Order of Truth

by Lisa Caviness

  She started walking—remembering Cody’s last instruction to keep running. Half an hour later from a spot at the top of a hill, she caught sight of the single-story log cabin, set in the middle of a clearing. Her heart kicked up, but she studied her tattoo and hoped once again the mark led her to what she needed. More than anything she wanted Cody to appear. Maybe he was waiting for her.

  Attempts to reach the Alliance and Cody again resulted in dead air. Pressing her compass pendant, she hoped they would receive her coordinates.

  She trudged down the hill as her feet sunk in the doughy grass. Sweat trickled down her face. At the bottom of the hill, she ducked behind a tree and stared at the house. A wooden porch with a roof overhang, wrapped around three fourths of the house. There were no vehicles in sight, no helicopters in the air.

  Speaking into her radio, she told the Alliance members she’d made it to the cabin. Crackling static drummed into her ears. Her heart dropped as she considered the worst. Had the Alliance boat been ambushed?

  Lila scurried toward the wooden front porch steps. She stared at the combination lock. After trying several combinations, she entered her birthdate and the lock clicked. She pushed open the door a few inches and listened for sounds. Hearing nothing, she pushed opened the door farther and slipped inside.

  A large stone fireplace dominated the living room. She moved to the fireplace and waved a hand over the logs. Although she sniffed the odor of burnt wood, the remnants of a fire were cold with a thick layer of ash.

  She scanned the room. After a cursory check of the two bedrooms and one bathroom she concluded she was alone. With concerns for her safety placated, Lila reentered the first bedroom. The will is in the cabin floor. After a thorough search, she came up with nothing. A search of the second bedroom yielded the same results. She searched the small bathroom before returning to the kitchen.

  Exhausted, Lila plopped on the faded blue and yellow rug in the center of the kitchen floor. As she leaned against a cabinet, she spotted a creased area of the rug. She pulled back the dusty rug and gasped. A tiny gap between two of the floorboards provided the method to pull apart the floor revealing a hidden compartment. Inside the compartment sat a square briefcase-shaped safe. With her heart pattering, Lila pulled out the safe. Retrieving her phone from her backpack she turned on the ultraviolet light Cody rigged on her device. She extended her arm next to the safe and aimed the UV light at the invisible tattoo. The code illuminated onto the safe’s sensor and the lock clicked.

  “Unbelievable,” she whispered. She extracted a set of papers. The deed to the island and Ivan’s will. She flipped through the papers, noting Ivan had created the will under a sound mind and body. The will indicated Ivan wanted all of his property to go to Carson, Reid Patterson, and her. Her mouth dropped open. She expected the will to name Carson as the sole beneficiary. Flipping to the last page, her heart dropped. The will had been signed by Ivan. In accordance with estate law, two witnesses were required. The first signature was Dirk Gustason, his longstanding advisor. The second name was Hilary Foster.

  Hilary? How did Ivan know Hilary?

  Lila stared at the signatures then folded the papers, shoved them into her backpack, and rose.

  As she took a step forward, she halted when the back door burst open. Two men rushed in. Lila whipped around and slammed the safe into the temple of the man nearest her. He yowled and went down. She turned and extended a roundhouse kick to the taller man’s groin.

  “You bitch!” He cupped his privates and fell backward.

  The first man recovered and came at her again. He grabbed her around the neck and pushed her against the wall. The man towered over her and probably outweighed her by close to a hundred pounds. His large hands squeezed her neck as she struggled to get loose. For a second, she flailed then she remembered her training. Gasping for air, she wouldn’t have long. She reared back as far as she could and aimed for his nose. The gesture grazed him.

  The man thought her feeble attempt funny.

  The other man yelled, “Stop! We’re not supposed to kill her!”

  The man holding her dropped his hands.

  Lila slid to the floor, coughing and sputtering for air. Her pulse raced and anger lit her belly. She jumped up and kicked the man in the knees.

  He screamed and smacked her hard. Slamming to the floor, Lila grimaced in pain. She pushed her compass pendant again, hope fading she could hold her own for much longer.

