Deliverance [Slick Rock 17] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Read online

  She’d watched Major, Rocco, and Ace intently while they’d courted Delta and had figured out the men in this town were nothing like those assholes in the cult. She’d finally been able to relax and concentrate on her passion of cooking. Yet Lilac had a feeling she would always be looking over her shoulder.

  One of the reasons she’d left NYC was because she’d seen that bastard’s son walking down the street as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  Lilac had put a letter under the door to the Bemidji Police Station when she’d been fifteen years old, just after she’d escaped, but nothing had been done. There had been no write up in the local papers, no reports on arrests. She had no idea how those people had talked their way out of the situation, but she guessed they had, since none of them had been arrested. She’d wondered if the local law had been paid to turn a blind eye to what was going on in their own county. For all she knew, the sheriff may have been helping them kidnap children from their homes.

  She’d wanted to take some of the other girls with her when she’d managed to get away, but she’d been scared of revealing her plans since she had no idea who she could trust and who she couldn’t. She’d learned not to trust anyone, and although she’d been living with the other girls for years, she hadn’t really known them. Nor had they’d known her. That wasn’t a surprise, but maybe if she’d known how they felt about the way they were living, she might have tried to talk them into coming with her. However, she was too scared to trust anyone just in case the other girls would betray her. It had just been too damn risky. So Lilac had kept her mouth shut and waited for the opportunity to leave Werner, Minnesota.

  She’d pilfered small quantities of nonperishable food which she’d hidden under some loose floorboards in her room and kept in a plastic container so the mice couldn’t get to it. What she hated to do, but had been necessary, was steal money. It hadn’t bothered her to take the food since she and the other girls were the ones who cooked it and ended up getting barely enough to sustain them. She’d felt so guilty taking the money meant to buy supplies, but if she hadn’t, she wouldn’t have been able to buy a bus ticket when she’d walked from Werner to Bemidji.

  Lilac had never been so scared in her life. She’d had to duck off the road whenever a car had come along, terrified that she’d been discovered as missing and that the cult members had been out looking for her. She’d kept her hair covered with a hooded sweatshirt and her face in shadows, praying the whole time she’d been standing at the side of the Bemidji bus lines building for the time to pass faster, so she could buy a ticket out of Minnesota and get away.

  Her heart had been racing the whole time, and even though she’d been cold, she’d also been covered in a fine sheen of sweat. However, it had been a clean getaway.

  Lilac had only been fifteen years old and scared shitless as she’d traveled alone toward New York City, but once her decision had been made there was no going back.

  Ever.

  She’d been lucky so far and hoped her luck held out, but after seeing the cult leader’s son, Virgil, walking down the street toward her restaurant, Lilac didn’t think she’d ever feel safe again.

  She’d been plagued with guilt because she’d been on her way to work, and when she’d seen Virgil, she had ducked into a shop across the road from the restaurant and watched. When he’d entered her place of work she knew she couldn’t stay. There was no way in hell she was ever going back to Werner. So instead of heading into work like she was supposed to, Lilac had hailed a cab back to her one-bedroom bedsit and packed the few belongings she’d had. Although it meant losing her bond by breaking her lease, she hadn’t really cared. All she’d cared about was getting out of New York City quickly.

  She’d caught a cab to the closest train station and hopped on the first train. It had taken her over a week to get to Denver hopping from one train to the next and she’d been so exhausted, she’d booked into a room at a cheap motel. The next morning she’d bought a bus ticket and ridden the coach to the end of the line.

  Lilac hadn’t known what to do when she realized that another bus wasn’t due to back for another week. Her mind had been in turmoil as she walked along the main street of town. She’d been so tired and hungry, she knew she needed to rest and had decided to book into a motel or someplace that leased rooms. However, when she’d seen the for-lease signs in the window of the local real estate office, she’d changed her mind.

