She smirked. “Well, like I said, your success or failure is no skin off my back.” She laughed. “It will be off yours. And I am being helpful. Strip, shower, you’ll not need the necklace. Here we wear something else, something that defines us as Father Gabriel’s personal followers, the brides of The Light. So do as you’re told and shut up. You may live long enough to understand the honor of being here.”
Brides of The Light?
I couldn’t process. All I knew was that I needed to play this damn game long enough to get out. What I didn’t know was what that would entail.
“Please,” I tried, hoping for compassion. “I don’t know what’s happening. Give me back my necklace. I’ll keep it and my ring hidden.”
She stepped past me. “You now have two minutes.”
Biting my lip, I began to shut the door when she stopped me.
“You’re on constant surveillance. I’m not getting punished because of you. Hurry.”
I turned toward the shower and began to take off my clothes. Once I was down to my underwear, I turned on the water. The trickling stream was freezing cold. I tried to adjust the warmth, but my clock was ticking and the temperature wasn’t changing. When I looked back over my shoulder, my new sister shrugged.
“You don’t have time to wait for it to warm. Besides, down here, it doesn’t.”
“Why do I need to shower?”
“You have a lot to learn. Did your husband allow you to question?”
“No, but you’re a female. I can question females.”
She pointed at her scarf. “Only if you’ve earned a darker color. Today you’ll receive your white scarf. You may only question females with the same color or lighter. To everyone else you don’t exist. Now get in.”
Removing my underwear, I stepped under the ice-cold shower. My teeth chattered and my skin prickled as I wet my hair and body. The entire time I avoided turning toward the woman who watched my every move.
“Time’s up,” she announced, turning off the water. “Follow me.”
Soaked and without a towel, I shivered as I wrapped my arms around myself in an attempt to shield my body. Next she opened a door to a new room. My eyes opened wide as I took in another concrete cell. This one was empty of furniture. On the cement floor was a white dress similar to the one she wore, a pair of underwear, and shoes.
“Sister?” I tried asking. “Could I go back into the bathroom? I didn’t get a chance to use the toilet.”
She rolled her eyes. “Hurry.”
Thankfully no one else was around as I walked nude back to the bathroom, leaving a wet trail. On the floor, where I’d seen it earlier, was the silver cross that had come loose from my necklace. She’d put the chain in her pocket. As I sat on the toilet, I covered the cross with my bare foot. Seconds later she was watching me again. I kept it hidden as I washed my hands.
When she stepped away, telling me to hurry and dress, I reached for the cross. With no other alternative, I ran it under the water and placed it on my tongue. Swallowing, I vowed they weren’t taking everything from me. Once back in the other room, I dressed, the material of the white shift clinging to my wet skin. Just as I was beginning to feel better about being covered, I held my breath at the sound of heavy footsteps crossing the outer room. They were getting closer.
Instinctively my chin dropped and my head bowed. With no bra, the cold temperature, and the light weight of my dress, I was keenly aware of my hardened nipples. Turning my shoulders forward, I tried to hide my breasts, which rubbed against the shift.
“Sister Mariam, will Father Gabriel be pleased?”
Mariam must be the name of the woman who’d been directing me. Through veiled eyes I watched the large man I’d never seen before talk with her, while at the same time scanning me up and down. When his gaze lingered on my breasts it added to my unease.
“No, Brother.”
What were they talking about?
“That’s too bad. We can’t disappoint Father Gabriel.”
“No, Brother. She’ll learn this is an honor.”
The man brushed Mariam’s cheek. Though the action could have seemed affectionate, in reality it twisted my stomach.
“Leave us.”
“Yes, Brother Mark.”
Still barefoot, I backed away as Brother Mark stepped closer. When my back hit the far wall I gasped, causing him to laugh.
“Sister, Father Gabriel is particularly interested in your lessons and your correction. He’s put a strict zero-tolerance policy on you. Assuming you’re allowed to continue your lessons, we’ll get well acquainted.”
I flinched as he brushed my cheek.
“Please.”
“Sister, I’ll tell you when it’s time to beg. Now it’s time for your first lesson.”
The bile from my stomach surged upward as Brother Mark reached for the buckle of his belt.
CHAPTER 27
Jacob
With the winds in our favor and more acceleration than we usually needed, we landed with time to spare for Father Gabriel and Elijah’s timetable. As we unbuckled our seat belts Micah nodded in my direction. Taking a deep breath, I reined in my nerves and walked to the cabin of the plane. It was time to make the same speech I’d made numerous times. “Father Gabriel, would you like either Brother Micah or me to drive you to the community or would you like one of us to call for another member of the chosen?”
Leaning back against the soft leather, he casually looked up at me. “It does seem we’ve made excellent time.”
“Yes, the winds helped to keep you on schedule.”
Father Gabriel stood. “I need that envelope now, yesterday even. I’ll contact Brother Raphael, you two do what you need to do for the plane, and you find me what I need. I expect to hear from you this evening. I don’t think you want to disappoint me.”
“No, I don’t. The call to Brother Elij—”
He lifted his hand, stopping my words.
