GODDESS OF THE MOON (A Diana Racine Psychic Suspense) (46 page)

The dizziness returned. She held on to the footboard, waffling as her legs almost buckled beneath her.
One step, then another.
She would not let anyone see her vomit, so she shuffled
to the bathroom,
resisting
the urge to flash her middle finger at the camera. She turned on the light and closed the door behind her.

N
ausea
and
lightheadedness
played
tag
as
they
surged and ebbed like ocean waves. Still weak, she lowered herself to the edge of the tub and waited for the sickness to either pass or erupt.
Within a few minutes,
she began to feel better.
She searched
the room. No suspicious holes in the walls, nothing in the vent.
At least
these people afforded their hostages a modicum of privacy.

What happened to her when she was out cold, helpless in the presence of the people who’d done this to her? She examined her body. It didn’t seem as if she’d been violated. Rage grew within her that she even had to check
,
and
she
shrugged off her dark thoughts.

Toothbrush and toothpaste, towels, a robe
.
Yeah, they
’d
prepared
for her arrival
. How could she and Lucier have been so naïve? He
’d
warned her not to go, but she wouldn’t listen. History repeated itself, and she ignor
ed its lessons.

She brushed her teeth and splashed cold water on her face,
dismissing
the thought
that her recklessness had endangered
Lucier
.

Concentrate
on what
to do
to get out of this
.

She was
their prize
, but they didn’t need her cooperation. Drugged, she became the object of the group’s adoration
. Somehow,
she
suspected
that was
n’t
all they had in
mind for her.

She needed a shower to revive.
Deep breath, Diana.
Let it out.
Opening the door, she went back into the bedroom and checked the dresser drawers.
Lingerie.
Black, silk, and lacy.
No surprise there. Satan’s women
would never wear
white cotton Jockeys. She looked at the camera, waved the underwear in the air, and disappeared inside the bathroom.
She doubted
Lucier basked in
such luxurious accommodations.

Ernie
. Guilt washed over her. She wanted to pray for his well-being, but years of tracking the horrors man perpetrated on other men and women and children had destroyed her faith. Maybe that’s part of the bond she shared with Edward Slater. Their journey to the dark side left their blood-pulsing organs numbed.
F
or Lucier, she said a silent prayer.
Please, God, if you’re listening, protect him
.

Diana opened the glass door of the marble enclosure and turned on the water full blast hot.
Too hot.
She adjusted the temperature and stepped inside. Streams of
liquid pleasure
pulsed from multiple jets, pelting her awake, massaging her body like tiny fingers. A gold shower caddy held everything a woman needed.
Expensive shampoo and conditioner, French-milled soap, a brand new
loufa
wrapped in cellophane.
They spared n
othing for
the
Goddess Diana.
The luxury was lost on her. How could she enjoy anything in this place?

She needed time to think.
Time to plan an escape.
But how?
She’d
bury her anger and rage and
let things play out
―
see what happened.

She
showered quickly
. The hot water relieved some of her tension, though she still felt lightheaded. She
left
her hair
to dry naturally,
then
put on the lingerie to find the group’s one miscalculation in their perfectly orchestrated imprisonment. The bra was at least one size too big. She donned the
terrycloth
robe and stepped from the bathroom.

After a fleeting acknowledgement to the camera, she rummaged through the closet. The clothes were not at all to her taste. She favored tailored, simple lines, but
the outfits in the
closet
were
either ultra-feminine décolleté dresses of flowing silk or slinky black vixen numbers. Not a pair of slacks
anywhere.

The key jiggled in the door. Diana cinched the robe tighter.
Though scared witless, s
he’d be damned if she’d let them treat her without respect. After all, she was Diana, Goddess of the Moon
, and she’d play the role to the hilt
. Then
she thought, this
wa
sn’t a game
. Not one bit.

“I’m sorry, Miss Diana, but
―
”

The voluptuous blonde’s hesitant tone gave her the clue Diana needed.
“You have no right to barge into my room
…
Brigid, isn’t it?”

The girl nodded.

“Now get out!”
Diana
demanded
.

Brigid
turned bright red and stuttered, “
It’s
just
―
just, um, that someone wants to see you.”

“I said get out. If someone wants to see me, they can make an appointment. I will not have my privacy interrupted while I’m dressing.”

“But
―
”

“Get.
Out.”

Brigid turned, flustered. The girl’s baby bump
showed
now. Diana thought she was more beautiful than ever. Glowing, her ample breasts heaving from a low cut dress,
Brigid
backed out of
the room.

