fall back onto the bed. I can feel a migraine building in my left temple. I reach up one hand and massage the area, wondering if anyone is going to come for me. Unable to just lie in the dark like a good little victim, I grope for the bedside table and turn the light on. I’m in a tiny bedroom with lots of ornate wood trim and old-fashioned decorations. I realize that the other smell I couldn’t identify at first was cedar.

Within a couple of minutes, I hear someone at the door and the sound of a lock turning. The door creaks open, and Silas enters.

“Good evening. You’re awake, I see. How is your head feeling?”

I force myself to sit up because lying down in front of him makes me feel vulnerable. “My head still hurts,” I tell him quietly.

He gestures towards the nightstand. “I left you some pain killers and water to wash them down with.”

I glance anxiously at the two small white pills lying blamelessly in front of a bottle of water. I’ve just been abducted and am being held against my will by this man. Trust is practically nonexistent. For all I know, those could be tranquilizers or roofies. Yeah, I’m not eating or drinking anything this guy has to offer. “Maybe in a bit. My stomach is upset right now,” I tell him calmly.

He senses what my problem is, because he’s clever that way. “You can trust me, child. I’m a bishop now. I’d never lead you astray.”

“You kidnapped me,” I tell him mildly.

“Actually, those whores kidnapped you. I rescued you from them.”

Not letting go of this point, I remind him, “You offered them money to abduct me. I heard it with my own ears, Silas.”

He steps close enough for me to see the finely woven black homespun fabric of his clothing. His brown hair is sprinkled with gray. His dark beady eyes seem to be looking into my very soul. I see a flicker of disapproval in his expression, and then it is gone. He sighs and clasps his hands together in front of his body.

“You were living a life of sin, my child. Our people reported to me that you were involved with some dirty biker, had a child out of wedlock, and had fallen from grace completely.”

Fallen from grace is his way of saying I’m no longer Mormon. “I left the church. So, if that’s what you heard, it’s true.”

“Of course, it is. Our people wouldn’t lie about something like that.”

“No insult intended, but I want to go home,” I tell him firmly.

“You are home, my child. You’re my Eve. Your place is at my side.”

“No. I know you and my father made some kind of shady deal six years ago, but I never agreed to it.”

A cold little smile curves up the corners of his mouth. He responds smoothly, “I know that many young women are fearful of strong willed men and of marriage. I suppose that makes marrying me doubly frightening. But you’re no longer a young, innocent virgin, Brittany. You’re more mature and have been keeping company with much rougher men than me.”

“I don’t feel guilty about how I’ve lived my life since leaving the church. So, if you’re trying to shame me, it’s not going to work.”

“I’m very disappointed in the choices you’ve made. You should be grateful that I’m still willing to seal myself to such a wanton woman.”

“I’m sorry. We’re simply not compatible,” I tell him stubbornly.

“You were born and raised in the church, Brittany. I intend to use my firm hand to tame your wild heart once and for all. This is your chance to have a husband, a family, and a good life.”

“Silas, I don’t want that with you. You know I don’t love you.”

“You will. If handled properly and given enough time, you’ll accept and find purpose in your very important role as my wife and the mother of my children.”

I feel my breath catch in my throat, and it takes me a minute to say, “Absolutely not. I won’t be having your children.”

His smooth voice turns ice-cold. “I remember how strong-willed you were as a teen. Always asking all the wrong questions. I was drawn to your strength of character back then. Be as strong willed as you like. I’m a patient man. Soon, you will discover I dole out punishments for disobedience and disrespect. All your willfully ignorant behavior will be like ocean waves crashing against the rocks.”

I lay it out plainly, “No matter what you say or do, I won’t agree to marry you.”

“You will. And together, we will discover all that we might be together.”

I sigh. Trying to communicate with Silas is like talking to a brick wall. “I want to see my parents.”

“They are on their way. They send you their greetings and want you to know how proud they are that you have come back into the fold.”

“My father didn’t own me. Therefore, I wasn’t his to give. You know that, right?”

He gives me that creepy little smile again and answers, “What I know is that you were promised to me. Your parents know the outside world can be a dangerous place. Sometimes, we lose sight of what sin actually is and drift into the darkness. My job as your husband will be to bring you back to the light. You were happy there once upon a time, and you will be again.”

