Desperate Rescue

Eli stopped a few feet from her, concern etched in his blue eyes. “I’m sorry.”

She blinked. He was sorry? She hadn’t considered that he might apologize.

A contrite smile formed on his lips. “I was way out of line on Saturday. My mother had told me not to contact you, but I did it anyway.”

Kaylee felt a small surge of victory. She was right—vindicated by this man’s own mother. “Even when she’s so desperate to reach Phoebe?”

Eli straightened. “It does mean a lot to her to find Phoebe,” he answered slowly, “but she didn’t want me just barreling up to you. My mother realizes that you’ve been traumatized. She was worried I would ruin even the slimmest chances of finding Phoebe. But that’s what I did anyway. I’m sorry.”

She returned to her sweeping. “Apology accepted. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to finish before lunch.”

“Your boss said she’d give you an early lunch.”

“She’s feeling bad because of all I went through.”

“You told her?”

She stopped her sweeping. “Like you said, I was on CNN. Must have been a slow week.”

“Hardly. You were tortured for two years!”

“I wouldn’t go that far—”

“I would. My brother kidnapped you.”

“No. I went there willingly. I’d hoped to talk to Trisha, let her know I was worried. I figured she’d come home with me, if only for a short visit. We have mutual friends, an aunt who would have loved to see us…” She heard her words die off.

“But Trisha refused. Then Noah refused to let you leave. In that way, he kidnapped you.”

Her grip on the broom tightened. “Noah decided that I could be useful.”

“He threatened and manipulated you for two years. And that’s the same as kidnapping, you know? He wanted someone who could help him with his cult. You fit the bill. You had to lie—”

She dropped the broom. The clatter of wood on wood rang harshly in the stale air around them. “How do you know so much? This is way more than CNN reported.”

“I hired a private investigator who has connections within CNN. He was able to get a copy of the full interview.”

She bit her lip. Yes, there had been an extensive interview and she’d been surprised and yet thankful that the majority of it had never aired. The interviewer had been good at her job, coaxing information from her. “Well, that’s good for your investigator.”

“He’s the best. He also knew what to ask the State Troopers and the Houlton Police, too.”

“He really earned his pay,” she murmured.

“Yes, well, he also owes a few people, now. Look, I know that Noah saw an advantage in you staying there. I know he twisted the reasons around and threatened you to keep quiet and stay or he’d kill both you and Trisha. Then he got you to play the part of a prophetess.”

She hated that part almost as much as losing Trisha. The shame of what she did and how she’d nearly fallen under Noah’s spell still haunted her. “I’d rather not rehash it. Besides, this righteous indignation doesn’t suit you.”

He paused before answering. “It may not and I had no right to approach you with my requests. It was inconsiderate of me.”

With a glare, she added, “So was coming here.”

He stooped to retrieve her broom. If her harsh retort bothered him, he didn’t show it. “You’re right. But where my sister’s concerned, I’m not always thinking straight.” He handed her the broom and the moment stretched before them. A slight frown appeared when he blinked. “Phoebe means a lot to me.”

Her own eyes welled up. Small and blonde, Phoebe projected an air of innocence and, to Kaylee’s constant chagrin, total adoration of her brother, Noah.

“What’s she doing for my brother, Kaylee? Tell me about her.”

She shook her head. She’d built up an armor of resistance to the people in Noah’s cult. No matter how much they loved being there or believed in Noah’s vision of a new world or how much of a victim each might be, she’d layered on a disgust and dislike for all of them except Trisha. It had been a matter of survival for her when she realized how vulnerable she was becoming.

Begrudgingly, she answered, “Phoebe loves being there. Your brother has enthralled her. She believes in his vision of separating themselves from society because the world will soon end.”

“Is that what you were made to predict?”

She folded her arms. “Among other things.”

“Why? Why didn’t you just tell them that you were being held against your will and you weren’t a prophet?”

“He threatened to kill Trisha if I didn’t do exactly as he said. At first, I didn’t believe him. Then one day Noah had me brought down to the basement. There were only candles lit, so I couldn’t see well.” She steeled herself against the onslaught of harsh, ugly emotions. They still lodged hard in her throat, swelling until she felt breathless. “He told me in explicit detail what he’d do to Trisha if I left. From that day on, I had no doubt he would do it, too.”

