Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

don’t know what his plan is, but it ’s better than mine.”
    Cal navigated the narrow paths as if he’d carved them out himself. Lucier followed. Tree branches crunched under the wheels as they tore through the dark . Diana hear d the rush of water, smell ed the damp earth. The air was cool, but she felt warm and sticky from the night’s tension. Being free for the moment didn’t instill a long-range sense of optimism. “For someone who’s been under gu ard, Cal knows his way around.”
    “I’ve been snookered ,” Maia said. “ Anat told me Cal ’s IQ is the highest of anyone here , but because he’s gay, they won’t use his sperm. No one pays him any mind, so he has free rein inside the compound.”
    Lucier laughed. “Gay my ass. He’s as gay as I am. But I bet she’s right about the IQ.”
    “And he’s the baby’s father,” Diana said.”
    “I figured that out when I saw them together,” Maia said. “I guess Anat didn’t trust me enough to tell me the truth.”
    Lucier swerved out of the way from a hanging limb. “He’s been putting on an act . ”
    “ Fooled me, ” Maia said, “until today.”
    “Those two have plann ed this escape for a while, and they would have succeeded except for a couple of minor details.”
    “Which are?”
    “One, he can’t fly a plane.” Lucier tipped his head to the back seat. “But Seth can, can’t he, Maia?”
    “Yes, he flies.”
    Diana turned to Lucier. “What’s the other thing, Ernie?”
    “He needed help. Cal and Anat are very patient people. You ’re the key, Maia.”
    “Me?”
    “How often do you come here? Every few months?”
    “Usually.”
    “And I bet it was Anat who convinced you to drug Seth?” Diana asked.
    Maia nodded.
    “Where did she get the drugs?”
    “She didn’t really say who gave them to her exactly , but she saved them up.”
    “Bet innocuous Cal got them ,” Lucier said. “ I assume there’s a staff doctor who prescribed them to Cal to help assuage his inner demons. ”
    “Yeah . ” Maia said as if she’d finally put it all together. “Poor, tortured, gay Cal.” She laughed. “Brilliant.”
    “Maybe, but we’re not out of here yet ,” Diana said . “ Still, this might be our only chance.”
    “You got that right.” Lucier slammed his foot on the accelerator to keep up with the cart leading the way through the black night in the dark forest .

C hapter Fifty - Four
    B eat the Dawn

    “W hat are you thinking?” Diana asked.
    “I’m not thinking,” Lucier said. “I’m hoping. Hoping the feds are close to finding this place. Even if we convince this Seth fellow to help us, we still need to get the plane off the ground . G etting Maia’s kids first gives the bad guys more opportunity to catch us.” He wondered if he should have verbalized his negative outlook.
    Cal pulled behind one of the buildings at the end of the compound and waved them into the brush.
    “That’s where they put me this time ,” Maia said. “ My regular apartment doesn’t have security locks and cameras. This one does. ” She shrugged. “I’ ve been deemed untrustworthy , I guess. Imagine. ”
    “Big Brother’s all over this place,” Lucier said under his breath. “I gather Seth staying the night is a common occurrence ? ”
    “ Usually , ” Maia responded without embarrassment.
    Lucier nodded. Clearly, the situation wa sn’t entirely against her will.
    Cal jumped out of his cart and approached , keys in hand. Anat and the baby were already wend ing their way to the rear door.
    “We’re as safe here as anywhere,” he said , “b ut not for long. If either Steel or the other guard gets free, people will be searching the compound. They’ll find us eventually. Right now, t he night ’s in our favor. A ll we have to do is convince Seth to fly us out of here before dawn.” He followed Anat’s path. “Just in case, be quiet.”
    “Seth is the only one who can get the children out of the dorm without raising suspicion,” Maia said.
    Lucier put his hand on Diana’s back and guided her along the dark path. “I hope so.”
    Everyone bypassed the elevator and tiptoed up the stairs. Cal had already opened the door. Seth was groggy but awake, and from the narrowing of his eyes, not happy. Last in, Lucier closed the door.
    Seth kept his stare riveted on Maia while she ripped the strips of tape off his mouth and undid the cuffs with the key from the key ring. Silent, he propped himself up on the bed and