“And yet you think it would be kinder to kill her?”
“I don’t want to face her every time I come down here. It’s different with the other women. They participate willingly or we protect their innocence by making it so they don’t know what’s going on and don’t remember when it’s over. As long as they aren’t aware, I don’t see how it hurts anyone. But…a sex slave? You have to look at this through the eyes of the outside world. They won’t consider that God’s punishment. They’ll call it torture. And what if someone were to find her? We’d all go to prison. It’s easier to hide a body than a live human being.”
“Who’d find her?” Ethan asked.
Joshua stood. “Courtney stumbled onto this place, didn’t she?”
Ethan kept his gaze averted. Courtney hadn’t stumbled onto it, exactly. He’d hinted, left her clues. He’d wanted her to come here because he’d been excited about having her participate. He’d thought Courtney would offer herself to the group, become a partner in their worship. She’d begged him from the beginning to let her attend the most secret rituals.
But she hadn’t understood the religious underpinnings of what they did in the pit. She’d used what she knew and tried to blackmail him. And he’d had to stop her. But suspicious though they might be, Ethan could never admit to the Guides that he was directly to blame for her death. Allowing her into the pit without the usual precautions had been poor judgment on his part.
“I mean, if she’d gone to the police, we’d be awaiting trial right now,” Joshua was saying.
Harry knew the truth, of course. He’d seen Courtney with Ethan before their big argument. But he had plenty of motivation to accept the lie. He didn’t want to lose his place among the Guides.
“Forget Courtney.” Ethan adjusted his robes so he wouldn’t have to meet anyone’s eyes.
Joshua pivoted to face the others. “So you want to do this? You really want to add torture to the list of things we do down here and call it sacred?”
No one responded.
“You’re making a mistake,” he said. “You’re feeling untouchable, but you’re not. None of us are.”
“No one can hurt us,” Ethan said. “Even if someone found Martha here, they wouldn’t be able to get out of the compound before we stopped them. And God is the only power we answer to. If He provides her for our use, we will use her as we see fit.”
Joshua wouldn’t back off. “There’s always a chance someone will find out,” he said stubbornly.
“No, there isn’t. You know how good Bart is at security. Trust him, as I do.”
“It’s not about trust. Courtney might be dead but—” he raised a hand when Ethan opened his mouth to interrupt “—but that doesn’t mean we can forget how she got that way. I’m sure her parents and the police are searching for answers.”
“They won’t find anything,” Bart said.
“They could,” he insisted.
Ethan studied him. “Are you losing your faith? Are you beginning to doubt me, Joshua?”
With a scowl, he said, “Of course not. I understand why you feel entitled. I’m just saying the outside world won’t.”
“I will not be judged by the outside world!” Ethan thundered.
Silence descended. Finally Joshua cursed under his breath. “Fine. I’ll go along with it, too. But…shit, Todd’s my friend.”
“Todd’s getting a divorce,” Ethan said. “He hates his wife.”
“He doesn’t hate her. He’s a believer. He believes in us. And he’s brokenhearted to think she could lose her faith. There’s a difference.”
Ethan accepted the pipe. “Don’t worry about Todd,” he said as he exhaled. “He will be rewarded for his belief. There are other women available to him. And, by your own logic, what Todd doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”
“God willing, he’ll never find out.”
Handing him the pipe, Ethan patted him on the shoulder when he bent to accept it. “Relax. You like it here, don’t you?”
“What’s not to like?” he said grudgingly.
Ethan smiled. “God supports those who support Him. So stop worrying and remember who you are.” Nodding toward the bong, Ethan waited until his friend had taken one hit and then another, and soon Joshua was sitting down again, talking about what he had planned for Martha, just like the rest of them.
At first, Nate fought the memories. He knew they’d only make sharing a trailer with Rachel more difficult. But it was so hard to believe the woman sleeping in the next room had crept into his condo, into his bed, six months ago that he couldn’t help replaying the incident. He couldn’t sleep right now, anyway, so he let his mind wander back to that night as it so often did.
His unlocked door gave it away first. When he found the extra key on the kitchen counter, he thought his brother had come over. Randall was younger by eight years and did that sometimes. He raided the refrigerator or borrowed Xbox games. Sometimes he even brought a girl over to watch a movie or just hang out at his older brother’s place. But Randall was loud. And he didn’t smell of perfume.
Curious, Nate walked into the living room—and saw a lacy white bra hanging from a lamp.
His visitor definitely wasn’t Randall. Was it some prostitute the guys at Department 6 had hired, thinking it would be funny to put him on the spot? The practical jokes usually ended when they got busy, and they were currently shorthanded. But…
No. He rejected the prostitute idea. The guys wouldn’t bother unless they could be around to witness his reaction. And if they were here, they were doing a damn good job of hiding. So…who was it? He dated occasionally, but he hadn’t been in a serious relationship for ages. Not since Susan had he brought a woman home….
The floor creaked as he followed a trail of discarded clothing down the hall to his bedroom. How had this woman, whoever she was, gained entry to his condo? It wasn’t as if he kept his spare key above the door or under the mat like most people.
Then it dawned on him. Last week, he’d forgotten a file at home and sent Rachel Jessop to get it for him. He’d given her his keys, so she could get into his place. Could she have made a copy?
No, this couldn’t be Rachel. He’d never even asked her out. And yet…
The door to his bedroom stood partially open and had a pair of bikini panties hanging from the knob. He fingered the silky fabric, even brought it to his nose, imagining Rachel as he did so—and felt his body react. It’d been a long time since he’d been with a woman. And whether he wanted to admit it or not, Rachel appealed to him.