In one smooth movement, he sprayed it in the man's eyes and twisted to continue the spray into Ralph's face. Andy, with a yell, rushed from the bedroom and straight into the kitchen. He yanked open drawers, while Rayden turned to deal with the two men.
Ralph and the man coughed and rubbed their eyes. When Ralph bent forward, wheezing, Rayden made a fist with both hands and swung down onto his back. Ralph collapsed to the floor.
Andy continued searching the drawers until he let out a yelp of triumph and emerged with a large knife. Rayden left him to deal with Ralph. Andy pressed the knife to Ralph's throat, a difficult task as Ralph rolled about. Andy pinned his arms with his knees. Rayden forced the other man, who now turned compliant, to the floor.
He searched them quickly, pulling out the guns and the Taser-like device, and tossing them and their cells aside. Both men thrashed about, regardless of the knife, and continued rubbing their eyes, still gagging and coughing, Ralph wheezing.
Betty emerged from the bedroom, holding onto the wall. "How can I help?"
Rayden glanced up at her. "Find something to tie them up with."
Andy helped her cut the cords from the blinds. Rayden pulled Ralph from the floor and guided him to one of the chairs, tying him to it. Andy forced the other man to his feet and helped Rayden tie him. Rayden took charge.
"Where's David?" he asked Ralph. When Ralph didn't respond, he touched his chest with the device but didn't activate it. He wasn't sure if Ralph could see through the stinging of his eyes, but perhaps he recognized the touch.
Ralph immediately became a blubbering mass. "No...please."
"Where's David?" Rayden asked again.
"We don't know..." Ralph was seized with a spell of coughing. "David just said he had a hunch—he might know where Gisa was. He said he'd be back in an hour or so." Tears streamed down Ralph's face.
An hour or so? That would mean he thought Gisa was somewhere else, somewhere besides Cumberland Falls. Somewhere fairly close by. Where? Why did he think he suddenly knew?
Rayden held the cell phone out. "Call him and find out where he's at."
"I can't. His number changes at random. We have to wait for him to contact us."
Time was slipping away. "Did he go alone?"
Ralph nodded, but his eyes slid away at the last minute. Rayden grabbed his shirt. "What?"
Ralph licked his lips. "He said he'd call for backup if he needed help."
"How many?"
Ralph shrugged. "Depends. Maybe ten or twenty."
Rayden nodded. He put one of the guns in the back of his jeans and handed the other to Andy. They started toward the door, Rayden urging the Andersons along.
* * *
Gisa
Eva Braun, Hitler’s mistress, was her great grandmother. Had her mother and father known? She looked through the files again. They had to have known. Her mother was approved to be her father’s wife. That was what this had to mean. Die Auserwählten had arranged their marriage. Had bred her parents and grandparents as if they were purebred dogs. Her great grandfather had been approved to “mate” with Eva Braun.
Who had decided this? Whose idea had this been? Hitler’s? Hitler had the idea to breed his mistress? And their offspring were bred until now. She looked at her belly in disgust.
Why had Hitler not simply fathered a child? Was he physically unable? Why would he have wanted his mistress—his wife? Didn't they marry right before they committed suicide?—to have someone else's child? And could Eva Braun have had a baby without anyone knowing? Her grandfather would have been born before...when had Evan Braun and Hitler committed suicide? 1944 or was it 1945? One of those she was sure. She looked at the date of her grandfather’s birth—January 5, 1947.
After Eva Braun had died in a suicide pact with Hitler. Supposedly died.
Eva Braun was her great grandmother. Whoever had been found burned in that bunker was not Eva Braun. Unless someone had made all of this up? She shook her head. She didn't want to believe she could be part of all of this, related to Hitler's mistress, a part of a breeding program, but she knew it, knew it with a fierce certainty.
