The Tithe That Binds Read online

  He looked up at Elijah and caught the slight nod. Henry wondered if he would be losing the bay to the hills anyway. It seemed unreasonable that they would send the enforcers down to pick up his lazy son-in-law without wanting something in return. “She’s in the downstairs room, sleeping alone.”

  Elijah’s dark stare focused on Tom. “We’re not going to get any shit from you, are we Tommy?”

  Tom glanced up at the three men standing behind the acquisitioner. Their eyes were narrowed, and they were smiling as if they were hoping he would give them a reason to punish him. Hell, he still had scars from the whipping he took when he refused to put in his time up in the hills. “No. No trouble,” he muttered. He stared down at the coffee cup in his hands, feeling used and taken advantage of. Eighteen years he had put up with the brat, and his in-laws reaped the reward for his sacrifice.

  Elijah’s white teeth showed briefly through his black beard and mustache when he smiled. “Good.”

  “She’s a bit willful, Elijah. I tried my best with her, but she’s still a bit headstrong,” Sarah warned. “Her name is Debra.”

  “I don’t really give a shit, Sarah.” Elijah’s boots were already clacking across the wood dining room floor as he headed towards the room. One of the men following was uncoiling a rope he had been holding.

  Henry rose and closed the kitchen door while Clara poured them each another cup of coffee. Henry added a liberal amount of whiskey to each cup and the two couples sat at the table in silence. The enforcers would be riding down by the end of the week for Tom, and the place would be happier with the brooding teenager gone. It would be nice to have Sarah and the kids moving back to the farmhouse.

  Elijah opened the bedroom door and expected her to sit up, blinking in confusion at the unexpected light. The girl was hidden under the blankets, and the four men surrounded the bed without her so much as moving. She should have heard our boots, Elijah thought, and he wondered if he would find stacked pillows under the quilt. The thought of wasting time chasing her down if she had run pissed him off. They still had two more girls to pick up and he wanted to be headed back up the mountain by dawn.

  Debra sensed people around her, even through the loud music. Her fingers curled around the edge of the quilt and slowly drew it down. A man with shining black eyes was staring at her, and Debra had a fleeting thought that he was the devil. Her mouth dropped open and she stared at the other three cowboys standing around him. Sleep. I’m asleep, and this is some crazy nightmare from being out on this stupid farm.

  When a rough hand reached out and grabbed the back of her head, she opened her mouth to scream. He shoved spongy ball into her mouth and strapped it to the back of her head while the other two men each grabbed a fisted hand and locked leather cuffs onto her wrists. Before she could try to remove them, which she would discover was useless with their keyed latches, she was rolled onto her stomach. Her long legs got twisted in the quilt and she tried to kick and free them while her wrists were hooked together behind her. She shrieked muffled outrage and fear into the gag.

  What’s happening? Oh god. Debra was screaming behind the gag, but with Ryker still wailing in her ears she had no idea how smothered the sound was. Her arms were stretched, and she yanked in panicked terror at the thick cuffs and pressed her tongue against the expanded foam in her mouth, trying to push it out. She was being kidnapped, and her only thought was of her own survival. It never crossed her mind to consider what these men might have done to the rest of her family.

  Hands pulled the blanket free and lifted her out of the bed. The earplugs popped out and she stared at them on the pillow, with their tinny music continuing to blare. She looked up at the tall man, the devil, and frantically shook her head while tears slipped down her cheeks. Someone was wrapping a thick leather collar around her throat, and she tried to twist away from him. The big devil man gripped through her hair and held her head still until the collar was latched, and then a man with a rope clicked a hook through the metal ring on the front of it.

  “Carry her out, Joseph. There’s no sense having her knock any of Clara’s things over,” Elijah said. He turned to leave, and Debra’s eyes widened when an even bigger man… not taller, but definitely more muscular… grabbed her around the waist and hoisted her over his shoulder. Her braid slapped against his leather chaps at the back of his knee, and Debra stared down at the wooden floor while she bounced on the shoulder digging into her ribcage.

