Chapter 16

CHAPTERSIXTEEN

The chess game couldn’t happen the next day, but Heather didn’t mind. Tal could tell she was content to hang out in the apartment with Boots. He finally convinced her to leave the apartment three days later to meet up with Lilly and Ethan. Lilly was cleared to return to her normal activities, and they all met over at Bristol’s house for a loud, chaotic lunch.

And three days after that, Talon finally got Heather over to Sunny Side Up to visit with Art and his friends, and to try out her chess-playing skills.

The first few games were difficult, but once she got the hang of how each piece moved, Heather was a formidable opponent. She’d obviously paid very close attention when the men in The Community played, and that, along with her intuition, served her well. She didn’t win any games, but came very close the last time. Even Art seemed impressed.

They were eating a late lunch and Heather was reveling in her successful chess games when Talon’s phone rang. Seeing it was Simon, he answered, hoping the police chief would have more information about the whereabouts of Heather’s kidnappers.

“Opal Williams will be here tomorrow morning. I thought you could talk here, at the station.”

Talon’s heart skipped a beat. This was so out of the blue! Sure, he’d suggested Simon call Opal about talking to Heather, but never in a million years had he expected it to actually pan out.

“No way, not there,” he said immediately. His mind spun as he tried to come up with an appropriate setting for the interview.

“Well, you have until tomorrow to think of a better place and to get Heather there. I’m sure Opal’s people will help her with makeup and shit.”

“A heads-up would’ve been nice,” Talon said, the frustration easy to hear in his voice.

“This is your heads-up. I didn’t find out until just now. Last I heard, it was in the works. Apparently Opal’s got an unexpected break in her schedule, so this is the only time she can get here. I figured you’d like to get it done sooner rather than later.”

He wasn’t wrong. “Fine. I’ll call you back soon.”

“This is going to work out,” Simon said, in an uncharacteristically gentle tone.

“I hope so,” Talon countered, then hung up.

“What? What’s wrong?” Heather asked.

Grateful they were almost finished eating, he stood and held out his hand.

Heather took it without missing a beat and he helped her to her feet. He waved at Sandra and thanked her for the meal, then led Heather outside. It was chilly, but not unbearably so. After the monster blizzard and the extremely frigid weather that had come with it, the temperatures had leveled out and been more normal for this time of year.

“Talon?” she asked as he walked her to his SUV. Looking around, Tal didn’t see any reporters lurking, which he was thankful for. Many had given up, going back to wherever they’d come from. But a few were still lurking, and every now and then, someone new came to town hoping to get a scoop.

After he’d gotten her into his SUV and he’d climbed behind the wheel, Tal took a deep breath and turned to her.

“What’s wrong? You’re scaring me,” Heather said.

Shit. That hadn’t been his intention. “I’m sorry. I’m just thinking. That was Simon.”

“Did he find The Community?” Heather asked.

“No. I mean, I didn’t ask. He was calling to tell me that Opal is on her way to Fallport. She’ll be here in the morning.”

Heather blinked in surprise. “Really?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay.”

“Okay?” he questioned.

Heather shrugged. “Yeah. You said she’s the person I should tell my story to, so everyone else would forget about me. I’m ready to do that.”

She never failed to surprise and impress him.

“You’re upset,” she added, frowning. “Should I not do this?”

“It’s not that. I just…you’ve been doing so great lately. The therapist says you’re adjusting extremely well. The last thing I want is you talking about everything and regressing.”

“I think I want to talk about it,” Heather said. “Maybe if someone hears my story, they’ll recognize if other people like Arrow and Cypress have set up in their towns. My parents didn’t live to find out what happened to me, to see that I’m alive and well…but if I go on TV and talk about my experience, it could give other parents hope that their kidnapped children are still alive somewhere. Like Simon said. I can’t lie, I’m nervous, but you’ll be there, right?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t let you do something like this on your own.”

“Then I’ll be okay,” she said firmly.

Tal was impressed all over again. “I’m in awe of you,” he said. “You’re so bloody strong, it’s not even funny.”

“It’s not that I’m strong,” Heather said. “I’m mad. Arrow and The Community stole so much from me. It took me twenty years, but I was able to get free. And there are so many others who haven’t been as lucky. We talked about the boys and girls who simply appeared at camp…where did they come from? Where are their parents? I’m hoping that by speaking up, it will help the police find Cypress, and all those kids can be returned to their families.”

Tal leaned over and gently palmed the back of her neck. He pulled her closer and kissed her forehead gently. “I hope so too,” he said quietly.

