by Logan Fox
Trinity
The church goes quiet when Father Gabriel climbs onto the altar. I’m sitting right by the door of the chapel, hoping I can be the first to get out of here at the end of morning prayers.
I still have no idea what I’m going to do. As much as I want—need—to know what the Brotherhood found, Reuben’s words keep going through my head.
You’re either with us, or you’re against us.
But I can only decide which side I’m on once they tell me what they have on Father Gabriel. They could be bluffing. Trying to get me on their side so they can use me for their own nefarious purposes.
And then there’s the other thing Reuben said. How they’re a package deal.
He wasn’t talking about their war, or their oaths, or any of that shit.
He was talking about me and him. Or…I guess…me and them.
Definitely not the sort of stuff I should be contemplating in a house of worship. I might just catch on fire and I doubt any amount of Holy Water could put me out.
The hall shushes as soon as Father Gabriel walks onto the stage. I study him as circumspectly as possible as he leads us through a prayer. Usually we go through announcements and read a bible verse before ending on the Father’s Prayer and being dismissed. But this morning, everything feels like it’s taking a thousand times longer.
So, like always, I zone out.
And I’m only wrenched back to the here-and-now when everyone inside the hall breaks out into cheers.
My heart pounds in response to the unexpected ruckus as I hurriedly scan the hall to figure out what I’d missed. Some students even have the gall to stand up, but they hurriedly sit when Gabriel lifts his hands to silence the crowd.
“The buses arrive at seven tomorrow morning. Please ensure you are ready to depart so we don’t have any delays.”
I sit back, shoulders sagging in relief. The last I’d heard, the buses taking us to Sisters of Mercy were supposed to arrive on Saturday—now they’d be here tomorrow. Three days early.
But that relief evaporates a second later.
What am I going to do?
I need to find out what the Brotherhood knows. I thought I’d still have a few days, but now…?
My mind is made up about Sisters of Mercy. I don’t belong here anyway—I can finish my senior year over there. At least I can make some friends there.
But I can’t leave without knowing.
Guess I’m going to have to bite the bullet. Much as I didn’t want to, I’ll have to track down Zachary and speak to him. I’ll probably have to trade a few spanks for the info, but I survived those last—
“—nity Malone, please come see me after assembly.”
Shock flashes through me. Did Gabriel just call my name?
A few of the boys sitting in the pew in front of me glance back in my direction.
Shit. What does Gabriel want with me?
Oh, right.
He wants to talk.
I cross my arms over my chest and hug myself hard, my mind like a kicked-over anthill as Gabriel runs through the last announcements.
I don’t join in for the Father’s Prayer, and that gets me more than a few scandalized stares from the boys around me.
Let them stare.
Gabriel knows I’m not a believer. It wouldn’t surprise him in the least to hear I sat this one out.
When kids stream past me on their way outside after assembly ends, I consider for a full minute what the repercussions would be if I just left but I’d just be delaying the inevitable. Plus, Gabriel would never let me climb on a bus tomorrow without talking to me.
I wait for the majority of the boys to leave, and then make my way to the front of the hall, fully expecting Gabriel to be waiting in the small room just off the stage.
He’s not.
So I head to the only other place he could be.
I’ve been knocking on a lot of doors lately. Would be excellent practice if I ever decide to become a missionary like my father.
There’s a grim smirk on my face when the door opens.
I stand there for a second, speechless, before I lower my hand. If Gabriel had been here, I’d have expected him to ask me to come inside, not to answer the door himself.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d come,” he says. His eyes dart past me, and then he waves me inside his apartment. “Let’s talk inside, child.”
I scrape up every spare bit of courage I still have left after his miraculous appearance. “No.”
He frowns. “I’m not going to talk to you out in the hall,” he says, his eyebrows drawing together. “This is a personal—”
“You’re right, you’re not going to talk to me.” I push back my shoulders and hold up my chin. He’s so much taller than me, but somehow it helps. “Honestly, I think you’ve said enough.”
He tilts his head a little, eyes flinching as if I caused him actual pain. My chest tightens at that, but fuck it. I’m not the one in the wrong here. Not even a little.
“I came because you’re the Provost, and I’d probably get detention or something if I didn’t. But I’m not here to talk, and I won’t listen to anything you have to say.”
Thump, thump, thump goes my heart in the sudden silence following my statement.
For a moment, I think he’s going to ignore everything I said and just drag me inside anyway. But then his eyes drop, and he lets go of the door handle.
“I’m sorry you feel that way.” His eyes fix on me again, studying me for a second as if wondering how far he can push my moratorium. “But I didn’t mean to hurt you, Trinity.”
I lift my chin a little higher. “By sleeping with him, or telling me about it?”
“I know what I did was wrong. I should have stopped it. No—I should never have let it happen in the first place.” Again, his gaze drops. “But your father is a very persuasive man.”
I go from an imperious glare to a confused frown. “What do you mean—?”
“I—” Gabriel’s mouth tightens, and then he steps back. “Please. At least just let me close the door.”
