Devoted to Love

by Shayla Black

  Maggie shook her head. “It’s sweet that everyone wants to protect me. But we’ve been over this. I need to make sure the threat to our family ends. I was standing two feet from Granna when the bullet struck her and . . . I refuse to walk away now and leave this undone.”

  Shealyn swallowed back more tears. “All right, then. I’ll give your gift to Josiah and be back in five or less. Papa will be waiting at the back of the chapel to walk you down the aisle. Then . . . the next time we talk, you’ll be a married woman.”

  “Who would have thunk it?”

  “Honestly, not me. Ever.”

  “Me, either. Now I wouldn’t want it any other way. I don’t know why I’m so nervous.”

  “Wedding jitters. I understand, believe me. Let me get you a soda and hand this gift to your enthusiastic groom. Then . . . let’s get you hitched!”

  The sisters shared one last hug, then Shealyn slipped out of the little bathroom.

  Trying to ignore the rolling of her stomach, Maggie turned to the mirror and fixed a face-framing curl; double-checked her loose, upswept bun; then tucked her bag into the little corner where the hospital’s chaplain had assured her it would be safe for the duration of the ten-minute ceremony. From the bathroom counter, she picked up her simple bouquet of cabbage roses in pristine white and shell pink, tossed with sprigs of greenery and tied together with twined ribbons.

  She took a steadying breath. Time for the future.

  As Maggie let herself out of the little green-tiled space, she drifted into the hall and waited for her sister’s return. The chapel was right across the hall, double doors closed. Behind them lay everyone she loved, waiting to see her tie her future to Josiah’s. Her heart swelled so much she swore it would burst from her chest.

  In fifteen minutes, she would be Mrs. Maggie Grant. And instead of scaring her, the knowledge that Josiah would be by her side, that they would love and cherish each other forever, filled her with sudden zen.

  She was more than ready.

  From her left, the pounding of footsteps down the industrial hallway snagged her attention. She turned to find Sawyer barreling her way.

  “What are you doing here?” She hoped he hadn’t come to start an argument or trouble.

  “I was looking everywhere for you. You have to come with me. Josiah, your sister, you grandfather . . . They’re all leaving.”

  “Leaving?” She frowned. “Why? The ceremony is about to start. I don’t—”

  “The ranch is on fire. The fire department has been trying to stop the blaze for almost two hours, but you know the land has been bone dry lately. The damn wind picked up this morning. We’re trying to save everything we can. The animals are safe but . . .”

  Icy horror doused her, and she wanted to ask a hundred questions but they didn’t have time. “Oh, my god. Okay. So everyone else has already left?”

  That didn’t make sense to her.

  “We have to act fast, and I told everyone I’d bring you with me. There’s no time to lose.”

  Maggie shoved aside her sadness that today wouldn’t be her wedding day after all and focused on the situation. “Why didn’t you call from the ranch?”

  “I tried.” He raked a hand through his hair. “Your grandparents don’t have cell phones and you didn’t answer yours.”

  She couldn’t exactly get to her phone right now, not with it tucked into her shapewear.

  “All right. I need a minute.” She had to grab her bag, text Josiah, decide on a plan.

  “We don’t have a minute, Mags. If you drag your feet, there will be nothing left to come home to.”

  Fucking Enlightenment Fields. They had to be responsible for this. They thought nothing of burning her home and all her memories to the ground. And how much would this hurt Granna and Papa? They’d endured so much lately . . .

  “Fine. Thirty seconds,” she hedged.

  Sawyer approached her, shaking his head adamantly. “Now, goddamn it.”

  Then he grabbed her in a harsh grip with one hand and pressed a needle into her arm with the other. Maggie gasped and tried to scream . . . but her world went black.

  * * *

  • • •

  Josiah stood at the front of the little chapel, the chaplain by his side, and tugged at his rented tuxedo tie. Despite the fact it was January, the air conditioning blew a cool draft over his face. It didn’t help; he was still sweating.

  Not in a million years did he think he’d ever face the altar again.

