Page 46 of Beloved Sacrifice

“The Grand Master sent you?”

“That’s right.”

“Why you? I mean, who are you?”

“My name is Marek Lee, and I’m a consultant—security, NGOs, a bit of everything really. But as I said, I’m particularly known for kidnapping and ransom work. But I think what you’re asking is why the Trinity Masters would hire me. My grandparents—Grandma Ruth, Grandma Grace, and Grandpa Jim—were members of the Trinity Masters.”

“You’re a legacy.”

He nodded. “I suppose I am, but my mother turned down her membership. She chose instead to marry my father.”

“She married for love.”

“Yes.” There were napkins in the bag, but the fibrous paper wouldn’t feel good against her raw skin. Marek started unbuttoning his shirt, Rose watching him with a cold face.

“You know about the Trinity Masters, but you’re not a member. Which means you’re not one of the purists.”

He undid his cuffs. “Purists?”

“The Trinity Masters are a bit too liberal for some—we let in people of color now. Shocking.”

“My mother said that Grandma Ruth faced some resistance. Grandma Ruth was South American.”

“So you get it. The purists are a secret group of racist scum. They’ve been keeping secrets from the Grand Master. When Juliette took over, she figured out that there was something going on, and she started going after them.”

“You tried to kill some of these purists.” He stripped off his shirt and used it to start blotting the remaining water and blood from her legs. He was wearing a black vest, or tank top as the Americans called it, underneath.

“Oh no, I’m one of them.”

He froze, both hands pressed to her calf.

“Yep,” she went on, but now he could hear the bitter sarcasm. “I was…raised by purists. They made me and my…my friend help them.”

“Made you?”

“They were holding someone I love hostage.”

Marek blew out a long breath. “A well-known technique for forcing compliance.”

“My friend, on their orders, went to steal something from a non-purist member. He was shot. I…” She let out a sad little laugh. “I lost it. I heard him die and I just lost it.”

“You heard him die?”

“I was on the phone with him. He didn’t think there was anyone in the condo, so we stayed on the phone. I heard the gunshot. I heard him take his last breath.” Her tone hardened and her eyes glittered. “I heard them panicking when they realized he was dead. Realized they’d killed him.”

“You tried to kill the men who killed your friend.”

“Yes.” She hissed out the word. Then, with a visible effort, forced a rather cruel smile to curl her lips. “I burned down a hotel, too.”

Marek saw the pain she was hiding. He could have pushed, but instead said, “Well, you must have gotten up very early in the day to accomplish all that.”

Rose’s face lifted and she stared at him.

He smiled and kept drying her legs. “Did you think I’d condemn you for lashing out in grief?”

“Yes. Because I am condemned.”

“The Grand Master told me to save you.”

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