Covenant

by Brandon Massey

“What the hell do you think?” Valdez said, steel in her voice, but her anger seemed directed at Cutty, not Lisa. “His family was in a survivalist cult, raised him on a commune out in the boondocks. They’d make him sleep in a closet if he broke some stupid rule, beat him for breathing too hard, that kind of craziness. After he snapped and burned up the house, he was locked up in a psych ward until someone at New Kingdom doing ministry outreach there discovered him. Like they say, it was a marriage made in heaven.”

  “Good thing he’s gone, huh, guys?” Mike said.

  “We hope he is,” Anthony said.

  “There are others as dangerous as him,” Valdez said. “Look, the pay for an agent in the Armor of God isn’t all that great. People get into it because they believe Bishop Prince is chosen by God.”

  “Anointed,” Anthony said, echoing what he had heard earlier.

  “Even though he’s a pedophile,” Lisa said. Her voice was thick with scorn.

  Valdez glanced away from the highway, eyebrows arched. “You know about that?”

  “The bishop raped my sister when she was fourteen,” Anthony said. “My nephew, Reuben . . . well, do you notice a resemblance?”

  “I knew there was something about that kid!” Valdez put her hand to her mouth. “That’s awful.”

  “My dad found out about it, tried to do the right thing—“

  “You don’t have to finish—I can put the pieces together.” She touched his arm. “I’m so sorry.”

  “It’s taken me fifteen years to get to the truth,” Anthony said. “If Bob hadn’t gotten in touch with me, I’d still be wandering in the dark.”

  “Yeah, good old Bob,” Valdez said. “Would’ve been nice of him to help me out, too, before he split. He’s our damn informant.”

  “What did this Bob dude do at the church anyway?” Mike asked.

  “Top administrative brass, and before that, he was the Deputy Director in the Armor of God,” Valdez said. She turned a probing glare on Anthony. “He knew everything—which I’m assuming he passed on to you.”

  Anthony shrugged. “You know what they say about assumptions.”

  “Let’s get back to the bishop,” Lisa said. “Have you heard about him hurting other girls?”

  “I’ve heard rumors,” Valdez said. “It’s on the low-low down-low—passing that kind of gossip around the Kingdom can get you flat-lined. But I have it from a good source that Bishop Prince doesn’t even live with his wife and kids in that mansion of his, ‘cause he entertains his angels there.”

  Anthony’s stomach did a sickening flip flop. “His angels?”

  “That’s what he calls them,” Valdez said. “The story is that some of the servant families who live on campus supply their daughters to Bishop Prince, to use whenever he wants, in return for some blessing or whatever.”

  Lisa made a sound of revulsion in her throat. “That’s got to be the most disgusting thing I’ve ever heard in my life.”

  “Before I went undercover, I researched cults,” Valdez said. “It’s fairly common for the cult leaders—almost always a man, of course—to have total sexual access to everyone in the group, children included. David Koresh, remember that guy?”

  “Waco, Texas,” Mike said.

  Valdez said, “Koresh convinced his followers that he was a descendant of King David and his seed was divine, and since it was, he was the only man in the sect allowed to get laid. And he could get some from anyone, whenever.”

  “Pedophile Prince told my sister something like that, too,” Anthony said. “He told her she should be honored to accept his ‘divine seed.’ ”

  “He’s unbelievable,” Valdez said. “But even though he’s the scum of the earth, his ministry, if you want to call it that, has tapped into something that lots of people respond to very passionately.”

  “The prosperity preaching,” Lisa said.

  “That’s part of it, but more than that, it’s his kingdom theology,” Valdez said. “When he talks about the erosion in morals and values in modern society, how popular culture is so shallow and freakin’ screwed up, and hits you with how if we embrace a kingdom agenda, people will start acting like they’ve got some decency because it’ll be the law of the land . . . listen, when he gets going on that, the servants go nuts, they’re ready to do anything to make it happen..”

  “A lot of people are fed up with the state of the world,” Anthony said. “He’s a demagogue, using people’s emotions to manipulate them for his own purposes.”

