Page 16 of The Priest

I don’t think anymore, allowing my body’s natural instincts to take control. Before I know it, I’m running from my place in the living room, out the door, and into the cold night air. I don’t stop sprinting until I’ve reached the church’s gate. I turn around to see if he’s chasing me, but he isn’t. Reed stands on his porch with hands on the railing.

I break through the gate and see headlights coming towards me. It’s probably Dad, and I breathe a sigh of relief. As shameful as it is to stand here in one of Reed’s shirts, I’d rather explain this to him than be trapped in this strange melting pot of emotions alone.

As the car nears, I notice they aren’t the familiar headlights of Dad’s BMW. The car slows on approach until it’s moving at a crawl. The driver’s window is rolled down, and the man inside is holding a gun against his chest, with the barrel fixed on me.

“Get in the car if you know what’s good for you,” he says, and the backdoor swings open.

In the distance, I hear Reed shouting my name. He’s begging and pleading for me not to get in the car, but what choice do I have? I step to the backseat, but before I enter, a hand grabs my wrist and pulls me inside. Terror clings to the back of my throat and chokes my breathing as the tires skid and we start speeding off.

And just like that, I feel the gaping void of leaving Reed’s side. Bad as he may be, there isn’t a person alive I’d rather be with now.

Not even my dad.

10

REED

With nothing but my track pants and a gun, I pursue the men who kidnapped my woman. They don’t make it hard for me, driving slow enough so I’d catch up but fast enough to reach their destination before I could do anything about it.

This was always a possibility, I reasoned while I drove. Blinded by the desire to have Valerie at my side, I never considered Alfonso’s call a threat.

Those delusions died the moment I saw Valerie get abducted. It’s a cold reminder of the harsh realities of life. That no matter how far you run, the past will always come back to haunt you. Unfortunately for me, the past was only a week ago, and Alfonso Cipriani is still mighty angry about what I did to him.

I’m standing outside a warehouse on the docks. I’m not two miles from the boat I have all my riches stashed on. If Valerie had not entered my life like a hurricane and shaken the foundations of my belief, I’d have run to it now. Taken tothe waters and disappeared from this cursed land. There’s no running now, not until I know she’s safe.

Even if it means I won’t be walking out of here myself.

“Hands where I can see them,” a voice comes from behind.

I do as it instructs, raising my hands but keeping my gun firm in my grip. Turning my head over my shoulder, I don’t see one of Cipriani’s suited men but Valerie’s father. He has a gun to my back and a mean look in his eye. As much as I hate to admit it, I deserve that hateful glare. “Reed Murphy, you are under arrest for th?—”

“Shoot me if you must, officer, but I’m not going with you,” I say. “Not now, at least. Your daughter is inside this warehouse, and I’m going to get her out.”

“What did you just say?” he snarls like an enraged mutt.

“When she was leaving the church, I saw them take her. I’m going to get her out. Let me do this, and I’ll let you take me in,” I say.

I want my words to be a lie, but they aren’t. Valerie’s safety is the only thing I care about now. The moment I saw her, when I claimed her as mine, I stopped living for myself. She became my sole focus, my reason to live. If that means going to jail, so be it. Even now, as I face the law and my poor decisions, I don’t want to run. Without her by my side, there’s no reason to go on.

“Let me—the police—handle this.” Fear bites at his words. The anger and frustration are washed away by pure concern for Valerie’s safety.

“With all due respect, officer, these animals will eat you alive. You’re a small-town cop with little understanding of how realcriminals work. Stand back and let a professional take care of this,” I say. I’m oddly calm for a man facing death on all fronts. “I’ll get her out, and then you can do whatever you’re going to do.”

“Okay, fine. But please, bring her back to me,” he says.

With a nod, I drop my arms and step inside the warehouse.

11

VALERIE

Acacophony of gunshots echoes and reverberates throughout the warehouse. All the while, the man who took me captive sits behind the warehouse manager’s desk with a shit-eating grin on his skinny face.

“All this bloodshed has to make a man wonder what’s so special about you,” he says, like I have any idea what this is about.

“What do you want with me?” It’s the only question that comes to mind. I don’t expect an answer, but I’ll accept anything he gives.

“You?” He raises a brow and steeples his fingers. “Nothing. You’re inconsequential. I want Reed, and you were the easiest way to get him here.”

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