Page 42 of Pope's Penance

“Yeah,” he replies, his voice raspy from his damaged vocal cords.

When he was seventeen, Bugsy set his kidnapper’s house on fire to escape.Unfortunately, he ended up trapped in the flames and burn scars now cover the entire right side of his body.They start at his feet and travel up the side of his ribs, feathering onto his back, chest, and throat.They spread over part of his right cheek and jawline to just under his eye socket.

It doesn’t detract from how attractive people find him.Why the hell should it?He’s still the same fucking person underneath.Objectively, I have to admit he’s handsome as hell.

His blond, shaggy hair falls into his whiskey-colored eyes and he uses his colorfully inked fingers to move it out of the way.

Honestly, if I liked dick, I’d definitely throw him my bone regularly.I’d totally make that sexy motherfucker walk funny from fucking him so hard.Alas, I enjoy pussy only.Specifically, one pretty kitty.

“You all ready for church?”I ask, pulling from my thoughts.

“Need to grab my laptop from my bag first,” Cypher replies.

I let out a sharp whistle to grab everyone’s attention.“I need all council members in the chapel in ten.”

Once the council members fill the oval table, I call a start to church.My fingers run over the gavel Birdie had commissioned for me when I stepped into my position as president.It’s the thing that brought me the most comfort over the last seven years.

“Right.Cypher and Bugsy have brought us some news on Birdie’s shit.The seat is yours, brother,” I tell Cypher.

Cypher does some stuff with his laptop before he speaks.“It took some deep fucking digging to find what I have.There’s probably a hell of a lot more to find, so I’m staying on it, but this couldn’t wait.”He turns his focus to me.“Prez, there’s a connection between your parents, him, and their catholic church.I’ve not been able to uncover what kind of correlation, just that his name ties back to theirs.”

I blink a few times, trying to process his words.

Birdie’s husband is connected to my parents and that fucking church cult?Just the thought has my stomach hardening and vomit rising in my throat.The conversation she overheard before she ran makes much more fucking sense if he’s got any kind of affiliation with those vile fucking humans.

I move to hide my clenched hands on my thighs under the table.“No idea of the connection, exactly?”

The gruffness in my voice has the council sitting straighter, understanding how this one piece of information has already affected me.They don’t know a lot about my childhood.Hell, no one does.Not even Birdie.Not really.That shit is something I don’t talk about at fucking all.

Gavel’s eyes sear my flesh as they try to dig deep to find out how I’m dealing.I keep mine turned from him, not wanting him to read whatever the fuck will be in them.

“Not yet, but I will,” Cypher promises.

I accept his answer with a nod, slowly unclenching my fists.Darkness tries to crowd in my brain as I fight to keep the memories of my childhood at bay.

Needing an anchor, I wrap the gavel in my hand before turning to my grandfather.“Do you know anything about them and their connection to Frankie?”

Gavel’s face is pretty grave as he considers me.“Frankie Sullivan?The name isn’t familiar, but you know I left that fucking vile place in the dust a long time ago.He came after I was gone, if he’s the age of you or Birdie.The only thing I can tell you is to look deeper into the members of the congregation.You’ll find the majority of them with skeletons so deep in their closet you’ll regret ever looking.”

Cypher nods, his fingers flying over the keyboard.“I’ll try to find a list of all of their members.”

“I can give you the ones I remember.They were deeply ingrained within the church, so most of them are probably still there.If not, I’d bet my left nut their lineage is,” Gavel replies.

“Appreciate it.The more information I have, the better results I’ll find.”Cypher spins the laptop toward Gavel.“Here’s one of the few pictures I could find of him.There’s no social media presence on him or Birdie, which shocked the hell out of me, considering how much she used that shit before she left here.Do you recognize him?”

Gavel studies the picture intently, his brows furrowed in concentration.Something flickers in his eyes, but it disappears when he shakes his head.“No.I thought he was familiar, but I don’t know.I can’t think of where from or why.”

“No problem.We’ll figure this out,” Cypher reassures him.

“Right.Any other items on the agenda?You mentioned something else was on your mind.Is that something for here or for just me?”I ask Cypher.

He shuts his laptop and leans back in his chair.He peers at Bugsy, then back to me.“We’d like to come off the road.My partners want us to settle down and, frankly, I’m getting older, Prez.Thinking about starting a family.”

I nod.“Sounds good.You know you have a home here, brother.”I turn to Bugsy.“And you?”

“Me and mine are coming home too,” he rasps.

“Yours?”

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