I met Theodore’s bright eyes and smiled with a nod before his father swept him away from the kitchen.
Fucking hell.
“So, Olivia, what can I do to help?” Mrs. Walsh’s perfume was so thick and sweet I forced myself to breathe through my mouth.
“We’re waiting on the vegetables in the oven. But it looks like everything else still needs to be dished onto the serving platters.”
She adjusted the apron Theo had been wearing before grabbing a pair of gloves and beginning to scoop the massive pot of mashed potatoes onto a serving platter.
Olivia filled the silence with small talk, asking similar questions to Theodore and she too invited me. Only her invitation was to their church on Sunday.
“That sounds lovely, thank you. Theo actually invited me to a small group?” I raised a brow at her, unsure of what it was called.
Her brows rose with surprise, but she quickly covered her shock with a smile. “Did he? Well, um, yes. We have weekly small group worships with our church family. You must have made quite the impression, dear. We don’t usually invite people to our property unless they are a member of our church.”
I wrung my hands.Shit. Was this bad?
“That’s not to say that we’re discriminatory,” she added at my lack of response. “It’s just a surprise is all. I’m delighted to hear that you’ll be able to enjoy an evening studying The Word.”
I nodded, looking up to give her a smile. “Thank you.”
I sighed silently with relief when the woman returned to the kitchen and excused me back to the party.
Twenty-Five
November 10, Wednesday
Shiloh
Icouldn’t take it anymore. If I had to force another smile, the next person I saw was going to get throat punched. It didn’t help that this place forced you to spend your day completing job applications and attending group seminars on financial planning and constructive outlets for emotions.
There was no fucking way I was going to willingly choose to color in some butterfly mandala the next time I was itching to carve someone’s eyes out with my fingernails. This was complete fucking bullshit. And there was nowhere to fucking hide. Not when you were in a room of only nine women, and you were the shiny new toy they got to stare at and analyze.
For fuck’s sake, I was considering offing myself in the bathroom to get out of going to this church dinner. I took onelast look at myself in the mirror before punching the light switch off and leaving my shared room.
I had told the staff I was attending a church meeting, and they gave me a pass to get into the facility past curfew tonight. I wasn’t going to tell Theo that, though. I wanted the excuse of needing to leave if things got weird. I hadn’t gotten any weird vibes from any of them, except for with his mom, who made it seem like outsiders weren’t allowed wherever it was he was taking me.
Adrian had texted me yesterday that Theo was most likely taking me to their huge compound they owned. Apparently, there wasn't any cell service out in the boonies where they lived. I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea, but I wanted my phone just in case. Even without cell service, it was my only lifeline to the outside world. The real world. The one where Enoch and Jae were probably hanging out right now, enjoying being teenagers. I shook the thoughts of my friends from my brain as the doors opened in front of me.
I stood, straightening out my clothes as Theodore walked inside, his gaze immediately scanning my body. It wasn’t inherently sexual, his stare, but it didn’t make me feel comfortable either.
The suit and tie from the last time I saw him were replaced by a pair of burnt sienna chinos, white sneakers, a knit gray sweater and a black jacket. It didn’t escape my attention that he was way better dressed than my simple jeans and sweater, but he clearly didn’t mind.
“Hi,” he smiled, giving me another once over as he stopped just a foot in front of me. He was entirely too close to me for a stranger, but I resisted the instinct to step back.
“Ready?”
I nodded and followed him, his stride matching mine and his hand landing on the middle of my back as we walked into the parking lot.
He picked up his pace, reaching his parked vehicle, a sleek black car, and opening the passenger door for me. I was relieved when his hand left my back and quickly ducked under his arm and into the front seat. I buckled in, taking in the clean interior and smokey scent of the air freshener hanging from his rear-view mirror. I took a deep breath, wiping my sweaty palms on my jeans before he slipped into the driver’s seat.
“So, Olivia,” he started as the car rumbled to life, “tell me more about yourself. Did you grow up here in San Antonio?”
“Uh, yeah. In the suburbs. You?”
“No, I grew up on our family land. It’s about two thousand acres of property that houses any of our church members that choose to live in our private community. It’s about an hour away.”
I watched the road signs as we drove.An hour away? Why didn’t they tell me how remote this place was when they briefed me on these people? It’s starting to sound a little bit like a cult.
