AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Well, I’m here about her. She does deserve better. No woman or child should have to go through what you put her through, but I believe she’s in danger once again.” He needed to redirect this conversation and get the information he came for. “Were you aware that the community was reestablished after you went to prison?”
“Some of the members of my church mentioned it.”
“Your church? Is that what we’re calling cults these days?”
Ezekiel tugged at the sleeve of his shirt. “I go to a Baptist church in town. I’m not the same man I was back then.”
Malachi released a harsh breath. “Forgive me if I find that difficult to believe. Lord help me, but I would have a tough time letting a pedophile into my church whether he was saved or not.”
“That’s understandable. All I can say is that I’m sorry for the pain I caused.”
“If you weren’t a pedophile, I wouldn’t be alive. Do you know how messed up that is? Can you understand how that makes a person feel? I’ve spent my whole adult life wishing I hadn’t been born because my conception was wrong. And I’ve lived with the worry that one day I might become you.”
“That won’t happen.”
“How can you know that?”
“My sinful depravity isn’t your destiny. You aren’t out there leading your own community of faithful followers, are you?”
Malachi coughed. “Of course not.”
“I don’t expect you to forgive me, son, but God has.” Ezekiel pushed away from the table.
“I spent many nights on my knees praying for your soul,” Malachi said. Though he doubted the truth of his father’s words, he needed answers, so he didn’t want to provoke him. Yes, Jesus could save anyone’s rotten soul, but it was hard to believe that a man who claimed to have a direct line to God had given up that fantasy and chosen to follow the truth.
“Thank you for those prayers. They worked.” He folded his hands on the table before him. “Now if we’re done talking about my past sins, let’s focus on what you came here for. What can I do for you?”
“I need to know everything you know about what happened with Jade after you went to prison.”
“Wish I could tell you more, but I don’t know much. I heard it was restarted by some of the women about a year after it was disbanded. From what I understand, it was mostly women and children, but a few of the original men were also there. About five years ago, a new guy showed up. Claimed to be called by God. You know the deal.”
“I do.” Malachi stood. “We need to talk to people who might know something. Would you mind sharing the names of those people you talked to at church?”
“Not at all. I’ll help in any way I can.” He wrote down several names then grabbed a spiral-bound directory from his counter and wrote numbers and email addresses next to the names. He pointed to one of the names with his pen. “Charlie’s property abuts the piece of land where they had the new community. He said they cleared out recently. Something about the feds coming down on them again.”
Malachi took the page he offered and shoved it into his pocket. “Thanks.”
Zeke’s gaze turned to Cate. “Is this your wife?”
“This is Cate. We’re not married.” She was far too good for the likes of him, but if she’d have him, he might see about a future with her. It was too soon to be considering wedding bells, but he wouldn’t rule them out either.
Chapter Twenty
Malachi held the passenger door for Cate. “You were awfully quiet in there.”
She waited for him to be seated before speaking. “It didn’t feel like it was my place to say much.”
He gave her hand a squeeze.
She closed her eyes briefly before opening them and seeking eye contact. “Did you mean what you said about praying for him to be saved?”
“My foster parents taught me to pray for my enemies, so yeah, I prayed for him. Often.”
“I can’t imagine what it must be like to think of your own father as the enemy.”
“It’s strange. He was kind to me when I was young. I have a few scattered memories, and they’re all good. I had this giant resentment against the FBI for separating my family until my late teens when I grew up and saw things clearly for the first time.” And that’s when the fears of becoming him had started. He swallowed back that old thought. He was his own man, and the horrors his father had committed had nothing to do with him. It wasn’t in his DNA, it was in his character. “That’s when I came to think of my biological father as the enemy.”
“My dad is distant sometimes, and even a touch cold, but what you went through with yours ... It’s tragic.”
