Holly Fever (Mondamin Court #1)

Chapter 35

"There, you look beautiful now," Linda said. Linda was one of the women in the group, a thirty-something with long, dark hair. She spun Ruth around to look in the full-length mirror.

Ruth didn't think she looked beautiful at all. She looked scared and pale in a white gown that was more than two sizes too big. They didn't make wedding gowns that fit twelve-year-old girls. There is a reason for that. "I don't want to marry him."

"In this place, there's one rule. You do what Mack tells you," Linda said. "You're gonna marry him and be our sister wife. That's it."

They were all married, the adults. Each of the men had two wives. As the leader, Mack got first choice, and he'd chosen Ruth as his third wife. In return, he promised, they could keep Misshasha as a daughter. Ruth bit back a tear and knew she had to go through with this. She'd already witnessed Darren getting stabbed and killed today. She couldn't bear what they might do to Misshasha. Kill her too? Or just leave her somewhere? Either way, it would be her death, and Ruth couldn't face it. "Okay," she said in a low whisper.

The older of the women, Julia, glanced down the hall, to see if any of the men were close by. "Linda, you gotta make her understand. For her own good." There was a hardness in her voice that sent chills down Ruth's spine. Understand what?

Linda spun her around and grabbed her jaw, hard, almost painful. "Listen and listen good, girl. When Mack comes to you tonight, you go along with what he wants. And I mean it. You stay still and let him do it. I don't care how much it hurts or how bad you don't want to."

"Why?" she whispered.

"'Cause if you fight it, even a little," she stared hard into Ruth's eyes, "he'll like that."

It took a moment for Ruth to process what she was being told. She blanched, swallowing nervously. She began to tremble.

Linda enfolded her into a hug. "Ain't always like that, hun," she said. "You'll see. We have food. We're safe. We'll keep Misshasha safe from him. It's better than a lot of women have it these days. In time, it will be almost like we're a family."

Almost like?

"Besides it can't be much worse than being with that other guy," Julia said.

Darren. She'd thought he was a bad guy because he cussed so much. She'd had no clue. The way Mack looked at her, with those cold eyes. She shivered, closing her eyes and trying not to cry. How could she possibly explain to these women? Darren had never done anything bad to them. He was a good guy.

Why didn't we listen to Zoey? She knew. She knew how people had changed and how desperate they were. She knew we should have stayed home, stayed safe.

######

Finding the bandits proved easier than Zoey would have thought. Darren had left a macabre trail most of the way. Once they reached the scene of his attack, she froze and hushed Esther. She strained her ears and listened for any unnatural noise. After a few minutes, she set off again.

She paused at each intersection, but soon the noise was loud enough that she could track it easily. A block away, in the growing twilight, was the hum of a generator and then the glow of electric lights. She motioned Esther down a different block. They took the alley, and Zoey pulled out a pair of binoculars. She slid cautiously around the corner of the house to inspect the scene.

They had taken over the corner house, a large Victorian with a wraparound porch. The vehicles were parked behind the house, the generator strapped into the bed of the pickup, a cord running up to the house and powering the lights. As she watched, a man came out of the house, checked the battery, and then shut the generator down.

Another man was on the front porch, sitting on a swing with a shotgun in his lap. He apparently didn't expect anything to happen, if his level of watchfulness was anything to judge by.

In the window, Zoey could see a woman setting the table in what looked like a dining room. She must have called out, because the man on the porch got up and went inside. A group of kids and women were coming down the stairs, also visible through the window. Zoey's heart leaped in her chest as she caught sight of Ruth, looking pale and scared in a white wedding gown. She was carrying Misshasha, whom she kept on her lap as she found a seat.

"What's going on?" Esther whispered at Zoey's side.

Zoey pursed her lips. "We've got to rescue your sister tonight. Now." She thought hard, trying to come up with a plan. They had the vehicles parked to the east of the house, near the back. They would retreat that way, toward their vehicles. But how to drive them there? It hit her in a flash.

"I'm gonna need your help after all, Esther. But you've got to do exactly what I say, okay?"

Esther nodded. Now that they were here, she didn't look as brave or defiant. Zoey put her hand on the girl's shoulder. "Don't worry. I've got a plan. And you won't be in the line of fire, just a diversion."

They crossed the street quietly while the group ate. They went down the far alley to the next block. There was another large Victorian on that side, and Zoey scanned around it frantically and then smiled. "Okay, so here's the idea," she said. "I'm going to give you a boost so you can lift yourself on top of the porch. I want you to climb through that window there. See?" Esther nodded. "Then I want you to run downstairs and check that every single window and door is locked. Okay?" Again Esther nodded. "Then I am going to get in position and call you on the radio. I want you to throw one of those flashbangs out the upstairs window, from there," she pointed, "so they can't see you, into this intersection. Then hide in the house, just in case."

Zoey hoped that keeping Esther out of sight and having her throw into the intersection down the block, instead of throwing it at the Mormons' house, would be enough to keep her hidden. The men wouldn't see where the bang came from. It was a risk, but a diversion was the best way.

She hoisted Esther up on her shoulders, and the girl scrambled onto the roof of the porch. Zoey handed up the bag with the flashbangs. Esther got through the window and turned back, giving Zoey a thumbs-up.

As soon as she disappeared, Zoey took off, to get herself into position. She ran through the intersection and halfway down the block, approaching the house through the alley. There was a garage halfway down the alley, and she tested the door. It was unlocked and in reasonable repair. At least it didn't squeak too much when she opened the door. She smiled, left the door ajar, and made her way onward.