“He didn’t have the right to promise me to you. Tell me you understand that, Silas?”

“All I know is that a promise made by brothers of faith must be upheld. Your father was the head of the household. His job was to see you settled down with a proper husband. I am that husband, Brittany. You had best accept what you cannot change.”

I open my mouth to object again, but one of his hands comes up to cut me off. “That is enough conversation for now. Take your pills and rest. I will send Sister Cassandra to sit with you. You remember Sister Cassandra, don’t you?”

I nod, exasperated. “Yes. We graduated at the same time.”

His eyes light up. “Glad you remember your old friend. Sister Cassandra has been settled into marriage for five years. She can guide you through what is expected of new brides.”

“Yippee,” I say under my breath. I know that’s both immature and risking setting him off, but I’m so exasperated right now that I feel like a rebellious teen.

There is a knock at the door. When Silas opens it, Cassandra is standing on the other side in her dark dress and feminine lace-up black boots. Her hair has been pulled back into a tight twist at the nape of her neck, making her facial features look stark. Of course, she isn’t wearing makeup or jewelry. And she has a covered tray in her hands, which I suspect is food. Everything about my old life is annoyingly predictable.

“Ah, Sister Cassandra. Thank you for coming to serve my Eve.” Glancing over his shoulder at me, he adds, “We have a long way to go in order to make her presentable.”

“Yes, Bishop Harper,” she murmurs demurely. “Whatever you think is best.”

“Start by getting her medication into her. Then I want her fed, bathed, and properly clothed. Leave the bandage. I want everyone to remember she was injured running down the metaphorical path that brought her back to me.”

“Of course, sir.”

With a flourish that seems almost like a bow, he murmurs his goodbye. Cassandra stands there looking really uncomfortable. Then we hear him lock the door. Cassandra stumbles over to a small table and puts the tray down before coming to sit on the edge of the bed.

“I never thought you’d come back to the fold,” she whispers.

I lower my voice as well. “Girl, you gotta know I did not come back voluntarily.”

“But he said you were injured running back to him.”

I flick her on the side of the head like I used to when we were kids. “Use your brain. Silas paid someone to knock me out, stuff me into the back of a car, and drag my ass back.”

Her eyes go big, and she glances over her shoulder at the door before asking, “Are you serious?”

“Yes. That’s exactly what happened. Look, we have got to get outta here, Cassandra. You never wanted this life either. Remember how you used to complain about it?”

Her hands fly up to cover my mouth. “Lower your voice. I’m married with two kids. I can’t afford to be punished.”

My face scrunches up into a confused expression. I pull her hands away and whisper, “Are you saying that you’re happy here and you want to stay?”

“No. Of course not. But I married better than most. My father set me up with Marcus Kincade.”

A smile spreads onto my face. “I remember he was considered the most eligible bachelor back in the day.”

She looks a little embarrassed. “He’s handsome, polite, and treats me really well.”

I shoot her a knowing grin. “You fell in love with the hottie.”

Her face turns pink. “Yeah, we fell in love with each other. Neither of us wants to be here, but we don’t have the money, resources, or job skills to get out.”

I don’t tell her about Tusk or his club because I don’t want to get her hopes up in case no one comes for me. I just grab her hands and tell her, “I have a life I’m desperate to get back to. We’ll have to brainstorm our way out of this situation.”

“I’ve been trying to do that for years. But right now, we need to focus on not making Bishop Harper any angrier than he is already. He kind of runs things around here, and he’s used to all of us doing what he says.”

“I’ll bet he is. I can’t believe they gave him a congregation.”

“Most people around here say he’s a good shepherd to his flock.”

I pull the blanket back and swing my legs over the side of the bed. “Yeah, well, I’m not terribly impressed with the man who had me abducted.”

She looks uncomfortable for a second before saying, “He might grow on you if you give him a chance.”

I snap my fingers in front of her face. “Wake up, girl. I am not going to marry Silas Harper.”

She grabs my arm and tugs. “They will lock you in the cupboard for not calling him Bishop Harper.”

“Jesus, I forgot that was even a thing.”

She shakes her head. “You just took the Lord’s name in vain. If you plan to escape scourging around this place, you’re going to have to remember the rules.”

