by G. K. Parks
He devoured his food in record time, pointing his fork accusatorily at me. “Food’s in the fridge if you’re hungry. Make sure you eat here. You don’t want to give Tim the chance to poison you again.”
“No shit. I’m not that stupid.” I opened the fridge and removed a container. Picking up a fork, I ate a few bites. “He must know we’re back. I imagine he’ll be knocking down the door any second. How am I supposed to play this?”
“I’ll take care of it.” Abruptly, he stood, placing his empty plate in the sink. “Tim should be busy with the farmer’s market. Go inside and grab your stuff.” He opened the cabinet and unlocked the hidden compartment inside, tossing an RF reader to me. “Make sure nothing’s bugged. We’re already playing with fire. We don’t need to get burned in the event he’s eavesdropping on our discussions.”
“Yes, sir.”
Decker narrowed his eyes. “Y’know, I’m starting to notice that you have some issues with authority.”
Raising my middle finger, I glared at him. “Anything else?”
“Yeah, when you’re done inside, come back to the trailer and stay put until I return. There’s a good chance Tim might be with me, so don’t leave anything out in the open.”
“That goes without saying.”
He smirked. “I said it anyway. If anything happens, call me.”
Nodding, I left my breakfast where it was and went toward the door. Decker was attempting to overcompensate due to what occurred last night, but I was just as much to blame as he was, maybe more since it happened to me. Tucking the trailer key into my pocket, I crossed the expanse from the edge of the property to the main building and went inside. Voices filled the air, but the bulk of Tim’s followers were working the stands outside.
A few women were preparing more baked goods to sell, but I bypassed them easily and went down the hallway toward the dormitories. My door was open, but the room appeared the way it had last night. Even if someone had searched my belongings, they wouldn’t have found anything. I’d taken the essentials with me before leaving last night. Knowing my credentials and firearm had been secured, I tossed the few unpacked items into my duffel. Then I grabbed my pillow and blanket from the bed, balanced them over the bag, and made my way out of the room.
I was several feet from the front door when Sarah came inside. Her eyes immediately zeroed in on me, and she let out a relieved squeal. Putting the large box down on the nearest table, she stepped in front of me before I could get out of the way.
“You’re back,” she said, her eyes drifting to the bag over my shoulder, “but you’re leaving again.”
“No, I’m not. I wouldn’t do that without telling everyone. You’ve all been so kind. I’m just relocating to a larger space.”
Her brow furrowed. “What are you talking about? What did the doctor say? Did they find anything wrong?”
“It was an unexpected interaction from the meds they gave me for my ankle. It’s also possible it might have been an allergy. They aren’t completely certain what triggered that episode, but I’ll be okay. The fact that I’ve been anxious and haven’t been sleeping well hasn’t helped, so on the way back, Jace offered to let me stay at his place.” I didn’t want to tell Sarah this. Knowing her, she’d probably run to Tim as soon as I was out of sight, but I didn’t have a choice. There was no reason to keep it a secret. Everyone would know soon enough anyway. “Actually, Jace is talking to Tim about it right now to make sure it’s okay.”
She smiled, giving me a hug. “I’m so glad that you’re okay. I knew you would be. Tim wouldn’t let anything happen to any of us.” She released her grip. “Do you need a hand? I just have to refill this box and run it back to the stand, but after that, I can help you get settled.”
“No, that’s okay. I don’t have much. Honestly, I probably should wait for Tim to give his approval, but the doctors were adamant that I rest. And Jace didn’t want me to be stuck in a cramped room right now, so he said I should go on over, even if it is only for the afternoon.”
“He’s so sweet,” Sarah remarked, “but if you need anything, give me a holler.” She hugged me again. “I can’t wait to tell everyone you’re back. We’ve all been so worried. You’re all that anyone’s been talking about this morning.”
Luckily, she disappeared into the kitchen before I had to say anything else. Returning to the trailer, I unlocked the door, scanned my belongings for any type of radio interference, and stowed my bag behind the sofa. Placing my pillow and blanket on the couch, I stretched out. Until now, I had never met a couch I didn’t like, but I’d manage. Now I just had to wait patiently for Decker to return.
