Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 101254 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 506(@200wpm)___ 405(@250wpm)___ 338(@300wpm)
“And Father Sam?”
“Yes, he knows, but you can’t tell him. You can’t tell anyone, or you can’t have your first communion. Do you understand?”
“Okay.”
He slides his fingers underneath my panties and then between my legs.
And then he—
I gasp. Something is inside me. Inside a place I don’t understand. And it hurts. It hurts so bad. It feels like he’s cutting me with a sharp knife.
But I don’t dare scream.
I don’t dare say anything.
I want my first communion.
When he’s finally done, it still hurts. “Take off your panties now.”
“What?” I want to sob. Cry out. Beg him not to hurt me again.
“God needs your panties so you can have your first communion. Father Sam asked me to tell you.”
He yanks the panties down, and I step out of them, staring at my shiny white shoes.
“Put your dress down now,” he says. “And remember, this is a secret. This is a secret between you and me and God. He’ll never forgive you if you tell, and you won’t get your first communion. So pretend it didn’t happen. In fact, say it now, Tessa. Say this didn’t happen.”
“This didn’t happen,” I gulp out.
“Good. Now run back to the sacristy, and wait for Father Sam.”
…
This is a secret between you and me and God. He’ll never forgive you if you tell, and you won’t get your first communion.
The words plummet back into my mind as if they were uttered yesterday instead of fifteen years ago.
How did I forget?
How?
This didn’t happen.
I remember my first communion. I remember taking the wafer, the wine—which tasted awful—and then turning around and seeing Mommy, Da, Nana, and Eva all watching me.
I remember all of that, so why didn’t I remember that damned altar boy?
“Tessa?” Ben says. “Are you okay? You’re shaking—are you not warming up?”
I swallow back the memory, rub my arms against the chills that aren’t from the cold plunge.
I can’t answer him. All I do is swallow and nod.
Once I’m warm, I excuse myself.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Ben
Fifteen Years Earlier…
I’m sick to death of my life. I don’t trust Dirk and his cronies as far as I can throw any of them. But the convenience store? Really?
They’re dumber than I thought.
Rob a place that never closes, that has security cameras everywhere? Not too bright.
A couple weeks ago, Dad sent me on an errand to a warehouse to pick up supplies. While I was there, I made a discovery.
Cash.
About fifty Gs total.
I found it stashed behind a piece of plywood covering the drywall on the far side of the warehouse where the two-by-fours are located.
I wasn’t looking for it. The guy at the front desk knows me and lets me grab what I need if it’s a small order. I wasn’t in any hurry to get back on the job, so I took my time…and I found the cash.
Whether it belongs to the guy who owns the warehouse or one of the employees, I have no idea.
But it’s there. I know it’s there. And I know how to get into the warehouse.
I saw the clerk enter the lockbox code once when he was closing at the same time I left. I memorized the code. Not on purpose or anything. I have one of those brains. I remember things.
No one will be at the warehouse at night. We won’t have to hold anyone up.
And I can sure use my share of fifty grand. The first thing I’m buying is a fucking case of beef jerky.
“Keep talking, Black,” Dirk says.
“It’s a warehouse in the industrial district. There’s cash there, and I can get in.”
“How?” Carlos asks.
“Does it matter?”
Dirk shakes his head. “Not in the slightest.”
“We won’t need weapons or anything,” I say. “I’d say we should probably still wear ski masks, just in case, but I’m pretty sure there aren’t any security cameras anywhere. It’s a small warehouse where my father gets some of his supplies cheap. I’ve heard they might be black market.”
“Stolen?”
“Maybe,” I say. “I don’t know. But they’re cheaper than anywhere else.” I lean in. “But here’s the thing. If they are black market, no way will they call the cops if there’s a theft.”
“Sounds interesting,” Jerry says.
“Interesting?” I scoff. “We score fifty times the cash with no chance of getting caught and you call that interesting?”
“I’m in,” Dirk says. “When do we do it?”
I take another cigarette when he offers me his pack. He holds his lighter up, and I take a drag, lighting it. “Tonight,” I say, blowing the smoke out. “We do it tonight.”
…
Present Day…
Tessa headed straight to her suite after our cold plunge. The look on her face after we were talking about her grandmother…
It still haunts me, and I wanted to do something special for her, so I called the resort planner.
After a quick lunch with Braden and the other guys, after which they set out to play nine holes, I knock on Tessa’s door.