They sat like that for a long moment before he took a deep breath and let his hand fall from her nape. “We need to figure out where we’re gonna do this. Maybe the girls can help you find something you’ll feel comfortable wearing. I need to call the guys and let them know what’s happening. Shit, I was supposed to work tomorrow. I hate to ask Harvey for another day off, but it can’t be helped. I should—”

He stopped talking when Heather put her hand on his arm. “It’ll be okay,” she said.

Taking a deep breath, Tal nodded. She was right. It would. And he didn’t miss the irony of Heather being the one to assure him this time. He gave her a smile and turned the key in the ignition.

* * *

The next morning, Heather was nervous. She didn’t know this Opal person, but last night, Talon had shown her one of the woman’s interviews online, so she could see what would likely happen when she sat down with the extremely famous TV host. In the recording she watched, Opal was interviewing a prince from Talon’s country, and his relatively new wife. They were living in the United States now and apparently there was a lot of controversy over that. After watching the entire thing, Heather felt better. Opal asked some difficult questions, but she wasn’t rude about it and she seemed…nice.

Talon had arranged for the interview to take place at the Chestnut Street Manor Bed and Breakfast. Lilly had suggested it. She’d stayed there when she’d first come to Fallport while she was a cameraperson on the Bigfoot show, and had gotten close to the owner, Whitney Crawford. Apparently, Brock, Raid, and Drew had spent the afternoon at the B&B yesterday, transforming the dining room into a makeshift studio. They’d helped Whitney clear out furniture, clean, and had done what they could to help her get ready to have TV royalty come to her house.

Heather and Talon had arrived at the B&B around six-thirty that morning. She’d met with a producer, and the woman had gone over some of the questions Opal was going to ask. Heather appreciated being able to prepare for some of the more difficult things she might discuss.

Then she’d been brought into one of the guest rooms, where one woman worked on styling her hair and another had put makeup on her face. Heather had never even worn lipstick before, and her face felt funny and oddly heavy by the time the woman was done.

And now it was time. Time to meet Opal. Time to tell the world her story.

“You can still back out,” Talon said gently as he rubbed his thumb back and forth over the back of her hand. He hadn’t left her side for even a minute. When she’d gotten overwhelmed with all the attention, Talon was there to help her get through it.

“No, I want to do this,” she said, although her voice wasn’t as strong as she wanted it to be.

Talon led them away from all the hustle and bustle and leaned against a wall, turning Heather so her back was to the room. All she could see was him as he put his hands on either side of her face and tilted her head up.

“You’re going to be great,” he told her softly. “The world’s gonna take one look at you and want to personally hunt down Cypress and everyone else who dared hurt you.”

Heather put her hands on Talon’s sides and gripped his shirt tightly.

“You look beautiful. But you should know…the makeup, clothes, and the hairdo are nice…but I was attracted to you back when I first saw you in that cave. Hair in tangles, dirt on your face, and wearing my clothes that hung off your smaller frame. I wasn’t drawn to you because of your looks, but because of your warrior spirit. You could’ve quit trying a long time ago. Given in to your circumstance. Given up. But you didn’t. You kept fighting, even when you were hurt. Even when things seemed hopeless. That’s the Heather I’m falling in love with. Go out there this morning and be yourself. Don’t be afraid to tell the truth. You’re safe here. Protected.”

“I can trust you, and you won’t hurt me,” Heather whispered. How many times had she repeated those words to herself? More than she could count. They’d been a lifeline for her. And even when she hadn’t trusted him fully, she still clung to his promise.

“Those words are just as true now as they were when I first said them,” he vowed.

“You’re falling in love with me?” she asked softly, realizing what he’d just said.

“Yes.”

One word. Simple and to the point.

She smiled up at him. “I think I’m falling in love with you too,” she admitted.

His lips curled up, and she could just see that dimple in his cheek through his trimmed beard. “It’s time. You’ve got this.”

Heather nodded and closed her eyes when Talon lowered his head. He kissed her oh so gently, and while she loved the feel of his lips on hers…it suddenly wasn’t enough. She wanted all of this man. He’d already taught her so much when it came to sex and intimacy, and she was ready for him to show her everything.

“Heather?” a melodious voice asked from behind them.

She turned, ever aware of Talon’s hand on the small of her back, to see a beautiful dark-skinned woman standing behind them. She recognized her from the show she’d watched the day before. “Hi,” she said somewhat shyly.

“I’m Opal Williams,” the woman said, holding out her hand. “It’s so good to meet you.”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Heather said.

“I’m so glad you’re all right.”

“Me too,” she agreed.