Eli shut his eyes. The frown deepened and his lips tightened to a tortured, thin line. “Phoebe has always looked up to Noah,” he finally said. “She’s not sharp or quick-witted. She’s a baby, a victim. You know that, too. I can see it in your expression. Phoebe may be an adult, but sometimes adults are children.”

In the counseling sessions she’d attended, she learned they were all victims of Noah’s insanity.

And victims needed help.

But they’d all hurt her. By allowing Noah such horrible free rein, especially with her, they’d moved from victims to perpetrators. Her stomach clenched.

Eli opened his eyes and met her stare. Fighting the unwelcomed guilt still rising in her, she returned to her sweeping, not before dashing away an errant tear. “Go away, Eli. Neither of us can help them.”

She could feel him step closer to her. Too close. “We can help them. Phoebe needs you.” His voice dropped to a whisper. “She’s a victim just like you were.”

Phoebe was too trusting. And too easily beguiled and willing to do anything for Noah, even if it meant hiding to prepare for the end of the world.

Kaylee struggled to fight the sympathy leaking in. And she struggled to fight the way Eli’s words drew out the righteousness in her.

“Kaylee?”

She blinked back tears to focus on him. All she could see was gentle sympathy.

“I know how you feel. And I wish that what I was asking of you was easy.”

He didn’t know how she felt. “What are you asking, exactly? That I just talk Phoebe out of that cult? You sound like you think she’ll listen to me. Considering what I’ve said and done and what Noah did to Trisha, I’d be the last person they’d open their door to, even if I did agree to go.”

“But you know the compound. You know the house and grounds and everyone in there. You’d know how to get into it.”

“So you need someone to tell you the layout of the house and then you’ll just ask Phoebe to come outside?” She shook her head. “You’d have to be as smart as Noah to convince her to give it all up. Or as sly and shrewd.”

Again, that hint of strife within him flitted across his face. Only for the briefest of seconds, she noticed. Then it was gone. “I’ve been trying to talk to her for years. You’re my best shot right now. I don’t know what else to do. I’ve prayed about it constantly.”

“Yes, well, prayer may be okay for finding a bit of temporary peace, but you have to be proactive or nothing works.”

He frowned. “Why do you say that?”

“You better come up with a plan. Even if we get into the compound and then into the house, you still need to deal with those people. God only helps those who help themselves.”

Eli frowned. “Is that what Noah taught you? God isn’t some passive overseer. He’s powerful, strong, willing to do anything to bring back His lost sheep.”

“His lost sheep? He abandoned Trisha and let her be murdered!” she lashed out. “A drug overdose in a motel, the coroner reported. And everyone in that cult, Phoebe included, told the police Trisha was depressed because I left. They lied and said I was disillusioned because Noah had spurned me. I couldn’t convince the police otherwise.”

Her next breath caught in her throat and her head suddenly pounded. It was all so fresh, so hard to bear. “But it wasn’t going to bring back Trisha and I wasn’t strong enough to fight it all. I had to let it go, but believe me, it was the hardest thing I ever had to do.”

When he didn’t answer, when his lips tightened and she saw his throat bob, she glared at him. “Do you really think Phoebe’s going to follow either of us out? You have to come up with something more drastic than that, I’m afraid.”

He looked as if he wanted to say something, but held it back. His face had become so easy to read. “You don’t have a plan, do you?”

It was an accusation. She was angry.

He shook his head, barely. Allowing the surge of shock and anger to overtake her discretion, she burst out, “You’re expecting God to step in with some divine intervention? That’s admirable, but frankly, it’s insane!”

“This is important to me, Kaylee. I can’t explain it any more than that.”

On her heel, she spun away from him to grab the dustpan. There was nothing left to say.

“Kaylee, I need to save my sister.”

She pursed her lips to fight the compassion. She’d tried to save Trisha, even going to the police after she escaped, secretly hoping that their investigation would somehow free her sister. But they didn’t take her claims seriously. “I tried to do the same.” Her whisper rose as she continued speaking. “But the police believed everyone except me. Because I’d willingly stayed in that cult for two years, they didn’t think I was held captive. And there was no evidence to back up my claim. All that I did to save my sister’s life ended up condemning her to death!”

