Her mother sat down at the table with two large bowls, one filled with uncut strawberries. She started slicing off the green tops and cutting the berries into half.
Lena knew what strawberries meant. Strawberry shortcake. One of her absolute favorites. It was yet another reason she was glad she decided to make the trip.
Her mother cleared her throat. “That was something else how he just ran out there to protect you,” her mother said softly. “Didn’t even think about it, didn’t even care who might be out there.”
Lena stopped shelling the peas to look at her mother. She wasn’t looking at her, but it was clear that what happened this morning had shaken her. Her parents had lived a long and quiet life in the country. Even the indirect threat of violence was foreign to them.
A bit of guilt washed through Lena, quickly replaced by anger, not at her parents, but at bastards like Reverend John.
“That’s just who he is,” Lena said. “Varius is such a kind person. He leaps into danger and saves people. That’s what most of the men at Luna Lodge are like, despite what the news wants us to believe.”
Her mother stared at her for a moment. “I take it this wasn’t the first time he’s saved you?”
Lena thought for a moment about lying, but it wouldn’t do any good. She had never been very good at it, and her mother always seemed to see right through her. Maybe if her parents understood the complete truth, they’d understand what a good man Varius was.
She sighed and shook her head. “Before,” she said and looked down at the pea pods in the bowl in front of her. “Like I said, there were some men that were after Paige. They weren’t just men, but bad men who didn’t care about hurting innocent people. I helped her, and they didn’t like that. They came after us both. They were going to burn us alive. We were surrounded by fire, and then there he was. He jumped right through the flames to get to me, fought of the men. I’ve never seen someone so brave.” She let out a shuddering breath. “I would have been killed if it wasn’t for Varius.”
When Lena looked up, tears dripped from her mother’s eyes. “Why didn’t you tell me?” her mother asked. She wiped away her tears and sniffled.
Lena sighed and reached across the table for her mother’s hand. “I didn’t want to worry you all. By the time it was all over, I was safe inside the lodge. There just didn’t seem a point to bringing it all back up again. I’m normally protected by an army of hybrids.”
Her mother gripped her hand hard. “I’m your mother. I always want to know. Even if it might hurt to hear it, I still want to know. Don’t ever think you have to hide something from us.”
Lena nodded. From now on out, there would be no more secrets between them.
She frowned when tires crunched loudly on the gravel outside.
“That better not be that damned reporter again,” her father said from the other room. “I wonder if Sam would arrest me if I fired a warning shot.”
A loud bang sounded. The front windows shattered, sending a shower of glass around the living room. Lena spun in her chair at the table just in time to see the front door splinter open, shards of it crashing against the wall.
Several men rushed in, guns in hand. A wave of dizziness passed through her. Her heart thundered.
“What the hell do you think—” her father said.
Her father didn’t get the chance to finish his sentence before one of the men slammed the butt of his shotgun into her father’s face. He fell hard to the floor, blood flowing fast from his nose.
Her mother screamed. Lena ran into the living room to help her father, followed by her mother.
Two of the men rushed toward them, each grabbing one of the women. Her breathing quick, she struggled in the grip of the man who grabbed her. She had to fight. She had to help protect her parents.
“Well, hello, Lena.”
She slumped as she spotted the scarred man in the doorway, the one who had haunted her dreams since that fiery day with Paige. Half his father was normal, the other half puckered and twisted from his own previous encounters with fire.
“No,” she whispered.
It couldn’t be. It had been months. She was safe from Reverend John. He wouldn’t have come all this way for her.
Yet, there he stood. She stood, frozen, her blood screaming for her to run.
“L-leave my parents out of this. They have nothing to do with this,” she managed to force out.
Reverend John glanced down at her unconscious father. “Time to go for a little drive before that abomination returns.” She gagged as he ran a hand across her cheek. “It’s been a while, but rest assured, I’ve got big plans for you.”
Something slammed into the back of her head. She’d always thought that when you were knocked out you never really felt the pain before being unconscious, but the pain shot through the back of her head, spreading all over. Her mother’s scream reached her ears, and then blackness consumed her.
* * *
Varius raced back from the other side of the property. After Jill Hope had been run off, he’d let himself relax too much. He’d done the one damn thing he should have never done: left Lena alone.
Another scream echoed over the hill. He was so close but still not close enough. He growled. If anyone hurt her, he’d make them pay. He’d tear them apart.
His heart twisted as all the possible scenarios played through his head. What if that was the last thing he heard from her? Her scream for his help? Another growl erupted from his chest.
Varius pushed harder. His muscles screamed for him to stop, but he couldn’t, not until his woman was safe.
He closed on the house. The crunch of tires from a vehicle reached his ears. They were getting away. He couldn’t let that happen.
He rounded the corner of the house and spotted a van disappearing into the distance. A cloud of dirt and gravel blocked most of his view.
Unable to catch them at this point, he sprinted into the house. The metallic smell of blood filled the air.
