Chosen Prey (25 page)

"Bitch!" Mark shouted as Nick searched him and tossed out a knife he found in the man's boot, beneath his jeans.

Freeman slung a rope to Nick and he made short work of tying the man up, hands and ankles, and dragging him into the tunnel.

"Fucking bitch!" Mark screamed. "You killed him. You ruined everything."

Dare's thoughts of murder were interrupted when Freeman said, "We found a serious shitload of drugs and military weapons. These guys are going down."

Lyra had run to the woman lying on the floor on the other side of the Hummer. She rolled her mother so that she could cradle Sara in her lap. Sara took shallow breaths.

Blood soaked her robe at her shoulder and chest. Her head tilted back, her eyes closed.

Only her low moan told Dare she was still alive. Lyra turned to him as she held her mother. Tears flooded Lyra's battered features. "Help me. Please!" she cried.

Dare holstered his Glock and hurried to Lyra and her mother, confident that Nick and the other men would watch his back in case anyone else came at them.

Dare bent to check Sara's wound, hoping it wasn't fatal. When he pushed aside the opening of her robe the tightness in his gut eased. It looked like a clean shot through her upper arm. Just as Dare was about to pull out his dagger to cut strips of cloth from the woman's robe to bind the wound, Nick handed him a bundle.

"Figured Barker would be good for something," Nick said.

Dare grabbed the cloths and folded one into a thick pad to press against the wound, then quickly bound it.

Siren screams were louder now. The cavalry had arrived. They had to get the hell out of there.

Lyra found herself being drawn out of the garage by Dare and into the pouring rain with four men—six including Dare and Nick. Nick carried her mother. Lyra ran behind Dare, who'd released her hand so that he could keep his grip on his gun.

It was so dark that she almost didn't see
him
.

Jason.

She came to a complete stop and screamed. He lunged for her. He grabbed her neck and squeezed hard as he took her to the ground.

A strangled sound came from her throat.

"Bitch," Jason shouted, his eyes wild. "You killed my father."

Jason was jerked away. His hands slipped from her neck.

Dare slammed his fist into Jason's face. He flew back and landed on his ass, but he quickly scrambled to his feet.

Jason whipped out a knife as he charged toward Lyra again. A shot echoed through the night and he crumpled onto the ground.

Lyra's gaze was hazy from the rain, but she saw one of the men still had his gun aimed at Jason's body—a hole was in the center of Jason's forehead. Lyra turned her face away.

The sick feeling in her stomach multiplied.

The sound of sirens screamed in Lyra's head. Dare reached for her hand. He helped her to her feet, then swept her into his arms, startling her into letting out a small cry.

All six men tore through the forest. Dare seemed to carry her effortlessly as they ran, as Nick did with Sara. The sirens and lights flashed through the forest. Of course the men wouldn't want anyone to know they had anything to do with the attack on the compound, so they ran like hell. Lyra noticed they all had goggles that they pulled over their eyes as they ran, no doubt for night vision, so that they didn't run into anything.

It seemed like they ran forever, but before she knew it, they were at two large black vehicles. One was a Hummer like the two in the garage. The other she thought was a Range Rover. They piled into the vehicles. Lyra found herself on Dare's lap in the backseat of the Hummer while Nick cradled Sara next to her. One of the men Lyra didn't know still had on a pair of those strange-looking goggles.

Dare and Nick had ripped their goggles off their heads and tossed them in the back.

The dark-haired man started the vehicle and tore out of the hideaway—with the lights off.

Another man she didn't know was in the passenger seat.

Dare held her midsection tighter, obviously trying to keep her from falling off his lap.

Lyra grasped the back of the passenger seat as the vehicle jolted them while they traveled down a rough dirt road.

Once they neared the paved highway, the man driving the Hummer pulled off the side of the road and into a thick grove of trees. She looked over her shoulder and saw the Rover pull up behind them. Lights of countless law enforcement vehicles and fire engines going to the commune flashed through the rainy night.

"Think the cops will see us?" Lyra whispered.

"We're hidden well enough, and the vehicles should blend with the night," Dare said.

