Fern closed the door and made her way across the dark room. Sitting cross-legged on the floor beside Lolly's bed, she glanced at the child sleeping peacefully. After a few minutes, she spoke quietly. "I'm glad you're Home. I missed you."
"I missed you too, Fern. It was so strange on the Outside."
"It was strange here too. Once they figured out Lily had left with you and Gaia, Coal got so angry. He began to throw things, shove people around, curse and break stuff. It reminded me of my father, from before we were grafted. I was so scared. I kept the children inside, away from him as much as I could. Then, a few days later, he suddenly left. Nobody knew where he went until he showed up with you two."
Breeze gasped. "Mother let him destroy things?"
Fern drew her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. "I don't think she could stop him. What happened to Lily? Mother said she died and people were trying to take Gaia away to live with strangers who didn't love her. Is that true?"
It surprised Breeze that Mother had lied to the Family about Gaia, but even more that Fern dared to question the lie. Slowly she shook her head. "Sarah died. She got sick when she left, and she died in a hospital." She reached over and smoothed the sheets over her charge's body. "Lolly has a family, Fern. She has a father that loves her more than his own life. She has two sets of grandparents who treat her like she's the most precious thing in the world. They don't expect anything from her, just to be a child and grow up happy. This place is the wrong one for her. Mother wants her to become the next Mother. They want to strip away her childhood and fill it with rules and obligations. They don't want her to experience the carefree life that she would have as Lolly. They want a miniature adult, ready to take on guiding the Family. It's not a life that I would wish on an adult, much less a little girl."
Fern rocked slowly. "Is that why you left with them?"
"No," Breeze shook her head. "When Sarah came to get Lolly, I still believed Mother knew what was best. I couldn't talk her out of going, so I went with her, hoping I could talk some sense into her and return here, where we all belonged."
"What changed your mind?"
"Finch. Lolly's daddy changed everything. Seeing her with him, how he treated her, how he utterly adored her was all it took. She needs him, and he needs her. Once I realized that, I started questioning everything the Family stood for, and it didn't take long for me to see that what they had was a real family -- something this one fails to achieve for both Lolly and myself. It used to be enough, but it's not any longer and I don't think it ever can be again."
"Then you didn't want to come back." Fern's words were a statement, not a question.
"No. I was happy there, with Finch and Lolly. I didn't understand a lot of things, but I was happy."
The door cracked open, and Ivy stuck her head inside. "Coal is downstairs. He is insisting on seeing you."
A cold chill raced up Breeze's spine. Looking back at Lolly sleeping peacefully, she knew she had to do what she could to keep her safe. "Okay," she whispered.
Fern put a hand on Breeze's arm. "I'll keep an eye on her."
"Thank you." Leaning down, Breeze placed a gentle kiss on Lolly's head then followed Ivy to the stairs.
Coal stood at the base of the steps, arms crossed over his chest and his feet planted shoulder-width apart. He was wearing Outsider clothes - a pair of jeans and a pullover shirt along with black boots. When Finch wore that sort of outfit, Breeze thought he looked comfortable, strong and appealing. However, Coal looked menacing and dangerous. The scowl on his face made her shiver.
Taking a deep breath, Breeze let it out then went down the stairs. Behind her, Flint followed until she stopped, then he and Ivy continued out the front door. Standing at the second step, Breeze clasped her hands together in front of her and gazed at him dispassionately. "You wanted to see me?"
His eyes narrowed. "Yes. I've spoken with Mother. I've convinced her that it is in the best interest of Gaia that you and I handfast as soon as tomorrow and raise her together. Tonight, I need to go Outside and see what is happening at Stone Home. Tomorrow, at sunset, we'll be joined together."
"Why?" She canted her head to the side and her brow wrinkled. "Why do you want this so badly? We barely know each other, and you've never shown any interest before."
He lifted his head and looked to the top of the stairs. "Her."
Nausea hit her. "That's why you pursued Lily. You didn't want her; you want Lolly." Revulsion snaked up her back, and she shuddered. "You won't lay a finger on her."
