Berserker's Rage (12 page)

Felicity realized they didn’t recognize her. She thought about turning and pretending she walked into the wrong store.

“Felicity, is that you? Oh, my, you should have called and told me you were coming in.”

She blinked back tears. “Liz, it’s so good to see you. I apologize, I wasn’t sure what my plans were.”

“Is that really Felicity?” Alexa asked.

The young sales girl came around the counter. Felicity was glad there wasn’t any customers to see or hear them fawn over her. She smiled at Alexa, let Liz squeeze both her hands and then gently pulled them back. Being able to tolerate Hal and her parents touching her, was a lot different than allowing others.

Liz stepped back and eyed her up and down. “I love this dress. Is it one of yours?”

With a nod, and more confidence than she’d ever had, Felicity gave a little twirl. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Hey, I’ll have you know I’ve paid lots of cash to look this young.” Liz tried to look fierce. “Well, you could see if I hadn’t just had botox.” She laughed.

“Oh, hush, you’re only ten years older than me,” Felicity said. She and Liz went to the office she’d called hers for the last two years, a place she thought she would be for years to come.

A couple hours later, she walked out with a business plan in her hand. She wasn’t stupid enough to sign anything without having her parents lawyers look at it, but she had a plan. Digging in her purse for her cell phone, she stepped off the curb and between two cars.

As she found what she’d been digging for, she looked up to see a white van pull up next to her in the street. Felicity bumped into her vehicle, panic hit her square in the solar plexus. Calling the last number she’d dialed, she let her phone fall into the bottom of her bag.

“Crap, I forgot my phone.” She murmured, pretending she wasn’t scared. Time moved in slow motion.

“Come with us, Miss Evans.”

Felicity faced the man who spoke. “Please, just let me go. I will give you my purse. I can get you money. Here’s my jewelry.” She tried to remove the ring on her finger.

“Your father wants you brought to him unharmed, but I can knock you unconscious.”

His words shocked her. “What do you mean my father?”

“Boss, we are drawing attention.” The driver’s voice rumbled out.

The man who said her father sent him held his large hand out. He was even bigger than Hal, but his face lacked anything resembling warmth. She saw his eyes take in everything around them, and knew her time to decide was out. Her hand lifted into his big one. Felicity couldn’t go through another beating like before. The pain and suffering was still too fresh, let alone her body wasn’t completely healed.

“Why did my dad have you come get me? Is this a surprise for my mom?” She buckled into the seat next to the big guy.

“Your real father, John The Prophet, wants to meet you. Now sit back and be quiet. I’m not at liberty to give you any more information than that. Don’t make me drug you.”

Her mind began to spin, black and white dots flashed in front of her eyes. “I don’t know who this John is, but my dad is Rand Evans.”

“Should I phone ahead and let the Prophet know we were able to secure his progeny without incident?” Another man asked from the passenger seat.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Felicity said.

“That will not make us pull over, and it’s going to take us approximately four and a half hours. If you need to vomit I will give you a bag.”

Not wanting to disgrace herself, or sit for hours with the stench, she put her head between her legs. She prayed who ever she’d called was listening to the conversation and could somehow figure out where they were going. She thought of asking pointed questions, but feared what they’d do to her.

They drove along the Oceanside highway I-5 for hours it seemed, heading south toward Mexico. Felicity wasn’t sure how they thought they could get her across the border, was prepared to make a scene when they veered east, now going inland. Whoever the leader was he clearly thought she was his daughter, so she held out hope he’d let her go once he realized his mistake.

She was hungry, thirsty and tired by the time they rolled into a truck stop. “I need to use the bathroom.” Felicity looked to the man sitting calmly next to her. She shoved her bag under the seat to show him she was taking nothing with her, hoping by now her parents had been alerted and they’d already began tracking her. God, she prayed they had GPS on her phone.

“She hasn’t been a problem, and if one of us goes with her, surely she won’t do anything stupid.”

“On my honor, I will just use the facilities, and if you could get me a water and maybe something to eat, that would be great. I haven’t eaten since brunch.”

