Total pages in book: 27
Estimated words: 25253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 25253 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 126(@200wpm)___ 101(@250wpm)___ 84(@300wpm)
The older man peeks at the amount. Once his curiosity is satisfied, he pockets the offering and takes a seat in the middle of the upholstered sofa. I fill a crystal glass nearly to the brim with thirty-year-old whiskey and hand it to him before taking my own seat.
He savors the first deep gulp before saying, “Whenever I visit, I think it will be my last. How can someone with so many temptations remain pure?”
“I take it you have heard that Kane Santino sent me a gift.”
“A gift? More like a siren.” Abbott Emerson leans forward. “Son, you have made it to thirty without a blemish in your history. You’ve maintained the Chapel like a monastery. Your gifts to the Church are generous. Do not allow your soul to be tainted.”
I rub a finger across my lower lip. The Church does not care if I steal or murder, but lie with a woman and I will be excommunicated.
“My soul remains pure, Abbott, but thank you for watching over me.” I lift my hand, and Lars steps forward with another check. “Please accept this additional gift as penance for any sins I may have overlooked.”
Abbot discreetly clocks the amount before tucking the check away. Since he doesn’t make any remarks, whatever amount Lars put there must cover the amount of sinning Abbott presumes I’ve done.
“Let’s put aside this topic and talk about something else,” Abbott suggests. For the remainder of the visit, he touches on a number of topics from how the current mayor displeases him to his future trip to the motherland. Before he leaves, he blesses the Chapel. “You’re doing well here, Father Bjornsson. Please take good care of yourself as I don’t want to lose even a single member of my flock.”
“That sounds like a threat,” Lars says after closing the door behind the swishing black robes of the Abbott.
“Institutions with international ties always feel that they are more important than local chapters.” I dump the whiskey into the trash and then, after a moment of consideration, toss the glass in there as well.
“They never know what’s happening in their backyards,” Lars complains.
“That’s a good thing.” The less the Church knows about my organization, the better. If they knew the scope of my holdings, it would present a problem, and they would send people in to remove some of my possessions, to try to prove their power over me.
“How much was in the second check?” I ask.
“A couple of zeros,” Lars replies. “I didn’t think you had sinned too badly, but maybe next visit, it will be three zeros.”
“You have no faith in me?” I hadn’t realized my reaction to Angel was that obvious.
“Every man has a weakness.”
“Speaking of, how is the angel doing?”
“She didn’t eat much,” Lars says.
“Have the red velvet tart delivered. No one can resist that.”
“You think you should be visiting her at this hour?” Lars sounds concerned.
“We can always send a bigger offering if you think my behavior warrants it.”
When I arrive at the Mary suite, a member of the kitchen staff pulls up with a tray.
“I'll take this off your hands,” I say.
“Yes, Father.” The young boy nods diffidently.
I’ve seen this one only once or twice. There’s something odd about him that I can’t quite put my finger on, but it’s not something I care enough about to explore. There are many who have secrets at the Chapel. As long as I can count on their loyalty, they are free to keep their demons to themselves.
I knock once and let myself in. Angel is lying on the bed enveloped in a big white robe with a towel wrapped around her head. My body tightens at the thought of her naked and wet, her body slick with soap. The tray almost slips out of my hands. Angel lets out a yelp and throws a cover over her lower half.
“Do you think it’s right for you to just barge in like that?” she says in a hostile tone.
“Yes,” I say, setting the tray on the table that’s situated in front of the balcony doors. “Are you enjoying your accommodations?”
“You know it’s illegal to keep people locked up.”
I tug the curtains aside so that the fading sun casts golden beams into the room. “Yes.”
“How can you be a man of God and do illegal things? That doesn’t make sense.”
I take a seat and gesture for her to come join me. “Come here, and I’ll answer every question you have of me.”
She sits up and pins me with a narrow, suspicious stare. “Every question?”
“Every single one.”
CHAPTER 4
ANGEL
I’m not sure where I want to begin. I have so many questions for this man, but I almost don’t want to give him the satisfaction of asking them. For all I know, he could feed me lies while manipulating me to share my own identity.