Five hours later
“I’m going in.”
McCall looked up from his crouched position. The man didn’t seem surprised by Seth’s declaration. He shrugged and said, “It’s too soon.”
Too soon? The urge to slam a fist into the man’s implacable face was strong. “How the fucking hell can you think it’s too soon? She’s listened to that shit for ten hours.”
“Yes, and she’s given us a message every hour that she’s fine. You go in now, everything Honor’s gone through will have been for nothing. Do you want that?”
Hell no, he didn’t want that. But neither could he just stand by and listen to her continued torture, either.
When Seth didn’t answer, McCall stood and placed a hand on his shoulder. “Believe it or not, I know what you’re going through. Before Samara and I married, she went through something similar. I wanted to kill the men responsible as soon as I could. If I had, the entire mission would have been screwed and several young girls would have been sold into sexual slavery. Waiting saved them.”
“And Samara?”
Seth had never seen McCall smile. The one that spread across his face now was filled with pride and love. “She’s one of the gutsiest women I know. She survived that and so much more.” He eyed Seth again. “She wouldn’t have wanted the outcome to be any different. The hell she went through is something I’d give my life to prevent, but we saved lives by waiting until the time was right.”
Nodding, Seth looked away from McCall’s penetrating black eyes. Yeah, he was sure every emotion of his was there for the world to see. Didn’t take a psychic for McCall or anyone else to know his feelings for Honor.
“Thorne and Livingston come up with anything?” Seth asked.
“Last time I heard from them, they’d spotted two more soft areas.”
“Good.”
While Seth had been listening to Honor’s torture, the other men had kept themselves occupied by looking for areas to breach. Seth had identified two the first day. Finding the best one was imperative. When they got the go-ahead from Honor, their plan would need to be in place so they could execute it immediately.
“If they find—”
Seth held up his hand for Noah to stop talking. Was that Honor’s voice? Even though he still had the earbud in his ear, he’d listened to Pike’s noise for so long, he wasn’t sure if he had imagined Honor’s whisper.
He shot a glance at McCall. “Did you hear—” He broke off when Honor’s voice came through louder. “I’m going to try something,” she said.
Frozen in place, he waited. What the hell did that mean? What was she going to try?
Curled up in a corner of the room, Honor was creating what she hoped was a picture of a broken mind. Pulling at her hair, twirling it with her fingers, alternately rocking back and forth and jumping up to pace, she mumbled Pike’s insane mantra, rules, and manifesto. After hours of hearing it, she had no problem reciting it verbatim.
Would this work? Was this what he wanted to see?
When she’d been given an hour of silence and a meal, she had come up with this plan, but waited a couple of hours before putting it into action. The creep had to be convinced that she was well and truly indoctrinated. Was this too soon? Who knew? She only knew she wasn’t going to listen to this crap any longer. With Pike’s ego, he would probably congratulate himself on bringing her over so soon.
She’d started her act by pacing back and forth. Knowing where the camera was, she made use of it by giving Pike a show she figured he wanted to see.
After ten minutes or so of pacing, she’d dropped into a corner. With her legs curled up for warmth, she’d stared blankly into space and begun to fiddle with her hair. Then, as if it were just a natural occurrence, she’d begun to mouth the words blasting through the loudspeaker. Able to match the words exactly, she’d gone on and on, hoping that at some point, Pike would get the idea that his manifesto was the only thing occupying her head.
She had allowed herself to talk to Seth for only a couple of minutes every hour. Covering her head with her pillow, she’d given him updates on her condition and nothing more. If she let loose all the things she wanted to say to him, she greatly feared, she would lose the ever-present control she’d worked so hard to achieve. When this was over and she was back in his arms, she would tell him what was in her heart. Things she should have told him before. Her pride had stood in the way of giving him the forgiveness he’d asked for. How silly all of that seemed now.
