THE CRUEL SEVEN

by Terence Mitford

  Lisa entered the house to find Erica sitting at the table talking with Ed, but when Erica saw her, she paused, then stood up with her hands on her hips and a scowl on her face. “So what do you think you were doing bringing drugs onto our property?”

  Lisa gave a resigned nod of her head. “As I said. I’m really sorry. But it’s not what it looks like. The bag isn’t ours. It belonged to our pilot. We kept it because we knew they would come looking for it and we would be in trouble if they couldn’t find it.”

  “Well, it didn’t work, did it?”

  “Not according to plan, no. Maybe it would have if we could have given them the bag, but it’s gone.”

  There was a loud thud as something black was thrown down from the upper floor. Then Summer appeared at the top of the ladder. “It’s here.”

  Lisa rushed over, picked up the black leather carryall, and took it to the table. She pulled back the zipper and looked inside at twelve bags of white powder. Summer climbed down and walked over to the table.

  Lisa stared at her. “It was you. You took the bag?”

  Summer grinned.

  “You had it all this time?”

  Summer nodded.

  “But that man was going to kill you. Why didn’t you tell him where it was?”

  “He said he was going to count to five. He only got to three. I was going to tell him when he reached four.”

  Lisa’s jaw dropped. Is this girl crazy?

  “The fact is,” Erica said, “none of this would have happened if you had left the bag on the plane. They would have tracked it there and would have had no reason to come here. So we still have to decide on your punishment, Lisa. I told you, we have rules and consequences for those who break them. One of our biggest rules is no drugs. Since you brought a bag full onto our property that resulted in those three coming to visit, you will need to pay.”

  “I don’t have any money.”

  “We will find another way for you to settle your debt.”

  Lisa nodded. ‘I will do whatever I can to make it up to you.’

  “I will hold you to that,” Erica said. “And I will let you know when I have decided how. In the meantime, you can help the twins gather wood for Ed to chop up.”

  Lisa left the house and caught sight of the twins disappearing into the woods. She ran to catch up. They walked for only a few minutes before the boys stopped and began hacking down small trees, stripping them of their branches, and throwing them into a pile. When they had enough to carry home, they put down their axes and sat down to rest.

  Lisa watched them. Did they blame her, too? She would understand if they did. After all, one of those men nearly raped their sister, and who knows what would have happened after that?

  Frankie looked over at Lisa as she sat down and leaned back against a tree. “Ma says you like Luke.”

  “I like you all,” Lisa said.

  Freddie smirked. “Even Pa?”

  Lisa studied him, wandering what he was getting at.

  Freddie grinned. “Has Pa visited you at night yet?”

  “How do you know about that?”

  “He always visits the girls.”

  “The girls? Before me there was only Summer here, wasn’t there? Are you saying he visits Summer at night?”

  “He did once, by mistake. Summer had swapped beds with—”

  “That’s enough, Freddie,” Frankie interrupted. “You know you shouldn’t talk about that.”

  Freddie nodded and remained quiet.

  Lisa stared at Frankie. “Is there something I should know?”

  Frankie seemed to think for a moment, then sighed. “We get visitors out here sometimes.”

  “Your pa said he doesn’t like visitors.”

  “He doesn’t mind the girls. Sometimes the sheriff brings us backpackers who are looking to spend some time out in the wilderness, or girls who have been arrested and need discipline. They help out around the place in return for somewhere to stay.”

  Lisa glanced back at Freddie. From the way he was staring at the ground around his feet, she suspected Frankie wasn’t telling her the whole story.

  A gunshot thundered through the trees, and Lisa jumped.

  Frankie stood up. “That’ll be Luke. He went hunting for our dinner. We should to go back.”

  She breathed easy. “Thank God for that.” Then she drew another quick breath. The gun shot reminded her of the drug traffickers. When they fail to return with the drugs, the cartel will no doubt send more men. She had to warn the family.

  When they got back to the house, Luke was already out front, plucking what looked like a large bird of some kind. Lisa went to him. “Luke, I’ve just had a thought. The drugs cartel will send more men to find out what happened to the first three.”

  Erica walked out from the front door. “We already thought of that. Don’t worry. If they do, we’ll be ready for them. But it’ll take a few days at least before they realize something went wrong.”

  “We could take the bag away from here so they can’t track it to us.”

  “We thought of that too. We will probably get a visit from the sheriff soon. He may even bring Billy back with him.”

  “But if we give him the bag, won’t he arrest me and Mike?”

  Erica laughed. “We couldn’t let that happen, could we?”

  “But how will you stop him?”

  “He owes us, and if he thinks you and Luke are together now, he won’t arrest you. He looks upon Luke as a nephew.”

  “What about Mike?”

  “No guarantees there, I’m afraid. But wouldn’t that solve your problem?”

  “How?”

  “You’d be rid of Mike and be free to be with Luke.”

  “I like Luke, but I’m still married to Mike. I can’t do what you ask.”

  Erica sighed. “Okay, be nice to my son, and I’ll persuade the sheriff not to arrest either of you.”

  “And just how nice do I need to be?”

  “I think you know the answer to that question. But I have one for you. When is your period?”

