AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Sister Kim, Sister Trish,” Malcolm addresses us while Patty stands smugly by his side with her hair braided down her back, her pushed-in nose and downturned smile looking disapprovingly at us.
Patty once accused me of lusting after her husband in a manner that was frowned upon here at Paradise. I did no such thing. But Malcolm has dragged me to the blue tents far more than any other man here has. The lust is all one-sided. I’m positive Annie is his. They share the same dark eyes. Although in Malcolm’s, there’s wickedness buried in them, and with Annie’s, there’s just love and light. We think Patty is barren, seeing that she’s never had a child and clearly Malcolm is able. Which would explain Patty’s disdain for me. Of course, she denies it. But it’s there as plain as that potato sitting in the middle of her face.
Malcolm nods. “It’s come to our attention that you had plans to leave Paradise this evening.”
My heart stops beating. My adrenaline kicks in, fight-or-flight, but the men must sense it because they take a forceful step forward, assuring us we won’t get far.
“Don’t try to deny it,” Patty snips. “Jennifer told us every last ridiculous detail.” Her eyes flit between us, her face red with rage. “Kim, you’ll be coming with us to Nightshade. We have a special program that will help you realize the height from which you’ve fallen. You’ll be back in the fold in no time.” Her eyes dart to mine, a dark smile curving on her lips. “Trish, we’re going to take a different approach with you. Archer is hungry for another honeymoon and we thought you’d make a wonderful pairing. I have a locked suite in the back house for the two of you. Simon and Prich will take you there right away.”
“No,” I say in a panic. The locked house in the back is nothing short of a torture chamber, one without escape. “You can’t do this to me. He’s a monster. I’ll be lucky if I get out of there alive. Open your eyes. Look what he did to Jennifer.”
The taller gentleman grabs ahold of Kim’s arm and all but pushes her toward Nightshade while the other two grab ahold of me as I bite, kick, and scream.
“It didn’t have to be this way.” Malcolm motions to the men, and soon I’m on the ground.
One of them lands a strip of duct tape over my lips, and the other binds my feet and wrists. A hood is hoisted over my head, and the next thing I know, I’m being carried to my doom.
At this point, death would be a welcome friend.
But I have a feeling that luxury is far out of reach.
14
Special Agent Jack Stone
Hale left a message early this morning and asked to see us at the office. I texted Fallon and offered to carpool but never got a response, then drove by her cabin only to see she had already left.
The field office is swarming this morning, just the usual buzz as bodies bustle to and fro. I head to the workroom and find it surprisingly empty of what I was expecting to see. Hale stands near the front, rifling through files and Nikki is clicking into her phone.
“Where’s Baxter?” I ask as I head in and shut the door behind me.
“Good morning to you, too, sweetheart.” Hale frowns as he pushes the files to the side. “Baxter has asked to take a personal day. We’ll be moving on without her.”
“A what?” Nikki barks out a laugh. “I’ve been here for three years and haven’t taken a personal day yet.”
“What happened?” A personal day sounds suspicious. She was the picture of health when she left yesterday. Makes me wonder if this has something to do with that missing sister of hers.
“I didn’t ask.” Hale flips open his laptop and pulls it close. “With women, I’ve learned it’s best not to.” He shoots a glance Nikki’s way. “No offense, but you seem to have more anatomy-based issues that I’d rather not delve into. I told her she can take all the time she needs. But she assured me she’d be ready and raring to go tomorrow.”
“What do we know about her?” I ask, falling in a seat across from Nikki.
Hale shakes his head my way. “Enough to know that the Bureau thinks she’s more than qualified to be there. They vetted her the same way they vetted you. Don’t go getting a superiority complex just because she’s new. Now, Nikki filled me in on your findings. Nobody’s joining a cult on my watch. The two of you will head out to Ironwood and speak to the landowners. Nothing more, nothing less. I don’t want you to spook them. Just let them know there was a body found not too far from their compound and if they know anything about it. Be friendly. I know it takes effort.” He nods to the both of us because we just so happen to be guilty.
Nikki and I take off. I offer to drive and we make small talk about sports, the weather, the scenery. I make sure to pepper the conversation with just about everything until I get to the question I’ve been wanting to ask since I walked into that office.
“Has Fallon talked about her family?”
“Baxter?” She inches back as if confused as to who Fallon might be.
Can’t blame her. We’ve trained ourselves to respond to surnames. Although I rarely use Nikki’s.
“Yeah, Baxter. What’s her deal? I know her mother runs the diner, but that’s it.”
“She’s got two sisters,” Nikki says quickly enough to let me know she’s already done some digging. If Nikki weren’t an FBI agent, she’d be known as the town gossip. “One owns a hauling business with her coke-fueled boyfriend. Rob says the other took off for greener pastures. Really pissed off her family because they wanted her back, but she’s an adult, adulting somewhere else at the time.”
I grunt as if that’s all I care to hear. “What about the father?”
“Dead. Died a few years ago. Rob had the hots for our little Fallon way back when, but she’s always believed she was too good for him.”
