Raphael (Deadly Virtues #1)(12)

Maria swallowed, afraid her voice would shake when she talked. “I-I . . .” she stuttered and cleared her throat. “I am willing to sacrifice myself for the church.” And she was. Her voice may have betrayed her fear, but she knew she was made to endure hardships.

She already had.

Father Quinn smiled so widely that warmth blossomed in Maria’s chest. She had pleased him. “That’s good, sister. I believe it will be your last test before final vows. You will know, as you kneel and give yourself over to Christ, that He is pleased.” Maria nodded. Father Quinn’s face lost all humor. “In the church, we are sometimes faced with evil that many cannot comprehend.” Father Murray sighed, and his eyes softened. “But not you, sister. We understand you are aware of such forces. Are aware and have faced them.”

Maria fought to keep her breathing steady. “Yes, Father,” she whispered. She tried not to feel the permanent red marks on her body burn. Feel the dark touch she had tried to forget. His breath, the sound of his voice, and the devastating mockery in his awful laugh as it filtered into her claustrophobic prison.

“In our years as priests we have encountered many corrupted men like William Bridge.” Just hearing that name said aloud caused shivers to accost Maria’s skin, beads of sweat building on her brow. The mention of his name brought his face to her mind, the one that still caused her to wake at night, panting and unable to calm her pulse. She saw his cold smile as he looked upon her naked teenage body, his eyes as they roved over her skin. And the blood on his face as he tore her world apart, all so he could take her apart, piece by piece, for his own sinful needs.

Father Quinn cleared his throat, taking her from her nightmare. “In fact, there are a group of men we believe are even more evil than he is. Men whose influence has allowed them to evade even the power of the law, has allowed them to assimilate into society among good and honest people. Men who are intent on hurting others, not caring if their victims have families, loved ones, who depend on them, need them. They just want to hurt people, in vile and sick ways. They want to kill.” Father Quinn’s face reddened, and Maria saw incredible anger building in his usually kind eyes. “We have been in positions like this before, where it has fallen to God’s everyday warriors to defeat evil. To bring a reckoning to their door. This time is no different.”

Maria focused on her breathing, sure she would pass out if she didn’t. She didn’t want to face men like William Bridge, men who were worse. She liked her quiet life. Confronting the terrors of her past made her paralyzed with fear.

“That’s where you come in, Sister Maria,” Father Murray said.

“How?” she asked in a shaky voice.

“One of the men has been spotted for the first time in many years. He was found dwelling in a place of perpetual sin and disgrace. A man who uses his beauty and the lust of others to lure in his victims,” Father Quinn informed her. Maria’s eyes were wide as she drank in the information. “We need someone to help us lead him into our path.”

“Me?” Maria whispered.

“The man knows who we are. He will know we are there for him. But you . . .” Father Murray trailed off. Maria looked into the priest’s dark eyes. He must have been about thirty. Still young, Maria thought. But he has risked his life for God many times. She glanced down at her hands, hands that still remembered what it felt like to be trapped in the dark, searching for a way out of her own version of hell. Maria’s eyes closed, and she tried to calm her nerves. She’d always known this day would come. She had chosen Sisters of Our Lady of Grace for its solitude, but God had not saved her so she could hide behind high walls for the rest of her life.

There was a higher purpose to her survival.

Was this it?

Something . . . some inner pull inside her told her it could possibly be.

“Okay.” Maria was terrified even as she agreed to whatever task they were laying at her feet. The thought of meeting the man they spoke of in the flesh was almost too much for her to bear. But if he was anything like William Bridge, as wicked or as vile, she had to help. The very idea of someone hurting an innocent person the way William had hurt her, her family, and many others made her skin crawl in horror.

She had to be more than her fear.

Father Quinn exhaled in relief. “God will see your devotion through this act, sister. All of His great prophets and disciples have endured hardships to prove their love. Yours will be recognized just the same.”

“We will protect you,” Father Murray said. “We will be close and will give you a way to contact us immediately and discreetly if you fear for your safety.” He leaned forward, eyes boring into hers. “I won’t let anything harm you. I won’t let him touch you.”

“Thank you,” Maria said. “What is it you want me to do?”

“We will explain everything. But first . . .” Father Quinn’s eyes narrowed as he stared at her headdress. “I am going to ask you to reveal your hair.”

Maria’s pulse thundered. “M-My hair? But it is to be hidden. My vows . . .”

“It is not sinful if I have asked. I’m your superior and demand this in God’s name,” Father Quinn said sternly. Both priests fell silent and waited for Maria to remove her headdress. Maria had not let down her hair in public for years. It was for her only. To be released in the privacy of her own room. But the priests still waited. Maria knew she was to obey, even if the order was difficult.