CHAPTER ONE #2
Mary nods, and Caleb closes the door. I assume he’s standing on the other side waiting.
Mary looks at the three of us. “I brought some beans and biscuits for you. I also brought some bottled water that I took from Father’s stash.
” Mary sets the tray down on the counter and turns to look at us.
She speaks just above a whisper. “There are a couple of butter knives and a compass in the bag. I couldn’t sneak more in for you.
I wanna go with you. When it gets dark, I’m gonna come get you guys out.
Caleb is at my father’s house for some reason.
I think they’re planning on taking someone else, so while they’re distracted, I’m gonna get the key off of Caleb. Please let me go with you.”
The girls look at me, probably to see if Mary is trustworthy.
She’s the one person on this mountain I trust completely.
I nod. “You know we will. I don’t want you stuck up here either.
I can’t imagine who Joseph will make you marry.
” She looks at me, and I can tell she’s overheard something.
You see, I might be annoying to most of the men up here, and my father might hate me, but everyone overlooks and forgets Mary.
She’s quiet and doesn’t talk back, so the men forget she’s in a room.
She hears soooo much. The only one who never forgets her is her father, and I’m pretty sure that’s the one person she wants to forget her.
Mary speaks up right as the door unlocks.
“I think Joseph is going to try to take me as another wife.” I know I don’t hide my surprise and worry.
I don’t get to say anything back to Mary because Caleb opens the door.
“Let’s go. Your father expects you back at home now.
” Mary looks at the three of us and nods as she leaves.
Kelli speaks up after the door closes. “What kind of horrible shit has happened to you two up here?” That question has a very long and convoluted answer.
“I’m not going to tell you Mary’s story, because that’s hers to share, but what I will say is there is a reason there’s a shortage of women up here.
There’s almost no middle-aged or older women here because they’ve all either escaped, killed themselves, magically died soon after childbirth, or died in their sleep.
My father swears my mama died in her sleep.
I don’t think she did. I think he found out she was planning to escape, and I would bet my life that he smothered her with a pillow.
He’d rather have been a widower than a man whose wife ran off. ”
Erica, who hasn’t spoken much, speaks up. “We’re definitely getting the fuck out of here, and you two are coming with us. I’m not going to leave you here. Just thinking of all the bad shit that they can do to you up here has me pissed the fuck off.”
We’re sitting at the table, talking over ideas about which way to get down the mountain to the nearest phone, when I hear voices outside.
The girls look at me, and I put my finger up to keep them quiet.
The door opens, and Caleb and his brother Michael shove someone into the room.
She looks dressed up in a fancy dress and looks shocked to see us in here.
What the hell is Joseph doing, and where are they getting these girls?
In all my life, I don’t remember them taking people like this.
We fill in our new arrival. Madison is her name.
When I tell her that we’re trying to plan an escape, we figure out that her adopted mom is the same person my mama told me about.
It sounds like she’s got people who will come for her.
I would like to believe that, but I’ve learned never to trust anyone’s word.
No one has ever proven to me that they mean what they promise.
I still hold out hope that someone might change my thinking, but I know it won’t happen up here.
Mary doesn’t show up, and the three girls think we should wait until it’s a little lighter out.
None of us have shoes on because the jerks always take them to make running away harder.
I haven’t been allowed shoes in months. I know that Keli and Erica are trying to get a little sleep, but there’s no way I could, not when escape is so close.
There’s a key unlocking the door, and I expect it to be Mary, only it’s not.
It’s freaking Caleb and Joseph. It’s never a good day when I have to see Joseph.
I can’t imagine today will be any different.
I just hope Mary’s okay and still making her way here if she can.
Judging by the lack of light that came in when Caleb opened the door, it’s still very early in the morning. Please let us all escape this time!
Max
I really fucking hope this isn’t a trap. We went to a shed-like building that both Pa and Erik thought Mads would be at, but we had no luck. Then this girl came up to us and offered to take us to Mads. Well, Mads and three other girls who are apparently also in need of rescuing.
We’re all standing in the trees watching this girl with an almost floor-length skirt move quietly over to what looks like a shack.
Just a couple of minutes later, she comes back out quickly, followed by Mads.
Mads runs directly to Mick. I’m so fucking glad she’s safe, but again, I feel this ache.
I’m not jealous, but I want that. I want someone to love like that, who loves me back in the same way.
Behind Mads are two girls who look like they’re barely old enough to be in college.
They’re walking slowly, and that’s when I realize all the girls except for Mary have no shoes on.
How much do you wanna bet the fuckers did that on purpose?
There’s a girl dressed like Mary, only her hair's up in a long, light-brown or maybe dark-blonde ponytail. She’s following the two girls, but she trips and falls.
I overheard Mads say the girl is a klutz.
Leif and Jeremiah pick up the two girls.
Mads is fucking pissed and going home. I didn’t say anything to her at the reception like Juan, Ror, or Kierstie did, but fuck if I did anything to defend her when Juan told her he didn’t know how to talk to her after the attack that was the catalyst for Rory ending up in prison for a while. I’m gonna have to talk to her.
I hear a grunt of pain and look over to see Ry falling to the ground, grabbing his eye and his crotch at the same time.
The girl he was trying to carry is next to him.
I can tell by the sound that Ry ain’t gonna be doing anything but wheezing in pain for a bit, so I swoop in and pick up the girl.
She turns her head to look at me, and I swear the world stops.
She’s got eyes as blue as the ocean, and I’m pretty fucking sure I could drown in them.
She gives me a little smile. “I can walk if you’re afraid I’m going to hurt you like I did that other guy.
” I smile at her. “Nah, you’re good. Besides, my brother Ry could use some knocking back down to reality sometimes. ”
I follow Jeremiah and Leif back toward the trucks. I look back for a second and see Asher and Saxon are helping Ry to his feet, but both of them are fighting from laughing their asses off at him.
I look at the beauty in my arms and just have to know her name.
“Name’s Max. Thank you for helping my sister escape.
” She gives me a big smile, and, fuck me, she’s gorgeous.
“I’m Christy. I need to be the one thanking her.
This is the sixth time I’ve tried to escape.
I can’t marry the man whom Joseph picked for me.
He’ll suicide me faster than Father did to Mama.
” I don’t think this place has fucking improved at all since Ma left it in the eighties.
“Don’t worry. We’ll get you down the mountain and get you safe.
My Ma—” She interrupts me with excitement.
“Wait, you said you’re Madison’s brother, right?
” I nod as I’ve got us almost back to the trucks and don’t want to trip and drop her.
“Does that mean your mom is Linnea?” Before I can answer, Juan, who's standing at the truck waiting for us, answers, “Yeah, that’s our Ma. Why?” Christy turns and looks at Juan.
She blinks a couple of times because Mads, Juan, and I could not look more different.
She doesn’t say anything about it, but answers my nosiest brother.
“My mama, before she died, always told me if we escaped and needed help, to find someone named Linnea or her brother. I think his name was Erik or Derek or something. She remembered when Linnea was rescued, and almost at the same time, Linnea’s parents died.
Mama always said that we could find them.
I don’t know if it’s really true, but I’ve tried to leave so many times and never quite made it before…
before Father or Joseph and his muscle found me.
I just tried a couple of days ago, and you can see just how happy Father was with me.
” Her dad gave her the black eye? What kind of fucking men do they have up here?
Pa must have heard the whole conversation between Juan and Christy, because he speaks up from the front seat in the pickup across from the one we’re about to hop into.
“My wife is Linnea, and I’m sure she’ll be more than happy to help you, but I think tonight we’re taking you over to Anna’s house. She’s a nurse and has plenty of room.”