Opal’s lips twitched. “I think we’re going to have a good chat. Sometimes people are so overwhelmed with meeting me that they tense up. They can’t think of anything to say.”

Heather shrugged. “I know you’re famous, but I wasn’t allowed to watch TV for the last twenty years, so to me…you’re just another person.”

At that, Opal’s smile widened. “So I am,” she agreed.

“And Talon wouldn’t let me do anything that would make me look stupid, or talk to someone who would hurt me, and that’s why I agreed to talk to you. That, and because I want things to go back to normal here. I want to go to The Sweet Tooth without having to worry about someone with a camera jumping out from behind a car. Or go to Sunny Side Up and not have someone yell questions at me from across the room. Everyone says that if I let you ask me questions, I can go back to being boring old Heather Brown.”

“I’m not sure you could ever be boring,” Opal said. Then she turned and gestured to someone behind her. Another woman approached. “And so you aren’t blindsided during our interview, this is Lilac Lee.”

Heather nodded politely at the other woman.

“She was kidnapped when she was twenty-one and held for eleven years.”

Heather inhaled sharply and stared at the woman in front of her with wide eyes. She was older than Heather, but she looked healthy. And happy. She had tattoos on her arms and on her chest, which were peeking out from the V-neck of the dress she was wearing. She had short dark hair, close to the same auburn shade as her own. There was also a piercing in her lip and eyebrow. Heather had never seen anyone like her.

“Hi,” Lilac said, holding out her hand.

Heather shook it and licked her lips nervously. This woman looked so…normal. She knew a little bit about her story, and while she was taken when she was already an adult, she’d suffered in the house she’d been held in just as much, if not more, than Heather.

“If you’d like, I’d love to talk once your interview is over.”

Heather nodded immediately. She had so many questions for this woman.

Both Opal and Lilac turned away, and Talon leaned down. She felt his beard brush against her cheek before he whispered, “I didn’t know she’d be here. Are you all right?”

Heather nodded and turned to look at him. She appreciated his support more than she could say. She remembered Lilly telling her that Talon was a man who was born to take care of a woman, and she was so grateful she was that woman.

The producer motioned for her to come forward and sit on the small couch in front of the many lights that had been set up. Talon kissed her temple, then she lifted her chin and headed for the couch.

Three hours later, Heather was mentally and emotionally exhausted. She felt tired in a way she’d only ever been after hunting for days. It was strange, because those days felt as if they were so long ago, but in reality, it hadn’t even been a month since she’d been living in that cave in the woods.

Opal had asked some difficult questions, but seeing Talon standing behind the lights and cameras, his steadfast presence never wavering, had given her the courage to answer every question with complete honesty. It wasn’t easy, but when it was all over, she felt…lighter. As if sharing her experience and everything she’d been through—how she’d felt while restrained in the punishment tent, being declared a wife without her consent, the terrifying decision to hide in the forest when The Community had been packing up to move…and why she hadn’t tried to run away sooner—was well and truly over.

After the lights were shut off and the cameras stopped rolling, Opal approached Heather and asked, “Can I give you a hug?”

Nodding, Heather closed her eyes as the older woman’s arms closed around her. She smelled like some kind of expensive perfume, her hair tickled Heather’s cheek, but other than Talon’s, the hug was one of the best she’d ever received. She’d opened herself up completely. Had shared things she’d never told anyone, not even Talon. And yet Opal still respected her. Still liked her. It was a heady feeling.

Opal pulled back, put her hands on Heather’s shoulders and stared at her for a long moment before nodding firmly. “You’re going to be all right.” Then she said goodbye and headed for the door to the room, the producer by her side the entire way.

Turning—Heather blinked in surprise. Standing behind Talon was Lilly and Ethan. And everyone else too. Elsie, Zeke, Bristol, Rocky, Caryn, Drew, Finley, Brock, even Khloe and Raid were there. Duke was sound asleep on the floor, oblivious to all the commotion around him.

Tears filled Heather’s eyes. “What…you all came?” she stuttered.

“Of course we did!” Caryn exclaimed as she strode forward and hugged Heather tight.

“You thought we wouldn’t? Friends stick together,” Finley said softly.

“Besides, it’s Opal!” Elsie said, the excitement easy to hear in her voice.

Everyone laughed.

“Don’t cry,” Lilly ordered. “If you start, we’ll all be blubbering.”

It was hard to get used to so much support after being on her own for so long. She no longer blamed the other women in The Community for being the way they were. They’d all been conditioned not to talk to each other. Not to make friends. Fear of what would happen to them if they were seen getting too close to someone else was too real.

They’d all been surviving, in any way they could.

