I held the flashlight between my teeth and removed the board in the chapel floor. A few crickets chirped outside, and the moon illuminated the space through the glass stained windows, creating a murkier atmosphere than during daytime. The round sphere morphed into a different planet each time I shifted and caught a differently colored glass pane. A mosquito buzzed in my ear and I swept my hand, trying to rid of it. It didn’t work. The pesky bug had been irritating me since the moment I’d left the church.

The annoying noise suddenly quieted, and I slapped my hand over my right brow.

“Gotcha.”

The sting would leave a mark, but the mosquito was finally dead. I removed the same four boards we had earlier in the week and jumped into the crawl space.

“Let see what you got there, Cortez.”

I had planned to meet up with Brook in Tucson, but as the list of my questions about Kate’s family grew, my priorities shifted.

Dust rose from underneath my soles. I waited for it to settle and then searched with my flashlight until I found the three tombstones.

I reached into my back pocket for a wrench and wedged it between the granite slab, pushing on it. It barely budged. The heavy cover opposed the pressure of my hand for a few good moments, but then it finally moved. A small white coffin, about four feet long, rested in a granite compartment. I made the sign of the cross – “Forgive me, Father, for this sin” – then struck the lock on the front of the casket. It broke in half. The sound of the rusted metal falling apart vibrated around the crypt walls. I slowly lifted the lid. The chest gave out a hissing sound, as if warning me, and for the first time in years, I felt chills sweep over my arms. Inside was a small white envelope and nothing else.

“What the fuck?”

The wind howled above, and remembering where I was, I cringed at my own words. This wasn’t right, but I had to know the truth. I had to find out whether Kate was truly in trouble; and it looked like she could be in more trouble than I thought. I took the envelope, stuffed it in my back pocket, and shut the lid.

I hurried back upstairs, replaced the boards, and sat down on the bench. The envelope had yellowed over time but was still in good condition. It wouldn’t have been if there had been a body in that casket instead of a few rocks, that was for sure. I tore through the seal and removed a single piece of paper.

“My blood, my flesh, my bones.”

The words, signed by Benjamin Cortez, squeezed my stomach as I realized that Kate’s family problems might have grown even greater. I picked up my phone and dialed my brother. He answered after the first ring.

“Is everything all right?”

“Yes, I need a favor. Do a background check on Hope Black.”

“Who’s that?”

“Kate is Hope – Hope Katherine Black. I have a feeling she’s tied to Cortez. She may be our key to finding the family. Also, check all records for a kid with the name Michael Hernandez, born in Pace, Arizona, 1981. You’ll find a death record, but I need more. Check anyone suspicious of identity theft as well as adoption agencies.”

“That will be tougher. When do you need this by?”

“Yesterday.”

“Got it. I’ll call you as soon as I know something. Hey, Cam, you sound like you may need help. Should I come?”

“No. Is the ghost still in town?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you have a contact number for her?”

“I do, but I can’t give it away.”

“I’m your brother, for fuck’s sake.”

“And I don’t break promises, Cam. Not for anyone.”

I sighed. Of course he wouldn’t. It was one of my brother’s best qualities, and that was why I could trust him with my life. If he said the ghost was safe, then I had to believe him. And if the ghost was who I thought it was, then I had to leave my trust in her capable hands.

“All right, but you might want to put her on alert.”

“Got ya. Stay safe.”

I hung up, and the first ray of morning light shone over the horizon. I hurried out the chapel and froze as soon as I stepped over the threshold.

Shit!

“Hey there, little buddy,” I said to the black and white furry animal. “I’m not going to hurt you.”

The skunk lifted its tail.

“I know you can’t understand me, but I’m the good guy here, and I really need a break. You’re welcome to continue guarding this chapel, and I’ll just leave.”

It pivoted on its back feet, twisting its rear end toward me.

No, no, no.

I shuffled my feet to the left, away from him, and took off without looking back. An intense smell followed me as I sprinted toward town, praying that the little skunk hadn’t sprayed my jeans. The stench didn’t ease, though, and followed me all the way to town. When I passed the Bistro on my way to church, I saw a new car parked there, and I stopped. I quickly peeked through the window, then ducked.

“Is this the way you want me to pay for my sins?” I looked up to the heavens before dashing for the church door across the street.

