Night had fallen, Sam was in bed and everyone else had disappeared into their rooms except Micah and Olivia who were once again seated on the sofa in the living room area. The room was lit with several oil lamps, creating a warm ambient glow that might feel romantic, if Micah had been a romantic kind of man.
“When I first arrived here, my only thought was getting Ethan back,” Olivia said, her heartbreak shining in her eyes. “And even though that’s still my first priority, now I also want Samuel gone forever and the town healed.”
“We can take out Samuel, but I’m not so sure it’s going to be easy to heal the town. We have no idea how deep the cancer runs in Cold Plains. Samuel isn’t the only one who needs to be excised. Aside from Chief of Police Bo Fargo, who we know is crooked, there are people playing major roles in Samuel’s game and we don’t even know their names. They aren’t even on our radar.”
“What makes a town like Cold Plains?” she asked. “I mean, how does something like this happen? How does one man build such a powerful empire where so many people are simply puppets?”
It was getting late and Micah knew this was always the time of the evening when her thoughts turned to Ethan and he saw the whimpering panic beginning to simmer in her eyes. The best thing to do was to keep her talking until she grew too tired to think, too tired to grieve.
“Samuel certainly isn’t the first charismatic leader to wreak havoc in people’s lives. There have been lots of men before him, men like Jim Jones of the Peoples Temple and Marshall Applewhite, who got thirty-nine people to commit suicide along with him because they believed their bodies would be picked up by a passing UFO and taken to a new plane of existence beyond the human one.”
“But those cults were based on religious ideas. Samuel hasn’t advanced any religious ideology,” she replied.
She looked so soft, so small curled into the corner of the sofa. There was nothing he wanted to do more than to reach out and pull her into his arms. Instead he focused on the conversation.
“Samuel made himself a kind of God here in town. The Community Center is his temple and his word is the law.”
“But he’s not even from Cold Plains. How did he gain so much power?”
Micah ran a hand through his thick dark hair and stared into the fireplace where no fire burned but logs were laid in wait for the colder months to come. The survivalist who had built the cave had vented the fireplace up through the mountain in two directions so that the smoke would be less visible if a fire burned.
“Samuel always had followers. I think before he arrived in Cold Plains he’d amassed quite a group of people who believed in him through his motivational speaking skills and charisma. Once he bought the land from old man Pierce here in town, he set about gathering those followers to this centralized location. As more new people moved in, the people who had lived here before found themselves faced with two choices, embrace the changes Samuel was making, embrace Samuel or work against him.”
“And those who worked against him had unfortunate accidents, or went missing altogether,” she added, her eyes dark.
He nodded. “I’m sure some of the townspeople were thrilled that somebody had come in and was making updates, cleaning everything up and taking them from a rough-and-rowdy town into something nicer and more upscale. Unfortunately, they didn’t realize the price they paid was their soul to the devil.”
He frowned thoughtfully, thinking of the way his brother had accomplished his goals. “There’s definitely a group mentality at play. Samuel is good at fostering the ‘you’re with us or against us’ kind of mentality. He creates an ‘in’ crowd and it’s uncool not to belong. Peer pressure isn’t just felt by teenagers and can be a terrible thing when it comes to situations like this.”
She was silent for a long moment, her gaze troubled as she stared at the fireplace and then looked at him once again. “I’ve never heard any rumors about Samuel actually hurting children.”
“I’ve never heard anything like that, either,” he assured her, realizing that their discussion hadn’t taken her mind off her missing son at all. “Samuel sees children like commodities to be sold. In Devin’s case, he knew that Abby Michaels was dead so Devin became a candidate for an illegal adoption. With you missing and no father in the picture, that makes Ethan an adoptable commodity, as well. The absolute worst thing that could happen to Ethan and Devin is that they’ll be sold out for adoption.” She winced at his words. “But, the FBI have been checking vehicles leaving town and they feel certain the children are still there.”
“But nobody knows where,” she replied flatly. She rubbed a hand across her forehead, as if attempting to numb a headache. “Maybe I should go back to town. I could leave Sam here and make up some story about the FBI questioning me or something. I could tell everyone that I knew Wilma Lathrop would take care of Ethan in my absence.” She dropped her hand back to her lap.
“Who is Wilma Lathrop?” he asked. It was a name he hadn’t heard before.