"What about Momma?" Lyra trembled as she looked at her mother, who was still lying in Nick's arms.

"No blood spotting the pad." Nick glanced at Lyra. "Looks like she's not losing any blood. When I wrapped it, the wound looked clean. I think she'll be all right till we get to the cabin."

When the flood of lights waned on the road and concentrated on the compound, the driver of the Hummer pulled out and continued to drive off-road with his lights off and the goggles on.

What was going to happen to all The People? Would those who weren't guilty of any crimes be treated as the innocents they were?

When they reached an isolated cabin deep in the woods, Dare and Nick carried Lyra and her mother inside and took them to a room. Vaguely Lyra wondered whose cabin it was.

When they were in the bedroom, one of the big men brought in a first-aid kit. Nick settled Sara on one side of a large bed and started tending to her wound right away.

"She'll be all right," Nick said as he glanced up. "Clean shot, bullet went straight through the fleshy part of her arm."

Relief flooded Lyra.

Then she started shaking. Her skin turned to ice, and her head spun. She felt all the blood drain from her face.

Dare scooped Lyra into his arms. "She's going into shock."

He took her to the other side of the bed and immediately wrapped her in blankets. Her whole body went numb.

This time when blackness closed in on her she didn't fight it.

Red, orange, and blue flames illuminated Neal's features and were reflected in his eyes.

His expression was crazed, insane. He stalked her, a dagger raised high. His mouth twisted in an evil smile. Red horns sprouted from his head, and his tail whipped around and lashed Lyra's face. Pain ripped through her and she stumbled back.

Neal raised the weapon higher. It turned into a pitchfork with three daggers for tines. He raised the pitchfork—

He exploded.

Flesh and blood splattered the room.

He was gone.

Gone.

Neal was forever gone.

She stood in the corner, shaking as blood drenched her robe.

Arms wrapped around her from behind.

A warm embrace that she melted into as she slipped into a safe and loving sleep.

Lyra slowly opened her eyes. Her eyelids felt heavy and she blinked a few times.

Slivers of light peeked through blinds on a window. Her face burned, her throat burned, and her head and body ached. Her mind tried to sort out the dream from reality. This time instead of ending in terror, it had ended with her feeling that she was finally safe. Finally.

And the arms around her had made her feel secure… and loved.

Memories were at the tip of her consciousness, but she couldn't quite grasp them. Her sleep-fuddled mind tried to puzzle them out. Slowly the memories came into focus. Neal.

Being kidnapped. Being beaten. Hurting Neal with the stake. Neal being shot. Then all of them escaping.

The heavy arm draped over her waist and firm body pressed against her back made her feel very alive.
Dare
. She allowed herself to relax into the embrace. The feeling of being safe and loved filled her with a power that made all of her pains not matter.

Shock jolted her out of her dreamlike state. She sat up and pushed Dare's arm off. Fear rushed through her.

"Momma!" she said in a rusty croak.

"Shhh." Dare sat up beside her and wrapped one of his arms around her shoulders as she jerked her head up to look at him. He gave her a hint of a smile. "She'll be all right.

She's in another bedroom."

Lyra sagged against Dare. He brought them both back to lie on the bed, and he turned her so that she was snuggled against him, one of his arms wrapped around her as she pressed her cheek against his chest. Her face stung from the contact, but she didn't care.

She was in his arms again. And her mother was going to be all right.

Lyra gradually became aware of her surroundings. They were in a strange room.

"Where are we?"

Dare pressed his lips to her temple that wasn't bruised. "My ranch."

"Where's Momma?" she asked.

"In one of the spare bedrooms." He pressed another kiss to her skin. "Resting."

Lyra breathed a deep sigh of relief until her thoughts returned to the nightmare at Neal's compound. "What about all of The People?"

"Law enforcement will sort things out," he said. "Only those leading the cult will be arrested. It'll take some time, but they'll separate those who are innocent from those who belong in jail." He lightly stroked her hair from her face, and she felt like he couldn't get enough of touching her. "There were so many drugs and so many weapons that those responsible will be put away for a long time."

