GODDESS OF THE MOON (A Diana Racine Psychic Suspense) (47 page)

“I
’m not
sure.”

“I can’t believe
this
. I heard whispers but
not enough to piece it together
.”

“They want Diana Racine’s eggs in hopes her psychic abilities will pass to one or more of her children. My visitor thought
bringing her here
was the best thing ever. Can you imagine?”

“
T
hey kidnapped
the lieutenant
too?
Unbelievable.
”

“I don’t know what they plan for him.
T
hey can’t let him go. He knows too much
, a
nd he’s a cop.”

Maia
shivered in
fear. “You’re right. This changes everything. We
must
do something
and
fast.”

“I thought Seth might have told you.”

“Ha
.
Seth doesn’t want anything to spoil his sex. That’s all he cares about.”

“He cares about you, Maia. I know he does.”

Maia turned away with a shrug, biting her bottom lip.
Caring for her
didn’t stop him from doing his job
.
“Maybe.”

Anat
gripped Maia
’s arm. “If this is none of my business, say so, but
are
you protected?”

“I have three children
I hardly know. I’m not proud of allowing them to grow
up
in the hands of others. It won’t happen again. If I
ever leave
here, they
’ll
get the best
medical and psychological
care available, and I’ll be with them every step of the way.”

“
Good girl.
Okay then, let’s get started.”
Anat
went
inside. She uncovered
the diaper pail next to Chloe’s crib and lifted out the bag
with the used diapers
.
Digging down
under a clean second bag
she
plucked a small zipper-locked plastic bag contain
ing
about a dozen pills
and beckoned Maia back to the balcony
.
“You’d better take these
now
in case the plan goes ba
d and something happens to me.”

Maia didn’t like the tone of Anat’s statement
, but she took the bag
. “What
are these
? Will they―
”

“
They’ll just make him sleep. Don’t worry.”

“Why did you hide them?”

“T
hey don’t trust me
,
which accounts for the occasional
room check. I don’t know what they expect to find, but they
don’t find it
.
Part of t
he
teenagers’ duties is to clean the room
s
.
One of them
comes
in with a master key
every afternoon to take out the trash and remove the dirty diaper
bag.
She
never check
s
under the clean bag.
”

“Where did you get the pills?”

“I got them one at a time and squirreled them away for when I’d need them.”

Obviously, Anat chose to hold things back, like who’d been helping her. Not even Anat
trusted her. Maia understood
her caution
. She
wasn’t
sure
who
to
trust
either.
Maia swallowed and straightened her back.
“I’m ready. Let’s do it.”

* * * * *

M
aia’s heart beat like a jackhammer. She
played games
,
read
,
and watched videos
with the children
all afternoon
. Even Phillip loosened up a bit
, chatting and laughing
. Th
ey
ate dinner together, served in her room. She admire
d
Anat more with each passing hour. This was
her
life, and she
’d
used the time to fill herself with knowledge, to learn
and create and
bond with
her child.

Maia doubted she
’
d
survive
years
as a captive
, but she’d been raised in the public eye
, not in the compound
. Silas and Selene
indoctrinated
her
and Dione into
their
religion
―or
better yet, their
cult
, for that’s what it was.
A cult
that rejected God and worshipped the high priest of love and pleasure and fertility in His place
, a
nd damn any
one
to Hell that g
ot
in the way.

When her half-siblings
came
along
―Brigid, Nona, and t
hree
boys
Maia
knew
only by name
―
they were shuttled off to the compound one by one, groomed to supply their precious genetic material to expand the population.
Compton
-
Cra
ne
material.

Though
she
’d turned
her children
over to others,
Selene
visited frequently, returning to extol
her
offsprings
’ superior attributes. How could they be anything less than perfect, considering their parents?

F
or fear of being discovered
, “Selene’s children” were
prohibited
from going
to
Middlebridge
College. Maia
never understood why they were kept secret
, but
since
Brigid and Nona slipped back and forth between New Orleans and the compound, she figured
they
enlist
ed
new devotees without
connecting
the Crane and Compton families
. She
and Dione saw them when they gave birth, but it was far from a family reunion.

