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“Sam. His name is Sam.” Olivia pulled the child from the front sling and handed him into June’s awaiting arms. She had to trust these people, she had no choice and the scent of the food cramped her empty stomach. She’d had nothing to eat for the last two days, afraid that if she took a single bite of anything that had been in her backpack, it might mean Sam going hungry.

  Micah sat silently as she ate. She tried not to shovel the savory stew into her mouth like a wild animal. She had no idea what exactly was in the stew, but nothing had ever tasted so good.

  When she was finished she looked at June. “Is there milk? I have a bottle for Sam in my backpack but he emptied it the first night we were in the woods.”

  The area where she sat was warmer than it had been outside and with her belly full, all she really wanted to do was sleep. She’d only had unanticipated fitful dozes while in the forest; she’d been too afraid to allow herself any real sleep. The forest had been filled with critters, both animal and human.

  “How about I get a bottle ready for Sam and put him down in the nursery?” June asked.

  Panic once again clawed up Olivia’s throat. “Nursery? Where is that? What, exactly, is this place?”

  “You’re safe here and nobody will hurt you or your son,” Micah finally spoke. “Why don’t you and June get the boy settled in for the night and then the three of us will talk some more.”

  Olivia hesitated for a long moment, so many questions whirling around in her head, coupled with the crushing fear for the child she had left behind.

  She finally got up from the table and rummaged in the now nearly empty backpack for the empty bottle. June handed Sam back to her and Olivia watched as the woman washed the bottle and then filled it with milk. “Come with me,” she then said.

  The cave was a maze of rooms, some small, some much larger, some with wooden doors and some without. The temperature was slightly cooler away from the kitchen area, but not unpleasantly so.

  They finally came to a medium-sized room that held several cribs and child-sized cots. “We have a couple three-year-olds, but they’re sleeping with their mommy in another room, so right now he’s the only little one we have here,” June said as she motioned for Olivia to place Sam in one of the cribs.

  Sam awakened and as always gave his mother a beatific smile and then when he saw the bottle June held, his fingers worked in a gimme fashion. “Bot,” he exclaimed.

  June smiled and gave him the bottle and as he began to drink it, his eyes drifted closed once again. The two women backed out of the nursery and June showed her the room next door. “We’ll put you in here, that way you can hear if he needs anything throughout the night.”

  This area was small, with a door and a double bed covered with what appeared to be clean sheets and a lightweight blanket. A small rustic wooden table sat next to the bed with an oil lantern burning to light the room. “I’m afraid it isn’t exactly the Ritz, but we all manage.”

  “It’s fine,” Olivia replied, still feeling as if she’d entered a surreal world she didn’t quite understand.

  “We’d better get back to Micah. He’s probably chewing off his own arm waiting to ask you some questions.”

  When they headed to the kitchen, the scent of freshly brewed coffee filled the air. Micah was seated where he’d been when they had left, but three cups of coffee were on the table. “I wasn’t sure how you drank yours,” he said to Olivia.

  “Black is fine.” She curled her fingers around the warmth of the mug and then looked at June. “What is this place and what are all of you doing here?”

  “The cave was built a long time ago by an architect who went crazy and became an eccentric survivalist—decided to prepare for the end of the world. He was something of a genius when it came to using the natural resources accessible in the mountains. Rumor has it that he died when he’d finished construction and it was left to a distant relative of his. About five years ago, when we realized what was happening in Cold Plains, we knew we’d need a place of safety so we contacted the owner who told us to do whatever we wanted with it. We did a little refurbishing to make it once again livable and here we are,” June explained.

  Olivia was aware of Micah’s dark gaze lingering on her, but she wasn’t finished getting answers from June. “So, this is about an investigation of some sort? Are you a police officer of some kind?”

  June smiled. “Heavens no. I’m just a widow who, years ago, lost my family to a cult and now I’ve made it my life’s mission running safe houses for members who leave and need a place to hide and to be deprogrammed.”

  “A cult? But Cold Plains is just a beautiful small town, a wonderful place to raise children. It’s a place of health and prosperity.” She frowned, recognizing she was parroting Samuel’s words.