  The smaller man hauled her up and covered her face with a cloth. She inhaled a sweet scent, then she felt herself fall.

  Chapter 50

  Wild images danced before her. Green iguanas turned into dinosaurs. Innocent birds flapped their wings and morphed into flying monsters. And Cody fell to his death over and over again.

  Then she woke up.

  At least she thought so. Darkness surrounded her. She bolted up. Where am I? For a moment, she thought she was dead but pain radiated across her skull awakening her senses. With hands extended, she slapped against the air. Nothing. Then a cold, damp wall greeted her. Was she in a cellar or maybe a cave? The thought of being buried alive or left for dead chilled her. Closing her eyes, she hoped for a new reality. When she opened them, she winced when the horror remained.

  Cody. Where are you?

  She closed her eyes again, willing him to appear.

  Slapping at her waist, she groaned. Her gun was gone. Her backpack and the will gone, too. Raspy breathing startled her until she realized it was her own choppy breaths. She banged the wall. When she heard nothing in return, she sank to the ground. Hard rocky dirt pierced her palms.

  I have to gain control. She started counting. Every few numbers, she inhaled then exhaled to a beat. Over time, her breathing slowed. She forced herself to concentrate on counting and to block out everything else. When she topped fifty, she exhaled a final time, then swallowed.

  Now what?

  She stood and raised her arms. Her fingers didn’t touch the ceiling, so she relaxed a little knowing her space might not be as cramped as she first thought. With her hands extended outward, she counted her steps between the rocky walls. Nine steps covered the distance. She recalled the conversion and calculated about twenty-three feet spanned the width of the enclosure. Reid had taught her the math for a situation like this.

  The first time she was locked away in a dark room, she’d been eight years old. When they came for her, she’d endured pain she hadn’t anticipated. The memory of being strapped to a table and injected with needles over and over again haunted her.

  As a teenager she’d been abducted from the tunnels of Babylon Hall and thrown into a room at Ivan’s compound in Colorado. The room had been lit with one dim bulb, which cast scary shadows onto the walls. Alone and shaken, she’d spent her time worrying about Cody, Reid, and Holly. Now, once again, she’d been shut away, left to ruminate about the fate of those she cared for most.

  With her heartbeat ramping up again, Lila splayed her hands on the ground and inhaled and exhaled several times. She slapped the floor. Counting and deep breathing exercises wouldn’t get her anywhere.

  If Lance didn’t know the location of the island, who had captured her? The name Hugo Castille entered her thoughts.

  The sound of crunching rocks kicked her pulse into high gear. Lila hunched on her feet, ready to fight.

  Minutes later, the door wrenched open and sunlight flooded in. Lila squinted in the sudden light, then attacked.

  Chapter 51

  Lance paced the cramped mining office. “If that little bitch, Lila gets her hands on that will, then they can contest it. But, I’ll win. My sister, Sloane, changed her identity so everyone will believe she’s only out to usurp my birthright as the oldest and as the only heir to stand by the family. Reid has never been recognized by any of us and neither has Lila. She hooked her boat to her father, Dan Caldwell.” Lance stalked around the desk. “I’d prefer not to engage in a legal battle or worse yet, a courtroom brawl.”

  “La
nce, the old man is dead.” Peter parked himself in a metal chair with a thin black cushion. “You have nothing to worry about.”

  “You’re right but I have to make sure all loose ends are eradicated. I ended that weasel Walt Talcott’s life, after he told me about the island. I’ll admit I never thought that blowhard had the information. Seems he was savvy enough to blackmail an older Order member, Morris Beak out of the information.”

  “You have great instincts, Lance. Before you killed your father, you and your mother Pia forged a new will that gave you everything. I have no doubt we’ll get this latest will.” Peter’s phone buzzed, and he drew the device from his jacket pocket. After a brief conversation, he lifted his head. “My men are bringing in the document.”

  “What about Lila?”

  “She’s locked in the underground storm shelter.” Peter rose at the knock on the door.