“She’s an older woman who works at the day care. She’s sweet and very good with the kids. I’m hoping that she’s taking care of Ethan in my absence.”
“I’ll tell you right now, you aren’t going back into town,” Micah said forcefully.
“But it might be the only way I can get information about where Ethan is being held,” she protested.
“So, you’re just going to waltz up to Samuel or one of his minions and ask where Ethan is after what you saw him do, not knowing if he saw you witness his crime that night? Olivia, if I have to hog-tie you to your bed, you aren’t going back into that town.”
“You wouldn’t hog-tie me to the bed,” she scoffed.
“Don’t test me, Olivia,” he warned.
She released a deep sigh. “If anyone needs to be tied up to keep them from going to town, it’s you.”
“I have no intention of going into town tonight.”
She eyed him dubiously. “And what about tomorrow night or the night after that? The FBI have basically told you to stand down and stay out of sight. Are you going to listen to them?”
“I’m here, aren’t I?” He didn’t want her to know that he had every intention of returning to town. He’d made her a promise and even though she’d attempted to release him from it, he wouldn’t be satisfied until she had her son back.
“You scare me, Micah.”
He looked at her in surprise. “Scare you? Why?”
“I’m not scared of you hurting me or anything like that, but I’m afraid of you doing something to hurt yourself, taking chances you shouldn’t take. I know I’ve been a neurotic crybaby where Ethan is concerned, but I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for him.”
“You haven’t been a crybaby. On the contrary, I think you’ve been amazingly strong through this whole thing,” he replied. This time he couldn’t fight the impulse that he’d been combating since the instant they had both sat down.
He leaned forward and touched her arm and she came willingly forward as if she’d just been waiting for the right moment. She leaned into him, her head resting on his chest, her body warm and softly feminine against his.
“I’m not sure how I could have handled all this without you here,” she said.
He stroked the softness of her hair, the scent of her filling his nose, half-dizzying his brain. “You would have been fine without me here. You’re going to be just fine when this is all over.”
She was quiet for several minutes and then broke the silence. “Do you ever think about getting married…having a family?” She didn’t raise her head to look at him.
About a million times since the moment he’d met her, he’d thought about what it would be like to come home to the same woman every night, to have a family to care for, to laugh with and to share a future with people he loved…with people who loved him. And each time he had imagined it, it was her he came home to and Sam and Ethan that greeted him at the door, that filled his life. But he didn’t say this out loud.
“Never,” he lied. “I don’t want the burden. I’ve always traveled alone. That’s what I’m used to, that’s the way I like it.” Funny that his words were in such a direct contrast to the fact that she was cuddled in his arms and he didn’t want to let her go.
“That’s too bad,” she replied softly. “I have a feeling you would have made some lucky woman a wonderful husband, and seeing you with Sam makes me believe you would be a terrific father.”
“I wouldn’t have the first idea on how to be a father, given the role model I had,” he replied.
“Being a parent is easy. All you have to do is love and allow yourself to receive love.”
She raised her head to look at him, her green eyes warm and inviting. “And you are worthy of being loved, Micah.” It was at that moment he knew that if he allowed himself to, he could love this woman.
However he wouldn’t allow it. Even though he’d decided that this would be his last mission, if he looked deep in his heart, deep in his very soul, he’d admit that he wasn’t at all sure he was going to survive this, his final mission.
* * *
“There was definitely a chill in the air today,” June said as she, Olivia and Darcy sat at the kitchen table eating dinner. Sam sat in his high chair, happily enjoying some of June’s homemade applesauce and macaroni and cheese.
“Where are Lacy and her daughters?” Darcy asked.
“They were relocated last night,” June replied. A touch of sadness darkened her eyes. “I’m going to miss those two little girls. They were such delights.”
“It must be hard doing what you do,” Olivia said. “Building relationships with people and then moving on to the next cult, the next victims.” Her thoughts immediately went to Micah, who hadn’t been seen all day. She tried telling herself that the building love she had for him was based on nothing more than the situation. Their enforced closeness had sent hormones into high drive, but she knew when this was all over she’d probably never see him again.
“That is the most difficult part of what I do,” June replied. “It’s hard not to build relationships in situations like this. But this is Eager’s and my last job for a while.” The black Lab lying on the floor nearby raised his head and looked at her.