Movement to the left caught Heather’s eye, and she saw Lilac watching her with a small smile on her face.

“Will you guys give me a minute?” Heather asked, not wanting anyone to be offended if she left to talk to Lilac.

“Of course. Take all the time you need,” Bristol said. “Whitney made a late lunch for us, but we need to wait until all the cameras and lights and stuff are cleared out before the table can be brought back in and we can eat.”

“Heather?”

She looked up at Talon, knowing what he wanted to know without him saying it. “I’m okay. I just want to talk to her for a minute.”

“Okay. If you need me, I’m here.”

“I know.” And she did. Talon was her rock.

She was nervous to talk to the other woman, but she took a deep breath and walked over. “Hi,” she said as she approached.

“Hi back,” Lilac said with a welcoming smile. The hoop in her lip was hard to get used to, but she was so friendly, Heather quickly forgot about it.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” she said.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you,” Lilac countered. “But after listening to your story, and seeing all the support you have…you’re going to be just fine.”

Her positive words made Heather feel good. “I…can I ask you something?”

“You can ask me anything you want,” Lilac said.

“I didn’t know much about your story until today. Until Opal talked about it. She said you got married?”

Lilac nodded. “Yes. I met him through some of my friends, and we got married three years to the day after I was rescued.”

“That’s great.”

Lilac tilted her head and smiled slightly. “What do you really want to know?” she asked gently.

“I…how did you know…after what happened…were you nervous?” Heather knew she was messing this up, but she didn’t know how to make the right words come out.

“Yes and no,” Lilac answered. “I was nervous because I really liked him and wanted him to like me back. I was worried he wouldn’t be able to look past what happened to me. That I’d always be the poor girl who was kidnapped and held hostage for over a decade. But being around him felt right. I felt safe. He never made me feel different. To him…I was just Lilac.”

With each word out of the other woman’s mouth, Heather relaxed. That was exactly how she felt when she was around Talon.

“Was it hard to…Do you have sex?” she blurted, then immediately regretted asking the question.

“We do,” she answered with a smile. “And it wasn’t hard to fall in love with him at all. What the asshole who kidnapped me did was completely different from making love with my husband…my then boyfriend. It was as different as night and day. I’m not going to say it’s always easy, that I don’t have some bad days where my memories overwhelm me, but never when I’m with my husband.

“I made a choice not to be a victim. Not to let him ruin the rest of my life. I’m a survivor, and I’m stronger with my husband. We adopted a little boy, and my family is what keeps me going. If you’re asking if it’s wrong or weird that you’re attracted to the handsome guy who hasn’t taken his eyes off you in the last three hours…it’s not. Live your life, Heather. Love. Laugh. Don’t let those assholes keep you from falling in love, having children…moving on.”

Her words freed Heather in a way nothing else could have. She loved Talon. It didn’t feel too soon, but she was worried she’d be judged. That it was somehow abnormal to want to be with a man after what had happened to her. Hearing that Lilac was happy and living a normal life, now married, after the horrific abuse she’d suffered…made Heather feel so much better.

The two women exchanged a long, heartfelt hug. “Do you want to stay and eat with us?” Heather asked.

“Thank you, but no. I’m headed home. My son has a birthday party tomorrow, not his, but a friend’s, and we need to get a present for him to bring. I also miss my husband very much.”

Heather understood. “Okay. It was so good meeting you.”

“Same. You’re now a member of a select club,” Lilac said solemnly. “It’s not a club anyone wants to be in, but here we are. If you need anything, I mean anything…to talk, to cry, to vent about the unfairness of life…you let me know. You aren’t alone. There are quite a few of us out there, women who were kidnapped and held hostage for months or years and lived to tell about it. When you’re ready, I can get you in touch with others like us.”

“I…I think I’d like that,” Heather said.

“Good. Take care of yourself…and don’t be afraid to live.”

With that, Lilac smiled at Heather and followed a man carrying a large light out of the room. Even before Heather turned back to her friends, Talon was there.

He stared at her for a long moment before smiling. “You look…settled.”

“I am,” she agreed. “But I’m hungry.”

“Then let’s get you fed,” he said easily.

The relief Heather saw on his face made her realize how stressed he’d been about her interview. He’d been worried about her, and it showed.

How she’d gotten so lucky to have this man find her, she didn’t know. But she was grateful. He was hers now…he’d said it. And she wanted to show him how much he meant to her. But first, she wanted to revel in the company of her friends.

Live…as Lilac had suggested.

