Austin waited for Cassidy near the shower outside her dorm, hopeful she would know to look for him there. They hadn’t gotten a chance to speak privately after lunch, though he knew she heard Austin asking David for permission to spend the night.

The weather had taken a turn for the worse with a late spring snowfall and whipping cold winds. David seemed less than thrilled, but as long as he obliged, Austin didn’t care.

The sound of footsteps came toward him in the darkness. “I wasn’t sure you’d be here,” she said.

“We have to go check out those potato cellars.”

“And the pole barn. How are we going to get out there?”

He took her hand and walked toward the main house. “I’m going to take Lucas’s truck.”

Lucas had parked it quite a distance from David’s house, making Austin confident he could hot-wire it without being caught. “But this is it, Cassidy. We’ll check the pole barn and the cellars, but then were leaving. Tonight.”

“In the snow?”

“It isn’t really a problem, I just told David it was. The tent will keep us warm and our supplies are suitable for any weather.”

She nodded. “Okay. That’s more than fair. I don’t even know where else to look if she’s not in one of those places, and I’m getting the feeling we’re living on borrowed time.”

“You noticed that, too?”

“David isn’t going to stand for this much longer.”

The truck wasn’t locked. The interior light came on and Austin turned it off quickly, then got to hot-wiring the starter. It took some time, but soon they were off.

He drove slowly for the first hundred feet or so near the buildings and kept the truck’s lights off, careful to keep his foot off the brake. The truck bounced once. “Must have been a pothole,” he said.

He continued to move slowly as they got further from the main buildings, not wanting to alert anyone to their late-night drive, until something caught his eye in the rearview mirror. “We’ve got company.”

“What? Who?”

“I don’t know, but their lights are on and they’re gaining on us.”

“It has to be David, Lucas or Thomas. They are the only ones with access to vehicles. What are we going to do?”

“Hang on.” He took off through an open field hoping the snow and darkness would hide them. “I have to go faster.”

“But you can’t see!”

“In my pack. Grab the night vision goggles. Quickly.” He put them on and hit the gas, cruising full speed into the night.

Cassidy twisted around in her seat. “They’re not following us. They can’t see where we went.”

Up ahead was a large tree separating one field from another, and Austin was heading right for it. “I have to turn and I can’t brake. Brace yourself.” He took his foot off the gas, slowing the vehicle as much as he could, but he still needed to swerve to miss the outermost branches. Cassidy flew across the bench seat and into his side.

She was breathing hard. “This is scaring the shit out of me. It’s like Space Mountain, that roller coaster at Disney World that’s all in the dark.”

“Roller coasters are fun.”

“This is not fun, Austin!”

In the distance he saw the four hills Lucas had shown them earlier, the tops of the potato cellars. He steered toward them.

“Uh oh,” said Cassidy. “Look over there.”

Sure enough, the car that had been following them was headed for the potato cellars, too. “Wait a second,” he said. “What if they aren’t following us at all?”

“What else would they be doing out here at night like this?” She gasped. “Oh my God. Austin, they’re going to see Julianne.”

“Maybe. If she really is alive and she’s out here someplace, they must be taking care of her.” He took his foot off the gas, allowing the truck to slow down on its own. It came to a complete stop about four hundred feet from the hills. The other vehicle parked in front of the structures with its lights on.

They watched as someone in a coat and hat crossed in front of the headlight beams, then disappeared on the other side of the cellar hills.

“Can you tell who it is?” he asked.

“No.”

Austin put the truck in park. “I’m going to get closer so I can get a better look.” He reached for his pack, withdrawing a firearm and loading a magazine, then tucking another in his pocket.

“Be careful,” she said.

She sat in the cab of the truck trying to see where he’d gone, but quickly lost him in the snow and darkness. She felt safe in that moment, knowing Austin the Navy SEAL was there to protect her.

He was such a strong force in her life, and in the world in general. She was certain if Julianne was alive and on this property, he would find her.

I still love that man.

The thought made her choked up. Would she never learn? Never protect her heart? He wanted to see her again. Wanted a second chance. It was so tempting, her heart and her body wanting him so much, but her mind knew better. He’d hurt her before and he would hurt her again.

