Releasing the Hunter hn-168 Page 19

  Torn, Blythe hadn’t been able to make up her mind. Sensing this, perhaps, Jacob had contacted the press, no doubt using them as a means to sway her as well as gain publicity for his church. So far, she’d been interviewed for two national news stories. They’d run on consecutive days, and she suspected they’d be presented as if she’d already agreed to travel to Sanctuary while in reality she still struggled to make up her mind.

  Every instinct she possessed urged her to run away as fast as she could. Only the tiniest bit of hope kept her considering it. How could she not try something that might—no matter how remote the chance—save her daughter’s life?

  While the media was around, Jacob seemed sincere. He gave grand speeches, making Blythe believe all over again. After all, the Pack had a Healer. She’d long ago placed Hailey’s name on the waiting list.

  If the Pack had a person who could heal, why would things be any different for humans? The more Jacob promised to help them, the more desperately she clung to the flicker of hope that he could.

  Hailey shouldn’t be sick, but she was. An ordinary man shouldn’t be able to heal, but maybe he’d been graced with the same kind of gift that the Pack Healer, Samantha, had been given.

  Taking a deep breath, Blythe made her decision. “I’m honored to accept your kind offer to help my little girl. I’m willing to go with you to Sanctuary so you can heal her.”

  The media greeted the news with applause.

  Jacob Gideon simply inclined his head and smiled. “Wonderful.” Beaming at her, he crouched down and took Hailey’s small hand. “Your mother loves you very much, doesn’t she?”

  Smiling, Hailey nodded vigorously, even as she clung to Blythe’s pant leg.

  Apparently satisfied, Jacob pushed to his feet. “Blythe, I want you to be certain this is what you want. You do understand that you must forsake the rest of the world for a minimum of thirty days?”

  She nodded, keeping a smile on her face despite the fact that his insistence on this was the only thing that truly bothered her. Why so long and why only there? Healers healed. Right then, right now. Under normal circumstances, she would have told him no, thank you, and taken her leave. She’d seen the pitying glances from the reporters and their camera crews. This, she could live with. None of them understood her determination to save her little girl and prove all the doctors wrong. They’d given Hailey less than a year to live. Blythe planned to ensure she had a lifetime.

  No matter what it took.

  “Are you certain you comprehend this?” Jacob pressed.

  “I understand,” she said smoothly, her smile wearing a bit thin. “I just need to go home and pack a few things—”

  “No need,” Jacob interrupted, the sincerity in his voice making her feel a bit better. “You can spend tomorrow shopping, since I have a few more services scheduled before we return. But really, there’s no need to buy much. Everything you require will be provided to you at Sanctuary.”

  She nodded, clinging to hope. This was it then—her last possible chance to back out. But why would she, when this man might be her only chance to help Hailey? She’d done her research. Just because she was desperate didn’t mean she was a fool. Though a lot of people—for example, most of the general public—likened the close-knit community of Sanctuary to a cult, no one had reported anything negative. Jacob Gideon had broken no laws and was not on the government’s radar for any he might potentially break in the future.

  Once Blythe had established that, she’d turned away from the negative and began looking for the positive. Exactly forty-two people, all alive and breathing, claimed Jacob Gideon and his principals had cured them from a terminal illness. Blythe had managed to speak to several of them personally, and had been granted permission to review their medical records, as well. Contrary to their various doctors’ dire expectations, each and every one of these people had finally been given a clean bill of health, which they all attributed to Jacob Gideon.

  Maybe—just maybe—Jacob’s Sanctuary and the power of faith could heal Hailey. The sheer magnitude of having actual hope made Blythe catch her breath.

  A normal heart. Pink-tinged skin and tons of energy. This was what she wanted for Hailey. She’d sell her soul in order to get that.

  Glancing again at the man she’d heard described as everything from the right hand of God to an angel on earth, she smiled. You never knew from where help might come.

  The next day, while Jacob preached, she and Hailey had a girls’ day out. They ate breakfast out, shopped, caught the newest animated movie and had a lovely early dinner at a pizza place. By the time they got back to the hotel, both of them were exhausted.

  They’d barely made it to their room when someone knocked on the door. Blythe opened it to find Jacob Gideon standing in the hall, flanked by his entourage.

  “Are you ready to go now?” he asked, one silver brow lifted, his expression kind and concerned.

  Slowly, she nodded, her heart skipping a beat.

  Giving her a half bow, he stepped aside, waving her on. “This way, please.”

  She and Hailey gathered up their bags and followed one of his people outside.

  He’d come in a limo—long, black and mysterious. When his driver opened the door, Jacob indicated she and Hailey should climb inside.

  Clutching her daughter’s hand, Blythe only hesitated briefly before doing as he’d asked. Jacob got in after and took the seat directly opposite her, his expression calm, as though he was inwardly reflecting. His impeccably groomed silver hair matched the winter frost of his eyes.

