Page 34 of Of Sinners & Salvation
“You made this?” I ask, gesturing to the screen.
“Oh no,” he says. “I’m not that tech savvy. Us old folks, you know. But we have all kinds of people here on the island, even if you don’t always see them around.”
I wonder at his words, but I decide not to ask if he has a tech guy or just a patient who’s good with that stuff. My thoughts go to Nate Swift, and a pang of longing goes through me when I think of how easily he’s overlooked and how brilliant he is despite his unremarkable appearance. Though we weren’t close, I miss him like the rest of my friends. He was there for me when I needed him, always willing to do a favor or dig into a challenge.
“Well, what do you think?” the doctor asks, watching me like he expects me to burst into applause.
I swallow down my nausea and smile. “I love it.”
“Good,” he says. “It obviously would have had more hits if we’d gotten it up sooner, but we only open the island now and then, so we expect a good amount of traffic tonight nonetheless. I’m sure you’ll have a chance to live out your fantasy with one of our guests before the night is through. I’m interested to see how it goes, so I’ll make sure to steer some your way.”
“Thank you,” I manage, though I nearly gag on the words.
He smiles and steps back from the computer. “Now, why don’t you go back to your room and prepare. I like to greet our guests upon arrival, and a new boat should be docking at any moment.”
twelve
The Saint
“You’re early,” says the boatman, giving us a thoroughly dirty look as he ties up his boat. “It’ll be a half hour until we push off.”
“That’s fine,” Father Salvatore says. “We just didn’t want to miss it.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” the guy mutters before he stomps off down the dock. “Eager bastards.”
“We could go to the tavern,” Walker says, gesturing toward a bar overflowing with patrons. Both the seating area outside and the upper deck are already getting rowdy even though it’s barely dusk. I’m sure the bar inside is even worse.
“As much as you already look like you’d fit in there, I think we should stick to the dock,” Angel says. “By the time we get a drink, it’ll be time to go anyway.”
“It would be a good time to call Nathaniel back,” Father Salvatore points out.
“I texted him,” Walker argues.
“I wouldn’t mind asking him a few questions,” the father says. “Just to clarify the timeline.”
With a sigh, Walker pulls out his phone and hits video call. “So you can see I’m not lying,” he mutters, rolling his eyes. “Since you’re so determined not to take my word for it.”
“It’s not that,” Dante says. “I just want to make sure we’re ready for anything.”
I realize he’s nervous, which is a first. I’ve never seen the guy anything but perfectly composed. Even when he presides over our orgies and shit, he’s always calm and collected. I side-eye the priest, wondering how much he’s gotten out of Mercy when the rest of us aren’t around. I guess that technically he’s allowed to do anything he wants to the sacrifice, just like the rest of us, but he usually just likes to watch while we defile her in every devious way we can think of. Sometimes we try to bait him, get him to join in the fun, but aside from forcing a few orgasms during ritual, he never does anything to her.
This year is different, though. I’ve never had to worry about him fucking my sister before.
“Hello, my beloved cousin,” Walker says, and I turn my focus to Nate, though I keep an eye on Dante.
“Damn,” Nate says. “Talk about a jump scare.”
“Nice use of a pun,” Walker says.
“Guess you’re not the Most Dashing Delacroix anymore,” Nate says, pushing up his glasses and grinning, clearly delighted by Walker’s gnarly appearance.
“Don’t get too excited about it,” Walker says. “Even if they kill me, you’ll never win the title.”
“Everything in order?” Nate asks. “You get all my messages?”
“Yep,” Walker says. “They just don’t believe they’re real.”
“Thank you for helping us,” Father Salvatore jumps in. “We owe you so much. All of us.”
