Lamb to the Slaughter (Serenity's Plain Secrets Book 1) (24 page)

Serenity puckered her lips to the side in thought before she finally answered. “Oh, all right.” She locked her gaze on me and said in almost a whisper, causing me to lean in closer to hear her. “That story you told me about your dad, the
bishop and the other guys…well, I did a little bit of digging and I found out some interesting information to go along with it.”

Sweat beaded on my neck as I remembered back to that night and the way I’d felt when I’d seen my father covered in blood. I shivered and said, “Go on.”

“At about the same time that went down, a girl named Rachel Yoder killed herself by stepping in front of a train in broad daylight. After talking to her sister yesterday, I found out that Rachel was the girl from your story—only she wasn’t really raped. Her relationship with the English man was consensual. She couldn’t live with what she’d inadvertently caused to happen to her lover—so she did herself in with the train. And, that means, that there was no justice at all in what a few members of your community did to the man.”

I sat quietly digesting what Serenity had said. Vaguely, now that she had brought it up, I recalled an accident with a girl and a train—I could even remember staring at the casket that held her body, which was too mangled to be opened for family and friends.

Serenity went on, pulling me back into the present.

“Do you know what the real kicker is? I found out who the guy was, and you’re not going to believe it.”

With real apprehension, I asked, “Who was it?”

“Unless there are two guys with the name from the same town and about the same age, it appears that Rachel’s English lover was none other than Tony Manning.”

“No way!” I exclaimed, trying to put the puzzle together in my head. I remembered Tony working at the stock yards and occasionally driving a pickup truck while the Amish loaded hay or produce onto it. The guy always had a dangerous
feel about him and the youngsters stayed well out of his way. I could slightly recall a few of the teens hanging around with Tony, and then, only until it was forbidden to do so. I couldn’t recollect anything at all connecting Tony to the girl hit by the train.

After the shock of learning that the recipient of my father’s beating was Blood Rock’s previous sheriff, another thought flooded into my mind, and I looked angrily at Serenity and said, “So you went to talk to my parents about that night—and what happened? Even though I told you the story in confidence, you still wasted your time on it.”

“How do you know that it was a waste of my time?” Serenity growled, her eyes throwing daggers my way.

“Obviously, it wasn’t a waste since you saved my niece, but why the hell didn’t you talk to me about it? I could have saved you the trouble of going all the way out there for nothing, because that’s what I’m sure you got out of my father—nothing.”

Serenity scrunched up her face. “What good would you have brought to the discussion? You haven’t spoken to your parents in fifteen years. Besides, you were pissed at me.”

Again, my blood was reawakened by the sight of the ivory skin at Serenity’s collar bone and lower, which was now exposed due to her outburst. I leaned in, close enough to smell the warm vanilla scent coming from her, and said, “What makes you think that I was pissed at you?”

Serenity rolled her eyes and began to rise when I made my move. I reached out and grasped her wrist. “You didn’t answer the question,” I said before bringing my mouth a breath away from hers.

Her words were somewhat ragged as she said, “You seemed pretty angry with me.”

“You know what? I’m not angry anymore,” I closed the distance and covered her lips with mine. The jolt I experienced touching her scared the hell out of me, but I didn’t stop. The only way I could stop now was if she insisted. But I didn’t think she was going to do that.

I pressed Serenity into the sofa, as my left arm went around her waist and my right hand touched her face tentatively. She was kissing me back with enthusiasm, and I felt I could begin breathing again. I was confident that she wasn’t going to bolt. My tongue delved inside her mouth, and I loved the feel of how her tongue laced in and out of mine in perfect rhythm.

Serenity’s raspy intake of breath made me bolder still, and I slipped my hand into the robe, pushing the material away. Her breast was full, but not too large, and I held it in my hand, running my thumb over the material that covered the nipple in stroking movements until Serenity moaned, saying, “Oh, please, Daniel, please…”

I lifted my head and said in my own, barely controlled voiced, “Please, what? Tell me, Serenity. Tell me what you want from me.”