  Inside the darkly luxurious vehicle, Blythe felt uncomfortable, out of place. Jacob looked larger than life, at ease in his surroundings. Catching her eye, he flashed a reassuring smile. Rather than feeling at ease, she pressed her hand to her stomach, trying to smother her sudden doubt. Was she doing the right thing?

  Inhaling deeply, she inwardly chanted her new mantra. Anything to give Hailey a chance. Anything.

  The drive to the compound/ranch/whatever seemed to take forever. She’d known it would be a long ride. Afraid that she and Hailey would be subjected to hours of Jacob’s glib patter, she was pleasantly surprised when he got out a laptop computer and began working, ignoring them.

  Hailey, whose only signs of her illness so far had been the bruising and a bit of breathlessness and fatigue, curled up at Blythe’s side and promptly fell asleep. Evidently she didn’t share her mother’s misgivings. This, too, gave Blythe hope. Hailey might be young, but she was a pretty good judge of character.

  After three hours had passed, Blythe began to regret drinking that diet cola earlier. Determined not to draw attention to herself, she crossed her legs and tried not to squirm. Surely sooner or later Jacob would have to stop, right?

  Finally, when she thought her bladder might explode, she reached over and touched his arm. She must have surprised him, because he recoiled and his lips curled in a snarl. Then, so quickly that she might have imagined it, the almost feral look vanished and the pleasant, benign fatherly figure was back.

  “Yes, child?” His voice boomed, filling the small space.

  Hailey stirred, whimpering.

  “I need...” Blythe licked her lips, her mouth suddenly dry. “That is, could we please stop so I can use the restroom?”

  “Of course, of course.” Still sounding too hearty, Jacob rapped on the glass partition and ordered the driver to find a gas station or fast food place so that their guest could take care of her bodily functions.

  The odd phrasing sent a prickle of alarm up Blythe’s spine. Why did he make it sound as if normal human needs were somehow beneath him?

  Misgivings swamped her. Maybe, just maybe, this had been a bad idea. She shouldn’t have let herself be bulldozed. She should have insisted she take her own car and meet him there at a future date. That way, she’d have had a method of escape.

  Escape. She grimaced at her own foolishness. As if she’d need that. She was going with Jacob Gideon because he’d gracious
ly agreed to help her daughter. Without asking anything of Blythe but her time. He was a good man, a healer. If he acted a bit odd, she’d have to put that down to his lofty calling. She really needed to put her strange misgivings aside and have the necessary faith to let him do his thing.

  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

  Once they parked, she helped her little girl out of the car and stretched. Hand in hand, they hurried toward the restroom. Inside the little convenience store, Blythe bought Hailey a juice and some animal crackers. She got herself a bottle of water and, as a last minute afterthought, picked up one for Jacob and the driver, too.

  Back in the car, Jacob accepted the drink and thanked her, then put the bottle aside and never even looked at it again. Blythe caught herself wondering if he had some kind of superhuman ability to withstand thirst and then giggled softly at the notion. She must be more exhausted than she’d thought.

  “Do you find something about me amusing, Ms. Daphne?” He sounded deeply concerned. As she raised her head to look at him, he gave her a self-deprecating, worried smile.

  “Of course not.” Guilt stabbed her. “I’m just overly tired.

  He nodded. He didn’t ask her to explain and she didn’t offer. As a matter of fact, for the rest of the trip, when Jacob did raise his head from his work, he barely glanced at Blythe. Instead, he studied Hailey, his patrician features soft with compassion. Blythe appreciated his concern, and took his kindness to heart. Even while Hailey slept, Jacob continually watched her. Which Blythe supposed was only natural, since she was the one he would be healing.

  Faith. Shiny and bright. She clung to that, holding her little girl close.

  After sleeping for several hours, Hailey stirred and woke, one pale cheek red where she’d been sleeping on it. “Mama, are we there yet?” she asked, shifting her tiny body restlessly, trying to kick at nothing.

  “Not yet, honey.” Blythe did her best to soothe her daughter. From past experience, unless she could divert Hailey with food, something to drink and entertainment—whether a toy or television—Hailey would begin to act out.

  Since Blythe had only juice, she knew it would be rough going. Once or twice, she looked up from her efforts to keep Hailey occupied to find Jacob watching, a sympathetic expression on his face.

  The last few hours of the drive began to feel like torture. Bored and whiny, Hailey appeared to be trying her best to ruffle the older man’s feathers while Blythe caught herself holding her breath. Blythe wondered if a man like Jacob would have patience for an exhausted, cranky five-year-old.

  To her surprise, he did. To Blythe’s relief, Jacob appeared indulgent, long-suffering and patient. As he answered her daughter’s nonstop, rapid-fire questions, she began to relax the tiniest bit, allowing herself to feel a warm, fuzzy glow. Maybe, just maybe, all her worries had been for nothing.

  “Don’t worry,” Jacob said, directing the comment at Blythe as he handed Hailey a pad of paper and a pen so she could draw. “There are many small children in my congregation.”