It didn’t take long before the trailer door opened. Tim was on Jace’s heels, but the cult leader didn’t look perturbed by this unexpected turn of events. If anything, he was curious. Scooting over on the couch to make room for the men, I put my empty breakfast container on the side table and beamed a million watt smile at Tim.
“Thank you so much for taking such good care of me last night.” I moved to get up, but Tim held up his palm.
“You don’t owe me any thanks. I was doing what anyone should have done. Jace informed me of what the doctor said.” Tim surveyed the interior of the trailer. “This is quite the improvement from that dorm, right?” He eyed Jace. “And you’re certain about this?”
“Absolutely.” Decker sat beside me, close enough that our thighs touched, and he put his arm around the back of the couch behind me. “What can I say?” He tossed his hair back with a flick of his wrist. “You must have known this would happen when you insisted that I spend time with Alex and really get to know her. On the ride to the clinic last night, it was like I’d been struck by lightning.” He grinned. “Dude, seriously, it all just clicked. The entire time I’ve been here, listening and learning from you, I never thought that those epiphanies and breakthroughs that you spoke about would happen so suddenly. It just made sense, and everything became clear.” Decker looked at me, and despite the fact that I wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, his eyes told me to play along. “For both of us, right?”
“Yeah.” I sunk into him, letting my head rest against his shoulder. I assumed he decided to sell us as a newly minted couple in order for Tim to agree to cohabitation, but in the event I’d misinterpreted, my gesture could easily be played off as something between close friends. “Everything just came together. It was kismet.”
Tim nodded, taking a seat at the table, opposite the two of us. “Alex, are you sure you’re comfortable with this?” He chuckled, playing it off as a joke. “From what I recall, you wanted to have nothing to do with this guy.”
Decker nudged me slightly with his shoulder, hoping that I’d say something to solidify whatever they’d already discussed.
“You’ve always sent him to help. It’s like you are King Arthur, and he’s Sir Galahad. You’ve been telling me all along he’s one of the good guys, and when you told him to take me to the clinic, I just knew it was true. He was there. He’s always been there. You sent him to me when I needed him the most.” I turned my gaze to Decker, daring him to do something to indicate what was going on. Thankfully, he realized that I was lost and leaned forward and gave me a quick kiss. At least, I knew where we stood. Doing my best to force a blush onto my face, I turned back to Tim. “This is because of you. You led us to each other. You made this happen. You really do take care of us physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Thank you.” If I had to continue this gratitude parade much longer, I’d hurl. But given Wilde’s desire to be in control and to be worshipped as a savior, this should stroke his ego and satisfy his cravings enough to slow that downward spiral. Unfortunately, it might also make Decker his next target.
“Don’t thank me. The universe simply works through me,” Tim insisted. He stood, extending his hand toward Jace. Obediently, Decker stood and gripped Tim’s hand. “Do not forget the gifts you have been given.” Although Tim’s words were said pleasantly enough, all I heard was the warning behind t
hem.
“We won’t,” Jace replied. “Now that Alex is settled, I’ll get back to work.”
“And I’ll see you tonight for guided meditation,” I said.
Tim smiled. “Excellent.”
Once Tim let himself out, I released the breath that I hadn’t realized I was holding. Decker sighed, practically sinking back to the sofa. He rubbed a hand over his face and met my eyes.
“I believe that makes you my property now,” Decker teased, and I slapped his arm. “At least he agreed. That was a clever move, crediting everything to him.”
“I’m just following your instructions.”
“Maybe that’s why I found it so clever.” He winked. “Now I have to go help out. I’ll do what I can to answer whatever questions the others might have, but I expect that your evening meditation will be anything but peaceful.”
“Aren’t you coming with me?”
He shook his head. “I attend the morning sessions before going to work at the gas station. Depending on my schedule on any given day, I usually catch up with Tim before or after dinner, but that’s mostly one on one. Since you have to get close to the women, you’ll probably need to live and breathe all of these classes and sessions.”
