Even after I given up working on the extension the previous night, well into the wee hours of the morning, I found it impossible to sleep.

How could I be knowing that Eloise was in my bed, only a few feet away?

I should have fallen into a deep slumber after the day I’d had but my mind was a whirlwind, unwilling to let me go down.

The woman had slipped into my home seemed to fit there as if she had always been and the realization was difficult to grasp.

Never had there been anyone else in my life, outside of my parents.

Even the few women I had entertained in moments of intoxicated loneliness had quickly worn on my nerves.

No one had lasted twelve hours, let alone an entire day and here was Eloise Danzer softly curled on my mattress, unspoiled and seeming to call out to me no matter where I was in the house.

I was meant to be solitary, like a wolf, tucked away in my cave, away from the world.

And yet Eloise was making me question that, even after a few short hours.

Eventually, I made it to sleep but I woke early, deciding to head into Cedar City before Eloise could notice I was gone.

If I went early enough, I might avoid a crowd and get a chance to speak to Cane alone for a few minutes.

I wanted to see what I could learn about my houseguest and where she had come from.

Before I went, I checked in on her.

I couldn’t stop myself from staring at her asleep on her side, her chest rising and falling evenly in the depth of sleep.

She was the embodiment of innocence and I felt like I was staring at a picture, not a living, breathing person in my midst.

I found myself wondering what she was dreaming about because she seemed so peaceful, so untouched by whatever seemed to be haunting her outside.

What would she do if I slipped into the bed beside her, if I stroked her hair and touched her cheeks?

Would she wake up and panic? Scream?

Or would she look at me with those innocent brown eyes and allow me to kiss her rosebud mouth like I had been imagining?

I couldn’t help but think of the night before, staring at her in the bath.

She seemed to be begging me to touch her but I had no way of knowing if that was my own building lust or a reality.

The last thing I wanted was to freak her out any more than she’d already been. If she was running from a bad husband, I didn’t want her to feel like she’d run into the same situation.

But that didn’t mean that resisting was not killing me. I wanted to touch her very, very badly.

I quietly pulled an outfit out of the drawers, careful not to wake her and hurried to dress in the living room before the dying fire at the hearth.

I hoped to be back before she woke up but I assumed she would figure out where everything was.

She was more adept that ninety percent of the men I worked with. I wasn’t worried about her in the least.

Before I hopped in my truck, I fed the dogs and gave them instructions to watch over Eloise in my absence.

They wagged their tails in unison and I took that as an affirmation.

The drive to town was uneventful and given the early morning hour, it was quieter than usual.

What would have normally taken me an hour got me to Able Cane’s in forty-five minutes, just as the store was opening.

Truth be told, I was speeding like a maniac. I wanted to get back to Eloise as fast as possible.

To my chagrin, it was Stephen manning the fort when I entered, his surly face already firmly rooted in his iPad.

He didn’t even look up to acknowledge me when I entered, even after I subtly cleared my throat.

I tried again, leaning across the counter to stare at him.

Exasperated, he looked up at me as if I had interrupted some earth shattering experience and grunted.

“Yeah?”

It was hard to believe Stephen was my age.

He reeked of entitlement although how the son of a general store owner could feel so superior to other people was beyond me.

“Cane’s not around today?”

He scowled at me as if I had asked the dumbest question imaginable and I wanted to reach across the counter and grab him by the collar, forcing the answers I required from his too-thin lips.

“It’s Sunday,” he replied in a tone which suggested I was an idiot. “There’s church today.”

Church. Of course.

Stephen didn’t strike me as the religious type.

He didn’t strike me as any type. He was mundane, nondescript.

He would have made good mountain folk; no one would notice when he dropped dead either.

“I have some questions for you,” I told him flatly, waiting for him to reluctantly put the tablet on the counter as he realized I wasn’t done asking what I needed to know.

He eyed me in expectant annoyance.

“There is a man named Rudolph – Randolph who was here looking for his step-sister. Do you know him?”

