Then there are the necklaces.The collars.
And Viktor.
And then, something clicks. Hard.
I know Cody has joked about being oblivious, but apparently, I must be too.
Kyla isn’t just some weird self-help company.
Kyla is a fucking cult.
I joined a fucking cult and didn’t even realize it because I was so focused on the hot guy I wanted to hook up with.
We need to get out of here. Like right now. Tonight, before Viktor catches on that I know.
But fuck! How the hell am I supposed to convince Cody to leave with me?He loves this place—the town, his job, the people.
For a split second, a dark thought creeps in—does he know?Cody’s on their management team. Could he be a part of it? Complicit even?
But as soon as that pops into my head, I know it’s impossible. There’s no way that this kind, sweet, genuinely good man that I love with everything that I am could possibly be involved in a scheme to manipulate people out of their money—and god only knows what else Viktor is doing to these people.
Clearly, he’s controlling their food and exercise, even their sleep, to an extent, keeping everyone at dinner so late and making them wake up to work out so early. If he has everyone in town in these programs—the local government, the police and fire departments, the medical professionals—his control of this city could be absolute.
We seriously need to get the fuck out of here.
“Cody, we should go somewhere for the weekend,” I blurt out, and I can’t quite manage to keep the desperation out of my tone.
He laughs, sitting up to look at me. “What? Why?” he’s giving me a concerned look, and I’m obviously doing a terrible job keeping my cool right now.
“Well,” I begin, trying to think of an excuse that will get him to leave without completely shattering the way he views his entire life.
“I miss my family,” I say quickly. “I was thinking we could call my brothers in the morning, maybe see if they want to meet us halfway. We could drive somewhere to show them how beautiful it is,” I ramble. I know I’m not really making sense, but I worry that Viktor would somehow know if we tried to take a plane, and driving seems smarter. Using my family seemed like a good excuse in at the time, but even I know it sounds suspicious.
“Why wouldn’t they just fly here?” Cody questions because obviously, they could.
“It would be fun,” I insist. “I can call them now. I’m sure they’re still awake.”
I go to reach for my phone, but Cody grabs my arm to stop me. “Beck, you’re freaking me out.” He sounds so concerned, and I hate that I’m the one who’s going to have to tell him. “What’s wrong?” he pushes, and I know I have to stop stalling and just say it.
“Cody, I need to tell you something. Well, a lot of things, actually,” I start, wanting to warn him. “And you’re probably going to be really upset about it, but I need you to understand how much I love you and that, no matter what, I’m here for you. We have each other now, so we can get through anything, okay?” I’m gripping both of his hands in mine, holding his gaze so that he can see the sincerity in my eyes.
He nods. “Beck, whatever it is, just tell me. You’re really scaring me.”
“Cody, it isn’t normal for your boss to lock a necklace onto you. That’s called a collar, and it’s a symbol of ownership,” I say gently. His expression shifts from concerned to confused.
“It doesn’t seem healthy to limit what you’re eating so drastically, especially with all of the exercise you do. And the sleep you’re getting, Cody, it’s barely enough to function. I’ve had a lot of concerns about this place, and about Viktor, but I kept dismissing them because it seemed like your job and the company made you so happy,” I admit. “I’m sorry that I kept my concerns to myself until now. I didn’t realize I could be hurting you by ignoring how harmful all of this could be.”
I take a shaky breath.How am I supposed to tell Cody that everything he knows and loves is a lie?That a person he clearly admires and respects has been manipulating him to hurt people?
My throat tightens as I finally whisper, “Baby, I think Kyla is a cult.”
His confused expression only seems to deepen. I have no idea how he’s going to react, so I go on, trying to get out as much as I can in case he tries to shut me down. “I’m worried Viktor is a cult leader and that he’s built the company to scam people out of their money, claiming all of this ‘wisdom’ about self-improvement and success, while taking more and more money from them. I think that he selects people to be promoted to work here in Linna based on their commitment to his ideas and values. That he’s manipulating everyone here to see how much power and control he can take from them.”
I sound like the crazy one now, but I’m desperate for him to believe me.
“That stuff that you told me about everyone casually touching him and the ‘enlightened relationships’,” I keep talking, waiting for him to say something. “Do you think he’s sleeping with them too?” I voice the thought as I have it, but it feels sickeningly true as I say it.
Cody’s brows are furrowed together tightly, and his eyes squint as they bounce around the room, not focusing on anything. He doesn’t look at me, and I can’t tell what he’s thinking.
