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  Brother Adam laughed, a sick sound, as he leaned in enough to make sure she could see his face while his two followers began to tie her legs in place.

  “We are waging a war against evil and we are willing to die for our cause. We won’t have to do that though. I am smarter than them. I’ve thought of everything.”

  He believed what he said. It was clear in his crazy stare. Zandy screamed, bucked her hips, but the two men only secured her with rope around her waist. Her gaze locked on Adam.

  “The New Species are going to track your worthless ass down and make you pay for this. You better hope the police arrest you on the spot when you drive up to those gates because I know Tiger will tear you apart for doing this to me.”

  He cocked his head. “Who is Tiger?”

  “He’s a friend.” They might have ended their relationship but she had no doubt that Tiger would avenge her murder by making sure the people responsible were punished. She had faith in that. “He won’t let you get away with this.”

  “I knew you were fornicating with those devils.” His gaze narrowed. “They are the ones who will die. Tiger’s name will go at the top of our list of who to cleanse next. Thank you.”

  Her temper snapped. “That devil, as you call him, is going to tear out your heart and make you choke on it.”

  The son of a bitch just grinned. “I will always prevail over evil. I am the instrument of God.” He paused. “Tell the devil I send my regards when you see him.”

  “You’re a loser is what you are. A bat-shit crazy one who gets off on hurting others. What kind of pathetic life have you led that you think this is the right thing to do? You’re the one who is going to hell, Adam. Tell him yourself.”

  Adam’s face twisted into an ugly shade of red from anger. “I’m going to enjoy watching you burn. It’s going to be music to my ears when the flames start melting your flesh and you start screaming.”

  They left her tied to the cross while Zandy struggled to break free. She overheard enough to know they had begun breaking camp and what the next step of their plans was. Brother Bruno would drive the motor home to the gates of Reservation and he’d work the winch. Brother Adam would toss the tarp off the roof, address the reporters with the speech he’d written, while pouring gasoline as he spoke. They thought the fire he started would cause enough panic and disarray to escape being arrested.

  The ladder creaked in warning that someone was climbing to the roof. Zandy twisted her head to stare at the thin, mousy woman who refused to meet her gaze as she slowly crept forward.

  Hope surged that the woman would help her escape but it faded quickly when she reached into her baggy skirt pockets to withdraw a roll of duct tape.

  “I’m really sorry to do this to you,” the woman whispered as she pulled off a strip of the tape. “They don’t want you screaming. Hold still. I don’t want to get your nose. You’d suffocate and everyone would be mad at me for killing you too soon.”

  Zandy twisted her head away to avoid being gagged. “Please don’t. I thought Brother Adam wanted to hear me scream while I burn.” She tried to use logic, desperate to avoid having her mouth sealed closed.

  “Brother Adam will remove the tape before he lights the wood. He doesn’t want you screaming before he’s ready to reveal your presence. We all have to work together to make sure this goes exactly the way he wants.”

  Zandy struggled but the woman was able to tape her mouth. Two more layers were added across her lips and down her cheeks to make sure it stayed put. The scream came out muffled when her terror got the best of her. The mousy woman backed away and fled, her job done.

  Minutes later two large men climbed over the wood piled on top of the motor home to pull a tarp over the roof. Her terror intensified when the dingy white material they dragged over her body blocked out the sky. It rested on her face and no matter which direction she turned she was unable to get away from it. They had effectively hidden her and the cross.

  The motor home engine vibrated slightly when the driver turned it on. Motion assured her that they were on the road as the tires dipped and made the entire vehicle sway under her. Wind whipped at the tarp after the road smoothed to pavement and it picked up speed. She hoped it would fly off but they’d tied the material down tightly.

  Zandy closed her eyes and pictured Tiger. He’d be brave and not totally fall apart if he were in her shoes. Of course he could have avoided being taken in the first place. None of Brother Adam’s men would have been able to win against Tiger in a fight. Just thinking about him helped calm her rising panic. He’d saved her once in that bar but she knew he couldn’t do it a second time. He was in a hospital hours away.

  I love you, Tiger. I just wish I could have told you.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Slade slammed his desk phone into the cradle. “Great. This is just what we need.”

  Tiger tensed. “What is wrong?”

  “Some idiots have called a press conference at the main gate, demanding freedom of speech. The reporters are showing up en masse. Like we need this shit on top of everything else. This group wants us at the front gates too. They said they have something to say to us that we’ll want to hear. I doubt that.”

  Bestial sighed. “I’m sure it will just be insults they wish to hurl at us. These things never go well. It’s probably those human-rights people again claiming we’re threatening their way of life.”

  “We have about fifteen minutes before this thing is supposed to start. I’m going down there to see what the hell these idiots are up to. I’m tripling the officers on duty and calling in some sharpshooters. I don’t want any unpleasant surprises.” Slade ran his fingers through his hair. “I hate these assholes.”

  Tiger stood. “I will go with you. Security is my job.”

  Bestial unfolded his body from the chair to stand. “You’re still on medical leave, Tiger. We’ll all go. It beats sitting here staring at the walls while we wait for word from Tim.”

  “I’ve got this,” Slade stated. “You’re my second, Tiger. We’ll deal with this crap together.”

  The three of them left Slade’s office and climbed into a Jeep. Slade used his cell phone to issue orders while Bestial drove. They reached the main gate and took the stairs to the catwalk on the wall where they could see everything. One of the officers passed them bulletproof vests, which they donned. Tiger assessed the twenty sharpshooters on the wall and the thirty officers assembled below on the NSO side of the gate.

  Tiger borrowed one of the radios from a male and ordered an additional fifty males to suit up in case of attack. He wanted them prepared to rush to the gates if they were needed. Bestial watched him grimly as their gazes met.

  “Best to be paranoid.” Tiger shoved the radio in his pocket. “Overkill is a good word when our males are holding the weapons.”

  “Does everyone have on vests?” Slade yelled to be heard.

  Tiger relaxed slightly when they were assured all the high-alert protocols were being followed. He noted the arrival of the local sheriff and four of his deputies. They were there to help with crowd control outside the gates. Sending officers outside wasn’t something he wanted to do—it was too dangerous.

  Thoughts of Zandy tormented Tiger. He wondered where she was, if she were alive and just wished she were in his arms. Anger gripped him over having to deal with the current situation when all he really wanted to do was make more calls to have more resources focused on locating her. He’d apologize for the things he didn’t remember saying and make her forgive him. It didn’t matter how long it took but he’d convince her that he was her male.

  Bestial growled. “Look at all the news vans pulling up. Who are these people?”

  Slade shrugged. “I’ve never heard of them. They are calling themselves Salvation from Sin.” He snorted. “They said they want to tell the world about how evil we are.”

  Bestial chuckled. “I don’t suppose we could just shoot them when they arrive to prove them right?”