Laney snatched her hand from the megalith as if it burned. Kensington’s words brought her crashing back to the present. The Senator looked down at her with smug satisfaction, in spite of the sling that now housed his left arm and the bruises that darkened his face beneath his eyes.
“Appreciating the beauty of this site is not the same as supporting your plan. In fact, this site has just the opposite effect. It reinforces my belief that this site belongs to the world. No one owns it. It’s a gift to humanity.”
He glared down at her before turning to the large man behind him. “Gregory, put her in with one of the work details. You’re in charge of her.”
At Gregory’s smirk, Kensington grabbed the man with his good arm. “Let me rephrase that. You are in charge of her safety. If any harm comes to her, and I mean any, it will be your head. She is to work here, but she is too valuable to be harmed. Do you understand me?”
Glowering at the censure, Gregory didn’t speak. He gave the Senator a curt nod.
“Very well.” The Senator turned on his heel and walked back to the car.
Laney glanced up and saw Gideon give her a little wave before following the Senator. With trepidation, she turned her attention to Gregory. The man was huge. His chest seemed to strain against the fabric of his shirt, and while he wasn’t as tall as Henry, he was easily six-foot-five.
“You come with me,” Gregory growled.
She stood rooted in place for a few seconds before she could will her legs to work. She walked back up the ramp towards him. Her legs trembled yet again, although this time for an entirely different reason.
CHAPTER 66
Gregory marched Laney to a dig site about a hundred yards from the entrance. She tried to stay an arm’s length away from him, but he wouldn’t let her. She cringed every time her arm touched his.
“You address all guards as ‘sir’. You never make eye contact with a guard. There is no talking between inmates. Basically, anything we tell you to do, you do. If you don’t, it will not be pleasant for you.”
At that statement, Gregory glanced down at Laney. His voice was quiet, his tone deadly. “The Senator said we can’t harm you, but there are ways that don’t leave marks. Keep that in mind.”
When they reached their destination, Gregory handed her off to another guard. “Put her to work. But don’t let her get hurt. There’s some special plan in place for her.”
The guard glanced down at her. “Oh yeah, I’ll be real nice to her.”
Gregory snorted. “No marks. Just put her to work.”
“Yeah. Yeah. Got it.” The guard grabbed her roughly by the arm and pushed her towards a ramp leading down into the trench.
About ten structures had been partially uncovered. Two-man teams were carefully shoveling and brushing dirt away from each of the towering megaliths. Another two men circled the site with a wheelbarrow, filling it with displaced dirt. Laney had seen a few men sifting the dirt at various locations up above before other men took the sifted dirt to a giant pile outside the enclosure.
She was led over to one of the two-man teams. The men, kneeling down to brush the bottom of the structure, focused their gazes down as she and the guard approached.
The guard kicked one of the men in the back, causing him to fall onto his hands. “You. Explain to her what needs to be done.”
The man pushed himself back up and reached for his brush again.
“Hey. I gave you an order.”
“I’ll do it, sir,” the man beside him said in a rush. “He’s gone a little deaf. He can’t hear you.”
“Whatever,” the guard mumbled. “Make sure she knows what to do.”
“Yes, sir,” the man replied.
The guard turned around and headed back up the ramp. The man who’d spoken helped the other man find his brush and then gave him a comforting squeeze on the shoulder. He gestured for Laney to kneel down next to him. He reached behind him to grab another brush and shovel.
“You’ll need these,” he said, looking her in the face for the first time.
“Tom,” she gasped.
CHAPTER 67
Tom glanced around nervously. “How do you know my name?”
Laney spoke quickly, keeping her voice low. “My name’s Laney McPhearson. I’m a friend of Jake’s. He’s been looking for you.”
Tom looked startled. “Wait. What? Jake? Jake Rogan? He’s looking for me?”
Laney nodded, taking in Tom's disheveled appearance with a heavy heart. He barely resembled the picture Jake had shown her. But his deep brown eyes, the small scar above his eyebrow, and his strong cheekbones were unmistakable.
“Your pastor called him about two days after you went missing. He’s spoken to your pastor, the members of your church, Cleo. They’re all worried about you.”