Heather wasn’t fooling herself. She knew as soon as her interview aired she’d have to deal with another influx of people wanting to talk to her, get interviews…just as they had when word got out that she’d been found after all those years. But she was fairly certain the citizens of Fallport would support and protect her, just as they’d been doing.

If she had to stay inside for a while, so be it. She could handle that. Whitney Crawford had even offered to tutor her, something Heather really wanted to take her up on. There was so much she wanted to learn. She wanted to make Talon proud of her, but more than that, she just wanted to know about things most other adults took for granted.

Feeling good about how things were going, Heather leaned into Talon as he squeezed her waist with his arm. He leaned down, kissed her, then went to help the rest of the guys move the large table back into the room so they could eat.

* * *

Four days later, the Opal Williams special aired.

Cypress Goodson was sitting in a hotel room in a small town in North Carolina, planning on how he was going to acquire his next wife, who he’d seen today at a Head Start Center and followed home.

It was on prime time, and he came face-to-face with Sunset, talking about her time with The Community. Spilling all their secrets on national television. Fury made his hands shake as he reached for the remote to turn up the volume.

The first thing he noticed when he saw her on the screen was that she’d cut her hair.

Sunset knew that was against the rules. That women should never, ever cut their hair, and yet, there she was for all the world to see, half of her glorious hair gone. Memories of how he’d jacked off into the thick strands, how his jizz would still be there hours later, marking her as his property, swam through his brain.

She’d pay for defying him.

Hatred swam through his veins as Sunset complained about how she’d been treated. Telling the world about the punishment tent, about the children who appeared in camp without warning, how many wives each man had.

Cypress knew without a doubt that his life had just changed. He wouldn’t be surprised if the new Community down in Florida was raided and disbanded within the week.

It wasn’t dumb luck that he wasn’t back home with the others right now though—he was destined to persevere. To obtain and train the first of his many new wives.

Thinking about the little red-haired girl he’d seen today made him smile. She was perfect…just one of way too many foster children in an overcrowded, rundown home. No one would miss her. She was expendable, as were all the children they’d acquired over the years.

Sunset had been one of the first they’d ever taken…and the most difficult to train. A great many beatings and more time than anyone else in the punishment tent eventually made her more obedient. But she was never fully subservient. Always asking questions, despite the consequences, even when Cypress was more heavy-handed with her than Arrow had ever been.

After Sunset, they’d stuck to grabbing toddlers or babies. Children who wouldn’t remember life before The Community. It took longer for them to age enough to be claimed as a wife, but that couldn’t be helped.

Now Cypress was on his own, and he knew it. He couldn’t go back to Florida, not with all the information Sunset had blabbed in her interview.

It didn’t matter. He’d take the girl he’d found today and start anew.

Not only that, he was still going to return to Fallport…just long enough to show Sunset that he was still in charge. That she’d never be free of him. Make her submit to him once more. And what better place to force her to accept she’d always be his, than where it had all started?

The more he thought about the plan, the more obsessed he became. It was risky, yes, but he’d avoid talking to anyone in town. He’d wear a disguise to be sure he wasn’t recognized. He’d return to where The Community had thrived for all those years, where his father had taught him that men were inherently superior to women in all ways.

No one would expect him to be crazy enough to return, not with a huge spotlight now on the town of Fallport. But he wouldn’t be there long…

Just long enough to start his new Sunset’s training, and show the bitch on TV that she was nothing but trash.

She always was and always would be.

Satisfied with his plans, Cypress grinned. He didn’t even hear what Sunset was saying on the television any longer. Instead, he thought of how thrilling it would be to watch his future wife cower on the floor of his car. How she’d do whatever he told her to do, as soon as he told her to do it. She’d learn. They all learned. And the one who hadn’t?

She’d die, regretting that she’d never fallen in line like all the others.

No woman said no to Cypress Goodson.

Sunset Meadowblossom wasn’t allowed to live a happy life. She’d defied him, hidden from him, and now she might as well have spit in his face. That kind of insolence wasn’t tolerated. After he’d shown her who was boss, and after she’d apologized and pledged her loyalty—he’d end her. Once and for all.

Then he and his new Sunset Meadowblossom would live happily ever after, far away from Fallport, Virginia. Maybe he’d go to Idaho. Or North Dakota. Or Montana. Where people were few and far between. He’d stay away from cities. Gather enough wives to serve him so he could live a comfortable life.

Cypress shut off the TV and turned off the light next to the bed. He could hear two people fucking in the room next to his own, the loud noises turning him on. His hand slid down his body as he imagined how that bitch would beg for forgiveness. Beg for her life. But in the end, she’d reap the consequences of saying no to him. To any man.