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“Good afternoon,” he said with a warm smile and held out a hand. “I’m Sincere.”
Of course he was.
Cal had to cough to hide his laugh.
Ellie made bug eyes at him, then forced a smile and accepted Sincere’s handshake. “I’m Ellie and this is my husband, Calvin.”
“Cal,” he corrected quickly. He knew she was purposely using his cover name to annoy him. He should’ve picked a better one, but it had been all he could think of on short notice that was close enough to his real name to be believable.
“I know,” Sincere said and shook Cal’s hand next. “I handle all of the applications for the retreat. I hope you’re settling in well.”
“We are. Thanks.”
“Excellent,” Sincere said, still holding onto Cal’s hand for a beat longer than necessary.
“How many other couples are here?” Ellie asked, and Sincere finally dropped his hand.
“You’re one of four couples joining us this time.” He removed his glasses to clean them on the corner of his shirt, and Cal caught a glint of something shrewd in his gaze that hadn’t been there before. “I hope you’re ready for the bonfire celebration tonight. It’s nothing like you’ve ever experienced before.”
“We’re excited,” Ellie said, though her face claimed otherwise. She really was a shit liar.
Cal held out an arm toward the door. “And speaking of, we should get ready.”
Sincere bowed his head slightly. “Of course. If you need anything during your stay, I’m always available.”
“Thank you so much,” Ellie said. “You’ve all been so kind to us already.”
Sincere excused himself and as he left, Ellie spun. “He’s not like the rest of them. Less… robotic. More normal. Maybe he can help us.” When he didn’t answer right away, she bounced on her toes. “So, what do you think?”
“I think,” Cal said slowly, still staring at the door Sincere had disappeared through, “that we need to be very careful who we trust here.”
chapter
twelve
“Your first time?”
Ellie reluctantly tore her gaze away from the mesmerizing dance of the bonfire as it crackled and roared, sending sparks soaring into the night sky with each new log thrown on. The woman who had spoken was in her mid-fifties, with long graying hair trailing in twin braids over her shoulders. She looked right at home here, but she wasn’t dressed in the flowing white robes of the other commune members. She wore a multi-layered skirt in bright colors, and a tank top that dipped low enough to tell anyone looking that the woman didn’t believe in bras. She didn’t believe in deodorant either and the smell of her body odor was overpowering.
Ellie attempted a smile. “Um, yeah. That obvious?”
The woman nodded and took a seat on the log beside her. “I can always tell. My husband and I come every year.” She nodded toward the man with a long gray beard and hair braided much like hers. He wore a leather vest over an open blue shirt and bright beads around his neck. He was in an animated conversation with Cal and another man Ellie hadn’t met yet. “That’s him. My Jeff.”
Ellie turned to face the woman. “Are you a member of Hope’s Embrace?”
The woman snorted a laugh and whacked Ellie’s arm like she’d said something hilarious. “Oh, no. Commune living isn’t for us. We like capitalism a little too much to move out here, but we do make this trip once a year. It’s saved our marriage.” She held out a hand. “I’m Marla.”
“Ellie.” She accepted Marla’s hand. It was thin, but deceptively strong.
“Good to meet you, Ellie.” Marla’s gaze strayed back across the fire to Jeff and Cal. “You’re here with that handsome man?”
Ellie sighed and nodded, glancing over at Cal from the corner of her eye. He was laughing at something the businessman had said, his whole body relaxed in a way that seemed impossible, given their deception. Ellie couldn’t relax. She felt like everyone there could see through her, especially the security guard, Vigil, who stood outside of the group, watching them all with suspicious eyes.
“That’s Cal. He’s my hus—” Her voice pitched up on the lie and she broke off mid-sentence, clearing her throat. “My husband.”
Marla offered a gentle smile. “It’s that bad, huh?”
“What?”