As soon as I entered, I saw a slim figure kneeling in one of the front pews. Kate’s head was bowed and remained so until I ran toward her. She turned at the sound of my steps, her brows narrowing as I came closer.

I grabbed her by her wrist and pulled her out of the pew and into the church nook between two pillars. “Kate, I need to talk to you. Now.”

She twisted her wrist, checked the time, and gave me a quizzical look.

“Yes, I know it’s confession time, but this can’t wait,” I said.

“Actually, I have something to say to you as well. What’s that smell?” she asked. “And why are your jeans so dirty? I thought you were leaving town.”

I looked down at my soiled jeans, disregarding her disapproving look.

“Plans changed and I was ambushed by a skunk,” I said.

“And you both rolled around in the dirt?”

“No, we didn’t. Kate, you need to come with me now.”

“Is it too early for a confession?” she asked.

“Kate, I told you that you need to confess to Father John about our… our sin.”

“It’s not about that, but I do need to confess now.”

“Now is not a good time.”

“Are you denying me a sacrament, Father?”

I sighed. I had a feeling that Kate wouldn’t let this go until she confessed whatever was on her mind to me.

“No, I’m not. But I need to change.”

“This can’t wait,” She said. “If I don’t tell you what I need to tell you right now, I’ll… I’ll… I’m not leaving this church until I confess.”

Desperate for her to come with me, I locked my jaw and let out an exasperated breath. “Fine, let’s do this. But afterward, you’re mine.”

Her mouth opened in shock, but as much as I liked watching her lips fall apart like that, I knew we didn’t have much time. Whether she liked it or not, from now on and until we had all our answers, she was stuck with me.

Kate’s confessions usually took less than three minutes, but if that meant that I could hold her attention for longer than a second, all the better. I sat down in the confessional and pulled the curtain in front of me closed, immediately trying to block out her voice.

“Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It has been two hours since my last confession.”

Waiting to hear these words each time she stepped into the confessional was like testing a man’s patience in the last seconds of an orgasm. Her smell infiltrated the space as soon as she entered, and my blood flow took its usual path south, down to my groin. I lowered my head in defeat. The next three to four minutes would be torturous.

“These are my sins…”

My attempts to block out her captivating voice failed, just like they had each time she spoke. Listening to her sins wan’t fair to her or her faith, but a man like me had no choice. A man like me was forced to sacrifice his own needs. I wouldn’t betray her trust. I would keep her sins inside of me, as my own, and hope that one day I’d be forgiven for doing so. As I sat in the dark confessional, the nagging pain in my chest didn’t matter, and neither did the nuisance of a hard dick. Maybe if I stashed my desires for this woman deeper… Would that help? I doubted it.

“I had lustful thoughts about someone I shouldn’t, Father.” The words hit my ears like a two-ton wrecking ball, drawing my attention back to the woman on the other side of the latticed opening. Alarm bells went off in my head and I couldn’t shut her confession out any longer.

Damn it, Kate!

“I want to stop these thoughts, but I can’t. I… I think I love him.” She continued.

What?

My ears perked up with jealousy. Who was the lucky man on the receiving end of Kate’s infatuation? Pace was a small town, and rumors of a new romance should have reached me within hours. Could he be the answer I’d been looking for, to stop my longing for her? As I heard a tremble in her voice, which my ears had translated into a soft moan, I pictured them together. The image of her bending over in front of him, with her ass high up in the air turned my dick from hard, to pure steel. The idea of walking out of the church to find him and strangle him, grew sweeter.

“How long has this been going on?” This was not a standard question by any means. It wasn’t what I’d been trained to say, but at this point, I couldn’t help it. Especially not after what happened between us. I needed to know more.

“Six months, Father. I’ve been hiding my feelings for this man for six months.”

At the declaration of her time frame, something stirred within me. I reached to between my legs and adjusted my crotch. I was wrong when I thought that I couldn’t get any harder. The tightness beneath my zipper intensified at my touch, and I almost cursed under my breath. At this moment, I doubted that any sins I committed would ever be forgiven. Just my thoughts alone would buy me a one way express ticket straight to Hell, right down a slide called I fucked a woman.

“And he doesn’t reciprocate them?” I asked.

“He can’t and he never will. He loves someone else.”

Thank God! I saved the sigh of relief for when we were finished.

