Page 28 of The Cult

I don’t say anything for a long moment before taking a chance that he won’t be upset if I nod, but I make sure to smile as I do. “I worry about anyone working in this heat. It can be quite overwhelming if you don’t keep hydrated.”

That sounds like I’m some guest on one of those TV talk shows where they bring on people who sound and look like doctors but they’re really just charlatans acting like medical professionals. I’d rather be far more straightforward with him, but I’ve learned that’s not always what he wants.

Micah nods like he’s mulling over what I’ve said and then tilts his head back to look up at the ceiling. “Do you believe I take good care of my flock, Nash?”

His question hits me like a sledgehammer to the center of my chest. He feels I’ve stepped over the line by saying I was worried about the women in the garden. Dammit! Now he’s asking me a question I can’t answer to his satisfaction. If I say yes, then he’ll demand to know why I think those women would be in danger in this heat.

And if I say no…

Well, I don’t want to think about what he’d do if I answered that way. No one has ever said no to Micah that I know of and was here the next day.

So I answer as I believe but also as I must. “Yes.”

He’s a master of making people wait to see how he’s going to react, and he seems to be in rare form today. I don’t look away, not wanting him to think I’m lying, so we stare at one another for what seems like an eternity until finally he smiles and I notice it goes all the way up to his eyes.

“I appreciate your concern for your fellow believers, Nash. You’re right to worry. Those women take care of a very important job here at the farm, and they must be protected. I’ll be sure to check that they’re getting enough water.”

I let out a sigh of relief, but then he adds, “I hope that eases your mind.”

An edge at the bottom of his words makes me wonder if he’s being sarcastic or truly cares about how I feel. Whatever his intention, he didn’t ask a question, so I don’t say anything.

“What else is going on today?” he asks, again smiling like he’s happy.

Eager to move on from the earlier topic, I explain how lunch was mini chicken pot pies and I think all the guards enjoyed themselves. It’s not much to report, but most of my day has been devoted to handling the new recruit with the problem.

I don’t mind being his eyes and ears with everyone, but when there’s not much to tell him, I get the sense he thinks I’m slacking off, or worse, keeping things from him. Micah has a habit of always believing the worst in people, despite the way he appears to the rest of his group.

He nods and steeples his fingers in front of his face as he hums. When I finish giving him the boring news of the day, he looks up at the ceiling again.

“I want you to keep a close eye on the new girl Lara.”

“Okay.”

I want to ask why, but I think I know the answer already. I’m not his only spy, and one of my fellow guards has seen her acting oddly since she arrived.

When he lowers his head again to look at me, he grimaces. “I don’t think she’s truly one of us.”

My stomach clenches, and I have to work to keep my expression calm. Those words are the kiss of death for any member of The Golden Light. Lara has no idea the trouble she’s already in.

Worse, now he’s got me associated with her, and that’s not a good thing for my place here.

“I’ll keep a close eye on her. I’m sure Nadine will also, so if she’s no good, we’ll know soon enough,” I say far more aggressively than I usually speak to him.

I’ll take the reprimand if it means he thinks I’m actively working to help him root out the troublemakers in his flock.

He surprises me when he shakes his head and frowns. “Nadine has strict orders not to bother with her in any way. We won’t find out anything by terrorizing her. Better to let her think she’s safe so she behaves in the way she truly wants to. I think she trusts you. That’s why you’re the perfect person to watch her.”

As much as I don’t want to disagree with him, I hurriedly explain she couldn’t possibly trust me. “I may have been less intimidating than Nadine and her men, but I doubt she trusts me. I’ve given her no reason to.”

Micah smiles. “I know, but I got the sense she liked you. You’re not difficult on the eyes, so it might be even more than like. Encourage that. I want to know what she’s really doing here.”

I nod and pray that the fact that I already know the truth of why she’s here isn’t written all over my face. “Okay.”

“By the way, did I ever tell you that I know how to read lips, Nash?”

My blood runs cold at his question. Is he saying he knows what I said to her when we were alone earlier? I’ve never known for sure if the cameras placed all around the farm can record sound, but now I’m thinking they can’t so he’s figured out a way to know what everyone here is saying at any time.

I shake my head. “No. That’s a very unique skill. Did you know someone who was deaf and that’s how you learned?”

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