The driver’s side door opened.

“That was quick,” she said as he slid in beside her.

Lucas turned and faced her. “That’s funny. It seemed like I was back there forever.”

Cassidy screamed loudly. Lucas punched her in the jaw and she stopped, shocked by the pain that exploded across her face.

“That’s Thomas over there,” he said. “Do you want him to know you’re here?”

“No. Please don’t tell him.”

“I won’t if I don’t have to. I’m sorry I hit you.” He shook his hand out. “You shouldn’t be here, Sister Cassidy. If he finds out, he’ll be real angry.”

“How did you find us?”

“I saw the light come on in my truck so I came outside just in time to see you two driving away. I hopped in the back.” He gestured toward the field that separated them from the potato cellars. “You have no business snooping around out here. What are you doing, for heaven’s sake?”

Lies popped into her mind, not one of them remotely convincing. She opened her mouth, not sure what she would say. She was as surprised as Lucas when the truth came out. “I’m looking for Julianne.”

Lucas's eyes shot to hers in the darkened cab.

“You know who she is. I can see it in your face. You remember her.”

He looked away.

“She’s my friend. She's the nicest, kindest, gentlest human being I've ever known, and she went missing from this place.”

“Is that why you came to The Community? To look for your friend?”

“Yes. You could help me, Lucas. You could tell me what happened to her. You could help me find her and bring her home to her family. Everyone is so worried about her, and you could help.”

“There is no Julianne. Not anymore.”

Her face crumpled. “Is she dead?”

“Are you a reporter, too?”

“Yes.”

Lucas reached inside his coat, withdrawing a firearm. Cassidy stared at it, transfixed. “Lucas, please…”

“It has a silencer. Top of the line model from Finland.” He sighed heavily. “Brother David has the ear of the Lord.”

“No. He's hurting people. He won't let anyone leave. God wouldn’t tell him to do that.”

“God told him to kill Julianne.”

She gasped. “Is that what happened to her?”

“No.” He turned his head to face her. “He had me do it instead.”

She reached for the handle to open the door, fear and panic exploding in her veins, but he was too fast. He wrapped his arm around her neck and pulled her against his chest. “Stop fighting me,” he said.

“Let me go!” she yanked her arm back, stabbing him in the solar plexus with her elbow. He grunted but kept hold of her neck.

“Listen to me.”

“She was pregnant,” she said. “She was a good person and you killed her.” She aimed lower this time, sinking down as low as she could before striking him in the scrotum.

“Ah!” This time he let her go. In the darkness she fumbled for the door handle, finally grasping it and opening it to the outside, an icy blast of air coming into the cab of the truck. “Your friend is alive,” he said.

She spun around, the snow nearly making her slip. “Is that a trick?”

“I could shoot you right now, but I have not. I wouldn’t kill her and I won’t kill you, either.” He put the gun on the dash. “She might be better off dead than the way she’s living.” He stared at the car in the distance with its lights on. “That’s my fault, too.”

Understanding dawned, horrible and shocking. “Thomas is in there with her.”

“Yes.” He keened like a small child about to sob. “He found out what I’d done, that I let her live. I knew about the baby. It didn’t seem right to kill her.” He took a shuddering breath. “I thought for sure he would tell Brother David, but instead he started…hurting her. He knew I couldn’t tell anyone. Until you. You can stop Thomas. You can save her.”

“You have to help us get her out of here.”

He nodded. “Close the door. I’ll be right there.”

She shut it quietly and turned toward the potato cellars. A sound like a big rock hitting pavement came from inside the car, making her jump. “No, no, no!” She opened the door and peered inside, her head jerking back at what she saw, blood and gore and horror.

She slammed it closed.

Where was Austin? She wanted to scream for him, to call out and run, but the blowing wind, fluttering snow and headlights in the distance were all she could see. She was crying, tears running down her face. Lucas had shot himself.

Lucas was dead.

“Austin,” she called quietly into the field. She moved through the cold night air, hugging her arms to her chest. Julianne was in that building, probably being raped by Thomas. And somewhere nearby, the only man who could help her stop this nightmare was hiding in the darkness, watching it all unfold.