  “But he believes in it,” Valdez said. “He’s not a cynic feeding the masses whatever mierda they want to eat. He’s convinced God is telling him to do this stuff.”

  “That makes him super dangerous,” Mike said.

  “You said it.” Valdez glanced at Mike in the rearview mirror. “Right now, according to the Director of the Bureau—and he’d never say this publicly ‘cause the church’s supporters would have his balls for breakfast—Bishop Prince is the most dangerous man in America.”

  76

  As Six Flags Over Georgia floated into view on the left of the highway, roller coasters stretching for the clouds, Valdez exited the interstate and made a right off the ramp, onto a busy strip lined with chain hotels, gas stations, and fast food joints. She swerved into the parking lot of a Texaco, stopped near an air pump/vacuum machine, let go of the wheel, and whirled in the seat to face Anthony.

  “Okay, the Kingdom Campus is about a half-mile ahead,” she said. “But we need to talk strategy before we get there. Bob told you where you could find the goods, correct? Did he put the data on a flash drive, a disc, or what?”

  Mike and Lisa looked to Anthony, too. Anthony shrugged.

  “I don’t know,” he said.

  Valdez’s eyes dwindled to dark points. “Don’t screw with me, Thorne.”

  “I’m being straight with you. The info could be on a disc, or a flash drive, or some other storage device. Bob didn’t tell me.”

  “What the hell did he tell you then?”

  “I know the info is on the campus. But I’m not sure where, exactly.”

  “You’re lying.” Her gaze skewered him. “You don’t trust me.”

  “I don’t trust anyone.”

  He met her hot glare. She didn’t blink. She looked ready, in fact, to punch him in the face.

  “How’s the security on campus, senorita?” Mike asked, breaking the tension.

  Valdez sighed, tucked a lock of hair behind her ear. “Tighter than a drum. They’ve got complete surveillance of every area, foot patrols, cruisers, choppers. Every agent wears Kevlar vests and carries pepper spray, stun batons, and 9mm Glocks.”

  “They sound like cops,” Lisa said.

  “They’re more dangerous than cops,” Valdez said. “They don’t bother to read you Miranda rights.”

  “Response time to an incident?” Anthony asked.

  “Depending upon where the threat originates? Three minutes, max.”

  “Not much time.” Anthony cracked his knuckles. “We’ll have to move like lightning, then.”

  “We’ll have the advantage of surprise,” Mike said. He swatted Anthony’s shoulder. “We can do this, AT. Piece of cake.”

  “To hell with that crap, we’re calling back-up.” Valdez flipped out her cell phone. “I need them to bring me that search warrant, and we can use the extra firepower.”

  “Hold on, I’m not going to storm in there with the feds,” Anthony said. “You call them, and our partnership ends here.”

  “We can’t do this on our own,” Valdez said. “We’re way outnumbered. They’ll shoot to kill.”

  “So will we,” Mike said.

  Valdez gnashed her teeth. “Freakin’ stubborn jarheads.”

  Anthony only smiled at her.

  “All right,” Valdez said. “I’ll tell my team to get set, but I’ll hold ‘em off till we get to Bob’s drop.”

  “Fair enough,” Anthony said.

  Phone in hand, she started to get out of the SUV. Anthon
y stopped her.

  “Make the call in front of us,” he said.

  “You’re paranoid, you know that?” But she remained in her seat and punched in a number. She had a terse conversation with her contact, and put away the phone.

  “They’ve got the warrant. They’ll stage about a mile from campus.” She read her watch. “Should be in place in thirty minutes.”

  “That gives me time to figure out where we need to go,” Anthony said. “Let’s head on in and cruise around.”

  “Didn’t you hear me?” Valdez said. “I told you I can’t take anything out of there without a warrant. I’m not working for the church any more. I’ve gotta follow the law now.”

  “You’re not going to take anything. You’re only going to drive around so I can find Bob’s drop. Right, guys?”

  “Just a look-see,” Mike said, nodding.

  “Never hurt anything,” Lisa said. Her gaze connected with Anthony’s, and he thought about married folk telepathy.

  Muttering under her breath in Spanish, Valdez slammed the Explorer into gear.