I stared down into Serenity’s lustful eyes and wondered what they would look like if they were filled with love. Would I even know the difference? I wanted Serenity to acknowledge that she wanted me—that she was ready to surrender to me fully, or I wasn’t going any further.

“Don’t be silly, Daniel. You know what I want,” Serenity said, trying to reach up and bring my head down to hers again, but I wouldn’t let her.

“No, I need to hear the words.” I began stroking her nipple again at the same time I lowered the weight of my groin onto the soft place between her thighs. Serenity spread her
legs, clutching me around my hips. The feel of her wrapping around me made me want to forget about my stupid verbal requirements. I was almost going to say so when she spoke again.

Serenity’s eyes were open and sure now. “Daniel, I want you to…”

Before the last words tumbled from Serenity’s mouth, her cell phone went off. Her eyes cleared in an instant as she looked towards where it sat on the coffee table, lighting up with each new ring.

“No you don’t,” I told her.

“It could be important. Get off of me so I can answer it.” Serenity was all business now, and I rolled away cussing out loud as I did so.

Serenity grabbed up the phone and brought it to her ear as she fluttered away into the other room. I was left with a yearning deep within me and a racing pulse. I decided that the next time I tried to seduce her I’d hide the damn cell phone beforehand. The hell with how pissed she got about it—it would be worth it.

And, I knew with complete certainty, that there would be a next time.

By the time Serenity came back into the room, I was sitting up. Her words completely undid me again, but in a not-so-enjoyable way.

“That was Bobby. He has the forensic report back from Indianapolis. He’s waiting for me before he takes a look.” Serenity blushed as she pulled her robe tighter around her, trying to cover up what I had just been touching. “Wait here while I get changed. It will only take a sec.”

“You actually want me to come with you,” I asked, even though I was inwardly afraid of her answer.

A smile played at the corners of Serenity’s mouth, “Yeah, I do.”

26

NAOMI

October 20th

T
he squishing sound Naomi’s shoes made in the damp ground bothered her—it was too loud. Even here on the edge of the cornfield, with the tall, dry stalks shielding her from any prying eyes, she was a nervous wreck. She glanced over her shoulder again, not really expecting to see anyone, but not taking any chances either. Just a little over a mile and she’d be on Burkey Road, and finally free from the Amish community. Will would be there, waiting for her.
He would be there
. He was the kind of steadfast man that would not let her down.

The breeze picked up, bringing with it cooler air and the sound of the stalks scratching against each other. Naomi held the top of her coat tight at her throat with one hand while her other hand pushed the sharp leaves out of the way. With each step she took, she felt more confident of the decision she’d made, and she picked up her pace. As a sign of her determination, she’d ditched her bright white cap a while back in a
dried up creek bed, happy to be done with the bothersome head covering forever.

Moving the backpack to the other shoulder, Naomi thought how telling it was of her life that she could fit the only things that she needed or wanted into such a small space. She wouldn’t have use of any of her frumpy, polyester dresses where she was going. No, she had left all her clothes behind. The canvas bouncing against her back held a few pairs of panties, garments that would soon enough find their way into a trashcan as soon as she visited a fancy lingerie store. Her favorite home stitched jean purse and the toy cloth rabbit that Mam had given her when she was a small child were the only other items in the pack.

After cutting through the rows for a few minutes, Naomi found the grassy tractor path deep in the cornfield. She hurried on, eager to reach her destination, but also wanting to separate herself from the memories that this particular place held for her. Even with the rush of prickly autumn air on her face, she remembered the last time she’d been there, when the stalks had been vibrant and green and the pockets of hot air caused the skin under her dress to be sticky with sweat. She hadn’t been alone either. Eli Bender’s face flitted before her. She remembered how tingly her lips had felt as his mouth crushed against hers, exploring. And how weak her legs had gone when he’d lowered her to the ground, into the soft tall grass. It had been quicker than she thought it would be—and somewhat of a disappointment. Sandra had told her it should get better with practice, and thankfully, she’d been right.