  Leases were much cheaper in Slick Rock than they had been in New York, and when she’d been working, she’d lived frugally. Her frugalness had paid off because when Delta had asked her and Enya to become part owners in the diner with her, she’d been able to give her all the money in cash.

  Lilac blinked as she came back to the present. She couldn’t believe she’d eaten all her chowder whilst lost in introspection, but she felt better for it. After a quick glance at the clock on the back wall, she realized she only had a few minutes left before her shift ended.

  She’d been here way before the diner had opened for breakfast helping Enya make the muffins, pies, and cakes. The place had been busy from the moment the doors had opened at the new time of seven and she hadn’t taken a break. Delta had shoved a full bowl of clam chowder into her hands and then pointed toward the door. “Go and eat. When you’re done, you can go home.”

  “But I—”

  The other woman hadn’t let her finish speaking. She’d pointed toward the door again, and then signed, “You’re dead on your feet, Lilac. You’ve been working since four in the morning for the last month. Are you sure you’re okay? You’re really pale.”

  “I’m always pale.” Lilac smiled.

  “I know, but you’re paler than normal.”

  “I’m fine.”

  Delta looked at her skeptically but didn’t say anything. Lilac didn’t want to get into the story in regard to her skin or eye coloring, or that she was having nightmares. There was no way she was going to put a damper on her new friend’s happiness.

  “Go eat.” Delta pointed toward the door again. “When you’re done, go home and get some rest.”

  “Aye, aye, captain.” Lilac grinned and mock saluted her friend and then headed out.

  “Do you want more coffee?” Enya’s question brought Lilac back to the present.

  “No, thanks.” She picked up her bowl and cup and carried them back to the kitchen. After rinsing the dishes and putting in the dishwasher she waved to Delta, gathered her things from the cupboard in the storage room and walked down the hall toward the diner and the exit.

  She’d just reached the end of the serving counter when she glanced toward the door. Her heart missed a beat and then slammed painfully against her sternum. Sweat sheened over her skin, and yet she shivered with cold. The trembling fear started in the pit of her stomach and rippled out through her whole body until she was sure the quaking was visible to anyone who cared to look. Lilac wanted to step backward, away from the diner’s glass front and door, but she wasn’t sure her legs would remain under her. Her knees felt as if they would buckle beneath her at any moment.

  “Are you all right, ma’am?”

  The question came from a long way away, and while she nodded, she wasn’t sure she’d ever be all right again.

  “Whoa.” Someone gripped her elbow. “Why don’t you come and sit down before you fall.”

  Lilac didn’t even realize she was panting until she turned her head to look at whoever was holding on to her arm. She was about to tell them to let her go, but the words got caught in her throat when she looked up, and up, and up some more. Standing to her right was one of the men she’d seen watching her earlier, and while he was as handsome as sin, she didn’t know him from Adam.

  “I’m fine.” She jerked her arm from his grip and had to bite the inside of her cheek when she hit her elbow on the corner of the counter. Tingles and numbness raced up her arm after hitting her funny bone and nerve hard enough to leave a bruise, but she ignored the discomfort and took a half step
back.

  “You don’t look fine, Lilac.”

  She shifted her gaze to the man she hadn’t seen standing beside the one who’d been holding her and forced a smile when she realized it was the sheriff who’d spoken.

  “I’m okay, sheriff.”

  Luke shook his head, skirted around the handsome guy until he was standing in front of her, and narrowed his gaze. “Don’t lie to me, Lilac. You look as if you’ve just seen a ghost.”

  She licked her suddenly dry lips and wondered if she should tell the sheriff about who she’d thought she’d seen. She shook her head. Going to the law hadn’t helped her all those years ago, and because of that, she had trust issues. Yet Luke, Damon, and his deputies weren’t like the sheriff in Bemidji. She’d seen them searching and helping others with her own eyes. Damon had been the one to stay with Enya after she’d been knocked unconscious when that crazy man had kidnapped Delta. He’d even ridden in the back of the ambulance to the new hospital that had been built on the far west side of town with her.