He snarled his lip and took a step forward. It took all of Breeze's strength to not cower in fright. Stopping at the first step, he lowered his voice and growled. "I'll have you for that. Little girls don't interest me. I have many demons in my past, but that is not one of them. She's going to be Mother one day, and who will she turn to except her 'father' to give advice? The Family requires a Mother figure to make decisions, but it doesn't determine where those decisions originate."
"And me?" she whispered through bloodless lips.
"The child is attached to you. It'll be easier to wean her away later. As long as you keep me happy, obey me, and stay out of my way, you'll live to see her take the reins."
His meaning was clear. She was only a means to an end. "Mother won't allow it."
He laughed cruelly. "Who do you think she's going to listen to, Breeze? A little nobody Wind too afraid of her own shadow to speak above a whisper or someone who has always taken an active role in protecting what she holds dear?"
"The Mother..."
"Is a fairy tale." He grabbed her arm. "It's only a story told to keep everyone in line. The Mother Gaia is a lie." He shook her harshly almost sending her to the steps behind her. "Be smart for once in your life, Breeze. Realize your opportunity and take it." He let her go, shoving her down. She landed on the step with an ummph, looking around to see if anyone saw them. The room was empty.
Breeze fought to keep the panic from showing on her face. Coal was more of the monster than she had originally thought. It was best to go along with his demands - for now. "I need to return to the children's rooms. If Lo... Gaia wakes, she'll be frightened."
Standing, she slowly climbed up the steps. She wanted to glance behind to see if he had the same smug grin on his face but dared not. Instead, she returned to Lolly's room and shut the door behind. As the panel closed, she saw Flint take his place on the landing opposite the door. Sliding to the floor, she pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She wanted to give in to the hopelessness that threatened to overwhelm her, but she couldn't. Lolly needed her to be strong. She had to keep her safe until they could escape.
"Mommy!"
Lolly's cries echoed in the mostly empty room. Knowing she would wake the other children, Breeze hurried to her side. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she gently smoothed back the blonde curls. "Shhh, it's okay."
"I want my Mommy," her pitiful cries tore at Breeze's heart.
Carefully, Breeze crawled into the bed with Lolly and curled her arms around the child. The little girl whimpered and curled into Breeze's arms. The soft sound of sucking could be heard, and she knew Lolly had her thumb in her mouth. Deciding it wouldn't hurt for her to have this little bit of comfort, Breeze let her be and just held Lolly as Breeze hummed softly. Presently, her eyes closed and she slept.
"I'm not too happy with the two of you taking off like this." Bruiser's voice coming through the speaker of Finch's cell phone was full of censure. "You should have waited."
"I couldn't just sit around, Bruise. It was making me nuts waiting."
A heavy sigh filled the cab of the car as Finch turned his lights on bright to navigate the lonely road. Above them, the gorgeous orange and pink splashed clouds darkened as the sun set behind them. "Yeah, I get that. But just like when Livy went missing, you guys told me we're in this together. You shouldn't go off on your own."
"It's probably nothing." Railroad's tone was light. "We'll check out the farm and head bac
k. We'll be there by morning."
"See that you do. Cowboy and Toad are coming in to help with the search. Dixon is taking us out of the rotation for a bit. It's not an official leave - if we're needed, and there's nobody else to step in, we'll have to go, but he's going to try and deflect everything he can."
"'preciate that," Finch told him. "What about the girls?"
"Livy has school starting back on Monday - she was only out this week. I'm sending her home, although she's not too happy about it."
"You can say that again," Hick muttered in the background.
Finch snorted. He can imagine how well that went. Olivia Titus was a tough as nails, ex-Army soldier who didn't take crap from anyone - not even her husband.
"Georgia is going with the Nolans to escort Sarah back to Spokane tomorrow. She wants to help out and figures she could do more there than she can here," Hick spoke up. "Woman has mad organizational skills. I think they appreciate it. Helen Nolan is taking her daughter's death pretty hard."
Finch felt his stomach twist. He should be there, helping them with the arrangements.