  Then Jacob smiled at her. Blythe found herself smiling right back. That was one thing. Ever since she’d purposely wandered into one of his mega services, she’d liked him. Even though he wasn’t Pack—a Shape-shifter like her and Hailey—she hoped and prayed and believed he’d be able to help her Halfling daughter with the faulty heart.

  Finally, Hailey dozed off, giving both Blythe and Jacob a rest.

  After what felt like an eternity, they arrived at Jacob’s compound—Sanctuary, she reminded herself—well after dark. Huge gates, which must have been modeled after someone’s idea of the biblical gates to heaven, blocked their way. They were lit up by floodlights and when the driver punched a code into a box, the gates swung open slowly.

  “We’re here,” Jacob boomed, once again waking Hailey, who began to sniffle.

  “Shh, sweetheart. We’re at the ranch,” Blythe soothed.

  At the word ranch, the five-year-old’s eyes opened wide. “With horses and cows and cowboys?” she asked. “Will I get to see them?”

  Jacob made a sound low in his throat. Both Blythe and Hailey looked at him, waiting for an answer.

  “You’re in the West Texas desert, child,” he finally said, his voice calm although a bit condescending. “It’s summer, you know. So hot that we can barely go outside.”

  Hailey squinted up at him. “No horses or cows?”

  “No. You won’t be seeing any livestock here.”

  His door opened, the driver standing woodenly at attention. Jacob glanced at Blythe. The icy flatness of his gaze surprised her, especially after all the warmth he’d shown during the ride. “My people will tend to you and your child. I will see you again tomorrow morning.”

  Without waiting for her answer, he climbed from the car and back stiff, head up, he strode away. He didn’t look back. Then he was gone. Just like that.

  * * *

  Lucas didn’t sleep well. That night for the first time in a decade or more, the old nightmares returned with hurricane force, as if they’d never left. He woke aching, hurting as though he’d just been beaten. Though his body still bore numerous scars from that time, he’d trained himself not to see them at all. He didn’t allow himself to relive the beatings and the torture.

  Thus far, his method of self-hypnosis had worked. Avoidance enabled him to try and forget, to move forward with his life, even if doing so meant he had to steer clear of facing up to his past.

  Until today. Hearing that man’s voice again—Jacob Gideon’s—had brought the past rushing right back at him. And realizing the woman and her daughter were in danger had awakened some primal instinct he’d long since forgotten he’d ever possessed.

  Apparently, facing up to his past meant making retribution. He hadn’t been able to save his sister. But maybe, just maybe, saving Jacob’s newest victims might help patch that jagged scar in his soul.

  So he found himself awake at first dawn. Shaky from lack of sleep and still seething with a peculiar sort of fury, he pushed himself out of bed and began to plan his trip. A journey back to his own personal hell.

  He had a choice, he knew. He could turn his back, as he once had for the sake of his own sanity. He could remain here in Seattle or retreat to his mountain cabin up high in the Colorado woods, and pretend he wasn’t worried about the beautiful Shifter woman and her little girl’s fate.

  That would be both a lie and cowardly. Whatever else he might be, he was not that. After suffering tremendous guilt from failing to save Lilly, fifteen-year-old Lucas had managed to escape Jacob’s long arm. He’d run away, far, far away from the monster who’d raised him. Now the time had finally come to go back and confront the beast.

  No longer a child, he had to stand up, not only for himself, but for the helpless child or—God help him—the woman Jacob might at this moment be setting up for torture.

  Confronting his past. He gave a bitter laugh, though there was no one to hear him. This wasn’t what he’d imagined when he’d stood on his mountain gazing at the moon and made his promise.

  Part of him refused to believe he was actually going back. Once, he’d sworn he would never return. He’d moved as far away as he could—in both climate and attitude. As a teen on the run, he’d learned how to live among Seattle’s active underground. With a change of hair and name, no one had connected him.

  In the years since, he’d grown up, moved on and made a life of his own. After going to work for a custom-home builder as a teen, he’d discovered he had a knack for installing tile, and parlayed that into a successful flooring business.

  It would run just fine if he took a few weeks off. His employees all knew he was due for a vacation anyway. Ever since buying his mountain cabin, he’d managed periodic escapes, reveling in the solitude.

  Though the thought of entering the state of Texas made his stomach clench, Lucas mapped out the route in his head, since he knew the directions by heart.

  Now he just needed a plan. After all, he couldn’t simply
show up at Sanctuary and demand that the woman and her daughter leave with him. First off, Jacob would want to capture him, too. Even if Lucas managed to avoid Jacob and bluff his way in, he’d never get within ten feet of Jacob’s newest prizes.

  Grimly, he considered his options. He’d come up with something. After all, he was facing a long drive. Either he’d figure out some kind of plan, or he’d have to wing it.

  He blinked, once again assaulted by the image of his sister’s beaten, lifeless body. Not having a plan didn’t end up well where Jacob was concerned. Lucas had failed once. He would not fail again. This time, if anyone was going to die, it would be Jacob.

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