  77

  The front gates of the church campus were so massive and ornate Anthony felt as if they were entering a beachfront luxury resort. Opened wide enough to permit four lanes of traffic, the gates were at least ten-feet high, painted snow-white, with intricate gold and silver scrollwork of angels and doves. A gigantic electronic billboard in front flashed the time and the temperature, and featured a digitized image of a smiling Bishop Prince, with a slogan that proclaimed: Serving God’s Kingdom.

  Serving God’s kingdom? It made Anthony sick.

  About a hundred yards past the gates, the road diverged into six lanes: three going in, three going out. Large yellow signs hung above each entryway, bringing to mind a toll-road plaza. They were marked “Staff,” “Members,” and “Visitors.” Each entrance included a guard booth manned by broad-shouldered men clad in white tracksuits and aviator sunglasses.

  “No one can simply drive on in, huh?” Anthony said.

  “You got it.” Valdez nosed the Explorer into the Staff lane and produced a laminated photo ID card from her jacket.

  “When I came here for my friend’s wedding, they slapped a visitor sticker on my car,” Lisa said. “They made me give my name and city of residence, too.”

  “All visitors are logged,” Valdez said.

  “What if you object to giving your personal info?” Anthony asked.

  “Then you don’t get in,” Valdez said.

  “Damn, is it a church, or a base?” Mike asked.

  Valdez lowered the window and showed her ID to a guard. He nodded curtly, said, “May God bless you,” in an artificially cheerful voice, and the white gate arm lifted.

  There was a Welcome Center ahead, an Art Deco style brick building with lots of windows, fronted by a huge water fountain. A colorful sign at the main intersection bore arrows pointing the way to various destinations such as the Sanctuary, Kingdom Market, Medical Center, and Kingdom Academy.

  “Where to?” Valdez asked.

  “Just drive around,” Anthony said.

  Grumbling, she hung a right.

  The property was meticulously landscaped, with lush trees, abundant beds of flowers, and swaths of trimmed grass that reminded Anthony of the putting greens on a golf course. The assortment of brick buildings—housing such amenities as the medical clinic, fitness center, and post office—looked brand new.

  Armor of God soldiers were out in full force, too. They whisked across the wide sidewalks on Segways, their ivory cycling helmets matching their uniforms, weapons bristling from their utility belts. Others cruised in black Dodge Chargers with “NKC Security” splashed on the door in bold white letters.

  But there were also signs of ordinary life in progress. Many people were out walking or riding bicycles. A group of teenagers played touch-football in a field, a woman jogged on a paved path with her dog alongside her, and families were having picnics in a park area.

  “I hate what Bishop Prince stands for,” Anthony said, “but on the flip side, so many of the people living here look perfectly happy.”

  “It’s ‘cause they don’t know what goes on behind the curtain,” Valdez said with a nonchalant shrug. “Most of these people don’t wanna know the price they pay to live like this.”

  “Ignorance is bliss,” Lisa said. “Give us bread and circuses, and we’ll support anything.”

  “I wonder what they’ll do when they find out the real deal,” Mike said.

  “They’ll get over it,” Valdez said. “People adapt. They always do. Till the next crackpot comes along, then they’ll be standing in line to be brainwashed again.”

  Anthony winked at Lisa. “I think we’ve finally met someone who’s more cynical than I am.”

  “That’s what I was thinking,” Lisa said.

  “I call it as I see it, guys,” Valdez said.

  She braked at a four-way intersection. A shuttle bus filled to capacity rumbled past, an electronic signboard above the windshield announcing that it was bound for the Kingdom Megaplex. Anthony saw a gold geodesic dome on the horizon, which he knew from his online tour was part of the church’s main sanctuary.

  On their right, in the hazy distance, the bishop’s mansion floated like a heavenly castle in the hills.

  “Got any idea where we need to go yet?” Valdez said.

  “Make a right,” Anthony said as he stared at the mansion, thoughts churning.

  Valdez followed his gaze. “The bishop’s estate?”

  “I want to see it up close. I’m curious.”

  “Curious, my ass,” Valdez said, but she made a sharp right turn.

