“Yes. I’ll explain if you need me to, but let’s get back to the raid.” He wanted details. After all, if they were going to deal with potential threats, he needed to know what had happened.
“It went smoother than expected. Since we’d killed most of the God Squad at the lodge, there were only a handful left who tried to stop us, but when they saw the onslaught of FBI vehicles, they retreated and disappeared. Predictably, they went to warn the others, but it was too late. Everyone surrendered.”
“Without a shot being fired?”
“Thankfully, yes. The God Squad Jed left behind were mostly teenagers, and they were afraid. So Jericho and I waited in the church until the agents rounded up the rest of the Chosen. Finally, when everyone was inside, the FBI closed the doors. The flock stared up at me, and I could practically hear them wondering why I was preparing to address them and not Jed. Or even Esther. Most sat quietly, afraid of the agents and what their presence meant. Others, mostly elders, demanded to see Jed, their Messiah. I stood there, knowing I was about to destroy the only way of life I’d ever known. But I was destroying theirs, too. The realization made me so nervous I felt sick, but the sooner I said what I needed to, the sooner I could find Faith and Joanna.”
He paused to gather himself. Beck fought the urge to comfort his brother, but if Zach was going to heal, purging his pain was the first step.
“So I stood before The Chosen and announced that their Messiah and Esther were dead. The shock was palpable. The elders called my claims blasphemous. So I held up a photo of Jed’s and Esther’s bodies. They were all shocked. Some of the women fainted. Others wailed.
“Next, the elders accused me of killing Jed. They said that, like you, I’d been possessed by Satan. I pointed out that since you had perished long ago and Jed was now gone, I was their new Messiah, and I demanded they kneel down and beg the Lord’s forgiveness for spewing lies. They grumbled, but they dropped to their knees. Then I made sure the FBI knew who the elders were.
“On the way in, I had given them names and the number of their wives, along with their ages. The agents arrested the elders and carted them away. Pandemonium broke out. I did my best to keep everyone calm, explain what was happening, and ensure they would be given the choice to either join a similar sect or transition to the outside.” He let out a shaky breath. “The hate they spewed shocked me. These were people I’d known my whole life, the only people I’d ever known…”
“I understand,” Beck soothed in comforting tones. “It can’t have been easy.”
“No. About a third of the flock decided to try the outside world. The rest… They’re either too blind to the evil of this way of life or too afraid to try something new.”
“It’s not like the elders ever encouraged independent thinking,” Beck drawled.
“You’re right. And that should have been my first clue something was very wrong in Messiah City. But eventually I wondered why I’d been taught to hate people and a way of life I knew so little about. I’d even seen the elders vilify people I actually liked or agreed with.”
“None of what you learned in Messiah City was about God. It was about control.”
“You’re right. As the agents were dealing with The Chosen, Jericho led me to Jed’s office. Together, we searched it. I found things… He’d obviously learned his underhanded ways from Mother, because he’d become a master of spying on his flock and blackmailing his people to manipulate them. He also had drugs, alcohol, and pornography—things he railed against in every sermon.” He shook his head like he was still in shock. “I was horrified. I had no idea…”
“It was the same way with Dad and all the elders. Do as I say, not as I do.”
“I supposed I was somewhat shocked to realize how true that is. I had suspicions, but…”
“Now you know.”
“We also found money, jewelry, gold, stock certificates, and other valuables in a safe under Jed’s floorboards. Jericho told me to take it all so I could start my life over.”
Beck’s esteem for the agent went up. “That’s against regulation.”
“He said as much, but he also told me it was my reward for stopping the evil in Messiah City. Perhaps I should have resisted the temptation for worldly goods, but he told me I would need it, so I took it, along with a few other things…and here I am.”
And he would be here for a while, adjusting to a completely different way of life, with different morals, values, and norms. It wouldn’t be a smooth transition. “Did you find Faith and Joanna?”
Zach’s expression turned bleak. Fighting tears, he frowned as if trying to ward off pain. “Agents followed a trail of dried blood from our house to shallow graves out back. Jed had them bludgeoned to death, probably in their sleep since they were both wearing nightgowns, and had them buried in the backyard. Then he told everyone that they had left with me to do God’s work and that we might not be back.”
“He intended to kill you, too.”
“I think he did. Mother probably told him to.” Zach’s pain was both soul-deep grief and soul-deep fury. “How could either of them claim to be pious and serving God’s glory and do the things they did?”
Beck felt sorry for his youngest brother. He knew precisely what Zach was going through. “Because they love power above everything, even God. You doing okay?”
Zach shrugged. “How does anyone recover from this sort of hate and betrayal? How did you?”
“It’s going to take time, and you have to be patient with yourself. I don’t know how much you remember, but before I killed Dad and left Messiah City, I’d already stopped believing most of their shit. I refused to be anything like them, and I knew the outside world was my only chance to survive. That didn’t mean it was an easy transition.”
“But you got through it.”
“You will, too. I’ll help in every way I can. So will Heavenly and Seth.”
His brother nodded like he wanted to believe that more than he did. “Did you continue with religion?”