“It’s our duty to step up and put an end to this farce. If not, God will see to the sins of our neighbors. And he may not be kind enough to leave us living. Remember the ark?” she asked as though perhaps someone among them was unfamiliar with Noah. Besides, they’d been through this argument about God’s possible wrath already. Now they were rehashing.
She continued. “Plagues. Famine. Locusts. He will see to the crimes against His word if we don’t do so ourselves.”
Mary held her breath. No one was really saying anything she hadn’t heard her entire life. If her parents were in the room, they would be fisting the air with the other parishioners and shouting in agreement. But Mary seemed to have exited her body. Had she come to her senses? Or was she doomed to die in the third circle of Hell for not going along with this plan of annihilation?
She shuddered. For better or for worse, her gut told her to get the hell out of Dodge and call the sheriff immediately. She’d called them earlier, but had only managed to speak in a hushed whisper and then had been forced to hang up when someone approached her.
Unfortunately, she was as stuck in this building as everyone else. There would be no escaping until the deputies arrived.
She winced as she considered her own predicament. Was it a coincidence she had met Jazmine in the same relative time frame as being put to this test as a true parishioner to the Church on the Hill?
Maybe everything happening to her was a test. God testing her faith. Perhaps she was supposed to renounce her feelings for Jazmine and reclaim her beliefs.
Or it could be she was supposed to turn away from this farce of a church and live her life authentically. Either way, she was filled with anxiety. This was not a test she would ever sign up for.
As if by divine intervention, her phone buzzed in her pocket. She pulled it out. A text from Jaz: Thinking about u. Hoping u r safe in this cold weather.
Mary quickly responded: Trapped @ the church. Wishing I were with u instead.
Jaz: Be careful. Be safe. Be diligent.
Mary: I will. Talk to u tomorrow.
Chapter Fifteen
Laurie paced the living room again for the hundredth time that morning.
After Zach left to go check on things at the resort, she started thinking.
Evidence was mounting that she needed to get the hell out of town. If she didn’t, there was a distinct possibility shit was about to hit the fan. Bigger shit.
How else was she supposed to look at things? The entire tri-county area had peacefully existed with no spirit sightings for months until her arrival.
Since her mating, the world had been tossed upside down. She’d personally been the witness to several spirit sightings. No one else. Always her. The spirit was trying to tell her something. Frequently weird weather accompanied the sightings. Increasingly strange phenomena made her skin crawl.
Something horrible was about to occur. Was it simply her job to point this out? Or was it her fault it was happening?
There was only one way to find out. Deep inside, she knew this was true. She had to leave town. She’d avoided contemplating the idea for days. It was time.
She knew if she suggested such a thing to either of her mates, they would freak out. Neither of them was in a position to leave town. Corbin was needed by the sheriff’s department, and Zach was needed at the resort.
Laurie took a deep breath and raced for the bedroom. She packed a bag in minutes. And then she called a cab. Her rental car was still somewhere along the highway. Hopefully the taxi could get her to it.
Twenty minutes later, she sat back against the seat in the cab and closed her eyes. The man said he could circumvent the highway and get as close as possible to her car from the south. It might take a while and cost her a bit more than she wanted, but at least he found it manageable.
She shut her mind down intentionally so neither of her mates would be able to read her thoughts and stop her from leaving.
It was stressful guarding her mind from everyone. Worse was blocking Mimi and Melinda, who had been trying to reach her in vain all day.
By the time she was in her rental and headed out of town, she was a mess of emotions. She gripped the steering wheel with both hands and drove a bit faster than she normally would. It would take over two hours to get to her parents’ house, but she should arrive in the afternoon.
She spent the entire two hours reaffirming to herself she was doing the right thing. Besides, she didn’t need to validate her idea. Time would do it for her. If the weather straightened out in Cambridge and Sojourn, she would have her answer—Nature wanted her to get out of town.
Why Fate would arrange for her to mate with two men when she was a detriment to the township was beyond her. It seemed cruel. But at this point she had no choice but to test Fate and see what She had planned. It was an easy solution.