11. Chapter 11
Cameron
I had been stationed at Saint Sameal’s for over five years, not counting the time I spent visiting and planning the renovation. It was the longest I had been at a church, and while I hated preaching as a whole, Saint Sameal’s was my favorite of the sanctuaries I had called home.
Despite being abandoned when Dale procured the property, there was very little we had to do to fix it up.
A pipe had burst in the basement, leaving it flooded and moldy.
So, before we could do anything, we fixed the plumbing and replaced the rotten wood.
Even with that, the slight smell of mildew lingered in the air, almost like that old basement smell.
Dale made sure someone in the congregation had incense burning anytime we were in session.
He said that scent was unbecoming of the type of church we lead.
But I liked the smell. It reminded me of when the world was simple.
The white facade, high ceilings, and numerous stained glass windows all made it a picturesque building.
Too bad all that beauty was wasted on Dale's terrible message.
His black truck sat in front of the church.
It was the same one he had in Quebec…. Which was impressive considering he'd owned it for over thirty years.
All I wanted to do today was stay home with my family. I'd be lying if I said the breakfast table this morning didn't have everything I wanted, and that wasn't even talking about the delicious meal Mason made.
For the first time in my life, I was living the life I wanted.
I had two beautiful kids I loved like my own and a little girl on the way.
My partners, while all a little messed up in their own ways, were so great I felt a little guilty for having three of them.
And I was out of the closet. That last one seemed insurmountable for years.
I took a deep breath before pushing myself out of my truck.
My well-shined black leather shoes crunched against the white gravel as I trudged up the marble steps and pushed open the heavy wooden doors.
A wave of warm air washed over me, bringing the scent of frankincense.
The only light came from that spilling in through the stained glass.
But as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I became aware of a presence lurking near the pulpit, barely visible in the faint light.
“Cameron, you’re late.”
My heart skipped a beat as Dale’s voice cut through me like a frozen blade. I fought a shiver as I forced myself closer to him.
Act natural.
“I’m not late.” I was proud of how steady my voice was despite the nerves coursing through me. “Service ain’t started yet.”
The smile Dale wore like a uniform widened. His perfectly straight but slightly yellowed teeth were on full display. The dim lighting cast an eerie shadow across his face. Not like he needed help to creep me out.
“My son is supposed to be here before the first light of dawn. It’s your duty to the church.” Dale’s saccharine tone almost masked what he was actually saying.
He wanted to know where the fuck I was.
I shrugged as I started to head to my office. “I had things to do. I got a family now. ”
“Family? Is that what they call a group of sinners living under one roof?” Dale's steps echoed behind me.
I chose not to pay him any attention. He just wanted a reaction.
Everything in my office was coated in a layer of dust. Before my mission trip in France, I'd come by once a week to clean the place up. But with helping Mason adapt to our house and also the fact that I was actually preparing for a real live baby, church wasn’t my priority right now.
There was a copy of the Old Testament on the corner of my desk, and I pulled it closed. It wasn't like I was going to actually read the Bible, so it didn't matter which one I grabbed. I just needed an excuse to not listen to Dale.
The wheels in my high-back chair sounded against the floor as I sat down. Dale took the chair on the other side of my desk, and I fought the slimy feeling crawling down my spine.
“You know, I was forty when I rescued you,” he started.
“ Rescue is a real strong word.”
Something in my comment ignited a spark behind his swampy eyes.
“Cameron, I saved you.” His words oozed with the charisma that left others inclined to take his word as gospel. “You were a poor farm boy, the oldest of what… Twelve children?”
I swallowed the lump in my throat as I glowered at him. My chest constricted as I let out one long, hot breath.
“There’s no way your family would have been able to give you half the life that I have.” He continued before standing. “You’ve traveled the world, been to college, and changed the lives of so many people.”
Dale’s shadow cut through the technicolored patterns the stained glass left on the floor as he paced in front of me. Years ago, his words were enough to make me listen, but now?
“And I’ve ended the lives of twelve women who did nothing wrong.” My voice was low and raw.
Sure, I wasn’t the one who actually killed them. But, if those girls never got involved with me, they’d still be alive .
All I could imagine was Mason ending up the same way as the others. Worse than that, I envisioned another life where Juniper or Rosie ended up on the teaching end of the Sons of Christ’s sermons. I couldn’t imagine the anguish I put Dale’s victim’s families through, nor did I want to.
Dale’s smile grew so wide that I feared his lips would split. “Those women weren’t fit to bear the second coming. They were sinners–”
“They were just girls.” My chair squealed as I stood. My hands slammed on the desk, filling the room like thunder before a storm. “The only wrong they did was gettin’ mixed up with me!”
Dale flinched as I stepped near him. I wondered if he knew that I could hurt him or how badly I wanted to. A lesser man would have snapped his neck a long time ago, but I wasn’t sure I could live with the guilt.
But, as I came toe-to-toe with him, his confidence returned.
“If you had better taste in women, maybe they would have lived.” He shrugged.
And that’s when I snapped . I snatched Dale up by the starched collar of his shirt and lifted him to my eye level. It was one thing to insult me. God knew I deserved it. But, the women I loved were literal angels.
Dale’s legs dangled as I debated slamming him against the bookshelf and beating the shit out of him, and my hands shook with white-hot rage.
“Go ahead, hit me,” he challenged. “Show me I picked the right prophet.”
My jaw clenched so tightly that I wouldn’t have been shocked if it cracked a few of my teeth. My chest heaved as I thought about how good it would feel to wipe that smile off his face forever. But, as much as I wanted to kill Dale, I knew I’d be no better than Sebastian if I did.
