Chapter 15
Cain
We’ve crossed into West Virginia on the main freeway and driven for about thirty minutes. The sycamores and oaks lining the roads are on the cusp of change, the leaves looking heavier under the softening sunlight.
“Anywhere look familiar?” I ask Daisy, twisting in the passenger seat to look at her.
She bites the inside of her cheek, a habit she has that annoys the crap out of me.
“Not yet. Keep going.”
Mal sighs from behind the wheel. “We could drive right past where we need to turn off. If she doesn’t know where to go…”
“There’s a town about an hour away from the commune,” she says. “It’s small, local—we go there occasionally to buy goods and things. It’s really tiny compared to the places we’ve been driving through, and kind of old fashioned.”
“That narrows it down,” Roman mutters from the back.
I blow out a breath. “Okay, Daisy, think. What landmarks are there near the cul…commune? Lakes? Mountains? There’s that town. Anything else?”
“Oh, okay, so there are two lakes that you pass between the commune and the town. I got to the town when I left, and from there I got a ride with an old man.”
“Okay.” I mess about on my phone, inputting all the information into a search engine and asking it to recommend what area she might be talking about. It comes up with an answer and directions.
“We’ve got a hit here,” I say. “Two possible towns. They’re only thirty minutes apart.”
“I don’t know anything about two towns.” Daisy’s voice waivers. “Only the one.”
“Will you recognize the town if we get you to it?” I ask.
“Yes,” she says quietly. “I will.”
“And from there, can you direct us to the commune?”
“Yes, I can, but you can’t risk getting too close, or you’ll be seen.
Their land is quite big, and they have men who watch out for strangers, but they don’t always go up to the very edges of the far side by the fields.
” She nods as if convincing herself. “I can get you there from the town. I just need to find the town.”
I turn to Mal. “Let’s try these two places and go from there.”
I send a text to Felix, telling him what’s going on, and I get a “sure thing” reply.
The first town we approach is a bust.
“This isn’t it.” Daisy is craning her neck to look out of the window. “I’d remember if it was.”
Ophelia bites her lower lip as she stares around.
“It doesn’t look familiar to me, but I’ve blocked so much out, the trauma of being kidnapped by the Prophet most of all.
I guess not being born into the cult made everything so much blurrier, and then my escape was horrific.
My mind has taken all these things and softened them into jumbled mush instead of clearly formed memories. ”
I want to hug her, but I can’t. I imagine her memories being blurred and unformed as they’re washed over by time and trauma.
Like water wearing away the sharp edges of a stone and making it smooth, the same way my most awful memories are.
Like the time my brother lost his hearing.
I shake it off, not wanting that to be my focus right now.
Not when I need to stay sharp for what’s coming.
We drive on, and I shuffle because I’m starting to get stiff. I have no idea how Roman must feel with his injuries, but to give him credit, he hasn’t complained.
“Are you okay?” I throw the question out to the man behind me.
“Fine,” he answers.
I glance around to look at him and smile. His fingers are entwined with Ophelia’s, and he brushes over the back of her hand with his thumb. I’m not overly jealous of how much time she’s spending with him because he’s gone through hell and high water.
I look down at my phone and give Mal directions to the next town that might be a hit. If it’s not, we’ll need to widen our parameters.
But this time as we approach, Daisy becomes agitated. She’s craning her neck to stare out of the window and chewing on her cheek.
“I think this might be the place. It looks familiar.”
“Can we drive out the other side and get to your community?” I ask her.
Shaking her head, she blows out a breath.
“No. Or at least not so far as I am aware from the few times I came. We would drive in, park on the main street, do whatever business we were there for, and then drive back out the way we came in. It’s one road, so I presume if you go out the other way, it leads you farther from our commune. ”
“Okay, that’s great.” I toss her a smile, but she only frowns and doesn’t return it.
Calling Felix, I tap my fingers against the phone, waiting for him to answer.
“Yes, boss,” he says finally.
“Can you guys park up here and wait for us to drive through the town? It’s one road in and out, and I think a massive RV driving all the way to the end, turning around and driving back might be noticed way more than an old truck.”
