Page 39 of The Cult

I’m stunned when he shrugs and shakes his head yet doesn’t keep talking. So we can speak freely and still he thinks that lame explanation that told me little is going to cut it?

Nope. He’s going to have to give me more.

“Okay, let me see if I’ve got this straight. You don’t have any reason not to talk freely in this room, and still you plan to only give me that one sentence as an explanation? And you think I’m going to tell you anything?”

His expression falls as I stare at him waiting for him to start talking. It’s like he’s afraid of something, but if he isn’t being watched or recorded, what’s wrong?

Finally, he says, “I don’t know exactly what they put in the food and drink to keep control over all of you. No one has ever told me that. I just know they do it. Better?”

I can’t help but roll my eyes. I guess three sentences is better than one, but he still isn’t telling me much.

“A little. I don’t really need to know the exact drug, to be honest. I am curious about if everyone’s getting drugged, then why aren’t you ever dopey?”

He smiles and shakes his head. “They don’t drug the men. Only the women. Guards need to be able to take care of any problem that comes up, so having their reaction time dulled wouldn’t work.”

Makes sense. You don’t want your thugs to be slow on the draw. Someone might get mouthy and actually do some free thinking here.

“Must be nice. Okay, that explains the drugging. Who screamed? And don’t tell me nobody screamed. It woke me and everyone else out of a sound sleep.”

Nash shakes his head. “I don’t know.”

Something tells me he does know. Why won’t he say who the woman was?

“Is she okay now? At least let me know that.”

He says nothing, but in his eyes I can see the truth. He knows what happened to that woman. Maybe that’s the reason he brought me here. I’d love to think he was watching out for me, but I can’t know for sure.

“Well, if you can’t tell me that, then can you explain why the hell I’m in danger? Micah made me think he didn’t approve of what Nadine did. Was he lying?”

Tilting his head left and right, Nash groans. “Lying isn’t exactly what I’d call it. Micah believes. One hundred percent. All in. Toward that end, he just wants to make sure everyone gets what he thinks they deserve, but sometimes that means Nadine and her guards have to get involved.”

I level my gaze on his face in frustration. “You certainly have mastered the art of using a lot of words to say nothing.”

He exhales and says, “I don’t know if he lied. He can be unhappy with what Nadine does and still allow it.”

“So why am I in danger? I thought I convinced him I was a believer.”

That gets me a laugh. “Not exactly. I don’t know how much danger you’re in, but you’re definitely on his radar. He assigned me to watch you. That’s not a good thing.”

“Why? What did I do? All I did was say I wanted to grieve a girl’s death. What the hell is wrong with the people here that a girl can die and feeling bad about it is a damn problem?”

The expression on Nash’s face morphs into a look of confusion, and I know I’m wasting my time. Whether it’s because he’s a man or because he’s been a part of The Golden Light for too long, my sadness over Anna’s death doesn’t seem to register in his brain.

“Whatever. So I’m in danger. Great. All of this because I wanted to find Rina,” I say in defeat, sitting back on the pillow.

Suddenly, Nash seems interested in talking. Sitting forward, he asks, “Who’s Rina?”

Tired of playing this game with him, I close my eyes and sigh. “My sister. I found something in her apartment that made me think she was involved in your group here, so I went looking for her. Those two hippie chicks who smelled like weed approached me in Wilmington, and I asked them if they’d seen her. One of them thought she did, so I came here looking for her.”

“I don’t know any Rina,” he says, shaking his head slowly. “She might be at one of the other locations, though.”

That makes me sit bolt upright in the bed and stare at him in shock. “Other locations? Where? How many? Those two girls made it seem like this is the only place associated with The Golden Light.”

He stands up and pulls back the room darkening curtains to look out the window like he’s worried someone might be joining us soon. “No, there are a lot of places where people in The Golden Light can be sent. Anywhere Micah needs them to be to support the group.”

“Like where? Are there other farms like this? Because I could have sworn there was one right outside of the town where I live. I was there the other day because another girl in town working at The Golden Light office said my sister might be out there.”

Snapping the curtains closed, he spins around and stares at me with wildness in his eyes. “What farm? Were you in a blue Mazda?”

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