Scandalous 2 Page 0,19

up quickly, showing orange flickering flames on a red background as the sidebars. The center is white, with black text. The header is a red and white graphic that says, "MORAL BRIMSTONE." There are names of organizations to boycott, names of public figures who said the wrong thing, including one name that matters very much to me. It's in big black letters right at the top - JONATHAN GRAY STUDIOS.

My chest tightens as I lean in and read over Jack's shoulder. "Is that what I think it is?" Shock swallows me whole as I stare at the screen. It looks like a hate website and there's a call to action at the top, telling people that Jack is corrupt and in need of having his thoughts changed. At first I think it's because they believe sensuous art has no place in public places, but its more than that. They seem to have a personal problem with Jack.

"Fuck," Jack says through gritted teeth. He stares at the screen, not reading it, just staring. His fists tighten and he hangs his head between his shoulders before running his fingers through his hair.

"Jack?" I ask uncertainly, not fully comprehending what's wrong. Jack has always had protesters, people who hate his work. It bothers him, but I've never seen him react like this. "They're just another group, right? You've dealt with this before. I thought most of your shows had picketers?"

"They do. There are always small groups of peaceful protesters at my shows. That's not the problem," Jack says, looking up at me. "Brimstone's a nightmare. They're not just a bunch of zealots bent on giving art in America a dress code; they're an organization that calls for morality, but the way they go about it is violent. They use the normal picketers, douse them with verbal lighter fluid, and drop a match. They're dangerous. They use normal, peaceful people to accomplish their goals. There was a shooting last year that was linked to them. A few months ago they were tied to another heinous act. They tied a gay kid to a post and burned him like he was a witch. The group has been suspected of other things, horrible things, but no one can pin specific events on them. They turn peaceful protesters into mobs and then get the mobs to do their dirty work for them."

My eyes are bugging out. I can't believe what he's telling me. "Is there anything we can do to stop them?"

"No, they're classified as a religious organization, and between that and free speech, they're hard to get rid of once you're targeted. Besides that, they're small. For all I know, the group could be run by one person. There's no indication of how large the group is. Most of the time, when something goes down and Brimstone takes credit for it, the protesters have no idea how they turned violent. It wasn't their intention, but something changed, and it made sense at the time. I popped up on their radar once before, but they didn't go after me then. I never found out why." Jack is working his jaw, staring at the note in his hands. "No wonder Kate and Gus didn't let your painting leave with the rest of the shipment." Jack stands and paces the room, his hand stroking his chin.

"I don't get it. Why would they separate that painting?" My eyes scan the article about Jack. It's horrifying. They're saying that he single-handedly destroyed a minister, and while the media sang his praises, Brimstone knows what he really is - an advocate of evil. The article goes on to urge people to rally against Jack, and tells them not to condemn those who Jack has tainted - by which, they mean me. By the time my eyes reach the end of the story, I'm fuming. They made Jack into the bad guy. They have accused him of practically raping me, of forcing me to be his wife - like I didn't have enough of a brain to tell him no. Horrified, I look at Jack.

He doesn't return my gaze. They hit a sore spot. "They're targeting me because of our relationship, because you were chaste and I stole you from the church. They say I turned you into a whore. According to their site, they realized the painting of you was created prior to our wedding vows. They think I corrupted you. The call to action is to win you back. This is