“Doggie,” Sam exclaimed and smiled at Olivia.
“That’s right, doggie,” Olivia agreed.
“You’re going with Jesse to his ranch,” Darcy said.
A smile swept over June’s features, a smile of such love, of such happiness that it ached a little bit in Olivia’s chest. “He says Eager will be kept busy chasing rabbits and I’m going to be busy chasing him.”
They all laughed but Olivia felt a wistful envy raise its head inside her. Someday she wanted what June had found, the love of a good man who would be willing to step in and parent her sons, a man who would love her desperately, passionately until the end of time.
Each and every time she thought of such a man it was Micah who jumped into her head, but she knew that was just a ridiculous fantasy she had to get over.
Last night as they’d snuggled together on the sofa, he’d made it clear to her that he didn’t want to be part of a family, that he wasn’t a man looking for love or commitment.
But at the moment, with Ethan still a crushing pain in her heart and the uncertainty of ever seeing him again, the last thing on her mind was love. She just wanted her baby boy back and then she’d figure the rest of her life out from there.
She turned her attention to Darcy, who had been unusually quiet throughout the day. “Are you doing okay?” she asked.
Darcy nodded. “I saw Rafe last night and we called Ford McCall and told him that Micah had identified Jane Doe. He’s going to do what he can to confirm that she’s the woman who gave birth to me.”
“Ford’s a good man,” June replied.
“It’s amazing he’s been able to work with that skunk, Chief of Police Fargo,” Darcy said.
“Bo Fargo isn’t just a skunk,” June said with narrowed eyes. “He’s a dangerous man who has been given far too much power by Samuel. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was the one who actually put the bullets in those poor women. Jesse believes that the good police chief is one of the men who beat him half to death and left him for dead in the woods.”
For a moment they all fell silent. Olivia had no idea what the others were thinking but she was thinking about men like Bo Fargo holding her child captive someplace. She fought against the tears that burned behind her eyelids, refusing to allow them to fall here in the presence of her youngest son and the other women.
Jesse came in from the outside where he had been standing guard, indicating that somebody else had taken over for him. He wore a thick plaid jacket and brought with him the scent of the cold, fresh outdoor air.
“There’s a thick layer of fog moving in,” he said as he took off his jacket and slung it over the back of an empty chair at the table. “I have a feeling in another hour or so you won’t be able to see your hand in front of your face.”
“A good night for all God’s children to stay inside and be safe,” June said.
“Or a good night to create some mischief,” Micah said as he came into the kitchen. He smiled at Olivia and she consciously willed her heart not to quicken.
“I hope you don’t intend to make any mischief,” she said.
“Not me, but I want to talk to Hawk and make sure that they’re setting up traffic stops coming in and out of town,” he replied as he sat across from her at the table.
He didn’t have to say why he wanted to check on that. Olivia knew what he was thinking, that the cover of fog might provide a perfect opportunity to move two unwanted, highly adoptable children out of the area. If the FBI agents in the area weren’t careful, tonight was the night she could potentially lose her child forever.
Once again the group fell silent as June busied herself fixing plates for both Jesse and Micah. After they’d been served, the conversation remained light and neutral, but Olivia’s heart thundered with the idea of Ethan vanishing for good.
As she exchanged glances with Darcy, she knew the young woman shared the same concern about Rafe’s son. Micah looked at her, his eyes slightly hard and filled with resolve. “We’re not going to let those kids get away from us,” he said, obviously reading her mind.
She nodded. Although she knew rationally it was impossible for a single man to control what was happening in and around an entire town, in her heart she desperately wanted to believe him.
After eating, as the women cleared the table, Micah left the safe house, she assumed for his meeting with Hawk or one of the other FBI agents working the case.
She knew she wouldn’t breathe easily again until he returned. She lifted Sam from the high chair and carried him into the living room, followed by Darcy.
With Sam on one of the thick hide rugs with a pile of toys in front of him, the two women sat on the sofa. “I’m sorry about your mother,” Olivia said.
Darcy gave her a bittersweet smile. “I think maybe I’ve always known deep in my heart that it wasn’t going to be a happy ending for me, but I’d hoped…” She allowed her voice to trail off as her gaze lingered on Sam. “At least I have Rafe and hopefully before too long we’ll have Devin and you’ll have Ethan back.”
