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Pierce scoffed and lifted his shoulder in a nonchalant gesture that confirmed the casual disregard he had for danger. “I lost my voice, not my balls.”
Cal glared at him, but the edge of his anger had worn off. How could he stay mad at a man who was willing to risk his own safety for someone else’s? Pierce was stubborn, infuriating, and probably more than a little bit insane because none of the members of Redwood Coast Rescue were the picture of mental health. But he was also as fiercely loyal as his dog. And right now, Cal needed all the loyalty he could get.
“If you stay, they can’t know you’re here.”
“They’ll never see me,” Pierce signed. “And if you fail Ellie in any way— if you hurt her— hell, if you annoy her, then I’m stepping in and taking her home.”
Now, that was a plan he could get behind. He hated to admit it, but knowing he had backup nearby, someone ready and able to whisk Ellie away from danger, eased some of the tension from his shoulders.
He extended his hand in a peace offering. “I can live with that.”
For a moment, Pierce studied his hand as if it were a trap, then sighed and accepted the shake.
“I’ll check back in with you tomorrow night,” he signed before slipping back into the darkness with the dog on his heels.
Cal turned to look at Ellie’s sleeping figure bathed in the pale moonlight filtering through the window. Her face was serene in sleep, all lines of worry smoothed away. He couldn’t protect her from everything—her panic attack at the bonfire tonight proved as much. But having Pierce lurking in the shadows made him feel better about her chances of escaping this unharmed.
chapter
fourteen
The day started early.
Very early, with a droning chant that echoed through the commune, startling Ellie awake. She was surprised she’d fallen asleep at all, but she woke feeling less than refreshed. Her eyes were gritty, and her head fuzzy. She sat up and slid on her glasses. The world came into focus—hazy pre-dawn light streaming in through the bare window, the sparse furnishings of their allotted cabin, and Cal. He was already awake and alert, dressed in the commune’s provided tunic and baggy cotton pants, with the green robe draped over his shoulders and the weird wooden pendant around his neck. He looked as fresh as if he’d just stepped out of a relaxing spa. His innate tenacity seemed to give him an inexhaustible resilience, a trait that both frustrated and fascinated her.
He noticed she was awake, and the corner of his mouth tipped up into a crooked smile. “Ready for another day in paradise?”
She groaned softly. She so wasn’t. Not after the… whatever happened to her at the bonfire. Panic attack? That was the only explanation she could think of for the fear that had gripped her, the shortness of breath... just the memory had a chill raising goosebumps on her arms. She’d never had a panic attack before, but she’d also never infiltrated a cult before. The stakes were high, and the stress was higher, so what else could it have been?
“Yep,” she finally replied, brushing off the memory with feigned enthusiasm. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”
Cal’s smile faltered. He saw through her act, as he always did. It was one of the things that drove her craziest about him. He opened his mouth, but whatever he’d planned to say was drowned out by Serenity’s sing-song voice at their door.
“Good morning, beloved friends! The sun greets us with its radiant smile. We have a day of shared enlightenment ahead.”
Ellie rolled her eyes. “Oh my God. These people are weird.”
Cal snorted with suppressed laughter and strode toward the door. “I have a feeling we’ve only seen the very tip of the weirdness iceberg. Get dressed. I’ll distract her.”
She waited until the door shut behind him then slipped out of bed and into the shapeless dress and robe. There wasn’t a mirror in the place, so all she could do was pray her curls weren’t too wild as she scooped them into a bun, grabbed her robe, and followed Cal outside.
The commune was already bustling with activity. Members moved in choreographed harmony, their movements as scripted as their words, a ballet of eerie conformity. Ellie pulled her robe closer around her as she watched them, suddenly feeling exposed despite being covered head to toe.
She glanced at Cal. He was taking it all in with a bemused expression that reminded her of Puzzle when the puppy encountered something new and strange.
God, she missed that dog.
Everyone seemed to be moving toward the heart of the commune, so they followed the crowd. With their plain outfits and robes, they blended right in as if they belonged here, which was an unnerving thought.
Cal’s hand wrapped around hers, warm and comforting. “Stick close.”
“Like glue,” she agreed. She had no intention of navigating this place alone.
His gaze met hers, and she saw a glimmer of something more than concern there. His grip tightened as the crowd shepherded them toward the communal breakfast area. She didn’t know why she’d expected a dining hall. It was more of a lawn with mats spread out, where everyone sat in neat rows.
“I feel like I’m caught in some strange version of a yoga retreat.”
Cal’s lips quirked into a half smile. “I’ve been to yoga retreats. This is weirder.”
