Page 33 of The Sinner and the Priest: Part 1

The shock on her face when she realizes she’s been stabbed.

The agony on his face when she falls into him.

“Love…” He holds her up, blood oozing from where the dagger erupts from her front. “Why did you do that?”

Pandemonium breaks loose. Jasmine, furious at her foiled attack, releases a bloodthirsty scream so loud it almost shatters my eardrums even from outside the room. I’m on my feet as she reaches for another weapon, but Hannah takes hold of her. The girls are crying. Jinx runs out from somewhere deep in the archives, a bolt of shimmering scales and frills toward Jasmine, dolphin yapping and about to attack the bitch who hurt her savior.

Sinners spill out of the room to run interference, but I linger. When Thea fell into Wesley, he fell backward into Dominic, who upended the already jolting table with his bulk. The Rev has fallen from her chair and is groaning on the floor.

Heart leaping into my throat, I rush to her aid, ignoring the burn of metal grating against my thighs. The Saint joins me on the alternate side, apologizing profusely in Italian. In my periphery, I see Jinx latch onto Hannah’s ankle by mistake. She screams again, shrill and sharp.

“Rev.” I place a gentle hand on her shoulder. Her wimple and veil are dislodged, revealing her short, white hair. “Rev!”

Another groan is her answer.

On his knees, Dominic’s hands hover over the old woman, unsure what to do. He lifts his wide eyes to meet mine. More apologies. I ignore them all and focus on the Rev.

“Are you hurt?” I ask softly, leaning forward, checking for blood, for swelling. “Did you knock your head?”

She manages a shake of her head, but her eyes are dazed.

“Please forgive me.” Dominic’s stilted English is filled with angst.

“It’s okay,” she tells him. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“Wildcat!” Zeke’s booming voice cuts through the din.

Another shriek from Jasmine has me turning back. Hannah now holds Jaz in a bear hug from behind while she kicks and bucks to get free, murder in her eyes. Jinx still hangs from her ankle; slick little serpentine body tossed around like a rag doll.

That woman is a machine, I swear.

“Someone get Jinx off Hannah,” I bark and search for a free Sinner. Tawny is trying to corral the girls backward into safety. Leila is striding toward Zeke, already half the way to the staircase. Raven is back with us at Thea’s side, ordering a gagging and green-faced Wesley to stand back so she can stanch the wound. I whistle through my teeth to get her attention. She looks up, meets my eyes, and I give a subtle nod in Jasmine and Hannah’s direction.

The first rule of any disaster scene is to contain the danger. We can’t very well triage with a livewire flinging about the room.

“Leila!” I bark. “Take over for Raven.” She halts dead in her tracks, shoots me a guilty look, and then about-faces to return to the room. “Raven, help Hannah sort out Jaz.” To Tawny with the girls at the staircase, I raise my voice to carry, “Tawny, go and wake Sister Theresa. Tell her to prepare the medical bay.”

She says something soothing to the girls and then leaves, skirting past Cisco at the landing, his eyes widening at the unfolding drama.

“I’m fine, Mercy.” The Rev pats my arm.

“You don’t look fine.” I support her shoulders and help her sit upright. God, she’s heavy. She’s not a big woman by any means, but with little muscle mass to call upon, she’s a dead weight in my hands.

“The Saint will take care of me. You see to the girls.”

“Dom,” I murmur, looking at him. “Help her.”

He jolts at my voice, as if waking up from a dream. Two large, strong hands slot in behind the Reverend Mother. The instant he has her weight, I climb to my feet and start toward the three girls clustered together by the balustrade.

Cisco is already crouched and talking to them. I can’t see his face, but the fear in their eyes and the stillness of their bodies flip a protective switch in me. I break into a jog, and then a run. Within seconds, I’m slotting myself between them and the priest.

The physical barrier of my body calms them instantly. Shoulders drop. Fear turns to hope in their eyes. Their cries turn into blustering words in three different languages. It’s too hard to decipher, but I understand it well enough. These girls are victims of trauma, and they fear a man. A priest.

Gathering them behind me, I face Cisco and find him not with a baffled expression, but that flat look again. It’s the kind of mask that hides secrets. I know because Sinners are trained to use it. We wear it like a second skin.

Over his shoulder, I see Thea hobbling out of the room into the main archives space, with a peaky complexion but eyes sharp. Her hand is around the knife at her front, Leila’s hand on the back. Raven peels Jinx off Hannah’s ankle with an odd look that gives me pause, but it’s gone when Wesley scoops Jinx up protectively. Zeke says something I can’t hear. Jasmine is too loud, blustering, and stuttering with broken sentences.

What the hell is going on?