  After Whitney, he’d sworn off love and marriage and promises of forever. He had vowed to steer clear of relationships, disappointment, and heartache. All it had taken to break his pledge was for Maggie to explode into his life in a blast of blond hair, sass, and sex appeal. She and her guarded heart had won him over without even trying. And now he stood in front of her family, with his own watching via FaceTime, eager for his bride to walk down the admittedly short aisle so they could promise to share the rest of their lives, in good times and bad, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, forsaking all others until death parted them.

  At that thought, Josiah began to sweat more. But he wasn’t moving from this spot, not until Maggie was his wife.

  To his left, Cutter glanced at his watch. Hunter Edgington shifted in his hard plastic chair, then turned to Joaquin, whose big frame looked packed into the small seat as his hazel eyes scanned the sterile room they’d tried to liven up with a profusion of flowers. Logan looked anxious, too. Unsettled. The same feeling that had been plaguing Josiah for the last fifteen minutes. He’d written it off as pre-wedding jitters.

  Now, he was rethinking his assumption.

  “I’m going to go check on Shealyn and Maggie. They should have been ready by now.” Cutter stood and exited the chapel.

  Getting ready for a wedding, even one as rushed as this, wasn’t an easy process. He knew that. Still, anxiety clawed him. He kept hearing the tick-tick-tick in his head that often nagged him during high-stress missions.

  “That would be great.”

  “You doing okay?” his mom asked from the phone.

  He pasted on a smile to put her at ease. He knew how terrible she felt that unavoidable responsibilities kept her and his dad at home today. “I’m doing great. Just a little delay. We’ll get started shortly.”

  His mom looked teary-eyed as she nodded. “You look so handsome. Maggie is a lucky woman. I can’t wait to meet her.”

  “You’ll love her.”

  “Since she swept you off your feet, I’m already in awe,” his sister Dana chimed in.

  Josiah forced a chuckle. “Maggie is definitely something.”

  It still shocked him how quickly he’d fallen in love with her. Barely two weeks ago, Logan had dropped her name just before Shealyn and Cutter’s nuptials, and Josiah had asked who the hell she was. Now, he couldn’t imagine his life without her.

  Damn it, she needed to finish whatever primping she was doing and hurry into the chapel so he could make her his for good.

  Two minutes later, Cutter shoved the door open, carrying a bouquet. Tension filled his face. “I can’t find either of them. Just Maggie’s bouquet.”

  Josiah’s heart stopped. Two thoughts pelted his brain at once, both totally horrifying. Either he’d been stood up at the altar again or Enlightenment Fields had somehow gotten their hands on Maggie.

  “Be right back, Mom,” he said into the phone, then dashed down the aisle, acutely aware of everyone watching him.

  He remembered this feeling all too well. The déjà vu wasn’t pleasant.

  No, no, no . . . This couldn’t be happening again. Maggie wouldn’t have left him. Right? But if she hadn’t, the alternative was far worse. If Enlightenment Fields had Maggie, he had no doubt what would happen. The group had proven repeatedly they were capable of murder.

  A cold sweat chil
led Josiah as he rushed into the bathroom across the hall and found Maggie’s tote abandoned on the floor, stuffed full of the legal documents they’d planned to sign after the ceremony, her everyday clothes, and a variety of cosmetics and hair implements. What he didn’t see was her phone.

  He turned and found Cutter right behind him, wearing a scowl. “Anything?”

  “Can you call Maggie?” His phone was on the tripod in the chapel.

  “I don’t have her number.” Suddenly, Cutter’s head whipped around toward Shealyn as she glided down the hall, carrying a can of lemon-lime soda and a cup of ice. “Sweetheart, where’s your sister?”

  “I left her here maybe ten or fifteen minutes ago. She said she was feeling a little queasy. She was nervous as all get-out and asked for a soda. I fetched her one. It took a bit because I made the mistake of dashing into the cafeteria for ice. I ran into three people who recognized me.” Shealyn frowned, looking around in confusion. “She didn’t say anything about going anywhere.”

  Josiah’s worry deepened. Maggie hadn’t needed to go somewhere to find a bathroom or to visit her grandmother. She hadn’t gone herself in search of food or drink.