“So this man is married?” A sudden need to meet him and assess him to see whether he was even worthy of this woman grew in my chest. I wanted to run out of that confessional, take her in my arms, and spin her around, grateful that he couldn’t love her back— at least not the way she deserved to be loved. My eagerness to hold her as she cried on my shoulder, grew. Then just as quickly, the realization that she wasn’t making sense, had set. I would have known if there was another man. The only notable man in Kate’s life was…

“Yes, he is, Father. He’s married to the church. He serves God.”

I took in a sharp inhale, somewhat expecting her next words.

“It’s you, Father.”

Shit!

I shot off my chair, stepped out from the confessional without finishing the sacrament, reached into her nook, and took her by her arm.

“Father, what are you doing?” she asked.

I led her across the church into one of the side hallways. Kate followed me with her mouth half open, blinking over and over again like plastic shutters in high wind. The echo of our footsteps faded as soon as we reached the carpeted area.

“Father Cameron, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Shh, just be quiet, will you?” My rude words were met by her sad eyes, but I had no time to play games. Time was running out for both me and my brothers. And now, with her mother’s enemy in town, time was certainly running out for her as well. She just didn’t know it yet.

“Kate, we can forget about what you said in there. I promise, I won’t judge.”

“I’m not taking my words back.”

Of course she wouldn’t. Her eyes glistened, and the first tear spilled down her cheek. She seemed so delicate. I took her beautiful face between my palms.

“I don’t want you to take your words back. I don’t want you to regret what happened between us either. But you cannot be in love with me. It’s impossible for us. It’s impossible for me to think of you in a way you want me to, and you deserve more. You deserve an honest man. What I’m trying to tell you is that I don’t want you to feel like you did something wrong.”

“I don’t. It feels… right.”

I know.

“How did this happen? When did this happen?”

I knew exactly when, because for the past few months, I’d been falling in love with this woman more each day.

“I, I don’t know. I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, but I can’t help how I feel about you. I tried to block it out. I really did.”

If it were anyone else, or a different time, I wouldn’t have given it a second thought, and I’d be between her legs in seconds, slurping on the delicious feast she hid in her panties.

“You have to stop, Kate. I’m not good for you.”

“Don’t you think I know that? You’re a priest.”

Oh, I was much more than that. I was a conniving beast who wanted to take this woman against the wall and fuck her senseless until she couldn’t feel a muscle in her body.

“Yes, I’m a priest,” I sighed. It was becoming more and more difficult to repeat these words to her.

“Don’t you want to be one anymore?”

“That’s a tricky yet a very relative question.” It was also a question I chose to ignore. “Kate, what happened between us was wrong. Very wrong. I didn’t mean to test your faith that way. Not ever.”

“You didn’t test my faith in any way.”

Her stubbornness had no limits.

“You can’t be in love with me.”

“Yes, I know. You’re a priest. You’ve said that already, but I know what I feel, and nothing you say will change my mind.”

I highly doubted that. After Kate heard what I had to say, she’d stay as far away from me as I would need to be from her.

“Kate—”

“Father, I don’t know when it happened or how it happened. I tried to stop it so many times, but you… you’re… you’re an amazing man and a priest. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry for putting you in this situation.”

“And I’m sorry that I hurt you. We should leave.”

“You’re wrong. You haven’t hurt me. You gave me what I’ve been craving all my life. You gave me a sense of self-worth. You helped me believe that this world still has places like here, in this little town of Pace, that are peaceful and hold hope. Ten months ago I thought my life was over. I thought I had no one; and then I met you. You helped me believe in love again.”

“What I did was destroy your faith, Kate. Don’t you see that? If you cannot regret sleeping with a priest, then my sin will remain as deep as yours, forever. If only you knew everything.” I shook my head. “We can never be together, Kate. Never. You mean too much to me to drag you into my messed up life.”

The sound of loud steps echoed through the church. Our heads turned toward the side entry leading to Father John’s office. I’d been at this church for a while now and I could pretty much distinguish every parishioner’s walk, but not this one. I haven’t heard such shuffling before. I grabbed Kate by her waist and pulled her into another confessional with me. The momentum didn’t stop us until I was sitting back in the chair, holding Kate in my lap. Her breathing against my face quickened, and as I hardened underneath her, I realized that letting this woman go would be almost impossible. I covered her mouth with my hand and held her tight against my body before slowly letting go of her mouth.