“Sure thing. We’ll pull off the side of the road. Call and hang up if you need help, and we’ll be there in moments.”
“Will do.” I end the call and focus intently ahead as Mal turns onto the long, narrow road. It widens a little as we approach the town, but not by much. Yeah, the RV would have stuck out like a sore thumb.
“This is it,” Daisy breathes as we drive in via the only main road.
Stores with old-fashioned signs hanging outside line either side of the street, which, with the brick buildings, make the place seem picturesque and quaint. Oh, what dark secrets lie behind some of the prettiest facades, I think ominously.
“This is it,” Daisy whispers, her words sounding strained as she repeats herself.
“Are you sure?” I ask.
“Absolutely.”
Up ahead, there’s a small group of men on the corner of what looks to be the only intersection in this downtown area.
“Get down.” I bark the order to the women and swivel in my seat to make sure they’re complying. “Ophelia, Daisy, get your heads down.”
Ophelia drops hers onto Roman’s lap, and Daisy ducks.
Our truck drives slowly past the men, who I don’t get a detailed look at because I’m too busy making sure the women aren’t visible.
“Were they from the commune, do you think?” I ask Mal as we pass by.
My heart is pounding at the thought some of those fuckers could have seen Ophelia and Daisy and might be in league with the Prophet.
Now that we’re so close, I’m beginning to seriously second guess the decision to bring Ophelia with us.
I think we’ve had our judgement clouded by the fact she was taken from us, but really, if we were being analytical about this, she’d be safer at the college.
Hell, I bet the Devils would have let her stay with them in their apartments, if I’d begged, and that would have been way safer than dragging her out here.
It's too late to change things now, though, and airing my concerns won’t help us, either, so I put a lid on it and focus.
“I don’t think so,” Mal says. “They were wearing modern clothing, expensive sneakers and the like. I presume that’s not what the men from your community wear, Daisy?”
“No,” she whispers from the back. “They all wear maroon.”
Her voice is shaking, and I’m worried she’s going to lose it and do something crazy.
“Good.” Mal nods. “We don’t want any of the townsfolk seeing you either, in case they recognize you.
It would put you both in danger.” He glances at a couple walking down the sidewalk, hand in hand.
“I presume some of the townspeople do business with the Prophet, and you said the cops are in his pocket, right, Ophelia?”
She makes a small sound of agreement in the back of her throat. “We all knew if we ran, we’d be sent straight back if law enforcement found us.”
I wonder for a moment if that means we’re going to have cops coming down on us, if anyone at the commune gets a chance to call them.
The thing is, though, Ophelia only knows the cops are on the Prophet’s side because that’s what the cult members told her.
What if it’s not true? What better way to make people stay than to tell them the cops are in your pocket and if they try to leave, they’ll be brought straight back?
We don’t know the truth of the situation, but there are a whole lot of possibilities of how things might work between the town and the cult.
Hell, I’d bet good money there are people in this town who hate the Prophet and think he’s a total weirdo.
And they’d be right, of course, in my humble opinion.
As we exit the town’s single road, after doubling back on ourselves and driving out the way we came in, I turn to the women. “We’re back on the country roads. You can sit up.”
Turning to study Daisy, I ask gently, “Can you show us how to get to the commune from here?”
“Yes,” she says.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.” A hint of impatience creeps into her voice.
I get the strongest feeling she doesn’t like me or the other guys. Maybe I’m becoming psychic, or perhaps it’s just the fact that she makes it so damn obvious.
“How far from here? How long does it take you to drive back?”
“You do drive, right?” Mal drawls. “Or do you guys use a horse and cart?”
Not fucking helpful. I punch his shoulder.
“They have vehicles,” she says. “Not many, but some.”
“How many?” I ask. That’s something else to consider. We don’t want people escaping in cars if they have lots of them.
“Farm vehicles to plow the fields and tend the land. The Prophet has a car. I think maybe some of his disciples do, but they have things in barns we aren’t allowed in.”
Ophelia nods. “Yeah, he’s quite secretive at times, even from his own people. I’m not sure even his most loyal foot soldiers know everything he has planned, or the wealth he has.”
“So, how long does it usually take?” I ask Daisy again.
“I think around an hour from here.”