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“Bad night?” Rage, the club VP, took the stool next to his.
“Not too sure how I’d rate tonight,” Priest admitted.
Sadie’s chaotic arrival had disrupted the normal flow of his life. He wasn’t sure if she was a good or bad omen. The fact she still had such an effect on him ought to bother him but it didn’t.
Father Nick once predicted that the lines of his past and present would collide. He laughed right at Nick’s face back then.
“Priest, who is this woman?” Rage asked, his voice and eyes grave.
Priest had worked with Rage long enough to know he was not speaking to his friend but the VP of the club.
“You saw?” Priest asked, fully aware he was momentarily delaying his response.
“We all saw,” Rage affirmed. “I can tell she’s important to you just from one look.”
Priest chose not to correct Rage’s assessment.
“I was close enough to hear what name she called you,” Rage stated with a knowing look. “You knew her from the past?”
Priest met Rage’s gaze. “Yeah, Sadie’s the reason I quit the church,” he admitted, taking a deliberate sip of his beer.
A momentary flash of anger flickered within him. He wasn’t particularly in the mood for sharing tonight. Only Breaker knew his reasons for joining the MC. Priest never shared his secrets with anyone else.
Tonight, with Breaker absent, Rage seemed to be stepping into the president’s shoes, attempting to discern if Sadie brought trouble. As Priest wrestled with the reluctance to disclose more, he reminded himself that he could trust Rage.
“And you quit the priesthood because … you had an affair with her?” Rage asked carefully.
Priest couldn’t help but laugh, the tension that had lingered from his earlier anger dissipating.
“Not at all,” Priest replied, shaking his head. “Sadie came into my confessional box one Friday afternoon. Someone had done a number on her, and it was her boyfriend.”
He paused, memories flooding back as his mind traveled to the past. Priest continued, “She came to me three more times, and I couldn’t take it anymore. I cornered the bastard right after Sunday Mass. He came from a wealthy family, you see. Thought himself untouchable.”
“Let me guess. A savage part of you that you never thought existed came out to play,” Rage remarked.
“I don’t need to tell you the rest,” Priest said.
A hint of unexpected pain surfaced as the memories lingered. Rage nodded in acknowledgement.
“The boyfriend’s family stepped in, got you fired from your post,” Rage commented.
“The priesthood is a calling, Rage, not a job. I left of my own accord,” Priest clarified, his gaze fixed on the label of his beer bottle. “I was angry for a long time—at the situation, at that asshole, at Sadie even.”
“But you still offered her your help, even though she found herself in a similar predicament?” Rage pressed.
Priest glowered at Rage, who raised both his hands in a placating gesture.
“I’m just trying to understand,” Rage said, “what she means to you.”
Priest took a moment to ponder his response. “She’s the one, Rage. The one that got away. Sadie’s meant to be mine. I knew it, even back then,” Priest admitted. “But after nearly killing her boyfriend, I realized there was a sleeping beast inside me. I decided she deserved better.”
Rage processed his words. He downed his own beer, before replying to Priest. “That was back then. And now?” Rage questioned.
“Now’s different,” Priest replied.
“You figured out what kind of trouble she’s in?” Rage finally asked.
“I did, and I’ll handle this problem on my own. The club doesn’t need to get involved,” Priest said.
