Kick Back - Susi Hawke Page 0,2

getting anything out of Morty. Our agent thought he had pretty good firewalls and Dan had been itching to play with them for a while now. This seemed like a good time to try it.

I went back to the conversation. "So we've established that the contract is bullshit, Darius. