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“Father Silas,” she whispered. “I finally found you.”
Priest couldn’t even remember the last time anyone called him that. He left his former identity five years ago, like a snake shedding its old skin. Priest never expected his two worlds to collide—his past life as a man of the cloth, and his present existence as a member of the Death Seekers MC.
“Who the hell is Father Silas?” Priest could hear one of his MC brothers behind him.
“Sadie, it’s just Priest now,” he told her.
“Priest,” she murmured, the sound of her voice a soft echo in the air.
It tugged at something inside him, a dormant emotion he had thought extinguished long ago. Deep hunger. Priest had never wanted anyone as much as he wanted her. When he left his parish and the small town of Verdant Hills years ago, he knew he’d never return. Priest never imagined it was Sadie who would come to him. Fate had a wicked sense of humor sometimes.
Focus on her, Priest reminded himself. Right now, Sadie needed his help and she was going to get it. He didn’t care about the circumstances that brought her here or who was after her. Priest would do anything in his power to help her.
“Sadie, who did this to you? What happened?” he asked impatiently.
She didn’t answer with words. Instead, Sadie pressed her head against his chest, and the gesture undid him completely. Priest was a complete stranger to her and yet she placed her trust in him without question. It took him a few seconds to register the subtle change. Sadie’s body slackened against him, her weight growing heavier. Panic flickered in his eyes as he realized she had lost consciousness.
Priest looked over her shoulder and found Rage, the club VP. “Rage,” Priest croaked out.
“What do you need, Priest?” Rage automatically asked.
“She needs a doctor,” Priest said.
“I’ll get you one. Take her to your room, she looks like she needs rest,” Rage told him.
“Will do,” Priest said. He easily hefted Sadie in his arms. She was light as a feather. Then he proceeded to the stairs that would take him to the second floor of the clubhouse, where the members’ individual quarters were located.
“Hold on a darn second, where are you taking Sadie?” a voice demanded. The guy Sadie came in with struggled to match his strides, even though Priest was carrying Sadie in his arms.
Priest stopped, irritated by the interruption. The guy gulped when Priest gazed down at him from a few flights of stairs.
“What’s your name, boy?” Priest asked.
“Emery, and I’m not a boy. I’m 25,” Emery said. “I’m her second cousin.”
Priest nodded, taking in that information. “You can entrust Sadie to me, but you don’t belong here, Emery. Leave your cellphone number with one of my MC brothers. I’ll contact you once I take care of Sadie,” he said.
Emery hesitated for a moment, before finally nodding. He suddenly looked awfully young and exhausted. Emery reminded Priest a little of Larry.
“You’ll really call me?” Emery asked.
“I will. I don’t make promises I can’t keep,” he said.
“That’s what Sadie told me. Take care of her. I gotta head back home,” Emery said.
Priest continued his descent, until he was finally back in his own quarters. He gently laid Sadie down on his bed.
“What the hell happened to you, Angel?” Priest murmured.
Chapter Three
Sadie fluttered her eyes open to an unfamiliar sight—an unknown bed in a room that was not her own. Panic gripped her momentarily as the disorientation set in.
For a fleeting instant, fear clenched her heart, the haunting possibility that she might have woken up in Mason’s bed. Taking a calming breath, Sadie scanned the room, her initial trepidation giving way to a gradual sense of reassurance. The space, though small, was warm and comfy. Her gaze lingered on a leather cut hanging on a hook by the door, and a wave of recognition washed over her.
Memories surfaced—the journey with Emery, the visit to the church, and the final destination here in Hanging Grove, Kansas.
Emery had been concerned that the man she sought might not be found, but against the odds, she found Silas. A sense of relief washed over Sadie as she looked down and realized she was wearing one of Silas’s oversized shirts. The worn-down fabric, the scent that clung to it, enveloped her in a sense of security. She tugged at the shirt, the material soft beneath her touch, and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply. A fleeting smile touched her lips as she momentarily shut her eyes.