“We can only hope,” Olivia replied.
“You’re in love with Micah, aren’t you?”
Olivia looked at Darcy in shock and then was unable to control the nervous little laugh that escaped her. “Why on earth would you think such a thing?”
Darcy shot her a smug little smile. “Because you look at him the way I know I look at Rafe. Because I see the worry in your eyes each time he leaves this place.”
“I worry about everyone when they leave here,” Olivia countered.
Darcy smiled knowingly. “But you worry just a little bit more about Micah.”
Olivia released a small sigh. “It doesn’t matter what I feel toward him. This is just a crazy stop on our way to the rest of our separate lives. I mean, look around… We are sitting in a cave because a madman has taken possession of an entire town. Could it get more surreal?”
“It just goes to show that love can blossom in the strangest of places,” Darcy replied.
“Trust me, Micah has made it very clear that love has no place in his life.” A piercing sadness swept through Olivia for the man who had never known love as a child, for the man who had chosen to live his life alone. “Micah told me that you’re his niece. I only hope that he’ll allow you and Rafe and Devin to be the family he never had.”
“I’d like that,” Darcy agreed. She eyed Olivia soberly. “It doesn’t bother you to know that Samuel is my biological father?”
Olivia smiled. “Darcy, I have no idea who my father is and my mother was a raging alcoholic who only got out of bed to get another bottle of booze. Unfortunately, we don’t get to pick our parents. You are nothing like your father and in a million years nothing could make you like him.”
Darcy reached over and grabbed Olivia’s hand in hers. “I hope you find happiness when you leave here, Olivia. I hope you find a good man to love you and your two boys. We all deserve happiness after what we’ve been through.”
“I definitely agree with that,” Olivia replied.
At that moment Micah returned, his restless energy filling the entire living room. “Hawk has promised me that nothing is going to leave town tonight that we don’t know about,” he said. “The fog, along with the narrow roads that lead in and out of town, should make travel for anyone slow, and that works to our advantage.”
He was amped up, much like he had been the night he’d come home after nearly being caught in the forest and had taken her to bed. The pump of adrenaline rolled off him in waves and his eyes had taken on the glittering of an animal on the prowl.
She knew in that moment that despite what he’d been told by the FBI to sit tight, that he was going out to do something dangerous, that he intended to use the fog cover for his own purposes.
“What are your plans?” she asked, unable to control the slight tremor in her voice.
“I’ll just leave you two to talk,” Darcy said as she jumped up from the sofa and hurried from the room, leaving Olivia and Micah alone.
“Nothing for you to worry about,” he said as he started out of the room.
She followed behind him. “What does that mean?”
They passed the bedrooms and she stared at his back, willing him to halt, to turn around and tell her he intended to spend the rest of the night in the safe house.
He didn’t reply until they reached the tiny room where he slept. An oil lamp was lit, the illumination bouncing off the rocky walls. There was a single-sized cot and several canvas bags lined up against one wall.
He leaned over and picked up one of the canvas bags, then turned to face her. “With the fog it’s a perfect night to check out a few places in town.”
Olivia’s heart pounded with anxiety as she stared at him with a horrible sense of dread. “I don’t want you to go.”
She took a step toward him, wondering if he could hear the thunder of her heart in the small space. “Stay here with me, Micah. You know it’s too dangerous for you to go out there tonight.”
He placed a warm palm against her cheek, his eyes holding both a softness and a distance that let her know he was already half-gone from her. “This is what I do, Olivia.”
He dropped his hand from her face and left the room with her trailing behind him, trying to think of something, anything that would keep him here with her. He’d been told to stay out of things, to stay away from town. Why oh why wasn’t he listening to the FBI…to her?
They reached the entrance to the cave and he turned to face her, his eyes already holding the wildness of the forest, of whatever mission he had in mind for the night.
He paused and dropped the duffel bag he carried to the floor and then wrapped her in his arms and pressed his mouth to hers in an intense kiss that tasted far too much like goodbye.
She clung to him, fighting tears as the kiss lingered. He was breaking her heart. By leaving here, by kissing her the way he was, he was truly shattering her apart.
He finally released her and once again grabbed the duffel bag. With a curt nod of his head, he stepped out of the opening of the safe house and she desperately feared that she would never see him again.