But it wasn’t important
right now.
The church stuck out like a nun in
a whorehouse. Smack in the center of the village, it was a gleaming white
wooden building, looking fresh and vibrant among the dust and drear of the
other buildings. Low music swelled inside, hinting at where all the people
might be.
“Think they’ll swarm us?” Wolf
asked, clearly thinking the same thing.
“You worried about taking on a
bunch of church-goers?”
Wolf shrugged. “Let’s hope they
don’t practice human sacrifice, is all.”
The doors were closed but Tanner
peered in through a stained-glass window and made out a small congregation—maybe
eight or nine people, tops. That couldn’t be the whole village, surely?
Well, fuck it, it didn’t matter. As long as Abram was one of them. “Go in hard,” he told
Wolf, who nodded grimly. Tanner put his big boot to the door and kicked it
open.
Chapter Twelve
A woman screamed as they burst in,
and Tanner saw her dodge behind a guy who looked like he’d have preferred to
hide behind her. The couple stood at the front of the church, surrounded by
four younger girls. They had to be Beth’s family. He saw the resemblance in the
girls. A rake-thin man stood at the altar, face like thunder. Nathaniel stood
at his side.
“What is the meaning of this?” the
man at the altar demanded. Abram, had to be.
Tanner strode towards him, shutting
out the whimpers of Beth’s family. “You Abram? You in charge here?”
Nathaniel stepped into his path.
“You have no right to be here. No reason to be here,” Nathaniel said. All the
bluster and smarm he’d been packing yesterday at the diner was gone, Tanner
thought. There was something … shrunken about him, something defeated. No power
in his voice, just desperation. It would have made Tanner pity him, except this
asshole had smacked Beth.
Tanner shoved him, sending him
stumbling. “You stay the fuck out of my way, unless you want me to finish what
I started yesterday.”
“Nathaniel,” Abram said. There was
no hint of emotion in his tone, but Nathaniel stepped out of Tanner’s way,
leaving the path between Tanner and Abram clear.
“You are the one who kidnapped
Bethany?” Abram asked him, gripping the altar so hard his knuckles turned
white. Angry or afraid, Tanner wondered.
“Kidnapped?” Tanner spat and turned
to Beth’s family. “Listen, Beth hasn’t gone anywhere or done anything she
didn’t want to. Got that? She’s fine, she’s safe, and she’s not fucking coming
back to this bastard.”
The oldest girl gave him a hopeful
look, but the others wouldn’t even meet his eyes. Tanner focused on Abram
again, clenching his fists as he strode to the altar.
“I just wanna make one thing clear to you,” Tanner said, fixing his glare on Abram and
letting all the anger he felt blaze in his eyes. It felt good, having a target.
“From now on, Beth’s free. And if you or any of your scumbag kids come looking
for her, I’ll kill ‘ em .” He meant it, he realized,
and he hoped Abram realized it too. Snapping the prick’s neck would be goddamn
satisfying.
Abram regarded him icily. “I have
nothing to fear from the likes of you. God protects the righteous.”
“What’s righteous about beating
women? What’s your god say about that?” Wolf called from behind Tanner.
Abram ignored him, keeping his
steely gaze on Tanner. “Bethany is to be my wife. It is agreed with her
parents—you have no right to keep her from her home and family.”
They could talk all day, Tanner
thought. Talk and posture and get fucking nowhere, because men like this never
thought they were wrong. Tanner wasn’t in the mood to talk. He snapped forward,
grabbing Abram by the collar and hauling him so he was sprawled across the
altar, spluttering and flailing like a landed fish. The fear in his eyes now
made Tanner smile.
“Listen to me, you piece of shit—”
“Tanner!” Wolf’s shout made him
twist around just in time to see Beth
right now.
The church stuck out like a nun in
a whorehouse. Smack in the center of the village, it was a gleaming white
wooden building, looking fresh and vibrant among the dust and drear of the
other buildings. Low music swelled inside, hinting at where all the people
might be.
“Think they’ll swarm us?” Wolf
asked, clearly thinking the same thing.
“You worried about taking on a
bunch of church-goers?”
Wolf shrugged. “Let’s hope they
don’t practice human sacrifice, is all.”
The doors were closed but Tanner
peered in through a stained-glass window and made out a small congregation—maybe
eight or nine people, tops. That couldn’t be the whole village, surely?
Well, fuck it, it didn’t matter. As long as Abram was one of them. “Go in hard,” he told
Wolf, who nodded grimly. Tanner put his big boot to the door and kicked it
open.
Chapter Twelve
A woman screamed as they burst in,
and Tanner saw her dodge behind a guy who looked like he’d have preferred to
hide behind her. The couple stood at the front of the church, surrounded by
four younger girls. They had to be Beth’s family. He saw the resemblance in the
girls. A rake-thin man stood at the altar, face like thunder. Nathaniel stood
at his side.
“What is the meaning of this?” the
man at the altar demanded. Abram, had to be.
Tanner strode towards him, shutting
out the whimpers of Beth’s family. “You Abram? You in charge here?”
Nathaniel stepped into his path.
“You have no right to be here. No reason to be here,” Nathaniel said. All the
bluster and smarm he’d been packing yesterday at the diner was gone, Tanner
thought. There was something … shrunken about him, something defeated. No power
in his voice, just desperation. It would have made Tanner pity him, except this
asshole had smacked Beth.
Tanner shoved him, sending him
stumbling. “You stay the fuck out of my way, unless you want me to finish what
I started yesterday.”
“Nathaniel,” Abram said. There was
no hint of emotion in his tone, but Nathaniel stepped out of Tanner’s way,
leaving the path between Tanner and Abram clear.
“You are the one who kidnapped
Bethany?” Abram asked him, gripping the altar so hard his knuckles turned
white. Angry or afraid, Tanner wondered.
“Kidnapped?” Tanner spat and turned
to Beth’s family. “Listen, Beth hasn’t gone anywhere or done anything she
didn’t want to. Got that? She’s fine, she’s safe, and she’s not fucking coming
back to this bastard.”
The oldest girl gave him a hopeful
look, but the others wouldn’t even meet his eyes. Tanner focused on Abram
again, clenching his fists as he strode to the altar.
“I just wanna make one thing clear to you,” Tanner said, fixing his glare on Abram and
letting all the anger he felt blaze in his eyes. It felt good, having a target.
“From now on, Beth’s free. And if you or any of your scumbag kids come looking
for her, I’ll kill ‘ em .” He meant it, he realized,
and he hoped Abram realized it too. Snapping the prick’s neck would be goddamn
satisfying.
Abram regarded him icily. “I have
nothing to fear from the likes of you. God protects the righteous.”
“What’s righteous about beating
women? What’s your god say about that?” Wolf called from behind Tanner.
Abram ignored him, keeping his
steely gaze on Tanner. “Bethany is to be my wife. It is agreed with her
parents—you have no right to keep her from her home and family.”
They could talk all day, Tanner
thought. Talk and posture and get fucking nowhere, because men like this never
thought they were wrong. Tanner wasn’t in the mood to talk. He snapped forward,
grabbing Abram by the collar and hauling him so he was sprawled across the
altar, spluttering and flailing like a landed fish. The fear in his eyes now
made Tanner smile.
“Listen to me, you piece of shit—”
“Tanner!” Wolf’s shout made him
twist around just in time to see Beth
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