“Eh.” Vinnie reached for a pencil and pad of paper. “Sounds like you guys are getting back on track. What do you want from him, anyway?”
“I don’t know.”
“That’s fair.”
Sami eyed the small office. “I don’t want a shrink, Vinnie.”
“How about a friend?” Vinnie tapped her pencil end over end. “I like you, and we can be friends. Do girl talk and stuff.”
“Isn’t that what we were just doing?” Sami asked.
“Yep.”
Sami nodded, and her throat clogged. “I’m scared, Vinnie. I’m scared we won’t be able to find the enzyme for Tace and he’ll die. Worse yet, I’m afraid that if I had spoken up earlier, we’d have that cure now and it’s my fault it’s too late.” The words burst out of her.
Vinnie sighed. “I understand, but the second you realized what was wrong with Tace, you came clean. You sacrificed your safety here, your position here, the very minute you thought you could help him. That means something.”
Sami let the words sink in, but her chest still ached. What if?
Vinnie stiffened, and then Pastor Zachary King strode into the room like he owned the entire building. His nose was swollen and his left eye purple from Tace’s attack.
Vinnie smiled. “We’re not finished talking, Sami. As you know, Jax would like a determination as to duty fitness, so we’ll continue later.” She sounded all official, which was probably a cover for Zach.
Sami played along and scowled. “I had not known that fact.”
Vinnie smiled. “Yep.” She looked up. “Zachary? Please take a seat on the sofa.”
Zachary looked from Sami to Vinnie, each in her own chair. There was no doubt the sofa was not the power center of the room. Yet he moved by Vinnie and gracefully sat. “It was kind of you to meet with me, Doctor Wellington.”
Oh, he was smooth.
“I’m so happy we have time to speak,” Vinnie said easily. “Did you bring me a list of your church members?”
Zachary’s lip twisted. “I did not. I do apologize, Doctor, but the church elders have decided that our list is private, just like it would have been in years past.”
“The world has changed, Zach,” Sami interjected.
Vinnie leaned forward, her face set in sympathetic lines. “Pastor King, surely you understand Jax’s concern about people being coerced into joining or staying with your church. He has a duty to all of Vanguard, and those are Vanguard citizens. He must make sure they’re all right.”
Zachary nodded. “I do see his dilemma, but my hands are tied. If people don’t want to be part of the Pure, then they’re free to leave. That’s all the assurance I can give today.”
“Are you planning on leaving Vanguard?” Sami asked.
“We have not decided at this point. Best-case scenario would be for us to remain in place, safely behind Vanguard walls. I do understand this isn’t a fair request.” Zachary spread his hands out as if helpless.
Sami kicked back. “I have a list of your church members, Zachary.”
He glanced her way. “Excuse me?”
“Oh, it took important time I could’ve spent elsewhere, but we’ve conducted housing checks on every Vanguard member, cross-checked those against intakes from the beginning, and we now know exactly who is living in the three Pure apartment buildings.” Sami watched the pastor carefully. No flinch. He didn’t care.
“Oh then.” He smiled. “I guess the meeting is over.”
“No. Are there any Pure members living outside those three apartments?” Sami asked.
He shrugged. “Maybe a couple, and definitely potential members are living outside our quarters, but not many.”
“Good. So now we know.” Vinnie made a notation in her book. “We’ll need to schedule one-on-one appointments with each member to ensure they’re willing participants, and then we can put all this to bed.” She tore out a sheet of paper with times listed on it. “Have folks sign up.”
