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“The usual.” Bitterness filled her words. “If you wanted to eat, you worked. Everyone lived in the compound under the prophet’s watchful eyes. No exceptions. When you joined the fellowship, every worldly possession became the property of the cult.” She snorted. “More like everything became the property of the prophet. He encouraged whole families to join, especially those with female children.”
Nausea boiled in Seth’s gut. Oh, man. Didn’t take a genius to know where this story was headed.
“Prophet Isaac said we were a large family, and he was the head. The men who joined were assigned roles as workers or enforcers. Boys were assigned jobs until they were old enough to take on the other roles. The women were assigned tasks, which included taking care of Prophet Isaac’s every need. He claimed to love all the females of his flock.” She swallowed hard.
Seth stroked her hair, reminding her of his presence and support.
“All the females were eventually given the honor of becoming one of Prophet Isaac’s wives.”
He paused, analyzing what she said and what she hadn’t. “All of them?”
“Every one.”
“That’s illegal.”
“He didn’t care. He married them in a private ceremony with only his enforcers in attendance. No papers were ever filed outside in the real world.”
Oh, man. “How young did he take them as a wife?”
Another shudder. “Twelve years old. Before that age, girls were in a training program. The wives were to teach the girls how to please Prophet Isaac in all things except for the bedroom. He preferred to train the girls for that himself. Before they were old enough for him to train, he made the girls watch him with the wives. He called it the preparation for their future honor.”
Seth made himself stay relaxed, continuing to stroke Teagan’s hair when all he really wanted to do was find the sick pervert and beat him to a pulp. “Is he still alive?” he asked, voice flat.
“Yes.”
“He took you as a wife?”
A slight nod. Tears slid down her cheeks. “My parents gave me to him the day I turned twelve. Their last birthday present to me was a wedding dress.”
He pushed the fury down hard. Prophet Isaac could expect a visit from Seth before he went back to his career. “When did you escape, Teagan?”
“The day I turned fourteen.”
Tears burned his eyes at the horror she’d endured for two long years. “Oh, baby.” His voice broke. “I’m so sorry you had to endure that.”
“Prophet Isaac was never pleased with me. He said I wasn’t cooperative or compliant like a good wife should be. As punishment, he passed me off to his enforcers for a night each, then I would go back to him to see if I had learned to behave as a proper wife.” Her lips curled at the corners. “I never did.”
“How did you escape the compound?”
“Prophet Isaac gave me to an enforcer for punishment. The enforcer tied me to his bed and left me to contemplate the coming beating and rape while he worked his shift. He planned to punish me when he returned. Unfortunately for him, I freed myself and slipped from his small house. I took bolt cutters from his utility room with me, cut through a hidden portion of the compound’s chain-link fence, and ran. A kind old gentleman saw me stumbling along a roadside and stopped to offer help. He took me to the closest police station.”
“What happened?”
“A detective took me to the local hospital while his coworkers mounted a raid on the compound. By the time they arrived, Prophet Isaac and every member of the cult were gone except for the enforcer whose mistake allowed me to escape. He was killed execution style before the others left the compound.”
“Do you know where Isaac and his flock are now?”
“Mexico. Chihuahua Province.” Her mouth curled. “That entire area is filled with people who hate Fortress Security with a passion. Crime is rampant in that whole province.”
“Have you heard from your parents since you escaped?”
She shook her head.
Seth brought her hand to his mouth and kissed her palm. “What can I do to help you cope if we’re accepted into The Brotherhood?”
Teagan turned to face him. “You won’t insist I bow out of this assignment?”
“Do you need to?”