Diana Racine 02 - Goddess of the Moon

eyes stared lifelessly, but Lucier put his finger to the side of his throat anyway . He couldn’t find a pulse. “He’s dead , Seth .”
    Crane fell back on his haunches. “I’ve never harmed a soul in my life . Never even cussed at anyone . N ow I’ve murdered a man .” He raised his tear-filled eyes to Lucier. “I kept thinking about what he must have done to my son, and I couldn’t stop squeezing.”
    Lucier helped him up. He wanted to say killing Slater was self-defense, but it wasn’t. T emporary insanity seemed a better justification. Lucier thought if Slater had molested one of his children, he would have reacted the same way, without a thread of guilt. “Come on. Let’s find the others and get out of here. We’ll bring the authorities back . T hey can take over.”
    He took Crane’s arm, and t hey walked out of the hangar into the breaking dawn to a sight that changed everything. For the worse. Two men stood like military sentries pointing guns at them; another gunman held Diana and the rest at bay.
    “Looks like we missed all the fun,” Phillip Crane said. “Better late than never.”
    Silas Compton stood with a twisted smile distorting his lips. “We underestimated you, Ernie .”
    “ Not for the first time, Silas .”

Chapter Fifty- Seven
    T he Long- A waited Reading

    D iana stared down the barrel of the gun, wondering if she and Lucier would survive ―i f any of them would survive. One guard relieved Lucier of both guns.
    “Shut up, Silas. You underestimated him, not me.” Crane stepped forward and glared at Compton, the disdain in his voice palpable. “If you ’d followed my instructions, the lieutenant would be dead now instead of Edward ― the only person other than a true Crane who understood our mission . N ow he’s dead, murdered ” ― h e glare d at Seth with eyes as cold an d icy as an Arctic wind ― “ by my son.” He strode to stand before Seth. “ My grandfather chose Brother Osiris to help me create what you almost destroyed. Obviously, he was more of a Crane than you.”
    Diana felt a wave of empathy for Seth. In the space of a few hours, his entire world had turned upside down. He’d realized his child , maybe more than one, had been violated, and n ow his own father declared him un worthy of the Crane name. Would Seth cave in the face of his father’s accusations? How deep was his indoctrination?
    Seth’s cheeks turned scarlet. “Did your g randfather teach hi m to molest my children, Father? Molest others too , I presume. Or didn’t you know about that?”
    “Edward wouldn’t do that,” Crane said. “He loved those children.”
    “He sure as hell did, ” Maia said, “but not the way you mean.” She held Phillip, his trembling arms wrapped around her , shorts showing the result of his fear . The other two children clung to her side. “No wonder this child is so withdrawn. Your grand father’s hand-picked messiah was a twisted pervert.”
    Slater’s reluctance to touch Diana now made sense. He’d lost not only his God as a result of his calamity, he’d lost his soul. She wondered if the young Edward, the one who answered to a higher calling, had ever participated in a tortured dialogue with his darker self. The question would forever remain unanswered.
    “ H ow many others need help like my son ? ” Maia asked . She pulled her olde r son closer . “You can’t stop us from leaving here, Phillip. ” She turned to Silas. “ Tell him, Father.”
    “Silas tells me nothing,” Crane snapped. “He’ll do what I say.”
    Compton’s eyes narrowed for a brief moment. Diana thought he was going to stand up for himself, but he lowered his head in obvious humiliation . O nly two people held sway over Silas Compton ― Phillip Crane and Selene.
    “I’m in charge,” Crane said, “and I’m afraid we can stop you from leaving. Truth is ― we’re the ones leaving. Y ou, my dear Maia, will remain here with your friends, except for Diana, of course. She’ll accompany us to our new location. My wife and daughters have already departed. You see, this runway can handle a plane big enough for everyone in this compound . It will arrive late tonight , and w e’ ll have cleared out by midday tomorrow . W hen and if the authorities find this place, all they’ll find is a burned out parcel of land in the middle of nowhere , b ecaus e that’s all that will be left. ”
    Crane made a slow visual rotation of the property , a frown creasing his