Chapter 17
Elijah huffed as he watched his sister and mother being lead to a police car. He’d gone out for a walk in the park down the street, trying to clear his head. He’d arrived back at Tara’s apartment building just in time to see his womenfolk being arrested!
How dare they touch his women! But now that another man had laid hands on Nora and Beth Ann, they were sullied. They were worthless. They’d allowed another man to touch them, so he was fully justified in dismissing them from his life.
Of course, Beth Ann was already dirty since she’d been married before. He thought about the situation for a moment, then nodded his approval. The two women were useless members of the congregation since neither were able to procreate. Nora was still a virgin, but since her husband had died before their wedding night, no other community member was willing to risk marriage to her. Hence, why the woman had been a burden to his household for the past several years.
Beth Ann, his mother, was useless as well. Oh, she cooked and cleaned adequately. But she wasn’t a pure woman any longer. She couldn’t remarry since she was no longer a virgin. And therefore, she was a burden to the community as well.
Without the women slowing him down, Elijah knew that he could make better progress in finding his wife. Tara had to be close by. He wasn’t sure where exactly, but eventually, she’d have to come home to him. And if she was no longer a virgin, if Tara had allowed another man to steal her virginity…? Well, then he’d have to bring her back home so that she could be appropriately disciplined. Stoning was still an adequate punishment for hussies. It wasn’t used often, but when it happened, the stoning process was a sight to behold!
Not only did the stoning send the adulteress to her fiery, bruised afterlife, but it also reminded the other women in the group to obey their husbands and the male elders. It was a powerful lesson for any woman who dared to step out of line.
Kaia adjusted her blond wig, hoping that she could get to her hotel room quickly. She wanted a shower and a glass of wine. And she needed to find Tara so that she could ensure that her baby sister was safe.
Goodness, it had been so long since she’d seen Tara. The warning had been delivered and received, but Kaia had a bad feeling. She hadn’t heard Elijah on the digital feeds lately and that worried her. What orders had Ethan given Elijah?
It didn’t matter. Kaia needed to see Tara anyway. She needed to see with her own eyes that her baby sister was safe from her certifiably insane “husband”.
The taxi ride from the airport to Tara’s apartment building was short, but she still hated the blond wig. It itched and, with the intense sunshine, the wig kept in all of her body heat. However, she knew that, in just a few minutes, she’d be able to see Tara and toss the wig into the trash!
“Thank you,” she told the taxi driver and paid him, giving an extra tip.