  Lisa gasped and glanced at Luke. He was studying her. “I… I’m not going to answer that.”

  “All you have is the dress on your back. I need to know so we can be sure you have what you need when you need it.”

  “Oh… I see… I’m sorry.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Not for another three weeks. So you don’t have to worry about it. I’ll be home by then.”

  Erica exchanged a long glance with Luke. Then she turned back to Lisa. “Maybe.”

  Lisa dismissed her reply as wishful thinking.

  Luke carried the plucked bird inside and dropped it on the table. Erica smirked at Lisa. “I hope you can cook grouse. You’ll find the vegetables in the cupboard.”

  Lisa walked inside and picked up the bird and took it over to the kitchen worktop. She had cooked chicken and turkey before, so how different can it be?

  As she was preparing the vegetables, Summer returned and set about helping. They worked together in silence for a few minutes before Summer spoke. “Are you angry with me?”

  Lisa thought for a moment before answering. “A little.”

  “I didn’t want to kiss him.”

  “Really? It looked like you were a willing participant.”

  “He insisted.” She paused and gave Lisa a sheepish smile. “I… I don’t know if I should tell you what he said.”

  “Why, what did he say?”

  “That you and him were finished, and that he had wanted to kiss me since he arrived here.”

  Lisa turned to study Summer. “What?”

  The girl sighed. “I told him I thought he was rushing things and that he should wait until he was sure it was over with you. He said he was sure, but he had to pretend he wanted you back because he didn’t want to hurt you any more than he has.”

  Lisa focused on Summer’s eyes. “Are you serious?”

  Summer raised her brow. “I wouldn’t joke about something like t
hat.”

  Lisa choked back a lump rising in her throat. She was angry with Mike and was sure she would leave him, but it still hurt to hear these details.

  But was Summer telling the truth, or was she just trying to justify her own actions? Lisa took a moment to think. The girl had held eye contact as she spoke and had showed none of the telltale signs of lying. So maybe she should give her the benefit of the doubt. For now. She forced a muted smile. “It’s okay. I don’t blame you.”

  Summer smiled back, a look of relief on her face that seemed genuine. “In that case, do you mind if I give in to Mike? I think he wants more than just friendship.”

  “He has broken his back. He can’t offer you more than friendship right now.”

  Summer averted her eyes with a sideways glance.

  “What is it?” Lisa asked.

  “He didn’t want to tell you that he can move his arms and feet now and has some feeling back in his legs.”

  Lisa put her hand on her stomach as if she’d been punched. “Why wouldn’t he tell me that?”

  “He said if you thought he was still paralyzed, you wouldn’t suspect anything was going on with me.”

  Summer’s words were like spears through her heart. She could hardly believe this girl was talking about her husband, the man she had considered different from most men. And if this conversation had been a few weeks earlier, she would never have believed it, even though Summer seemed so genuine. But since Mike had confessed to her about the neighbor, Lisa had to accept that he was capable of what Summer was saying. Maybe his promise to never let her down again was a lie. Or maybe he believed it at the time, but just couldn’t help himself. Or maybe he wanted out of the marriage but didn’t know how and was engineering it so she would leave him. Right now, it was the only thing that made any sense.

  26

  LISA

  After the evening meal, Lisa began clearing away while Summer headed off to retrieve Mike’s tray. Erica and Ed took up their usual place on the couch, and the others climbed the ladder to the floor above. Except for Luke. He walked over and watched Lisa as she washed the plates. “There’s full moon tonight. When you have finished, we could sit outside for a while.”

  Lisa gave him a quick smile, intending to decline his offer. But before she could speak, she caught sight of Erica approaching.

  “I hope you think carefully before answering my son and remember our little conversation earlier.”

  Erica had a determination in her eyes that Lisa had not seen before, even when she had ordered her and the others around. Erica was making it plain that it was time for Lisa to pay her debt.

  Lisa glanced at Luke. He was staring at her, waiting for an answer. She was being pressured, again. And her resistance was faltering. Again. But what was the alternative; refuse and turn Erica and Luke against her? Or should she just give in? Would it really be so bad if she did? After Mike’s recent escapades, she felt as though she was married in name only. So it wasn’t a matter of her being unfaithful.

  She glanced at Luke again and had to admit; she got a tingle below whenever he came close to her, and spending time with him could help to avoid a repeat visit from Ed.

  But she was under no illusions. He was clearly expecting more from her than just sitting and talking in the moonlight.

  She turned to Erica. “Is this what you want?”

  “If it’s what Luke wants, then it’s what I want.”

  Lisa shrugged. “Okay, I owe you, and I promised to make up for the trouble Mike and I have brought.”

  She turned back to Luke and nodded. Erica smiled and walked away.

  They sat on a wooden bench on the veranda between the two windows, and for a while made light conversation. Then Luke turned and looked into her eyes. “I know you are only here because Ma insisted, and I know you think this is not what you want. But I told you. Ma can get anyone to do anything, and maybe now you can see I was right.”

  Lisa had to admit there was something in what he was saying. Only two days ago, she could never have believed she would give in to Erica like this. It was as if the woman had some sort of power or spell over her that was draining her ability to say no and control her own actions and thoughts. She didn’t believe in witches, but if they exist, Erica could certainly be one.

