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“Everyone except you.”
He sets the box down on the railing. “I don’t take kindly to threats.”
“That wasn’t a threat.”
I pull the revolver from inside my jacket and raise it with the same ease as lighting a cigarette.
“This is a threat.”
He looks at the weapon, then back at me with an infuriating amount of calm.
“Zaiya belongs to me. In more ways than you could understand.”
He exhales through his nose, as if I’m proving one of the warnings in his sermons true.
“Evelyn has taken a liking to her. Zaiya was torn from her home, Edwin. She needs a mother. Don’t take that from her.”
My grip tightens.
“Why doesn’t Evelyn focus on her own daughter?”
His chin dips before he masks the reaction.
“I won’t let you corrupt a good girl like Zaiya. I’ll do whatever it takes to keep her away from you.”
All I can think about is putting a bullet through the church steps between his feet. Watching his composure crack. Watching him remember that this town is built on sin, and no amount of effort will redeem it.
Behind him, the open door gives me a view into the sanctuary. It looks different. Red fabric spills across the pews and shrouds the huge wooden cross on the wall. Several metal objects sit around the altar, but I'm unable to make out their purpose from here.
Something is off.
Frank follows my gaze. Panic flashes in his eyes before he reaches behind himself to close the door almost all the way.
He picks up the box again, pushing the cardboard flaps down over the top to cover what’s inside.
“Hiding something in there, Frank?” I ask.
“You don’t care what happens behind these doors, Edwin. You just hate not knowing.” He turns his back on me and puts his hand on the door. “That’s always the worst part.”
Frank disappears into the church and the door closes behind him. Even from a distance, I can hear the lock turn.
I stay where I am as darkness deepens, the gun loose in my hand, and stare at the white-painted wood as if I might see through it.
He can dismiss the question all he wants. I saw the panic before he buried it. Whatever is behind that door, it has nothing to do with Sunday service.
If members of the Order weren’t already waiting for me, I’d make him open that door. Tonight, though, my need for Zaiya’s touch outweighs everything.
He thinks his Bible and counsel can protect her from me. But he has no idea what filth I’m about to put her through.
CHAPTER 23
ZAIYA
Isit on the edge of my bed and stare out the window into the night. The bluff rises behind the house like a dark spine, cutting the sky in half. Only a handful of stars slip past it, weak and distant, as if even heaven hesitates to look down here.
If Asher can see me, I hope he turns away tonight. He wouldn’t understand what I’m about to do. I’m not quite sure myself. All I know is his name sits heavy on my heart, and it refuses to let me stay still.
This isn’t the life I was promised. I was meant to smile beside a safe man with a clean reputation and a future approved by my parents. I was raised to be useful. Quiet. Something decorative to be handed over.
