By the time I arrived, I was drenched. I slammed my hand on the door. “Mae!” I called out, screaming to be heard over the storm. “MAE!”
The door opened, and Mae stood before me in her red nightdress. “Bella?” she asked, looking at my soaked state.
“Is your fiancé here?” I asked.
Mae frowned. “No, he said he had business to attend to.”
My heart beat faster, and I backed away from the door. Lilah. I had to try Lilah’s. I jumped off the porch and ran up the hill to Lilah’s house.
“Bella! Wait!” I heard Mae call out after me, but I could not stop. Lilah’s door opened before I could even knock. She slipped out onto the porch and shut the door.
“Bella?” She glanced behind her. “Grace is sleeping. I could hear your frantic voice all the way from Mae’s house.”
“Is Ky here?” I asked hurriedly.
Lilah shook her head. “He is attending to business tonight.”
I shook my head and my chest began to burn with the threat of tears. “No,” I whispered, just as Mae, Sister Ruth and Brother Stephen came rushing up the path to Lilah’s home.
“Bella!” Mae said and came to my side.
I turned to my sister. “Rider . . . he is missing.” I turned back to Lilah. “Styx and Ky are missing too.” I placed my hands on my head. “We were sleeping and he snuck out. Why would he sneak out? He only took his pants. He did not even dress for wherever he was going.”
My heart sank as I glanced through the thick forest of trees. From the height of Lilah’s home, I could see to the bottom of the verge. “No,” I whispered when I saw dim lights in the distance. “The barn,” I said under my breath. “No!” I started running.
“Bella!” I heard Mae call. “Ruth, Stephen, stay here with Grace. Lilah, come with me. We need to get Maddie.”
I heard my sisters talking behind me, but I could only focus on my destination. My eyes locked on the barn as I sprinted through the mud and the rain. Branches slapped at my face and fallen twigs sliced at my feet. But I did not care. They had Rider . . . they had my Rider. I just knew it.
“Rider,” I whispered as I tried to increase my speed. “What have you done?”
My lungs were starved of breath, but I pushed the uncomfortable feeling aside. I finally arrived at the rickety building on my right. The dim light from inside escaped through the cracks in the wooden walls. I could see movement from inside. People were in there.
Rider.
Pushing my oxygen-starved muscles to move, I darted for the door. I felt like time had slowed to half speed. I reached for the door handle, and it seemed take forever for me to grasp the knob. I opened the door. The sight before me knocked all the newfound happiness from my heart.
“No,” I whispered, as my eyes fixed on the end of the room. Rider . . . Rider—bruised, slashed and beaten, hanging from chains. His head had flopped down to his chest, his wet brown hair hanging in clumps over his blood-soaked chest.
“STOP!” I screamed and ran into the room. I threw out my hands and began pushing loud, excited, bloodthirsty men from my path. My breath was knocked out of me as their large bodies collided with mine. But I would not stop. My ears filled with the sound of my rushing blood as I plowed toward the front of the crowd. I broke through the last of the men and stopped before Rider.
“Rider,” I cried when I saw him up close. His body hung at an odd angle. A giant cross was carved into his torso, and his face was bloodied and swollen.
“Rider,” I cried, louder this time. His eyes tried to open at the sound of my voice. When I heard the men quieten behind me, my intense sorrow morphed into a surge of anger. Such uncontrollable anger that I could not contain my wrath.
I spun around and faced the men that had so wickedly, so cruelly, savaged the one I loved. They were panting with exertion, high from the adrenaline of their sick torture. I backed up and up again until my spine was almost at Rider’s front. I held my hands out to my sides.
They would not get to him again.
Mae’s love, Styx, stepped forward, his bare chest spattered with Rider’s blood, a dirty knife in his hand. His green eyes were lit with vengeful fire, and they narrowed on me.
Lilah’s husband came up beside him. He had chains around his fists, Rider’s blood masking the silver metal. My teeth gritted together, and I hissed, “Get back! Do not dare come any closer!”
All the brothers closed in. I knew it was to frighten me. But what they did not know was they were far from the worst thing I had ever faced in my life. And right then the only thing that scared me was the thought of them taking my love from my life.