  She glanced at Luke with a half smile. “How does she do it?”

  “She used to work for the government in a secret mind control department overseen by the CIA. They would train children from an early age to do anything they were told. Even kill.”

  Lisa drew a breath. “Kill?”

  “If necessary.”

  She studied Luke. Was he serious?

  “You probably think I’m exaggerating or making it up, but it’s true. Ma didn’t talk about it until she left the facility where she worked.”

  “Why would they train children to kill?”

  “They didn’t train them to kill. Only to follow orders, no matter what they were.”

  Lisa remained silent while trying to digest what she was hearing.

  “Don’t mention any of this to Ma. She’d be angry if she knew I’d told you.”

  Lisa nodded and wrote off what Luke had just told her as his overactive imagination.

  Luke inched closer to her. “I’m so glad you’re here. It’s good having you around.”

  Lisa laughed. “Look, I owe you and your ma a lot. Especially after the situation over the drugs. That’s why I agreed to come out here with you and…” she hesitated, preferring to leave what was about to happen unsaid. “But it doesn’t mean I’m staying here. When Billy gets back, we need to get Mike to a hospital.”

  “I’ll take him. You can wait here.”

  “I need to go with him.”

  “Why? Summer told me about her kiss with Mike and then her conversation with you.”

  “She shouldn’t have.”

  “I told you. We share everything.”

  “Everything?”

  Luke nodded.

  “In that case, nothing is going to happen between us tonight.”

  “But you were thinking about it?”

  Lisa shrugged. “It seems everyone but Mike wants it to happen.”

  “Everyone but Mike? So that means you want it to happen?”

  “Don’t put words into my mouth.”

  “They were your words, and if you meant them, I can change a habit of a lifetime.”

  Lisa tossed back her hair as she studied him. ‘Are you saying you can keep a secret?’

  He moved closer. “If I have something to be secret about.”

  Lisa sighed to herself, astonished that she was actually flirting with Luke, who was still a stranger to her. If it hadn’t been for recent events, she would be cuddling up with Mike around about now. She was a tactile girl and needed a certain amount of affection in her life. But she wasn’t sure if she could have that with Mike again. So maybe giving herself to Luke, just this once, would help her decide.

  She looked into his eyes. “I have to tell you something.”

  He nodded and waited for her to continue.

  “Mike is the only one I’ve…” she hesitated. “What I’m trying to say is… I… I haven’t…” she hesitated again, then took a deep breath, exhaled, and said it, “Mike was my first—I’ve never been with anyone else.”

  Luke grinned. “Don’t worry about that. I’m not looking for an expert.”

  “What about you? Have you had girlfriends before?”

  “A few.”

  “The girls the sheriff brought out here?”

  Luke’s brow plunged and his eyes narrowed. “How do you know about them?”

  “Frankie and Freddie told me.”

  Luke stiffened and spoke in a sharp tone. “Well, they shouldn’t have.”

  Lisa reached out and placed her hand on his. “It’s okay, I’m married, remember. I can hardly expect a man of your age not to have had a certain amount of experience, even if you do live out here in the wilderness. But y
ou need to know. I’m only going through with this because I owe Erica and promised to make up for bringing the bag of drugs here.”

  Luke’s expression softened. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap like that. It’s just sometimes the twins get me angry.”

  Lisa had hoped her explanation would cause him to change his plans for her, but he had ignored what she’d said. So she tried again. “Can we just tell your ma that we… you know… did it?”

  “I’m afraid not. She always knows if I lie. It’s her training.”

  Lisa sighed. “I would never have guessed a woman living out here in the wilderness would have worked for the CIA.”

  “The facility where Ma worked is hidden in these woods, about twenty miles from here.”

  “How long did she work there?”

  “Ten years. She was one of the top operatives.”

  “So that’s how she gets everyone to do what she says.”

  Luke nodded. “And she’s so good at it you don’t even realize you are being manipulated. But let’s change the subject. The lake is beautiful under a full moon. Would you like to see it?”

  Lisa didn’t need to think too long. She accepted she was going to give herself to Luke and balance the books with him and Erica. And as for the vows she took, well, Mike had already ripped his to shreds. So she glanced at Luke and nodded.

  He grabbed a blanket before they set off, and when they reached the lake, he wasted no time spreading it on the ground and telling Lisa to stand on it.

  As she complied, he stared at her and said, “Take off your dress.”

  A knot tightened in her stomach. “Can we take it a little slower?”

  Luke shook his head. “That’s not the way I want it. Take it off. Now.”

  It was not how she had imagined it would go, but she had come too far to refuse now. So she opened the buttons and slipped her dress off her shoulders and let it fall to the ground.

  Luke’s eyes widened as he studied her. “Now take off your panties.”

  “Luke, please.”

  His eyes seemed darker now, and his entire demeanor had changed. Under the moon’s glow, his expression reminded her of Erica.

  His voice deepened. “Do as I say.”

  She couldn’t work out which emotion swirling throughout her body was the most prominent. Was it fear, apprehension, or excitement?