Eva Braun had survived the war, somehow, and been mated with someone chosen for her—someone who had met certain qualifications, her great grandfather. And then their son had had a wife chosen for him and so on, until here she was. A product of genetic manipulation. And for what? To be impregnated with Hitler's clone? Why her? Was it because she was the first female child born of such unions? Or, had technology finally advanced enough for the cloning to be successful? Perhaps there were others who were also being used to carry clones. Perhaps they, too, came from the same "stock." Tom had said she was the third one that David had...had...seduced and conned into undergoing in vitro fertilization. Were the other women also descendants of Eva Braun? How many might there be? How many clones of Hitler were now being carried by such women? Perhaps...certainly some of the clones were already born?
The whole idea was repugnant, no matter how many others there might be. She shuddered.
Gisa felt unclean. Had any of her ancestors loved each other? Had her mother and father cared for each other? Could you love someone who had been chosen for you? And she had fallen for David! Fallen into the trap! How shallow was she? She felt disgusted with herself. She grabbed handfuls of hair, yanking it back, away from her face, beside herself with grief. She fell forward to weep.
She lost track of time but finally her sobs no longer racked her body. Tears still rolled down her cheeks, but she had calmed. Please, God, I need your help. Why is this happening to me? Help me to understand. The words Rayden had said—to believe, even in the darkness, what you've seen in the light. Ok, God, I choose to believe even in my darkness.
And, perhaps not peace, but a period of respite, allowed her to climb to her feet. She only had one place to go, Cumberland Falls. Perhaps with Rayden's help, she could look herself in the mirror again without disgust. If only he would be there.
GISA GATHERED UP her bags, surprised to see a couple of scuba divers break the surface and emerge from the water. She had not noticed the yellow flag with the autumnal colors reflected in the water. They removed their gear and dried off. Except for the divers, no one else was around.
Gisa hoisted her bags to her shoulders. She felt exposed—the hair on her neck stood on end. She headed for the building but didn't go in. Instead, she hurried behind it and stood with her back to the wall. Something wasn’t right. What had spooked her? Her eyes searched the area behind the building, but she didn’t see anything amiss. She cautiously walked to the corner and peered around.
A blue van was parked out front that hadn’t been there before.
No one was in it now. It looked like a work van, very similar to the one used in her kidnapping. She was so intent on studying the van, it took a moment to hear the footsteps behind her. She swirled around to confront their owner. Her heart caught in her throat when she heard the voice.
“Adalgisa...”
David. She blinked, still finding it hard to believe he was alive. He smiled, his normal good-natured smile. Her heartbeat throbbed in her ears. Although he was still a good twenty feet away, she took a step back as he held out a hand to her.
"I'm so glad I found you." His clear eyes sparkled in the dying rays of the sun.
She couldn't speak, could only stare. He took a step toward her.
"I know this may be a shock for you after being told I was dead. There was a terrible mix up—I've been in the hospital, recovering. Somehow my dog tags were found near another body."
She shook her head at him. "You're part of Die Auserwählten."
"What?" His arm swatted at the air as if shooing a fly. "I don't know who you're talking about. Die what?" His clear blue eyes became cloudy with confusion.
"Well, why are you here? How would you know I was here?" She backed away another step, knowing she would never be able to outrun him, even if she had not been nine months pregnant.
"Adalgisa
, sweetheart, aren't you glad to see me?"
She wavered, unable to deny the longing welling up within her. She wanted to run into his arms, to be surrounded by his essence, to no longer believe any of this could be true. Her gaze fell, and then she glanced at him through her lashes. "Yes, I'm happy to see you. But tell me how you found me."
"I've been looking for you for months. I've been going to all the places we have visited. What a coincidence we both showed up here at the same time."
He stepped closer. His voice was cajoling. "I've missed you so much. I've been desperate, trying to find you. What happened? Why did you leave home?" His eyes were tender and looked at her with so much love.
She raised her chin, tears stinging her eyes. Could he be telling the truth? Why would she believe evil men instead of her own husband? How could she have believed all those lies? None of what she had been told made sense. And the files were simply a fabrication, a ploy they used against her. David could help her figure things out, keep her safe. "David..." Her voice broke.
