Page 135 of That Sik Luv

It’s his last desperate attempt.

Briony pauses, slowly dropping the gun to her side to peer back at me.

Her look insinuates she doesn’t want to believe him, but the facts are facts. I nod once.

“If he withheld that kind of information from you, think about what else he’s keeping from you. You can’t trust him, Briony. You were always a pawn in his game! A piece molded and used at his will. Just another weapon in this sick man’s arsenal. He’ll dispose of you as quickly as the rest of us once he’s freed.”

She stares at me, his words siphoning through her beautiful little skull. The gaze is blank. There’s no anger, no sadness, no confusion...nothing. She’s giving me nothing.

My only good eye remains steady on her. Surely she knows everything I do is with calculated intent.Don’t you dare lose me now.

Everyone watches the interaction, wondering if it’s enough to sway her. Where does her loyalty lie? The religion she was brought up believing, taught to have blind faith in? Or the man who’s done everything he could to open her eyes to the deceptions of the very organization that’s determined to silence her.

Chapter fifty-eight

The Devil’s Doll

Brionyplacesherhandson top of her head, the gun pointing to the ceiling. She curses in disbelief. She’s breaking, and I can’t fucking stand it. I need her strong. Need her to put that blind faith in me and me alone.

“Why don’t we all calm down and have this discussion elsewhere? The church, perhaps?” Bishop Caldwell suggests, nodding nervously.

“No,” Briony demands firmly. “No, we’re going to have it right here. Right now.”

She turns to face me. I see heartbreak beneath the tough facade, and it was exactly why I didn’t tell her. Not until the moment was right. This moment. When she could face him herself.

“Both of our fathers are in this room right now,” I say calmly. “But you already know that.”

Her gaze is intense as her mind works.

“He killed your mother!” Saint cries out. “He killed your real mother, Briony. My father told me. Beat her to a pulp in an alley. It’s why he was in prison. You can’t trust anything he says!”

Alastor shifts on his feet beside me as I sit in silence. This is the moment. All the past few weeks, the biblical messages, the exposure of truths, the training, the pieces of this puzzle formulating into one image before her.Look at his face, baby. See it in his eyes.She knows my story, my disturbing truths, and now she has everything she needs to make her own decision about the men before her.

“I’ve always tried to protect you,” Saint continues.

She raises her hand to stop him. The silence holding this room together has an energetic fog all its own as everyone waits for her to talk.

“How many students were in our catechism class?”

Callum and Alastor share a look before both focusing back on Saint.

“W-what? Why are you asking about that right—“

“How many students?” she asks again with her eyes closed.

“Twenty-three,” he answers quickly, breathing hard.

Her eyes open and fall upon him, a sinister grin growing across her blood-splattered face.

“Precisely.”

His face contorts, and he peers nervously at his father and then back at her.

“See, you fucked up, Saint,” she says in the sweetest tone. Her innocence shines through in her sweet smile as she casually leans back against the table facing the room. “I’m not nearly as stupid as all of you assume. You see, I’ve used it for my benefit, of course, the naivety, but I’ve figured you out.”

She shifts her focus back to him.

“You called me early that morning, ensuring we went to the school together, arriving at the same time. Do you remember?” She tilts her head to the side. “You knew exactly how many students we had. You knew there weren’t enough catechisms. You knew I’d need to get more. You also knew Jacob Erdman was in that closet, waiting for me.” She chuckles lightly. “Convenient, don’t you think?”

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