Jacob sat on his bed and stared back at Malachi. His hands tightened into fists as he tried to convince himself not to give his brother the satisfaction of a fight.
“Nothing to say?” Malachi taunted. “That is what I thought.”
You have no idea what love is! You do not care about anyone but yourself! I hate you! He wanted to say the words out loud, but it would only start a fight, and Jacob wasn’t up for it. So instead, he stared darts into his brother’s eyes.
Malachi pointed into his face. “If I find out you did this—”
“What? What are you going to do, Malachi? My life is already a living hell. You can do nothing to make it worse.”
Malachi turned away from him and sauntered over to his own side of the room. He said nothing as he slammed his belongings back into place.
It gave Jacob no satisfaction to win the argument with his brother.
GROGGILY JACOB AWOKE to the sound of a tick at his window. Rachel? He sat up and rubbed his eyes to get them to focus. Looking out the window, his hopes were dashed. It was not Rachel. Standing below on the ground outside his bedroom window was Jonathan, illuminated by the light of the moon.
What are you doing out there? He got up from his bed and grabbed his overcoat. You are going to get us all in trouble.
Jacob signaled to Jonathan that he’d be down and looked to his older brother who was snoring much too loudly to be aware of anything. Quietly he snuck down the stairs and out the front door. When he got out into the warm Arizona night, he headed to the back of the house where Jonathan had stood.
“Pssst.” A hiss came from the other direction.
He spun his head, not seeing a soul.
“Pssst.” the hiss came again.
With the small amount of light lent to him by the waning moon, he saw Jonathan wave to him from behind the barn. Jacob rolled his eyes and headed over to where Jonathan stood, concealed behind the big white outbuilding.
“What are you doing out here?” he asked.
“What happened? Did they find them?”
“No. Of course not. You do not think I would be foolish enough to bring them into the house, do you?”
“Then, where are they?”
“Do not worry yourself about it. They are safe.”
“Luna is coming with us.”
"Who?"
"Rebecca. Her real name is —"
“No. She cannot come. It is not safe for us, let alone a girl.” Jacob did not care what her real name was or why she was there. Her very presence evoked danger wherever she went.
“She will not listen to me. I have tried to tell her no.”
“You did not try hard enough.”
“Look, Jacob. Luna does not belong here. She is not one of us, and if anyone should be allowed to leave, it is her.”
“You have a thing for her, do you not?” Jacob asked, knowingly.
“What do you mean?” Jonathan feigned innocence.
“Do not play games with me, brother. I am not the only one who has been tempted by the wiles of a woman. Am I?” Jacob stared at Jonathan, daring him to say he was wrong.
“Fine. I do care for her. I will not leave her behind. She does not belong here.”
Jacob shuffled his feet. His plan seemed to be getting more complicated by the minute. "Who else did you tell?"
"No one. Only Luna knows. We must bring her with us before the marriage ritual. Besides, she will be helpful. She has lived in the outside world we know nothing about."
Jacob breathed a frustrated sigh. “Meet me tomorrow night. Same time. Same place we met before, out by the supply building. We are going to need supplies, and that place is filled full.”
Jonathan gave him a wary look. “I do not know about stealing. We—”
“What do you think we are doing with the truck? You think we intend to bring it back when we are done with it?”
“No, I guess not, but—”
Jonathan was a year older than Jacob but apparently not much wiser.
“Just a couple of things. We do not know how long it will be before we will be able to acquire food and water. There is no reason for us to escape only to die of starvation. We can sleep in the truck, but we will need provisions.”
“Fine.” Jonathan shuffled. “I must get back before I am missed.”
Jacob nodded and walked back to the house.
Chapter 31 - Luna
“What did he say?” Luna whispered to Jonathan the next morning before leaving for the work building. “Is he going to let me come?”
“I had to persuade him, but he agreed.”
“When do we leave? I’m due to marry Naaman in three days.”
“We meet tonight at the supply building. I will ask him then.”
“I want to go with you to meet him.”
“Stay here, Luna.” Jonathan pleaded with his eyes. “It is too dangerous.”
“We have to leave soon.” Panic set in. “What if he wants to leave without me?”
“I will not leave you.” He touched her face briefly. “I promise.”
“But what if—”
Jonathan pulled Luna around the back of the shed. Before she knew it, he pulled her to him and kissed her. Her body tingled at his touch. Just when she thought her knees would give way, he let her go and stared into her eyes. “I promise, Luna. I will not leave without you.”
All kinds of thoughts ran through her mind. Emotions swirled, making her light-headed. She wanted to say something, anything, but she could not think of the words. Instead, she nodded.
“Go out the other way.” He touched her face. “I shall see you at dinner.”
I love you.
She couldn’t say it out loud, but she wanted to. Instead, she nodded again and headed to the work building. Although she had become quite good at it, if she made it out of the place alive, she never wanted to see another rope basket again.
LUNA WATCHED OUT HER window with nothing but the moon for light. She searched for a sign that Jonathan was on his way to meet Jacob. She planned to meet them there whether they liked it or not. Jonathan may have promised not to leave her, but Jacob hadn’t. If something went wrong, she wanted to be there.