Picturing Seth had helped keep her sane as had remembering his passionate lovemaking, his tenderness, and those little quirks that made him unique. Did he know that when he was angry, it showed in his mouth first? Those sensual lips would curl ever so slightly; then his eyes would turn flinty blue. Had he ever noticed that he always put his left shoe on first? Or that after they made love, she often put her head on his chest just to listen to his heartbeat?
She remembered all of these things from the past, and had picked up new memories lately. Had she ever told him how she admired him, adored him, loved him? Of course she hadn’t. She’d fallen back into his arms and into his bed so very easily, but never had she given him the words she should have. Words he deserved to hear.
What they had was too wonderful to let go of again. Yes, she knew he still had some issues to sort out. But those things, whatever they were, had to be minor compared to living without each other.
Now she had to convince Pike that she was ready for his next round of training, then find and rescue Kelli and the other girls and get the hell out of Tranquillity … and then she would tell Seth what was in her heart.
Alden was in the control booth, eating his dinner, when he noticed the delightful change in his woman. Enthralled, he watched her mumble the words that would stay in her head forever. She had gone over the edge even more quickly than he had ever hoped. From the moment he’d seen her, he’d felt their deep connection, and their discussions yesterday had only confirmed his belief—she had indeed been made for him.
Her coming over so quickly would make his life so much easier—another indication that she was meant to be his mate. Even subconsciously, she was trying to please him.
Finishing his meal, Alden barely saw the old hag who took his tray. His mind was on the upcoming event. It was time to begin the next phase. Group orientation. The women would be allowed to see one another for the first time—a bonding moment.
He always found it interesting how they reacted to one another. Some seemed so pleased to see another human being, they actually cried. Others acted as if they didn’t even see anyone at all. Of course, all of that changed when the training began. Hard to ignore shrill screams when they were right beside you. And then each one would wonder when it would be her turn.
Alden stood and headed to the cell. First he would give his woman the brief reprieve of a bathroom privilege, including a shower. A small amount of water to sustain her—no food, though, since vomiting was often a distasteful result of this phase of training.
A soft female sigh stopped his forward progress. He turned and gasped at the sight before him. Tabitha stood several feet away. Earlier, she’d been dressed in a flowing white dress, one of his favorites. From what he could tell, it was the same dress, only it was no longer white. Bright, vivid splotches of red covered her from head to toe.
Blood
.
“What happened, daughter?”
“John has left. He won’t be back.”
“What did you do?” Alden didn’t think he’d ever been so shocked in his life. “Is this your idea of taking care of the matter quietly?”
“No one saw me. I drove from the garage at the house to the underground garage here.” She shrugged. “My brother was more resistant to leaving than I’d anticipated. He was also more healed than I’d thought he was. He fought hard; however, he was no match for my determination.”
“Where is he now?”
“In garbage bags in the trunk. Since he was so large, I had to drain the carcass in the bathtub and then take him apart there.”
“But why?”
Her eyes still as innocent and sweet as always, she said, “He was too heavy for me to carry out in one piece.”
Alden felt a strange sadness. It had been inevitable, but still, he hadn’t expected to face it this soon. His little girl had grown up. Though only twenty, Tabitha had achieved a maturity it had taken him many more years to attain.
Not wanting to give away his emotions—after all, she was still being punished for her insubordination—he asked, “What do you intend to tell my people?”
“That he left us.”
He stiffened in anger. Had he been mistaken about her maturity? “Absolutely not. That could give others the impression that leaving Tranquillity is an option. You know there’s only one way anyone can ever leave here.”
“My apologies, Father, for not being clear. We will tell them you forced him to leave.”
Once again, Alden was stunned—this time, by his daughter’s brilliance. If his followers thought he might expel them from Tranquillity, their efforts to obey would only be heightened. Fear of rejection was a powerful motivator. That’s why many of them had come to him so easily—castoffs from a cruel society. If they worried that he might kick them out, his control over them would be even greater. His mind exploded as he considered all the additional benefits he could enjoy.
A rush of love flooded through him as he gazed at his daughter. What a treasure she was. Alden knew he was being much too lenient, but how could he continue to punish her when she had done something so extraordinarily useful?