I shouldn’t show him any quarter, but for some reason I do. For some fucked up reason, I step forward and let him close the door behind me. We stand in the small antechamber, both stiff and uncomfortable and looking away from each other.
“I should have stopped the affair before it began, but I was…weak. And every time I broke it off, all it would take was one email from Keith, and I’d be back.”
I squeeze my eyes shut as my cheeks start heating. “Please stop. I don’t want to know.”
But he doesn’t. He just keeps telling me things I don’t want to hear.
“I told your mother we had to tell you, but she said it wasn’t any of your business. And that hurt me, Trinity, because I believe you had every right to know.”
My eyes flicker up to him, my mouth going dry. “Mom…knew?”
He nods. “Yes. It was…she…” Gabriel clears his throat. “Are you sure you won’t—?” He twists to grab the handle of the door leading into his room.
“No. You said one minute.” I hug my chest and try to will myself to leave. I guess it’s morbid fascination keeping me here.
“It was her suggestion,” he says.
An incredulous laugh tears through me. “Oh my God, do you honestly expect me to believe—”
“In an effort to keep their marriage intact, she suggested we—”
“No!” I yell out, lifting both hands to ward him off. “Fuck no. You are not trying to convince me that my mom has anything to do with this!” There’s laughter in my voice, but it’s far from pleasant. I take a step closer, stabbing a finger toward him. “And because they’re both dead, I’ll never be able to confirm or deny any fucking thing you tell me, anyway. So why not blame everything on her, right? Make it out as if my dad was the one who—”
I cut off with a disgusted sound.
“You’re not fooling anyone,” I whisper as my eyes start filling with tears. I step b
ack, fumbling behind me for the handle without taking my eyes off Gabriel. I grab it, wrench it open, back up.
“Especially not me.” I swipe at my wet cheeks, shaking my head as I scowl over at him.
He hasn’t moved, hasn’t tried to get another word in. And thank the Lord for that, because I might have physically attacked him if he’d tried.
I point at him again. “They were right all along.” The world blurs, but I blink hard to jar those hot tears from my eyes.
“Who?” Gabriel demands evenly as he steps forward. His expression is neutral, but there’s anger in those brown eyes.
I step into the hall, my lips twisting so hard I almost can’t get the words out. But when I do, they echo down the hall.
“Burn in hell, Gabriel! You fucking burn in hell!”
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Trinity
Weed and cigarette smoke taint the air. I shouldn’t be here, but I couldn’t keep away any longer. My curiosity is stronger than my fear, and it’s what compelled me to slip out of bed as soon as Jasper fell asleep.
It’s what has kept me moving down the stairs and across the lawn and through the crypt.
It’s what is keeping me here now.
I would have come sooner, but I told myself I’d wait. With each passing hour, the certainty that I had to come here, that I had to do this, grew and grew until I couldn’t think of anything else.
I want to know what they found.
I want to know what Reuben meant.
I want to know…what it feels like.
And I’m hoping, dear Lord I’m hoping it will make the pain in my heart go away. Because after I yelled at Gabriel like that, it’s as if someone’s spent the rest of the day carving a hole in my chest with a red-hot poker.
Digging, and digging.
Fuck knows what they’re looking for, but if it’s sympathy or forgiveness…spoiler alert—they won’t find any.
My fingers brush the drape disguising the entrance to the Brotherhood’s lair. It’s quiet out here—so quiet I’m starting to wonder if I’ll walk into an empty room like last time.
Like last time? You mean when Zachary was here and he spanked you until you almost had an orgasm?
Yeah, fuck, like last time.
I didn’t want to wander down here in my pajamas, so I slipped on one of my church dresses before climbing into bed. But now I’m regretting it, because the more modest of the two dresses hasn’t come back from the laundry yet, and this one ends at my knees.
I feel naked.
When I pull away the curtain, orange light cascades into the dimly lit library. If someone is inside and facing the exit they could probably see my hand jutting through. But no one announces my arrival.
I haven’t yet decided if I want them to be here, or if I want the place to be empty. I’ll never have the courage to come back. But will I have the courage to stay if they’re here?
When I sidle through that opening and come out on the other side, the decision is taken away from me.
The Brotherhood is here. And from the looks on their faces, they were expecting me an hour ago.
Zachary’s on his wooden chair, Apollo lounging in the duct-taped armchair. Cass and Reuben share the couch like they have each time I’ve been here. A joint is making the rounds. This time, everyone takes a drag before passing it on. When it reaches Apollo, he stands and comes over to me with it, holding it out.
I take it. Study it. Smoke it.
It’s strong enough to make me cough, and Apollo looks like he’s holding back a smile. When I try to give it back to him, he shakes his head and his eyes move back to it, then to my mouth. A silent command for me to take another hit.
I’d only be fooling myself if I thought I had a choice in the matter, so I take another drag and hand it back. This time he takes it, hitting it on the way to Zachary.
He takes a last drag and then extinguishes the burning tip between his fingers.
Then there’s silence.
Just four men watching.
Waiting for me to speak.
