35. Freya
FREYA
I don’t know what Oz said to River but, when the two of them return, River gives me a nod. I mouth a thank you to Oz and turn to the guard. “Lead the way.”
The guard knocks a pattern on the door. Another teenage girl dressed all in black pulls it open. A sheen of sweat coats her forehead. “He’s ready for you,” she says, then steps past me.
Her gaze flits over the guys but she’s careful not to show any reaction as she heads to the black cabin. She’s cold. Shut off. Just like Rebekah was the first time we met.
I wonder how many girls Jeremiah has deemed ‘tainted’.
Rebekah told Carmen that it could be something as minor as standing too close to one of the boys.
From everything she’s shared I think it’s less about keeping girls pure and more about training them to do his dirty work.
According to the cult’s beliefs, the Tainted are either banished or trained to become Guardians of the Pure.
Rebekah hasn’t said much about the missions she was sent on but from what I’ve gathered, they had very little to do with protecting other girls and far more to do with collecting information. It’s what Jeremiah is doing with that information that we haven’t figured out.
The guard catches the door before it shuts and jerks his chin, indicating for me to enter.
I duck under his arm and step inside the round cabin.
Heat hits me like a solid wall. I understand the girl’s damp brow now. I dressed for the cold and my vest is already sticking to my skin.
The door closes behind me, sealing out the cool wind and leaving me stuck with a cult leader in what is essentially a sweat box.
Jeremiah stands a few feet away in front of the open fire that’s heating the cabin. He stabs at it with a poker then motions towards the center of the cabin with the glass of ice water in his other hand. “Please, sit.”
Two chairs are positioned facing each other on a woven rug in the middle of the room.
Other than the fire, the chairs are the only things in the cabin.
They’re made from black leather, hanging in a hammock style from a metal frame.
The material shifts as I sit down, squishing my legs together and adding to the heat.
This entire building is designed to make its visitors uncomfortable.
Jeremiah turns from the fire and smiles at me in a way that is more disturbing than any smile has a right to be. He’s dressed in white linens. Light, loose trousers and a short sleeved shirt. I’m sitting here burning up and he’s as relaxed as any white middle-aged man vacationing in the Bahamas.
It’s all a mind game.
“Nice place you’ve got here,” I comment.
Jeremiah chuckles. “Your mother was sarcastic too. Until I trained it out of her.”
The heat has nausea swirling in my gut and my face hardens. “We need to talk about your son.”
“Do we now?” Jeremiah takes a sip of his ice-cold water, that fucking smile playing at his lips.
“Zacharias. Has he been in contact?”
Jeremiah sinks into the seat opposite me and crosses one leg over the other. “Interesting. You’ve got that same grit my Tainted girls have. I wonder who the first to touch you was?” Shrewd eyes just like Zach’s pierce into me and I fight against the desire to stab them.
He doesn’t know what Zach did to me, but he suspects.
A smug, sickly satisfied smile graces his lips. “Relax, Freya. I keep control of what is mine. You and your team have nothing to fear from my wayward son.”
A trickle of sweat runs down the back of my neck and I fight the urge to brush it away.
Instead, I sit forward in the chair, resting my arms against my legs.
“For someone who preaches about the purity of women you don’t seem awfully bothered that your ‘wayward’ son is a pedophile.
I wonder what your followers would think if they were to hear you were bank-rolling his activities… ”
Jeremiah takes a sip of his water before sinking back into the hammock seat like he doesn’t have a care in the world.
“You and I are a lot alike, I think. We both understand how the mind works. The thing about brainwashing is that it’s so easy to do and so hard to undo.
” Cornflower blue eyes capture me. “I could ask my people to stand in the middle of the road and they would do it until a truck flattened them, so don’t think for one moment you can threaten me. ”
I try not to let his words get to me, but the heat is suffocating and it’s becoming hard to think. Corrugated iron lines the walls, trapping the burning intensity of the fire. I swallow, my throat parched. A headache pulses at the base of my skull and my eyes sting.
I force myself to ignore it all and focus on profiling the man in front of me. There was no guarantee he’d agree to see us. But he did, which means he’s got motivations of his own.
I jut my chin out and ignore the wave of dizziness that hits. “I want the details for the bank account you gave to Zach.”
“And why would I give you that?”
“Because you want something from me too.” It’s the only thing that makes sense.
Jeremiah smiles as he takes another drink. “Clever girl.”
He doesn’t say anything else, so I wait him out. He drums his fingertips against his thigh before putting his glass down on the floor beside his seat. “The woman who helped you hide Rebekah and her brother—I want to speak to her.”
It shouldn’t be possible given how hot it is in here but my whole body goes cold. “No. You can’t have them back.”
“Calm yourself. I have no desire for those who are no longer willing followers.”
He and I have different definitions of the word willing, but I stay quiet and hear him out.
“I want to talk to your friend. That’s all.”
“On the phone?”
He dips his head. “That will suffice. For now.”
“And if I arrange that, you’ll give us access to Zach’s accounts?”
“I’ll pass on the details to your friend once we’ve spoken.”
“If you’re not after Rebekah or Sam, what do you want with her?” Flames lick the edges of my vision. My skin burns.
“Are you alright, dear? You look a little flushed.” The bastard smirks.
“What do you want with her?” I grit out.
Jeremiah picks up his water. “Just a conversation.” My eyes catch on the condensation running down the glass.
Fuck. I’m going to faint if I don’t get out of here. “Fine. I’ll talk to her.” The room sways as I push up from the chair. I shouldn’t have given in that easily, but the need to breathe air that isn’t burning my lungs is overpowering.
I pull open the door and gulp down the cold. It spreads through my lungs as the wind catches against the hair sticking to my skin.
Oz stares at me with wide eyes.
I just shake my head and strip off my sweat-soaked jacket. “Let’s go.”
The guards escort us back to our car but before we get in, the younger one hands me a piece of paper with a phone number on it.
I don’t know why Jeremiah wants to talk to Carmen, but I have a feeling she might.
I go to get in the car but River’s hand on the passenger door stops me. He keeps his arm braced against the car as I turn around.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
I nod. “I’m fine. Just need some water.” The dizziness has gone away but my mouth and throat feel as dry as the sand we’re standing on.
River closes his eyes and hangs his head. A soft breath falls from his lips.
“Hey.” I lift my hand and cup his cheek. “What’s wrong?”
Tortured eyes bore into me. “I’m trying Freya, I am. But don’t ever ask me to leave you unprotected like that again. I won’t do it.”
I run my fingers through his hair, for once seeing his protectives for what it is. Fear. “I’m fine, River. I’m right here and I’m just fine.”
His lips capture mine in a short but hungry kiss. “It damn well better stay that way.”