Jim lay on his wife’s lap, her blood-soaked apron against his nose.
Varius took a deep breath, clenching his fists. The bastards had beaten an old man. They would pay for that, too.
Sue looked up at him when he came in, her eyes puffy and red from crying.
“They took her,” she said, shaking. “They just came in and took her.”
Varius crouched down to where they were on the floor. “Who?”
He checked Jim’s face as he spoke. It would be badly bruised and likely broken, but he would live as long as they got him in quickly. The amount of blood loss was concerning for a man his age.
Sue shook her head. “I’ve never seen them before. They aren’t locals.”
He stared hard at Sue, willing her to remember something anything.
“What did they look like?”
“They all had guns,” she said. “Knew about you. The leader said something about you and how he had plans for Lena.”
Sue started crying again. “Oh my baby.”
Varius placed a hand on her shoulder. “Anything else?”
She shuddered. “He had bad scars. The leader. Half his face looked like it had been melted.”
Varius gritted his teeth. He was hoping for local idiots, but this was far worse. Reverend John and his men were dangerous. They had nearly taken out Lena and Paige last time.
“It’s the one that came after her before, isn’t it?” Sue asked quietly.
Varius nodded and stood.
“I’m going to find her,” he said to the crying woman. “I’m going to find her and make them pay for taking her and hurting Jim. You get him to the hospital.”
“What about the sheriff?” she sputtered out.
“Get your husband to the hospital, then worry about the sheriff. I need to get going while I still have a chance of finding the men who took Lena.”
“Do whatever it takes.” Sue grabbed a hold of his hand before he stood. “Just find my Lena.”
Varius no
dded and stood. He pulled out his phone and dialed the lodge. He wasn’t sure if they could get there in time to help, but he needed backup. At minimum, he needed logistical and intelligence support.
He went out to the car and flipped open the trunk. He was glad he packed a few essentials. Varius cradled his phone with his neck while he opened a case and pulled out the M4 carbine he had inside. He started grabbing ammo magazines.
“How’s it going?” Titus answered.
“Reverend John has Lena,” Varius said tightly into the phone.
Varius slipped on the tactical vest he’d pulled out and slipped the magazines into the pockets.
He was going to find his woman at whatever the cost. Reverend John would pay.
Chapter Fifteen
Lena’s head throbbed when she opened her eyes. She could feel the ground beneath her move but wasn’t sure if it was her head doing the moving or if the ground was actually moving. Her stomach lurched, and she struggled to keep its contents down.
She took in deep breaths and tried to focus on her surroundings, which helped her stomach settle. Her view came more into focus the longer she stared. Bare metal walls surrounded her. Moving, definitely moving. From what she could tell, she was in the back of a van.
She could see the handle to the back door but knew with the motion that the van she was in was likely speeding down some unknown road. Still, taking her chances with tossing herself out of the van might be the best option if she could manage it.
Reverend John, knowing the man, had some sort of sick self-righteous plan that would involve a lot of pain and suffering.
“Good,” a man’s voice from behind her said. “I was hoping you’d wake up, so we’d have a chance to talk.”
Bile rose in her throat. She struggled to get herself into a sitting position. Her hands were bound behind her back and her ankles together. The position didn’t allow for much movement. She finally got herself upright only to stare into the face of the one person she hoped to never see again.
Reverend John offered her a sick smile.
Her gaze flicked to a couple of men sitting in the front of the van. They were the same goons who had broken into her parents’ house.
“Where are my parents?”
Despite trying to be brave, she knew she couldn’t hide the shake in her voice as she spoke. If he’d hurt them, she’d never be able to forgive herself even if she did survive.
“Oh, don’t worry about them. Those good Christians had no choice in the path to hell their daughter has traveled,” Reverend John said. He had a slight smile on his face as if he were enjoying her fear. “They were spared to continue to do God’s work. They’ll understand soon, just as everyone will, the threat those hybrid abominations are to the soul of humanity, and I’m sure they’ll join my cause. They’ll understand and even welcome my methods.”
“I doubt that.”
“When one stares into the face of evil, one realizes that you can’t negotiate with darkness. You must push it away and obliterate it with the light.”
She didn’t respond, even though a snort wanted to come out. At least her parents had been spared in all of this madness. Varius would find them and get help.
That was John’s failure. If he’d taken out Varius, he would have gloated about it. That meant he still had an angry hybrid coming after him, a hybrid who could smell a creek from a house.
Lena glared at Reverend John. “He’ll find you,” she said with venom. “Varius won’t rest until he finds you. You’ll pay for everything you’ve done, and you’ll beg him to spare your life, you twisted monster.”
The Reverend let out a loud laugh. His men joined in.
“Pay for what I’ve done? Beg for my life? I’ve only done what God wants.” He grinned. “As he wills, I live. Think of all the times those Devil spawn have tried to kill me, and yet I am still here. How do you explain that other than Divine Providence?”
“The Devil’s own luck.”
He clucked his tongue. “You certainly know how to twist words like the Prince of Lies, but the truth is I’ve been blessed.” He ran his hand over his scar. “The Lord has left his reminder that I am his soldier on Earth and to not become vain, and he will continue to spare me until I’ve purged this world of abominations.” He smiled down at her. “As for your abomination, it doesn’t matter, by the time he finds us it’ll be too late for you.”
She didn’t like his tone. Something was seriously wrong. The last time she had seen John, he had tried to set her on fire. She doubted the pyro had lost his need to set things on fire or kill those who opposed him, but like hell would she make it easy for him.
“Screw you, you bastard.”
“We will purify you.”
Despite her best efforts, she couldn’t will her body to stop trembling. She hated showing John fear.
The van screeched to a halt. She tried to see out the front where they were, but she could only spot leaves on trees.
John grabbed the handle of the van and slid the door open. She blinked a few times at the bright sun overhead.
Two of the goons reached in to grab her before she even thought to run. Lena struggled in their holds.
“Let go of me,” she yelled.
“Take her to the pure to be readied for the cleansing,” John said. “Let God’s will be done on Earth.”
“You’re no tool of God, you monster. You’re a sick bastard who hurts innocent people in the name of God. You’re going to rot in Hell.”
Reverend John only smiled and turned away.
His goons shoved her along toward a small shed in the distance. Her heart hammered in her chest as they closed the distance. She tried to pull away from their hands, but their rough fingers bit into her skin. Lena cried out in pain as one twisted her arm.
“I’m sure that filthy animal did worse,” one man whispered in her ear. His mustache brushed against her ear, and she jerked away.
Her stomach rolled as he pressed his hardness against her. She shuddered.
“You probably like it this way,” he said as he laughed and ground against her.
The other man reached out to smack the first man in the back of the head.
“We’re not to do nothing but take her to the women,” the other man said sternly. “Remember your duty.”
The first man only gripped her arm tighter. “This bitch ain’t worth all this trouble.”
The second man knocked on the shed door. “That ain’t for you to say. The Reverend makes the calls around here. You ain’t the Reverend.”
A woman opened the door. Not more than a teen, she looked like any other young college girl. Her freckled face and pulled back blond hair only made her look younger. Lena stared at girl for a moment before she spoke.
“Please,” she pleaded with the woman, hoping she could convince her that whatever they had planned just wasn’t right. “Please help me.”
The girl stared at Lena with surprise, as if she hadn’t expected Lena to beg for her life. She’d do whatever she needed to in order to live.
“I’ll help you,” the woman said and waved Lena inside.
The men roughly tossed her to the floor. When she looked up, several other women stared down at her.
The young blond woman knelt down to where she lay.
“We’ll all help you ready yourself to meet the Lord.”
Chapter Sixteen
Varius drove around the area, sure he would pick up the scent. It hadn’t been an hour yet, but he knew the more time that passed, the harder it would be to find Lena.
He clung to a twisted hope. If John had just wanted to kill her, he would have done it at her parents’ house. That meant the man had some sort of plan. An insane plan, no doubt, but a plan that would at least give Varius some time to find Lena.
He made a turn onto a nearby dirt road and slowed down. A bit off the road, he could just make out the van he had seen this morning and the distant image of Jill Hope on its side.
Varius gritted
his teeth. If that bitch reporter had anything to do with this, he’d rip her apart with his bare hands. On TV if that’s what it took. He’d show her just what a danger a hybrid could be.
He pulled the car off the road slightly and stepped out. He took a deep breath. The stench of that bastard John and his men filled his nostrils. It was faint but still there. They had been there.
Not taking any chances, Varius pulled the rifle from where it was slung over his shoulder. He wanted to trust his instincts, but with all the recent revelations from the Horatius Group, he knew they could be easily tricked. Better to be safe than story.
Someone groaned from the front of the van, and Varius frowned. The smell of blood filled the air.
He made his way to the driver’s side and was surprised to see a younger man still in the driver’s seat.
The man looked up and groaned. He nodded to the gun Varius carried.
“They took them,” the man said quickly. “You gotta find them, man.”
Varius slung the gun back over his shoulder and opened the door. Whoever shot the man in the arm had left him to die as he bled out.
He stepped in and carefully helped the man out of the van.
“You know who did this?” Varius asked.
The man shook his head. “Didn’t catch a good look at them, but they took Jill and Ray.”
Varius frowned. “They took the reporter?”
The man nodded. “Yeah. Kept talking about how she was part of God’s plan. They are some crazy bastards, man. Cultists or some crap. This is so messed up.”
Varius whipped out his phone and dialed Titus. As soon as his leader answered, Varius spoke.
“Check the reporter,” he said. “She was taken as well.”
“Roger,” Titus said, and the line went dead.
Varius pushed open the door to the van a bit more and helped the man sit down. He had already lost a lot of blood. He’d need to get the bleeding under control before he looked for anything.
Varius: #9 (Luna Lodge) Page 8