I willed myself to throw Dale down, leaving him to crumple on the floor as he looked up at me. “You’re too soft, Calvin.”
Disdain dripped from his words, and years ago, that would have been enough to have me beg for forgiveness. But I wasn’t that scared sixteen-year-old kid anymore.
“If I’m too soft, go find someone harder to fill my shoes.” It didn’t matter who, just so long as he left my family alone.
“You best be careful what you wish for.” He warned. “You ain’t always gonna like how it plays out.”
He was bluffing, and I knew it. Dale wanted me to grovel at his feet and beg for forgiveness.
We had done this song and dance about once a year for the last decade, and each time, I’d crack and do as he wanted.
But I wasn’t afraid of Dale anymore. So, instead of helping him up, I turned on my heels and marched toward the door of my office.
“Where’re you going?” He called.
I froze and glanced at him over my shoulder. “You ain’t ever gonna replace me. You’d have done it by now if you were.”
The sanctuary was bathed in a soft golden light as I stood at my podium with my back straight and my stomach in knots.
Lucian was seated on the piano bench in front of the organ, his umber eyes laser-focused on me, just as everyone else was.
The pews were packed today, and the heat radiating off of over a hundred bodies flooded the pulpit.
Despite this, I couldn’t shake the chill clinging to my spine as I stared at Dale in the back row.
If Dale’s presence wasn’t enough to shake me to my core, he had chosen to sit next to the one person I trusted less than him.
Sebastian sat with his arms crossed and his heel resting on his knee.
Sebastian didn’t look nearly as tired today, and he had taken his facial piercings out.
His sunny blonde hair was slicked back, and the button-down he wore made his eyes look impossibly blue.
The olive green fabric clinched his biceps in such a way that I wondered if it was custom-made… . Knowing Sebastian, it probably was.
Dale was chatting to Sebastian like he was an old friend. I took comfort in the annoyance on Sebastian’s face.
I took a deep breath and cleared my throat before trying to speak.
“Good morning, brothers and sisters.” My voice bounced off the walls, allowing me to hear just how unsteady it was. “Today, we’re going to talk about the power of forgiveness… God is nothing if not merciful, and if we confess our sins, if we truly offer ourselves to him, mind, body, and soul–”
Sebastian choked on a laugh and drew my attention.
My brow creased as I stared at the two in the back. Sebastian regained his composure, and I realized his expression read as more sarcastic than amused.
What the hell was going on back there?
I licked my lips and shook my head just enough to clear my mind.
“If we offer ourselves to him, he will forgive us.” I continued. “God’s love is powerful–”
A low chuckle from Dale reverberated through the church, and everyone’s eyes shifted from me to him. Some of my followers even turned in their seats just to see him better.
Dale stood, and a chorus of gasps greeted him. He was the one person the Sons of Christ adored more than me, but Dale never stepped into the pulpit anymore. Instead, when he visited, he liked to watch from afar.
Murmurs cut through the silence like wildfire through a forest as Dale made his way to me. Despite his dwarfish frame, the way he carried himself made him feel imposing. Like he was a predator stalking toward his prey.
Dale climbed the wooden steps and approached my podium, and I did my best to pretend I wasn’t shaken.
“What are you doing?” Panic rose in my voice as I protested.
“Something I should’a done a long time ago,” he murmured before weaseling between me and the podium.
My heart fluttered, and it felt like I was going to vomit.
Heat rose in my cheeks, and I staggered back just far enough to rest my hand on Lucian’s slender shoulder. I looked down to see a look of narrow-eyed confusion etched into his sharp features.
“Who the fuck is he?” Lucian hissed.
I looked away to avoid answering the question as the oxygen in the church ran dry… at least, that’s what it felt like .
The whispers in the congregation grew louder as Dale settled himself behind the podium. Sebastian stayed seated. He slowly slipped a hand into the space between his pants and skin, and I noticed the faintest flash of silver.
Sebastian was at the top of the list of people I didn’t think should own a gun. But knowing he had it right now was comforting. He was crazy enough to kill, and that could come in handy.
Dale cleared his throat, and the church went quiet. Sebastian’s hand remained on his firearm.
“Devoted followers of Christ.” Dale’s baritone draw filled the sanctuary like ice water, causing my skin to prickle. “Today, I come to you as not only a man of God but a devoted father.”
“That’s your fucking dad?” Lucian’s hushed tone reminded me of more of a growl than a whisper.
My mouth was far too dry to speak, so I slowly nodded once.
“For years, I have let my son get away with being an absolute disappointment .” Dale continued.
Instantly, Lucian tried to get up. It wasn’t often that I was rough with Luce, but I used every ounce of strength that I had to keep him anchored in place. I had no idea what was going on, but I had a feeling a hot-headed outburst would do more harm than good.
“But after years of not only letting me down but failing everyone in this congregation, I think it’s only fair we set things straight.”
The weight of Dale’s words threatened to suffocate me.
“Hey!” Lucian barked. “Shut the fuck–”
My hand clamped over his mouth to prevent him from digging this hole any deeper. Lucian looked up at me with contempt, but he was the least of my worries. I could deal with pissing Lucian off. But I couldn’t risk anything. Not with Dale doing… whatever this was.
Dale’s gaze bore into mine as if he were dissecting me, waiting for me to stop him or plead for his forgiveness. But I wasn’t going to do that, not this time.
Dale smirked as he turned away to face the congregation again .
“As of today, Father Cole will no longer be welcomed in the walls of Saint Sameal’s.”