Thinking about the flight back to the Northern Light made me uncomfortable. I would need to ride in the cabin of the plane with him and didn’t know whether he’d expect me to talk. My plan was to busy myself with reading his word and pray that he ignored me.
A little after three, Jacob looked up from his phone as the color drained from his cheeks. “Sara, finish getting ready. A car is coming to pick us up in fifteen minutes.”
“A car . . .” I began to question, but his narrowing gaze reminded me of the cameras. “Yes, Jacob.”
The timing was right. The last Commission meeting would have recently ended.
To finish getting ready, I just needed to gather our things and touch up my hair. I was thankful Jacob had told me to prepare for the possibility of spending the night. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have had clean clothes. Not only had yesterday been long, beginning at the Northern Light, but also our walk in the woods had covered my shirt and skirt in twigs and dirt. From the way my cheeks blushed at the memory, I wasn’t complaining.
I was standing in front of the mirror when Jacob entered the bathroom. I knew the routine and waited for him to roll the towel blocking sound from escaping at the bottom of the door. He spoke first, his volume low.
“I don’t like any of this. My gut tells me we need to run. I just don’t know how.”
“Where are we going in the car?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure. I just spoke to Micah. He didn’t receive the same invitation.”
I took Jacob’s hands. “It’s probably that test. I mean, other than when we first arrived, I haven’t seen Dylan. Why bring me all this way, if that’s the test, to let me leave without seeing him?”
The muscles in Jacob’s neck tensed as he inhaled and exhaled. “I’m going to have a fucking heart attack before this is over.”
Smiling sweetly, I said, “I told you yesterday—I can do this. I can do it because of you.” I shook my head. “It’s more than me not wanting to mess this all up for you or me wanting to help bring this travesty down. I meant what I said. I really do love you. I won’t be lying when or if I have to speak to Dylan. The only part I’ll be lying about is not remembering him, but I’m a woman of The Light. I shouldn’t be talking to him anyway, not without your permission.”
“I thought of that. Father Gabriel supersedes your husband.”
How had I forgotten that?
I did my best to sound confident. “Don’t worry. I can do this.”
Jacob stood behind me and moved us in front of the mirror. For a split second, I had visions of seeing us for the first time in the bathroom of the pole barn. Now our faces were familiar.
With his arms around my waist and his chin on top of my head, he said, “Your bruise is getting lighter.”
Nodding, I grinned.
“You’re still beautiful.”
I lowered my eyes as my cheeks flushed.
“Sara, look up. I want you to know, I’m getting us out—away from The Light and away from the dark.”
Spinning in his arms, I brushed my lips over his. “Where does that leave?”
“The real world.”
“I trust you with my life. I have and I’ll continue to do it. I also want Father Gabriel stopped. If I didn’t before, after yesterday, I want him locked away forever. So, as much as I’d love to run, you’ve put too much time and energy into this. We’ll make it a few more days.” I had a thought and scrunched my forehead. “Do you think that’s the Kool-Aid plan—drugs?”
He nodded. “I do. Some kind of drug, more than likely ingestible. I don’t think even Father Gabriel could expect a thousand people to inject themselves.”
His lips met mine.
“I never planned on falling in love,” he confessed. “But I did. Do you know what I want, someday?”
I shook my head.
“To call you Stella McAlister.”
My cheeks rose. “Was that a proposal?”
“No.” His eyes sparkled. “You’re already my wife.”
The knock at the outer door shattered the warmth of his embrace as his arms stiffened. My heartbeat quickened as he whispered, “Only a few more days.”
I inhaled his cool aroma of shower gel and replied, “Yes, Jacob.”
Once again Brother Elijah was the one who came to get us. I’d forgotten to tell Jacob that I’d remembered Brother Elijah from before. I was certain he was the man who’d knocked on my car window when I’d been at the other buildings in the other neighborhood in Highland Heights. He had also been the parking lot attendant—my last memory.
This time I sat alone in the backseat, as Jacob sat in the front. Our ride didn’t last long, and I wondered why Father Gabriel had sent a car at all, because once the SUV left the gate, it was barely a minute before it entered another gate, the one for the main house. My stomach twisted as the gate I’d tried to see past nearly a year ago opened, revealing a tree-lined cobblestone driveway.