Their partnership works well. A rapport blooms, and kisses meant to cement their cover, take on new possibilities. Jake uncovers secrets, and their loving heats up, passion coalescing into more than camaraderie. Then danger stalks Sorrel. What began as a favor is now deadly serious—a game Jake must win to keep Sorrel safe.
Warning: Contains an alpha male soldier intent on protection, a determined ugly duckling heroine who dreams of freedom, and a cult leader with his eye on financial security and revenge.
Chapter One
Sloan, a country town in New Zealand
Sorrel Thyme peered through the scratchy bushes, desperately trying to ignore the sand flies making a meal of her bare arms. This had to be one of the world’s most uncomfortable ways to score a job interview.
The man and woman she was spying on started to kiss—a passionate no-holds-barred kind of kiss. Horrified, she watched hands steal beneath clothes, gulped as busy fingers squeezed and caressed.
The amount of flesh on display increased, and she squirmed, heat whooshing through her body to explode in her face. Talk about embarrassing. She wasn’t sure what to do, where to look. Alice and James Bates, the owners of the Fancy Free condom company, didn’t have a mere picnic on their minds. Oh, no. They were busy tearing off each other’s clothes, right in front of her.
Aghast, she squeezed her eyes shut, her skin crawling from exposure to the bugs. It was the only way to explain the edgy sensation blooming inside her, prickling across her skin, irritating her breasts.
The sharp evergreen scent of the totara and manuka trees wafted to her, refreshing and aromatic. Her stomach let out a feisty rumble of complaint, and she jerked in panic. The bushes concealing her rustled, and her eyes flew open. She froze, horror filling her at the risk of discovery.
Alice and James continued their amorous activities. Sorrel’s breath eased out. She caught a flash of pale breast. At least they were too far away to hear her stomach clamoring for food. Placated by the thought, she eased her weight into a more comfortable position. The bush played a musical tune against her robe, and a branch cracked beneath her right foot.
“What was that?” Alice’s voice carried across the clearing.
Sorrel bit back a moan of dismay, her gaze darting this way and that to determine the damage. If she didn’t move, didn’t answer perhaps they’d decide a restless bird loitered in the trees. I promise to leave the instant they settle again. Please let them continue. Maybe she’d manage to retreat with her dignity intact.
This was a bad idea. A stupid one. How she’d ever thought—
“Who’s there?” James was on his feet now, putting his jeans to rights and staring in her direction. “I know there’s someone there. You might as well come out.”
Intent on self-preservation, Sorrel sprang to her feet, adrenaline kicking in big-time. She cried out as cramp struck in a painful surge, staggered two steps. Her robe snagged tight on a bush. Held fast, she panicked, yanking fabric free, frantic to escape.
Then he was on her, tackling her from behind. She hit the ground. A pained grunt escaped, the air exploding from her lungs. A hand closed around her leg, and seconds later, his weight held her in place.
“Let me go.” She flailed. Ineffectually, as it happened. James Bates was one big dude.
“Who is it?” Alice called.
“A woman.”
He shifted his weight, and Sorrel could breathe again. She sucked in a huge draft of air and gathered herself, ready to flee.
“Not so fast.” James grasped her upper arm and yanked her around to face him. His bright blue eyes held an edge of anger that had her quaking in her sandals. He dragged her into the clearing where Alice stood with her arms crossed protectively over her chest.
Sorrel couldn’t meet their gazes. She straightened her robe, brushing off the dry leaves and dirt. Her hands trembled while panicked thoughts buzzed through her mind like a swarm of bees in a tizzy about honey theft.
Job interview.
Not going well.
This was a bad, bad idea.
With escape looming large in her mind, she slid a furtive glance to her left.
“You’re from the Children of Nature cult.”
Give the man a prize. Sorrel twisted her hands together, her grubby robe brushing her bare legs. She had others the same, albeit cleaner, hanging on the rack in the shared wardrobe at the single women’s quarters. The white robe was a dead giveaway of her status.
