Read Online Deadly Deception (SCVC Taskforce) by Misty Evans - Free Book Online
Authors: Misty Evans
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they’ll do anything for the leader…kind of like you’d do anything for Cooper and the members of the SCVC taskforce.”
He dropped his hands, tensed. “Cooper is not anything like Adam or Daniel.”
Tread carefully. “Does he inspire you? Motivate you to follow him and give your job a hundred and ten percent?”
No response, just a grim set to his lips.
“Cooper sets the rules for the team and expects you to follow them, right?”
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
Drive it home . “He influences the way you work, and even, at times, the way you live.”
“It’s not the same and you know it.”
“It’s not the same, but every group with a leader—whether the group is religious, social, or job-oriented—has similar characteristics.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “Authoritarian leader. Exclusivism. Isolationism. Groupthink rather than individual thinking. While Cooper may not use excessive control over you, you and the others on the taskforce are deeply loyal to him and…”—she made air quotes again—“the cause. The SCVC is an exclusive group—only a few handpicked agents are allowed in. You’re isolated from normal society because you work undercover and you can’t share information about your assignments or endanger the people you care about because of your job. It’s crucial as a taskforce working violent crimes that you have a certain level of groupthink. You’re a well-oiled machine, in other words, and you have to be in order to pull off successful sting operations.”
“We’re not a cult.”
“Not in the negative sense of the word. All I’m saying is that nearly any group you look at shares some of the same characteristics as a cult. The cult leader just takes them to an extreme, and the followers don’t see his actions as wrong.”
He blew out an incensed breath, stretched out his legs under the table as he once more leaned back in his chair.
“You exude independence and self-confidence,” Ronni continued. “You practically bleed alpha male. If you go to the farm tonight with that kind of attitude and body language, Adam will reject both of us.”
He stared at her. Just stared, straight-on, not even blinking. Oh, yeah, definite alpha male.
Finally, he dropped his gaze, rubbed a thumb on his coffee cup. She could almost see the mental gears in his head shifting. “So what do you want me to do? Act like a loser? Some guy with a mental problem? Because, honestly, it’ll be hard for me to pull off anything outside of a nutcase who drank the Kool-Aid.”
Jim Jones. A cult leader who’d led his followers to kill themselves by drinking poisoned Kool-Aid. So sad . “Contrary to popular belief, most cult recruits are not mentally impaired, clinically depressed, nor do they have low IQs. They come from all age groups, all personality types, and all walks of life. What they do have in common is stress. Loss of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, dysfunctional family, you name it. Like Adam said on that video, he can save you if you’re worried or alone. He wants the outsiders and the problem kids. He has the answer to all your problems…all we have to do is decide what your problem is, Boy Scout.”
“Will you stop calling me that?”
She was definitely getting under his skin. It felt good, shaking him up. “Besides your anal retentive tendencies, can you come up with anything?”
“That’s easy.” Thomas glanced out the window. His jaw worked for a minute. “Guilt.”
Ronni stiffened. “We’ve been over this. You’re not responsible for what happened to me.”
His gaze snapped back to hers, intense and grave. “Yes, I am.”
Shuffling the papers into a neat stack, she shook her head, and reached for her briefcase. “It’s not your fault.”
“Why didn’t you return my calls? Why didn’t you answer my text messages?” One finger tapped the tabletop. “Because you held me responsible. Maybe it’s illogical, but that’s how you felt. You couldn’t
He dropped his hands, tensed. “Cooper is not anything like Adam or Daniel.”
Tread carefully. “Does he inspire you? Motivate you to follow him and give your job a hundred and ten percent?”
No response, just a grim set to his lips.
“Cooper sets the rules for the team and expects you to follow them, right?”
A muscle jumped in his jaw.
Drive it home . “He influences the way you work, and even, at times, the way you live.”
“It’s not the same and you know it.”
“It’s not the same, but every group with a leader—whether the group is religious, social, or job-oriented—has similar characteristics.” She ticked them off on her fingers. “Authoritarian leader. Exclusivism. Isolationism. Groupthink rather than individual thinking. While Cooper may not use excessive control over you, you and the others on the taskforce are deeply loyal to him and…”—she made air quotes again—“the cause. The SCVC is an exclusive group—only a few handpicked agents are allowed in. You’re isolated from normal society because you work undercover and you can’t share information about your assignments or endanger the people you care about because of your job. It’s crucial as a taskforce working violent crimes that you have a certain level of groupthink. You’re a well-oiled machine, in other words, and you have to be in order to pull off successful sting operations.”
“We’re not a cult.”
“Not in the negative sense of the word. All I’m saying is that nearly any group you look at shares some of the same characteristics as a cult. The cult leader just takes them to an extreme, and the followers don’t see his actions as wrong.”
He blew out an incensed breath, stretched out his legs under the table as he once more leaned back in his chair.
“You exude independence and self-confidence,” Ronni continued. “You practically bleed alpha male. If you go to the farm tonight with that kind of attitude and body language, Adam will reject both of us.”
He stared at her. Just stared, straight-on, not even blinking. Oh, yeah, definite alpha male.
Finally, he dropped his gaze, rubbed a thumb on his coffee cup. She could almost see the mental gears in his head shifting. “So what do you want me to do? Act like a loser? Some guy with a mental problem? Because, honestly, it’ll be hard for me to pull off anything outside of a nutcase who drank the Kool-Aid.”
Jim Jones. A cult leader who’d led his followers to kill themselves by drinking poisoned Kool-Aid. So sad . “Contrary to popular belief, most cult recruits are not mentally impaired, clinically depressed, nor do they have low IQs. They come from all age groups, all personality types, and all walks of life. What they do have in common is stress. Loss of a loved one, loss of a job, divorce, dysfunctional family, you name it. Like Adam said on that video, he can save you if you’re worried or alone. He wants the outsiders and the problem kids. He has the answer to all your problems…all we have to do is decide what your problem is, Boy Scout.”
“Will you stop calling me that?”
She was definitely getting under his skin. It felt good, shaking him up. “Besides your anal retentive tendencies, can you come up with anything?”
“That’s easy.” Thomas glanced out the window. His jaw worked for a minute. “Guilt.”
Ronni stiffened. “We’ve been over this. You’re not responsible for what happened to me.”
His gaze snapped back to hers, intense and grave. “Yes, I am.”
Shuffling the papers into a neat stack, she shook her head, and reached for her briefcase. “It’s not your fault.”
“Why didn’t you return my calls? Why didn’t you answer my text messages?” One finger tapped the tabletop. “Because you held me responsible. Maybe it’s illogical, but that’s how you felt. You couldn’t
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