“Let’s go back up to the house.”
Tilting her head hopefully, she said, “But what about the training?”
“That can wait a little while longer.” He held out his hand. “Your reward can’t.”
Her face took on a glowing happiness as she rushed into his arms.
Alden held her tight, the dampness of her gown in no way deterring his passion. “Come, let’s celebrate your brother’s life in the best way possible. Tomorrow, I’ll call a town meeting and announce John’s departure.”
Turning away from the monitor, he ignored the woman in the corner, rocking back and forth and mumbling his words. Another few hours of his manifesto would only reinforce his will. When he returned, she would be even more pliable.
But for now, it was time to reestablish his bond with his angel.
* * *
The first nursery rhyme came around midnight. Seth and the others had been staring at the radio and listening intently, assuming Honor’s mumblings of the manifesto had been her attempt to get Pike to think she was completely under his spell. Since she’d done that for over two hours without any sign that the bastard was even watching, it apparently hadn’t worked.
When she began to recite “Humpty Dumpty,” he and McCall met each other’s eyes. The second time, Seth got to his feet and went for his supplies. He didn’t give a damn whether she had given the signal or not. He was going in.
He heard a sound behind him. Figuring it was the LCR leader ready to stop him, Seth whirled around. What he found was McCall, Livingston, and Thorne gearing up, too.
“I can go in alone,” Seth said. “If it doesn’t work out, then you—”
McCall’s head shot up. “We’re a team, Cavanaugh. Get used to it.”
With a brief nod of thanks, Seth shrugged into a Kevlar vest he’d previously packed with weapons and medical supplies. Zipping it closed, he glanced down at a sheet of canvas on the ground. Working from Honor’s descriptions and instructions, along with their own observations, they’d drawn a map of Tranquillity.
Using a stick, McCall pointed to each platform where a guard stood. “Livingston, you take these two up front. Thorne, you take the east corner; I’ll take the west.” He looked up at Seth. “Cavanaugh, go down the back alley Stone mentioned. The instant you identify the building she’s in, radio its location to us, but hold your position until your backup arrives.”
Seth nodded and took off, barely hearing the three men behind him. Running alongside the brick wall, he located the weakest area they’d been able to find—a patch of darkness where the distance between two lights was too great. Thorne and Livingston had tested the area and assured him that the wall was bare—no barbed wire at the top or electrical current running through it.
He withdrew a rope attached to his utility belt, then threw it up and over, pulling sharply till the grappling hook caught the edge. Climbing with sure, even strokes, Seth was up, over, and on the ground in less than two minutes.
After he unhooked himself, he left the rope in place for the other three, then turned to assess his location. A dark structure loomed high in the distance. Was that Pike’s house? If so, he was going to have to hike upward and then go down into the valley to where the community lay. He spared a glance back to see that two of the three men were now on the ground and Thorne was coming down the wall. He gave a quick nod to McCall. Then, knowing that the other men were set to their tasks, Seth turned and pulled his Glock from the holster in his jacket. Focused on the tall structure ahead of him, he began his climb.
To take his mind off yet another nursery rhyme Honor was reciting in his ear, Seth concentrated on picturing the town the way Honor had described it.
Once he reached the main road, the school, dining hall, and hospital would be on one side, the communal living quarters, a small store, and the library on the other. The smaller road held eighteen homes, nine on each side. On the other side of that road was what Pike had referred to as the stable. Up on a hill, separate from his followers, was the bastard’s home.
Right now, Seth was interested in only one location. About a hundred yards past the “stable” was where he believed Honor was being held.
Eight minutes later, he caught his first clear glimpse of the community in the valley below him. He took off downhill at a run, dodging bushes and rocks and trying like hell to avoid falling. Dressed in camouflage, he wasn’t worried about stealth until he got closer to town. The nearer he got, the more likely it was that there would be people on watch. Evading the moonlight, staying in the shadows as much as possible, Seth ran down the hill toward a grouping of buildings.