Page 80 of Three
“Why do you look so surprised? It took some time, and me beating them at every game we played, but of course we talked. We aren’t friends or anything. But they are okay, I guess.” He shrugs like it is not a big deal. But if he knew the horror those kids endured in their past and how long it took me to make them see me as not another enemy, he would understand my shock.
“You don’t need an invite to come here. Ever.” I stare straight into his luminous eyes. So pretty. When I grab his hand, his pinky starts stroking my palm the way it always does. “You’re special, Ramiel Masters.”
An impish smile turns up the corners of his lips. “Special in a good or freak kind of way?”
I push my lips gently against his. His hand bumps against the bracelet on my wrist, and he brushes a finger over the black beads, his gaze lifting to mine.
“Best friends,” he reads the letters on the beads. “Would you tell special Rami about this?” His tone is light, but his eyes are guarded, like he expects me to refuse him.
Only a few days have passed since he slipped into my life, and he’s already tucked himself into it. All his challenges, his confessions, his bratty and flirty acts, his nosiness, his warmth, his smirks and teasing, and that sexy-as-fuck body have pushed me toward him, kept me close, tied me to him.
There’s no chance of escape. There never was. And if there was, would I take it?
“Loretta Mary Jefferson. This was hers.” I lift my hand to show him the bracelet as he lets go.
“Why is that name familiar?” His eyes dart left and right like he’s searching his memory.
“Her father used to attend St. Joseph’s Mass every Sunday, and Loretta went with him.”
“She was on the list of churchgoers the police made.” Ramiel snaps his fingers. “Sorry, keep going.”
“She’s the reason why…” I pause, looking at my balled hand clenching and unclenching, “I opened my fucking eyes.”
“You never had any suspicions of your cousin?”
“No. We were never close. He was much older. Went to a different school. Had different friends. And Cal found his…calling very early in life.” I grit my teeth and then hiss with anger, “Still, I would’ve never thought he could be such a monster.”
“How did you find out?” The memories are trying to pull me in, but Ramiel’s calm and steady voice is keeping me grounded.
A bitter laugh leaves my lips. “I went to St. Joseph’s that evening to thank Cal for giving me the cross pendant. The one you found in my damn drawer.” I push my spine against the back of the chair. “I was never a believer. Being a cop meant seeing people make bad decisions every day. And the idea that a confession could clean their sins away and send them straight to Heaven sounded preposterous to me. But I started to go to Cal’s church. My mother died a year before, and with Opal and Jasper, Cal was the only family I had left. The virtues and principles he preached about started to make sense, to comfort me in a world full of wrongdoing.”
“What happened that evening?” Ramiel asks me, and I realize I’ve once again been lost in my recollections.
“The main door was locked, so I entered through the side door of the church, passed the vestry, and then stopped when I heard Loretta’s voice.”
“She was there?” He looks confused, then his eyes widen. “The piece of denim fabric the police found on the floor. It was hers.”
“Yes. I didn’t tell the detectives about her because…”
“You wanted to protect her.”
I nod. “I’d seen her before at the church, in passing with her dad. She never looked happy to be there. I remembered thinking, what teen would? But she had a very good reason.” I’m trying to stay calm, but I’m very close to unraveling.
Ramiel’s arm pauses, like he wants to reach across the table and take my hand, but he’s unsure. Then his warm hand envelops mine, and it feels like the most natural thing. His strong grip and comforting strokes give me enough strength to go on.
“She was screaming at my cousin, telling him she was going to go to the police and tell them…what he’d been doing to her. And he…laughed so…malignantly. He was another person. An ignoble one. He told her nobody would believe a problematic teen over a beloved priest. He told her his cousin was…that I was a cop, and that…I would always side with him. And then he ordered her to…kneel andsuckher sins away.” I feel my stomach clench and the pizza trying to come back up. Squeezing my eyes, I take a deep breath as Ramiel lets go of my hand.
A moment later, I feel his heavy weight on my lap and his big body around me, surrounding me with warmth and understanding. His fresh scent almost cleanses me as it spreads inside me. He’s kissing along my face, making soothing sounds.
I wrap my arms around him and press him tightly against me. I want to absorb all the solace he’s pouring over me, fill my body with it.
“It’s gone. Done with. In the past. Let it go, Hunter Bear. Let it go.” But I can’t. The letter reminded me that it’s not done yet.
“What is it?” Ramiel moves his head back to look me in the eyes. “You tensed again.”
Should I tell him? I lift my hand and push a rebel red lock off his forehead. His gaze is candid and filled with affection and worry. I open my mouth to confess everything when he grabs my wrist.
“This bracelet… I’ve seen it before. It’s like one of those bracelets you buy or make to exchange with friends.”
