Read Online Righteous03 - The Wicked by Michael Wallace - Free Book Online

continued to stare at Father. “Yes, please stay, Liz.”
    Eliza took the chair next to Jacob’s side. “Since you asked so nicely, I’m happy to stay.” She smiled at Father. “See how easy that was?”
    A tick worked alongside his jaw. “Both of you? How dare you defy me. I should, I should…”
    “You should what?” Jacob asked.
    “You know what I can do. Don’t make me say it.”
    “Feel free to kick me out,” Jacob said. “If that’s what you’re getting at, go ahead and do it. Do the same thing to me that you did to Enoch, to David, Jeffrey, Caleb, Alonzo, Hyrum, Samuel, and Peter. What you’ll no doubt do to Phineas, Brigham, and Benjamin, when the time comes. They’re not exactly leadership material, either. Why should I be any different?”
    “You want to be a Lost Boy?” He sounded incredulous.
    “I know who I am. I won’t be a Lost Boy.”
    “Oh, so you think you don’t need me, because you’ve got these people in Zarahemla eating out of your hand. I’m telling you, the sooner we bring the two churches together, the better. That’s why the Lord told me to put you as my first counselor, that way you can convince them it’s for the good. You don’t want to jeopardize that, do you?”
    “Threats only work if you have something to threaten,” Jacob said. “I never wanted the job, so if you snatch it away, I’ll say good riddance. I’ll be my own man.”
    “You’ll be what I tell you to be.”
    “No, Father, I won’t. Nobody tells me who I am.”
    He sputtered. “I don’t believe it. I just cannot believe what I’m hearing. I’m warning you, boy, I’ve had other rebellious sons. You know what happened to them, what they’ve become, how far they’ve fallen. That will be you, too.”
    “Father, I’ve got a medical degree and am a respected doctor at a hospital. I am married and have three children, with a fourth on the way. Liz supports me, and Fernie, and several hundred other people who can see that you don’t need whips and bullying to lead them.”
    “You’ve only accomplished that because of me and because it was the will of the Lord. Now, are you going to obey His servant or not?”
    “Come on, Liz, let’s go. I can see we’re wasting our time.” He began to rise.
    “No, wait! We need to talk.”
    Jacob sat back down. “I’ll be happy to talk, Father, but no more bullying. You deal with us—not just me, with Liz, too—and you’re going to deal with us as equals. If you don’t deal with us as equals, we’re going to shake the dust from our feet and never visit this place again.”
    Eliza sat up straight. She had watched the exchange with growing astonishment. In spite of his bluster, Father had been on the defensive from the beginning. In years past, nobody had stood up to him like Jacob, but Father had always won, through sheer force of will and a righteous certitude in his own actions. But not today, today it was clear that Jacob was more than his equal. He was stronger than Father, even on the older man’s home territory. And now, the threat to shake the dust from his feet, to condemn Father forever.
    Father turned gray. “What do you want?” he asked at last.
    “Liz, tell him what we want.”
    “Look at me, Father,” Liz said. She forced strength into her voice, to match Jacob’s. “In the eye.”
    “Do you have to do this?” he asked Jacob. “It is humiliating. I’ve already agreed to listen, do you have to rub my nose in it?”
    “Do it,” Jacob said. “Look her in the eye and wipe the condescension off your face. She’s not a child, she’s an adult. If you don’t do her the courtesy of treating her as an equal, you’ll be the one who will look like a fool, not her.”
    Father stayed rigid for a long moment, then his jaw loosened. He turned his face to Eliza. At last, he met her gaze and she was surprised to see a touch of pride in his expression hiding behind his arrogance. Pride in her, it would seem. “Well, you’ve certainly