Chapter 13
Cain
I’m the first awake.
It’s five-thirty, and we’ll be leaving soon.
I don’t want to worry about what lies ahead, but I’d be crazy if I didn’t have some anxiety about it.
The thing that worries me the most is the possibility that the Prophet is expecting us.
If we’re right about Daisy, and she’s double-crossed Ophelia, we could be walking into a setup.
I tell myself that one thing the Prophet won’t be expecting is for us to turn up armed to the hilt and with a crack force team of men.
It’s going to be a long journey. We’re taking plenty of supplies, so we won’t need too many stops, but we’re still going to require some rest breaks.
For Daisy to show us the way, we need to arrive before it gets dark, or it’s going to be a struggle for her to recognize the location; though the cover of darkness will be our friend when it comes to setting up and doing a recon of the place.
Will the Prophet have people watching the local roads for our arrival?
I reach out a foot and give Malachi a nudge on the opposite couch.
He jerks away. “What the—?”
“Time to get up.”
He swings his legs around to plant his bare feet on the floor and drags both hands through his already messy dark hair. “Fuck. Feels like I only just got to sleep.”
“I know how you feel, but we need to get moving.”
“I’m calling first dibs on the bathroom,” he says, getting to his feet. “Are the others awake?”
“Not that I’ve seen. Let’s leave Daisy as long as possible.”
“Agreed.”
I leave Malachi to use the bathroom and head up the spiral staircase to the bedroom. I tap my knuckles on the door and enter. Roman sits on the edge of the bed, carefully pulling on a t-shirt. The adjoining bathroom door opens, and Ophelia appears, already fully dressed.
“Couldn’t sleep either?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “I fell asleep after your… visit… but then woke up early again.” She bites her lower lip. “I’m nervous.”
“You can always stay, if that’s what you’d prefer.” I don’t want her to stay, but I don’t want her to feel pressured into this. If she feels she has a choice, it will give her the illusion of control.
“No way. I’m going wherever you go.”
I offer her a reassuring smile. “Another twenty-four hours, and the Prophet will be out of your life for good.”
“I hope so. Is Daisy awake yet?”
I glance over my shoulder as though I half expect to find the girl lurking behind me. “I don’t think so. We let her sleep.”
“I’ll go and wake her up.”
She slips past me, pausing only to give me a quick kiss and squeeze my hand, and then she’s gone, leaving me with only memories of last night.
What fucking incredible memories they are, too.
Just the thought sends blood rushing to my cock, and I have to force myself to think of something else, so I don’t come in my pants at the mental image of Ophelia’s ass and pussy swallowing the candle and hairbrush.
On the bed, Roman tries to get his arm through his t-shirt, and he winces.
“Need some help?” I offer.
“Sure.”
I hold out the sleeve for him, and he manages to get his arm through it.
“Still in pain, huh?”
He blows out a breath. “Yeah, always feels worse first thing. I’ll loosen up after I move around a bit.”
I don’t mention how he’s now got to spend ten or more hours in a car. “Sure you’re up for this?” I check. “You could always get Ophelia to stay here with you.”
He shakes his head. “No fucking way. We stick together.”
“I figured you’d say that.”
He narrows his eyes. “Why the suggestion, then? Do you think we’re making a mistake by taking Ophelia with us?”
“I don’t think we’ve got much choice. We can’t leave her here, alone.”
“No, you’re right. We can’t.” He stares at me. “So… Why did you bring it up?”
I shrug. “I’d be happier for her to stay here if she was with someone, and you’re injured, so you and her staying makes sense, to a degree, so I put it out there. Gave you a choice. I’m glad you made the one you did, though. But I wouldn’t try to force you to go if you weren’t up to it.”
Am I worried we’re making a mistake? Could we be wrong about Daisy?
Of course, it’s possible, but I also know with utmost certainty that none of us will function if we don’t have Ophelia by our sides.
Having Roman stay with her would be a lesser evil than her staying behind alone, which isn’t happening, but I am relieved he said no to the offer.
I leave Roman to finish getting dressed.
Downstairs, I find Ophelia has woken Daisy, and they’re both gathering their belongings.
Malachi has made coffee, and he pours everyone a mug.
We don’t have long to drink it, but we all need the hit of caffeine.
The mood is tense, and when we speak, it’s in low, respectful tones.
There’s movement outside, followed by a brisk knock at the door. It’ll be the team my father sent. I’m still surprised my father has been so accommodating, but it’s a good fucking thing he has, or we’d be screwed. I’m not sure what we’d do—probably have to ask the Vipers or Devils for help again.
I open the door to find Felix standing there.
“We’re ready to move out, sir,” he says.
“Five minutes,” I tell him.
We’ll be leading the way in my truck, with the RV following.
We can follow the Satnav for most of the journey, but once we get closer, we’re going to need to rely on Daisy.
The idea of Daisy being in control doesn’t sit well with me, but we don’t have much choice.
She’s the only one who can guide us to the exact location of the commune.
There’s the possibility that Ophelia will start to recognize things when she gets closer, but she’s been away from the cult for some time now, and her memory won’t be as sharp as Daisy’s.
The others haul bags and supplies out to my old truck. While there are also supplies in the RV, they have the kind of high energy packet meals designed for camping, not the junk food required for road trips. Malachi walks past with his arms full of soda cans and potato chips—a meal of champions.
Everyone is out by the truck, but I realize someone is missing.
Daisy. Shit. Where is the girl now? I glance back to the water tower just as she slips out of the front door.
She’s pale, her head down, clutching her bag tightly.
It’s understandable that she’s nervous. Perhaps, out of all of us, she’s the one who has the most to lose. Her entire family is in danger.
I try to be kind. “Daisy, is everything all right?”
She flashes me a tight smile and nods.
“Good,” I say. “We probably need to get going.”
Everyone looks like they’re ready. I return to the water tower to lock up and give the place one last inspection to make sure we haven’t forgotten anything.
We look a little like we’ve been burgled, especially in the kitchen where Malachi hasn’t bothered to close half the cupboards and drawers.
I walk around, closing each of them, then check the other rooms to make sure we won’t be returning to chaos.
Something catches my attention.
The door to the altar room is slightly ajar.
I was sure it had been fully closed because we’d been careful not to let Daisy see in there.
Then I remembered that we grabbed the masks in the middle of the night.
We must have left the door open then. Shit.
Oh, well, it’s too late now to worry about Daisy seeing.
She’ll hopefully be back with her family, soon.
With everything straightened, I leave the water tower, making sure to lock the door behind me, and head to the truck.
Malachi is riding shotgun, while Ophelia, Daisy, and Roman are in the back.
Ophelia is in the middle. Her head rests on Roman’s shoulder.
Daisy is angled away from them both, staring out of the passenger window, even though there isn’t anything to see yet.
I climb behind the wheel. “Everyone ready?”
Nods from my passengers follow, and I start the truck. I toot the horn a couple of times to let Felix know we’re on the move. The headlights of the large RV illuminate in a couple of flashes to let me know he understands.
I put the vehicle into gear and my foot on the gas and head out of Verona Falls.