Page 46 of Hotter 'N Hell

“How do you know things have escalated?” I shot back at him.

He raised his eyebrows. “Because we just walked in on two people who had just gotten off. Even if your faces hadn’t been flushed, your shirt was all crooked, and there was a slightly darker shading on the crotch of the Father’s jeans. Plus, it had been over twenty minutes since the tornado had passed over here. And you were just coming out of the closet.”

Shit.

I let out a heavy sigh and rolled my eyes. Could I not have anything to myself? Did they all have to know my business?

The military-grade Hummer that belonged to Luther Levine pulled up.

Great. More people I did not want to see.

The back door opened, and Than Carver climbed out.

Luther rolled down the driver’s window. He looked from me to Linc. “Everything good?”

“Fuck, Saylor, that shit ain’t funny,” Than scolded me like a child. “When a motherfucking tornado is coming your way, you answer the phone and reassure us that you’re safe so we don’tlose our shit.”

He grabbed me and pulled me into a hug. That made it impossible to be annoyed with him. I hugged him back.

I’d struggled with seeing him after Crosby’s death. Although it had always been the four of us—me, Gathe, Than, and Crosby—Than had been Crosby’s best friend. Gathe had been mine. Was mine. Seeing Than now reminded me of Crosby, but not the bad stuff. He reminded me of the good times. The ones when it had been all of us against the world. Before I had changed. Become someone I thought Crosby wanted. Tried to be perfect for him. Not caring about what it was that I wanted.

“I’m sorry,” I told him. “My music was too loud. I didn’t hear my phone.”

He released me and looked at the building behind me. “Seems it survived just fine. The windows held up well. The roof was what I wasn’t sure about.”

“Father Jude put her in a closet with him, so she was extra safe,” Gathe said.

Than raised his eyebrows as he looked down at me. “Smart. Add Jesus for extra security.”

I rolled my eyes.

“Oh, Jesus, nor God, was in there with them,” Gathe said. “I’m one hundred percent sure our Princess has led the man of God to sin.”

“Well, damn,” Than muttered.

Shoving away from him, annoyed once again, I stalked over to the Hummer. “Does anyone know where my car is?” I asked before climbing into the back seat. I refused to ride with Gathe.

“Down in front of the Baptist church,” Linc replied. “I’m guessing it’s totaled.”

I sighed heavily, crossing my arms over my chest and leaning back on the seat while staring over at the church. Either I had to draw a line with Jude or accept this was always going to happen.He was going to shut me out. No matter what he said in the heat of the moment, he wouldn’t feel the same when it was over.

“Forgot your purse, computer, and phone,” Than said, sliding them inside on the seat.

“Thanks,” I replied, pulling them toward me.

“Why are you pouting?” Luther asked, looking at me through the rearview mirror. “The Bentley is insured. You get to pick out a new car.”

I shook my head and said nothing. The fact that he thought I was upset over my car just proved how shallow they all thought I was. Jude didn’t see me that way. I was different with him. I felt…alive.

If only being with me didn’t leave him feeling as if he had fallen from grace.

Eighteen

Jude

It could have been worse. The damage to the church had was nothing compared to some of the businesses that were completely destroyed. The rec hall would be closed down until the roof could be replaced and the water damage inside was fixed. We could work around it easily enough. The broken bathroom window in the rectory had already been replaced, and I’d cleaned up the glass, limbs, and trash that had blown inside the bathroom. If the tornado had moved over just a few more yards, the small house would have been taken out completely. I’d been lucky there.

Running my hand over my face, I groaned, thinking about how lucky the building that housed the clothes closet had been. I held my fingers to my nose and inhaled. I hadn’t washed my hand. I had started to several times, and I couldn’t do it. I’d never smelled anything like it, and it was messing me up. Worse than Ialready had been.

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