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“Precisely,” she says with an earnest smile.

“So, Ben was right about the whole…seven towers for seven deadly sins thing?”

“It is slightly more complex than that, but yes.”

I go silent for a minute, then decide that I need an answer to the question that’s been burning a hole in me all afternoon.

“Annie, earlier, when we were all…uh…when we were in the car, Ben asked if you enjoyed watching me and him together…because it’s a sin…”

“And?”

“You said that it’s not…”

She lets out a small, sharp sigh. “Yes, Ben explained to me what some of your churches have to say about this. It is not so black and white as that.”

“Explain it to me,” I murmur. “Please. I need to know.”

She curls her fingers through mine as she answers. “We punish sinners for things like lust, pride, and greed, yes, but…only inasmuch as they have caused harm to other people. The most sinful thing about what you and Ben did was that, perhaps you have not made any kind of commitment to one another—that one of you could have been using the other for lustful purposes…with no intention of care.”

“So I’m not…going to Hell, just for being with men?”

“Oh, sweet Theo, no,” she whispers, lifting herself onto her elbow and putting a hand on my cheek. “Perhaps formanyother things, but not for that.”

She gives me a wicked smile, and I feel a laugh bubble up in my chest, but it dies rather quickly when I thinkabout Ben.

“You don’t think that’s what he was doing, do you? Using me? Us?”

“I cannot say,” Annie sighs, laying her head back on my chest. “I do not know human behavior well enough. His promises to return seemed genuine.”

“I guess so.” I pull out my phone and check my texts. Nothing from Ben, but I do have a few from Molly saying how much she appreciated me coming to Tabby’s game. I type out a quick reply and send it, then open the app Ben downloaded for me to see his location. I didn’t want to use it, and I’m honestly not sure why he gave it to me, but I click on the ‘Track’ button anyway.

“What is this?” Annie asks.

“This is how we can see his location,” I explain. There’s a violent jolt in my stomach when I see the little blue dot labeled with his name, and where it is.

“Where is he?”

“He’s…he’s at a fucking assisted living facility,” I groan, sitting up.

Annie sits up too with a hand on my shoulder. “I do not understand.”

“It’s like…a hospital for really old people.Fuck!”

“He did say that it was a family affair…perhaps he has an elderly family member?”

“Then why wouldn’t he just tell us that?” I almost shout. “What if he’s running another scam? Pretending to give Last Rites to some little old lady who doesn’t know any better!Goddamnit!” I throw my phone back onto the couch and stand up, pacing around the living room, the anxiety in my body welling up until I forcibly shove it back. Annie doesn’t seem to be reacting to it, but I know it’s not worth the risk.

“Do you truly believe that?” she asks.

“I don’t know! I mean…fuck, I haven’t even known him a month! He could still be scammingmefor all I know, playing some kind of long con just so I don’t turn him into the cops. If itwas a family thing, why would he be so cagey about it? I thought he trusted me. I thought we were…I don’t know…I thought things were different now.”

“Theo,” says Annie softly, grabbing my arm as I walk by. I stop and pull away from her.

“Don’t,” I grunt. “Don’t try to make me feel better. This is all your fault anyway.” Her eyes widen, and she actually looks hurt for a moment, but then the expression vanishes.

“You said that you trust Ben. Was that true?” she asks.

“How can I?” I spit, sinking back onto the couch and putting my head in my hands. “I mean, how can Ireallytrust him?”