Total pages in book: 131
Estimated words: 131387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131387 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
“Help! Help! Help me!”
My mind disconnecting, I tossed my tea mug aside and raced to the window.
And froze.
A woman was coming out of nowhere.
She was wearing a stark-white old-fashioned, billowy nightgown. Her blonde hair was down. And she was racing through the wood toward the cabin like the devil was at her heels.
She saw me in the window, reached an arm to me, and I jumped as she was abruptly tackled from behind by a figure that came out of the darkness.
Tonks went berserk.
I hated myself for it, but the tableau before me was so petrifying, I couldn’t move, even as she kept screaming and fighting while she was thrown over a man’s shoulder.
She reached to me again, “Please help me!”
And then another man came out of the darkness, long beard, long hair, dark button up, dark pants, and my blood stilled in my veins as he looked right at me, lifted his finger to his lips, stood there for what felt like an eternity (but was likely only a second), then he turned and loped into the woods.
I turned and dashed to the phone.
Still not functionally computing, I went to recent calls, hit Hutch’s name under Kacey’s as I raced to the front door to check if it was locked.
Two rings and I was racing to the side door.
“Hey, babe, what’s up?”
“Hutch,” I pushed out, shades of her terror and desperation in his name.
“Talk to me,” he barked.
“A woman. In a nightgown. Running to the cabin from the cult. Screaming for help. They caught her, Hutch. They took her—”
“Did you call 911?”
Oh my God.
What was I thinking?
“No,” I breathed.
“I’m on my way.” And he sounded like he was running. “Call them. Get up in your bathroom. Lock the door. Call and go.”
He hung up.
I ran to the stairs calling, “Tonks, come. Come now.”
She darted to me.
My heart cracked because I’d have to hope Moxie was okay if they thought of coming back, but I couldn’t delay this call to look for her or delay getting to the bathroom.
As I wound my way up the stairs, I dialed 911.
I hit the bathroom, Tonks came in with me, and bless her soul, Moxie dashed in after him.
“911. What’s your emergency?”
I slammed and locked the door, and Tonks started howling again as I was saying, “I’m Mabel Adams. Four four five oh County Road Ten. A woman from The Lion and The Lamb escaped. I saw her running. She was yelling for help. Send people. Send units. Whatever. They caught her. They’re taking her back. Send someone.”
“She was running—”
“In a nightgown, in the dark, in the cold, from them, screaming.”
“Okay, ma’am, we have this outfit flagged. Officers have been dispatched. You say she was screaming for help?”
“I just stood there stupidly as she was reaching out to me.”
“You’re doing what you should be doing, ma’am. Staying safe and calling someone who can help. Are you alone?”
“M-my boyfriend is coming. I called him first.”
“Okay, that’s fine.”
It wasn’t okay.
It wasn’t fine.
Harry and his crew were fifteen minutes away.
How much of her time did I waste calling Hutch?
“Are you safe?” she asked.
“Tonks, quiet,” I ordered over her barking.
She whimpered and sniffed the door at which she’d been barking.
“Your dog is doing its job,” the 911 operator said. “I can hear you. Are you safe?”
“My boyfriend told me to lock myself in the bathroom. I’m locked in the bathroom.”
“That’s good. Stay there. Are you sure she was from The Lion and The Lamb?”
“Y-yes. She was wearing an old-fashioned nightgown. And they were definitely from there. Beards and long hair. Definitely.”
“Do you feel you’re in immediate danger?’ she asked.
“No. N-no. They took her and left with her. I’m pretty sure they’re gone. I didn’t hang around to watch.”
“Right. I’m going to let you go. Keep your phone with you. Stay safe. And call back if anything else is happening.”
“Okay.”
“Stay safe. Letting you go now.”
“Bye.”
I disconnected.
I paced.
Hutch lived, at most, five minutes away.
I paced more.
What felt like an hour later, Tonks went berserk again.
But over her, I heard Hutch from downstairs command, “Wait! Guard!”
I closed my eyes tight.
He was here.
I opened my eyes, not knowing if I should open the door or—
I nearly leapt out of my skin when Hutch hammered on it.
“Mabel! Open!”
I opened.
Tonks raced out, still barking.
Hutch had the strap of a rifle around his shoulder.
He looked me up and down, caught me by the back of the head, pulled me forward for the briefest kiss in history on my forehead, then he set me aside, lunged in, scooped up Moxie, turned to me and ordered, “Go!”
I didn’t know where I was going, but I went, out and down the stairs.
Hutch was pounding down after me.
As I ran to the front door, I heard him snap his fingers, looked back and saw him pointing at Hannibal then to me. “Defend!”