Tabitha snored lightly in the bed next to her, completely unaware. A shadow from outside caught her eye. It was him. He’d walked right out the front door. People in this place didn’t expect their teenagers to sneak out at night. They didn’t even lock their doors.
Quietly she snuck down the stairs, avoiding the squeaky ones as best she could. If anyone questioned her, she’d say she was going to the outhouse. On this occasion their simple lifestyle came in handy.
By the time she got down the stairs and out the door, Jonathan was gone. It didn’t matter. He was headed to the supply building, and she knew exactly where it was. She tried to pick up her pace but wandering through the desert with nothing but the light from the moon did not make it easy for her.
Hushed voices spoke just ahead. The silhouette of the two boys was easily recognizable to her and anyone else who might be watching. How would they ever get out of there with those two clowns heading up the escape?
She snuck up behind them and listened for a moment.
“Where shall we hide the goods once we acquire them?” Jonathan asked.
“I have not thought it through. Maybe we could—”
“Why not just put it in the back of the truck?” Luna said, making them leap through the air like bottle rockets on the fourth of July.
Jacob turned around, hand over his heart. “You did not say she was meeting us here,” he accused.
“That is because―” Jonathan gritted his teeth. “She is not supposed to be here.”
“I’m sorry. I couldn’t sleep and—”
Jonathan raised an eyebrow at her, and her heart fluttered.
“Okay, fine. I planned to come. I waited and watched as you left, then I followed.” She put her hands up. “If I leave it up to the two of you, we’ll get caught for sure.”
“What do you mean to say?” Jacob asked as if he’d had it all planned out from the start.
“First off — you took the keys way too early. You should have known someone would notice them missing,” she said. “What’d you do with them that no one could find them?”
“They are safe,” he countered.
“Safe? Hmm. Well, how do you plan to get in there now? You have the entire community on high alert, guards pacing the storage building, and do you even know which of the four vehicles the key starts?” She glanced from one of them to the other. “And do either of you know how to drive a vehicle?”
Jonathan sighed. “She makes a valid argument. We need her. She is an escape expert.” He grinned from ear to ear.
“I wouldn’t say—”
“So, what is your big plan if you are so smart?” Jacob asked, angrily. “And if you are so good at escaping, why are you still here?”
“Jacob,” Jonathan chided. “Keep your voice down, and do not speak to her in that tone. She is only trying to help.”
“Look.” Jacob turned on Jonathan. “Rachel is out there somewhere, and I must find her before she is hurt. I do not have the time for your . . . your. . . whatever she is, tagging along, holding me back. This was supposed to be my deal. I did not invite either of you.”
“Fine.” Luna turned to walk away. “If you don’t want my help, that’s fine.” She shoved her hand in the hem of her dress and pulled out something that made them both stare in awe. “But you’re not going anywhere without these.”
“Where did you get those?” Jacob asked while Jonathan stared in shock.
“Buried under the old Saguaro. Right where you put them. Now, do you want my help or not?”
“You are — how did you — give me those.” Jacob reached for the keys.
Luna pulled them into her chest and tightened her grip. “Am I in or not? Because I’m getting out of here one way or another. And you will too if you—”
“Fine. Give me the keys,” Jacob said.
“I’ll hold them.” She shoved them back into the hem of her dress. “Now, if the two of you distract those men down there, I will go in the back and get our supplies together.”
“Where will you put them?”
“Trust me,” she said with complete confidence.
Only it was a ruse. She had no idea where she would put the stuff. She couldn’t let them see her sweat now, though. She’d figure it out once she got the lay of the land.
Jonathan gave her a wink, and although it was dark, she didn’t miss the admiration that filled his face.
She smiled. “Go. Distract them, and I’ll do the rest.”
The boys headed down the incline to the building below. Before long, they were conversing with the watchmen, laughing, and joking. Luna waited a minute or two and then slipped down the hill to the back of the building. She just hoped it was unlocked, or all her talk would have been for nothing.
As she rounded the corner to the large loading doors, she stared at the four trucks parked neatly together. Two in front, two in back. For a split second, it occurred to her that she could make her escape at that very moment and she’d probably make it out. But the easy picture of Jonathan popped into her head, and she decided against it. Not only did she care for him, but he was also all she had.
She snuck quietly to the trucks, pulled the keys out, and tried them on the first vehicle. No luck. She tried the one behind it, and sure enough, it clicked open. They were no dummies. The elders had placed the truck with the missing keys directly behind the front truck and backed almost into the electric fence. They then blocked it in on the side by the other two vehicles. It would be impossible to get the thing out without creating a whole lot of noise and even more noise. The key was useless.
Luna headed to the back door of the storage building which hung wide open. As soon as she was inside, her mouth dropped in awe. The place was packed with food. But who was it for? The people lived off the land. She hadn’t seen a canned good since she’d been there, yet there in front of her was rows and rows, shelves and shelves, boxes and boxes of canned goods. Peas, corn, potatoes, meat . . . You name it, it was here. Something was going on, but Luna had no idea what it was.
