Page 133 of For I Have Sinned

He is furious.

“Sit down,” he demands harshly from behind his fingers. When I don’t do as I’m told, because I’m frozen in my spot with how scary he looks, his hands unclasp, and he brings one down to hit the table with a loud bang. “Now!”

My body jolts, the sudden movement making me stumble to one of the chairs. I sit with my back straight, afraid to show any weakness. Alex moves to sit in the chair next to me.

“You don’t need to be here,” Father Keaton informs Alex.

“If Celine is here, then so am I,” he responds with a bite to his tone.

Father Keaton’s eyes hold on him for a moment before his eyes slide back to me. “Care to tell me why the police were here?”

With a shrug, I say, “I have no idea.”

A hollow laugh leaves him. “Really? It just happens to be a coincidence that they showed up here with a warrant to look through my things, when we just recently discussed this issue?

“Seems like a crazy coincidence,” I deadpan.

He hums. “And the fact that they happen to know two names of the women who were involved?”

“Maybe it was fate that brought them here.” The fear slowly leaves my body, and anger begins to take over at the fact that he is sitting across from me and not in a jail cell.

“Or it could have been the anonymous phone call they received from a woman in our convent.” Father Keaton’s eyes narrow at me.

I narrow mine back. “Maybe Joanna finally broke through the fog of lies you were feeding her and realized what a piece of shit you truly are.”

“Celine,” Alex warns softly from beside me.

“You should really listen to Father Alexander and shut your mouth,” Father Keaton warns tightly.

“Unlike your unconventional ways with women, Alex doesn’t control me.”

Father Keaton looks between the two of us before glancing down at his computer. “The thing is, Celine, I know you, Alexander, and Esther were in my office.”

My body goes tight at the mention of her name. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

He pulls his laptop toward him, opening it and clicking a few things. When he turns it around to show us the screen, I feel my body lights up with nerves. There we are, Esther and I, staring down at his laptop, the videos and images I’ve tried to wipe from my mind playing on the small screen.

And then Alex walks in, but I don’t watch the rest because I know what happens.

Instead, I bring my eyes to Father Keaton. “You have a hidden camera in your office?”

“I have them all over the place. I put them wherever I need to.” His lips turn up into a wicked grin. “The halls, the chapel…” He pauses just enough for my mind to replay the video of Alex and me on the altar in the chapel. Here I thought he was filming on his phone. “The confessional booth.”

I can feel Alex tense beside me when he says, “That’s an invasion of privacy.”

Father Keaton shrugs like it’s not a big deal.

I look at him, dumbfounded. “You listen to the women’s confessions?”

“Only when I feel it’s worthy of listening to.”

“You are a sick fuck,” I spit.

“At least I’m smart.” He leans forward in his seat, shutting the laptop. “I got everything deeply hidden and secure before the police showed up. I will admit, though, I was a little sloppy leaving those folders on my desktop. I wanted quick access to them.”

My stomach twists as the acid inside begins traveling to my throat. “And the videos and photos of Alex and me? You wanted quick access to them for what? To get yourself off?”

“Blackmail, if I ever needed it,” Father Keaton states blandly. “It is a shame that you deleted that file, Celine.”