Long Way Home (12 page)

         She
felt a blush rising on her cheeks that had nothing to do with Nathaniel’s
flowery words and everything to do with all the gagging and kissing noises she
was hearing in her ear from the guys.

         “Thank
you, Nathaniel, but you didn’t let me finish.  That girl had been
whipped…as in, with a whip!  Again, what could she possibly have done to
warrant that?”

         “Back
off, Tessa,” Gibson again warned her.

         “Just
relax, babe,” Shane cut in.  

         “I’m
not aware of the specific infraction,” Nathaniel told her.  “But be
assured, Stephanie chose this, and she will be a better member for it.
 Think of it as a purification of sorts.”

         Tessa
was afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep the horror she felt from her face so
she turned from him to gaze out over the grounds.  He came to stand behind
her and placed his hands on her shoulders, gently massaging them.

         “Nathaniel-”
she began but he cut her off.

         “When
she is feeling better in a couple of days, you can talk to her.  See that
this is indeed her choice.  Would that make you feel better?”

         “It
would, yes.”

         “Would
you consider coming to stay here at the Retreat?  Getting to know me and
our lifestyle a little better?”

         “Oh.
 Wow, um…I don’t…wow.”

         “I
know we just met,” he said in a rush, “but I feel such a connection to you.
 Not just your beauty but your intelligence.”

         “Not
to mention your bank account,” Joe said dryly.

         She
turned back to face him.  “I feel a connection to you as well, Nathaniel,
but I have to be honest, what I saw back there, I’m not 100% comfortable with.
 I don’t think I could live the way those women back there are.”

         “Tessa!”
Gibson admonished.

         “I
wouldn’t dream of putting you in the dorms, Madelyn.  You would stay in
the Main House.  I meant what I told them; you are my Very Special Guest.”

         “And
what does that mean to them, Nathaniel?  Why did they treat me the way
they did?”

         “Just
a sign of respect.”

         “Yes,
but why?  What are you telling them when you say I’m your Very Special
Guest?”

         He
smiled, “Can’t slip anything past you…I was telling them that I’d like for you
to be mine.”

         “Nathaniel,”
she gasped with a smile.

         “Too
fast for you?”

         She
stepped closer to him.  “Well, now, I don’t know.  You haven’t even
kissed me yet.”

         He
stroked his finger down her cheek then touched her lower lip.  “I don’t
usually move this quickly, but ever since you walked into my tent I haven't
been able to get you out of my mind.”

         The
guys all groaned when he leaned in to touch his lips to hers.  Shane
clenched his teeth and cut the mike so nothing they said would distract her.
 He drew a deep breath and let it out slowly, getting up to pace.

         “You
all right?” Bruce asked him.

         “I’m
fine,” he said in a clipped tone.  He glanced at the monitor, saw that
Helton had removed her glasses so at least they weren’t looking at a close up
of the creep’s face.

         “How
is it that someone as beautiful as you isn’t taken?” Helton asked her.

         “I
was in a relationship,” she said.  “It ended badly.”

         “I’m
sorry…but then I’m grateful, since it has allowed you to be here with me.”

         Their
conversation died again and Shane knew he’d probably kissed her once more.
 He thought of his time with her in San Antonio and touched his hand over
her ring and dog tags.  He knew as hard as this was for him to watch and
listen to, it was worse for her.

         “Pictures’s
back,” Joe said.

         He
looked back at the monitor, taking in Helton’s smug face.  He wanted to
knock that look off the SOB so bad he couldn’t stand it, especially when
Tessa’s hand appeared on screen, wiping her lipstick from his face.

         “Want
to see the classrooms?  Meet some of the children?”

         “Absolutely,”
she replied.  While they began walking, she tapped the mike.

         “We’re
here, Tess,” Gibson replied.  She tapped it three times, her signal for
Shane.

         He
closed his eyes his eyes for a moment then turned his mike back on.

         “I’m
here, babe.  Everything’s cool,” he assured her, keeping his voice level.

         “How
many children live here?” they heard her ask, letting them know she was
satisfied with his reply.

         “Thirty
two in all, but only eleven are school age as of now.  We have a couple of
women who home school them but we’d much rather have an actual teacher.”

         “What
are their ages?”

         “Five
thru eleven.  We go ahead and allow the older students to attend public
schools.  Less red tape that way.”

         Thankfully
from all of Shane’s investigations they knew that the children were not subject
to the abuse the women were.  He didn’t know if she would be able to stand
it if the children were being abused.

         He
ignored the chatter between them concerning school matters, wondering off hand
how she knew so much about curriculums.  He couldn’t wait for her to get
out of there tonight.  He needed to see her.  He thought he could
handle knowing she was kissing someone else but he’d been fooling himself.
 It hurt.  It brought out a vicious, Neanderthal side of him he never
knew existed.

         “She’ll
be fine for the time being,” Bruce said, clamping a hand on Shane’s shoulder.
 “Come on, let’s take a walk.”

         Shane
nodded, allowing Bruce to escort him out of the control room and into the
kitchen of their temporary command house, just over a mile up the road from the
Naturalists compound.

         “That
was hard for you to see,” Bruce stated.

         Shane
rubbed the back of his neck.  “Yeah…it was.”

         “I
was worried about you in there.”

         “I’ll
handle it…somehow.”

         “If
this is going to tear you up, maybe you should-”

         “Don’t,
Bruce, OK? I’ll be fine.  I’d rather be here watching than not knowing
what’s going on.”

         “I
understand.  Just don’t let it eat you up inside.”