Out front, the guys still talked and joked.
Okay, what first?
She headed to the box that held the rest of the vehicle keys. It was locked. She searched the desk below for a key. Nothing there. She looked back up at the lock. It was a cheap, flippy thing. It wouldn’t be hard at all to force open, but Luna had to be sure it didn’t look tampered with.
As she stared at the paperclip on the desk, an idea came to her. She grinned. She’d done it before. She picked up the paperclip, bent it just right, placed it in the keyhole and wiggled it a bit until she heard the lock give. The door popped open.
She wasn’t proud of her past, but she was happy that some of her waywardness had paid off in a time of crisis.
She looked inside. There were four hooks for four vehicles. Each hook held a set of keys except for the set that was missing. The set that was now in the hem of her dress. A thought occurred to her. She pulled the keys from the second hook, replaced them with the ones Jacob had stolen and put the new set back in the hem of her dress. She now had the keys to the second of the two front vehicles. If everything went as planned, no one would use that vehicle until the weekend. And by then, they should be long gone.
Luna gathered together a few necessities. As full as the place was, no one would notice if they took a couple of things here and there.
Chapter 32 - Chief Collins
“Chief? Chief!” Tanner yelled from somewhere in the station.
She had just sat down at her desk to eat her lunch. She stood and looked out into the lobby. “What is it, Tanner?”
He rushed into her office, nearly knocking her over and stared at her as he caught his breath. “Chief,” he said again.
“What is it?” she repeated as she headed back to her desk and picked up her sliced turkey and swiss to take a bite.
“It’s Luna. We found her.”
“What?” Her sandwich suspended midway between her mouth and the desk. She placed it back onto her napkin. “Well, where is she?” She stood and looked around Tanner.
“No. I mean, I think we found her.”
“Oh.” Now that was another story. She picked her sandwich back up and sat down.
Tanner sat in the chair across from the desk—the one that he seemed to think had his name on it. It might as well have. Of all her officers, he’d been the one sit in it the most. “Okay, so, there’s this girl. Her name is, uh, Rachel. Shelly picked her up on the freeway somewhere out by Phoenix.”
“Wait — what?”
“This girl. An Amish girl. Well, she’s not Amish, but she belongs to that—”
“Tanner, you are not making any sense. Shelly picked up a streetwalker? And this is somehow related to Luna how?”
“She’s not a streetwalker. I mean, she was walking on the street but—”
“Okay. Start over. You’re confusing me.”
“Hannah just called me. She said a girl was living at Shelly’s house who was pregnant and was thrown out of her community. Some kind of religious sect. Hannah knew about it but didn’t tell me because the girl was afraid of cops and begged her not to tell. Anyway, she didn’t think anything of it until yesterday when Shelly brought the girl to the house. She said she knew Luna. She said Luna lived in the same place she was thrown out of.”
“Are you sure?”
“That’s what Hannah just told me. She said Shelly brought the girl to our house and the girl freaked out and said she wouldn’t speak to the police. Well, they finally convinced her to talk.”
“What are you waiting for? Where is she?”
“They’re on their way now.”
Tanner bounced out of his seat and left. Erika rewrapped her sandwich and placed it back in the bag. It would have to wait. She wasn’t sure exactly
how all of this had come about. Especially the fact that a girl was right under their noses all this time and no one seemed to know a thing about it. Especially Tanner. How did he not know this important tidbit of information?
As she waited for them to show up, Erika stopped and prayed for Luna. That this Rachel girl would be the key to finding her, and that above all else, that Luna was unharmed. As she finished and glanced out the window, Shelly’s car had just parked. Three individuals exited the car. Shelly, Hannah, and a young girl she’d never seen before. The girl wore a yellow flowery summer dress, but her body language said she was not in her element. Just the way her hands came up to her bare shoulders to shield them from sight told Erika she wasn’t used to being so exposed. And her eyes looked haunted. The small bump that protruded from her midsection confirmed that she was indeed pregnant. Erika guessed she was an early teen, maybe even pre-teen.
She just hoped this girl had the information she was looking for.
Chapter 33 - Rachel
I cannot believe they are forcing this upon me.
Rachel’s body numbed as she shuffled up the sidewalk and into the den of Satan’s lair. She had never in her life seen a real police officer but had imagined them in her dreams as having horns and a spiked tail.
Just that night, she’d had a horrible nightmare that she’d been surrounded by them. Demons. Each one, claiming they were the police and they were there to help her. Their red, spiked tongues licked at her face as they spoke. She’d woken up in a fit of fear. Sweat soaking her sheet to her body.
Fear gripped her.
“No, I cannot” She turned to go back to the car.
“Rachel.” Shelly took her arm gently. “It’s okay. Remember we talked about this.”
“Yes, but . . .” her voice trailed off as a man strode up to them.
He was a young man, clean shaved, short cut hair, wearing clothing of a dark blue.
“Hey, honey,” he said as he kissed Hannah’s cheek. “Shelly.” He nodded to her. “And this must be Rachel.”
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