Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

held her back until the coast was clear , t hen they crept silently down the hall to a back exit. Cal opened it. They kept to the side of the building. N ow that they were outside the building, Maia didn’t have a clue where she was. She’d be lost without Cal .
    “Anat’s building is near the river,” he said.
    “I know. Her balcony hangs high over it. A sheer drop.”
    “Her only escape is to jump over and kill herself ―something she’d never do now that she has Chloe.”
    Maia struggled to keep up. “ Tha t’s a cowar d’s way out , not Anat’s. She’s too strong.”
    Cal turned. “She certainly is. One amazing woman.” He latched onto her hand. “Come on. We’ve got more than a mile to go , and there’s a new moon. Dark as pitch.”
    T hey hugged the backside of the building and headed toward the woods. A s they were about to clear the paved area and veer onto the path, Cal pulled her down behind a line of shrubbery . He pointed ahead.
    Two men came out of the last building. One second earlier and Maia and Cal would have been standing right in front of them. She ’d never seen the big guy before , but she recognized Edward Slater. “What’s he doing here?” she whispered.
    Cal ’s face pale d noticeably , even in the dim light. His body went rigid, and his upper lip curled in distaste. “Didn’t you know? His so-called mission is the conduit to recruit the surrogates. He also convinced everyone to bring Diana Racine here. He and Phillip. Slater is Phillip’s grandfather’s prime disciple.”
    Maia needed a minute to digest what Cal said. “Disciple? But Phillip’s grandfather has to be long dead.”
    “He was very old when Slater met him. I doubt he’d approve of what Slater ’s become.”
    “What do you mean?”
    “Later,” Cal said.
    Maia always thought of Slater as an opportunist, sucking up to the rich guys for money to run his mission , but a major disciple? Cal’s reaction upon seeing him told her there was more to Slater than he r impression of him.
    “I’ll be damned,” she said under her breath, then realized she probably already was. “Who’s the other guy?”
    “He’s Ridley Deems’ s replacement. A couple more do the dirty work . T hey’ve stopped k idnapping babies for the time being in favor of taking care of anyone who gets in the way, like the New Orleans cop.”
    “How do you know so much?”
    “I told you. I’ve created a persona they belie ve . I’m innocuous. I don’t matter.” He forced a tight smile, his eyes on Slater’s back, waiting until he disappeared . “Of course, if we succeed tonight, they might change their o pinion . ” He winked. “ Come on, Maia. Let’s go.”

Chapter Forty- Six
    C hameleon

    T he last thing Lucier remembered was Slater’s sidekick, a huge creature he dubbed Mountain Man, injecting him with something. E verything went black until he woke last evening , stiff and groggy . He ’d been moved into a rustic room with no windows and a lock to challenge Houdini on the only door. The place smelled musty and unused . The small bathroom contained a toilet, sink, a bar of soap and a towel. The re was a cot bolted to the floor, a table, and one chair. No sheets or pillow. Better than a prisoner holding cell but not by much. This must be where they ostracized those undisciplined members who bucked the rules , he thought.
    He’d been served dinner, and in the morning breakfast. A very good sandwich followed a few hours later. At least he was no longer trussed like a Thanksgiving turkey , and it didn’t appear as if they were going to starve him to death .
    He weighed his escape options the minute his head cleared . Nothing in the room worked as a weapon except the chair, except the only person to enter so far was a young girl who brought his three meal s . H e refused to put her in danger unless he had no other choice. Mountain Man accompanied her, but he stood outside the door , well out of reach of any attempt to take him down. They ’d thought of everything.
    This morning, h e stretched, did a dozen pushups and a couple of deep knee bends to get his legs back , breathing heavily when he finished . H e sure as hell wasn’t in peak physical condition, and Slater’s man looked like a pro wrestler who could put him down without working up a sweat. Lucier figured his life expectancy may span a few more days, but that’s all. He was too much of a threat to keep alive , and they couldn’t let him go.
    He asked