Page 57 of Hunt for You

I wondered what Sid would do withthat.

Heart beating a little faster, and smiling because I couldn’t help it, I hurried into the kitchen to make a smoothie.

I had a plan now. My body was still jittery, but the panic was passing.

Either I was going to be hunted tonight, or I was going to have some fun. It was a win-win.

I kept telling myself that all the way through my breakfast, shower, drying my hair, and packing the bag forVigorí.

But that little voice in the back of my head didn’t want to leave me in peace.

Cain,it said.I need more Cain. These other guys are just… hollow.

But I didn’t get a choice with Cain.

Even “Sid Vicious” was better than another night alone in the dark.

Maybe after I watched him work I’d finally be able to sleep…

When I got to the little church near the highway, I was surprised that there were several cars there already, and the doors were open. And even more surprised to see a little handwritten sign out front that said MEMORIAL with an arrow pointing to the open doors.

Shit. I hadn’t read the email from Richard. Maybe he’d been changing the time?

Halfway across the parking lot from my car I hesitated as an old couple got out of their vehicle in one of the disabled parks and tottered towards the ramp alongside the main stairs to the door.

Was I going to be intruding? But one glance towards the fence at the back revealed Richard’s car. So he was definitely here. I turned on my heel and headed to the little house behind the chapel, but I knocked three times and there was no answer. Which meant Richard was over in the church.

After a moment’s pause, I decided to go ahead and go inside. There weren’t a lot of people here. Either Richard was running this service and I could just sit at the back and wait for him to be done—he’d probably need a drink after that—or he was just overthere being nice, and I could wait for him until he was ready to go.

The sun was bright enough outside that when I stepped in the door my eyes took a moment to adjust. The pretty chapel inside looked very dark—the long, wooden pews in regimented lines designed to seat a couple hundred people held maybe a dozen—just pairs and singles scattered here and there around the sanctuary, all with gray hair and wearing tweed or sweaters. All old.

As my eyes adjusted, I caught sight of one younger guy in a white collared shirt under a slim-fitting black sweater and black pants, squatting in the middle of the aisle, murmuring comfort to a couple old ladies. But other than that, it looked like a poorly attended rotary club meeting.

I swallowed hard and started scanning the chapel and pews again to see if I could find Richard, probably praying with some old lady in a corner. Or maybe he was being forced to do the service and he was in the back room getting changed into a funny hat or something?

I’d never seen him wear a funny hat, but I’d always imagined he had a closet full of robes and hats and whatever else men of the cloth had to use when they were called on to give last rites, or whatever.

Then my mind threw up an image of me convincing Richard to let me borrow one of those pope gowns and sashes, then showing up atVigorídressed like that, and I kind of spluttered.

The young guy in the aisle turned to look, saw me standing at the top of the aisle and quickly got to his feet, leaning in to whisper something to the old ladies before trotting towards me looking apologetic.

I took a quick second to admire the broad shoulders and limbs so muscular even the could-have-been-a-waiter outfitcouldn’t hide them, before seeing the cross hanging around his neck and realizing the guy was obviously another priest.

Then he got into the light from the door behind me and I had to blink because with that dark hair scattered over his forehead and rugged good looks, he didn’tlooklike a priest.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you. Mabel just needed a quick prayer. Thank you for coming.”

“Oh!” I said, taking an instinctive step back. “No, no, I’m sorry. I’m not here for the memorial, I’m just looking for Di—I mean, Richard. I didn’t mean to disturb the service.”

The guy’s heavy brows pressed down, forming a V over his nose. “You’re…lookingfor Richard?”

I nodded and scanned the church again. “Yes. We had made an appointment for a coffee. A… a counseling session, I guess you could call it,” I said, laughing nervously because this guy’s gaze was penetrating and he wasexactlymy type. Physically. I couldn’t say I’d ever been drawn to the spiritual type. Though it might be fun to try and corrupt one…

I shoved that thought out of my head, suddenly pissed off with myself. The guy was apriestrunning a memorial service, and here my brain was already painting pictures of taking him into the back room and throwing him down on the funny gowns and hats and—

Stop.

I blinked and looked back at him, surprised to find him staring at me like he was scared.

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