“I had been living in Charlottesville. I worked in the lab at a hospital there. I had a nice life. I really did. But . . .”
“But what?” Kori asked.
“But then I went to a concert—this country music star. I met a man there. Name was Toby James. We hit it off right away. We both had similar views on things. For example, neither of us liked government overreach. But he felt much more strongly about this than I did.”
“Can you give us an example?” Wyatt asked.
“I know this is ironic since I worked for a lab at the hospital, but I feel that way about some public health mandates. Toby really hated the restrictions some people said the government would put on guns. He was stockpiling them—just out of principle, he said.”
Wyatt shifted. “What happened then?”
“He mentioned this new community that was being set up out in the wilderness. He made it sound like moving there would be an adventure, a fresh start. He said we’d be building something that mattered, something our forefathers would be proud of.” Her voice trembled. “I didn’t understand what I was actually walking into until I was already there.”
“What did you walk into?” Kori asked.
Wren shook her head. “They were militant. They had all these rules and ideas. Anyone who wasn’t in line with them was treated as an enemy. They say they hate the government, but honestly, they’d formed their own kind of government—and it was scary. Men ruled the place, and the women there didn’t really have a voice. They just did as they were told.”
“What happened when you tried to leave?” Wyatt asked.
“Bartholomew—the leader—told me I couldn’t. He kept me there. He tied my wrists and ankles together when he thought Imight try to leave.” She turned her hands over slowly, and Wyatt saw the same scars he’d spotted yesterday.
Bartholomew. It was him. This confirmed it.
“I’m sorry to hear about how they treated you,” he murmured.
“I knew I was on my own when Toby refused to help me,” the woman continued. “He turned against me too. When the snowstorm hit a few days ago, everyone was distracted as they prepared for it. I managed to get the binds loose and slipped out.”
“You made it a long way in those conditions,” Wyatt said.
“I didn’t think I was going to make it.” Her voice cracked, and she rubbed her throat. “I didn’t know who to trust—but I knew they’d try to find me. I figured they would. I’d lost hope. Then you two found me.”
Kori stepped forward. “I’m really sorry to hear about all of this. But Wren, I have to ask: What about my sister?”
