“Because I was afraid you’d try to run away and become lost. You’re far up in the wilds now, and it’s bitter cold. If you wandered off, we’d never find you. You would freeze to death or be eaten by bears. It’s for your protection.”
“If I promise not to run, will you take the ties off?”
“Of course I will. I want you to feel at home here.”
“May I go to the bathroom?”
“Absolutely.” He stood and drew out a knife, cutting the ties at her hands and then her feet. Honor sat up slowly, not wanting to startle him and make him think she would try to make a run for it.
“Let me help you up.” A giant hand, almost twice the size of hers, was presented to her.
Maintaining an “I’m too stupid to know you’re a perverted freak” expression on her face, she placed her hand in his and allowed him to pull her up.
Honor rarely felt at a disadvantage. She was above average height, strong, and well trained in self-defense. She had taken down large men before. However, not only was Alden Pike tall and thick, but she could feel the strength in him. It was going to take stealth to bring down this gorilla. That or a gun.
As he led her out of the room, Honor tried as inconspicuously as possible to look around. Ten doors in the hallway, five on each side. They looked identical to what she had just left. Was each one filled with a young, terrified woman?
He opened a door that led to another, similar room. Instead of a bed, it held a toilet and a sink. Thankful that relief was in sight, she walked inside and the door was shut behind her.
“I’m right here, waiting on you.”
Not caring where he went as long as she was left alone, Honor hurriedly took care of personal matters, feeling enormous relief. Standing at the sink, she washed her hands thoroughly and then cupped her hands to hold water and drank her fill. She rinsed her face to erase the remaining grogginess and dried her hands on the paper towels beside the sink. Finally she felt almost human.
Holding the watch to her mouth so she wouldn’t have to talk as loud, she said, “I’ve seen ten doors, similar to what I just left. The girls could be there, but I still didn’t hear anyone. Will let you know as soon as I learn something.”
She took a step to the door and was startled when Pike pushed it open.
“You were taking too long, my sweet. We have rules everyone must abide by, so this will be a good opportunity to let you know. Only five minutes are allowed for a bathroom break.”
As if a time limit on a bathroom visit was a totally acceptable concept, Honor nodded her understanding and followed him out the door.
He held out his hand again and gave her another oddly kind but creepy smile. “Come, let me show you your new home.”
Seth’s breath created puffy clouds as he leaned against a tree for a quick rest. He’d parked the Wrangler and half-run, half-climbed the last mile. The terrain had gotten steeper with each step. Wouldn’t have taken near as long to get here, but he’d had to hoist on his gear and then spend time hiding the SUV in the woods, covering it with shrubbery. Having someone notice it would cause suspicion they couldn’t afford.
An hour ago, he’d watched a large, middle-aged man load an unconscious Honor into a Hummer. The girl, Tabitha, had calmly gotten into the passenger seat, acting as if it was an everyday occurrence to have kidnapped a woman. Hell of it was, for them, it was a common occurrence.
The only bright spot, and he was digging deep to find it, was that after the Hummer had taken off, Seth had driven slowly by and had seen something glistening on the ground. Honor’s earpiece. He’d stopped and grabbed the thing. Though it’d been a small worry—they’d discussed explaining it away by saying she had a hearing impediment—at least now she didn’t have to think about it.
The road the Hummer had taken had been a carved-out path in the midst of wilderness, but easy to follow. Now Seth was about three hundred yards from a giant iron-and-brick gate. Though he hadn’t seen the vehicle go inside, the path it had taken dead-ended at the gate.
Before the RV had turned off Cody Highway, he’d made another call to McCall to give an update on the location. An LCR team would arrive in a few hours. While he waited, he planned to scout out the area. If nothing else, that would keep him from going crazy, thinking about what Honor was going through.
After they’d started off in the Hummer, there had been very little back-and-forth conversation between the father and daughter. Whenever the bastard did say something, it had been terse and his daughter’s response had always been a “Yes, Father.”
She might be acting like the submissive now, but Tabitha was no victim. Maybe she had been originally, but no more. The conversation she’d had with Honor and her cruelty had revealed that she was totally on board with what her father was doing. Hell, what she was doing.
Several hours passed before he heard from Honor again. Waiting in silence was almost as bad as hearing Honor’s pain. Then, finally, he’d heard the sweetest sound of all—Honor’s voice reassuring him that she was okay.
Then the man had arrived. He’d introduced himself as Alden Pike, and from the sounds of it, he was more than enamored of Honor. Being on the sick bastard’s good side might not necessarily be a good thing.
Either way, Seth could do nothing until Honor confirmed their suspicions. Going in without knowing exactly where the girls were would be pointless. It could also get Honor or one of the girls hurt. He’d wait and watch. He trusted Honor.
Staying busy while Honor was in the midst of danger was the only way to keep his sanity. He dropped his backpack onto the ground and went to work rechecking weapons and organizing explosives. The methodical routine soothed him. Once he finished, he’d do a search of the area. By the time Noah and his team arrived, he would have all the knowledge he’d need to infiltrate the compound.
