#2 White Sheets

by H. D. Gordon

  Dorie nodded, but the worry still pooled behind her eyes. “But what if she writes a story about us and tells all these lies?” she asked. “That’s how those dirty reporters make their living, by slandering others. Say the word, Father. You say the word, and I’ll take care of that bitch real good. I’ll make sure she never bad mouths good people with her filthy, devil’s work ever again.”

  The fire in his little soldier’s eyes as she looked up from where she was still on her knees in front of him made that snaking feeling slither through his stomach again. He ran his tongue out over his lips, his hand coming down to the warm skin of her neck, her shoulder. He felt goose bumps break out over the skin beneath his fingers as she closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

  “Oh, Dorie,” he purred, his hand traveling further down, slipping beneath her shirt. “You’re so special to me, do you know that?”

  Her response was immediate, her breathing growing ragged. “Yes, Father. Thank you, Father.”

  His breath was shorter now too. “You’re so special,” he continued. “I can’t stand to see you worry. We need to have a meeting right away. Make sure Beth and Anna are there.” He paused. “And have Kayla come too. Definitely get Kayla. Wasn’t she the one with the crazy brother who tried some shit like this a couple months ago?”

  Dorie’s eyes were still closed as she basked in the feel of his touch. “Yes, Father,” she said. “Kayla Carter, brother’s name, Kyle Carter, caused a scene at the Sunday service this past June, accused us of similar things as the bitch on the phone. Kayla’s mother, Mildred Carter, known just as ‘Mama Carter’ to the Family, is also with us.” She opened her eyes and looked up at him. “You want me to have her come too?”

  His lips curved up at her ever reliable memory, and his hand, which had paused just below her neckline, descended further. “No,” he said, his thoughts growing less coherent as he carried on. “Just Kayla is fine. The old woman is nothing to worry about. Set the meeting up for midnight. That’s in an hour.”

  That was another thing that angered him, the bitch had had the audacity to call all day and well into the night with her ridiculous accusations and demands.

  “You want me to go now?” Dorie managed to gasp out, drawing his thoughts back to her.

  He put the hand that wasn’t in her shirt on the back of her head and pushed it forward into his lap. “Not just yet,” he said. “Let me do something for you first, my child. I can tell how badly you need it.”

  Like the good little soldier that she was, Dorie Dunham reached up eagerly and began undoing the button on his pants. When she was finished “letting him do something for her”, she fixed her hair and hurried out to call the midnight meeting to order.

  Chapter 25

  Kayla

  In the past few months, Kayla Carter had become accustomed to being woken from her sleep in the middle of the night. It wasn’t as frequent an occurrence for her as she knew it was for some of the others, the lucky ones who worked very closely with Father, but it was often enough that when Dorie shook her out of her slumber fifteen minutes to midnight, she simply sat up and rubbed her eyes, blinking into the darkness at the other woman.

  Dorie tossed Kayla her discarded clothes from earlier that day. “Get dressed,” Dorie whispered, careful not to wake Kayla’s mother—Mama Carter to the rest of the Family—and the three other women who shared the room with them.

  Kayla pulled on her pants and discarded her nightgown, swapping it for a t-shirt and slipping her sockless feet into her tennis shoes. She waited until she was out in the hall with Dorie to ask any questions.

  “Everything okay?” she asked, finally awake enough for a little alarm to pass through her. Now that she could see her clearly, she noticed Dorie looked on edge. Well, more on edge than usual.

  Dorie was already heading down the hall to where Kayla knew Fae Harper’s room to be. She eyed Kayla over her shoulder. “Everything’s fine,” Dorie said. “Father wants to have a meeting in ten minutes. Go to the big house and I’ll meet you there.”

  Kayla knew this was Dorie’s way of dismissing her, and held on to any questions she might have had. She stepped out of the little wooden building, one of eleven that served as living quarters for most of the members of the Family, and into the night. The late summer air was warm and welcoming, and the abundance of stars overhead washed away the last of her drowsiness. There was practically no light pollution out here, and the black sky with all those flecks of white was truly magnificent. It was funny, she’d always thought she’d leave this place and go to a big city, but her time with the church had made her see that she loved it out here, that this was exactly where she was meant to be, with them, doing all the good they did, together underneath all those stars.

  Kayla sighed as she looked up at them, but it wasn’t long before her attention was drawn back to the situation. She could see the big house up ahead, just on the other side of the lake, and followed the path that led around it, the path that led to Father’s house. As she walked, she wondered just what this meeting was about, and got a twisting feeling in her gut when she realized it could very well be about Kyle, her brother. What if he had shown up at the sermon this evening and caused another scene like last time? What if he had made good on his promises to go to the police? What if he had insulted Father again? These were all possibilities, and would all make things hard for her if they were the case. Because of Kyle, she still couldn’t attend the public sermons, and couldn’t leave the Ranch. Father insisted her brother was such a danger in his current blinded state that she’d had to drop out of school to make sure Kyle couldn’t find her. She didn’t understand why he was trying to make things difficult for her.

