"At first they thought I was being stubborn, you know, a teen trying to outwit them, but in the end, after endless cajoling, threats and talks, they gave up. I don't know if they were convinced I really no longer could do the work, or if I just was too much trouble, but they released me just before my twentieth birthday."
"And we found you," Lissa said with great satisfaction. "You and Lexi are our little sisters and we'll protect both of you. This is a safe place."
Their farm had always felt safe--until now. Airiana hugged herself tightly. Fear clawed at her belly and bit at her throat until it swelled and she felt as if she was choking. She needed to get to work, to smell the compost and feel the morning fog on her face just to block out the feeling of trepidation growing in her.
There was no real way to convey the feeling of danger to the others. They believed no one in their government would commit such a horrendous act--torturing and murdering a woman so they could keep the daughter isolated and alone, working on a project that could change the world.
In spite of the excellent counseling she received, there was no way to ever get the sight of her mother lying on her bedroom floor covered in blood from her mind. That image was stamped there for all time and no one had ever been caught. As far as she knew, the investigation had been dropped once she was back at the school. She'd asked numerous times, but they simply told her that Marina had been selling information and it was best Airiana not be involved for her own safety.
"Do you think the murder of your mother had anything to do with the murder of Damon's assistant?" Lissa asked.
Blythe shot her a look that told her to back off, but Airiana was grateful to Lissa. At least someone wanted to try to piece together the puzzle with her even though it might hurt. She knew Blythe wanted to protect her emotions, but Airiana wanted to know who had killed her mother and why.
"As far as I know, Damon's assistant died nearly two years ago. My mother's death occurred a good six years before that. Nearly seven. So how could they be related?" Airiana asked aloud, but her brain was already working. Click. Click. She could feel and hear the pieces of the puzzle being put together.
Why would Damon Wilder suddenly want to talk to her? There could only be one reason. He had been given her project all those years ago to work on. That was the only answer. He had come to her school once. He must have been one of the people who had knowledge of what she was working on. She had refused to continue with her project, and the government wasn't about to let something that promising go by the wayside. Damon had to have been given her work.
She closed her eyes. Her project had been worth killing for. Worth torturing other human beings over. She had created it, or rather the beginnings of it, and most likely Damon--and maybe a few others--had finished her work . . . or . . .
She bit her lip hard. Or maybe they couldn't finish it and Damon wanted to talk to her about it. Why else would he suddenly be interested in her after two years of knowing she was living close by? Had he come to Sea Haven because he'd known? Now her mind was really going crazy with the possibilities.
"Airiana?" Blythe said her name gently, calling her back to them. "What is it?"
"I don't want to talk to him, or to anyone else, about anything having to do with what I used to do. It isn't that I'm unhappy because I didn't have a childhood, I wanted to be there. I loved learning. I loved what I was doing. But I know that whatever my brain was conceiving turned from something good to something horrific."
"This is our home," Lissa reminded. "You aren't a child. No one can force you to do anything. You're safe here. Spend the morning with Lexi in the greenhouse. I've got two appointments this morning in the shop. I've got to finish the glass chandelier for the hotel in France and two other metal pieces as well for their gardens, but I'll be home before Damon gets here, even if I have to reschedule the two appointments."
Blythe nodded and glanced at her watch. "I'm heading to the village to take over Judith's shop this morning. I promised her I'd keep it open while they were gone. They closed the gallery part time. Frank Warner, Inez's fiance, agreed to help them out and keep the gallery open four hours a day during the week, which was good of him. I won't be able to be here, but Lexi and Lissa will be. Unless you want me to close for a couple of hours in the afternoon?"
Airiana found she could breathe much easier. There it was. Love surrounding her. Keeping her sane when the world around her seemed to be caving in. Three women who would stand by her and believe in her even if she couldn't always believe in herself. She knew if she called Judith she would immediately fly home from New York, from her important art show, to be with her. Rikki would leave her beloved sea and join her without question.
"I love you all," Airiana said. "Lexi will take good care of me while you're both gone and no, Blythe, you don't need to be here when Damon comes. We can handle it."
Blythe smiled at her. "Of course you can, but call me if you need me for anything at all." She stood up. "I still have to shower and change before I open the shop, so I'd better get moving, but . . ." She trailed off when Airiana shook her head.
"I really will be fine, Blythe," Airiana assured. Her stomach was still in knots, but her mind had settled and she wanted to examine the theory that the patterns she'd always considered part of the walking-on-the-edge-of-madness might actually be air communicating with her.
Lissa stood up as well, gathering up the teacups to put back on the tray. "I will come home before he gets here, so no worries."
Lissa was small, but fierce. She was definitely their warrior woman and she had no compunctions about going up against an enemy three times her size if need be. Anyone threatening her family was considered an enemy. Even her red hair crackled around her with her fierce energy.
Airiana caught her breath. She could see patterns in the air around Lissa's silky red hair. It gleamed like living flames with every movement Lissa made. She knew exactly what those patterns were and what they meant, which had never been the problem. Now, she could study them intently instead of fearing them, believing air was giving her information, trying to convey something important.
