Page 81 of Sins and Virtue

She shook her head, yet a riveting spark ran through her eyes at the idea.

“Now.”

“No.”

“Change your clothes too.” I commanded, signaling with my fingers as I picked at my own shirt.

Her brows joined together rapidly and furiously. “Are you crazy? No,” she denied me again, but she really didn’t have a choice.

“I’ll be waiting.” I turned my back and headed towards the exit, taking the secret back way. Stable on my feet, making myway through the dim torch-lit hallways of the convent, making sure to use this time to leave the premises momentarily. It was the only way to get away right beneath everyone’s noses until the night breeze drafted through my shirt straight to my chest.

The cooling sensation was a relief to my blazing ache.

Not wasting any time— needed it to be perfect— all for her.

Taking a glance at the silver Rolex on my wrist to calculate how long it would take me to get the setting prepared and how long it would take Blair to get here. I didn’t want to ruin any part of the surprise. The night was a perfect disguise to occult what I hid in the lake.

Some thirty minutes later, I treaded back to the edge of the forest right when the mass was ending and the night festivities were just beginning as townsfolk began to pour out of the church bit by bit. Rising anticipation like a building fire that could warm a village.

Where is she?

Give her a moment. She’ll be here.

Yeah, right. We should have gotten with my plan and just dragged her out of the church.

Yeah, then our asses would be dragged to jail, incriminating her as well, and we would never be able to see her again.

He went radio silent.

At least we would be in jail together.

“God, just shut up.” I restlessly sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. My head spun at his delusions. I swear he had no rationale; that’s why I was in charge. Imagine the shithole we would be in if he had control.

The world would be much more terrifying.

Suddenly, the sound of a branch splitting rumbled in the distance.

“Kon! Kon!” Blair sweetly called. “Konstantin!”

My head snapped towards the petite shadowy figure that lingered closer.

“Miss me, kotyonok?”

A shiver went through her shoulders as she turned around; her eyes landed on me. “Ah, you!” She pointed her finger, holding her tongue as she groaned.

“I knew you would come.”

“You despicable bastard! Who throws rice in a church?” She was flabbergasted. “You don’t know what kind of BS excuse I had to tell Mother Superior, and that woman already hates my ass, so if anything happens, just know it’s your fault.”

Unknowingly a smirk found its way on my lips.

Her bewildered expression was amusing to feast my eyes upon. Running my gaze over her, noticing the change of clothes into tight low-rise blue jeans that hugged her hips, a long-sleeve gray shirt with a lacy white hem in the front matched with Converse sneakers. Her loose locks framed her pale, glowy face. In this small town, she wasn’t just a run-of-the-mill girl; she was the girl who you grew up with as your neighbor and fell in love with instantly. Because she was unforgettable. Because she was truly a cataclysm. Blair was the woman who turned heads wherever she went and made hearts break when she left.

“Ugh! Seriously, you're worse than my child,” she groaned.

My ears caught on to two keywords. “Your child?”

Her hand was frozen in movement, and her eyes slowly connected to mine; a glint of panic ran through them. “What?” Her voice went an octave higher, almost as if she was playing dumb. But the act didn’t suit her.