Читать книгу Wyoming Undercover - Karen Whiddon - Страница 10
ОглавлениеSophia Hannah loved her job working as an assistant in the Children of Eternity, or COE, medical clinic. They worked hard at matching their young adults with the perfect job. Sometimes there were false starts, but not in Sophia’s case. She’d truly found her niche assisting Dr. Drew, its main physician.
As COE grew, the medical needs of its members multiplied, and a few years ago Dr. Drew had finally brought in someone else to help Sophia. An older woman named Ana. She didn’t like to work too hard, using her age as an excuse to sit back and watch while Sophia bustled around. But Sophia didn’t really mind. Staying busy made the day go by fast. And since she hadn’t yet married or started a family, she wasn’t in a huge hurry to go home after the clinic closed, so she used that time to catch up.
Right now, Ana had disappeared again. A few times Sophia had seen her outside chatting with one of her friends. She figured Ana’s lack of a strong work ethic, something highly prized within COE, might be the reason why she kept getting moved between jobs. Ana had once boasted that she’d worked at ten different things.
The front door opened and Ana came in. Her normally pale skin looked pink and her faded blue eyes sparkled.
“Sophia, you’re not going to believe this! I have great news!” she exclaimed. Though she kept her wiry gray hair pulled back in a bun, some pieces had escaped here and there, giving her a slightly disheveled appearance. She wore COE’s typical golden band around her throat, a choker-like piece of jewelry that indicated she was married. Here in the COE compound, these necklaces were preferred over a wedding ring. Sometimes late at night, Sophia ached with the desire to wear one. But so far, no man had even showed interest in her, never mind claiming her as his wife.
“Sophia?” Ana prodded. “Don’t you want to know?”
Ana had clearly been gossiping, an activity that was frowned upon.
“Aren’t you even curious?” Ana asked. “You should be, because this concerns you.”
For whatever reason, possibly her innate stubbornness, Sophia didn’t want to give Ana the satisfaction of showing interest. Instead she tilted her head, eyed the other woman and waited.
“You’ve been claimed!” Ana exclaimed. “Great honor and prestige has been heaped upon you, lucky girl.”
“Claimed?” All Sophia could do was repeat the word. “But I haven’t even been courted by anyone.”
“Pfffft.” Ana waved away her concern. “This situation is different. You’ll need to begin preparations immediately, as your new husband-to-be is impatient. I was told that your wedding is to be in one month.”
One month? Sophia stared, her heart racing. “Are you playing a joke on me?” she asked. “Because if you are, this isn’t the slightest bit funny.”
“I’m not, I swear,” Ana said.
“Where did you get this information?” Sophia asked as she tried to figure out who among the many unmarried young men might have claimed her. The situation seemed strange, wrong somehow. She wanted to be courted, to fall in love. But this...
“Well?” Ana demanded, clearly annoyed at Sophia’s lack of outward reaction. “Aren’t you curious? Along with excited, ecstatic, thrilled? All perfectly reasonable reactions to news such as this.”
“Of course I am.” Sophia kept her voice calm as she spoke the lie. Truth be told, her insides were now a twisted mess of nerves. While she had been impatiently waiting to be claimed for six years, ever since she’d turned eighteen, the way it was happening had her sick with dread.
This was not routine or normal. COE was all about both of those things.
“Girl, you sure don’t act like it,” Ana grumbled. “You haven’t even asked who he is.”
Mentally, Sophia listed and discarded the names of any man who might be about to become her new husband, and came up empty. She’d rarely dated, and she couldn’t imagine anyone having the gall to announce a marriage that she hadn’t even agreed to.
“Tell me,” she demanded, partly ashamed and partly worried. “Who is he?”
“Okay, okay.” Grinning, Ana actually made a show of looking around as if to ensure no one else might be listening. “You’ve somehow managed to catch the eye of our leader, Ezekiel. That’s why the announcement is being made without your consent. You’re lucky, because you will be honored above all other women.” Her smile turned a touch malicious. “Well, except for all his other wives.”
