Page 20 of The Cult

The sadness in his voice comes through loud and clear, and it seems to calm Nadine. She crouches next to him, stroking his hair like he’s her child and she’s eager to make him feel better.

“I can handle this, Micah. You’ve never doubted me before. Don’t let whatever’s on your mind today make you start.”

He doesn’t respond but lets out a heavy sigh. “I don’t want anyone else to die. No more death,” he says in a voice barely above a whisper, the agony he’s feeling hitting me squarely in chest.

“It’s okay. No one has to die, Micah. I’ll take care of it. I’ll take care of everything.”

Her words sound so sweet and caring that if I didn’t know how Nadine really operates, I’d believe she actually cares about Micah and how upset he is. But I know all too well that this act she’s putting on right now has nothing to do with caring about anyone but herself.

He lifts his head and nods. “Okay, but Nash will take care of the girl who’s been making trouble.”

For a second, the tension that filled the room before returns with a vengeance. I hold my breath expecting her to explode at his suggestion, but then Nadine smiles and presses a kiss to Micah’s forehead. “That’s fine. We just need to make sure that she understands the girl’s death was an accident. That nobody could blame us.”

The two of them look over at me, and Micah smiles like he’s finally happy again. Nadine’s tight expression shows she’s less than thrilled by his relying on me to take care of this latest issue, so I quickly look away from her when she levels her gaze on me.

She stands up and starts walking toward the door. “I’ll get the guys to deal with the dead girl right now. Don’t worry. It will all be okay.”

When she leaves, Micah jumps up and comes over to stand in front of me. Gone is the man devastated by the news of another member’s death. The person now standing in front of me looks happier than he has the entire time I’ve been here with him.

What the hell is going on?

“Okay, Nash. Here’s what you’re going to do. Talk to the new girl. Make her see what we’re really about here. I know you can do it. Don’t get rough with her, but make sure she understands she isn’t to say a word about anything she saw here. Then I want you to bring her to me. Got it?”

I nod, unsure what’s happening. Was all that sadness merely an act so he can keep control?

“Go, and know that you’re helping me in ways you can’t imagine. Do this, and you’ll be a favorite of mine, Nash.”

Once more, I nod, and then I bow before hastily getting out of there. Who knows what he may have asked me to do if I stayed even a minute longer?

As soon as I step outside into the summer heat, I breathe a sigh of relief, but that quickly passes. Only a few seconds later, Nadine seems to appear out of thin air, and she’s nowhere as sweet as she was with Micah.

“I don’t know what you’re up to, Nash, but you’re no one here. Remember that,” she says as she stares up at me with pure hate in her eyes.

“I don’t think I’m anyone, Nadine. I only do as I’m told by Micah. I just need you to point me in the direction of the new recruit who’s giving us a hard time.”

She doesn’t bother to answer me and simply points in the direction of the white building at the edge of the farm. “Whatever you’re thinking you can do that my men and I can’t, don’t be fooled. She’s a problem, and whether Micah wants to see that or not, she’ll have to be dealt with.”

Nodding, I turn to walk away, but she grabs my forearm to stop me. Surprised since nobody but Micah has ever touched me here at the farm, I look down at where her fingers sit on my skin and then up at her. As usual, she wears that flinty expression that never fails to make me think all I’d have to do is scratch the surface and I’d find a very dangerous person staring back at me.

“Whatever Micah thinks, I’m more committed to the success of The Golden Light than anyone else here. Including you.”

I say nothing, and when she releases her hold on my arm, I walk away, sure there’s not another person here I trust less. Whatever’s going on, I sense I’m already too involved for my own good.

11

Nash

The soundof the new recruit’s terrified screams fill the air, so I hurry over to where Nadine’s guys are holding her before they do something stupid and we have another dead girl on our hands. I throw open the door and see I might be too late. Three of them hold her down on a sofa while the fourth looms over her threatening to give her a taste of what real pain feels like.

Obviously, none of what Micah’s ever preached has sunk in with these goons.

“That’s enough,” I bellow, knowing I’m likely going to have to deal with a hassle from them. Before they can start claiming they have the right to do what they want because their boss said so, I quickly add, “Nadine needs your help with the dead girl. You don’t want to keep her waiting.”

That’s enough to make the three guys restraining the new woman hurry toward the door, but the one doing his best to terrify her remains, likely upset I stopped them before he could really do some damage. She scurries away to the corner of the room while he stares me down. About my height of six foot three, he’s bigger and may give me a run for my money if I have to fight him. Add to that the perpetually angry look he wears that tells me he enjoys hurting people, and I might be in trouble.

“I’m not done with her yet,” he says in a low voice that resembles a growl you might hear from a trapped wild animal.

One glance at the girl tells me she’s scared to death, but I can’t let him think I’m here to protect her. He needs to believe I’ve got the same idea he has when it comes to her.

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