Away From the Dark (The Light #2)(15)

I moved from the floor to the seat. “Please, I’m begging you to help me.”

“You’re begging me? I like the sound of that.”

My stomach rolled. “If you’ll take me wherever you’re going, I can pay you.”

“You can?” He touched my cheek as I resolved to remain still. “Tell me, pretty lady, why are you hiding in the back of this dirty old truck?”

Oh, shit! Maybe I should have waited for Jacob to get approval.

I willed my eyes to look at his and found it interesting how well I’d been trained. Even now, when I knew it was wrong, I had physical difficulty doing what I used to consider natural. Nodding, I swallowed and asked, “You’re Thomas, Xavier’s replacement, right?”

He nodded. “I didn’t think they let you women know what was happening.”

“They don’t, not really.” Should I tell him that I’m Jacob’s wife? “I’m a good listener.”

“And, Miss Good Listener, what do you expect me to do to help you?”

I had to try. “I don’t belong here. I don’t even know how I got here. I’ve been here for almost a year, but I have a life off the Northern Light.” My words came fast, each one landing on the one before. I hoped he was listening well enough to understand. “I have . . . had a job, a good job. I have money and so does my family. If you can get me off this campus and away, I’ll make sure you’re compensated.”

His golden eyes narrowed as they scanned me from head to toe and back again. The jeans and sweater I wore seemed to evaporate as his expression morphed. It was as if he could see what was underneath. Finally he said, “So you’re saying The Light kidnapped you?”

I nodded.

“What would Father Gabriel say if I turned this truck around and took you back?”

Tears threatened my eyes. “P-please, you’re my only hope. If you take me back, I don’t know what will happen, but it won’t be good.”

The longer he stood with the door open, the more concerned I became about the bears. “You do know there are polar bears around, don’t you?”

He laughed. “Is that what they tell you?”

I sat straighter. Is everything Jacob told me a lie?

He opened the door to the front passenger’s seat. “Here, pretty lady, sit up here.” He patted the seat. “And convince me to help you.”

Convince him?

Slowly I moved from the backseat. When both of my boots stood upon the hard ground, I scanned the sparse trees at the side of the road. If there weren’t really polar bears, maybe I could make a run for it. Thomas’s hand grasped my arm.

“In the truck.”

I swallowed and nodded as I moved to the front seat. After he’d shut both doors and as he walked around to the driver’s side, I once again considered the idea of running. The opportunity was short-lived as Thomas opened the driver’s door and eased himself into the truck.

“Go,” he said, his cocky grin back in place. “Convince me.”

“I-I’m not sure what you mean. I told you that I don’t belong here. I just need someone to take me away, someone to believe me.”

One of his cheeks rose as his lips thinned. “I’ve heard stories. You see, there are rumors. That’s why I wanted to go into the community. I wanted to know if they were true.”

“I’m not sure what you’ve heard, but please help me.” The truck still wasn’t moving. “I won’t tell anyone that you’re part of this. I promise.” My breath caught in my throat as he reached out and again brushed my cheek. “Please, don’t touch me,” I pleaded as I backed away and my nausea returned.

Pushing my now-longer hair behind my ear, he leaned closer. “See, pretty lady, what I’ve heard is that you bitches in The Light like to obey. If you don’t, I heard you get punished.” His eyes moved up and down my frame, lingering too long at my breasts. “Is that true?”

Oh, God, what am I doing?

“I-I promise, my family will pay you.”

He laughed, the stench of his stale breath filling the noncirculating air in the cab. “If you think your family will pay me better than Father Gabriel, your daddy must be Bill Gates, and I ain’t heard nothing about Bill Gates’s daughter gone missing. But don’t worry, sweetheart, I think we can work this out.” He traced a line from my ear and down my neck to my breast.

I slapped his hand. “Forget it. Take me back. I made a mistake.”

Thomas started the truck and laughed a deep echoing laugh. “I like a bitch with spunk. She’s all the more fun to tame.”

Biting my lip, I sat in silence as he drove toward the hangar. My mind searched for possibilities. Brother Micah. If he was at the hangar, maybe I could convince him that Thomas had taken me against my will. As I contemplated my options, I didn’t care what Brother Micah or anyone else thought or about my possible punishment. I just wanted to get away from Thomas.

Even though I’d lived at the hangar, in the living quarters of the pole barn, for two weeks, I’d never really seen the outside of the building, the landing strip, or the hangar. When Jacob had first driven me to it, my eyes had been covered, and when I could see, it was winter and everything was cloaked by darkness. Now, as we approached in full light, I scanned the area for vehicles and saw how truly massive the building was. Even though I didn’t see any other vehicles, I didn’t give up hope. Obviously the building was big enough that Brother Micah could have parked inside.