Page 40 of Bad Bishop

Whatever that something was, it wasn’t logical.

“Next time you see me preoccupied, you’ll walk away or join the fun.” I dropped my fingers from her chin.

Another vacant stare.

“While we’re at it—don’t open the door if I seek you out at night. Only let the devil in if you’re prepared to let him drag you into hell.”

She slammed the door in my face.

Locked the door from the inside.

Then I heard a dead bolt.

A dead bolt?I didn’t install a bleeding dead bolt inside the rooms.

I stared at the door and grinned.

I forgot to mention one thing.

Once the devil wanted something?

He didn’t take no for an answer.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

LILA

I was wilting.

Like those white pretty roses I wore as a tiara at Luca’s wedding. The ones that were tainted by my own blood.

I couldn’t chase away the hazy memories of the night I was attacked. No matter how hard I tried to outrun them, they always caught up.

The pain. The humiliation. The faceless man grunting, leering,taking.

And it wasn’t just that. The time was approaching when my pregnancy would be announced. Doctor appointments would be booked. It would become real, and I wasn’t ready to be a mother. I wasn’t even ready to be a wife.

Not that my husband was interested in one.

Then there was my sleep deprivation. I was exhausted and agitated, prone to making mistakes. I should’ve never smiled at Tiernan spitefully. That opened a Pandora’s box. Now he suspected I was spying for my family. And he told me exactly what punishment I’d receive if he deemed his suspicion to be true.

Mama was in Chicago. There had been some issues with Luca and his wife. Sofia left the house, and Papa sent Mama to Sofia’s parents to try to calm her down. Mama wanted to bringme along, but apparently mystronzoof a husband denied the request.

Now I was stuck in the Gothic cathedral-turned-tavern, all alone and with nothing to do.

I didn’t have my Kindle nor any physical books. Mama said it was too much of a risk, in case Tiernan found them. I was running out of pages in my sketchpad.

I had a little money. Cash. But I couldn’t leave the apartment. Guards were swarming all over the place. A part of me wanted to knock on the door opposite ours. But ultimately, I was too scared to find out who awaited behind it.

What if it was Becky? Or another mistress?

In lieu of entertainment, I started toying with my phone. I familiarized myself with the settings. With the different icons that seemed to yield to my command each time I touched them. There were a lot of options to choose from. Books to read, games to play, articles to explore. It appeared that the entire, whole wide world was sitting in my palm, just waiting for me to discover it. The same message kept popping up, though, infuriating me to no end.

No internet connection.

No internet connection.

No internet connection.