Ezekiel. Dumbfounded, Sophia stared, hoping against hope that the other woman would poke her and admit she had only been joking. Ezekiel must be at least eighty years old and she’d never even met him. Alone among the people he led, he was permitted to marry more than once. Many of his wives were old enough to be Sophia’s grandmother.
Instead, Ana cocked her head. “You should be celebrating,” she prompted. “Yet you don’t even look happy, never mind thrilled.”
“Thrilled? But I don’t want to marry him!” Sophia heard herself protest, shocked that she’d even dared.
Ana reared back, her eyes wide. “Don’t say that,” she admonished. “You know him choosing you is the highest honor.”
She shuddered. “I just can’t do it.” This protest came out weaker. They both knew she had no choice whatsoever. Not in this. And after her wedding, not in anything.
Hurriedly, Sophia dropped into a chair before her legs gave out. “When did he even see me?” she wondered. “I assume he must have. Otherwise why would he have singled me out? I’m just one of many.”
Making a face at her, Ana shook her head. “I’m sure he must have caught a glimpse of you somewhere. I know you don’t realize it, but you’re actually really pretty.”
“Right.” If she truly had real beauty, the other young men would have been vying to become her husband the instant she’d turned eighteen. Instead she’d turned twenty-four, still single, without ever truly being courted.
“You should get ready for when they send someone for you,” Ana said.
Sophia winced, smoothing her hands down her long, cotton skirt nervously. Part of her still balked, though pragmatically she knew she had no choice. The people of COE knew to bow to the wise and gifted will of their leader. And if Ezekiel, a man so powerful he’d been chosen to be the mouthpiece of the Cosmos, wanted her for one of his wives, then she had no place wishing otherwise.
Except she did. She really, really did.
* * *
Jack Moreno sauntered into the dimly lit room. Without making eye contact with anyone, he chose a folding metal chair close to the back—and the door, which meant he could beat a quick exit once the meeting had ended. Since he’d only arrived in Wyoming yesterday, all the people inside were strangers, but they shared one thing in common. They might come from vastly different backgrounds and their ages varied from teenager to elderly, but they’d all once been addicted to some sort of narcotic. Meetings like this had probably saved more than one of them from dying.
For him, he believed this to be an unavoidable truth. The first time he’d walked into a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, having no real hope of it helping, he’d felt welcomed and, more important, accepted. Now, no matter where he went or how rough his life might become, he actively sought out the local chapter of NA. And even though it made him a bit nervous, he’d left his wallet with his ID, cash and credit cards back in the safe in his hotel room. His phone, too. More than once he’d been hit up by an addict more interested in scoring than recovering.
Funny thing about life. Each time he’d been actually convinced he’d hit rock bottom, something happened to turn his life around.
Like the job that had brought him to this little town in the middle-of-nowhere Wyoming. Since he’d started his own private investigation firm, any kind of work had been few and far between. He’d begun to despair, wondering how he was going to pay his rent, when the Bartlett family had showed up on his doorstep wanting to hire him.
Wanting, hell. They’d begged him to take their case.
After listening to their story, Jack had agreed to help. Even if he’d been drowning in work—which he definitely wasn’t—their case had intrigued him. Of course, anything involving a missing child and a huge cult called the Children of Eternity would. Their compound was located about ten miles from the town of Landon, Wyoming, which was why he’d traveled here.
The first thing he’d done was locate the local NA chapter.
Now that he was seated, Jack allowed himself to check out the others in the room. The group was small, which was to be expected due to the size of the town. But wherever he was, addiction didn’t discriminate. Young and old, several races and all types of people were represented here. He counted maybe twenty-five souls in various stages of recovery.
Good. Maybe here, someone would let down their guard enough to talk to him about COE. So far, despite numerous inquiries around town, he’d learned exactly zero about the cult. Wait, scratch that. He’d learned the good townspeople of Landon distrusted and disliked the cult members. Despite that, they weren’t willing to discuss their reasons why. Of course, it didn’t help that they were suspicious of any outsiders.
A tall, heavyset woman went to the podium at the front of the room. It appeared the meeting was about to start.