  Luke nudged her chin up with a gentle finger beneath her chin, lifting her gaze to his. His expression was stern and earnest, and she realized he wasn’t going to let her get away from him without telling him what he wanted to know.

  She glanced at the other man, and heat crept into her cheeks when she found him staring at her intently. Heat shimmered in her middle and slowly spread outward, causing private places to react, and that scared her more than maybe seeing the cult leader’s son.

  Lilac had seen too many things to want to have this kind of reaction to any man, and yet her body had made the same response when she turned to see who was watching her earlier. Not one but the three identical men caused her dormant libido to perk up with interest, and that downright terrified her.

  “Lilac?”

  She hadn’t noticed she’d zoned out until Luke called her name. She returned her gaze to his and nodded before turning toward the hallway and the diner office.

  Her heart felt as if it was beating a hundred miles a minute and her breathing was shallow, but if she wanted to feel safe again, she needed to tell Luke what she was so scared of. Maybe he, Damon, and his deputies would be able to get the law to raid that cult and save the other young girls and women from a horrific fate. She’d been lucky to escape when she had. If she hadn’t…she didn’t want to think of where she would be.

  None of that mattered anymore. She was free and she planned to stay that way.

  Lilac entered the office and gasped when she saw that not only had Luke followed her, but so had Damon and three identical handsome men.

  She frowned and crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “What are they doing here?”

  “This is Wilder, Cree, and Nash Sheffield. I’ve just recruited them as new deputies. They start their shifts on Monday,” Luke explained.

  “But they aren’t working yet, so they don’t need to be here, do they,” she stated firmly.

  Luke glanced at Damon and then the Sheffield men before returning his gaze to hers. “Actually, they do.”

  “Why would—”

  Luke interrupted. “You didn’t let me finish, honey. Why don’t you sit down? Do you want some water or something else to drink?”

  Lilac shook her head. To an outsider, Luke’s questions would have sounded patronizing, but she knew otherwise. He, Damon, and the deputies were all very caring people. The jury was still out on the Sheffield men.

  “No, thanks. I’m fine.” With a sigh of resignation, she glanced about the room trying to decide where to sit. She didn’t want to sit on the sofa just in case one of the men in the room decided to sit next to her. Lilac kept away from the opposite sex as much as possible. The only time she was near a man was when she was serving in the diner, and she intended to keep it that way.

  Decision made, she hurried over to the desk and chair behind it, taking deep breaths and hoping she didn’t hyperventilate or break down while she explained her fear.

  Once she was seated, Luke and Damon grabbed chairs and moved them closer to the desk before sitting down. She glanced over at the Sheffield men from under her lowered lashes to see they were standing against the wall and closed office door. She quickly looked away when her cheeks began to flush at being caught gazing at them. All three of them were leaning with their arms crossed, watching her avidly. It didn’t help that they were all muscular with bulging biceps that drew her attention.

  She drew another deep breath and locked gazes with Luke. It was safe to look at him and Damon since they were both married and in loving relationships. Plus, she wasn’t attracted to them even though they were both handsome. “You didn’t tell me why they’re here.” She pointed toward the men against the wall without looking at them.

  “It just so happens that Wilder, Cree, and Nash have leased the house next door to your cottage.”

  No. No. No. Please no.

  Lilac tried and hoped she kept her expression blank. She didn’t want these men to realize she was horrified over that tidbit of information. “So what?” she asked with no intonation in her voice.

  “So, if you’re in trouble, they’re in the perfect position to keep you safe.” Damon leaned forward with his elbows resting on his knees.

  “I’m not in trouble,” Lilac hedged.

  “Lilac, I do a background check on everyone coming into this town,” Luke explained.

  Lilac shrugged. She had nothing to hide. She’d never had a run-in with the law, and since she didn’t own a car, she’d never had a speeding or parking fine. She realized something was wrong when Luke’s gaze didn’t waver. “And?”