The thought brought Seth to mind.
From
the beginning,
h
e was like a magnet, drawing her into him with his words and touch
…
un
til they took the second child, Iris, from her arms so she could return to the real world. Though she never lost
her
desire for Seth,
she wouldn’t allow
an
other
baby
to
be
plucked from her breast
and
nurtured by
strangers
.
In spite of her vow, it happened
one more time
―
without her consent.

She checked herself in the mirror, dabbed on his favorite perfume.
Where was he? He should have come by now.
P
lease don’t let me lose my nerve
―
fall helplessly into his charms
―
and forget my mission. I
must
do this.

A
first
-class chef was on call 24/7, and the
food was
outstanding. Meals were served in her
suite
.
There was a mini-fridge for drinks, imported
coffee
beans,
and tea,
a
long with a
few snacks.
She made
a pot of
coffee, and t
he
rich
aroma filled the room.
The
jolt of caffeine
would
boost
her ener
gy level. It’d be a long night.

The coffeepot stopped gurgling. She poured a cup and waited, hoping her shaking hands wouldn’t give her away
―
h
oping she could entice
Seth
into a cup of coffee before they made love.

T
he key turn
ed
in the door and Seth slipped into her room.
Her heart rate skyrocketed
, not only because of
what she intended to do,
but because it was Seth
.
H
e was
as
predictable
as the earth’s rotation when it came to
his
nightly
dose of sex. As always, he shut off the camera with a wink to the lens. Maia insisted
on privacy from the start
. She would not
allow
prying eyes
to
watch
while
they made love. Seth’s acquiesc
ence
to her wishes
made Anat’s plan feasible.

Maia’s heart fluttered at the sight of him. His roguish smile and flashing black eyes
broadcast
his desires, and she
forced herself
to concentrate on the task at hand. He kissed her neck, and she felt weak.

“You smell of coffee and cream and sugar,” he said. “Good enough to drink.”

“I wanted to be alert to enjoy you. I
needed the
stimulant. Have a cup while it’s fresh
.
”
She poured
the brew into a giant mug. “Then you can lap up every drop of me until the wee hours of the morning.”

“Exactly what I had in mind,” Seth said.

W
ho’s the Boss
?

B
eecher and Cash pulled into the circular drive of Martin Easley’s renovated Greek
Revival
, in the heart of the French Quarter. Beecher
eased
out of the air-conditioned car into the oppressive summer heat. Within seconds, his shirt stuck to his back and perspiration beaded his forehead. He mopped his brow and tiptoed on the chevron-patterned brick walkway
,
puddled
from the automatic sprinkler system
.
The spray
drenched the flowering shrubs around the house, releasing a mixture of perfumed scents.
Beecher
muffled a sneeze.
Freaking
allergies
.

“This place must be worth a
couple
mil
,
even in this economy
,
” Beecher said.

Cash scanned the area.
“You
ever been
in
a house like this
before?”

“Yeah, a domestic violence
call
a couple years back
.
” Beecher
pulled
his collar away from his neck.
Damn crime to have to wear a tie in this heat.
“Not anything I usually respond to, but I was nearby.
A neighbor called it in.
Husband was a mean drunk. Beat the crap out of her. Wife wouldn’t press charges. They
rarely
do, especially if they’d lose their cushy lifestyle. I’ve seen her in the society pages a time or two, without the black eye.”

“No shit.” Cash craned his neck to
peek
in the window. “This is my first.”

“This
is
n’t a social call, Cash.
Don’t forget
, t
his guy’s a Satan worshipper.”

“Man, I don’t understand
tha
―
”

T
he door opened and a regal-looking black woman stood before them.

“May I help you?” she said.

Beecher crammed his handkerchief in his pocket. “I’m Detective Beecher
,
NOPD. This is Detective Cash. We have an appointment with Mr. Easley.”

She moved back so they could enter, direct
ing
them to a large living room. “
I’ll tell him you’re here
.
Make yourselves comfortable
.” Then she left.