He closed the gap between them in three long steps, gathering her in his arms. "Sweetie, it's been so long."
She burrowed her head in his shoulder, allowed his arms to comfort her, to hold her tight. She snuggled closer, breathing in his smell. The stench of cigarette smoke filled her nostrils. David had never smoked. She tensed and pushed back away from him, her eyes searching his. An image flashed in her mind of the driver of the van lighting up a cigarette. A blond driver. In a van similar to the one parked out front.
She pushed against him and backed away. "Don't lie to me. You're part of Die Auserwählten. You were in the van that night."
His mouth curved into a smile. "You've given us quite a chase." He grabbed her arm and pulled her back toward him.
"How could you do this to me?" She raked her fingernails across his hand, but he didn't flinch.
"Sometimes we have to sacrifice for the greater good. Come with me, and I'll explain everything." The mask again was in place, his voice soothing.
This was not her David, not the man she had once loved, who had only been a figment of her imagination. This was someone she no longer knew. With her free arm, she swung the bow and arrow case at his head. This wasn't how she planned to use it as a weapon, but it would do for now. It struck the side of his face but didn't make him release her—it only made him angry. She slammed into his groin with her knee, and he released her arm. He raised his hand to strike her, but again she swung the case, using both hands, to plant a backhanded blow, and this time he staggered back.
Gisa turned and sprinted down the track towards the RV park where each campsite was screened from the others by bushes and trees. She passed a couple of RVs where people grilled supper. They looked at her curiously as she ran past.
A voice had whispered for her to come to this place, and she thought it might be God. That would be the last time she would listen to him. It had almost gotten her killed.
No, David wouldn't have killed her. They still wanted the baby. But wouldn't they kill her after the baby was born?
Right now she had more important things to figure out—like how to get away from David. Where could she go? How could she outrun him?
Maybe someone would let her into their camper. It wouldn't hurt to try. Turning in at a campsite, she banged on the RV's door. It opened, and Gisa gasped.
It was Mrs. Pierce.
* * *
Rayden
Rayden had found a cab for the Andersons and had seen them off safely to their church. Rayden hesitated. Wherever David had gone had to be nearby. He racked his brain. Something had seemed familiar when he was walking—what was it? He couldn't stand here forever.
He started north, trying to remember what seemed to be right on the edge of his memory. Grace, Tennessee. No, he didn't remember anyone ever mentioning Grace.
Think, Rayden, think. What had Gisa told him about David that might help? What did he know about him? He knew he was athletic. Rayden rubbed his face. Yeah, he had been on the receiving end of his fist enough to know his strength.
She had said he was into some kind of sports, hadn't she? She had said he was a master diver, hadn't she?
And near here was Grenadah Springs. He had walked by the sign, just north of here. He stopped mid-stride. Hadn't Gisa said something about caves? That she had gone scuba diving at Grenadah Springs...with David. David might be there, thinking Gisa had returned to a familiar place. Could she have gone there? Why would she have? Maybe she didn't even know David was part of Die Auserwählten? If she didn't know, maybe she was just visiting, remembering David, the husband she knew. And if he found her first...Rayden didn't want to think what might happen.
He began to run.
RAYDEN KEPT TO the alleys and backstreets as he made his way through the city. How was he going to stop David? And David had other men helping him, besides the two at the apartment. Between ten and twenty, Ralph had said. How could he deal with that many, if they showed up?
He turned down an alley and came upon a group of boys spray painting graffiti. When they saw him, they dropped the paint and ran. Rayden slowed to a walk, stopped at the can, and picked it up. Excitement coursed through him. Maybe it was the answer.
He chanced a quick dash to the street that led out of town and stopped in front of a hardware store. He painted a circle with the slashed line, "v," and "m" on a sandwich board in front of the store. Only a couple of cars drove by, and the people in them did not even glance his way. He added an arrow beneath it, pointing north, before moving away from the city toward the springs.