She cleared her throat and waited for the cluster of stragglers hanging out at the coffeepot to disperse and take their seats. While they shuffled into chairs, the back door opened and another man hurried in. Head down, he had the furtive sort of movements Jack so well remembered from the first days’ attempt at getting clean. He knew desperation and despair would be in the man’s face, if he would lift his gaze from the floor.
Since all of the chairs in Jack’s row were unoccupied, the new arrival sat in the one next to Jack.
“Hey,” Jack said quietly. “Welcome.”
Though the man nodded in response, he didn’t look up.
As usual, Jack barely heard the speaker’s first words. Though there was no set speech, the message would be one of welcome, encouraging people to share and offer each other support. Accountability played a big role in the journey toward recovery and that was the reason they advised attending meetings as often as possible.
Though Jack had been clean six months, he still feared a relapse. Especially when his leg and back injuries started hurting and he found himself craving relief with the pain meds that had gotten him hooked in the first place. Prescribed by his doctor, he’d initially begun taking them to help with the loss of his leg and then later while he’d healed. But he’d quickly built a tolerance and had to take more and more to get any sort of relief. Soon, he’d found himself taking them like candy. In NA, he’d learned his story was an all too familiar one.
The man next to him shifted in his chair. When he eventually raised his head, he focused all his attention on the speaker. The tense line of his shoulders and the way he kept jiggling his left leg spoke of his nervousness.
When the call went out for people to come up and share their stories, Jack thought the newcomer might bolt.
“Don’t worry,” he said, touching the man’s arm and keeping his voice low. “No one will make you do anything you don’t want to do.”
“Thanks,” the guy muttered. After a moment, he stuck out his hand. “I’m Thomas.”
“Jack.” It was common at these kinds of meetings to only use first names.
One at a time, a few different people went to the front and told their stories. Thomas listened intently. Jack did, too, but since he had no intention of sharing anything personal at the first meeting, he felt relaxed.
Finally, after the last person had gone up and talked—and there were many who, like Jack and Thomas, did not—the meeting was adjourned. Coffee and refreshments were in the back.
Thomas eyed the group once again congregating near the coffeepot and remained seated. Since Jack figured he had a few minutes before he’d head back that way to try got get information from one or two of the others, he did, also.
“Are you from around here?” Thomas asked, putting his arm along the back of the metal chair.
“Nope.” Eyeing the other man, Jack gave a casual shrug. “Just passing through. I always try to make an NA meeting if I can. It really helps.”
“Any family in the area?”
Jack shook his head. “I lost all my family and close friends while I was battling my addiction. I’ve tried to reach out and make amends, but none of them want anything to do with me.”
“That’s a shame.” Thomas sounded sincere. “Have you heard anything about the Children of Eternity?”
Just like that, every nerve ending went on full alert. “I have heard they’re nearby,” Jack said carefully. “I find the concept fascinating, to be honest. But when I asked around town, no one would tell me anything about them.”
Thomas regarded him curiously. “What do you want to know?”
“Quite honestly? I’m thinking their way of life might be exactly what I need.” Jack swallowed hard, glad he’d rehearsed this speech on the off chance someone connected would talk to him. “Simple and clean. Letting someone else call all the shots.”
Bracing himself for the other man’s reaction, Jack was surprised when Thomas flashed an approving smile. “Really?” Thomas shrugged. “That’s refreshing and unusual. As it happens, I know quite a bit about COE. But if you want to discuss them, we’ll need to go outside. I won’t talk about them here.”
Which sounded both perfectly reasonable and a little bit suspicious. Still, Thomas was offering more than Jack had been able to glean from multiple queries around town.
“Sure.” Jack pushed to his feet. “Lead the way.”
He followed Thomas outside. The sun had set, but full darkness had not yet fallen. “I’m parked over there.” Thomas pointed to a mostly empty lot behind a deserted building. “We can sit in my car and talk.”
Instinct urged Jack to decline. Instead he heard himself agree.
As they approached Thomas’s car—an older, nondescript black vehicle that seemed almost government-issue—Jack had second thoughts. “Hey, wait.” He grabbed the other man’s arm. “How about we just talk here, outside? It’s a nice night and I really enjoy the fresh air.”
