CHAPTER TEN
CHAPTER NINE
“God, no,” whispered Saylor. “H-how? How did he find me? How did he know where to come?”
“We think it was me,” said Nell with a sad face. “I looked back at all my e-mails to your mother. Before Sor and I were even married, I told her I was staying at a remote cabin south of New Orleans. I didn’t know. I didn’t know what was happening back then. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Nell. You thought you were communicating innocently with your niece,” said Chief. When Suzette and Riley walked up, they were surprised to see them so quickly.
“What’s up?” asked JB.
“The blood work was definitive. It’s a modified version of LSD.
It’s not only designed to create a joyous high, usually fully equipped with hallucinations, but somehow to also enhance the anger reactions of the users.
That’s why he was so violent in the café.
Coroner took his body and will be calling the family to tell them he was attacked randomly in the alley off Magazine. ”
“What does that mean?” asked Saylor.
“They’ll think he was killed in New Orleans, not way out here,” said Remington kissing her temple. “They’ll be close but not close enough. We can also have someone in the coroner’s office to watch for whoever picks him up.”
“Uh, that will be a problem,” said AJ. “Coroner had the office call ahead and tell the family of his death. They were told to cremate his body and bury him in a pauper’s grave.”
“What? That’s cold even for them. I don’t understand why they would do that. It doesn’t make any sense,” said Saylor.
“They said, and I quote, ‘he failed and should die a failure’s death’. I’m sorry, Saylor,” said AJ.
“What does any of this mean? What is going on?” she asked.
“We’re not sure, but we’re going to find out,” said Joseph.
“We’re all going to find out,” said Ham. “We’re going to have some questions for you about your family, the religious services held, your parents, and the others. Don’t worry about it right now.”
“Don’t worry about it? There is a dead man headed to the coroner’s office. A man that I basically grew up with. He was sent for me. Me!” she said excitedly. “I may be na?ve. I may have been raised on a weird compound. But I am not stupid.”
“I’m sorry. Of course, you’re right. You’re not stupid at all and I didn’t mean to imply that,” said Luke.
“No. I’m sorry. It’s the pregnancy hormones,” she said rubbing her belly. “I’ve been cramping all day.”
Every man in the room raised his head, staring at her.
“Cramping? Cramping how?” asked Cam.
“I-I don’t know. Cramping. My back especially, ohhh, like now,” she said bending over trying to rub her back.
“Honey, I think you’re in labor,” said Remington.
“No. No, no. It’s too soon,” she said frantically.
“Not for twins,” smirked Joseph.
“This isn’t funny!” Joseph nodded, wiping the smirk off his face.
“Of course, you’re right,” he said taking one elbow. “Come on, we’re going to get you to the hospital.”
Saylor stood and felt the flood of liquid running down her legs. They all stared at her, Riley and Suzette smiling.
“I believe your water just broke, honey. Come on, let’s get you to your cottage and we’ll call Marnie and the others. I don’t think there’s going to be time…”
“Ahhh!” she screamed.
“Yep, that’s the confirmation. There’s no time to get you to the hospital. Let’s go. Get her to the cottage.”
By the time she was lying in their bed, an extra sheet, shower curtain, and towels beneath her, the contractions were fierce and a head of dark hair was crowning.
Marnie, Layla, and Marissa were all in the room, ready to bring the babies into their new world.
Marnie huge with her own multiples, tried to wait for Gray to come over from the other island, but these babies were impatient.
“What do I do?” asked Remington, seated beside Saylor, holding her hand.
“Never touch me again!” she yelled.
“She doesn’t mean that,” smiled Layla. “She’s just hurting. The first baby is coming, push for me Saylor.”
It took less than an hour for Saylor to deliver two healthy, identical little boys with heads full of dark hair, pudgy cheeks and hands, and so quiet she worried for them.
“Is that normal? All the quiet?” she asked. “I thought babies cried.”
“It’s normal for a Redhawk baby,” said Lauren standing in the room with the other wives.
“She’s right,” said Julia. “Our babies barely cried at all. You’ll find that they’re very quiet, very silent babies. Keep your eyes open when they start crawling and walking. You’ll never know where they’ll end up.”
“They’re perfect,” whispered Dana staring down at her grandsons. “Absolutely perfect. Do you have names for them yet?”