“Is no longer your concern. Remember, we’ve eliminated your distractions. Finding the envelope is your only concern.”
Eliminated? I swallowed my retort as cool Alaskan summer air filled the plane and we turned toward Micah and the open door. “Father, I will get the cart,” Micah offered as he lowered the steps.
Ever since we’d seen polar bears on and near the landing strip, Father Gabriel had decided he needed a ride to and from the hangar. While that normally didn’t bother me, right now I secretly thought how fortuitous a bear mauling would be.
“Go, Jacob,” Father Gabriel said, “you have things to do.”
I nodded, following Micah from the cabin and down the stairs. A quick scan of the trees and open space revealed nothing out of the ordinary. As we walked toward the hangar, Micah was a few steps ahead of me.
“I’ll get the cart. You get the tug,” he called.
That was fine by me. I’d much rather secure the Cessna than transport Father Gabriel. Quite frankly, if it had been up to me, I’d have tied fresh meat around his neck and left him for the bears.
Getting the tractor and the tug, I thought about the parts of this mission I’d miss. The flying and even ground crew duties were at the top of my list. I purposely didn’t put Sara on that list, because after this was over, I wasn’t losing her.
I had the Cessna pushed back and inside the hangar by the time Micah made it back inside. I’d just started the post-flight checklist when he said, “Go. Do whatever he keeps telling you to do.”
I nodded, but the idea of setting foot back in our apartment without Sara had me trembling with both anger and fear. Though I kept trying to think of other things, I couldn’t stop the thoughts of what she was enduring at the mansion in Bloomfield Hills. No matter what it was, as long as she was alive, we’d survive.
“Did someone come get him?” I asked.
“Yes, Brother Raphael. I’m probably paranoid, but I get the feeling there’s something up. As soon as I’m done with this checklist, I’m heading back to the community. I wa
nt to get to Joanna . . .” His expression saddened. “I’m sorry, Brother.”
“Don’t be sorry. Take care of her and little Isaiah.” I tried to not think about the man who’d become my friend and his small family. The human side of The Light was the reason we were back here, why we’d risked everything to give the FBI a few more days.
“I’ll do my best. You know I’ve been praying for Sara.”
“Thank you.” It was all I could say. My first job was to focus and try to remember what I’d done with the envelope. Walking toward the small plane, I imagined the cockpit and where I could have stashed it. If I hadn’t been looking at the floor, I wouldn’t have seen them, but I was and I did. On the concrete floor, every few steps were small drops of something.
Anger swelled inside me, causing my pulse to race as the thudding of my heart filled my own ears. Was it blood? Was it Sara’s? Had Thomas done this?
I scuffed one drop with the toe of my boot, and the dot smeared. It couldn’t be from Sara. If it were, it would have happened last Friday. It wouldn’t still be moist enough to spread. Why was there fresh blood in our hangar?
Just as I was about to open the door and enter the small plane, my phone rang. Father Gabriel’s tone echoed throughout the large space. Micah’s eyes flew to me, filled with both question and trepidation.
I answered before the third ring. “Father, I just started to—”
“Come into the community immediately. We’re convening an emergency Assembly.”
Shit! What does that mean?
“Father, the envelope?”
“At the moment, you’re still an Assemblyman. You need to be here.”
The line went dead.
I took a deep breath and contemplated my options. Without a phone to call the FBI, I had none. “I’m headed into the community,” I said to Micah. “Forget that checklist. Go to Joanna.”
Parking my truck as near our apartment as possible, I went directly to the temple. The sense of impending doom lurked around every corner. As I neared the Assembly room, I saw Luke and grabbed his arm. “What’s happening?”
He shook his head. “I’m not sure, but it’s not good. Not good at all.”
When we entered, a sea of eyes turned in my direction, and for the first time I could remember, Brother Timothy’s expression wasn’t contemptuous; instead I’d describe it as smug.
“Now that we’re all here, have a seat, Brothers,” Brother Raphael said, standing to the right of Father Gabriel.
I peered around the table at the sixteen men. With Father Gabriel present, there should be seventeen. “Where’s Brother Benjamin?” I asked.
“Apparently, much has happened while we were away,” Father Gabriel said.
Yes, a lot had happened. My wife had been left at the Eastern Light.
“Brother Timothy,” Father Gabriel began, “please tell the entire Assembly what you just relayed to me.”
Timothy stood. “It’s possible that not all of you are aware of the lengths we go to, to supervise our campus. We monitor the use of cell phones and the activity of the cell tower very closely. The Light can never be too careful or too trusting.” He looked directly at me.
Shit! The cell tower. My pulse quickened.
“Other than an occasional hunter or pipeline worker, our cell tower is monopolized by us, the chosen, the only ones who have cell phones in this community.”
Suddenly Father Gabriel’s comments about whom I’d called came back to mind.
Fuck!
“You can imagine our confusion when last Friday an unknown number called from our tower. Incoming calls do happen with wrong numbers. This call originated from our campus.”
From the sober expressions of the Commission, I gathered they’d already met and discussed this; however, most in the Assembly appeared shocked.
Brother Timothy went on, “That unknown number made five outgoing calls and received one call.”