I step closer, hugging myself. It’s colder down here than I remember. Probably because it’s past midnight already. There’s no heat down here—the room is brisk, despite their body heat.
“I want to know what you found,” I say, staring at each of them in turn, but landing last on Zachary and holding his gaze. “I have a right to know.”
Zachary laughs.
Just once.
Roughly.
And with not a trace of humor.
Suddenly the room is a lot colder.
“I can’t argue with that,” he says, and slowly gets to his feet. “In fact, I think it’s downright impolite for us to keep anything from you anymore, right guys?”
There’s a muted, “Right” from the others.
Impolite?
I sense danger in the air, and it has nothing to do with the way Zachary’s stalking over to me like he has all day to pounce.
Something’s happened.
Something’s changed.
But what?
“So go on then.” My hug intensifies, until I start losing feeling in my fingertips. “Tell me.”
Zachary tuts me. “First, I feel we owe you an apology, Miss Malone.”
I don’t like the way he says my name.
I don’t like it one bit.
“For what?” When I frown at him, a faint smile touches his mouth.
“For treating you so poorly. For withholding information. Withholding…our affection.”
My eyes dart to Apollo, but he looks away. When I turn to Reuben, his face hardens.
What the hell is going on?
Maybe I am too late—a bottle of whiskey and several joints too late. The malevolence seeping out of these men feels like it’s all directed at me.
Just your imagination.
Just your—
“So I think it’s time we righted some of those wrongs, don’t you?”
I shake my head. “Stop with the games. Just tell me what you found and then I’ll leave.”
Zachary snatches my wrist, moving so fast that I don’t have time to step back. “No, see, Miss Malone…we insist.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Zach
Trinity’s pulse flutters like a hummingbird’s heart under my thumb. She’s not terrified, but definitely unnerved. I guess it’s a good thing I went ahead and smoked as much as Apollo said I should. The last thing I want is to accidentally break this pretty little thing.
Not when there’s still so much pain to wring out of her.
And pleasure, of course, but that has always been secondary.
“Cass,” I call out. “Get ready.”
Trinity’s amber eyes open a touch wider. She tries to peer around me, but I move to the side and block her view. “Let’s not spoil the surprise.”
From behind me comes the sound of someone’s belt being removed. The metallic clink of the buckle sends a rush of blood to my cock. She has no idea what’s coming…but I can see she’s already convinced herself she knows exactly what will happen next. Meanwhile, I’m getting a semi just from the thought of what we have in store for her.
I cup her face in my hand. “We made a deal a few days ago, do you remember?”
Her face turns a shade paler. When I take a step back, urging her forward, she digs in her heels instead. “No,” she murmurs, shaking her head.
“You don’t remember?”
“No, Zachary, please. I…” Her brow furrows, and she darts to the side to see past me again.
With another smooth step, I block her view. I grab her chin, wrenching her head back and forcing her to look up at me.
“That’s not how this works, girl. You want something, and so do we.”
She flinches at the pet name. “I’ve changed my mind. I don’t—”
I dig my fingers into her chin, feeling her jaw move as she snaps her mouth closed.
“Of course you do. Stop denying it.”
I’m holding her too tight for her to nod but I take the widening of her eyes as agreement.
“Good. No use wasting our energy on fighting.” I turn my head a little. “Ready, Cass?”
“Yeah.” He sounds too serious. Grim, almost.
Goosebumps break out on my bare arms, and it has nothing to do with the chill air down here.
We’re used to the cold, my brothers and I. That basement was cold and damp and disgusting—so it’s no wonder. Trinity’s little dress doesn’t seem to be keeping her very warm taking into account her trembling lips and cool skin.
But it could also be fright.
Because when someone behind me snaps a belt those bright, amber eyes dull, dread replacing her uneasiness. She even stops shivering for a second as she turns those terrified eyes to me.
Yeah, keep your eyes on me, little girl. Because if you happen to look down, you’ll get an idea of just how much I’m enjoying this.
Which is exactly what she does. She rips her face out of my fingers, leaving red marks behind, and tries to peel my fingers off her wrist.
“Let me go,” she murmurs. “Please, Zach, let me go.”
“So now it’s Zach?” I jerk her into me, grab the small of her back and grind my dick into her stomach. “And when exactly did we become such good friends?”
Something akin to a whimper escapes her lips. She starts struggling against me, another breathless, “No!” slipping out of her trembling lips.
“Jesus, is this happening or not?” Cass demands behind me.
Guess I go out of my way to be cruel sometimes, even to those who don’t deserve it.
I grab Trinity’s arms, fumbling with her when she tries to rip free, and turn her to face my brothers. She tries to step back, but I keep her in place with my body.
We don’t have the kind of props and equipment down here that we had in the basement. No wire-framed beds with handy straps. No suspended rails and butcher’s hooks.
But we have Reuben.
He’s sitting on the couch, feet firmly planted. Cass is kneeling on the floor in front of him, buck naked.
When Trinity goes rigid in my arms, Cass glances up at Reuben and gives him a barely perceptible nod.