  They walked out the door onto the porch and she grunted as he lurched down the wide steps. The big man’s knees bent and he lowered her to the ground behind the line of five tethered horses. There was another girl about her age, bound as she was and tied to the back of one of the animals with another cowboy standing next to her. The girl had been crying. There were muddy streaks down her cheeks, but now she was staring with wide-eyed fright at Debra.

  Suzy’s sleeping tee shirt was already dusty from the ride over to Henry and Clara’s farm. She had been woken much as Debra had, though she had been dreaming about leaving to go to the expensive college in the fall. After spending the past year with barely passing grades, she had lost her chance at the scholarship that would have saved her dad another year of overtime at work. There were a lot of parties and social events for high school seniors, and Suzy had justified the grades that were falling as fast as the extra dollars her dad would have to earn, by pacifying herself that she would only be a senior once in her life.

  Suzy had spent the past fifteen minutes riding in the saddle in front of one of the terrifying men. She looked at the new girl’s tank and shorts, and she was grateful that at least her own nightshirt was not so tight and revealing. Unfortunately, she was only wearing her pink thong panties underneath it.

  “Samuel, this one can ride with you. We’ll cut across the west cornfield to Chris and Thelma’s place,” Elijah’s deep voice stated. “Remember what Sarah said: the girl might be a handful.”

  “No problem, Eli.”

  Debra began to back up, clenching her bound wrists when one of the men began to approach her. She could see a shine in his eyes reflecting from the light in the kitchen, and she made a mad dash towards the window. Her head snapped back when the leash tightened and one of the men chuckled softly.

  “Think you can handle her?”

  “Hell, Johnny. Give me the damn lead.” Samuel grabbed the rope and dragged the girl towards his horse. He swung up in the saddle, and said, “Joseph, pass her on up to me.”

  Debra kicked when the bigger man grabbed her and pushed her up onto the saddle. She continued kicking, as if urging the horse to move, and she banged her head into the chest of the man seated behind her. The hand not holding the reins grabbed her breast and squeezed.

  “Aaah.” Debra heard the gag absorb most of her scream, and she stilled immediately at the intense pressure gripping her chest. Oh god. Who are these men?

  “Got your attention? Good. Now, I don’t really give a shit if you want to act up or not. We’ll just keep going through the motions until we figure out what works. You keep your ass still and the trip up will be much more comfortable for you.” Samuel felt the girl trembling against him, causing a definite arousing quiver in his cock. He was aware of his balls tightening with her fear, and he was grateful that he and Anna would soon be up for tithe posting. As yet, Samuel had no idea that he would get the chance to bid on one of the girls they were collecting tonight.

  Debra looked over at the other girl who was likewise placed in a saddle. She was trembling and had begun to cry again, but she was not fighting the man seated behind her. While the other men mounted, Debra leaned forward. Despite the grip on her breast, she slammed back into the man’s chest again and she tried to fall sideways off the saddle. His strong arm wrapped around her waist, and instead of the crushing pressure she expected on her boob there was a slap and sharp sting on her thigh. She looked up into the angry eyes of the devil, and shrank back against the man holding her.

  The reins had left a red
mark across her thigh, and although the frightening man had not said a word, the look in his dark eyes sent a clear message. Debra turned to the kitchen window, whining behind the gag and willing someone to hear her and come out. She stopped struggling when the horses turned and headed across the field.

  By the time they rode to the last girl’s house, Debra’s shocked mind began to realize that the abductions were planned. It was confirmed when the last girl was hoisted to the saddle and a plain looking woman came out onto the porch. “Elijah, can I get the locket she’s wearing? It was my grandmother’s and I’d like to pass it on to Betsy.”

  Debra watched in silence as the devil nodded, and the man seated behind the new girl reached around the front of her nightgown and ripped it from her neck. He handed it out to the woman. “Hope Ernie is up again soon.”

  “It’s just a couple of cracked ribs,” the woman smiled. “Old fool had no business trying to break that stud horse himself, anyway. He’s lucky he didn’t crack his head.”