As he traveled north, sometimes running, sometimes having to slow to a walk to catch his breath, he stopped every half mile or so to draw the symbol again, sometimes on a tree, sometimes on a fence post. When he came to the rustic sign with "Grenadah Springs" painted in red, he shook the can, and it rattled as if empty. The paint came out in spurts and sputters. He had only managed to paint a third of the circle when it trickled to a stop. Maybe it was enough.
He sought the trees, moving out of the light, into the shadows. Slowly he inched forward a few feet and stopped. Three black SUVs blocked the road leading to the springs.
Rayden slunk back into the bushes. A wooden fence surrounded the entire perimeter, and he traveled along it for a ways, looking for a way over.
He found a low hanging tree and shimmied up. One branch continued over the fence, and he made his way along it until he was able to drop on the other side. He slowly circled the area, keeping hidden among the trees. There was no sign of Gisa, but he spotted a blond-haired man, too far away for him to see his face clearly, talking to a few men. He swept his arm in an arc, clearly giving orders. Rayden was sure it was David. If David was giving orders, it must mean he had found Gisa, or at least evidence that she was near. And, somehow, if he had found her, she had gotten free again. But David was closing in on her. Time was running out.
* * *
Gisa
Gisa sat at the small table, watching through a slit in the blinds.
"Dear child, what's going on?" Mrs. Pierce, her snow-white hair fluffed around her face, stood at the end of the table, wringing her hands.
Gisa ignored the question but glanced in her direction. "Where's Mr. Pierce?"
Mrs. Pierce waved a hand. "He's walking one of the trails. He should be back soon."
Gisa turned back to the window and gasped at what she saw—David walking by followed by three other men. If they didn't find her, they would soon begin searching the campsites. She couldn't put the Pierces in danger.
"I've got to go, Mrs. Pierce."
"Where's James?"
"James?"
Mrs. Pierce raised an eyebrow. "Your husband?"
"Oh...I don't know...we've been separated for a while." Tears filled her eyes. "I wish I could tell you...but there's no time."
She stood and embraced Mrs. Pierce, holding on to her for a second as if she were a lifeline. A sob escaped before she regained control
of herself.
"I'm sorry...just emotional, being pregnant and...everything." She managed a smile.
Mrs. Pierce held onto her arms. "Dear, you can stay with us as long as you need to. You know that, don't you?" Her dark brown eyes were also swimming with tears.
"Thank you, and I wish I could." Gisa peeked out the window again, saw no one, and opened the door. Dusk had fallen. Good. It might help keep her hidden from the eyes of the men.
Mrs. Pierce stood in the doorway looking down at her, uncertainty in her eyes. "Take care."
Gisa nodded. "I will."
She glanced up and down the road and saw no one in the dimming light. As she made her way back to the springs to find a way out, she kept to the edges of the trees. As far as she knew, more men might already be swarming into the area.
* * *
Rayden
Rayden was startled to see Gisa emerge from one of the RVs. She paused only briefly to look up and down the road before she ran to the trees.
He followed, also keeping to the trees, in a crouch, stopping frequently to look over his shoulder, to glance around to be sure he was not spotted. He longed to call out to her, to rush from his hiding place and to take her in his arms. But he knew how foolish that would be. Even now, another SUV came into the camping area.
He was so intent on Gisa that the cold nose nuzzling his hand scared the living daylights out of him. He jerked his hand away before he looked down to see Prometheus. Dirt still clung to the dog's blood-caked fur. He must have dug under the fence, despite his wound. And Rayden was glad.
Rayden gently probed the area. The bullet was lodged in muscle—not in a vital area. There was nothing he could do for the dog now. The dog had made it this far, perhaps he'd be okay for a little longer.
"Good, boy," he whispered. "Come on."
Still crouching, he went in the direction Gisa had gone, towards the springs. As they neared the place, a soft growl from Prometheus alerted him to another man's presence, a good two hundred feet away. It was not David, but one of his men. He moved farther back into the bushes, ducking behind the branches, and pulling Prometheus with him. They stayed still, the minutes ticking by, the man taking his time as he walked slowly down the trail.
Moonbow Page 17
