Theo’s jaw clenched, as he moved to stand, swaying slightly on his feet as I imagined the twisting of his back pained him.
“What have I done? I’ve returned my wife to her rightful place, by my side. I knew that I should never have listened to you when you tried to convince me that my wife was gone, dead.”
I’d never heard Theo speak so harshly to his Father and I tensed, waiting for him to lash out.
“H-how is she here? I don’t understand, did they bring her back here?”
“They?” Theo said with confusion.
“Oh no,” Father's voice shook. Was that fear? “Theodore, tell me. Now. How did you find her?”
“You knew?” Theo scoffed. “You knew my wife was alive and well this whole time?”
“I-I...You don't understand. Theodore. Please, who else knows that she is here? Where did you find her? Who helped you?”
There was a long pause. Theodore grunted as his feet carried him closer to the door and out of my line of sight. “What did you do?”
“You will not disrespect me,” Father said with ferocity. “You have put all of us at risk.”
My stomach soured. There was something wrong. Something very wrong with the situation.
“Risk? What risks have you taken, Father? What have you done? Have you been making deals with the devil?”
“You don’t understand, Theodore. They threatened the church. They told me if I complied with their demands they wouldn’t harm her. And they wouldn’t reveal…reveal the nature of our doctrine.”
Oh, no. No. Had Los Siete gone through with their plan? Even without me here?
“And what did these men have you do?” Theo asked with a level of calm that I wasn’t expecting.
“Business. Just business. With the law. Nothing that didn’t help our own endeavors.”
“Is that what you tell yourself at night, Father? Do you still pray to our God for forgiveness, or does the Lord come second to the devilish criminals whom you’ve deemed worthy of your devotion?”
I couldn’t see Father’s face, but I could imagine the shade of red it was turning. There was a long pause of silence, and I wondered if Father was having a stroke.
“You don’t know what you’ve done,” he finally muttered gravely.
“I’ve done nothing but the will of our Lord. Can you say the same?”
Father stuttered, fumbling for words.
“You’ve made a deal with the devil, whereas I’ve made a deal with the Lord. He’s rewarded me for my faithfulness, reunited me with my wife, and has given me a vision of how to cull the generational sickness from my bloodline. Perhaps you should be more concerned with where your devotion lies, Father, than with my personal affairs.”
“You cannot judge the sinner when you are riddled with the stain of sin yourself. I have done more for this family, this church, than you willeverdo in your lifetime.” He paused. “Which will be short when they find out what you’ve done.”
“They won’t find out, becauseyouaren’t going to tell them. Unless you want mother to know the truth.”
“You wouldn’t dare,” Father spat.
“For nothing is secret that will not berevealed, noranythinghidden that will not be known and come to light.”
I swallowed, the room spinning, so I closed my eyes.
The pain I’d tried to lock away into a box was forcing its way out, seeping through the cracks of my resolve. An involuntary whine left my throat before I welcomed the darkness that pulled me away from here.
Maybe I’d never wake up this time.
Forty-Four
