I held my breath as we drove through, crossing over.
Deep inside, I knew that I would never be the same once I passed through. In fact, I wasn’t certain I would ever return again.
Will I ever come back through alive? And if I survive, will I return to what I knew? Will I be changed? Will I be so different I don’t recognize myself?
My body drummed with terror as we crossed over, speeding down an earth-burrowed unkept road. Wild shrubs and overarching branches gave the sense of us riding through a tunnel.
West turned the music off.
Cain handed him the joint, leaned back in his seat, and rested his hands on my legs.
Where are we going? Do they live out here or is this a place where they’re going to kill and then bury me?
My heart boomed in my ears.
So stupid. Why did I think I could steal from them?
I’d pegged them as reasonably nonviolent thieves. Surely, if someone shot at them, they would shoot back. But I didn’t think they were the rope a bitch up and bury her in the woods sort of thieves.
That’s what the fuck you get. Always fucking up your life.
If my hands weren’t bound, I might’ve slapped myself.
I’ll never see Tate again. I’ll never see Quin again either.
The tunneled woods transformed into an open, paved path. It looked to be a private road. Mounted brass lamps outlined the route.
A structure appeared.
I squinted.
The closer we got, the more I could make it out.
Is that a. . .church or. . .chapel?
Grey stone made up the structure. It must’ve been two or three levels. Stained glass windows decorated the front. There were vaulted arches in the center.
We continued forward and then West parked right in front.
I gazed up at the chapel.
Now I’m really confused.
Griff and West jumped out of the truck.
Cain stretched his neck. “We’re home.”
“W-where’s home?” I gazed around.
“You don’t know?”
“No.”
“It’s Never-Never land.” Cain opened his side and left.
I mumbled to myself, “What the fuck kind of answer is that?”
Cain walked around the truck.
For some reason, I looked up at the sky.
Out here, the stars glowed unbelievably bright.
Never-Never land? Like Peter Pan or something?
A second later, Cain flung the door open and scowled at me. “Do I need to tape you again?”
Maybe. Are the police or something around? Can somebody help me here?
No fool, I shook my head and kept my mouth closed.
“Good.” Cain grabbed and picked me up as if I weighed nothing. Next, he slung me over his shoulder. “You better not wake the kids.”
My view shifted to upside down.
What the fuck? There’s kids in the chapel?! What kind of sick-ass shit will this be?
I heard an odd howl off in the distance.
I tensed.
Another howl sounded in the opposite direction.
Fucking hell. Wild animals and shit? Where is this?
With my hands and feet bound, all I could do was stay as balanced against him as possible. I tried to make sense of my dark, upside down view.
Oh, God. This is some pedophile, church cult in the woods shit.
On my right, West dangled his keys and whistled. I recognized the rhythm from the song playing in the car.
“I mean it, man.” Griff got to West’s side. “After we finish this last job in Paradise, we’re paying for your ass to go on tour.”
They’re going to do a job in Paradise?
“We’ll see.” West didn’t seem convinced. “I’ll need a band, not some guys I pulled together for a studio track.”
“We’ll get all that and more, buddy.” Griff hit his brother’s back.
Then they headed off in another direction. I twisted my head to see and spotted a house further from the chapel.
Maybe, the kids are over there. There’s got to be a phone that way too.
West and Griff chatted as they walked that way.
No. Don’t leave.
And then I got that feeling again, like in the car. I yearned for them to stay with us. It was all the changes. Just when I was getting used to being captured by three, I was trapped to one. And I wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.
Cain was no punk. His arms were huge. He towered over me. While I could defend myself against men, it took certain situations where I seized an opportunity here or there.
It would be difficult to take Cain down if he knew that I was coming.
And Cain would know.
There would be no more catching him by surprise.
Cain carried me up the steps and stopped.
Okay. What is this going to be?
A beep sounded.
Oh, God.
Metal zipped.
Please, help me.
And then he carried my bound body over the threshold.
Chapter 5
A Furtive Tear
Phoenix
U
pside down, I did my best to make out the space.
All I could get was plush white carpet. For some reason that calmed me. I didn’t know what I expected. Perhaps other women chained to a cold cement floor. Maybe blood splattered tile littered with cut-up bodies.