  But she’d thought about it long and hard, and she knew because of what Father had told her that her brother was deeply unhappy and possibly disturbed. Kyle, like the rest of the people on the “outside”, was being brainwashed and controlled by the evil government. It wasn’t his fault—Father had assured her of this as well—Kyle just didn’t know how to break free from the invisible hands holding him captive, but the Family would find a way to get through to him eventually. Father had personally promised Kayla that he would save her brother the same way he’d saved her and her mother, and she had absolute faith that he would.

  Kyle just didn’t understand things yet. He thought that she was abandoning him by not communicating with him as much, but that wasn’t true at all. She was helping to save him (Father had told her that to be truly saved, people had to give up their crutches and stand on their own two feet first). Kyle thought that some clandestine conspiracies were going on at the Ranch, just because the Family liked to keep things to themselves, but that wasn’t true either. She could understand how her brother would have his reservations, she supposed, but she knew once Father opened Kyle’s eyes they would all be together again, and her brother could live the pure, purposeful life she and mama had begun. When that happened, it would be a beautiful day, because despite her knowledge that the relationships she had that made her dependent also made her weaker, more susceptible to evil, she couldn’t help but miss him. Despite the blindfold he wore over his eyes, he was a good big brother.

  And she wanted him to be happy. She wanted him to be happy the way she was happy. She would make him see eventually that she had purpose now, and was helping to make the world a better place. Father would make Kyle see.

  Still, she was nervous as she approached the big white house and found Father sitting in the porch swing, his handsome face cast in half shadows. He smiled when he saw her, and her stomach flipped the way it always did when she had his attention all to herself. Before him, she had never found older men attractive, but now she secretly dreamed about him from time to time. He was so unlike all the guys she’d dated, so unlike that last jerk who had cheated on her and left her feeling worthless when she’d needed him the most. Kayla had only known Ron Reynolds for half a year, but she knew he would never treat her that way. He thought she was spe
cial. He made her feel special.

  “Good evening, darling,” he said, rocking slowly in the swing. He didn’t have his robe on tonight, just a pair of jeans and a well-fitting t-shirt. His lips pulled up on one side as he noticed her looking at him. He patted the seat beside him on the swing. “Come, sit with me for a moment, my dear.”

  Butterflies fluttered in Kayla’s stomach as she did what he asked, sitting a little closer to him than was necessary on the wide swing. Father had spoken with her on many occasions before, the same way he made time to speak with everyone in the Family, but to have him all alone like this was a rarity, and she felt both lucky and nervous about having his undivided attention. She knew he could read thoughts sometimes—something that wasn’t so unbelievable to Kayla because she had a good friend who could see the future from time to time—and flushed at the idea that perhaps he had picked up her desires for him somehow, that he had read her impure thoughts about him.

  As if doing just that, his warm hand came down and rested on her thigh. Kayla’s heartbeat kicked up in pace as his dark eyes studied her, and she had to remind herself that he was married, and that his contact didn’t mean anything more than the love he had for all of the church’s members.

  “Tell me,” he said. “How’re things with you, my child?”

  She couldn’t help the flush creeping over her cheeks, the flash of heat going up her back. Such an effect he had on her. “Things are good, Father,” she answered. “I love it here so much.”

  The hand on her thigh gave a little squeeze, but her eyes were locked on that charming smile of his. “That’s good,” he said. “Really good. And your mother, Mama Carter, how is she doing?”

  Kayla’s hand came up on its own accord and covered his where it still rested on her thigh. “Oh, she’s doing great, Father. She loves it here too. I’ve been meaning to thank you for covering the costs of her prescriptions. I can’t tell you how much of a weight lifted from our shoulders not having to worry about how we were going to get her next set of pills.” She paused and looked up at him through her lashes. “You’re just so busy, I haven’t had a chance to talk to you, but we really do appreciate it.”

  He waved his free hand in dismissal. “It’s nothing, child. That’s what happens when people let go of their selfish nature and work together for the common good. Everyone should be entitled to healthcare, the same as everyone should be able to eat and make a living.” He sighed, and Kayla thought he was even more handsome in the moonlight. “That’s why we work so hard,” he continued. “So that we can do our best to make this world a better place to live, the way the Lord intended it. There are so many suffering…It brings joy to my heart to know you are not one of them.”

  Kayla felt her tongue snake out over her lips, and heat swirled in her stomach as his dark eyes flicked down to them. “Yes, Father,” she breathed. “I’ve never been happier in my entire life, and I’ve got you to thank for that.”

  Her lips parted as his hand slid up her thigh just the tiniest of fractions, so little that she was sure she was imagining it. The reverend didn’t want her in that way. He was too good of a man, too bent on loyalty to want her. It was one of the things that made him magnificent, one of the things she loved about him, if she was being honest. He was as good, as clean as the driven snow. But his hand, it was moving—

  “Everyone is on their way, Father,” said Dorie, who was standing at the bottom of the church steps, looking up at them. Kayla hadn’t even noticed her approaching, but she didn’t miss the jealously that flashed behind the older woman’s eyes as they flicked down to where Father’s hand was still on Kayla’s leg. Kayla couldn’t help but feel a bit smug about this. Dorie Dunham always walked around like she was so special because she worked closely with Father.