"Stop it." Railroad growled from the seat next to him. "They understand why you can't be there. They want you to find their granddaughter. There's nothing you can do for Sarah now."
Finch nodded, though he didn't feel any of the guilt leave. Instead, he just asked, "Any other leads?"
"Yeah, a couple. A man fitting the description of Mark Andrews was seen in a hardware store in Lubbock. One of the local LEOs is checking it out. Beth has identified three possible locations that fit the parameters. TJ is on his way to one, Dax is looking at a second, and Hick and I were about to go see the third."
They heard a couple pieces of paper being shuffled. "Six more sets of fingerprints have been identified. Nothing to report except for one. Dorian Smith. Guy has a rap sheet a mile long. Everything from petty larceny to drug possession to assault. He's currently wanted in California for felony domestic violence. It seems he beat the crap out of his live-in girlfriend when she tried to leave him. Landed her in the hospital for a week with six broken bones and a severe concussion. They tried to find him, but he dropped off the face of the Earth. I think that's the tall man in the video. Cruz is still working on getting the picture enhanced, but from the mug shot we have, it favors him. It would make sense to hide out in a cult that shuns technology."
"Let me know what you find," Finch said aloud. "We'll be at the farm in less than an hour."
"Be careful. If Smith's there, there's no telling what he'll do if he feels cornered."
"We're just going to take a peek. Talk to you later."
Forty-five minutes later, they were on a narrow road with huge trees and overgrown brush on both sides. "We should be there any minute," Railroad checked the GPS on his phone.
"Nope. We're here." Finch murmured as the car pulled to a stop.
Railroad looked up and saw a two-story building in a small clearing. Surrounding it were a dozen or so trailers, minivans and even a couple of RVs. Off to one side, a small cattle truck sat next to what looked like a chicken coop on wheels. Everywhere they looked, people were standing, watching them. Somewhere nearby, an engine started, and a few lights flickered into life. "I guess your hunch was right."
Finch nodded as he felt his stomach clench and his hand tremble. As they sat there, a group of people carrying lanterns began walking toward them. Finch looked at Railroad who was busy pressing buttons on his cell. After a moment, he shook his head. "No service," he muttered. "We're on our own."
Damn.
Chapter 16
"Wake up."
Rough hands shook Breeze, forcing her awake. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and blinked blearily. "What it is?"
Flint was pulling the thin sheet covering Lolly away. Reaching down, he started to pick up the child but stopped when she began to cry and kick.
Protectively, Breeze gathered her into her arms and soothed her. Looking up at Flint's angered expression she narrowed her eyes. "What's going on?"
"You take Gaia. Keep her quiet and follow me."
This was new. Breeze didn't understand what was happening, but she followed Flint while keeping Lolly firmly in her arms. She hummed softly as they hurried down the stairs. Instead of going to the front door, Flint turned and led them down a narrow hall, through a kitchen, and out the second door. Once outside, Breeze could hear the sounds of speaking from the front yard, but she couldn't make out the words. Instead of stopping, Flint grabbed her arm and practically dragged her through the coarse weeds and to a set of doors fixed into the ground. Stopping at the entrance, he pulled them open and kept a hand on her back, making her descend the steps at nearly falling speed. Before she’d fully regained her footing, he’d jumped in after them and silently closed the doors, throwing them all into pitch darkness.
"Bees? I'm scared."
Lolly's voice was trembling as much as her body in Breeze's arms. Holding her tighter, she whispered, "It's ok. I'm not going to let anything happen."
A light flared into life as Flint lowered the glass of the lantern placed before him. Waving the match out, he lifted the light and glanced around. "It'll have to do," he muttered before hanging it on a peg in the wall.
"Where are we?" Breeze looked around the room. The steps from the door overhead were old and cracked, but led down to an earthen floor. On two sides, long warped shelves held dozens of jars covered in dust. The third wall was stacked with crates.
"Storm shelter," Flint muttered as he emptied one of the wooden crates. Turning it over, he sat on it and glared at Breeze. "You two stay quiet, and everything will be all right."
