“You can’t handle the shame of your actions, so you hide behind a made-up facade, live in a made-up, fantasy world where everyone loves you. Well, guess what? I’m here to expose you. And bring justice to all the little girls you’ve hurt like you’ve hurt me,” I say.
I’ve never spoken in a firmer, more commanding voice. It echoes off the high-ceilings of this church, getting amplified. I wish I had a voice this strong back then. I didn’t. But I do now.
“And this whole town will know it,” I say. “The whole world will know it. No one will be able to protect you once I’m done with you.”
He grips the edge of the altar and sort of pushes off against it as though he means to lunge at me. I don’t flinch, I don’t move a muscle.
“You’re insane,” he hisses. “You wanted it as much as I wanted it. And here you are saying these lies. You’re the one who is ashamed. You’re the one who is full of shame for the way you begged me to fuck you. Gagging for it you were, you little whore. And what, now you don’t want your boyfriend to know what a slut you’ve been?”
The words cut, I can’t deny that. A part of me wants to lunge myself at him and beat him until he takes all these lies back.
But the hard, strong woman I’ve become isn’t touched by the lies. Doesn’t care. Has lived with, and made peace with, the injustices of this world a long time ago.
“And little Kate Cole? Is she a whore too?” I ask.
“Yes, yes, she is,” he hisses, even as his eyes grow soft and confused. He’s said more than he wanted to, but couldn’t stop himself.
Men like him—narcissistic psychopaths—they can’t control their rages. I’ve seen it over and over in the criminals we’vechased down with Rogue Angels MC. And he proves it all over again as he adds. “She’s a whore just like her mother. Can’t wait to be alone with me down in the basement.”
He clamps his mouth shut, finally getting enough control back to realize how much he’s incriminating himself.
“That’s not what the video of your last encounter showed,” I say calmly. “She tried so hard to get you to leave her alone. But you wouldn’t.”
His face turns as white as the altar cloth behind him.
“That’s right, I have it all on video,” I say, lying smoothly. “And unless you want the whole town to see that video at Mass tomorrow, you will turn yourself in today. You will confess to all you have done, and you will refuse to be protected by the Catholic Church. You will be judged and convicted in a normal court.”
“The hell I will,” he yells and lunges at me. He’s so much bigger than me that he probably expected to run right over me.
So he’s looking at me like a very confused fish out of water, as he lays at my feet with my boot on his neck, pressing hard. I’ve gotten very good at using my opponents’ strength against them over the years. Had to, being so much smaller than most of them.
“You will never hurt me again, Father Gael,” I tell him. “But I will hurt you very badly if you don’t do as I say. The tables have turned.”
He seems to realize the truth of that, but he’s keeping his lips firmly pressed together as though he’s afraid to say too much. Or it’s just the shame of getting thrown on the floor by a girl that’s preventing him from speaking.
“Turn yourself in by tonight or I’m coming back for you,” I say as I remove my boot from his neck. “And you won’t like it when I do.”
I give him one last hard look then turn to exit the church. I’m fully aware he might attack me from behind, nasty little cowards like him always favor that approach. But he doesn’t. Maybe also because Nico is standing by the first row of pews, glaring in his direction, murder in his eyes.
He wraps his arm around my shoulders as we walk to the front door of the church together. And I don’t need him to lend me his strength now, I don’t need him to support me. But I welcome it with all my heart.
30
Nico
After confronting the priest, we picked up Zane and have been parked near the church since. From our spot, we have a good view of the priest’s house, the church and the community center, and nothing much has been happening. My car smells like coffee and the fast-food junk we picked up for lunch, mostly because Alice didn’t finish her burger and fries and it’s been spoiling all day in the heat.
“You gave him until tonight to turn himself in,” I remind Alice. “The sun is setting and it’s gonna get dark soon, but he’s showing no signs of doing it.”
I keep my gaze fixed on the church, which makes it possible to ignore her sharp look. She let me hold her hand for a while after she spoke to the priest, but not for long. As the hours passed, she closed off more and more.
“If you gave him an ultimatum then we have to follow through now,” Zane says, leaning forward from the back seat and sticking his head in between the two front seats. He gets an equally sharp look from Alice that she just gave me.
“I know that,” she says in a hard voice.
She opens the laptop she’s been cradling and plays the recording of the confrontation in the church again. We’ve listened to it at least twenty times since we got here.
“There’s nothing very incriminating on here,” Alice says. “I hoped he’d say more.”