I thought I saw a spark of interest in his eyes but he shrugged.

“Yeah,” Stephen replied simply. “What about him?”

“Where do they live?”

A sardonic smirk formed on his lips and he nodded.

“But you can’t go over there,” he informed me. “Their compound is completely blocked off. No one even knows how many of them live there.”

My brow furrowed and a spark of apprehension shot through my body.

“How many of who?” I demanded.

Stephen eyed me contemptuously.

“You really do live under a rock, don’t you, Jackson,” he snickered.

This time I didn’t hold back, springing across the scarred countertop to snatch the lapels of his plaid button-down in my huge hands.

Panic colored his face and he opened his mouth to protest.

“I don’t have a lot of time, Stephen,” I growled sinisterly. “Who are they and where do they live?”

“Okay! Alright, let go of me!” Stephen squealed like the little pig he was. “I’ll tell you, Jesus!”

You don’t have to call me Jesus when we’re alone, I thought sarcastically.

I slowly released him, my gaze still boring into him.

“They’re just another one of the polygamist colonies in these parts, Jackson. They live off Route 14, just on the edge of Dixie National Forest.”

I studied his face, my mind whirling at what I had learned.

Eloise had grown up with people like that? Or had she found her way there as an adult?

I didn’t know much about the woman safe in my bed but I could be certain that she was running away.

There was no way she had been brought there by choice.

“Does Rudol – Randolph run the colony?” I demanded, trying to understand who she was running from.

Stephen leered but seemed to think better of it after reading the expression on my face.

“No,” he replied slowly. “He’s just one of the errand boys. The place is run by Denton Crowe but he doesn’t show himself much. That’s why he keeps the men around. There’s no other need for them if you know what I mean.”

Stephen snorted at his twisted jibe and I felt my blood run cold.

I let the information sink in, my heart beginning to pound at the thought of Eloise being brainwashed by some fanatical cult leader.

I was removed from the world, yes, but not so far removed that I didn’t know what happened in places like that.

After all, I still had the internet.

And Netflix.

Slowly, I turned away from Stephen who seemed visibly relieved that my attention had shifted elsewhere.

I shuffled down the aisles and not a moment too soon as other patrons began to enter the store.

I picked up a box of tea for Eloise and a toothbrush as well as some other toiletries she might. I tried to find her an outfit but everything Cane carried was far too large for her slender form. I would take her shopping for proper clothes later.

Meanwhile, my mind raced.

Should I go to the colony and see what was going on there or would that only cause problems for Eloise?

Stephen said I would not be granted entry but minimally I could see where she had come from.

It dawned on me that she had run far the night she had left, making it to my part of Black Mountain from the edge of the forest.

She had been desperate to get away.

What had Denton Crowe done to her? What was he doing to the other women inside the camp?

I remembered that Eloise had mentioned her sister and a jolt of anger coursed through me.

If Eloise was being kept there against her will, maybe Jillian had been too.

There was only one way to find out what was going on if Eloise wouldn’t talk to me.

I had to go there myself.

* * *

I drove up and down Route 14 three times before I finally found what I assumed was the polygamist camp.

High chain-linked fences secured a barren block of land and it wasn’t until I pulled my powder blue truck aside that I realized that beyond the field were buildings beyond.

It was meticulously hidden, the community and as I approached the locked gate, I noted the barbed wire atop the fence.

Anger flooded me.

It wasn’t designed to keep people out; it was meant to keep those inside locked away.

How had Eloise managed to escape?

I paced the perimeter, hoping to catch a glimpse of someone, anyone who could give me some answers.

Who were these people? What was happening inside?

I’m not sure how long I walked along the line, craning my neck, trying to understand what I was seeing but eventually, I heard the rumble of a vehicle approaching and I whirled to see a beat-up Chevy arriving.

Inside, two men stared at me balefully.

One was Rud – Randolph. Why could I not stop associating him with the red-nosed reindeer?

“Hello, friend,” Randolph called to me, rolling down the window to the driver’s side. “Are you lost?”