  Kayla felt the loss of his touch as he stood up and clasped his hands together. His smile for Dorie now made the two women swap emotions, a bit of jealousy flashing through Kayla, along with a touch of anger that Dorie had stolen her moment. The sly look on the older woman’s face told Kayla she knew this too.

  If Father noticed the silent exchange between the two of them, he pretended not to. “Excellent work, Dorie, my dear,” he said. “See them inside and let’s get this thing started. There’s much to go over.” His eyes flicked to Kayla now, and she would mistake the feeling she got in her stomach then as butterflies, but much later, she would realize it had been a whisper of fear.

  Father met her eyes and smiled, but it had a different quality to it that Kayla couldn’t pinpoint. “Plenty of things to be dealt with,” he said.

  Chapter 26

  Fae

  Fae Harper was the next to arrive at Father’s house. She was usually the first to arrive, being that she was one of his most trusted people, but when she got there, Kayla and Dorie were already waiting on the porch. Fae hoped her third place arrival wouldn’t arouse suspicion, because she was not only accustomed to late night meetings, she anticipated them. These meetings had been more frequent as of late, and she had taken to sleeping in regular clothes, with her tennis shoes lined up beside her bed so that all she had to do when he called was get up, slip them on, and cross the lawn to his house.

  Tonight, though, for the first time since she could ever remember, she was dreading coming to him. She couldn’t explain it, but the thing that had happened in his office the other day had somehow changed things. Father had told her this would be the case after it was over, had said that she was a woman now, and Fae supposed this change was bound to make her feel different. What she couldn’t understand was why the whole experience made her feel…unclean whenever she thought about it, which she had been doing her best not to allow herself to do.

  Still, the memory his body on top of hers, of his hot breath on her face, of the harsh way he had forced himself into her…

  “Hey, you okay, Fae?” Kayla asked, mercifully drawing her back to the present.

  Fae smiled up at the other girl. She liked Kayla, and while she had proved to be a good recruit, she had also come with difficulties. One of which being her prying brother, which Fae was sure was the reason Kayla was here tonight. Normally, these meetings were reserved for Father’s most inner circle, and though Kayla Carter was a dedicated Family member, she hadn’t been around long enough to gain anything close to Fae’s status. For the first time—she’s been experiencing a lot of “firsts” lately—this did not make Fae feel smug. In fact, she almost envied Kayla for her lesser position. It meant she had to spend less time with Father.

  That was a blasphemous thought, and she pushed it out of her head. If she didn’t, Father would surely hear what she was thinking, and then there would be hell to pay. Honestly, it was probably better to confess her recent sinful thoughts regarding him before he found out through other, divine means. Yes, she should tell Father how she was feeling, and then things would surely be better. He always made things better, ever since she was a little girl

  But you’re not a little girl anymore. Father saw to that.

  Blasphemous. Ridiculous…Dangerous. These thoughts were no good.

  “I’m fine,” Fae said, eager to cut off her own mind. “Just been having a little stomach trouble.” It wasn’t a complete lie. She had been feeling sick to her stomach, just not in the sense she knew they all thought she meant. Fae raised her chin with a confidence that was more difficult to muster than usual. “Let’s go in,” she added, stepping past Kayla and Dorie. “We shouldn’t keep Father waiting.”

  She passed through the front part of the house, which served as the church. Its ceilings were high and one was wall made of brilliant stained glass that was at half its glory at the moment due to the darkness beyond. Pulling her key ring out of her pocket, she used the special key Father had given her to open one of the two doors behind the stage where he preached. The others followed behind her as she stepped into the rear portion of the house, which opened into a foyer with a wrap-around staircase and a custom crystal chandelier. Not too many people were all
owed to see this area, and the fact that Father had invited so many newer members to this meeting spoke to how serious the situation was getting. Could it be the government spies Father had always warned her about were finally closing in? Fae hoped not. She may be confused about her feelings lately, but she’d feared the government since childhood. To Fae Harper, they were the equivalent of the Boogie Men. Father had made sure of that.

  Of course, Father was already waiting as she stepped into the living room that was off the foyer to the right. Fae realized he always seemed to be waiting. She supposed that made sense, since people always came to him.

  He smiled at her upon her entrance, full lips pulling back over straight teeth, dark eyes piercing through her. “Fae, my beautiful little bird,” he said. This was his usual greeting for her.

  Shouldn’t I have a different name, seeing as how I’m a woman and all?

  The bitter thought raced through her before she could even think about halting it, and a little panic swirled in her stomach. For the tiniest of moments, she was frozen, thinking surely Father had heard her contemplations. Luckily for her, autopilot seemed to kick in. She came forward and took Father’s hand, placing a kiss on the top of it.