  “Good. Leave her there. She can rot in that hole.”

  Casper opened the door and allowed in two men.

  Lance stared at the men, one a huge guy with a tree trunk neck. They had cuts and bruises on their faces and arms. “She fought back.”

  The huge man stepped forward. “That tramp came at us and…”

  The smaller man held up his hand and flashed his partner a frown. “And she’s contained. We have the document.” He handed the set of papers to Peter.

  “Good work. Dismissed.” Peter gave the documents to Lance, then answered another call.

  Lance read through documents then glanced up. “Damn him!” He slammed his hands on the cheap table. “My own father cut me out of this will.” Anger boiled in his gut. Neither his nor his mother’s name appeared in the will. Once again, he peered down at the document focusing on the date. It had been signed two weeks before his father’s demise. Had Ivan discovered their plot? Didn’t matter. Ivan was dead. He tore the paper in half. Problem solved.

  “…are you sure?” Peter said into his phone. “Stay on it.” He shoved his phone into his pocket and turned to Lance. “We’ve got a problem.”

  Chapter 52

  Lila raced toward the man, aiming for his knees. Her vision was off due to being locked in the dark for so long.

  The man scooped her up with ease as she continued to attack.

  “Lila, I’m here to help!” the man yelled.

  Stunned, she stopped. With her hand shielding her eyes, she stared. Something about the voice rang familiar but a large hood shielded his face.

  She turned and glanced back at where she’d been. Thick brush half covered a rusty metal door of what appeared to be a storm shelter. Shifting her gaze, she spotted the cabin about fifty yards in the distance.

  He put her down with a thud. “Let’s go.”

  “Where is Cody?” Her voice was raspy, and she cleared her throat several times.

  “We need to go.” The man took her arm and pushed her toward a black truck parked behind the cabin.

  “I’m not going anywhere with you! Let go of me!” Lila struggled against his grip.

  “If you don’t want to go back in that storm shelter and be left for dead or worse killed right out, then you’ll come with me.” He huffed out a deep sigh.

  Who is this man? Rising, her muscles ached from multi-mile hike across the island and being stuffed in the shelter. Sweat zig-zagged down her back, and her skull throbbed. The last time she ate had been breakfast with Cody before they left their campsite. Had that been earlier today? “Who are you and who do you work for?” Lila held her ground. Although the man could strong-arm her, he remained still.

  “I don’t work for Lance, if that’s what you’re thinking.”

  “You know Lance?” She blinked several times to clear her vision.

  “Yes, now let’s go before his men come back.”

  Again, she tried to get a glimpse of the man, but the hood impeded most of his face. He was tall, almost the same height as Cody. Judging by the way his jacket filled out, the man had bulk. Her intuition urged her forward. She swallowed hard and trudged a few feet to the rear of the house.

  When they neared the truck, he swung open the door of the pickup. He pushed her into the front seat of the cab. “If you fight, I’ll be forced to handcuff you. Do you understand?”

  She nodded.

  Starting the truck, he shot out of the gravel drive and up a hill. In seconds, they were on a treacherous path with a rocky cliff on one side and a tall fence with electrical wiring on the other. Even if she wanted to jump, there were no options for escape. “Again, who are you and where are you taking me?” If she couldn’t bail out maybe she could talk her way into bettering her situation.

  “It’s a short drive.”

  This time she detected a slight European accent but couldn’t pinpoint exactly where. She searched her memory for his name.

  An iron gate, barely visible due to the massive green vines, slid open ahead of them. The man drove through and followed a curvy road bordered by a thick tree line. He made a turn and a sprawling two-story U-shaped house lay ahead. Lush green grass, colorful flowers in pristine gardens, and towering palm trees with their fronds blowing in the wind dotted the grounds. A wide portico framed a set of brown double doors which Lila suspected led to pure opulence. Despite the luxurious house, Lila braced for the evil inside.

  The man pulled to a stop and adjusted his hood.