“We have to stop doing this,” I whispered.

“What?”

“You falling into my arms like this. Do you trust me, Kate?”

“Yes,” she replied right into my ear. Her breath carried her whisper like it was a hallucinogen.

“Good. Because you’re going to hate me for what I’m about to do.”

“What do you mean?” she asked.

I crushed my lips to hers, seizing her surprised mouth. The forced kiss heated in an instant as she responded, but just as quick, I pulled away.

“Sorry, but I had to shut you up.” Hopefully the kiss would preoccupy her mind for a little longer and she’d keep quiet. “We need to get out of here, Kate.”

Without waiting for her reply, I lifted her off me and peeked out of the confessional. Mateo Cortez and his son, Aaron, were standing in the doorway with their backs turned to us. I looked back at Kate and put my finger to my lips. Still half-shocked, she nodded. We tiptoed to the back door, but stopped at the familiar voices when we reached Father John’s office.

Fuck!

“Do you know when she’ll be back?” Pablo Cortez asked Father John.

He was standing there with another one of his thugs I remembered from the night that put me in this mess and ultimately sent me on my quest to find Cortez.

“No. I don’t keep track of everyone’s whereabouts.”

Cortez took a threatening step toward Father John, and I felt Kate recoil. It made me cringe. It made me realize how afraid she must have been all these months, while searching for answers about her family and finding that her mother’s enemy was none other than Mateo Cortez.

“We had a deal, Father John.”

“And it looks like you broke it. The deal was that you stay away from town.”

“Our sources say that someone is digging through old family papers.”

“We’re organizing the parish. That’s all.”

“What you’re doing is digging your own grave, Father.”

“They can’t talk to him like that,” she loud whispered. Despite her knees clattering together, she appeared to be brave. And as much as she tried to persuade me to help Father John, her body was set on high alert, as if it wanted to run away.

“If I go in there, we’re both dead,” I said.

“I don’t understand. They don’t know you. You can go. I don’t want you to be in trouble because of me. But we have to help Father John.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Kate. They do know me. They know me very well. Wait, how do you think they know you?”

She stilled, and suddenly the trust we’d build over the past few months was gone.

Poof.

She tilted her head to the side. “Who are you?”

“If you want to stay alive, you’ll come with me, Kate.”

She ripped her arm away from me. I grabbed her by her waist before she reached the door and pulled her into the hall closet.

“You have to trust me, Kate. If there is anything you could ever do for me, please, trust me.” I whispered in her ear, fighting the urge to nip at the tiny diamond earring she had pierced through the upper cartilage. “I’ll help you leave through the back, and then I’ll help Father John. You’re going to go straight to Lola’s and tell her that you’re in trouble and Cam sent you.”

If my gut was right, Lola would know exactly what to do.

“Fath—“

“Not Father today. Just Cameron. Can you say it exactly that way?”

She nodded. I reached to the single hanging jacket in the closet and removed my piece from the inside pocket.

Kate gasped. “Why do you have a gun?”

“Shh.”

“You have a gun,” she repeated, her voice even louder.

“You said you’d trust me.”

“Yeah, but a gun?” Kate was no longer caring to whisper. I had to stop her before she revealed our hiding spot to the entire town.

“But you’re a—”

She opened her mouth in protest but I shut her up by sealing her lips with mine, hoping I could hold onto our connection, praying that not all was lost. Instant relief washed over me the moment our mouths touched. Each time I kissed her, it felt like I’d waited years to feel the gentle texture of her mouth. I pressed my lips harder to hers, and she moaned. That little sound which flew right into my mouth and headed straight for my dick had the strength of Viagra.

“Why… why did you do that again?” She was breathing heavily. Her chest rose and fell against mine as her fingers mindlessly skimmed over my arm. I wasn’t one to get goosebumps, but I still got them.

“It seems it’s the only way to shut you up. You need to trust me, Kate.”

“Okay. I trust you today. But tomorrow, I want the truth.”

“Be careful what you ask for,” I warned.

“I’m done with careful. Careful and safe have never worked for me yet.”

She was right. Unfortunately, Kate would soon realize that I was as close to safe as pigs were to flying.