He didn’t react to her outburst. “Do you go to the church in town? Is that where you were yesterday?”

Caught off guard by his question, she nodded. “I went because Lois, my neighbor, asked me to. She’s been inviting me to go since I came. I didn’t want to, believe me.”

“Why?”

She gaped with shock at him. “Because, in case you hadn’t noticed, I’ve had more than my share of religion lately.”

“No. You’ve had your share of a dangerous and evil man and his warped views.” He wet his lips and with a look of concern, he tilted his head. She could see the faint scar he’d shown her on Saturday.

“Kaylee, you have to replace a negative behavior with positive behavior, right away. You have to be proactive when changing those thought patterns that lead only to the wrong attitudes and crippling fear.”

“Like getting back on the horse when it throws you? No, thank you.”

“No, not like that. It’s important to replace negative thought patterns with positive thought patterns immediately, or else you risk being overwhelmed by your own fear and hatred. You can’t ignore that part of you that hates everything that reminds you of Noah’s cult. It’s unhealthy.”

When she said nothing, he asked, “What does your pastor say about suffering?”

“He’s not my pastor. I just went to the church to please Lois.” She bit her lip. “She said that we’ve all sinned. Yeah, except I didn’t deserve what I got and I know Trisha didn’t, either.”

“If you disagree with the church, then why did you go?”

She shrugged. “Lois kept asking me to go and caught me at a weak moment. And she’s been good to me since I came here to Riverline. But I think I should take a break from church for a while. Give myself time to heal.”

“That’s an odd thing to say,” he answered with a soft smile. “Churches are famous for their healing.”

She bristled at his little quip.

“Don’t give up on church, Kaylee,” he said softly. “That’s like saying that Noah was right to form his cult, his own religion to suit himself. Don’t let him win.”

Kaylee bit her lip. She wanted nothing to do with Noah, ever again. She didn’t want to think of him again, let alone face him. A shudder ran through her.

Eli leaned forward slightly. “What did your parents do when you stayed in that cult?”

“My parents are dead. My father worked on the oil rigs out in the Atlantic. One of them a few years back had an accident during a storm and he was swept overboard.”

“I’m sorry. And your mother?”

“She developed lung cancer. She’d worked in a restaurant for years, supplementing the income and trying to stave off boredom, only to have all the second-hand smoke kill her.”

“So no one missed you?”

“Only my aunt. But Trisha told me once that she wrote to her saying we were both fine and I’d seen the light and joined her group.” The very idea that Trisha had lied and not felt guilty about it cut deeply into her. “She told me it was for my own good and that I’d thank her some day.”

She pulled herself together. “Trisha was all I had left. But now she’s gone, too.” Her voice cracked and she hated the show of weakness.

Eli took her hand, as tenderly as his gaze held hers.

“You can help Phoebe. She needs you. You can save another from Noah. I know it’ll be the hardest thing you’ll ever do, but you’re my last hope. You couldn’t save Trisha, but you can save my sister.”

The armor she’d hardened crumbled as she stared in Eli’s handsome face.

And found herself nodding.

Two days later, exhilaration still surged through Eli. He’d spent the last seven years praying for this and while Kaylee had declined his invitation to lunch to discuss what needed to be done, she had agreed to go with him to the compound early Wednesday morning.

So now, pulling into her driveway to pick her up, he smiled to himself again. Thank You, Lord.

His smile wavered as another thought hit him. What would Phoebe say to him when they finally saw each other? That he was being selfish and jealous again? That any time Noah had something, Eli wanted it?

Kaylee’s appearance at her door dissolved the worry. She turned to check the lock, then trotted down the single step toward his car, carrying a small knapsacklike purse. Today, she wore the same jacket she’d worn on Saturday, but her pants were lighter, probably thanks to the warmer weather. Her dark hair was pulled back into a loose, wavy ponytail, something he felt would slip away if a strong wind or hand slipped into it.

A hand like his?

No. He shoved away the notion in time for her to reach his car.