"I don't understand how they'll do that—separate the innocent from those who deserve to be put away," she said.

"They have their methods." Dare offered her a smile. "Like I said, it'll take time."

Lyra was quiet for a moment. "I know some people were there against their will, but others truly believed in Neal and the Temple of Light. What do you think will happen to them?"

"Those who choose to leave the cult will hopefully be reacclimated to a normal life free of tyranny. The others…" Dare shook his head and sighed. "I guess we'll have to see how they pick up the pieces. They might go to one of the satellite compounds and follow the leadership of Neal's other commanders for all we know."

She rubbed her face against his chest despite the ache in her cheek. "I feel so bad for all of them." She hesitated. "Did—did anyone die? Other than Neal, Jason, and Adam?"

"Yes." Dare paused, his look serious. "But as far as I know, no civilians were killed.

Only injuries, none fatal."

Lyra didn't know what to say as her gaze locked with his. People had died. Because of her?

Dare seemed to read her expression. "No, honey. You can't take responsibility for anyone who died. They were men who knew what they were doing and who were most likely involved in weapons trading and running drugs."

Then it occurred to her she'd forgotten one other person. "Mrs. Yosko. How is she?"

Dare grinned this time and touched his finger to her nose. "She decided she wanted to go into the retirement center. She called it 'the old farts' home.'"

"That sounds like something she would say." Lyra gave a soft laugh. "So she chose to go there? No one forced her?"

"She actually seemed pleased." Dare ran his finger along her cheekbone. "Although Nick's not so sure about it."

Lyra cocked an eyebrow. "And why's that?"

"Mrs. Y insisted that Nick keep Dixie."

Lyra choked with laughter. "I can just imagine how
that
went over."

Dare's grin broadened. "Let's just say that Mrs. Y won."

Lyra sniggered again.

One more thought came to her mind, but this one made her chest so heavy she could barely breathe, and all laughter and happiness left her. "It was Neal all this time." A ball of pain expanded in her throat and her eyes burned. "He had my dad killed. It was all because of me. All because of me. It was
my
fault."

Dare narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean, Neal had your father killed?"

She looked up at him through her watery gaze. "Neal set my dad up." She hiccupped.

"He had a sniper shoot Dad so that Neal could take me into the Temple of Light."

Dare brought her closer to him. "I'm sorry, honey."

"So it's my fault," she whispered as she closed her eyes.

"Hey." Dare grasped her chin and forced her to open her eyes and look up at him.

"You can't take the blame for any of this. Not one bit. I'm not going to let you. He was a crazy sonofabitch and absolutely none of this was any of your doing."

Lyra wasn't sure the heavy pain in her chest would ever go away.

Exhaustion finally overcame her as Dare held her close. Her body went limp, and she relaxed into a deep sleep.

Dare stood behind Lyra as she paused to look in the mirror in his bedroom. Every time she looked at her bruised features and the scab on her throat she felt sick to her belly, yet relieved at the same time.

Neal Barker would never hurt her or anyone else again.

She couldn't feel sorry for him.

It had been six days since the "incident," and the swelling on her face had gone down and her bruises were yellowing around the edges. But her heart and soul—those would take a lot of time to heal.

Her eyes met Dare's in the mirror and she saw that he still felt anger at what she'd gone through, but his features softened every time he looked at her.

She pulled away from him and started down the hallway to the room Momma was staying in. Lyra's heart also ached for her mother. To have let everything go to Neal and be left with nothing.

"If my landlord will let me come back, my mom and I can live in the house in Bisbee,"

Lyra said to Dare as they entered Sara's room. "I make enough with my art that I can support both of us."

Dare cleared his throat. When she glanced at him her heart did a little flip-flop even though he wore a frown. "We'll discuss this later," he said.

She blinked. What was with him?

Lyra went to her mother and sat on the chair beside Sara's bed. Lyra brushed her lips over her mother's forehead, leaned back, and smiled. Despite her bullet wound and the beating, Sara was looking so much better already, younger even, now that she'd been taken away from the cult.

