Chapter 1

Late night

State Highway 62 near

Craigmont Idaho

The steering wheel was slick with sweat and Donna could smell the acrid taint of her own fear sharp against the slightly musty interior of her old Ford Taurus. She nervously flipped a damp strand of her long dark hair over her shoulder as she checked her review mirror yet again. A sigh of relief shook her slender shoulders as she saw no sign of the headlights that had been behind her on the desolate stretch of road for the last hour.

"What's wrong momma?" said a small sleepy voice from the rear car seat.

"Nothing baby, momma was just thinking about how much fun we are going to have in our new place," Donna replied to her 5-year-old daughter Daisy.

Truthfully, she had no idea where they were going. It had been all she could do to gather a few things and scoop Daisy into the car before they caught her alone on her small homestead. She knew she had gone too far in her defiance this time.

Now she just prayed that they could make it across the state line into Washington and out of reach of her pursuers before her decrepit car gave up the ghost. She didn't know for sure but it seemed unlikely that the brothers and the 'Family' had any influence across the state line. The last of her money had gone to buy enough gas to make it to Pullman. She didn't know what would happen when she got there but anything was better than what they would do to her and her daughter if she stayed at the compound.

She was so desperate that as a last resort, she sent prayers to the gods of her people, even though she hadn't felt close to them since her wáay'atin vision quest as a young girl. None of the normal church-taught prayers hadn't done any good whatsoever in these last years. Donna was no longer even sure that any god or gods were listening, or if they were there. If they were how could they have permitted any of the things she had seen, and gone through? None of her prayers included any thought for her own survival, she just wanted to get her bright, beautiful Daisy somewhere safe.

The cable wire tightness in her shoulders had just started to unwind when two things happened nearly simultaneously. Her ancient car sputtered as the engine stopped responding to the gas pedal and the dreaded lights reappeared in her review mirror like the eyes of a dark predator bearing down on her in the night.

"Shit!" said Donna under her breath. She struggled to pull the sluggish car off onto the narrow shoulder, a sense of dread pulling her heart into the pit of her stomach.

"You said a bad word Mommy!" said Daisy.

"Mommy did, honey, but she shouldn't have," replied Donna as the engine shut down completely. She was at a loss. Her only hope was that maybe those headlights weren't her pursuers. She wasn't sure how close the nearest town was but it had to be several miles away. She and Daisy could walk it if necessary. If this wasn't the brothers coming after her, just maybe they could make it. Surely there had to be people somewhere that would dare to help them?

It was not to be. Donna heard the throaty growl of a big diesel engine approaching and seconds later a dark silver Chevy dual-wheeled truck slid onto the shoulder in front of her blocking her escape.

Donna felt a primal howl of despair clawing its way out of her heart. She just wanted to give in to the darkness and immerse herself in it. But she couldn't. Her Daisy needed her, so she shoved the scream down and refused to let her tears flow.

"Quick like a bunny, jump out of your seat and hide under the blanket sweetie," said Donna.

"But momma, what's happening?" said Daisy

"No time for questions love bug. Just listen to momma. Get under the blanket and no matter what you hear stay in the car and be as still as the little deer. Remember our story about how the little deer stays hidden when the mommy deer is away?"

"Okay momma," whispered Daisy as she unbuckled herself from her car seat and clambered under the blanket in the rear seat.

Daisy was such a good girl thought Donna. Much too good to have to deal with all of this. Any child was. She steeled herself for what was next as she heard the doors in the precariously parked truck slam open and the snarly sneer of men's voices erupt as her greatest fear emerged.

"Get out here slut!" yelled Jonah, the oldest brother.

"Don't make us grab you outa there, Donna. You'll just make it worse on yourself," warned Saul the youngest brother.

"Time to take your licks you snotty bitch," said Jebediah, now the sole middle brother since her Caleb had passed.

For an instant, Donna was struck yet again by how different her sweet husband Caleb had been from his monstrous brothers. His lanky blond-haired, blue-eyed presence was sunlight to their darkness. If only he hadn't been taken so young, events would have spun their lives into a totally different weave. That was neither here nor there though and Donna steeled herself for what was to come. Maybe she could persuade them that she had run without her daughter and they would not look for her. Maybe she could drag it out long enough that a passerby would happen onto this lonely road and call the authorities in time to save her daughter. No matter, It was now time to pay the piper.

That was a preview of Nexus Evolution- SNEAK PEEK. To read the rest purchase the book.

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