  “And on paper, honey, you don’t exist.”

  “What?” she asked hoarsely and shook her head. “That’s not possible. Of course, I exist. I’m sitting right in front of you.”

  “No, Lilac, you don’t,” Luke said in a gentle voice. “There isn’t a record of Lilac Primrose ever being born.”

  “That’s not possible,” she whispered and tried to gasp air into her burning lungs. There was a loud roaring in her ears and her heart was beating so fast, it was hurting. Perspiration formed under her arms and trickled down between her breasts, and her stomach roiled with nausea.

  She didn’t even notice she was swaying in her seat until she blinked and the desk seemed to move before her very eyes. She swallowed the gorge rising in her throat, but when saliva pooled in her mouth she knew she was going to be sick.

  Lilac shoved from her chair and stumbled toward the door. The three Sheffield men straightened, but the one who’d been leaning against the wood entrance didn’t step aside. She saw a hand reaching toward her but shook her head as she sidestepped. “Move,” was the only word she managed to get out before she covered her mouth.

  One of the men opened the door for her, and Lilac bolted to the restroom. She only just made it into the cubicle and onto her knees before she lost the lunch she’d eaten not so very long ago. She didn’t even have time to close and lock the door to the toilet behind her.

  She heaved and heaved until there was nothing left to come up, but the spasming muscles wouldn’t stop. Tears streamed from her eyes and down her face as she wretched over and over. Finally, after what seemed like forever, the involuntary contractions ceased.

  After wiping her face with the back of her hands, she pushed to her feet, flushed the toilet and ignoring the shakiness in her legs, turned toward the sink, and turned the water on. She cupped the water in her hands, brought it to her mouth and rinsed the acidic taste away, and then splashed water onto her face.

  Lilac couldn’t help but stare at herself in the mirror above the sink. The face peering back at her was familiar, and yet she had no idea who she was.

  Had the people in the cult changed her name after they’d kidnapped her from her home?

  She’d been so young, not even five and while she’d tried to remember if she had parents, the memories wouldn’t come. The only thing she could remember was that sweet floral scent. It had taken her year
s to realize the perfume that had haunted her childhood dreams was lavender, but those dreams had been quickly overridden with terrifying nightmares.

  Those nightmares still plagued her today, and she had a feeling they would for the rest of her life.

  Sometimes Lilac wondered if she’d ever be normal.

  Chapter Three

  “Fuck!” Wilder shoved his fingers through his hair and began to pace. He stopped and turned to face Luke. “Do you know who she is?”

  Luke shook his head. “No, and from the shocked expression on her face, Lilac doesn’t either. Shit! I can’t believe I fucking screwed up.”

  “You couldn’t have known, Luke,” Damon said. “We thought that maybe she was in witness protection.”

  “So what the fuck is going on?” Cree asked.

  “We don’t know,” Luke answered.

  “Whatever it is, Lilac is terrified.” Nash stuck his head out the door and peered up the hallway. “She’s been in the restroom a while. Do you think we should go and see if she’s all right? Or maybe send one of the other women in to check on her?”

  “I’ll get Enya,” Damon replied just before he hurried from the room.

  “There’s something really strange going on here.” Wilder scrubbed a hand over his face. “I don’t like this, at all.”

  “I don’t either, but we can’t go jumping to conclusions, Wilder,” Luke said. “We’re going to need all the facts before we start trying to come up with scenarios.”

  Wilder nodded. He knew Luke was right, and though he tried he couldn’t dislodge the knot of dread pitted in his gut. The hair in the back of his neck was standing on end, and that always meant trouble. His inbuilt radar or intuition had saved his neck a time or two while fighting in the Marines, and he’d learned to never discount his inner alarm. He ignored Damon when he returned to the office, too worried about Lilac to acknowledge the other man right now.