  Either she’d left of her own free will or she’d been taken.

  “Call her phone,” Josiah demanded.

  After a shaky nod, the glamorous star pulled her cell phone out of a clutch tucked under her arm and hit the speakerphone. Then ringing filled the small bathroom. Once, twice, three times . . .

  “She’s not answering,” Shealyn remarked unnecessarily when Maggie’s voicemail kicked in.

  If she’d left him at the altar, the least she could do was answer the damn phone and explain. She knew Whit suddenly, inexplicably breaking up with him had nearly crushed him. Surely, Maggie wouldn’t do that to him, too.

  “This makes no sense,” Shealyn went on. “She was excited. She even asked me to give you a gift.” She withdrew a little silver box. “You’re supposed to look at this when you’re alone.”

  Maybe so, but he wasn’t waiting. If this gave him any clue about where her head was at . . .

  Josiah tugged at the white ribbon and tore into the foiled wrapping paper. He lifted the lid on the small box beneath and found a note.

  For your eyes only. On our wedding day. I love you and I can’t wait for us to share everything.

  He shoved the note in his pocket. Beneath lay a series of photos Maggie had taken of herself and framed for him. They weren’t nudes, but they were damn close. Definitely provocative. Definitely vulnerable. Definitely stills he would treasure once she became his wife.

  Josiah stared, angling the photos so no one else could see. Thankfully, the others backed away, as if they knew he needed a moment with whatever Maggie had wrapped in the box. As he stared, he struggled to breathe.

  Would she really have left him?

  Logically, the answer was yes. Whitney had proven that any woman could leave any man without a moment’s notice. If there had been signs that their relationship was doomed, he hadn’t seen them until the day that woman walked out. And Maggie had a track record of calling off a wedding the day of the big event.

  On the other hand, running off without a word didn’t seem like Maggie’s style. She was the sort of girl who would fight, not hide. Hell, she’d even texted Davis to break off their nuptials the morning of the ceremony and she hadn’t loved the guy. Josiah couldn’t help but think she’d at least give him the same courtesy.

  “When did Maggie ask you to give this to me?”

  “Less than fifteen minutes ago.”

  For him, that cinched it. “She didn’t leave me.”

  “Heavens, no,” Shealyn agreed. “She was excited to marry you.”

  “She loves me. She told me.”

  Shealyn smiled. “I know. And Maggie never shares her heart like that.”

  Which was exactly why Josiah knew he couldn’t get mired in his past and look at Maggie through Whitney’s lens. He had to have faith and believe in her—in them.

  “Then where would she have gone? Maybe the better question is, who would have taken her?”

  Pounding footsteps down the hall had Josiah’s gaze zipping in that direction. Hunter came running with a security guard in tow. Logan and Joaquin were maybe ten seconds behind.

  “The guard saw an unconscious blonde in a wedding dress being carried out by a guy in jeans, a western shirt, and boots less than ten minutes ago. When he asked questions, the guy carrying her said the bride had had an anxiety attack and was sleeping off meds. He thought it was suspicious.”

  Joaquin nodded, his big chest rising and falling. “We found the hospital’s security station and fast-talked our way into a still.”

  Logan whipped out a paper with the grainy image. There was no mistaking the guy’s identity. “Sawyer.”

  “You know him?” Hunter asked.

  “My grandparents’ foreman.” Shealyn frowned. “He and Maggie had a brief fling during her engagement to Davis. It’s been over for a while.”

  “Except he’s had a rough time taking no for an answer.”

  Shealyn’s jaw dropped. “You think he’d . . . kidnap her?”

  “Clearly, he did.” Cutter motioned to the photo.

  “Why?”

  Possible atrocities lay unspoken in the small circle. Everyone blinked through a terrible silence, and a thousand worries swamped Josiah. He didn’t know if Sawyer was capable of rape or murder or . . . god forbid, if he was in league with Enlightenment Fields. He simply knew he had to find Maggie.

  Before it was too late.

  “We have to go. Split up. Find her. Now,” Josiah barked.

