Page 37 of Please Hate Me

I was sick of watching people pay attention to him. I was tired of hearing my father telling me I’d never be as likable as Lucian; I’d never be as handsome or artistic. I hated comparing myself to him. He was my opposite in every way, a total disaster, and yet everyone seemed to be enchanted by him.

That was why I needed to pour my whole being into finishing this case. We could leave for Portland as soon as it was solved, and I could finally focus on the next chapter of my life. A life with Mason and Lavender, a life where I finally did what made me happy instead of what appeased my family. Besides, I was growing bored of reviewing the same case information.

And I wasespeciallytired of attending all thesegoddamnchurch services.

The pews gradually filled as the congregants took their spots. I slid into an empty seat near the back, perfect for observing without drawing attention. Silence fell upon the crowd, and the lights dimmed, leaving only the flicker of candlelight and technicolored sunbeams to break the darkness. A long shadow danced across the pulpit as the pounding of dress shoes on wood filled the space. I held my breath, waiting for the pastor to emerge. That’s when I saw a shock of copper hair and an all-too-familiar hick.

My heart raced as I watched Cameron take the podium. The orange glow of the candles caught on his strong features, and a strange flutter filled my chest. I tried to chalk it up to excitement at the fact that my case might start progressing, but the longer I watched Cameron, the more I realized that wasn’t the case. His facial features reminded me of a boyfriend I once had, whom I hid from most of my family for fear of disappointing them. Regardless—Cameron may have been physically attractive, but his lack of intelligence made him ugly.

He cleared his throat, wrapping his hands around the edges of the podium.

“Brothers and sisters in Christ, let us bow our heads and open our hearts to the word of God. For it is his love that binds us all.”

His deep drawl reverberated through the space, causing a chill to run down my spine.

“Our Father, who art in heaven, today we seek your wisdom as we continue down the path of righteousness.Guideus,leadus, and fill us with enoughconvictionto know your word is, and alwayswillbe thetruth...”

My head tipped to the side as a nearly imperceptible quiver stole the end of Cameron’s sentence. I seemed to be the only one affected by his tone; the mindless thralls around me were entranced. No one dared to even breathe while Cameron Cole spoke.

“Today, we are gatherednotas individuals, but as aunifiedbody, bound together bydevotionto our lord.” His voice intensified. “It is in ourcollectivesouls that we will findstrength, andinthat strength, we will findsalvationas promised by our creator.”

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd, and the room seemed to shrink as everyone shifted slightly closer to the center. It was as though they all needed to be as close to Cameron as possible. Religion had always been a bit too organized for my liking, but from the back of the chapel, I felt like a complete outsider. Like I was in a play where everyone knew their cues except for me.

“The pathwetread, steeped inloyaltyandobedience, leads us to adivinepromise.” Cameron stood a little straighter, causing his shadow to fall onto the first row. “There is aplaceprepared for those whofollow. Areturnis promised, one where we, hisloyalfollowers, will bebrought togetherin the afterlife.”

The promise of salvation hung in the air, so tantalizingly close that any idiot would easily take Cameron’s word as gospel.

“Dale would be so proud of him.” a poor attempt at a whisper rang from a few rows in front of me.

Cameron stopped speaking for a moment, his shoulders growing rigid as his eyes scanned the crowd.

Had he heard that voice too? Who was Dale? Why did the mere mention of him cause such a strong reaction?

Cameron’s copper curls swayed as he regained his composure. “Ourjourneyis not one we embark on forpersonalgain. Instead, wemustconsider the future. A life ofradiancethat only the purity of achildcan provide. It is in theinnocenceandunwavering faithof a child that we willtrulyunderstand the path to our salvation, and thefulfillmentof ourdestiny.”

He leaned forward, his dark eyes somehow finding mine. His gaze was unnerving, almost as if he could see directly into my soul.

“And it is achildwho shall lead our way, as they will be ourvesselof divine grace. As thefaithof a child is the mostpureandunshakeable, and who arewe, ashumansbuilt inGod’s image, to deny hisdivine plan?”

Gravel filled his words, and a strange feeling stirred in my stomach. Something was rotten in the town of Hartwood, and I was certain Cameron Cole was at the center of it.

Chapter 12

Lucian

I gripped my steering wheel with enough force to turn my knuckles white. Today was already nothing but terrible, and it was only noon. I woke up to my brother pounding on my door, asking to have breakfast, and he had the audacity to leave his bitch out of the invitation. If he was going to drag me out of bed, he could’ve at least given me the chance to see Mason uncomfortable. I deserved to watch her squirm after she destroyed my entire life.

Then, all of a sudden, Mason came down to have a private breakfast with Sophia? What the fuck did Sophia have that I didn’t?

I always loved Mason more than she did. Even worse, Sophia asked her to join our relationship again without talking to Cam or me, and apparently,infuriatingly, the conversation went well.

With enough deep breaths, I could just barely deal with all that without having a literal aneurysm. What I couldn’t deal with wasSebastian blowing up my fucking phone the second we got out of church.

What the hell was he doing inchurchanyway?

“Lucky, are you paying attention to me at all?” The sound of his voice made my skin prickle.

“I just don’t know how many different ways you can tell me to take care of your bitch without repeating yourself.” I scoffed. “Also, why not ask Sophia? She’s the one Mason likes.”

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