Thomas gave him a look full of disgust. “I’m not going to come on to you or assault you, if that’s what you think. Never mind. I’ll just leave. I really thought you were interested in learning about COE.” He shook his head and strode for his car, using the key fob to unlock the doors.
Damn. “Wait.” Jack hurried to catch up. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to give that impression. But you know, strange things have happened. One can’t be too careful.”
“I agree.” Opening the driver’s-side door, Thomas got in. “Are you coming or not?”
Taking a deep breath and hoping he wasn’t making a colossal mistake, Jack got in on the passenger side. Turning to face Thomas, he opened his mouth to speak. Before he could say a single word, someone clubbed him hard in the back of the head.
* * *
For the rest of the day Ana left Sophia alone. Each worked independent of the other, taking turns assisting as their doctor saw patients. All were for routine things—a pregnancy check, a sore throat and someone who’d pulled a muscle while working in the fields. Every time Sophia thought about her impending marriage, tears threatened, so she decided it would be easier to push it to the back of her mind.
But that didn’t mean she could make it go away.
Ezekiel. The Anointed One. Since she’d never even spoken to him, Sophia wondered if she’d be considered out of line if she asked for a face-to-face meeting, just to see if they’d be even remotely compatible. Unfortunately, she already knew the answer to that. Ezekiel got what Ezekiel wanted. Her feelings would have no effect on the outcome.
“Sophia! Ana!” Dr. Drew hurried into the workroom, calling their names as he came. “We have an injured man coming in.”
The two women exchanged a glance. “From where?” Sophia asked, hoping it wasn’t the husband of one of her friends. “Was he hurt farming or in the repair shop?”
“Neither,” the doctor answered. “All I know is that Thomas is bringing this man in himself. Our patient has a head injury and is currently unconscious. Get a bed prepared in the infirmary. I’ll let you know once he arrives.”
Immediately, Sophia hurried off to do as her boss ordered. For once, Ana was right on her heels.
“Don’t you think it’s weird that Thomas himself is bringing him in?” Ana asked, wide-eyed. She had a valid point. After all, Thomas was Ezekiel’s right-hand man and, as such, the second most powerful person in COE. If he himself was delivering the injured patient, the man must be someone very important indeed.
Barely twenty minutes passed before Dr. Drew hurried back, leading the way for two workers carrying a clearly unconscious man on a stretcher. Thomas followed along behind, his expression revealing absolutely nothing. If the patient was someone close to him or Ezekiel, they had no way of knowing.
Dr. Drew began barking out orders. As the more experienced nurse, Sophia fulfilled them, relegating Ana to handing over necessary instruments. Meanwhile, Thomas remained in the corner of the room, watching them all.
A large bloody gash at the back of the patient’s head told them why he was in such condition. While Ana hooked him up to an IV, as well as the blood pressure cuff and the finger heartbeat monitor, Sophia cleaned the wound. “This will need stitches,” she said, getting everything ready.
Dr. Drew took care of the stitching quickly, his movements competent and efficient. Once he’d finished, Sophia dressed and bandaged it. Despite being unconscious, with his dark shaggy hair and rugged features, the patient looked handsome. Sexy even. To her surprise, she felt an immediate visceral tug of attraction. This was so incredibly rare, she nearly gasped out loud. Wrong place, wrong time and definitely the wrong person. She wondered what was wrong with her. It had to be shock due to her impending wedding.
“His vitals are good,” she announced.
Dr. Drew nodded. “He’s taken a nasty blow on the head. We’ll keep him under observation until he wakes. Once he does, Thomas wants to be notified immediately.”
Again Sophia eyed Ezekiel’s top assistant. Did Thomas know she was to become his boss’s newest bride? “Of course,” she murmured.
“Sophia, I don’t want you to leave his side,” the doctor ordered. “Ana, you can assist me in seeing the remainder of the patients. Sophia, beep me the instant this man opens his eyes.” He pointed to the buzzer on the wall. It corresponded to the walkie-talkie he wore on his belt. “Understood?”
Both women nodded.
“Good. Ana, come with me,” he barked, turning to hurry away. As Sophia watched them go, she realized Thomas and his two assistants had already disappeared.