I suck in a deep breath. “Yeah, you’re right. But I want you to know that if anyone tries to give me lashes, I’ll probably scratch his eyes out.”

She rolls her eyes. “So nothing much has changed with you in six years. You’re still as defiant as you ever were.”

“I’ve had to be defiant to survive in the outside world.” I run my hand over my cut and remember that I’m special to someone, respected, and loved.

Cassandra’s eyes glance down as she watches me caress my property cut. She tells me quietly, “That leather vest has to go. Leather is forbidden.”

Sliding it off, I tell her, “I know.” Taking a minute, I fold it up neatly and slide it into my pillowcase. When Cassandra’s expression turns bewildered, I let her know, “That vest was a gift from someone very special to me. I don’t want anything to happen to it.”

“Alright. Hide it away. I won’t say anything.”

I don’t know if I can really trust her, but I think I can. My heart will hurt if, when it comes down to it, I find out she’s a plant—one of Silas’ faithful. I decide to do what’s expected of me while I try to figure a way out of this mess. I have to trust someone. So, I’ll keep talking to Cassandra and try to get a feel for how genuine her desire to leave the church is.

It feels weird to be waited on by someone I considered a friend. We played together as children, grew up together, and did all our sect’s weird little rituals together. We giggled about how corny some of them were and daydreamed about leaving the church together. Now, she is drawing me a bath, laying out clothing and towels, and fetching me scented soap.

When I get into the tub, she frowns at the thin stretch marks running down my stomach. “You’ve given birth?”

“Yes. I have a baby daughter. That’s why I have to get back to my old life.”

“Does Bishop Harper know?”

“Yes. He wanted them to abduct us both. Fortunately, I left my baby with her father to go to the restroom. So, she wasn’t around when they took me.”

She looks down and to the side, as if she’s thinking really hard about something. When her head comes back up, she whispers, “Brittany, some things have changed since you were here. You need to get away if you can and disappear with your daughter.”

I reach out to grasp her hands. “What’s changed, Cassandra? You’re scaring me.”

Her hands tighten on mine. “Bishop Harper thought it best that all the children in the congregation be gathered up and kept in a place of safety. If I didn’t work in childcare, I wouldn’t be able to see my kids except once a week on Sundays for church services.”

The absolute ignorance of that idea swirls around in my head for a while before I tell her, “Let me guess. He said it was to insulate them from sin, right?”

When she nods, I reassure her, “We’re both getting out of this place. When I leave, you and your family are coming with me. I have enough money and a safe place for you and your husband to make a fresh start. And we’re never looking back. Mark my words, Cassandra.”

She glances over her shoulder at the door and responds by saying, “Whatever the Lord wills, I will embrace.”

My friend is terrified of Silas Harper. That much is clear. That’s okay. I can be strong for both of us. No matter what happens, I’m not leaving her behind.

When I’m all cleaned up and remade into the image of what a woman should be in our sect, there’s a knock on the door. I’m surprised when none other than Marcus Kincade enters. Cassandra’s hand comes up to brush across his chest and then drops back down to her side. Marcus’ reaction is nothing short of electricity. His eyes light up, and his expression brightens. His hand comes up to barely touch hers on the way back down. The love flowing back and forth between them borders on adoration. It’s cute to see.

I tease her as we walk away, “You’re Cassandra Kincade. It has a nice ring to it.”

“There are worse things in life than a rhyming name.”

We walk right into Silas’ evening prayer service. It’s being held in a big room with a dozen long folding banquet tables and chairs. Silas stops speaking, and everyone watches me walk into the room and take a seat. Marcus follows us, like some kind of bodyguard, and hands us both Bibles. There is a chalkboard beside Silas with the chapter and verse he’s teaching from on it.

I start feeling the same kind of discomfort that I once did as a kid. Then I remember that I don’t care at all about what these religious zealots think of me. I flip through the Bible and easily find the spot he’s referencing. It only takes a few seconds before Silas picks back up with what he was saying. People continue to steal glances at me, but I don’t care. I’m busy looking at the layout of the room, wondering if the windows open and how many of his followers walk the perimeter of the grounds.

My breasts are aching. My baby needs me. I’ve got to figure out a way to escape. And that’s going to be hard to do when everyone seems to think I’m worth staring at.