“Obviously, one of us needs to be in the know on what’s going on around here.” I jerked my chin at the door. “You should run along. You don’t want to anger our matchmaker.”
“I’ll try to keep that in mind.” He took his phone out of his pocket and held it up. “This is my cover phone. You have the number. On the plus side, with this guise, we can use overt communication now.”
“Hallelujah.”
* * *
Decker and I weathered the hundreds of questions and well-wishes from the Perpetual Lighters fairly well. Our story was simple and straightforward. Tim led us together, and Jace’s continued rescues made it clear that the two of us were meant to be. Thankfully, we were old news after three days, and life returned to normal or what passed for normal inside a cult. As promised, I’d been attending three of the offered classes each day. Tim led guided meditation in the evenings and tranquility sessions in the mornings. Decker and I attended the morning session together before he’d go off to work or pal around with Tim on various errands, but since my cover identity was on the mend, I spent my afternoons with the other unemployed women.
Given the physical restrictions of my faked injury, I took pilates classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays were spent crafting. There were cooking and baking sessions lined up, but since I was no longer eating with the others, I needed to make sure that I wasn’t anywhere near the dining hall when meal time came. Avoidance of the kitchen wasn’t too difficult, and given the twenty women on the property, there wasn’t a shortage of someone wanting to play happy homemaker. Personally, I hoped that mentality was part of the brainwashing they had endured since joining Tim’s rank and file, but realistically, that behavior was probably already ingrained in who they were.
My new “sisters” seemed warm and friendly, but they only made small talk. I was an oddity in the group. I was one of the select few in a relationship. That distinction made me a bit of an outcast, and I was cautious to push too hard. Each morning, I learned what I could from whichever group member decided to share her story or recent difficulty in attaining tranquility. The theory behind it sounded like a bunch of bullshit, but I wasn’t here to pass judgment on paths that led to enlightenment.
On the bright side, some of these fun facts could prove useful in the future. So far, I’d learned about Linda’s recovery from meth, Dove’s gruesome divorce, and Charlotte’s fear and loneliness when her parents threw her out of the house after a pregnancy scare. This was real life for everyone else here. They wanted a safe haven, not a predator like Tim who wanted nothing more than to exploit them.
After getting into a stable groove, I began assessing the others, hoping to determine who was the most likely to know something useful and would be willing to share. Anika remained at the top of my list. She always stuck close to me, positioning her mat next to mine in pilates or sitting across from me when we worked on whatever popular craft would be sold over the weekend. Occasionally, I’d find her eyes drawn to my wrists, and I’d been careful to keep the rest of my scars hidden from her. However, I’d been unable to get her alone, and the words we exchanged were always in relation to the group or the session we were attending.
Gaining trust and finding some privacy was proving to be a slow process, and I hoped to gain some insight while listening to the others talk. When another meditation class ended for the evening, I couldn’t help but notice Sarah pulling Tim off to the side. Perhaps she had something private to discuss, but I had no idea what it might be. She hadn’t said a word during meditation, but she seemed just as bouncy and bubbly as ever earlier in the day. Tim spoke to her in a hushed tone that didn’t carry as I helped Linda gather the cushions and place them in the closet. By the time we had tidied up the room, Sarah was wishing us all a good night.
“Alex,” Tim called, “may we speak?”
“Certainly.” I smiled at Linda and crossed the room. “That was another excellent class. I always feel so much better afterward.” Truthfully, there was something about the meditation and tranquility sessions that energized me. Perhaps I was just as susceptible to Tim’s mind games as everyone else here.
“I’m glad that you enjoy them and that you finally came around to what the Church of Perpetual Light has to offer.” He beamed proudly. “You’ve really committed to this. It’s nice having someone new being so gung-ho about things.” His eyes flicked behind me, and he offered a wave to Linda as she left. “I just wanted to ask you how you like your new living arrangement.”
“It’s good.”
His brows knit together. “Are you sure?”