As she opened the passenger door, she peered inside. “Are you expecting to be able to drive right up to the compound in this thing? It’s too low to the ground.”

“We’ll go as far as possible, then walk in.”

With a doubtful bite of her lip, she settled in beside him. Her knapsack remained in her tight grip. “We have to be careful. After what happened to Trisha, some of the locals are nervous about the compound.”

“I imagine. They’re as valuable to the border patrol as the surveillance cameras. There have been some pretty unsavory characters sneaking over the border.” That was pretty much what his investigator reported. It was dangerous to live near the U.S.-Canadian border. Dangerous thanks to people like Noah.

Anger built in Eli and he fought it with a quick silent prayer. Lord, take away my bitterness.

“When Trisha died in that motel,” Kaylee whispered, interrupting his prayer, “I knew it was Noah, but he’d managed to convince the police that Trisha missed me so much she deliberately overdosed and did so away from The Farm to save them from getting into trouble.” She snapped her head over, her eyes hot. “He staged her murder to look like suicide! The police closed her file without another thought!”

Eli held his breath. What other dangerous things was Noah doing with his flock?

Keep Phoebe safe, Father. Use me to stop Noah.

The highway narrowed to two lanes as it wound through small towns at the western edge of New Brunswick. The border with Maine lay half an hour ahead, but Eli couldn’t content himself with the passing scenery of quaint cottages, now closed for the season.

He cleared his throat. “How did Trisha get involved with Noah?”

“It wasn’t him initially,” she answered tersely. “It was another member. John Yale. Trisha was camping at Baxter State Park when she met John. He spent a lot of time talking to her.”

John. So their second cousin still hung around. Eli hadn’t been able to confirm if he’d stayed on when Noah had moved his cult from Florida to rural Maine.

“He’s an older man,” she continued. “But for his age, he sure can climb mountains.”

The strong, wiry John had been a fixture at family get-togethers and, taking a liking to Noah, would dream alongside him of running big companies and changing the world.

Eli gripped the steering wheel. Noah had always wanted power and control. Even as a child, he’d bullied and ruled their home. “So John recruited her there?”

Kaylee nodded. “Pretty much. Trisha was always an idealist. I told her once that she’d probably love to see the world blown up because then her ideals would be justified. We had a huge fight and didn’t talk for weeks.”

“We’re you both living at home then?”

“Yes.” She toyed with the straps of her knapsack. “In Nova Scotia.”

“Did your parents always live there? How did you end up in the middle of New Brunswick?”

“My father worked on the oil platforms. He met my mother in Halifax and settled there. I took some college courses in agriculture and management and was close to securing a job up here at a local potato-processing plant.”

He glanced over at her. “And you lost all chances when Noah kept you?”

“I’d been gone for two years and there wasn’t much fight left in me. Plus, I’m still malnourished. That was Noah’s way of gaining control over people. Hold back just enough food to ensure you’re always hungry.”

Eli’s already firm grip on the steering wheel tightened until his knuckles ached.

Kaylee looked as if she could barely stand discussing this. Still, she said, “I came to the point where I just got used to the gnawing hunger. Everyone around me was the same way and they didn’t complain.”

He felt the uneasy pause.

“Certainly not in front of Phoebe or Noah.”

He was at a loss at what to say. Finally, he murmured, “Doing without can make us better people.”

“What good is doing without food?” She pulled up on her knapsack as she snapped, “It destroys the body and you’re certainly not any better for it.”

Guide my words, Lord, he prayed swiftly. “Have you asked your pastor about that?”

“I told you, Pastor Paul is not my pastor. I went to the church in Riverline because Lois asked me to and I owed her for helping me settle in. That’s all.”

He swallowed. “When bad things happen to Christians, we try to remember that our time here is miniscule compared to eternity in Heaven.”

“Yeah, if you’re good.”

Eli shook his head. “No! You’re saved by faith, not by works.” He hadn’t expected to witness to Kaylee and pulled a face as he tried to concentrate on his driving. And where they were going. “Do you like Lois’s church?”

She took her time answering. “Yes. The people there are wonderful. They’re kind and considerate.”

