Chapter Thirteen
Bella frowned, trying to think nothing at all while at the same time wondering what she should do. She didn’t want them to know her thoughts, but at the same time, she couldn’t stop thinking about this latest bit of news that the woman had provided.
Her life was in a shambles. All of her plans for a happy future had walked out the door with Derek. She had no job, no family, and very few close friends—and none who were close enough that she’d want to burden them with the strange events of the day—and if she could believe the woman, she had no place to live anymore, either. She felt stripped bare, as if the day had taken everything from her. She hoped that her savings was still in her bank, otherwise, she didn’t know what she’d do.
The woman cleared her throat, and there was a long pause, as if she had something to say but didn’t want to say it. Finally, she sighed and started talking again.
“And that’s the other thing, Bella. As soon as they’d kidnapped you for ‘reprogramming,’ they also hijacked and modified your identity and drained all of your accounts, siphoning off your funds to use for their organization. They have those among them who have the ability for a bit of illusion, so it was quite easy for one of those individuals to take on your image and withdraw your funds from your accounts. Especially after they had your identification, which they took from your purse when you were kidnapped.”
Bella’s heart seemed to stutter in her chest. All of her savings, gone? The money she’d worked years to make, her nest egg for the future . . . it wasn’t there anymore? What was she to do now?
And wasn’t this all so very convenient for the two in the front seat of the car? If she had nothing—no job, no money, no apartment, no one who cared about her—then wouldn’t it seem as if she had to join these people who were so kindly offering their aid?
From the front seat, the woman answered her as if she’d spoken aloud, “Yes, Bella, but that was their goal, not ours. With you completely at their mercy, what choice would you have but to marry Lucien and accept the membership into their organization?”
Bella frowned, trying to sort it all out. It was all so convoluted. She didn’t know whom to trust.
“So, if you weren’t taking me back to my apartment—because it is no longer my apartment—then where were you taking me?” she asked.
“We were going to take you to a coffee shop, have a long talk, explain ourselves, and then, with your agreement, we’d like to take you to our organization’s compound. It’s a very long drive, so we thought some caffeine might help keep us all awake overnight. The compound is where we have had your things moved. We have a place for you there.”
Bella held back a snarl. “That was a little presumptuous, don’t you think?”
“Action had to be taken, Bella,” Velma said. “Now that they’ve made their first move, the Quislings will not stop trying to gain your abilities for their own.”
“What abilities?” Bella asked, nearly shouting. “I don’t have any special abilities!”
Instead of answering, David sighed loudly, meeting her gaze in the rearview mirror.
“I’m sorry, Bella. I’ve made a mess of things,” David said quietly.
Velma reached out a reassuring hand, placing it on David’s arm, as if comforting him in some way.
“You do have abilities, Bella,” Velma explained. “Just as we do. They’re a gift, from the Lord. Everyone has been gifted in one way or another, and all gifts are different. The Lord, in His infinite wisdom, knows exactly what gifts will serve us best before we are even born. Through Him, your gifts can grow stronger. And, some fortunate few are even allowed to catch a glimpse of the supernatural realm that exists all around us. To see the angels and evil spirits. Few in the world receive gifts such as these, Bella, and you are one of the lucky people who have.”
“But, the Lord also allows us all free choice, so the gifts we have been blessed with can be used to serve Him, or they can be used for evil and self‑serving gains,” David said.
“You have been blessed with several very powerful gifts. And they have only recently begun to show themselves. These gifts have put you on the radar, so to speak, for supernatural forces and for those whose gifts allow them to see into the supernatural world,” Velma explained.
“So, you’re saying that Lucien, and the Quislings . . . they’ve been gifted too, and they’ve chosen to use their gifts for evil purposes?”
“Yes, quite evil, dear,” Velma said.
“And you don’t? You use your gifts for good? Is that right?” Bella asked.
“That’s right, dear, we don’t use our gifts for self‑serving or evil purposes. Our gifts are only used to further His Kingdom,” Velma assured her.
Bella didn’t know what to say. These people sounded as crazy as Lucien had sounded down in that stark basement. The only difference was that Bella felt no evil emanating from them, and her instincts urged her to trust them.
“There’s a Starbucks just ahead. And it looks like it’s still open. Do you want to stop?” David asked, cutting into the uncomfortable conversation.
Bella glanced behind them, a spike of fear jolting through her as she again recalled the malefic atmosphere that had seemed to permeate the building that the Quislings had taken her to.
“Maybe we could just go through the drive‑thru?” she said.
“So you’ve decided to go with us to the compound? To join us? So easily? You don’t need to talk about it?”
“That depends upon where it is. But I’d still like some coffee.”
“Unfortunately, we can’t tell you where it is until you’ve arrived. And, once you’ve arrived, you’ll have to stay for a while—at least until you’ve learned to shield your thoughts. It’s much too dangerous for us otherwise.”
Oh, well, that didn’t sound ominous at all, did it? Bella thought, and then tried quickly to unthink it. She wasn’t sure how to withdraw a thought from existence, so she just tried thinking of something else. Something benign. Roses. Kittens. Trees. Clouds.
She wasn’t sure if it worked, but she thought she saw a smirk twist up the corner of David’s mouth, so she was fairly certain that he’d read those thoughts, too.
She frowned. He thought it was funny? It was NOT funny!
Another thought occurred to her, and she tried her best to hide it, tamp it down, bury it under a million images of cute, cuddly, furry kittens, but still he seemed to know it before it was even fully formed.
“There is no need to leap out of the car at the drive‑thru and make a run for it, Bella. I can pull over here if you’d like. You’re free to leave Velma and me whenever you want. At least, until we arrive at our compound, and then you’ll have to stay a while until you learn how to protect the secret of its location within your mind.”
Bella sighed. She hated this mind‑reading thing. But she really wanted to put some distance between herself and Lucien and those Quislings. She never wanted to feel the kind of fear she’d felt inside that building ever again.
“Fine, coffee it is, and I’ll decide on the drive whether or not I’ll join your ‘organization’.”