Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

from the residue of drugs still in his system, but he couldn’t take time to catch his breath. He didn’t want Mountain Man to wake before he had secured him .
    He threaded one of Mountain Man’s arms through the narrow space between two vertical slats in the headboard of the bed , pulled the other arm over the top rail, and cuffed the two wrists together. H e used the knife to cut off the unconscious man’ s shirt and tear it into strips. He tied his ankles tightly to opposite bedposts and stuffed a wad of shirt into his mouth. With little leeway to move, one wrong turn and he’d break his wrist. W hen his captive woke , Lucier harbored no doubt he’d be wild with anger.
    H e turned to the girl , huddled into herself , terrified. “Where are we?” S he didn’t answer . “Where?” he demanded .
    “I don’t know if I should tell you. You’re going to hurt people.”
    Lucier knelt down until he was level with her. He crooked his index finger under her chin and lifted her head until she raised an unsteady gaze to meet his. “I promise I won’t hurt anyone who doesn’t want to hurt Miss Racine or me. We were taken against our will. Kidnapped.” A thought occurred. He needed to broach it delicately. “How old are you, Anna?”
    “Fourteen.”
    “Have you been with boys?”
    Cheeks flushing, s he turned away and spoke softly. “Not yet.”
    “Is that what you want? To be with boys and make babies.”
    “No,” she answered quickly, then seemed ashamed of her response. “But that’s what we’re supposed to do.”
    More memories emerged, and Lucier spoke as the father he once was. “I had a little girl very much like you. She’s dead now, but she’s always in my thoughts. She would have wanted to go to college to become a doctor or a lawyer or even pursue a career in law enforcement like her dad . What she wouldn’t want is what you will be forced to do if the people in control here aren’t stopped.” Anna sniffled , and Lucier asked one more question. “ Do you spen d time with your mother, Anna? Talk to her about these things?”
    “I see my birth mother sometimes. Not enough, though. All the kids have lots of mothers. Fathers too. That’s the way here.”
    “Would you like to spend more time with your mother?” he asked, wondering who Anna’s mother was. Wondering what the population totaled in this pretend haven.
    Anna nodded.
    Mountain Man moaned louder now, distracting Lucier, but the sound came from deep in his throat. Best he could do with a gag in his mouth. Lucier wished he had some of the drug they gave him, because this guy look ed like he could pull the cot from the floor bolts and walk thr ough the door with it attached.
    “I need your help. People will die without it.”
    Anna thought for a long time. “Are you sure you won’t hurt anyone?”
    A groan came from the cot. T he big man ’s eyes spr a ng open, and he tried to get up. H e realized he was tied to the bed and writhed and twisted, peppering his efforts with grunts and growls . Lucier was sure he wrenched hi s arm when he squealed in pain. The captive spit out his gag.
    “ When I get loose,” he screamed, “I’m gonna kill you. Your girlfriend too. I don’t care what anyone tells me. You’re a fucking dead man, Lucier.”
    Anna flinched . F ear once more sparked her blue eyes. Lucier approached the restrained man and socked him squarely in the jaw. He looked dazed but still conscious. Lucier hit him again, and this time he fell back into dreamland. Lucier rubbed his throbbing knuckles, then wadded up a bigger chunk of fabric and forced it into the man’s mouth, glad he didn’t have to worry about losing his fingers in the clamp of teeth. Facing Anna, he asked again, “Now will you help me?”
    With her frightened gaze on the tethered man, she said, “Yes.”

Chapter Forty- Eight
    T he Truth Will Set You Free

    E ggs floated in the air like little puffs of clouds. A magic wand kissed each one, cracking the shells, and infant Dianas pranced out, smiling and kicking, having the time of their baby lives. They crawled into her ears, talking, whispering sweet words , calling her Mama . Then their voices turned angry, urgent. Wake up . Wake up .
    Diana sprang up from her bed, body soaked. Sweat dripped down her back and chest, yet the room was cool. Confused, she shook off her sleep and tried to focus. Dim light bathed the room. She stared at the picture on the wall until her head stopped spinning.
    Voices