  When the horses began moving again, Debra glanced back at the farmhouse to see that the woman had not even bothered to stay on the porch and watch her daughter taken away. She had been the only girl that did not protest when being pulled up onto the horse.

  Eli looked up to the hills, and then back at Sarah’s blonde daughter. Her flaxen hair was thick and shining, her blue eyes wide and fearful, though she was no longer thrashing and crying hysterically. Her ample firm breasts continued to rise and fall with the panting breaths she was sucking through her nose. She had Sarah’s good figure, and he noted her nipples were erect in the chilled air and straining against the thin fabric of her top. Her waist was narrow and her bottom was rounded nicely, a perfect target.

  The horses breached the tree line at the base of the mountains at dawn, and Eli’s mind turned to Gabrielle and wondering if the blonde girl would suit her. Already his cock was stirring at the thought of training her. He was fairly certain the elders had put them up for the first summer posting.

  Chapter I

  Debra sat with the group of girls by the fire. They had all cried themselves out, and only an occasional muffled sob could be heard behind the horrible sponges crammed into their mouths. They quickly figured out that with their mouths filled and their noses running from crying, it was next to impossible to breathe. Now, they worked at not sobbing, even though they were all terrified.

  They had stopped for only a few hours the morning after they had been taken from their beds. One by one, they were led to the trees by the big man, Joseph, and their panties or pajama bottoms were lowered by his rough hands and he ordered them to pee. It was a humiliating scenario that caused more crying, but the man did not attempt to molest them.

  They were now on their second night of the trip up the steep rocks, and with the rising and turning landscape of hills and valleys Debra had no idea which of the paths would take her back down and which would lead her further into the wooded hills. She had spent the time on the horse trying to distract herself from her sore bottom and aching legs by thinking about what had happened. Debra certainly did not want to consider the future, and the men did not discuss where they were being taken.

  Samuel was approaching them again, with the big bowls of water and stew. He would take out the gags and the girls had learned not to scream or plead after Sherry’s was replaced the first time. She went hungry until tonight’s stop, and Debra knew that they would be quiet this time. When the man dug into her cheek with his finger to pull out the gag, he gripped the bottom of her chin and stared into her big blue eyes. “Eli, did you get a look at this one?”

  Debra quivered when a deep voice came from the devil. “I saw her. Got the Tilson girl too, though, and she’s not as much trouble.” She’s also got a plain face and small tits, but I don’t want to set myself up for too high a bid on that one. Eli already knew that Gabrielle would want Sarah’s girl, even if she had half McEnroe blood in her. His wife would not give a damn if the girl was stubborn. She would just be that much more fun to train.

  Debra leaned over the water bowl with her hands locked behind her. The girls had already tried to work each other’s latches and unhook them, and they discovered they required keys. She whipped her braid onto her back and silently lapped. The stew was pasty and bland, but her stomach was complaining so she managed to get some of it down. She wiped her chin on the strap of her tank top. It was already crusty from last night’s meal. Debra felt grimy and her body ached from the long hours in the saddle. Her thigh had a bruise from where the devil had slapped her with the reins the first night, and the thin purple line reminded her to try to behave.

  “Mom’s got to have the police looking for me by now,” one of the girls whispered.

  “Stop it,” Debra hissed. “Our parents are the ones who arranged all this.”

  “I don’t believe that.” The girl quivered and her eyes filled with tears again. Suzy still would not accept it, even after she saw Lonnie Tilson’s mother stand on the porch when she was taken away.

  Lonnie was the only girl that lived on the farm full time. She had been raised on her parents’ land and she had the unfortunate benefit of knowing a little bit about what was going on. The other girls were so busy complaining and making up stupid stories of big rescue parties that the shy girl had remained quiet. She finally whispered, “No one is going to come for us. The tithes are due.”

  “The tithes?” Debra whispered.