I shrugged, unsure where this was going. “My entire life is so different now than it was a couple of weeks ago. This is probably still the adjustment period, but I’m happy. Jace is too, I think.” I tried to look worried. “Did he say something to you?”
Tim laughed. “Nothing negative. He’s absolutely smitten. It just happened so fast, and since you were so staunchly independent before the attack, I wanted to make sure that you were adjusting okay and not feeling trapped.”
“Not at all. You and this place are the best things that have ever happened to me. I wish there was more I could do to repay your kindness.”
“Just keep coming to classes, work on bettering yourself, and the rest will follow naturally.” He gave me a lingering hug that felt a bit awkward. “I’ll see you in the morning.”
“I’ll be here.”
Twenty-two
After the meditation session, I was pumped. Perhaps it was the quiet and introspection that made me feel like I should run a marathon afterward as a means of escape, but every night, I’d return to the trailer and attempt to do something to fight off the stir craziness. Decker wasn’t back from his cover’s day job yet, so I pushed the sofa against the wall and used the free space to work out. After a hundred sit-ups, I tossed my sweaty t-shirt to the side and moved on to lunges and squats. Jumping jacks were a nice way to get some cardio in, and when I lost count of how many I’d done and breathing became difficult, I did some stretches and planks. Finally, with more energy to spare, I moved on to push-ups.
The door to the trailer opened, and I turned my head to see Decker entering. He glanced in my direction and went into the kitchen. Finishing a set of fifty, I grabbed my t-shirt and used it to wipe the sweat off my face before pushing the couch back to its original position.
“Anything to report?” he asked, finding the inside of the fridge fascinating.
“There was another weird interaction between Tim and Sarah, but she’s secretive. She doesn’t talk about much of anything with the others, at least not when I’m around.” I maneuvered next to him and grabbed a bottle of water. “Anika is still our best bet. She wants to talk to me. I just don’t know wh
at she has to say, and we haven’t exactly had any alone time. I should be able to corner her during the farmer’s market this weekend. We’ll see what she has to say then.”
Decker grabbed a salad out of the fridge and turned to look at me, his eyes coming to rest on my exposed skin. “No wonder you said bruises were no big deal.” His gaze flicked to my eyes. “You might want to make sure you cover up when you’re in exercise classes with the others.”
“Yep.” Taking the hint, I pulled my shirt over my head. “I’ll take a shower, and then I’ll watch the surveillance feed while you get some shuteye.” I glanced toward the bedroom. “You really should take the bed. I’m cool with the couch.”
He shook his head, considered saying something, but changed his mind. “Matt phoned earlier. It sounds like we might be on to something, but he didn’t say exactly what. We can’t risk a compromise, so our messages are short. But we should be able to sneak away tomorrow evening for an update. I told Tim I wanted to take you out on a proper date, so that will explain our absence for a few hours.”
“Okay.”
At least now I understood why Tim had spoken to me earlier. Perhaps he hoped that I was unhappy with this arrangement and wanted to move into his bedroom instead, or he was trying to stack the deck in his protégé’s favor in the hopes of rewarding Jace for his obedience and commitment to the cause. It really didn’t matter as long as our covers remained intact.
After a shower, I changed into a different t-shirt and pajama shorts, noticing my hands shaking. Chalking it up to the difficult workout, I knew I needed to get some protein and sugar into my body. Damn Decker and his stupid conscientious food mentality; his habits were ruining my palate for processed foods and convenience snacks.
After eating some leftovers, I took a seat on the sofa beside him. He had a tablet dialed in to the hidden cameras that had been planted on the property. Ever since Tim had attempted to lure me into his room, we’d both been vigilant to stop that from happening to anyone else. So far, things had been quiet, but neither of us had been sleeping particularly well, choosing to trade out shifts in order to keep an eye on things. The cameras were motion sensitive, only activating when movement was detected in order to conserve battery power. Unfortunately, the darkened hallways limited the range and sensitivity of the motion sensors, and the only excitement I’d seen on the feed was when one of the women got up to use the restroom. Other than that, the screen remained black.