Page 14 of Deep Within Me

Isabel stepped forward. She was a small woman, her coppery complexion barely wrinkled despite her sixty or so years. Her graying hair and eyebrows were all that gave away her true age.

“We don’t want them here,” she said, her attention going to Liz and her father.

Murmurs of agreement came from the women around her. The men said nothing.

Defiantly, Zeke eased Liz even closer. The worst thing he could do. She should have pulled away but knew her strength would be no match for his. Nor did she want to leave his side. She needed to stand with and protect him, no matter how futile it seemed.

“They have nowhere else to go,” Zeke said. “You know that. They’re not a threat to any of us. They’re healers.”

“They’re death,” Isabel snapped, color rising in her cheeks. “They caused tonight’s carnage.” She uncrossed her arms and gestured to the surrounding area.

In too many places, bullets had torn through the wood paneling. Blood pooled on the floor…it speckled the walls and ceiling. When Liz had fled this place to go to Carreon’s stronghold, she’d run past too many of his lieutenants’ bodies.

Those corpses were gone. The stink of death and gunfire remained.

“That’s not true,” Zeke countered Isabel. “You know it isn’t. Liz and her father had nothing to do with what happened.”

“You brought her here,” Isabel argued.

“An enemy,” a young woman to her left said. “Our enemy.”

The others nodded as they voiced their opinions.

“I brought her here to heal Jacob,” Zeke reminded them, speaking louder than everyone else so they’d hear him. “Without Liz, my brother would have died. Did all of you want that?”

“You know we didn’t,” Isabel said through her teeth. “Jacob isn’t the problem. You could have taken her back after she healed him, but you refused. You put her welfare above your clan’s. If not for her, Carreon’s men wouldn’t have come here to—”

“Stop it, please,” Kele interrupted. She pushed through the crowd to reach Isabel. “It wasn’t their fault.”

Liz found it almost painful to look at Kele. The young woman’s velvety brown eyes held a mixture of shame and heartache that made her seem excruciatingly vulnerable. Tall and slender, with a tawny complexion and black hair that hung to her waist, she could have been a supermodel ready for a shoot—she was that lovely—except for the smears of blood on her tee and jeans, the cruel bruises ringing her throat.

From Carreon’s hands or one of his lieutenants’? My God, what had they done to Kele before bringing her here? A waveof revulsion weakened Liz, forcing her to lean against Zeke for support.

Despite the ominous stares from the group, Kele remained subdued, which wasn’t like her at all. In the days Liz had been here, she’d always seen the young woman wear an expression of bitterness or frustration. Resolve seemed to have replaced Kele’s previous emotions, as though she’d finally come to a decision.

“I was the one who brought Carreon’s men here,” she said to Isabel then glanced at the rest to include them in her confession. “Zeke had nothing to do with it. Neither did she—Liz. Without her, Jacob wouldn’t have survived. I should be punished.”

“You will be,” a twenty-something woman called out.

Kele ignored her. She went to Zeke, standing beside him, facing the others. “He’s done nothing but risk his life to help us. To make sure we’re safe.”

“Until he brought her here,” Isabel countered, gesturing to Liz.

“He didn’t know what else to do to protect me,” Liz said before anyone else could speak. “But you’re right, all of you are. I don’t belong here. Neither does my father.”

“Liz.” Zeke wouldn’t release her as she tried to pull away. “You’re not leaving.”

There wasn’t any other choice. He must have known that from the moment he fought his people to keep her here. What he and she felt for each other shouldn’t have happened…and couldn’t continue. Zeke had already lost everything. Liz couldn’t bear to see him deprived of his clan’s respect and support. Her chest and throat ached with grief, but she wouldn’t back down. She couldn’t. “I have to go.” Her voice shook. Tears blurred her vision. It killed her to leave him, but she wanted him safe… She needed him loved. “You owe your loyalty to your people.”

He frowned. “I owe it to them and you.”

“Please,” she murmured. “Someday we might see each other again.”

“Someday? Might?” His frown deepened. “Hell, no.”

“There’s no other choice,” she whispered. “Let me have one of the vehicles. I’ll take my father to a safe place.”

“Where?” Zeke snapped. “Carreon’s still out there. So are his men.”