Cult member.
Woman.
Trapped.
“Yes.” She aimed for a crisp tone. Instead her reply emerged young and scared. Terrified, which was nothing but the truth because the noose was already around her neck. Day by day it tightened, threatening to choke the life from her.
“Why are you spying on us?” Alice’s brown hair stood in tousled peaks, her face pale beneath its sprinkling of golden freckles. “Is this a new angle—another campaign to smear Fancy Free?”
Sorrel swallowed, still prepared to flee the second James loosened his grip. But her legs trembled, her knees threatening to crumple like flimsy paper, not up to the job of holding her weight. She’d give anything to turn back the clock ten minutes. No. She had their attention—the opportunity she’d schemed and plotted for. It was time to embrace courage.
She sucked in a fortifying hit of tree-laced air, striving for calm. “I wasn’t spying. I have no intention of hurting your company or…or haranguing you about the evils of condoms and birth control.” Better. Her voice quavered only a fraction this time.
“You were spying through the bushes,” James snapped. “Do you have a camera?”
A startled laugh burst from her. “Where would I get a camera? I have no money. I didn’t mean to spy. Really, I just wanted to talk to you.”
“Most people use the phone,” James said.
“You don’t know much about Children of Nature, do you?” Sorrel owned the clothes on her back—her sole possessions—and even then she wasn’t sure she always received the same white robes back from the communal laundry.
“What did you want to discuss?” Alice’s tone carried a generous helping of suspicion.
“I’ve invented a cream. It’s similar to a…an aphrodisiac. It enhances sexual pleasure. I want to sell it to your company, in the hope I can raise enough money to strike out on my own and leave Children of Nature.” Once she’d started, the words poured from her, one almost running into another in her haste to get them out. “But you can’t tell anyone I’ve offered it to you. You can’t tell or they’ll steal it from me. You have to promise. You have to promise me you won’t tell.”
“Shush,” Alice said, visibly calmer now. “Have you eaten?”
“I…” Sorrel’s stomach let out an embarrassing rumble, forcing the truth from her. “No.”
“James, release the girl.” Alice offered a kind smile, which settled some of Sorrel’s unease. “Come and have something to eat. You can describe your product while we have our lunch.”
“I thought we were going to have a private picnic.” James scowled, his brows drawing together in displeasure. His longish dark hair gave him a disreputable air as did the stubble on his face.
Alice reached out and ran her fingertips over his cheek. “I’ll make it up to you tonight.”
“Promise?”
The clear intimacy between the couple brought discomfort, and Sorrel shuffled from foot to foot, debating whether she should grasp this opportunity or try to make an appointment for a later date.
“With a cherry on top.” Alice winked at her husband. “Come.” She grasped Sorrel’s hand and tugged her to their tartan picnic blanket. “Do you work in the Children of Nature store?”
“No.” Sorrel’s mouth compressed into a tight line. She used to take her turn working in the store and had enjoyed interacting with the town’s people. But that had been before Brother Rick had taken over the running of Children of Nature from his father. That had—
She broke off her th
oughts. “No, I make the soap and other products to sell in the store.”
“The cult won’t let you leave?” James asked, his eyes narrowed on her as if she were untrustworthy and out to take advantage of his wife. She’d seen the way he looked at Alice, as if she was the most important thing in his world. As a teenager she’d wished someone would gaze at her in that—
Again she put a brake on her thoughts. Thinking of what-if wouldn’t help her situation. She had to make her own luck.
“It’s difficult to leave if you lack money or contacts in the outside world.”
“Sit,” Alice said. “Here, you can have my glass. I’ll share with James.”
Gingerly, Sorrel kneeled and settled herself on the edge of the blanket. Now that she had their ear, fear writhed through her—a ravenous beast. She’d tested her product on herself, but what if her tingly cream didn’t work on other women?
“I need to do more tests,” she blurted.