With the sounds of Honor’s innocent questions and Alden Pike’s creepy answers in his ear, Seth continued his task. And then, as the tour of what Pike called her “new home” began, Seth listened with growing alarm.
As Alden led the woman out of the training building and into the bright new world to which she would soon belong, he took a long breath of cold air and felt revitalized and as youthful as a teenager. Long past the days of romanticisms, he couldn’t help but feel that a certain kind of magic had brought them together. He couldn’t think of a woman better suited for him than this girl.
She was taller than average, so he didn’t tower over her as much as he did with some of the other women. Her strawberry-blond hair was thick and shiny, and hung past her shoulders like smooth silk. She wore no makeup and wasn’t flashy the way so many girls her age tried to be. When he’d carried her inside last night, he’d gotten a glimpse of her creamy skin under her shirt. Not only was her face covered in delightful freckles, but apparently her entire body had them as well. He couldn’t wait to discover each and every one.
Her demeanor was perfect, too—timid and shy, with just the right amount of respectful curiosity.
“There’s snow everywhere. Did it snow while I was sleeping?”
Disappointed that her first reaction to the beauty before her was related to the weather, he said, “Yes, we had several inches of snow come through overnight.”
Maybe the girl was a little slower than he’d first thought. Why wasn’t she exclaiming over her new home? “What do you think about Tranquillity?”
She gave a small jerk, and then the brilliance of her smile made him forget his earlier irritation. “It’s beautiful … almost like a fairy tale. And it’s so large, too.” Green eyes blinked up at him with a sweet innocence. “How many people live here?”
With pride, Alden looked around. They stood on the main road, in view of most of the public buildings. The houses he’d allowed the older married members to have were on another, smaller street.
“We have over one hundred residents now.”
“Where did they come from?”
He frowned down at her. “What do you mea
n?”
Her slender shoulders lifted in a shrug. “I just wondered if they were all related to you in some way.”
“Not by blood. Only by loyalty and a shared belief system.”
“What belief is that?”
Taking her hand, he led her down the main street. “You’ll soon learn about our beliefs. You’ll be able to quote each one from memory. But for now, let me show you around.”
Dammit, she had almost blown everything with her initial reaction, but the snow had stunned her. Had Seth had difficulty following them? Was he okay? And what about the rest of the LCR team? Had the weather slowed them down? Were they outside, just waiting for her word to come in, or were they hundreds of miles away?
She shook herself from her momentary panic. All of that had to be put aside. Playing the wide-eyed, clueless innocent would take all of her concentration. She had to trust Seth and her team. They would get here … she had to believe that.
Fortunately, Honor didn’t have to feign interest in her surroundings. She was fascinated to learn that this community had been here for so long, hidden away from the authorities and able to get away with everything.
“How long has Tranquillity existed?”
She knew she was going to have to intersperse her probing questions with wide-eyed, awed remarks that would feed Pike’s massive ego.
“Almost fifteen years.”
She gasped, again not having to fake her response. Had he been kidnapping women since then? And was it only women he had abducted? “All of you have been here for fifteen years?”
His hearty laugh, filled with condescension, grated on her nerves. “No, no. We’ve grown over the years. I started our community in another state, with just a few people.” He stood in front of a large, one-story brick-and-aluminum building that resembled a warehouse. “This is our community sleeping area. Our unattached men and newly married couples live here.”
“If I stay here, is this where I’ll live?”
With a grin that told her there was no “if” to her staying here, he shook his head. “You’ll be given a very special place to live.”
She didn’t have to ask any more about that. The lascivious looks he’d been shooting her told their own story. Did he use the other girls the same way? Keep each as his until he replaced her with another?
No, that didn’t track with what Tabitha had revealed last night. She’d said her father had taken a particular interest in her. Gee, didn’t she feel lucky?
“Where do the unattached females live?”
Another smug smile lifted his thin lips. “That’s the beauty of Tranquillity. There are no unattached females. That’s why our women are so happy and satisfied.”
A chill zipped up her spine. It was as she and Seth had discussed yesterday. He abducted women and brought them here as brides for the male members of the community.
“So Tabitha is married, too?”
The smile disappeared. “Tabitha is attached.” He pointed to another building, this one almost quaint-looking, like a small church. “This is our schoolhouse. Training begins very early for our little ones.”
Holy hell. Honor swallowed the bile that shot up her throat. Of course they’d want to impregnate the women. Not only would this bastard want to increase his numbers, but getting their captives pregnant would provide extra incentive for the women to stay here. Few women would try to escape if it meant leaving their children behind.
Working harder this time, Honor exclaimed her delight. “Oh, I love children. How many are here?”
He beamed down at her, and bile surged up her throat again. That look was one of pure delight, and the gleam in his eyes told her that he clearly intended that she have his children. Over your dead body, asshole. And she meant that quite literally.
“Right now, we have nine children under the age of ten and five teenagers. However, that will soon change.”
“Really?”
“Seven of our women are pregnant.”
