Chapter 5 #3
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen Iris in a very long time. I’ve wanted to look for her and at the same time . . . haven’t.”
Elena had kept up the dialogue with Sully, but she was keenly aware of her surroundings. And when the “shift” came, the awareness they weren’t alone, it was time to face those who didn’t welcome their intrusion.
She hadn’t been lying about most of them not wanting trouble with the law, but there were others who held to the ideologies ingrained in them since birth that outsiders only had one purpose—to take away their choices. To judge them and keep them from living the life they’d chosen.
The only problem was . . . some hadn’t chosen it. She couldn’t help wondering how many were in that number. How many other children—and possibly adults—wanted to leave and make their own choices.
“I’m Elen—Eleanor. Shorty’s daughter,” she called out. “I need to speak to him. Is he here? Or Iris Higgins?”
Leaves rustled in the distance, and Sully visibly tensed beside her, his hands flexing on the reins.
A young woman in her early thirties, dressed in green and tan camo, stepped out from the trees, rifle held loosely in her hands.
Elena had no doubt she could have it up and ready to plant a bullet in her within the blink of an eye. Simply because she could do the same. “Lindy Grace,” Elena said. “It’s been a long time.”
Surprise flickered in her former friend’s eyes before fading to a hard stare. “El?”
“Yes. How are you?”
“Not happy to see you, unfortunately. What are you doing here?”
“Looking for my dad and Iris. Are they here?”
“No. Why did you bring him with you?” She didn’t bother to grace Sully with a look, but kept her gaze on Elena.
“He’s a friend. Cousin to Maya Sullivan who owns the Broken Chains Ranch about five miles from here.”
The woman’s eyes finally transferred to the hat on Sully’s head. “Where’d you get that?”
“Someone came onto the Sullivan ranch land,” Sully said. “She dropped it when she ran from me.”
“She?”
“Yes.”
“Then give it back.”
Sully pulled the cap from his head and tossed it to Lindy Grace. It landed at her feet. She picked it up and tucked it into her pocket, then lasered her gaze back on Elena. “You know better than to come unannounced.” She nodded to Sully. “And to bring a stranger? What are you thinking?”
“I need to know who was on Sullivan land.”
“You know how this works. You’re trespassing. You get one chance to leave before anyone else gets here, and that’s only because of our past history.” She glanced behind her. “I’m serious, leave now or it won’t end well.”
Elena frowned. The woman was nervous. Maybe even afraid.
“What’s going on, Lindy?”
“A lot. Things are different now, Eleanor. We were friends as kids, but even I can’t protect you if you don’t leave now. Others are coming this way. Go. Please.” She backed toward the woods. “I don’t want to see you hurt. Or him. This is your only warning. Leave and watch your back.”
The woman was so indoctrinated into the ways of the preppers that she would do whatever she had to do to keep her status within the ranks. And that possibly included shooting trespassers. If not shooting them, at least turning them over to others who might not have the same restraint.
The preppers were made up of ex-cons, outcasts, people trying to escape something. And those born into it. Not unlike the people at Broken Chains. And yet the two places couldn’t be more different.
“Wait, someone tried to grab me off my horse. Do you know why?”
Lindy’s eyes narrowed. “One of us?”
“I’m not sure. I thought so, but I suppose it could have been just someone in the wrong place at the wrong time. A random thing.”
“If it was one of us, it wasn’t random.”
“But . . . why?”
Again, Lindy glanced over her shoulder, every line of her body tense. “Just watch your back. Don’t go anywhere alone.”
Something was going on, and Elena wasn’t going to get it from Lindy. But by staying, she could be putting Sully in danger. “Let’s go, Sully.”
He started to say something, then snapped his lips shut, turned the horse back the way they’d come, and nudged Belle forward.
Elena took another hard look at Lindy Grace. “Tell my father . . .” She stopped and bit her lip. “Never mind. Don’t tell him anything.” This wasn’t going to work, and there was no sense in trying to force her way in.
“For your own safety, stay away. Go somewhere far, far away.” Lindy Grace disappeared into the woods behind her before Elena could blink. But it was enough time for the bad feeling in her gut to grow exponentially.
She clicked to Harley. “Come on, boy. Let’s go home.” Seconds later, she caught up with Sully and they rode in silence for the next few minutes while Elena processed a horrifying thought.
“What is it?” Sully asked. “You’re very quiet and I have so many questions and thoughts. I’m going to need you to talk to me.”
“What if I just messed up?” she asked, her voice low.
Sully pulled Belle to a stop. “What do you mean?”
Elena lifted her gaze to meet his. “What if the woman you saw, the one who ran from you, was trying to escape the preppers and I just looped them in to the fact?”