Say Goodbye (Romantic Suspense #25) by Karen Rose

            Graham snorted. “I’m gonna rename Jellybean. From here on out, she’s Zit.”

            Hayley shoved herself to a sitting position, patting her stomach. “I won’t let him call you Zit.” She eyed the plate, then sighed. “Jerky again, huh?”

            “Sorry.” He dipped his head closer. “There’s a little bit of chicken hidden underneath.”

            She frowned. “Hidden?”

            “Nobody knows what’s going on right now,” he whispered. “Pastor’s gone to the hospital and DJ and the healer went with him. Nobody knows when they’re coming back. Or even if they’re coming back. DJ never did bring back the supplies he went for, and he took the only set of wheels. Nobody’s sure how to get more food. And even the jerky won’t last forever. That chicken was the last of the animals they were able to bring from the old site.”

            Most of the animals—cows, goats, sheep, and pigs as well as chickens—had been slaughtered prior to their move to the caves. The meat had been cured and stored, but without DJ getting supplies from the nearest town, the food had been quickly consumed.

            “So we might starve,” Hayley said, trying not to panic.

            “People are scared. Which isn’t completely bad. Scared people rise up. You know, down with tyranny and the man and all that. If they get scared enough, they might all try to get out of this place. Eat the chicken first. I wasn’t supposed to have it and don’t want to get caught.”

            She popped it in her mouth obediently. When she’d swallowed she asked, “Did you steal it?”

            “Duh. From Joshua. He’s eating chicken. Because he’s in charge.”

            “Doesn’t surprise me,” Hayley muttered. “One of the other wives said he’d be the next leader, now that Ephraim is dead. Did Mom hurt you after you ruined her shoes?”

            That their mother had gotten human waste on her shoes had been whispered all over the compound. It seemed to entertain Eden’s women. This is what happens without TV.

            “No. Joshua told me to dump the piss pot, so I didn’t hear what came after that. But Mom has been super quiet ever since. Isaac hasn’t been speaking to her, so I think she’s in trouble.”

            Isaac was the man to whom their mother had been married on day one of this hell. He didn’t seem to be a violent man, but he was an Eden fanatic. One of the earliest members to join way back in the early nineties, he was the community tattooist and enjoyed a captive audience. Every male over thirteen in the compound wore his ink on their skin. All the younger ones, anyway. Apparently there used to be another tattooist, who’d died in his sleep. He’d tattooed all the older men.

            Graham will be tattooed—or worse—if I can’t get us out of here. “I’m glad she didn’t hurt you.”

            Graham touched Hayley’s cheek gently. “She hurt you. There’s a bruise here.” His young face hardened, suddenly looking too adult. “I think that’s why she’s in trouble. But not because she hit you.” His gaze dropped to her stomach, and Hayley understood.

            “Because of Jellybean.”

            He nodded. “Sister Rebecca wants the baby alive and unharmed.”

            Hayley closed her eyes, once again feeling the panic swell in her throat. “How do I stop her?”

            “By getting out of here with me.”

            Her eyes flew open, something in his tone grabbing her attention. “What did you find?”

            “The computer and the satellite dish.” He grinned. “They were in the clinic, in a box labeled Birthing Supplies. Tamar asked Joshua if I could fetch the box so that she could get ready to deliver your baby.”

            Hayley’s eyes widened. “Did Tamar know it was in there?”

            “Nah. She was as surprised as I was.”

            “Can you set them up? Especially the satellite dish? That doesn’t sound simple.”

            “I’m going to try. I need a power source. I know they had one and it has to have been quiet. Some generators are silent. Or they had solar panels. I’m still searching for that. Tamar has been a huge help. She’s provided distractions all day so that I could hide the stuff I found.”