  Lila stared at the house. The man said he didn’t work for Lance, however, she didn’t expect anyone to tell her the truth. But if this place didn’t belong to Lance, then who? Her heart sunk. She might have just sentenced her family to death. Maybe she shouldn’t have insisted Carson proceed with outing Lance and The Order. Had her decision killed Cody? She sucked back tears. She wouldn’t allow Lance nor anyone else to witness her pain.

  The man circled the truck. When he reached her side, he opened the door. He took her arm with a firm yet gentle grip, guided her to the front door, and nudged her inside.

  The interior matched the island greenery, with plants and stone fountains on each side of the entryway. Gleaming bamboo floors and lazy circulating ceiling fans added to the relaxing resort-like atmosphere.

  The man continued to hold her arm as he led her through a large living area with a wall of open sliding doors leading to a covered patio. A swimming pool with water matching the blue-green ocean that lay beyond the patio. On the other side of the pool, she saw a grassy area leading to a steep cliff, which met the ocean water below.

  They moved toward the patio and Lila stopped. A man sitting in a chair with his back to her settled into her field of vision.

  The hooded man pushed her forward.

  She stepped outside, and the man turned.

  “Hello, Lila.”

  Her mouth dropped open as her blood stilled. “Ivan?”

  Chapter 53

  Ivan Sinclair rose from his chair, using a wooden cane for assistance.

  A full head of white hair and a few wrinkles around his eyes were the only signs of aging—aside from the cane. His eyes had changed. Gone was the fierce dark evil she’d once witnessed. Instead, he gazed at her with kindness.

  Kindness? Not possible.

  Maybe this wasn’t the man she thought. She repeated, “Ivan?”

  “Yes, it’s me.”

  A woman stepped out of a door near Ivan, placing her hands on the man’s shoulders in an intimate gesture. The woman shifted and once again Lila’s jaw dropped.

  Hilary Foster smiled. “Hello, Lila.”

  “Hilary. What are you doing here?” She recalled her signature on Ivan’s will and the woman’s sudden interest in her.

  Ivan moved around the chair, leaving the cane behind. “I’m glad you’re here. And you already know my wife.”

  Lila shook her head in confusion. “What are you doing here? I mean, you’re supposed to be dead. I-I…we…we thought you died.” She swallowed and glanced past Ivan. She expected guards to rush out any moment and throw her into a cell. She tightened her muscles.

  �
�I know this must be confusing. Your questions will be answered.” He approached her. “You must be thirsty and hungry.”

  Lila stepped back and checked her surroundings again. The man with the hood stood to the side of her.

  “Berta!” Ivan said.

  In an instant, an older woman appeared wearing light blue pants and shirt with an apron tied around her waist. “Yes, Mr. Ivan?” she said with a Columbian accent.

  “Please bring some beverages for my special guests.”

  She nodded and disappeared inside.

  “Guests?” Lila said.

  “First, know I’m not here to hurt you. I applaud your arrival.”

  “You found me, so do you know where Cody is?” Whatever Ivan or Hilary had to say paled in comparison to finding Cody.

  Ivan waved a hand. “I will answer every question you have but—”

  “I saw the will. Why is—”

  Ivan held up his hand. “Lila, I will answer your questions. I promise.”

  At the sound of footsteps, she whipped around. “Cody!” She jumped and raced into his arms. “You’re alive! I went to look for you.”

  He held her tight. “I know, baby. I’m here, and I’m fine. Are you okay?” He pulled back and studied her.

  “I’m fine.” She turned and lunged toward Ivan. “Did you and Lance send those helicopters after us?”

  Cody grabbed her. “Lila, no! Dirk helped me. Ivan isn’t working with Lance.”

  Dirk? He’d been Ivan’s right hand for years. Dirk was the one who’d shut her in that room at Ivan’s Colorado estate. Today, he’d been the one to free her from the underground shelter. Lila recalled after Ivan had been killed, Dirk worked for Lance. However, after Lance tried to kill Carson, Dirk had taken off. The FBI couldn’t find him. Perhaps, his allegiance had always been to Ivan.