  The road was divided by a grass median lined with red crepe myrtles, flowers waving in the breeze. They cruised past the Kingdom Academy, which accommodated grades kindergarten through twelve, a baseball field, a football stadium, and a preschool center, Kingdom Kids. Like the other buildings, all of the facilities appeared new, and were as well-designed as schools one might find in a moneyed suburb, the better to influence the children, fertile young servant minds, to feel proud of their education.

  “The bishop lives near the schools,” Anthony said.

  “He visits them weekly,” Valdez said. “Lets him keep tabs on the angels-in-waiting.”

  “Disgusting,” Lisa said.

  Once beyond the schools, woodlands bordered the road on both sides, dense with oak, elm, maple, pine. The street converged to two lanes, growing steeper as it wound through the hills, and the sidewalks vanished, too.

  There was no traffic. But after about a quarter of a mile, the forest began to thin, and there was a rightward bend in the road marked by a twenty-foot-high column of stacked stone. A sign in front of the rock warned: PRIVATE PROPERTY - NO TRESPASSING.

  Valdez brought the SUV to a stop before they emerged from the canopy of trees.

  “This is as far as we go,” she said. “Around that bend is the gate to his mansion.”

  “Guards?” Anthony asked.

  Her gaze lacerated him. “Why do you want to know?”

  “Indulge me, please,” Anthony said.

  “At least two at the gate,” she said. “If the bishop is home, there’ll be another three inside the house. His personal security detail.”

  “Anyone else in there?” Mike asked. “Like a maid or butler or something?”

  “He’s got a house staff, but they’re ordinary civilians, harmless.”

  “So five goons,” Anthony said. “Not great odds, but not impossible to handle.”

  “We can take ‘em,” Mike said.

  Anthony bent to unzip his duffel bag at his feet. He removed two handguns, his Glock and his Colt revolver, to complement the Beretta he already wore in his waistband holster, and he fished out extra ammo, too.

  “Whoa, you guys aren’t going in there,” Valdez said. She took out her cell phone. “I’m calling my team—and we’re going in with our search warrant.”

  “You wait for you
r search warrant—we don’t need one.” Anthony finished holstering his guns and pocketing the extra ammo in his pouch. He turned to Lisa in the backseat. “We’ll be right back, sweetheart. Keep the engine warm.”

  “Be careful,” Lisa said. She clasped one of his hands, her eyes glistening with a mixture of worry and cautious hope. “I’ll be waiting for you.”

  “Ready?” Anthony asked Mike. Mike had two guns slotted in his shoulder holsters, body armor protecting his chest, and a waist pouch that held plenty of ammo.

  “Let’s do it,” Mike said.

  They climbed out of the truck.

  “Both of you assholes, stand down!” Valdez charged out of the SUV, phone pressed to her ear. “I’m not gonna let you screw up my investigation!”

  Ignoring her, they marched in step along the side of the road. Anthony inhaled deeply of the pine-scented air. Calmness had settled over him like a coat—his heart beat at a moderate rate, his muscles were loose and relaxed, and the guns on his person felt like natural extensions of his own body.

  “Hey!” Valdez shouted.

  “She’s plenty pissed,” Mike said to Anthony. “Makes her even hotter.”

  “I wouldn’t say that to her right now if I were you,” Anthony said. “She might beat your ass like a pinata around the road.”

  Cursing in English and Spanish, Valdez caught up to them.

  “Look, my team’s on their way,” she said. “ETA sixteen minutes.”

  “Great,” Anthony said. “They’ll be just in time to clean up after us.”

  “Jesus, Thorne.” Her cheeks bloomed red. “Why are you so goddamn stubborn?”

  “You must’ve been talking to my wife. She asks me that every day.”

  “Fine.” She planted her fists on her waist, squinted as she surveyed the road ahead. “If you two clowns are determined to go in there, then you better let me help you.”

  78

  Marching at a brisk pace, they neared the giant stone formation at the curve in the road. Valdez edged in front of them.

  “I’m wearing the Armor of God uniform,” she said. “You guys hang back and I’ll take them by surprise. Be ready.”