She had always known Lissa loved her and she could see that love clearly in the fierce patterns of determination surrounding Lissa's red head. There were no dire warnings of impending doom. Only her sister's deep resolution that she would protect Airiana and Lexi with her life if need be.
Lissa sent her a small smile. "Stop looking at me with that mushy, goofy look. You know I don't cry and I'm not in the least bit girly. I refuse to get all teary-eyed with you." She picked up the tray and turned toward the kitchen.
Lexi burst out laughing. "Lissa, you're the most girly-girl I know. You can try to hide in your most excellent baggy jeans and tees, but there's no hiding the way you walk. Just because you refuse to be a sympathy crier like me doesn't mean the tears aren't there. That's why you're running away to the kitchen."
"I can pound you into the ground, little sister," Lissa reminded. "We have self-defense class tonight."
"You can try," Lexi said with a little sniff, "but I've been improving. Working on my moves." She made chopping motions in the air with her hands.
Airiana found herself laughing. The image of little Lexi, who had trouble killing snails, fighting warrior woman Lissa was just too funny. "I want to believe you could take her, Lex, but seriously? Lissa can score on Levi and Thomas occasionally."
"I wish," Lissa said, and left the room.
"I'll take a shower, get dressed and meet you in the greenhouse," Airiana promised Lexi.
Lexi nodded. "Take your time, eat something. I'll have everything ready for us. You do know we're really working with compost, right? And you're going to shower first?"
"Yes, I am. I am a girly-girl and I'm not going outside without a shower and clean clothes," Airiana declared with a small laugh.
Lexi shrugged. "You'll want another one when we're finished."
"Llamas? Really, Lex? For their manure?" Airiana asked as Lexi
headed toward the door. "You weren't kidding, were you?"
"There are studies done about concocting a sort of tea with their manure and using it on the plants . . ."
Airiana held up her hand. "Don't use 'tea' and 'manure' in the same sentence or I'll have to pound you into the ground."
"You're such a baby," Lexi said. "It's science. You're supposed to love science."
"I draw the line at foul-smelling llama-manure tea."
Airiana watched Lexi leave laughing before she got up and made her way to the kitchen. Lissa had most of the teacups washed. Airiana leaned her hip against the doorway and watched her for a long moment.
"I love you, Lissa. If anything happens, I want you to know that you and the others mean the world to me. Being in our family has changed me, made me a better person. You've instilled confidence in me that I never had, and I appreciate you more than I can ever say."
Lissa spun around, holding the dripping teapot against her chest. "Nothing is going to happen to you. Rikki got through her crisis and came out stronger than ever. So has Judith. This is your time, Airiana. I'm not going to dismiss your fears and tell you everything is going to be fine when you're feeling like something terrible is coming. I say, if it is, let it come. We'll face it together. We're strong together, whether we're all physically present or not. You'll get through this and you'll be happier for it."
Airiana nodded. "I know. I don't want to go the way of my mother. My mind can be very demanding and chaotic if I'm not continually learning and the last thing I want to do is start drinking to numb myself."
Lissa smiled at her. "Crazy girl, you don't drink alcohol. I can't see you suddenly swilling the stuff."
Airiana laughed. "Keep an eye on me. If you see me suddenly hitting the alcohol cabinet, hit me over the head or something."
Lissa rinsed the teapot again and set it aside with the rest of the clean dishes. "I am coming back, Airiana. If Damon gets here before me, just stall."
"I will, I promise." Airiana blew Lissa a kiss and turned to go back to her bedroom.
"Airiana? I love you right back," Lissa said, her voice tight.
When Airiana turned around, Lissa was already ducking out of the kitchen through the arched doorway on the other side of the room.
Airiana found herself smiling as she took her shower. She was afraid of what Damon was going to say to her, but it didn't matter, because she had her family and they were already closing ranks around her.
She pulled clean underwear from her drawer, hurriedly donned them and shimmied into her oldest pair of comfortable jeans. She ran her hand lovingly down her thigh. The jeans were soft and just perfect after several years of wear, but they also had a few holes in them and she couldn't wear them too many places outside the farm. Sighing, she found a T-shirt that was somewhat threadbare and could be sacrificed to the cause.
Airiana brushed her teeth fast, shoved her feet into her oldest, very cute combat boots and with hair still damp, ran down the stairs of her home, slamming the door closed behind her. The fog continued to roll in off the ocean, bringing a wet, cool feel to the air.
She ran along the path in the direction of the greenhouse. It was a good distance away, but all of them had resolved to walk as much as possible to help stay fit. She was nearly there when she had to stop. She couldn't help herself, she spun around in a circle, arms wide open, welcoming the sea air. She felt as if she was completely free when she was in the open air. She thought it might be a leftover need from those last couple of years in the government school.
As she turned in her circle, celebrating her freedom, it happened again, patterns moving in the dense fog. At once a heavy dread fell over her and she ceased moving abruptly. She lifted her hands and shoved. Nothing happened. Always when she gave a little push, the fog opened for her, but this time, the mist seemed locked in tight. Her heart gave a startled jerk.
She began to run again, along the path leading to the greenhouse. The trail was familiar and well-worn, but in the thick fog, she found it slow going. Her heart rate increased, her mouth going dry. Something was wrong, but she couldn't put her finger on what it was.