“The Prophet did say to take care of her. We wouldn’t want to upset him.”

The man in front seemed to defer to the one who’d snatched her out of the street, yet he appeared as if he was the one who was the nicest.

“Let me take her. I’ll blend in with the crowd, and won’t look as imposing as you, Marcum.”

Marcum glared at Felicity. “Fine, but make it quick, and don’t fuck up.”

Felicity nodded, letting Marcum help her out of the van. He was huge, but surprisingly gentle as he lifted her down. She walked beside the man from the front. He kept pace, but once they were out of ear shot of the others his demeanor changed from solicitous to evil.

“You should be real nice to me, Felicity. When we get to the compound, you will have no friends. I can make things go a lot smoother for you if you are nice.” He grabbed her hand and placed it over his groin.

She jerked away from him. “What are you doing?”

“Don’t act the virgin, whore. We know you were fucking that blond guy you just met. Your father is pissed, but he will cleanse you before he marries you and makes you his wife. Until then, you’ll be sequestered. Do you know how lonely it’ll be? The only people you’ll be allowed around are his trusted advisors. I’m one of them. I suggest you make nice with me, Felicity.”

They reached the restroom, a one person stall that locked from the inside. She didn’t kid herself that they wouldn’t make a scene and get her out. She’d noticed the weapons they all carried, had felt the gun beneath the man she’d thought was the nice one as he’d jerked her to him.

“I need to go to the bathroom. Unless you want me to pee on you, let me go.” Her voice broke on the last word, knowing he would never let her go.

His grip loosened on her hand, anger reflecting back at her from his brown eyes. She’d just pissed off the nice one.

When she walked out of the small restroom, she held her breath, felt her heart hammering hard in her chest as they walked back to the waiting van. If her cell phone had been found would they hurt her, or kill her? Her pulse pounded so hard it was like thunder in her ears the closer they got to where the other two men stood.

“Any problems, Larry?” Marcum asked.

The man named Larry who’d taken her to the bathroom shook his head, then climbed back into the front of the vehicle.

Felicity’s breath became trapped in her throat. Marcum stared into her eyes for a long time, long enough her lungs began to burn from lack of oxygen. She didn’t look away, hoping he would assume she wasn’t up to anything.

He shifted his weight and gestured for her to get in, following behind her into the middle of the van. His large frame taking up most of the space as he sat silently beside her.

She would not let him know she was scared, nor would she rifle in her bag and draw attention to it. If the man had found it, maybe he’d assume she was clueless. Having a brain injury could work in her favor. From what they’d shown her so far, they were extremely violent men, but would control their urges when told to by their Prophet. A man who thought he was her father. Her entire body nearly shut down when she’d heard those words, seizing in fear and panic.

She wished Hal was there to save her again. If she could only convince this Prophet she wasn’t who he thought she was, surely he’d let her go if she promised not to press charges? Felicity swore she would forget all about the men in the van if she could have a redo.

Hours later, they pulled through what looked like a ghost town with a huge pyramid standing in the center. A shiver of fear worked its way through her. They were in Felicia, California, a good four hours from Los Angeles. The town her mother had been named for. Pieces of her mom’s past came to her in a blur. She’d met Felicity’s dad while out with friends. Rand had been smitten and asked her to marry him within weeks. Had all that been a lie?

A tall man stood outside, spotlighted by the vehicle lights. She fought the urge to flip him off, and then froze, her mouth opened and then closed as he gave her a cocky grin through the windshield. The Prophet, who had to be close to her own mother’s age of sixty, looked like a predator… and she was his prey.

Marcum got out, holding open the door. She looked at his outstretched hand, then back up into his eyes, coming face-to-face with an implacable mask. His lips were drawn into a frown, the tall man was already advancing on the vehicle.

“Don’t make the mistake of thinking you have a choice.” Marcum said low enough only she could hear.

“Hello, dear. It’s good to finally meet you. You are every bit the beauty your mother was.” He brushed her hair back from her face.