Aware she might be stuck here awhile, even after her shift had technically ended, she pulled up the visitor’s chair and planted herself in it. While she wasn’t allowed any reading material at work, she did keep a pad of paper and a good pen. Sometimes she drew, sometimes she wrote poetry or amusing short stories. When she’d finished, she always destroyed whatever she’d created, fearful that someone would see.
The stranger in the bed stirred. Not a full move, just a jerky shifting of his position and a hitch in his breath. She put her untouched paper and pen aside to study him. His thick, dark hair was nearly black. Wondering if it would feel as silky as it looked, she glanced around once before she reached out and drew a few strands of it through her fingers. Yep. Exactly as she’d thought.
Her touch apparently made the man restless. He began tossing his head from side to side, muttering under his breath. When he gave a loud groan, she stood, eyeing the machines that monitored his heartbeat and blood pressure. While they’d climbed a little, the numbers remained well within the realm of normal.
When, after a moment, he didn’t move again, she sat back down. She felt confident he’d wake soon and, when he did, no doubt he’d have a lot of questions. She suspected this was why Dr. Drew had requested immediate notification. He wanted to be the one to give the answers.
But she wouldn’t press that buzzer until the patient had regained full consciousness. She’d learned the hard way that one of the worst things she could do was waste the doctor’s precious time.
Sighing, she debated reaching for her pad of paper again. Her fingers itched to sketch the chiseled planes of this man’s face. But such a drawing would take time and she didn’t want to be caught with it, so she remained empty-handed, simply watching. And waiting.
When he opened his eyes and focused on her, she caught her breath. They were blue, a peculiar light shade that almost appeared gray.
“Where am I?” he rasped, wincing as he tried to lift his head.
Now she knew she had to call the doctor. “Just a minute,” she told him, trying to sound soothing. “I need to—” Her words cut off as he shot out his hand and gripped her wrist. Hard.
“Don’t lie. Tell me where in the hell I am.”
Shocked, she tried to pull free. His grip was surprisingly strong for one so recently injured. Finally she succeeded in yanking out of his grasp and rushed to press the buzzer. Once she’d accomplished this, she spun around, chest heaving. “The doctor will be right in.” Of course, she was short of breath.
He didn’t respond. With his eyes narrowed and his jaw hardened, he looked dangerous. A jagged thrill shot through her, again making her question her sanity.
Then Dr. Drew arrived, Ana close on his heel.
“Here’s our patient,” the doc exclaimed. His tone and expression both were far too jovial—completely unlike him. Sophia and Ana exchanged a quick glance. More proof that this patient, whoever he might be, had some stature.
“You have quite the nasty wound on the back of your head, but we’ve got you fixed up. You’ll soon be as good as new.”
“Thomas has been notified,” Ana put in. “He is on his way here.”
At her words, the patient swung his head toward her. “Thomas?” The name came out a snarl. “That’s exactly who I want to see. He’s sure as hell got some explaining to do.” Crossing his muscular arms, he glared at Ana, then Sophia and lastly Dr. Drew.
No one said anything. Even Dr. Drew didn’t dare cross someone who mattered to Thomas and, by extension, Ezekiel.
The silence felt incredibly awkward. To everyone except, apparently, the patient.
“Well?” he demanded. “What’s the holdup? Where’s Thomas? One minute I’m getting into his car and the next—”
“You’re here. Very good.” Thomas strode into the room, cutting him off. “I’ll need a few moments alone with Jack,” he said. “Everyone clear out.”
Of course they did exactly that, without hesitation or question. Prompt adherence to rules was one of the reasons COE ran so smoothly. No petty differences or spite or hate. Everyone knew their place and what they had to do and they did it. Sophia had always found that very comforting.
Until now, she realized. Now that she was facing a forced marriage to a powerful but elderly man, she felt a seed of resentment sprouting.
As she exited the room, she noted that Thomas’s two bodyguards had remained. For protection? Or assistance?
One thing was for sure, she’d never know. She wasn’t at a high enough level. Yet. She couldn’t help but wonder if that would change once she was married. No doubt it probably would. Even the lowest of Ezekiel’s numerous wives had a more elevated status than everyone else. One of the few benefits, as far as Sophia could tell.