From Breeze's arms, Lolly whimpered as she glanced around in fear. "Bees?" she whispered.
Slowly she stroked her fingers through Lolly's pale locks. "It's okay. Think of it as an adventure. Your Daddy goes on adventures all the time; now it's our time. Think of how proud he's going to be to hear about you being so brave."
Beside her, Flint snorted but left them alone.
Using her foot, Breeze carefully swept away the refuse littering the floor. Old leaves, bits of crates, and what looked like mouse bones rattled from her foot. Holding back a shudder, she dropped to the floor and pulled Lolly into her lap.
A moment later, Blaze dropped into the room, foregoing the stairs with a basket in his hands. Setting it down, he glanced over at Breeze and Lolly with a troubled frown, then turned to Flint.
"Did you get everything?"
"Yes. It's in the basket."
"And the Outsiders?" Flint growled his question.
"Mother is talking to them now. She said for us to stay here and watch Gaia and Breeze until they leave. As soon as Coal gets back, he'll join us here. Mother doesn't want to take the chance they'll escape again. She wants to keep them in the Family." Blaze looked at Breeze. "They're asking a lot of questions. Mother doesn't want to have police come looking, so she's trying to look open and non-threatening. I wish Coal were here. He'd know what to do."
"But, he's not." Flint looked at them with a pensive glance.
Blaze hesitated. "None of this feels right, Flint."
Flint hissed. "Shut up. We do what we're told until Coal gets back. Keep them here, quiet and out of sight."
When they stopped talking, Breeze glanced into the basket Blaze had brought. In it were a couple of blankets, a crock of water, food and a lantern. Pulling out a blanket, she spread it on the floor with one hand then gently laid Lolly on top. The child curled up against Breeze's side but didn't waken. Thank goodness for small favors.
"Who's here?" she asked softly. "Who are we hiding from?"
Her question was ignored, but Blaze glanced down at Lolly then returned to staring at the door of the shelter. That was all the answer she needed. Someone was there looking for Lolly. She could only hope it was Finch.
"Coal should be back soon," Flint grumbled.
Blaze glanced nervously at Lolly and Breeze. "He's going to lose it when he sees the Outsider
s here." His voice lowered slightly. "I don't see him letting them out of his sight."
The two moved until they stood beside the door. Their voices dropped until they were a faint mumble. Breeze lay beside Lolly, tucking her arm under her head. Slowly she stroked her fingers over the child's hair. She thought about what Coal had said. He had watched Sarah until it made her uncomfortable to the point of leaving the Family. Maybe it wasn't the only reason she left, but from what Sarah had said, it was a large portion. Now he had turned his attention to Breeze for the same reason. If he succeeded, she was certain it would be the end of the Family's peace.
Closing her eyes, she listened as the two whispered between them, waiting for Coal to return. After several moments, their words became incoherent mumbles, and she allowed herself to sleep. Tomorrow was a new day, and she had to figure out a way to get a message to the Outsiders visiting the Family. Now that she knew of Coal's plans, she needed to get Lolly away as soon as possible.
"I'm sorry. I didn't get your name?"
The woman sat regarding them with a cool look of indifference. "I'm called Mother. It's the only name I need."
Finch studied her carefully as Railroad engaged her in conversation. It was a surprise when they had asked to see her and they were taken to this extremely comfortable RV. For a group of people who insisted on living a calm, sedate, unremarkable life, the trailer seemed opulent.
"You look like a man in search of something, Mr. Finchly. How may my Family and I help you?"
Schooling his features in a semblance of calmness that he didn't feel, he clasped his hands together as he leaned forward. "I'm looking for my daughter, Lorelei. I have been told she may be here?"
She bowed her head. "Many people have come into the Family to escape the Outside, to escape, if you’ll excuse me, Outsiders. I do not know you, and will not surrender a child of our Family into the unknown. If the mother is here, I can talk to her in private."
"That's hard to do. Sarah's dead. We know she was here with your Family until a few weeks ago when Sarah left with Lolly and another woman, Breeze."
Justice for Breeze Page 12