Messiahs by Matt Rogers (bookstand for reading txt) 📕

intensity. Weak exterior lights cast a dim glow around the mess hall and the church, but the bunkhouses were shrouded in darkness.

Alexis put her hands in her pockets and exhaled a cloud of breath. ‘I’m Alexis. Pleased to meet you.’

‘Dane. Likewise.’

‘My friend and I are interested in staying here permanently. That’s if you think we’re a good fit, of course.’

He said, ‘So I’ve heard. My wife says you’ve got great potential.’

‘We do?’ Alexis said, batting her eyelashes.

Dane said, ‘I know what you’re doing.’

40

She didn’t outwardly react. ‘Do you?’

For the first time he smirked, and it was like his face opened up. He crawled out of his shell, if only for a moment. ‘You get what you want from men.’

She said, ‘Sometimes.’

‘Tell me about the last time you didn’t get what you wanted.’

She let the silence unfold. ‘Well, I’m not exactly important, if that’s what you’re asking. I’m broke and lost. Seems like you think I’m some sort of manipulative mastermind when I can’t even figure out what I want in life.’

‘That’s by your own choice. Now you’ve made the choice to be here. Now you can start getting what you want.’

She said, ‘Will you help me with that?’

The smirk was still plastered on his face. ‘You trying a hostile takeover on Maeve? Out with the old girl, in with the new?’

She said, ‘You’re getting the wrong idea from this. I’m just a—’

‘A simple wanderer,’ Dane finished. ‘I know. Maeve heard it, but she didn’t believe it either. We think you have potential. You and your friend, but moreso you.’

‘Potential for what?’

‘That’ll come in due course,’ he said. ‘Right now it’s our intention to make this as pleasant as possible for you. So if there’s anything you need, anything at all, come see us. If your room isn’t good enough, or you’re lacking in any supplies, tell us.’

You could do it now, Alexis thought.

Dane’s guard was down, and she could take his back and lock in a rear naked choke before he understood what was happening. She could choke him out right here in the dirt, go up to the farmhouse and get the jump on Maeve before she could arm herself.

But if at any point in that long sequence she made a single mistake, someone would raise the alarm and two hundred fanatical disciples would descend on her and Violetta.

So instead of killing him she said, ‘There’s one thing.’

He raised an eyebrow.

She said, ‘A suggestion. You might want to look into it. Unless I’m speaking out of turn. If you don’t want my advice, I understand.’

‘Why wouldn’t I want your advice?’

‘Because I’m just a—’

‘I thought we dispensed with that,’ he said.

He was being careful with his words, and so was she. She figured she’d put out the first proper feeler. It might win his trust, or it might make her a prime target for suspicion.

But it was a gamble she figured she needed to take.

She said, ‘Okay. If you’re willing to dispense with it, I am too. I sort of understand what you’re doing here. Or, at least, I think I do. I want to help you spread the cause, but I’m not overly concerned about “the cause” itself. Does that make sense?’

After a long, painful silence, Dane said, ‘You say that in front of any of the followers and they’ll execute you for heresy.’

She doubled down. ‘Then it’s a good thing none of them are around to hear it.’

He put his hands behind his back and stared at her, trying to squeeze the weakness out of her. She didn’t give an inch. She stared right back at him.

He said, ‘Yes. That is a good thing.’

Inwardly, the tensed coil relaxed again.

He said, ‘What’s your advice?’

‘I met two guys at a bar a couple of nights ago,’ she said. ‘I think they might be of use to you.’

‘How so?’

But his eyes were already alight.

You already know about them, Alexis thought. And their exploits in Gillette.

She said, ‘They were loose cannons. But I think they’d be perfect for your operation, if you can convince them. I don’t think they’re the sharpest tools in the shed, so they should cave pretty easily to Maeve’s persuasions. They’re ex-military, and they were running their mouths off about how they’d just roughed up half the town’s criminal population. I don’t think they like mainstream society all that much. They don’t mesh with it. If they were telling the truth about their exploits, and you brought them in, they could make you practically immune to dissidents. And they’d bring the security of this commune to another level.’

He soaked in her every word, pensively quiet.

She continued. ‘I don’t know much about them. One was white and the other was black. They were both massive, like two hundred pounds of muscle each. I got the vibe they were telling the truth about what they’ve done, what they’re doing, what they want. I think they’d be a perfect fit.’

He didn’t say a word.

She kept going. ‘I’m going to be blunt here, and I hope you forgive me. You’re going to need a militia to take this thing to the next level. Like your own private paramilitary force. I think those guys are the perfect place to start. Just an idea. If you think I’m being too forward, well … I guess now I have a vested interest in the growth of this community. If we’re on the same page…’

He scratched the stubble along the base of his jaw.

Instead of responding, he turned and surveyed the settlement. Looked out at the buildings, at the darkness beyond them, then turned his gaze back to Alexis.

He said, ‘From what I gather, you’re implying this whole commune — and the beliefs it was founded on — are nothing but a sham, a parlour trick.’

Alexis said, ‘Interpret what I said however you wish. And respond to it however you wish. I’m at your mercy.’

He liked that.

After years of what could only have been an impossible relationship with a literal psychopath, he liked having a