“Of course you do.” Alice handed her a glass of homemade lemonade and a chicken sandwich. “Eat first, and then we’ll talk.”
“Who stops you from leaving the cult?”
Alice laughed lightly. “James, do let the girl eat before you decide to grill her.”
“They’re not trustworthy.” James scowled at her. “None of them.”
Sorrel’s shoulders slumped. “It’s all right. I understand your doubts. I’ll find another way.” Despite her hunger and her disappointment, she placed the sandwich back on the plate and set down the glass of lemonade. “Thank you for listening to me. I’m sorry I interrupted your private time together.” She stood and turned away, defeat a heavy sack on her shoulders.
She could hardly blame them. Children of Nature held regular protests outside Alice and James’s company, Fancy Free. They organized petitions and talked to everyone who would listen about the evils of condoms—the very product Fancy Free manufactured.
“Wait. You want out.” James glanced at his wife in clear speculation. “How far are you willing to go to leave the cult?”
Gasping, Sorrel drew herself up tall, or as tall as a five-foot-three-inch woman could and scowled at him. “I don’t do group sex.”
Turning away once again, tears of failure smarted at her eyes, but she held her shoulders square and departed. She’d have to find another way, and soon before Brother Rick implemented his plans to partner every woman above twenty-five with a man. There was no doubt in her mind he’d make good on his threats, and her twenty-fifth birthday was a mere two months away. Stars! She couldn’t pretend enthusiasm for sex when pregnancy would trap her in the compound.
“We don’t participate in group sex, either,” Alice said in a wry tone. “One man is more than enough for me to handle. Wait.” She jumped to her feet and ran after Sorrel. “Please stay.”
Sorrel hesitated, unsure. She cast a doubtful glance over her shoulder, her steps slowing.
“Please, tell us about your cream. Please.” Alice smiled in encouragement and led her back to the blanket. “What’s your name? You know ours so you have us at a disadvantage.”
“Sorrel Thyme. I know your names because I’ve been part of the picket line outside Fancy Free a time or two.” She lifted her chin in faint challenge when they scowled at her words. “It’s a change from making products for the shop.”
“Glad our condom business offers you rest and relaxation,” James muttered.
Alice elbowed her husband and smiled at Sorrel. “Share our food. Tell us what help you want from us.”
* * * * *
James barged into the Sloan police station, skirted the front desk and strode down a dim-lit passage. He tapped on the second office door, and opened it before anyone answered. “Luke, I might have found a way into the cult for you.”
Luke Morgan, one of Sloan’s cops and James’s best friend, removed his feet from the top of his desk and stood in one smooth motion. “Let’s take this out of the station. I could do with a coffee.”
“The cafe isn’t private.”
“We’ll get coffee to go and wander down by the river. I think better on my feet.”
Fifteen minutes later they strolled along the bank of the river. Leaves crunched under their boots, sun streamed from overhead and a brisk wind rustled their hair.
“Talk,” Luke ordered.
“One of the young cult girls approached me and Alice yesterday. She wants out of the cult.”
“Why doesn’t she just leave?”
“From what she told us she was born there. According to her, once they’re in, it’s difficult to leave without resources. Any money they earn goes into a central pot. They’re not encouraged to leave. She told us their long-term leader died six months ago. His son has taken over and he has new ideas regarding the direction of the cult.”
“Six months ago is about the time the farmers started complaining of missing cattle,” Luke mused, interest sparking in his features.
“Yeah, the thought occurred.”
“How is that going to help us get inside?”
“I thought Sorrel—that’s the woman we met—might know of a way we can get someone inside, and once our man is in, she can help to smooth his path.”
Luke nodded. “That’s a possibility. Where can I meet her? When?”
James paused once they reached the bridge. He stared at a group of six ducks, quacking loud demands for food. “Do you have another plan?”
“No, other than going in with guns and shooting the weirdos. That’s my stepmother’s suggestion.”