Diana’s posture carried her indignity, knowing the camera h
ad recorded her temper tantrum.
She had years honing her show business chops. She
’d learned
how to carry a scene.

Now if I can keep it up when I face someone higher on the food chain.

Into the Lioness’s Den

M
aia
deliberated
on Anat’s
escape
plan until it burn
ed
a hole in her brain.
The
scheme was
dangerous
. Could they p
ull it off
?
If they tried and failed, even their pitiful freedoms would be rescinded. Seth would be part of it
―
a means to an end, just like she had been to him.
D
id she have the guts
to follow through
?

She spent the morning in her suite with her children, making progress with Leo but not with Phillip. His reticence disturbed her. She asked
which
people he liked
and
who he didn’t. The boy measured his answers to address some questions and added nods and shakes of his head for others. No matter what Maia did, she couldn’t break through the layer of self-protection he’d constructed.
T
he fact that a ten-year-old boy
had
erect
ed
a
protective
shield
against any closeness
warned her something
bad had
happened
to
him
.

Iris plied her feminine charms like she’d been
instructed to do
. She fawned over Maia the whole time, touching her hair and tracing her fingers over her mother’s face, calling her princess mommy. She tried to monopolize Maia, determined to keep her from connecting with the boys
,
and seemed resentful when she did. She’d learned her lessons well.

“Let me visit with Anat for an hour or two, Seth,” Maia said when time came for the children to go. “I’m hungry for companionship.”

“Aren’t I enough for you, Maia?”

Maia had learned her lesson too. Truth got nowhere with Seth. Anat was
spot-on
. He was a company man, right down to the hard-on
for her
he carried like a warrior’s spear. No matter how much he claimed to love her, his allegiance had always been to the family.
S
he doubted Seth
plann
ed or condoned
kidnapping other peoples’ babies. That decree came
straight
from the top.
Was he
ready to buck the system
?

“You’re more than enough. You always were.” Maia meant those words even if she
used
them to get what she wanted.
Even if it meant giving in
to the
skilled
hands now caressing her body, turning her nerve endings into firecrackers.
She could no more resist his touch
than she could cease breathing.

Over twenty years of brainwashing couldn’t eliminate the
group
’s
obscene
criminal offenses
. They
must be
stopped
. She
’d
turned against her own people, rejected their rituals
and way of life
, b
ut as Seth undressed her, as he kissed and licked her naked body, she s
pread her legs and let him in.

* * * * *

L
ater, after Seth relented and allowed Maia to visit Anat, t
he two women sat
on the balcony, huddled close
, with only the sound of the rushing water breaking the silence
.

Maia’s determination held fast.
If she didn’t do this now, she’d never forgive herself. In the clear light of day, she saw her responsibility stretched beyond her
personal
well-being.
“Are you sure you’re up to this?” Anat asked.

“I’ve thought about it
,
and yes
. I have no choice
. I can’t let my children live here any longer, and you’ll rot soon if you don’t leave.”

“I won’t rot, but
if I don’t agree to
bear
another child, they’ll do what they did to you.
The only reason they didn’t is because I
got pregnant. They’re dying to
discover
who the father is, but that’s between me and him.
T
he
board, minus Seth,
questioned everyone who’s ever visited me.” She gazed at Maia. “I do have friends here.”

“Thank goodness.” Maia shook her head.
“I can’t believe I went along all those years. What was I thinking?”

“You weren’t thinking. If you’re one of us, you’re not supposed to think, just perform.”

Her half-sister made a good point.
“Wh
y are
you different?”

“A wayward gene.”
Anat’s tone changed. “
There’s
a bigger problem, though
, o
ne that might alter our plans.”

“Like what?”

“
Ever
hear of the psychic, Diana Racine?”

“Of course.
She’s been at the house. Silas is fascinated by her.
Why?”

“
S
he’s here, along with her cop boyfriend?”

Maia
’s
stomach
lurched
as if an earthquake had taken residence. A flash of heat zapped her. “What? How
…
how do you know?”

“A visitor.
She was all excited and said they’re going to keep her here. She called her Diana, Goddess of the Moon.
Your father invited her to y
our house in New Orleans on the crescent moon, and
she
was the offering.
She and the cop were probably drugged to get them here.
All the elders
attended
except the
Easleys
. I don’t know why.”

Maia felt ill. The group was increasing their criminal activities. Did they actually think they could get away with kidnapping someone as famous as Diana Racine?
“What about Dione?
Was she there?
”