  “It’s the due owed to the clans in exchange for the farms,” Lonnie replied. “They have to give some of their crops to carry the clans through the winter, too. The men from the camps come down for them in the fall.” Lonnie had been raised in the system, and did not realize it was unusual until she was older. She knew that she would be sent up as payment, but if she ever protested they would only send her up early. Even eighteen years on the flatlands was preferable to a lifetime in the hills as a servant.

  “This is barbaric,” Debra said.

  “This is our heritage,” Lonnie corrected. “I don’t know exactly what happens when we get up there, but mom told me it was best to behave.” She glanced at the cowboys sitting around the fire. “That’s exactly what I’m going to try to do, and if you’re smart, you better forget about your stupid talk of boyfriends and clothes. You’re not going back to them.”

  “The Tilson girl is speaking to them again,” Joseph said.

  “Don’t matter. Hallie wouldn’t have told her much, other than enough to get her to come quietly,” Samuel replied.

  The girls’ ankles were tied and the gags replaced, and they tried to smooth places in the pine needles to sleep while the men leaned back against their saddles. In the morning they continued their journey, and it was afternoon when Debra saw the first trail of smoke wafting up through the thick trees. They emerged into a large valley where shirtless men in cuffs like hers were busily chopping wood and doing other chores. Guards dressed like her abductors watched over them, and Debra began crying at the size of a settlement that would afford her no escape.

  A man walked up to the devil. Elijah, Debra reminded herself. Thinking of him as the devil was making her nervous. The man studied the column of women, and his eyes snapped back to Debra. He looked up at Eli. “Mara?”

  “Her or the Tilson girl,” Elijah answered. “I’ll let Gabrielle decide.”

  “Abram led the enforcers down for Tom last night.”

  Debra’s head swiveled and she tried to shake off some of her exhaustion. Dad’s coming up here? Maybe he worked out a deal to get her back from these men.

  “We’re putting him over at the mill,” the man chuckled.

  Elijah looked over to where groups of six men were strapped to the heavy stone wheels, walking in endless circles and turning the stone to crush the grain. It was brutal work that lasted from dawn until dark. Camp workers who were too old to be productive tried to keep pace with the tethered men and offered them water and food. There were no breaks when a man worked the wheel. It helped bu
ild up muscles and stamina for other chores they might graduate to, and it was used as reinforcement and punishment.

  “You’ll probably have that lazy bastard on it until spring. Watch that he doesn’t lift his feet,” Elijah warned. A few men had tried to avoid the work that way. They had the soles of their feet whipped with a cane and had to walk the wheel on the blistered skin. They rarely tried it twice.

  The conversation sank in and Debra understood her father was not going to be a willing guest of these people. He was being kidnapped, too. It was then that she realized her mom and grandparents must have been a part of her abduction. She had suspected it with what she had seen and heard from Lonnie, but now she was certain of it. They would not be organizing any sort of rescue for her. Her thoughts flew to Jill. What would she do when she showed up at the farm, and Debra was not there? What would her mother tell her?

  “I heard Sarah’s moving back to the farm.”

  “Yeah, the enforcers are supposed to get McEnroe to sign off on the bank account and house. It will be good for her to be back with her folks.” Elijah smiled. Sarah would be a big help to Henry and Clara, and he knew that Mason Elliott had already set his sights on going down to court her. Sarah deserved a good man after putting up with Tom.

  “Well, you better get the girls over to the quarters.” The man stepped back from the horses and waved them on.

  The horses walked across the grasses of the valley, and Debra’s pleading eyes were met with amusement. Several people questioned Elijah as they passed. “Mara?” Eli always answered with mention of Lonnie. Debra did not understand what it meant, but it made her nervous.

  The horses climbed a small hill and walked down to another valley. This one had sprawling ranch houses and log cabins, and only a few chained men working… mostly pulling carts of supplies. It was when the women walked out onto porches that Debra felt Samuel’s arm tighten around her. It took Debra only a moment to figure out why, and her eyes widened and her muffled scream joined the others behind the gags. She began thrashing in terror and the man holding her chuckled. He whispered, “I always look forward to this.”