Page 61 of Sinful

Then again, in all fairness, he wasn’t wrong to distrust me. Not when I had his closest friend’s daughter locked up in an underground cell.

We made it back to the town square, where Augustus had spent the day organizing and convening with the search parties. “Any luck?” I called out.

He shook his head, lips pressed in a grim line. “Not a trace of her has turned up,” he said, glancing up at the sky. “Night will fall soon, so we will have to suspend the search until tomorrow.”

“I’m sorry. I really thought she would’ve made it home by now.”

“I hoped for the same. I can only imagine how frightened she must feel out there,” he said hoarsely.

I put a hand on his shoulder. “I have to head off soon, but I can come back and help you look again for a couple of hours tomorrow.”

He dipped his chin in a curt nod. “I appreciate that, Sebastian.”

“I won’t be able to spend a lot of time here over the next couple of weeks, because I have so much work to do on the outside. But I can still assist you,” I went on. “I have some connections back in the city who could arrange an aerial search with a helicopter. You have twenty thousand acres of wildernessout here, so there’s no way you can realistically search it all on foot.”

“That is an incredible offer.” A ghost of a smile appeared on Augustus’s face. “I would be eternally grateful for it.”

“I’ll make the call as soon as I get to the bottom of the mountain, and I’ll send you a message to let you know when it’s sorted.” I patted his shoulder. “I just hope it won’t be necessary in the end. Maybe she’ll be back by the morning.”

“I am praying for that with every second that passes.”

“We all are, Augustus,” Jean-Pierre cut in. “I’ll walk Sebastian back to the gate now.”

He clapped a hand on my back and escorted me through town. Just before we reached the gate, he stopped me, eyes flickering nervously as he scratched his nose. “Listen, Sebastian. I realize I have no right to ask this ofyou,of all people, but I was hoping you would do me the favor anyway.”

“What favor?”

He coughed and cleared his throat. “Please don’t tell Augustus what we discussed earlier.”

“About my mother?” I shook my head, forehead creasing. “He knows I’m trying to find out what happened to her.”

“I’m aware of that. But the thing is… he puts up a strong front, because that’s his job as governor. But I know he doesn’t like anyone talking about Miranda. More specifically, about the night she died. He was close with her, and everything that happened back then… it damn near broke him.”

“I see.”

“Our entire community suffered after her death, because of the turmoil and hatred from the outsiders, and we also felt a collective responsibility for what happened to her.” Jean-Pierre paused and gave me a hard look. “Augustus felt that guilt the most. If she hadn’t been with us that night, her attacker might not have found her. Wherever she ended upaftershe was withus, that is. So, in a way, it’s partially our fault. And I know it kills Augustus to think about that, let alone hear it from others.”

Jesus fucking Christ.

Guilt was practically oozing from the man’s pores. All these years of covering up the Covenant’s culpability had clearly affected him, and he could barely stop himself from confessing. Hell, he practicallyhadconfessed, in a sense, with all that shit about ‘collective responsibility’ and ‘her death was partially our fault’.

I clapped a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t worry, Mr. Leclerc. I understand, and I won’t breathe a word to Augustus.”

“Thank you. I’m just sorry there isn’t more I can tell you about that night.”

Oh, you’ve told me enough, man.Like the fact that Augustus had made it abundantly clear to the villagers that they couldn’t discuss the night of my mother’s disappearance with me, and the fact that even a six-feet-five, two-hundred-plus pound man like Jean-Pierre was so afraid of crossing him.

Even though I was already certain these freaks killed my mother, I’d never been more certain than I was in this exact moment.

“It’s fine. You had nothing to do with her murder, so of course there’s nothing more you can tell me,” I said, forcing a reassuring half-smile. “I just hope when I finish her notes, they’ll finally reveal the outsider who decided they had a reason to abduct and kill her.”

“And frame us in the process.”

“Yes. That too.” I tipped my head toward the gate. “I better go. I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

He bade me goodbye, and I trekked down the mountain. By the time I reached my car, night had fallen, and the air was frigid. Rose would be fine despite her lack of clothing; nice and toasty in her underground cell.

I wondered what she was up to right now. Crying her eyes out, probably. Or marking the glass with more of those ridiculous protection symbols.

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