"How are you feeling today?" Lyra asked her mother.

"Just tired." Sara managed a weak smile. "I'll be up and around by tomorrow."

Sara was taking longer to heal than most people with her type of injury, Dare had told Lyra. The healing process was longer for Sara because of the trauma she'd been through—and was still going through. She'd spent eight years in a cult. The pain of that experience wasn't going to heal for a long time.

Lyra and her mother had spent a lot of time talking over the past six days. They had so much to catch up on. During the times Sara had been awake, they'd shared tears at the sad things that had happened in their lives and smiled and laughed at happier memories.

Lyra had cried about feeling responsible for all that had happened, and her mother had wanted to take the blame for even introducing Lyra to Neal. But in the end they came to terms with the fact that it all came down to an insane man and now it was time to get on with their lives.

She'd even told her mother about the time she'd met Nick. She gave a wry smile at her description of him. A weird, paranoid neat freak. He might be a neat freak, but he definitely wasn't weird or paranoid. He was absolutely gorgeous and cautious rather than paranoid.

There must be something in his past that made him wary of being easily located.

Kind of like herself, Lyra thought.

What she hadn't talked to her mother about was her growing feelings for Dare. Just thinking about him created that crazy sensation in her belly. Lyra was happy her mother genuinely seemed to like Dare.

Dare left the room and Lyra spent more time with Sara. When her mother's eyelids started to get droopy, Lyra stood. "Get some rest, Momma."

Sara smiled. "I know you have other things to attend to." She looked at Dare, who walked into the room as she said that, and Lyra's cheeks heated.

Dare took her hand and led her from the bedroom, his grip warm and firm. It was surprising how much of a gentleman Dare was. He always helped her into the SUV or car before getting into the driver's side, escorted her places with his hand at her lower back, and opened doors, allowing her to go first. He seemed to know just when she needed a hug and when she needed a little distance.

Something that meant so much to Lyra was that Dare had gone to the home she had shared with Mrs. Yosko and retrieved all of the materials she used to create her artwork.

He'd even given her one of his spare bedrooms to use as her place to retreat and work on projects while her mother recovered. It was therapeutic to create, and it helped bring Lyra to terms with her new life. It still hurt to think of the people who'd betrayed her in her life, like Becca, but Lyra could move on.

She'd never be on the run again.

Lyra had kept busy these past days during the times Dare left to tackle one of his PI cases or to work his ranch. She liked having a little breathing room. She'd always needed space at times, which was when she did her artwork. Besides, there was something special she'd been making for Dare.

While they walked from her mother's bed into the front room, Lyra studied his profile.

He was so sexy with his slightly wavy short brown hair, his coffee brown eyes. He had the sleeves of his denim shirt rolled up to his elbows, and she liked to watch the play of muscles in his forearms, his long, strong fingers. He had a way of looking at her that made her feel like she was the most beautiful woman on earth.

Only problem was that he'd been treating her like a fragile piece of glass since he'd rescued her. She wanted more, so much more.

He'd been so attentive. They'd talked so much, shared stories of the past and more of their hopes and dreams, and he'd helped her through the trauma she'd experienced.

The one thing they hadn't discussed was the two of them.

Was there a "two of them"?

When they reached the great room, Dare glanced at her and her cheeks heated at being caught studying him. He gave her that sexy smile of his that just made her want to dissolve into a puddle of liquid heat. It sent those butterfly sensations straight to her abdomen.

Lyra drew in a deep inhale and slowly let out her breath.

Dare brought her around to face him. He traced his fingers over the bruises on her face so lightly it felt like a feather brushed her skin. "Are you feeling better?" he said in a husky voice.

She nodded and his hand slipped into her hair. "I'm fine. Especially when I'm with you."

"Me. Too." He cradled her cheeks and brushed his lips across hers. "I just can't get enough of you, Lyra Collins."

She sighed with happiness. The way he made her feel… she'd never felt so loved and cared for. Not since her father died.

This was different. So much more different.

But if Dare didn't make a move soon, she was going to jump him. "Hold on." She drew away from his light kiss. "There's something I want to give you."