Cold dread doused Kaylee as she watched the older woman leave. Someone was looking for her? Today?
No. Please not him.
She’d spent yesterday morning at church, having given in to Lois’s gentle but persistent invitations. When she first came to Riverline, Lois had asked her to her Sunday services. She’d declined, even though the counselor she was seeing had thought it a good idea.
She’d had enough religion to last a lifetime.
But Lois had needed help bringing things to church and, feeling that she owed her kindly neighbor, she agreed.
Then Sunday afternoon she and Lois helped one of the seniors make some meals for the coming week. Throughout the day, Kaylee had even managed to keep away the guilt she’d felt whenever she thought of Eli. And she’d almost completely managed to keep thoughts of him far from her.
But now—
The door at the far end swung open. In walked Eli.
He had the same confident swagger as his brother. But where Noah preferred long hair, a thick beard and an air of mystery, Eli kept his hair short, almost a crew cut, and his smooth, square jaw gleamed, a handsome addition to a tanned and fit frame.
There was no mystery about what Eli wanted. He wanted Kaylee to help him. Period.
Their gazes locked. Natural light from the high windows proved complimentary to him. Despite the knocking of her heart, she tried her best to look unmoved.
She was not going to get caught up in a fascination of this man. Even if he was a law-abiding citizen wanting only to find his sister, Eli was still Noah Nash’s brother. And Noah Nash had threatened her and forced her to do and say things that she still struggled with today.
Eli stopped a few feet from her, concern etched in his blue eyes. “I’m sorry.”
She blinked. He was sorry? She hadn’t considered that he might apologize.
A contrite smile formed on his lips. “I was way out of line on Saturday. My mother had told me not to contact you, but I did it anyway.”
Kaylee felt a small surge of victory. She was right—vindicated by this man’s own mother. “Even when she’s so desperate to reach Phoebe?”
Eli straightened. “It does mean a lot to her to find Phoebe,” he answered slowly, “but she didn’t want me just barreling up to you. My mother realizes that you’ve been traumatized. She was worried I would ruin even the slimmest chances of finding Phoebe. But that’s what I did anyway. I’m sorry.”
She returned to her sweeping. “Apology accepted. If you’ll excuse me, I have work to finish before lunch.”
“Your boss said she’d give you an early lunch.”
“She’s feeling bad because of all I went through.”
“You told her?”
She stopped her sweeping. “Like you said, I was on CNN. Must have been a slow week.”
“Hardly. You were tortured for two years!”
“I wouldn’t go that far—”
“I would. My brother kidnapped you.”
“No. I went there willingly. I’d hoped to talk to Trisha, let her know I was worried. I figured she’d come home with me, if only for a short visit. We have mutual friends, an aunt who would have loved to see us…” She heard her words die off.
“But Trisha refused. Then Noah refused to let you leave. In that way, he kidnapped you.”
Her grip on the broom tightened. “Noah decided that I could be useful.”
“He threatened and manipulated you for two years. And that’s the same as kidnapping, you know? He wanted someone who could help him with his cult. You fit the bill. You had to lie—”
She dropped the broom. The clatter of wood on wood rang harshly in the stale air around them. “How do you know so much? This is way more than CNN reported.”
“I hired a private investigator who has connections within CNN. He was able to get a copy of the full interview.”
She bit her lip. Yes, there had been an extensive interview and she’d been surprised and yet thankful that the majority of it had never aired. The interviewer had been good at her job, coaxing information from her. “Well, that’s good for your investigator.”
“He’s the best. He also knew what to ask the State Troopers and the Houlton Police, too.”
“He really earned his pay,” she murmured.
“Yes, well, he also owes a few people, now. Look, I know that Noah saw an advantage in you staying there. I know he twisted the reasons around and threatened you to keep quiet and stay or he’d kill both you and Trisha. Then he got you to play the part of a prophetess.”
She hated that part almost as much as losing Trisha. The shame of what she did and how she’d nearly fallen under Noah’s spell still haunted her. “I’d rather not rehash it. Besides, this righteous indignation doesn’t suit you.”
He paused before answering. “It may not and I had no right to approach you with my requests. It was inconsiderate of me.”
With a glare, she added, “So was coming here.”
He stooped to retrieve her broom. If her harsh retort bothered him, he didn’t show it. “You’re right. But where my sister’s concerned, I’m not always thinking straight.” He handed her the broom and the moment stretched before them. A slight frown appeared when he blinked. “Phoebe means a lot to me.”
Her own eyes welled up. Small and blonde, Phoebe projected an air of innocence and, to Kaylee’s constant chagrin, total adoration of her brother, Noah.
“What’s she doing for my brother, Kaylee? Tell me about her.”
She shook her head. She’d built up an armor of resistance to the people in Noah’s cult. No matter how much they loved being there or believed in Noah’s vision of a new world or how much of a victim each might be, she’d layered on a disgust and dislike for all of them except Trisha. It had been a matter of survival for her when she realized how vulnerable she was becoming.
Begrudgingly, she answered, “Phoebe loves being there. Your brother has enthralled her. She believes in his vision of separating themselves from society because the world will soon end.”
“Is that what you were made to predict?”
She folded her arms. “Among other things.”
“Why? Why didn’t you just tell them that you were being held against your will and you weren’t a prophet?”
“He threatened to kill Trisha if I didn’t do exactly as he said. At first, I didn’t believe him. Then one day Noah had me brought down to the basement. There were only candles lit, so I couldn’t see well.” She steeled herself against the onslaught of harsh, ugly emotions. They still lodged hard in her throat, swelling until she felt breathless. “He told me in explicit detail what he’d do to Trisha if I left. From that day on, I had no doubt he would do it, too.”
Eli shut his eyes. The frown deepened and his lips tightened to a tortured, thin line. “Phoebe has always looked up to Noah,” he finally said. “She’s not sharp or quick-witted. She’s a baby, a victim. You know that, too. I can see it in your expression. Phoebe may be an adult, but sometimes adults are children.”
In the counseling sessions she’d attended, she learned they were all victims of Noah’s insanity.
And victims needed help.
But