Fleeting Moments(21)

I don’t have the patience to deal with her.

I turn my phone off and throw it against the wall with a yell. I can’t take any of it anymore. I push to my feet and on shaky legs, I go into my bedroom, pulling out a suitcase. I pack a bag and find my car keys, then I lock up our house and leave, finding a hotel in the city. A place where no one can find me, where no one can bother me.

I leave my phone on the ground at home.

I need time. I need to figure my mind out, and the only way I can do that is to be away from it all.

I settle into my hotel room, then pull out my laptop and check my emails. There is an email from the baseball stadium, telling me they can’t give out any information. Of course. After seeing him last night, my frustration levels have hit an all-time high.

Doesn’t he understand that every time he leaves I’m going to search harder? I open a search bar and look up the religious group that caused all of this mess. I read articles and eventually find out where they’re located. Heath knew a bit about them; would he be there?

I make a spur-of-the-moment decision and decide tonight, I’m going to see if I can find this place. It’s probably not the smartest choice I’ve ever made, but I want to know more, not just about the mysterious stranger who saved me, but the people who would take so many lives without even blinking. Until then, I need some rest. I curl up in bed and cry myself into a deep sleep. Gerard is the last thing on my mind as I drift off, and I’m sorry for him. I really am. I failed as a wife and partner.

I wake early evening, and it takes a good few minutes for me to realize where I am. Disorientated, I sit up and glance around. I recall the day and my chest sinks. Right—my husband and I broke up and here I am. I glance at the time. It’s getting dark enough for me to make the drive, so I get out of bed, shower, and change into a pair of jeans and a tank, then I get my keys and exit the hotel.

I get into my car, punching the address into my GPS navigation, then I start driving before I have the chance to reconsider my plan. I drive south of the city for about an hour. I follow the directions down a dirt road that leads into the middle of some thick woods until finally I come to a massive barbed-wire fence. There are lights in the distance, a good few miles in.

It’s going to be hard to see anything like this.

I park my car off to the left of the main entrance near some thick trees, and climb out. I don’t have a flashlight, so I just move to the fence and slowly start walking around it. I shove through trees and keep to the fence line, using my fingers to feel for it. As I near the lights, I begin to hear faint voices. I shift closer, trying not to make any sound as the picture in front of me becomes clearer.

I stop at some trees and peer through the fence, my fingers tangled in the wire as I bring my face close enough to get a good view. There’s a fire pit, and around it are a bunch of people dressed in white gowns, chanting and holding each other’s hands. I squint and try to see what they’re all dancing around, but it’s hard to get a good view past the roaring flames and their flowing clothes. I don’t know what they’re chanting about; I can’t hear clearly.

I keep watching, mesmerized. They part after a few minutes and I see a girl in the middle of the ground near the fire, naked. She’s on her knees, her head lowered to the ground, her tiny body on display. Vomit rises in my throat and I watch in horror as a man, probably around sixty, steps forward and brings her up to her feet. She couldn’t be more than twelve.

She’s so young. Long black hair flows around her body, covering most of her nakedness. The man grabs hold of her, pulling her to his side, resting his hand on her barely developed body. Vomit stings my throat. It burns like fire, and tears well in my eyes as a man comes forward and tells the crowd that the young woman now belongs to him, but will be given to all the males of the group as part of God’s will. God’s will.

Oh my god.

That girl needs help. Someone needs to get her the hell out of there. Panic grips my chest, and I start fumbling around for my phone only to realize I don’t have it. I need to call the police, child services—something. She’s too young for this. She’s too young. Maybe I should go in. Maybe I should demand they give her to me. Maybe . . .

My thoughts come to an abrupt halt as a hand clamps around my mouth, and I’m jerked backwards.

I scream, but it’s muffled.

“Don’t move. Don’t scream.”

That voice.

Heath.

My body goes slack, and I stop fighting, letting him pull me backwards through the trees. Only when we’re far enough away that we can’t see anyone does he let me go. He spins me around, but I can’t see him in the dark.

“What the hell are you doing here, Lucy?”

“Heath?” I croak.

“Answer me,” he barks, low and throaty.

“I . . . I was looking for you.”

“You need to stop looking for me. You need to stop asking questions. You just need to go—do you understand? I don’t want you to ever come back here again. Do you hear me?” he hisses angrily.

My heart sinks. “I just wanted to—”

“No,” he growls. “No. I won’t ask you again.”

My throat grows tight. He doesn’t want to see me.

“I’ve lost everything,” I whisper. “Please don’t make me leave.”