  “I’ll call the FBI again,” Logan offered. “Might not net anything, but if Maggie’s disappearance is linked to that wacky cult, they should know.”

  “Joaquin and I can work on the traffic cameras in the area, see if we can pinpoint what direction he took her, while we try to keep your grandparents calm,” Hunter said.

  “Shealyn and I will head back to the ranch.” Cutter grabbed his wife’s hand.

  “It’s dangerous,” Josiah reminded.

  “I don’t care.” Shealyn teared up. “She’s my little sister. Someone has her and . . . Oh, god. I need to do whatever I have to. We have to find her.”

  “Okay.” Josiah nodded. “I’ll head to Enlightenment Fields.”

  Despite the gapes and gasps, no one protested. They all knew it needed to be done.

  “I don’t think you should go in alone,” Joaquin pointed out. “I’ll leave Hunter here and go with you.”

  “This might be suicide, and your wife is pregnant. Bailey needs you. Besides, I left suddenly over ten days ago. I’ll have to sweet-talk my way back in. If I bring someone, they’re bound to get suspicious.”

  “Those fuckers are lethal,” Logan pointed out. “If you walk into Enlightenment Fields and Maggie isn’t there . . . will you be able to get out alive? Maybe you should rethink this.”

  “I can’t.” He shook his head. “Honestly, I don’t think Sawyer is smart or determined enough to have suddenly decided to take Maggie from me. He’s had weeks. We were falling for each other under his nose and he did nothing. Oh, he got in my face a few times, but he halfheartedly tried to convince Maggie of his feelings. Mostly, he tossed shade in my direction, then slinked away when we both shut him down. So why would he suddenly do something illegal? Most likely because someone put him up to it. I’ve been thinking lately that Enlightenment Fields had a mole on the inside, and Sawyer seemed the most likely candidate. I had no proof, though. When he did nothing more than flap his jaws, I didn’t give a shit about him. But this just got real. I’m going to grab my phone and get the hell out of here. If I don’t come back, you all have my paperwork.” Wills and life insurance were necessary in their line of work. “You know what to do.”

 
Hunter nodded. “We’ll take care of you. We’ll call if we get anything. Do the same when you can.”

  Josiah nodded. “If you find Maggie, and I don’t make it out of Enlightenment Fields alive, tell her I love her.”

  CHAPTER 18

  After ditching his tux, Josiah quickly culled through his belongings. The hospital had a strict 30.06 and 30.07, which disallowed firearms on the premises, so Zy had brought Josiah his Kershaw retractable serrated knife. After tying it around his thigh, he left the hospital, flying down the highway toward Comfort and the isolated dirt road leading to the hell of Enlightenment Fields.

  His mind raced. If fucking Sawyer was the mole, when had he turned? What had they given the asshole? Had Coleman lured him with the promise of power? Had Mercy pledged him her pussy? Either or both might apply. What would induce Sawyer to turn on Maggie, whom he’d once claimed to have feelings for?

  With a scowl, Josiah drove faster.

  Going in alone was probably stupid as hell, but he didn’t see a way around it. He’d told his parents and sisters that he loved them before ending the video call at the chapel. He hoped that wouldn’t be the last time he spoke to them, but he’d do whatever it took to save Maggie.

  In the past, he’d volunteered for plenty of dangerous missions deemed suicidal. The difference between then and now? In the past, he hadn’t cared if he died. Now, he couldn’t get to Enlightenment Fields fast enough because he finally had something—someone—he gave a shit about. He had a reason to live.

  He had Maggie.

  He’d just turned down the lane to the cult’s ranch when his phone buzzed. Josiah answered with a swipe of his thumb. “Cutter. What have you got?”

  “A shitstorm. Sawyer is definitely gone from the ranch. Took all his gear, too. Couple of the hands say he left a letter of resignation and bugged out early this morning. Zy says Sawyer confronted him when he headed to San Antonio with the wedding dress on Friday. Then Mercy and her goons stopped by again yesterday morning. Sawyer intercepted them first. Trees and Zy chased them off the property, but they both suspect something happened after that because Sawyer has been acting weird ever since.”