Close to five that evening, he decided to head to the beach. Maybe if he couldn’t find Blakely, he could find someone else who would do. The women in California didn’t know anything about modesty and he could get a good look at their bodies. He liked women with some baby fat still on them. The younger the better.
Maybe he should look for someone young enough he could teach them how to be. When Blakely had turned sixteen, he should have taken her. Living alone for the last eight years had been shortsighted on his part.
But now he was ready for Blakely. Soon, she would be at his place, learning how to please him. The barn had a few good support beams he could chain her to if she put up resistance.
There were about a hundred people at the beach, and many of them were women. But they were too old. He needed someone who would accept their fate. Getting someone older than fourteen would cause problems. He needed someone raised in the faith, or someone very young he could instruct and shape.
He wanted loads of children. Maybe he could get two women. The fantasy ran through his mind, taking him down a very exciting path when he glanced up and saw someone who looked like Blakey.
Was he seeing things correctly? He pulled his ball cap down lower and moved so he could see her better. The woman was out here at the beach, tempting him.
He glanced around then saw she was with two other women. What the hell was up with that? Blakely knew she couldn’t have female friends. Only witches had friends. He had to save her from herself soon or she would end up going to hell.
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Blakely loved the peace of the beach. Even with people around, she felt good out here. Pen caught up with her and hooked arms with her.
“The beach is so healing. I love it out here.”
She nodded. “It is.”
“I love the way the sand moves and is different every time I come out here. I mean, I know it’s almost the same, but not exactly the same. Sometimes I just want to come out here with a rake and smooth it all out.”
Willa was on the other side of her and burst out laughing. “Pen, that would take hours.”
“Yes, but I still want to do it. Can you imagine how pretty it would look?”
Willa was still laughing. “You need one of those Zen gardens. You know, the kind where you have rocks and other paths, with white sand everywhere.”
“That would be awesome,” Pen said.
Blakely glanced from one to the other. “I don’t know what you all are talking about.”
Pen whipped out her phone. “Let me look it up and I’ll show you.”
They stopped walking and Pen flipped her phone so Blakely could see. She stared at the images, thinking it was beautiful.
Sadness seeped in and she shook her head. “The more I see, the more I realize I know almost nothing about the world.”
Pen pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry. We don’t want you to feel sad.”
She held onto Pen. She was glad she had friends who were willing to stand by her. After a moment she stepped back and wiped her eyes. “It’s okay. I know you aren’t trying to make me feel bad. I just missed so much. I’ve been thinking about what I want to do with my life, and I have no idea. You both suggested writing a book, but I don’t know where to start. One thing I know I can’t do is teach kids. No way could I ever do that. There are a lot of people who need help, and I want to help in some way, but I really have no clue what I could do. It’s so confusing.”
Willa squeezed her shoulder. “You don’t have to make up your mind right now. I spent years thinking about the future. I had a long time to figure out my life, and I still don’t know what to do. I like my job for now. I just don’t know if that’s what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
Pen shrugged. “I’m still trying to figure it all out. After being rescued, I lost focus. I thought I knew what I wanted to do, but I changed my mind. It’s okay if you don’t know what you want to do for a job.”
“I need money.”
Willa nodded. “Yeah, that part of figuring everything out sucks. We can keep talking about it if that helps.”
She nodded. “I’m not sure what actually helps. There are so many unknowns in my life. I’d like something to be settled.”
“Give yourself some space to make decisions. You don’t want to rush this,” Willa said.
“When I was held, I didn’t think I’d ever be free. I had no say in anything in my life for a long time. Then when I came back, I had to make decisions. It was overwhelming.”
Blakely laughed. “The first two years were overwhelming. This is mostly annoying.”