“They’re doing God’s work—not for salvation, but because they love Him.” He felt his tight grip on the wheel relax, hoping to give good answers without his full attention. “I wish I could take back all the awful things my brother did to you. You didn’t suffer any permanent damage, did you?”

“Physically, no.”

He knew what she meant. “Emotionally, you’re strong, too. You’re here today, aren’t you?”

She twisted around in the seat and pinned him with a steady stare. “Were you kids raised in the church?”

“Mostly. I don’t know the reasons for the breaks we took from church. Mom and Dad didn’t discuss it. All I know is that Phoebe loved church and would become withdrawn when she couldn’t go. Being the youngest and the church having some great kids’ programs, she had all the fun. Our parents felt that Noah and I should sit through the regular service. We were treated as though we were the same age, even though he’s eighteen months older than I am.”

Noah bullied everyone. It wasn’t until he started his cult that his parents saw that. By then, he’d taken Phoebe and hurt them all.

As if reading his mind, she asked, “How long have you been looking for Phoebe?”

“Actively? Five years,” he answered.

“Searching must have been hard for you,” she murmured. “But in all honesty, Eli, it’s not going to be easy to talk to her.”

The forest deepened and the quiet road narrowed. The sun retreated behind a bank of thick clouds and the brilliant fall leaves mutated into dark, ominous clumps.

“Then just get me in,” he finally said.

“I won’t be welcomed, you know. Noah was the only one who wanted me there. He called me Deborah, the prophetess. I was to reveal knowledge that he’d been secretly feeding me.” Despite her derisive tone, her voice quivered. “I could barely handle it.”

“But you did.”

“It was either that or he’d kill Trisha.” Her voice shook. “So I ended up doing as he said.”

Eli glanced at her. He should pull over, take her and hug her. Tell her it’s over; she’s safe from Noah.

But was she? The border crossing had just appeared ahead of them. There was no turning around now. They were headed right back into the very danger from which she’d escaped.

He was as cruel as his brother was.

The border guard checked their identification and asked some basic questions that Eli answered just as briefly.

The whole time, Kaylee remained silent, probably thinking of the last time that she’d crossed the border, having escaped from the compound. Trisha had paid for Kaylee’s freedom with her life.

And now he was taking Kaylee right back into that den of evil.

The guard handed back their identification and wished them a pleasant day.

Eli drove into the United States. Within minutes, they reached the main highway that ran parallel to the international border. A few moments later, he pulled into a small, rural service station.

“We need gas,” he told her.

Kaylee peered warily around her. When she caught his eye, she explained, “I know what you’re thinking. It’s over. There’s no way that Noah can hurt me again. Still…” She offered him a watery smile.

He found his heart pounding at her small smile. “I won’t let my brother hurt you again. We’re doing the right thing here, reaching out to Phoebe. I know if I can just talk to her…”

Except he didn’t know. He was just hoping…hoping for a miracle.

He glanced again at Kaylee’s face. Tears flowed down her cheeks and he felt his heart clench suddenly.

“I—I’m sorry,” she stuttered out, while swiping her face with the back of her hand. “I don’t think I can do this, Eli. I’m not just scared of Noah. But also of myself.”

Wariness prickled the hairs on his neck. “What do you mean?”

“There’s something you should know.”

THREE

Kaylee wished she could wipe away the alarm growing in Eli’s expression. But he deserved to know the truth. Something she hadn’t told a soul and had barely begun to acknowledge herself.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

She gnawed on her lower lip. “Going back there…I mean, it’s not going to be easy. You have no idea…” She couldn’t form the right words.

Eli reached across the console and took her hand. His palm felt warm and comforting on her cold skin and she wished she could cling to him.

No. He was a stranger, a brother of the man who’d killed her sister. As much as he, right this minute, offered warmth and comfort, she knew she’d have to be crazy to be swayed by his charisma. One forceful Nash was enough for any lifetime.

“Talk to me, Kaylee. Tell me what’s going on.” His voice turned smooth, soothing her raw nerves. She liked the way he said her name.

“Noah convinced everyone I was a prophetess,” she whispered. “And, yes, he threatened me with terrible things to get me to say what he wanted. But it wasn’t completely like that, not toward the end.”