James spluttered out a laugh, the shake of his head flopping his dark hair over his eyes. He shoved it aside with a careless hand. “Hinekiri is a handful.”
Luke snorted. “Where do you think my wife got if from? Janaya takes after her aunt. Yeah, I’ve thought about planting someone in the cult to spy for me. I have a guy, one of my cousin’s friends who needs something to keep him busy. He’s a special services soldier on sick leave. My cousin reckoned he’d be perfect since he looks scruffy. Feeling sorry for himself, according to Louie.”
“You’ve given this some thought. Sorrel told us she’d try to get away this afternoon after she delivers new supplies to their shop. She can’t meet us in a public place. Any suggestions?”
“We can intercept her once she leaves the shop. If you see her beforehand, ask her,” Luke said. “We’ll meet her wherever she feels safest. I don’t want to make her life any more difficult than it is now. She obviously feels she can’t leave if she approached you in a clandestine manner. Ring me with details once you’re set, and I’ll be there. If I can’t make the meeting for some reason, I’ll send Janaya. Tell her that, will you?”
“Alice promised she’d meet her. Sorrel indicated a meeting with a man would raise suspicion. One of the other cult women is bound to notice and report back to the men running the place.”
“Makes sense. What’s your impression of the woman?”
“Solemn and plain. Not much to look at, and a bit on the dumpy side.”
”Yeah, but is she telling the truth? Could she be setting us up?”
James sipped his coffee. “No, I think she’s genuine in wanting to get out. She was jumpy. Kept looking over her shoulder, and she doesn’t think much of the new leader. You met him?”
“Yeah, he’s charming, but slimy with it. You know the sort. I can see him being the controlling type. What was Alice’s take?”
“She wanted to help and was ready to take Sorrel home with us then. I’m not such a soft touch.”
Luke shot him a swift glance. “She might be genuine.”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” He checked his watch. “I’d better go. We have a board meeting this afternoon. I’ll call you the minute she gets in touch.”
* * * * *
Children of Nature Compound, Sloan
“Excuse me.” Sorrel reached for a tray as she waited for the last of the men to move along the meal line in the Children of Nature dining hall. The aroma of fresh, yeasty bread a
nd a savory soup drifted from the nearby kitchen. Hunger clawed at her, but she kept her eyes off the women serving the meals.
Instead her gaze flitted around the hall. It was a large rectangular room, filled with a dozen trestle tables. Each table seated twelve people, and most of them were already taken.
A robed man, ahead in the line, turned to glare at her. “What do you want Sister Bitter? We’re not done eating yet.”
The men and women sitting at the nearest table stared in open curiosity. They nudged one another, some of the men sniggering.
“You’ll have to wait,” another ordered. He eyed her dumpy figure, a smirk forming. “It won’t hurt you to wait. You need to lose weight.”
“Of course.” Sorrel took a step back, glancing down at her feet in submission. Bastards. Bullies the lot of them, and Brother Rick encouraged them to pick on her. She hated the changes since he’d taken over, the way the men treated the women as inferiors.
“Bitter, aren’t you almost twenty-five?” one of the men asked. “No one will want to fuck you. You’re too fat and ugly.”
Sorrel knew better than to show any outward reaction. It would goad them to greater cruelty. She should be used to the way they treated her with disdain because of her appearance, yet, stars, it hurt. They thought they were so clever, taking the literal meaning of Sorrel and using it to taunt her.
Bitter.
Bitter Thyme.
The wit who’d rechristened her Bitter thought the new name fit so well, he’d told everyone, and the wretched nickname had stuck.
“Go,” the first man said. “You must have chores to perform.”
Sorrel blinked once, twice. Tears stung her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. It would give the men another weapon to taunt her.
Keeping her head bowed, Sorrel turned away from the food, ignoring the hunger pangs twisting her stomach. She’d set herself on this path and mustn’t falter now.
Military Men Page 34