I smiled coldly.

“No,” I replied. “Just admiring your community. Could I come inside?”

The both seemed taken aback by my blunt question.

“I’m afraid that some of our members don’t take well to strangers,” the other man replied quickly.

I had been expecting an answer like that but it didn’t stop me from continuing my line of questioning.

“What if I wanted to join your community?” I insisted. “How would I know unless I saw what it was like?”

“You were at Cane’s yesterday, weren’t you?” Randolph asked suddenly and I instantly regretted pushing my hand.

I offered him a blank stare but acting was not my strong suit. I didn’t have nearly enough experience to hone my talents.

“Were you there?” I asked innocently. “I don’t remember seeing you.”

The men exchanged a look and Randolph slipped out of the truck toward me.

He was at least six inches shorter and no match for my physique but I still did not want to get into an altercation with him.

“We’re looking for my sister,” he told me quietly. “Do you happen to know where she is?”

I scoffed but my eyes darted away from his face.

“I have no idea who you are, buddy,” I replied, hoping my voice mimicked the bravado was I was trying to conjure. “So I can’t imagine why I would know your sister.”

“Her name is Eloise Danzer,” Randolph explained. There was something in his tone which told me I had done a very bad thing by showing up there.

What the fuck was I thinking? Acting so rashly was not like me. I should have thought the plan through more thoroughly before showing my face there.

Eloise had done something to me by avoiding my questions, the desire I had to learn about her consuming me blindly.

But now it was time to go.

I shrugged, turning away toward my truck.

“Sorry,” I replied. “Don’t know her.”

To my surprise, Randolph reached out and grabbed my arm.

“If you see her, please let us know. We’re very worried about her. She is to be married soon and I fear she has cold feet. She’ll come around but I just want to ensure she doesn’t hurt herself before she comes to her senses. As I’m sure you know, it can be dangerous in these parts.”

My blood sprouted ice chips at the words and I gaped at him despite my resolve to act cool.

“Married?” I choked. “To who?”

Randolph’s eyes sparkled and I wished I could take back the words.

It was obvious now that I knew who she was.

What the fuck was I thinking?

I wished I could stop asking myself the same idiotic question over and over.

“Our leader, Sir,” he replied smoothly. “He is a very powerful man who would not take kindly to having his wife being kidnapped.”

I snorted.

Eloise ran from you! I wanted to scream but I held my tongue for the first time, wrenching my arm from Randolph’s.

“If you see her, you will let us know, won’t you?” Randolph called. “Sir can be a very good friend but he makes a fearsome enemy.”

It took me a minute to understand that they called their leader “Sir.”

I didn’t respond even though I wanted to tell them that “Sir” was a fucking stupid name for their fearsome leader.

No, I had nothing else to discuss with this man.

I had to get away from the property before I made things even worse for Eloise.

What would they do if they learned where she was?

I had to get back to her and find out.

She had no choice now but to give me the answers I needed now if she wanted me to keep her safe.

Because I had a bad feeling that we were both about to be in a world of trouble.

I raced up Route 14 toward the unmanned back roads leading to Black Mountain, my eyes trained on the rear-view mirror but from what I could see, I had not been followed.

That didn’t mean that Randolph or Denton Crowe or whomever else could not find me if they only asked.

I was an elusive fixture in Iron County but I was not hard to find if someone was looking.

Through the winding mountain lanes, I drove as cautiously as I could, each mile seeming to take an hour even though I knew logically I was making decent time.

I exhaled as I landed on my remote pathway, steering the truck up toward my cabin.

The afternoon sun was flittering through the trees and I suddenly realized how long I had been gone.

Eloise must be in a panic, I thought, gritting my teeth but I was almost home. I would feel much better when I was at her side, even though my breaths were coming slightly easier as I drew closer to her.

But my relief was short-lived and as I pulled up to the house, I saw a dark red sedan parked at the door.

Someone had beat me there.

I had led trouble right to Eloise.