“Brother, does this have anything to do with Brother Benjamin?”
The table murmured at Brother Peter’s question.
“Brothers,” Father Gabriel commanded. “Let Brother Timothy continue.”
“This could be attributed again to a hunter or pipeline worker except that the five outgoing calls all went to a familiar number, one that received the calls from a tower near the Western Light.”
Perspiration dotted my upper lip.
Where were Benjamin and Raquel? How long had Father Gabriel known this? Maybe I’d been right and the envelope had been only a pretense to lure me back to the Northern Light.
“That doesn’t make sense,” Luke interjected. “Who’d even know to call anyone at another campus?”
“That’s a good question,” Brother Timothy replied. “It was something we would’ve questioned if it were not for the one familiar number the unknown number called initially—five times.”
I took a deep breath. “Father, Brothers, did the unfamiliar number spend enough time on the call to speak to the familiar number?”
“No,” Brother Timothy replied. “The only call that was answered resulting in a discussion was the one received by the unfamiliar number.”
“Father, Brothers,” Luke implored, “could the five calls to a familiar number have been made erroneously, a wrong number?”
Father Gabriel nodded. “That could be possible, unlikely, but possible.” He stood and nodded to Brother Timothy. “This meeting is to inform you, members of the chosen, that the guilty parties have been punished. While Brother Benjamin will be missed, The Light will not tolerate deception of any kind on any level. We’ve unfortunately lost members of the Assembly in the past. It’s never an easy decision, but I support the stance taken by Brother Raphael and the Commission in my absence.”
My heart clenched as I peered toward Luke. His eyes now glistened with unshed tears as the muscles in his jaw clenched.
“While I’ve decided to not publicly call out the coconspirator in this travesty, rest assured, he too is undergoing correction.”
The room stilled as everyone but me nodded. I couldn’t move.
How had I not thought that they’d monitor the tower? Was Sara currently paying the price for my mistake?
“Nominations for the open position on the Assembly,” Father Gabriel continued, “will be heard at tomorrow’s meeting. Brother Luke, you have a wide knowledge of the followers here at the Northern Light. Bring a list of possible candidates. We may be in need of more than one nomination, depending on the near future.”
My lungs forgot how to breathe at his last statement. I couldn’t move, much less speak, as everyone but me responded.
“Yes, Father.”
“Brother Noah, please pray for our Assembly, and we’ll adjourn this meeting.”
Fuck!
I needed to get to Fairbanks. Two more days.
Lost in my own thoughts during the prayer, I didn’t realize it was over until Father Gabriel said my name.
“Brother Jacob, were you listening?”
All of the other Assemblymen were standing and moving toward the door.
“I’m sorry, Father. I admit I wasn’t.”
“I thought we’d eliminated your distractions.”
Why does he keep using that word?
“Father, you said you’d keep her alive.”
Brother Abraham nodded and closed the door, leaving me alone with Father Gabriel and the Commission.
“And she is. Your job is too valuable right now for you to meet the same fate as Brother Benjamin. Sister Sara’s current position is your warning.”
I looked to Brother Daniel, but his jaw was set and his eyes were on Father Gabriel.
“Father, I won’t fail you. I promised that.”
He narrowed his dark gaze. “You already did. Tell us what was said during your discussion and why it couldn’t be done on your real phones. Explain to us why you needed deception.”
The obvious answer: because that our real phones were monitored wasn’t accepta
ble. I fought to make sense of the lies we’d told while I simultaneously wondered what Benjamin and Raquel had said. With my elbows on the table, I held my head. Three years of hard work and this was going to end over a damn phone call.
“Brother, speak now or I will make a call to the Eastern Light.”
The room blurred as I summoned my Light persona and ignored his blatant threat. “Father, I’m sure Brother Benjamin explained.”
“No, he didn’t. As a matter of fact, you can cut to the chase. We know it was Sister Raquel whom you spoke with, not Brother Benjamin.”
Brother Timothy replied, “We have the technology to triangulate the location of the phone. The call came from the Assemblymen’s apartment building. That was the best we could isolate it. Everyone was accounted for, except Raquel and Sara. When Raquel was questioned, she finally admitted to having the phone, and swore Benjamin didn’t know anything about it. She said she called about Sara and used the phone to not get Sara in trouble.”
“Brother Raphael, remember Sara’s confession?” I asked.
“Yes.”
I ran my hands through my hair. “Ever since the time Sara was corrected by Brother Timothy and Sister Lilith, I’ve been worried about her when I’m gone.” Timothy sat back and crossed his arms over his chest. “I asked Sister Raquel to alert me if anything unusual happened while I was away. This is my fault. I should be banished, not Benjamin or Raquel and not Sara.”
“Brother Jacob, decisions made by this Commission can’t be unmade. Go on.”
“Sister Raquel was worried when Sara didn’t go to work, especially when she couldn’t find her. That was why she called me using the phone I’d given her.”
“I’m going to ask this one more time,” Father Gabriel said. “Why did you go to Fairbanks?”
“Because Raquel was afraid that Thomas took Sara. She said she’d seen him in the community.”
“You lied, to me and to Brother Daniel.”