Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 72756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 364(@200wpm)___ 291(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
He's scared.
Good.
“Erratic? Me? You’re a snake. We don’t even know your real name. How much have you done over the years that we didn’t know about before you started resorting to actual murder? What did you promise Dad to make him choose you over Pastor Harley?”
A gasp rolls through the crowd. I know for a fact people have been gossiping about it for years, and hearing their concerns voiced out loud is going to fan the flames. I take the first steps onto the stage. The crowd is getting louder. Dad was a monster in private, but he understood the people. He knew how to run the church. Grayson has always kept himself a little too aloof.
“Do you hear yourself, woman?” There's a trace of manic in his voice. It cracks, only once, but Grayson's usually so slimy, so smooth. “The Devil has put lies in your mouth.”
I smirk. Devil has put a lot of things in my mouth, but lies aren’t on that list. “Did you kill Vivian?”
“What? No! Of course not. That’s a ridiculous thing to say.” Grayson walks backwards away from us, stumbling over a vase full of flowers. “She was sick for a long time, everyone knows that.”
Crash has a hand on my shoulder, his fingers tight. I told him what I suspected, but I want to hear Grayson admit it.
“Yeah, but it was strange. Her treatments were keeping it stable until she stopped being able to keep food down suddenly. We all thought she just took a downturn, but those symptoms… very similar to Dad, weren’t they? How strange.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mrs. Harley shaking her husband’s arm and speaking into his ear. She was close with Vivian.
“You are a murderer,” I hiss.
“Stop! Stop it!” He practically stomps on the stage, looking like a fool.
Pastor Harley finally stands, moving towards us with his hands out. “Summer, Grayson, I think it would be a good idea to move this somewhere more private. It’s obvious you two have a lot of very difficult feelings to work through and—”
“Shut the fuck up, old man,” Grayson barks.
There are several gasps in the congregation. Grayson swore. On stage.
“What's the matter? Losing control?” Preacher steps forward. “Oh, Timmy. You should’ve cut and run when you had the chance. Now you’re going to walk away with nothing.”
“Stop calling me that!” Grayson’s voice rises, channeling some of Dad's old fire and brimstone and turning to the audience. His eyes flash. “They turned her into a whore of Satan! Pray for her!”
A few people actually do, or at least they’re praying for something, and if it’s for everyone to make it out of here alive, I hope someone is listening. For most however, his sudden antics are a little too far. The vast majority of people in Hall of Grace are here for the right reasons. It’s not their fault they haven’t seen what was going on behind the scenes.
“Pray for me?” I laugh bitterly. “For what? More lies? More manipulation? Or are you going to tell me you didn't arrange for both Vivian and my father to die? That you didn't force me to sign documents leaving everything to you.”
“Of course I didn't!” Grayson turns to Pastor Harley. “Do you see? This is exactly why I wanted to keep her out of the public eye.”
Pastor Harley gives him a hard look. “Because you're afraid for her? Or afraid of what she might say?”
Something breaks in Grayson, and he charges for me. Crash moves faster, grabbing him by the throat and throwing him to the side. “Gotta be quicker than that, Timmy.”
“You fucking bitch,” Grayson wheezes. “You can't prove anything. There's only one set of fingerprints on that needle and they aren't mine.”
Preacher leans in closer to me. “Keep him talking.”
“We know who you are. We know what you did,” I taunt him. “And we'll make sure everyone else does too.”
“You're insane!” Grayson spits. “Listen to her! She wants to destroy this church! All of us!”
“I don't.” I shake my head. “I'll never come back, but I wouldn't take it away from the good, decent people who will want to keep it going, like Pastor Harley.”
“You're a liar and a whore.”
“Don't talk about our girl like that,” growls Devil.
“Your girl?” Grayson laughs. “She's a slut who's probably let herself be fucked by every member of your club. Who would even believe you?”
Devil grabs Grayson by the throat again, lifting him off the ground and shoving him back. “You ever talk to Summer like that again and I'll rip your tongue out.”
“You can't touch me.” Grayson's voice is hoarse and strained, but he keeps pushing. “I'm untouchable.”
“No, you're not,” I say softly. “You're just a coward who hides behind other people's money and power. Admit it. Aren't you just dying to tell someone what you've gotten away with all this time?