         Shane
pulled the dog tag chain from his neck.  “I gave her this the other day,”
he said, showing Bruce the ring.  “Haven’t even told my folks yet.
 Hell, they don’t even know Tessa’s back in my life.”

         “Well…your
dad knows.  Sorry,” Bruce smiled.

         Shane
smiled, opening the fridge and taking out a Coke.  “That’s OK.  My
dad likes Tessa.  My mom?  Not so much.”

         “Susie’ll
come around.”

         “Maybe…I
don’t really care.  Tessa has always been it for me.”

         “Hey,
McCanton, she’s asking for you again,” Crownover said, stepping out of the
Control Room.  “He’s trying to get her to stay the night.”

         Tessa
was getting worried about Shane.  She hadn’t heard from him ever since
they left the gazebo.  She’d tapped the mike and Joe told her they’d get
him but that had been several minutes ago.  After seeing the children and
the school she needed to hear his voice, was desperate to hear him, actually.

         “Hey,
Tess, I’m back.  The guys said you saw the kids and they all look healthy
and happy.  That’s good news at least.”

         Tessa
took a deep breath, taking comfort in the sound of Shane’s voice.

         “I
really would like for you to stay tonight,” Nathaniel pressed again when they
arrived back at the Main House.

         “I
can’t tonight, Nathaniel.  I have an appointment in the morning.”

         “You
can’t reschedule?”

         “I’m
afraid not…but I can come back when it’s over, and plan to stay tomorrow night.
 How’s that?”

         “I
suppose it will have to do…you do promise to return, though, right?  I’m
afraid I’ve already gotten spoiled by your presence.”

         She
laughed.  “I absolutely promise.”

         He
cupped her face tenderly in his hands and kissed her in full view of everyone
gathering for evening chapel.

         “Be
careful going home and hurry back to me,” he said against her lips.

         “I
will.  Good night, Nathaniel.”

         He
kissed her once more then opened her car door for her.  She got in and
took a deep breath.

         “Do
not say anything yet,” Shane cautioned her.  “There‘s a diner on the way
out of here, about twenty miles down the road.  Ed’s Café.  Stop
there and we’ll talk.”

         She
smiled and waved to Nathaniel as she drove off.  He was an extremely
charming man, she thought.  It was easy to see why so many women had
fallen under his spell.  He was handsome and charming and honestly, he was
a really good kisser.  Not quite on Shane’s level, she admitted, but
close.  But then, she recalled the coldness that had passed over his face
when he’d sent Olivia off to Paul’s office, she assumed to receive the same
“punishment” Stephanie had.  That coldness totally contradicted the
tenderness he’d shown to Stephanie when he talked to her.  It was a
contradiction Tessa didn’t fully understand at this point.

         About
a mile up the road, a horn honking caught her attention.  She looked up to
see Shane and the others in a van beside her.

         “Hey,
beautiful, going my way?” Shane said, making her laugh.  “Just follow me,
baby.”

         They
couldn’t get to that diner fast enough.  When they arrived, Shane flashed
his badge and asked for the use of the manager’s office.  He led her
inside and as soon as the door shut, he was on her, determined to wipe the
taste of Helton from her lips and her thoughts…and from his as well.

         “Are
you OK?” he asked, stroking her hair.

         “Yes…but
could you just hold me for a minute? I need to feel your arms around me.”

         He
crushed her to him, holding her tight.  “I’m so sorry, babe.”

         She
drew a deep breath.  “Stephanie Quinn was beaten this morning.  If we
went in now, she’d have fresh cuts on her back for evidence.”

         “But
she signed the consent forms so there isn’t enough to shut them down.”

         “Nathaniel
is charismatic and charming.  Those girls in the dorms…did you see their
faces, Shane?  They were so enraptured of him…like the pictures you see of
all those fans with Elvis.”

         “”He’s
just a man, Tess.”

         She
looked up at him.  “I know that, Shane…but the others.  They’re all
so weak-minded.  He can manipulate them so easily.”

         “He
took a lot of liberties with you today.  Touching you, kissing you at the
end for all to see…he’s claimed you, Tess…how are you going to hold him off?
 Especially with you moving in tomorrow?”

         “I’ll
think of something…how long do you think I’ll have to stay there?”

         “I
don’t know.  I guess that’s up to Gibson and Bruce.”

         “I
hope not long…the children are all so sweet.  They actually have an
innocence about them you don’t see in other children because they don’t watch
TV or play video games…how can people who so obviously cherish their children
turn around and treat women the way they do?”

         “Sex
does strange things to people.”

         “Yes,
but-” she stopped when a knock sounded on the door.

         “It’s
Gib.  I’m coming in.”

         “Door’s
open,” Shane called.

         “Everything
OK?” he asked, stepping inside.

         “Just
fine,” Shane answered, his arm still around Tessa’s waist, anchoring her to his
side. 

         “We
need to come up with a game plan to get Stephanie out of there…it would be
easier if you were to be staying in the dorms.  Why would you tell him you
wouldn’t?”

         “He’d
already made a move on me, Gib.  I just thought I may be able to collect
more evidence if he regarded me as above the girls in the dorms.”

         “But
when you questioned him about the Arena he said it was a place you would never
have to worry about.”

         “It
wouldn’t matter if she got eyes in there anyway,” Shane said, “Those consent
forms block us from doing anything.  They only way we could go after them
is if they send a minor in there.”

         “Look,
I have a feeling that once I’m there tomorrow Nathaniel will figure out a way
to keep me there.  Things are moving much faster than we anticipated.”