Great. Children and pregnant women. Storming the compound had been her initial thought. Now that wasn’t going to be possible. A dozen or more LCR operatives coming in with guns a-blazing would endanger the innocents. Their first priority was rescue, which meant stealth would have to be used.
Even though she knew Seth was hearing all of this, she nevertheless had to reinforce that message. “Protecting the children and the pregnant women is of utmost importance,” she noted.
Pike gave her an odd look. “What makes you say that?”
“Because they are the future of Tranquillity. Are they not?”
Surprising the hell out of her, he picked her up and whirled her around. “I knew the moment I saw you that you were the one.”
Wishing with all her might to be able to kick him deep in the balls for even daring to touch her, she gave him another shy smile. “Really?”
With her feet back on firm ground, Pike continued that sickly adoring look. “You’ll be held in esteem over all the other women.”
Honor favored him with what she hoped was an appropriately grateful look and glanced around again. Spotting what seemed to be a large structure up above the community, she pointed to it. “What’s that?”
“That’s where I live. Where you’ll live, too.”
“Really?” she breathed. “It looks so grand.”
“We’ll have dinner there tonight and I’ll show you around. After your training is complete, you’ll come live there with me.”
“Training?”
“Yes, all new members must be trained in the proper laws and procedures.”
“How long will that take?”
“It depends.” Eyes that had been gleaming with approval and desire suddenly turned cold. “Those who resist learning don’t fare well here in Tranquillity. You must remember this.”
She nodded hesitantly and said, “Thank you, Brother Alden.”
As if he’d never issued that chilling warning, he took her hand and said, “Come. There’s more to see on the next street.”
Knowing she looked like the most curious of sightseers, Honor twisted her head left and right, taking in all the different buildings that made up the community of Tranquillity. All the questions she asked were eagerly answered by Pike, who seemed so incredibly thrilled with her questions, she began to see the sick mind that existed underneath that evil. She didn’t bother to ask herself which had come first. Either way, the man’s atrocious community had to be destroyed.
She stopped in the middle of the intersection. On one side stood a row of small, charming houses. On the other side, isolated from the rest of the community, was another large building that also resembled a warehouse. “Oh, what’s that building over there?”
“A place where our unattached males can enjoy companionship until their mates arrive.”
So apparently Tranquillity had its very own red-light district. Had these women been abducted, too? Of course they had. How many women would willingly lock themselves away inside a community that apparently believed women were here to serve men in whatever capacity the men wanted?
Covering her disgust with a veil of stupidity, she pointed to the houses on the other side of the intersection. “Who lives in those houses?”
“Our older, married members move into the homes just before their women are ready to bear children.” He smiled down at her. “Our women are supremely happy.
Talk to any of them and they’ll all tell you the same thing. That’s why we call it Tranquillity. It’s the way the world was meant to be.”
Though she knew that Pike was telling her these things to convince her of the community’s goodness, she saw behind his words. The man might be able to sell others this bill of goods, but he had his own private agenda. His bullshit about “the way the world was meant to be” was nothing more than a ruse. The bastard had set himself up a little kingdom with his own community of slaves, along with a harem and a nice little breeding farm, too.
She gestured at a man standing on a high platfor
m on one wall, holding a high-powered rifle. “What’s he doing?”
“He’s there for our protection. Tranquillity is a special place and must be guarded and protected at all costs.”
As if in awe of the beauty that surrounded her, Honor turned in a circle and glanced around the perimeter. Though they were a distance away, she could just make out the other armed guards, one at each corner. When rescue did arrive, these men would have to be neutralized, and it would have to be done quietly. Just because the few people she’d seen on the streets had looked harmless, that didn’t mean there weren’t more men on the lookout. That also increased her concern for the women and children. Would Pike’s men turn their guns on them? Yet another reason stealth would have to be used. This crazy freak believed he owned this community and its inhabitants. What would keep him from killing them if he felt threatened?
Pike grabbed her arm and pulled her close. “Come. We’ll have a bite to eat at our dining hall. You’ll get to see several of our members there. And tonight, you’ll be treated to an extraordinary gift.”
Her heart thudded with dread. “A gift?”
“Yes, dining alone with me is an honor few are granted.”
The dread increased. Dinner alone with him she could handle. Anything else and the man was in for a seriously painful surprise.
twenty-seven
Honor opened her eyes and allowed her fogged brain to catch up. She hadn’t thought she’d be able to sleep, but she had managed a few dreamless hours. Yesterday’s ordeals had apparently exhausted her reserves.
Sitting up on the small cot, she put a pillow behind her head and gazed around at the blank walls of her cell. Since she was quite sure there was a camera hidden somewhere, she’d taken care not to seem too curious about how to escape. Pretending to be content to be locked up was ludicrous, but it was what Pike seemed to expect, so she would continue until she was ready to make her move.
The room was a small square space, made completely of cinder blocks. An explosive could crumble it in seconds. The stainless-steel door, however, would be difficult to penetrate. The thing looked more like a refrigerator door than anything else. There was no escaping this place until she was let out of it. Though she hated waiting for that, after last night’s conversation with the man, she figured something would be happening soon.
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