Felicity tried to hold still and not let his touch revolt her. One touch of his hand on her bare arm and she nearly lost it. She didn’t need to feign light headedness, stumbling away from both men’s touch.

“You must be hungry and tired from your long journey. Come, let us eat and get to know one another.” He slid his arm around her waist.

Straightening her spine, hoping to throw him off balance, she spoke in clear tones. “I’d like to call my mom. I’m sure she’s worrying about me.”

Something flashed in his cobalt blue eyes. Unlike Hal’s, his were cold and filled with malice, which he quickly masked.

“Let’s get to know one another. Your mother had you for twenty some years, I’ve had only a few months to know of your existence.”

As they walked into the center of the large pyramid structure she noticed the vehicles disappeared. More guards surrounded them, guns strapped to their sides. This was not a religious retreat. Felicia, California, population two, was not what it looked to be.

The floor beneath them began to move down. She tried not to scream, but a squeak emerged and she grabbed onto the closest thing. The man who claimed to be her real father. Muscles were hidden beneath the well-tailored suit. She was scared, but resolved to be strong.

They seemed to go down for a long time, lights illuminated the circular tunnel. Felicity was in awe at the structure and the clear technology it must have taken to get them down.

“How far down are we going?” She asked, releasing his arm. The armed men all had their legs braced apart so she mimicked their stance.

The Prophet looked at her through the dim lighting. “Down here we have everything to survive, we don’t need the outside world for anything. You will see, and meet, many people here who will be your new family.”

He sounded so sure and looked happy. Almost gleeful.

She moved a little away from him. The jarring of them stopping had her stumbling into a guard, who immediately held her in place with a firm hold.

“Easy, girl. You don’t want to get hurt.” His words were whispered.

“Thank you,” she murmured back.

The filtered lighting showed they were in an entryway of sorts, similar to what was above. The large square room had two doors on opposite walls, pictures of the Prophet through the years framed the expanse.

She had a feeling she was never going to see the light of day again. She wanted one more moment with Hal, with her parents. There was never a time she regretted, even her mistakes, yet she was regretting the time she wasn’t going to get with them. Her stomach flipped, making her glad she had nothing to really throw up, thinking whatever she had was all getting ready to land at her feet.

“Come, you will eat with me, then I’ll see that you get settled. Tomorrow, I’ll introduce you to my world.”

His world, not their world. He was a dictator. Had her mother escaped from him? He pressed his hand to the wall and she watched as it was scanned before the steel doors slid open. No chance of escape.

Hal listened with complete impotence as Felicity was taken outside the boutique where she’d worked. His woman was smart and didn’t fight. He wished she could have gotten more information as to where they were going, but knew that would’ve alerted her captors. He immediately had Brax call her parents, and initiated the GPS locator on her cell. They’d told him to hang up so he wouldn’t drain her battery. He understood their concern, however, the loss of her voice nearly sent him and his berserker over the edge.

The ping from the locator on her smartphone ended in the small town of Felicia, California. When Rand had called to tell him the news, he informed him that Mrs. Evans had to be sedated.

“I suggest we rent a four wheel drive instead of chartering a helo,” Brax said.

After his call with her father, he was glad Brax was there to take charge. There was something Felicia wasn’t telling them. Fear for his woman had him nodding at Brax. “Can you do your thing and find out what Felicity’s mom is hiding without being able to see her?”

Brax’s dark eyes focused on him. “Do you think someone would give her the phone if I call?”

“Let’s give it a try. I’d rather go in knowing what we are facing than being completely blind.”

“I’m thinking that we could use Keanu’s gifts, too. One could always use a little heat.” Brax waggled his eyebrows, his cellphone in his hand.

“Make the call and I’ll see if I can get Felicia on the phone.” If Rand was sitting beside his wife, there was no way Hal was going to speak with Felicia, but he was praying they would be lucky.

“Hello,” Felicia answered on the fourth ring, making Hal’s heart race.

Making eye contact with Brax, they switched phones.

Hal hung up with Keanu after his best friend assured him he was on his way, he then faced Brax. The look on his captain’s face had him taking a deep breath. “Just spill it, man.”