  She tried not to think about the fact that she’d planned on getting the D tattoo on her hip before she left Cold Plains and that she’d been completely devoted to Samuel Grayson—until that moment two nights ago when everything she’d believed about the man had exploded apart.

  “It’s definitely a cult and it’s run by a very dangerous man,” Micah said.

  “Your brother.”

  He nodded and his green eyes transformed to a darker shade like the deepest forest shadows.

  “You look a lot like him,” she replied.

  “An unfortunate accident of genes. We’re fraternal twins. I’m here working with the FBI to bring down Samuel and all his cult enforcers.”

  Olivia stared first at June and then back at Micah, trying to wrap her mind around the fact that the perfect little town she’d called home was actually run by a group of evil “cult” members. “It’s a beautiful town. Everything shines with prosperity and newness. They’re even drawing in celebrities and big investors. I lived in a charming little house and had a great job. My children were happy and had the best health care available.” Once again she was aware that she was saying what she’d been told, what had been almost a mantra of the townspeople who followed Samuel’s teachings.

  Still, she didn’t need to be deprogrammed by anyone. Her break with anything to do with Samuel and his messages and his way of life had happened in a single heart-stopping instant.

  “So, what are you doing here? Why were you hiding out in the woods looking for the safe house?” Micah asked.

  Olivia’s heart began to beat an unsteady rhythm as she remembered what had happened, what she’d seen two nights before. “I worked at the Community Center as a secretary. That day Sam had been fussy so I’d kept him with me at work. Samuel never minded if I needed to have him with me. As usual Ethan, my three-year-old, had gone to the Cold Plains Day Care.”

  She took a sip of her coffee, hoping the warmth would heat the icy chill that had suddenly gripped her heart. “I worked a little later than usual, so it was dark when I finally left the Community Center. The day care wasn’t far away and I took off walking, knowing that Ethan would be eager to see me and his little brother after such a long day.”

  Emotion once again pressed tight in her chest, rising up the back of her throat, but she swallowed hard, needing to get through this before she allowed herself to completely fall apart.

  She took another sip of the strong coffee as Micah and June waited patiently for her to continue. She set the cup back on the table, aware that her fingers were trembling.

  “There was an alley adjacent to the street,” she continued. “I saw Samuel and another man standing there talking and I didn’t really think too much about it. They didn’t look angry or upset, but as the man turned to leave, Samuel pulled a gun and shot him in the back of his head. There was no sound. He must have used a silencer, but as the man fell to the ground, I ran.”

  She had run like the wind, with panic stealing away all rational thought. Get away. Get away, that had been her only thought. She’d dashed away, praying that Samuel hadn’t seen her, fearing not just for her own life but for Sam’s life, too.

  “Did Samuel see you?” Micah asked as he leaned forw
ard.

  A trembling began in the very center of her very soul. “I don’t know. I didn’t stick around to find out. I just ran, with no thought, with no particular plan in mind. I’d heard rumors that there was a safe house someplace up the mountain but I had no idea how difficult it might be to find. I went for Ethan, but the day care was dark, empty, and I didn’t have time to locate him. I was afraid that if Samuel had seen me, I’d never make it to my son. And I’d be putting Sam in danger, as well.”

  “You need to give this information to Hawk,” Micah said. “An eyewitness account to murder is just what we need to get Samuel into custody.”

  “Who is Hawk?” Olivia asked.

  “Hawk Bledsoe. He’s a native from Cold Plains but he’s now an FBI agent working on the case.”

  “And what exactly is the case?” Confusion coupled with exhaustion made everything difficult to comprehend for her at the moment.

  “The main investigation is into the killing of five women. We believe Samuel is responsible for their murders.”

  Olivia gasped and shot a hand to her head as an ache began to pound at her temples. She’d heard some vague rumors, but she hadn’t believed any of them. Still, as terrible as it sounded, at the moment she didn’t want to hear about murdered women. She didn’t want to hear about cults and Samuel.

  She dropped her hand back to the table and looked Micah in his cold, dark green eyes. She raised her chin, refusing to be intimidated by him and firm in the decision she’d just made. “I’m not talking to anyone until I get my son back.”

  And then to her horror she burst into tears.

  ISBN: 9781459238466

  SURGEON SHEIK’S RESCUE

  Copyright © 2012 by Loreth Beswetherick

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