Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 60576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 60576 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 303(@200wpm)___ 242(@250wpm)___ 202(@300wpm)
It’s sad it ended this way.
As the trees disappear, and we make it to the main road, I turn to Nia. She’s staring out the window too, her face blank, and I can’t help but wonder what she’s thinking. What she has just been through, it’s a lot, but the expression on her face now almost looks more terrified than the one she had when I first met her.
Nia doesn’t want to go home.
“You don’t look as relieved as I thought you would be,” I say to her.
She turns to face me, her eyes welling with tears. “Don’t get me wrong, I am so glad to be alive. The relief is incredible. I just...I don’t want to go home, Mera. My family, they’re... I don’t know... they’re not good people.”
I don’t know exactly what she means by that, but I’m curious to find out more.
“How so?”
She bites her lip, glancing at Kael in the rearview. He’s listening, and when he catches her eyes, he offers her a smile. “Don’t worry about me, darlin’. Nothin’ you can say would ever shock me, nor will it leave this truck.”
I trust him.
I know he means that.
“My family are very religious,” she tells me, her voice soft. “But not in the normal way. No, they’re part of a group called The Sacrificed Order. They believe that the end times are coming, and that they are some of only very few who will survive. It’s twisted and dangerous. They scare me, Mera, and I don’t want to go back.”
Oh my gosh. That sounds horrible.
I glance at Kael in the mirror, and his eyes widen with shock.
“I haven’t heard of this cult,” I say. “Is it local?”
“They don’t tend to make themselves known. People know they exist, of course, but they live on a huge acreage about an hour out of town. They farm their own food, and to the outside world, they just look like a religious group. But behind those walls...it’s hell on earth, and my father is the leader.”
Jesus. This poor girl.
“The cult is a nightmare. They preach about salvation, but it's all control and manipulation. My father has insanely strict rules, punishing anyone who dares to question him. We’re isolated, cut off from the outside world, and forced to follow rituals that make no sense. They claim it's for our protection, but it's just a way to keep us trapped. Fear is their weapon, and they use it to maintain power. I’ve seen people broken, their spirits crushed, and I know if I go back, I’ll lose myself completely. I can’t live like that anymore.”
“We’ll take you to the club,” Kael interjects. “We can work out what to do from there. Until then, we won’t tell anyone you have returned.”
Nia presses her hand to her chest. “Thank you.”
Kael nods.
I reach over, taking her hand. I can’t imagine what growing up in that world would be like. We’ve all heard of cults, and how scary and controlling they can be, but I’ve never had the experience of knowing anyone from one. Nia is sweet and kind, but she is an adult, and the fact that she’s so afraid of these people tells me more than her words ever can.
I won’t let her go back there.
I promised her we would be free together, and that includes every aspect of her life.
All of them.
18
By the time we have eaten and showered, I’m utterly exhausted. Nia has already fallen asleep on the sofa in the main area, completely unbothered by the bikers who have returned and are milling around her. Even in a place like this, she seems comfortable. That tells me a lot about her upbringing. Before I climb into my bed, I try and do some research on the cult she has told me about, but all that comes up are articles about a place where you can live in a community, grow your own food, and be a family.
They’re tricking the entire world.
But don’t they all?
I call Jace before I go to sleep, wanting to make sure he is okay and to tell him I’m safe. He is relieved, so happy to hear from me, and tells me that he has a few stitches and a sore head but is otherwise okay. The club made him promise not to go to the police, and he trusted them to do the right thing, so I think he was relieved to hear from me.
We talk a little about what happened, but I tell him I’ll let him know more when it is safe to do so. Then, I hang up the phone and fall asleep almost immediately, my body exhausted. It has been a long few days, and there were moments during them, that I honestly thought we might not get out of that situation.
I’m so glad we did.