Crazy for Her(90)

“No.”

“Then fair warning, Papa Herbert’s not going to be happy. I’ll try to direct his anger at me.”

That was unfortunate, but there was no way she was putting on the dress. She ran a hand over her jeans, glad she’d worn them today instead of shorts. “I think all this was his idea, am I right?”

He walked to the window and looked out, keeping his back to her as he began to talk. “I know I’m not Evan, but Papa Herbert said we were one and the same. I wanted to believe him. If Evan was in me, then maybe I could be good because he was. I can’t explain it, but Papa Herbert can make you believe anything he wants. He said because Evan was a part of me now, that you were our wife, and when I brought you back, we would have a ceremony to make it legal.”

He turned and faced her. “Thing is, the longer I was in Asheville and away from him, the more confused I got. Was I really Evan? Were you my wife? Now you’re telling me it’s all a lie, and I think maybe you’re right. Papa Herbert tricked me, didn’t he? He really wants you for himself.”

From what she’d read of cult leaders, they were masters of mind control and deception, fear and intimidation their weapons. Considering how many years Eli had spent under the influence of BS, Dani thought it amazing he could still think for himself. Whether he realized it or not, he had a strong will and a mind apart from Herbert Ballard. He was more like Evan than he realized.

“Eli, you remind me so much of Evan my heart aches from missing him, but you’re not him. Yes, you’ve been tricked, but I don’t understand the motive. What does BS want from me?” There had to be more to this than just BS deciding he wanted a woman he’d never met.

“Who?”

“Papa Herbert.” Damned if she would call him Blessed Son.

An uncomfortable expression crossed his face. “It’s in the Bible. Wives, be subject to your own husbands, for the husband is the head of the wife. Papa Herbert says that means your worldly possessions will belong to me when we marry, but I guess he really meant they would belong to him.”

Whoa. Would that include her trust fund? “Is it my money you want?”

He gave a vigorous shake of his head. “Not me. All I wanted was you, Irish.”

“So Papa Herbert wants my money? How does he even know how much I have?”

“He knows everything. He says God tells him, but he spends a lot of time on his computer, so maybe that’s how he learns things. I don’t know anything anymore.”

He walked past her. At the door, he turned. “I’ve said more than I should have. I’ll be back in an hour. It really would be best if you put that dress on.”

Alone, Dani sank onto the bed. So, the greedy bastard wanted her money. Did BS think she would just agreeably sign over everything she owned to him? What an idiot. A scary one, but still an idiot.





CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO



Dani jerked awake and sat up, confused. Where was she? Eli stood just inside the door contemplating her as if she were some kind of puzzle he didn’t know how to solve. Right, it all came back. She was in hell. She scrambled off the bed. How in the world she had managed to fall asleep was beyond her.

“Eli?” she asked when he continued to stare at her, making her uneasy.

“We have to go.”

Dani’s feet grew roots into the floor and refused to move. She shook her head. “I can’t.”

“Do you trust me, Irish?”

Whether it was because he no longer called her Danielle, or the boyishly hopeful look in his eyes, she nodded.

“Then you have to come with me now. We don’t have long before they start looking for us.”

Relief poured through her, so profound she swayed and grabbed hold of the chair. “Do you mean it?”

He nodded and that was all it took for her feet to let go of the floor and rush to his side. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her out of the cabin and around the back.

Mean Eyes and Smirk Face were nowhere in sight. “Where are the guards?”

“Dinner. I told them I was taking you to Papa Herbert and they’d been released to go eat. If we can make it across this field without being seen, then I think we’ll be home free. Until they miss us anyway.”

“Just tell me what to do.” She eyed the stand of trees they seemed to be heading for. They looked to be a hundred miles away.

“Well, our chances of not being seen might be better if we crawled, but that would take forever, and they’ll know we’re gone long before we reach the woods. It’s dinnertime, so everyone will be in the common room except for Papa Herbert. How fast can you run, Irish?”

She squeezed his hand. “Just try and keep up, brother mine.”