The ring wason the bathroom counter…and I’d almost lost the chance to give it to her.
That was the thought I couldn’t shake off as I settled into the tub behind her, June tucked against my chest, her head resting on my shoulder. She was exhausted after her rainy, barefoot sprint through the woods, her close encounter with Amelia…and with Abel.
And I was…
…I was so angry.
I’d called the cops, but that didn’t help…because I wanted to take care of this myself. For years, I’d been a man more inclined toward despair than rage. Despair was comfortable, quiet. It was the hole I crawled into when things went wrong, when everything seemed hopeless.
But now June was here…and she’d lit a fire under me to keep the things I cared about.
I wasn’t going to let anything take her away.
“Okay,” she breathed, heaving a deep sigh before continuing. “I think my head’s clear enough to actually tell you what happened now.”
I kissed her temple and nodded, my arms tightening around her. The water lapped against her shoulders, her breasts, her hair floating in threads of gold around the two of us.
“I was dropping off hymnals,” she said. “Rain was coming down hard. I’d just left Loretta’s and figured I’d make one last trip before heading home.”
My jaw flexed. I should’ve been there.
“And before you say you should’ve been there, take a second and think about that,” June said, as if she could read my damn mind. “This was normal. I’ve been in and out of that church dozens of times over the past few days, no problem. But tonight…”
She paused another moment.
“Tonight, it felt off from the second I stepped inside. Like someone had been there…or was still there, I don’t know how to explain it. I hadn’t heard anything wrong when I saw Amelia, but that set all my alarm bells ringing because she’s normally around when I’m in danger.”
I swallowed thickly. “What did she do?”
“She just kind of…I don’t know, I felt like I should follow her, so I did—down the hall from the sanctuary to the parsonage. The door was still open, and I pushed it open and Silas…”
June went still, taking a shaky breath.
“Honestly, it was one of the most…miraculous and divine and terrifying things I’ve ever seen, now that you’ve shown me pictures. I mean, it washer—and she was in the window, looking out toward the woods. She told me to run.”
I tried to steady my breathing, but I was having a hell of a time of it. I wanted to fucking scream…wanted to sob, wanted to track down Abel Trent and tear his fucking throat out.
“And then?”
“I heard someone come in through the sanctuary, and Amelia pointed through the back door, so I followed herinstructions,” June said. “I went out, and a second later…I swear, someone was in there with her, and she was pointing toward the woods now. I just followed her instructions…followed the light. And Silas, it was like the forest pitched in—lightning making the trail nice and bright, the wind pushing me forward, fireflies like signposts. Like Amelia walked me home.”
“She did,” I said without hesitation.
June huffed out a sad laugh. “I know…I know she did.”
I ran a hand through her wet hair, careful not to pull at any tangles. She was shaking again—adrenaline still wearing off, coming in fits and starts—and I just held her tighter, like I could stop the world from spinning out beneath her feet.
“I don’t know how we repay something like that,” she whispered. “She…she’s stuck here, isn’t she? Stuck between whatever hell she lived through and whatever peace she never got.”
I frowned, chewing on my lip. “Hadn’t thought of it that way before.”
June tilted her head to look back at me. “I think we need to end this, Silas.”
“How do you mean?”
“We need to stop Abel,” June said. “For good.”
Opposing sensations warred in my chest…rage, agreement, motivation to get rid of him like she said. But also fear—because she was at risk now, and I couldn’t bear to lose her.
