Page 186 of Priest and his Anarchist

“What’d you all find out about the Ministry during the whole time that you decided to place one of our own—no—” I pause, shaking my head and flicking my thumb over my bottom lip. “—my own—into a situation that could have ended badly for her and I’m not talking about Perdita.”

The room falls silent.

“Well, nothing. We trained her with a specific set of skills that would help her survive, and we asked her for a favor. The time came when they took Madison just to get her attention. We led her to the house, and then you decided to go rogue and slaughter their entire army, walking out of there with the only man we’ve known to lead an organization by a collar around his neck. This man has done what no other has been able to do.”

“Mmm.” I don’t speak, and my eyes find Pop once more. “Interesting. And you’re saying she’s back there now, so now I’m going to tell you where your favor has led us.” I lean forward. “She broke out Corbin and is now running back with him to the hole they crawled out from, just to find this—Minister that no one has ever seen with their own eyes.”

“Bishop. The Ministry is a very new organization. It came about when you were in your mother’s stomach, but it’s new compared to others. We found out they run tunnels like the ones in Perdita that connect all over the States of New York and Colorado with connecting pipelines that keep them all together. This operation doesn’t come from the hand of an amateur.”

“You’re right, it doesn’t.”

They all stop, the tension in the air cracking like thunder when Dad’s eyes narrow on me. The smirk was inevitable since I’d successfully done the one thing I never thought I could do.

“It’s run by me, and Luna? She isn’t with them.”

Past

I stare back at the beaten and bloody face. It’s like watching your favorite horror movie with subtitles.

“This is him?” I ask Pop, gesturing to the man bleeding out on the chair in the middle of the room. To think…this farmhouse was once a place of family.

A fucked up one at that, but still a family.

“Here I was thinking you were showing me something—anything else. Since Dad hasn’t even given me the key yet. At least I’ll be ready when he does.”

His head hangs low between his shoulders. I grab the edge of my hoodie and pull it off.

“Before you do this—” Pop stops me. “You have to know some information that I found out. Most importantly, he’s apparently part of some new organization called the Ministry who took over the tunnels when your father declined the key. I don’t know many details other than that. I spoke with Lilith, who gave me a little background on her family heritage to try to piece together the twin situation and your wife. Seems they could have been formed by a child they didn’t kill when they took out the people Lilith came from. It’s been a slow build, but they’ve finally got the power and numbers by stealing and grooming members of Midnight Mayhem over the years. I don’t know what this motherfucker is doing mixed up in it—” He gestures to the beaten man on the chair.

“Why do you not know?”

“Because of this—” He flips his suit collar over, displaying a logo I could recognize from anywhere.

“The Gentlemen.” Careful to not get blood on my suit, because if there’s one thing my mom hates, it’s blood spilled during a gala. “You sure this is the man?”

Pop nods his head. “Yep. He existed among everyone because of only one way. The Minister is never seen. He simply just…exists. They answer to him through one man, and that man alone hasn’t even seen him.”

“The young boy from Aspen?” I ask, eyes narrowed.

Pop nods. “The very same.”

I step forward, cracking my neck and ready to kill him when Pop’s hand lands on my chest.

“One more thing. They can’t not have a Minister. I know you’re young and don’t hold the gavel yet, but we still don’t know enough about them. The fact that he’s wearing Gentlemen ink makes me nervous. How many people are undercover? Who are they?” He sighs. “If you do this, you’ll need to step in as the standing Minister. Don’t ask me what that entails because I don’t know yet. But we can figure that out with this.” He shoves a set of keys into my chest with his other hand, and I look down at it. The carved logo that reads M. “These tunnels are ours. This is how we claim them back, right the wrongs.”

“Whatever. But you are to find out what this means for me. I don’t want to walk into a trap.” I lift the hand that holds my nine, popping a bullet right between his eyes.

“What will you do about the Fathers and your plan to sell her tonight?”

I blink at the blood dribbling from his forehead. “I’ll do what I do and make them think her going with Archer Thorn is their idea.”

Present

I look around the room, waiting for one of them, any of them, to say anything.

“And this entire time?” Halen says, her eyes on me. “This entire time, they’ve been trying to find someone sitting right in front of them?”

I look back at Dad. “Checkmate.”

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