"Lexi," she called.
Sound was muffled in the fog when it was so thick, and she couldn't see much in front of her. For one moment she thought she heard the sound of male voices, and she stopped moving, holding herself very still to listen.
"I'm here. This fog is strange, it was thinning nicely and then all of a sudden it got like this again. It's weird, but I thought I heard a helicopter and then the sound was gone," Lexi added. She came out of the veil of gray mist and handed Airiana a thick sweater. "I knew you'd forget to wear one, you always do."
Airiana took it gratefully. Her body was shivering, but not so much from the cold, more from the muted voices swirling in the fog. Those voices were not a figment of her imagination--or in her head. She was certain. She caught Lexi's arm when her youngest sister would have turned toward the greenhouse.
"Let's get back inside," she whispered. "Into my house. Something's not right. Has Lissa already left?"
Lexi didn't argue. All of them had known danger and even if whatever Airiana felt was a false alarm, it was far better to be safe than sorry.
"I saw her car leave," Lexi said, dropping her voice to a low thread of sound.
Airiana tugged on Lexi's arm to keep her following. They moved in silence, trying to stay on the path leading back to Airiana's house. With each step they took, the fog seemed to grow thicker, almost as if it were deliberately slowing them down.
Airiana lifted her hand and waved it toward the fog in an effort to clear a space so they could see better and wouldn't have to move like snails. Her body was in full flight mode, fear clawing at her.
She could hear Lexi breathing behind her and knew she had to be terrified. Lexi had been through so much, and terror was never very far from her. She stayed on the farm because she felt safe there. Airiana felt the edge of anger, a slow boiling that started somewhere in the pit of her stomach. She might be afraid herself, but she was getting angry on Lexi's behalf. The farm was their refuge and whatever threatened Airiana had no business coming to their home--and she was certain the threat was to her.
Something moved off to her left, something large. Her breath caught in her throat, and she tugged at Lexi's hand hard.
"Move fast. Run."
She began to sprint, veering away from the left side but angling toward her porch. She couldn't even make out the house in the thick fog.
"This isn't natural," Lexi said as she kept pace.
No, it wasn't. The fog definitely pressed back at them, as if something drove it, commanded it to slow them down or stop them altogether. Her brain screamed at her to stop panicking and think rationally. Airiana took a deep breath and stopped running, dragging Lexi to a halt beside her. She leaned in close to her sister and put her mouth to her ear.
"Someone is influencing the fog. We've got to get off this path and then stay very still. We can't hear them, but that means they can't hear us either. They're expecting us to run for the house. If the air communicates with me, whoever is manipulating this fog is listening to it too. We can't make noise or disturb it too much."
Lexi nodded in understanding. They stayed very low to the ground, trying to slip through the dense veil as slowly and carefully as possible. Lexi touched her shoulder and indicated she would lead the way. She knew the farm better than anyone else, and she could find the best places to hide. She wouldn't get lost no matter how thick the fog became.
Airiana allowed Lexi to crawl past her and they stayed close together, crawling low to the ground until they came to a series of bushes that ringed Airiana's home. Where Judith's property was mainly flowers and carefully cultivated plants and Rikki's was all about fire safety, Airiana's property reflected her personality. She had wild bushes and grasses growing everywhere, a virtual sea of color waving madly in the winds coming off the sea.
Lexi moved confidently between the large wi
llowy bushes, weaving in and out between low branches. The leaves caught in their hair, and vines slapped their faces, but they kept inching forward as quietly as possible.
It was impossible not to disturb the fog. Airiana whispered to the air, asking for aid in keeping the dense mass of vapor as still as possible. She knew how to manipulate fog and even hold it still in one place, but whoever commanded the dense vapor was far more experienced than she was. Still, she kept the tiny droplets from displacing too much, enough, she hoped, that whoever was hunting them wouldn't find them, not without first thinning the fog.
Someone cursed, the male voice muffled, but his foul words still discernable. Beside her, Lexi winced and sat very still, pressing her hand to her mouth to cover her ragged breathing.
Airiana put her arm around her and pulled her close. Lexi trembled continuously. She had been taken as a child from her home, snatched right out of her bed at the age of eight, kidnapped and systematically abused emotionally, physically and sexually by a cult leader and his followers. She had worked on their farm by day and been forced into slavery at night by the male members. Airiana knew she had to be terrified. She pushed aside her own fears to try to wordlessly comfort Lexi. She felt if she conveyed absolute confidence, Lexi might not break down.
"Where the hell is she?"
Lexi shuddered and Airiana turned her into her arms. Lexi buried her face against Airiana's shoulder. She'd spent nine years in captivity, living under the threat that her captors would kill her family if she ever tried to leave. This had to be hell for her. She had finally found a way to escape the cult and had made it back to her family. Airiana imagined that Lexi had to hide many times on that farm out in the middle of nowhere.
Anger welled up that anyone would hunt them this way. She felt like prey for a large predator, huddled there with her terrified sister. Damon Wilder was coming around noon. There were far too many hours between now and when he would show up, and everyone else was out for the day.