Page 104 of The Sinner and the Priest: Part 1

“It’s not like that,” I say.

“Then what’s it like?” Jasmine’s wide eyes flick between Cisco and me.

“It’s not like that either!” I insist.

Hannah folds her arms, unimpressed.

“Look, I don’t blame you.” I sigh and find a seat at the main table. “I wouldn’t trust me either. First, the Lilith thing, now this⁠—”

“What Lilith thing?” Jasmine asks.

“Long story—” I start.

“She looks like Lilith,” Leila points out pragmatically. I shoot her daggers with my eyes. She shrugs. “It’s true.”

Cisco announces, “Mercy still has my phone.”

I pull it from my hoodie pocket and place it on the table, vaguely noting new messages have come in. “I’ve had it the whole time.”

“What do you mean, the whole time?” Jasmine asks, gaping.

“It means I’ve looked through it, and their story checks out. Each Team Saint runs in a silo.”

“That doesn’t prove anything,” Hannah counters.

“It’s all we’ve got, and considering they’re handing leadership to us, I say it’s enough.”

“I want to see it.” Jasmine snatches it before I can stop her, but she returns it within seconds. “It’s encrypted.”

Leveling a hard stare at her, I take the phone. “Unless I’m missing something, I don’t believe you outrank me, Sinner. Touch this again, and there will be hell to pay.”

“This is bullshit,” she snarls.

“I agree,” Hannah chimes in.

I can’t believe this. “We have bigger fish to fry right now.”

“But—”

“That’s enough,” the Rev snaps. “Mercy is right. I have seen enough of the communications between Father and Rome to believe their story.” She points at the Gospel. “That is more important right now.” Her thin lips press together grimly. “The infestation growing in this very abbey is important. Bicker amongst ourselves and we risk losing everything.”

In the silence that follows, Cisco looks at Jasmine and Hannah and says, “There are no words to describe my sorrow at what you have described⁠—”

“What we saw.” Jasmine’s voice cracks.

He nods, then gestures to his team. The three members left, anyway. “We have not mixed with other Team Saints, and I cannot tell you why they did what they did, or if a demon was involved. I can tell you, though, that there are factions with extreme views. Some are more … literal in their interpretation of the Word.” He pauses and frowns. “And there is much room for interpretation when instructions are handed down.”

“Since the Bible was written,” Wesley adds, “it has been rewritten time and time again according to whoever wielded the pen.”

“Ambivalence?” Hannah raises her brows at me. “That’s your angle?”

“It’s not an angle.” I slam my palms on the table and stand. “There’s no proof they were involved. We’re Sinners, yes.” I glare at each of them. “But never have we ever judged and executed without undeniable proof. Never.” My voice thunders into the rafters. I look at the women, my sisters. “We’ve always joked about ending up in Hell, but I know each and every one of you secretly fears that inevitability.” I take a breath. “Which is why I know in my soul that none of you will take a life unless there is a good reason for it. If there’s a sliver of a chance that we can escape that fate, we take it.” I point at each of the men but address the women. “I can’t, in good conscience, take their lives because of a weak association with evil men. If that was the rule we played by, then by extension, we may as well kill each other right now.”

I sense Cisco fidgeting. Softening my voice, I tell my sisters, “Look, I didn’t trust them in the beginning either. But they’ve proven their loyalty, often with their lives. If you trust me, then you should trust my decision. Better yet, try getting to know them.” Taking a deep breath, I drag the Gospel toward me and sit down. “Now, what’s this new tidbit, Thea?”

The Rev gives me a small smile, and my faith in my leadership feels stronger. It’s the kind of smile that says she never doubted me in the first place, even if I did.

I point at the page of handwritten words. “I can see them, but I still can’t understand them.”