“We do,” nodded Remington looking around the room. He caught the faces of the people he wanted there the most. The ghostly expressions of Irene, Matthew, George, and Nathan, the others gathered behind them. “Grayson and Asher.”
“Grayson Redhawk and Asher Redhawk,” repeated his father. “Those are fine names, Remington. Saylor, you did good honey.”
“She did better than good,” smiled Irene. “They’re beautiful.”
“I can’t believe they’re healthy and a good weight. They’re four weeks early.”
“Twins almost always come early,” said Layla. “Yours were both six pounds and a few ounces. Perfect and healthy. Congratulations to you both. We’ll come back later and check on you.”
Saylor looked at the sweet faces of her sons being passed from one relative to another. She scooted herself up against the pillows and looked at everyone in the room.
“What’s going to happen?” she said staring at the others. Gator and Ham stepped forward, nodding at her.
“We’re going to figure out what your family is doing, honey.
We think they could be involved in illegal activities but like we said earlier, we’re going to ask some questions about your family that might be difficult for you.
Had you ever heard anyone talk about being ‘the chosen’, whether a male or female. ”
“No. Never. In fact, it confused me because although our meeting hall was used for church services, it was generally very short. We’d all meet there Sunday morning at ten, one of the men was a pastor, although I think he got licensed online.”
“That’s the internet for you,” frowned Irene. “Folk gettin’ everything they need off it, includin’ their clergy.”
“The service was only thirty minutes, usually because there was so much to do. The women and children would leave but anyone over the age of twenty-one, a male over the age of twenty-one, stayed back and they talked about stuff.”
“Stuff? What kind of stuff?” asked Cowboy.
“I don’t know,” she grinned. “I wasn’t male and I wasn’t over twenty-one.”
“Sorry,” he said grinning back at her. “Did you hear of anything they spoke of? You mentioned that they traveled to Mexico several times a year. Do you know what that was about?”
“We were all told it was to get produce, fresh from the growers but I knew that wasn’t it. They never came back produce but they came back with crates, the same crates I saw in the bunkers.”
“Honey, did they have any markings on them? Any name or anything at all?” asked JB.
“Do you have a piece of paper and a pencil? I can probably draw it,” she said looking at the group of men. She could hear the wives in the kitchen preparing a meal for them and she knew that her sons were in good hands with their grandparents and great-grandparents holding them.
A few moments later, Saylor turned the sheet around to show the room.
“It looked like this,” she said turning the sheet of paper.
“It was an eight-pointed star stretching out to these small squares with more stars inside. In the body of the eight points was this odd double-cross on it. I feel like there were other things around it, I just can’t remember it right now. ”
“No need,” said Irene.
“What do you mean, Mama Irene?” asked Remington.
“I mean, no need. I know that sign and it ain’t good for no one. We need to report it to the authorities and leave it alone.”
“Mama Irene, you’re going to have to give us a bit more,” said Ham. “This is about one of our own and those children out there.”
“I know,” she nodded nibbling her lower lip. Matthew squeezed her hand, nodding at her. He stepped forward and looked at the men and women in the bedroom, which suddenly felt way too small.
“It is a cult that borders between witchcraft, religion, ancient culture, and voodoo,” said Matthew.
“No,” said Saylor. “How could I not know that?”
“They’re very good at hiding what they do.
They make their money by buying and selling weapons to criminals, outlaw biker gangs, inner city gangs, the mafia and other such groups.
They have long held the belief that there is a chosen one for each generation that will deliver a child, their leader, but she must do it as a sacrifice. ”
“Wh-what?” she whispered.
“Not the child, the mother,” said Matthew. “They sacrifice the mother much like many of the cultures in Mexico and South America did generations ago.”
“My parents brought me to that place to sacrifice me?” she gasped. Nell sat beside her niece, holding her hand.
“Maybe. Maybe not, child. It could have been another child and that child died. It’s usually a female but could be a male.”
“The Jenkins boy,” she whispered. They all turned to look at her.
“We never saw him. We never saw his body but they said he’d gotten caught in that combine and lost his arm, bleeding to death.
It never made sense. He knew those machines better than anyone in the world.
Plus, Mrs. Jenkins barely cried at the funeral. She just kept staring at the box.”
“It’s possible they thought he was the chosen one,” said Matthew. “What you have to know is that they will do anything to protect their way of life. Whether they think you’re truly the chosen one and will ensure generations of children for them, or not, you are in danger from them.”