Naomi was almost to the turning point, the stalks bending with the force of the wind, showing her the way, when she heard the
swash swash swash
of footsteps that sent her
heart leaping into her throat. She turned quickly, fanning her eyes back and forth, searching. The path behind her was clear. Maybe she’d imagined the sound. She stood perfectly still and tilted her head, listening. But the only noise reaching her ears was the friction of the stalks and the whistle of the wind.

Even though her eyes and ears promised that Naomi was alone, she could not ignore the prickle on the back of her neck warning her of danger. Holding her breath, she became a statue, except for her eyes, which continued darting wherever they could reach without turning her head.

Finally, Naomi breathed out a sigh. She giggled nervously, thinking how silly she was. No one knew where she was—or cared for that matter. Dat and Mamma were at the school house meeting, probably in the thick of a heated debate about whether Bessie Yoder should take over as head teacher, replacing old Jory Raber. Everyone else was at the ball game.

Naomi relaxed, turning back around. She didn’t get one step when she heard the sound of footsteps again and then there were hands on her shoulders.

“What are you doing out here all by yourself?”

She didn’t need to look to know who the voice belonged to. Her heart sank in instant despair. She was so dead.

“Answer me. What are you doing out here with your hair uncovered,” and as if he just noticed the backpack, he added, with even more heat in his voice, if that were possible, “…and with a backpack?”

Naomi finally met his gaze in the misty grey darkness of near night.

“Don’t you go talking to me that way, Eli Bender. I won’t have it. You hear me?” Naomi matched his tone, straightening
her back and lifting her chin defiantly. There was no way that she was going to allow Eli to ruin all her plans.

His face wavered a bit, telling Naomi that her bulldog posture had worked. Eli was still mad, but uncertainty flashed across his features.

“Explain yourself,” Eli demanded, still holding her shoulders in a tight grip.

Naomi ignored his question. “Were you following me?” she nearly shouted, struggling against him with her hands pushing on his chest.

He released her, but followed when she stepped back, leaning over her with his tall frame. “No, I wasn’t following you. It was just a crazy hunch that you’d be out here in the cornfield. When you didn’t show up at the ball game, and no one knew where you were, I got worried and came looking for you in the only place I could think that you’d go,” he said with a whining tilt to his voice that frayed what was left of Naomi’s nerves.

“We done quit each other. Remember that? There was no need for you to come looking for me. This isn’t your business,” Naomi thundered, trying to be heard above the swaying corn stalks.

Eli’s voice softened a tad, and he said, “Are you running away?”

A part of Naomi felt like dirt. Eli was her first guy after all, and probably the nicest fellow in the whole community. He was definitely the most handsome one, with his chestnut brown hair that was always a little too long, by the Ordnung standards. Even now, he had to keep brushing it out of his face to see her properly with the wind.

She tried to think quickly of a way to get Eli to back off. She knew that if she gave him even the inkling that they would
get back together, he’d never let her leave that night. No. Her only chance was brutal honesty. Eli would be in his own heap of trouble if his folks knew that he’d been meeting with her secretly in the cornfield, and there wasn’t a way for him to tattle on her unless he fessed up about where he’d found her. Naomi trusted that Eli’s need for self- preservation would keep her safe. At least long enough for her to get far, far away.

“Yeah, I am running away. I’m not going to put up with this community any longer.” Naomi narrowed her eyes to slits and jabbed a forefinger at Eli’s chest. “And you better not try to stop me.”

“Who’s helping you away? Are all the rumors true? Have you been messing with Will Johnson?” Eli’s face was stone, but his eyes showed pain.

Naomi couldn’t let those eyes affect her. She just couldn’t.

“What’s it to you? You were so ready to take up with the bishop and the others against me. Why would you care if I left and never came back?” she hissed the words out, both angry about the direction her thoughts had gone and impatient to be on her way.

Eli reached out and touched Naomi’s shoulder, but she shrugged him off. His voice was pleading when he spoke. “I never took up sides, Naomi. I just wanted what was best for you. That’s all.”

“I don’t see it that way.” Eli’s face softened even further. Naomi dove in, knowing there was no turning back now. “Can’t you get it through your thick skull that I don’t love you anymore? I have a new guy and he’s going to take me places that you can’t. Just go away and leave me alone.”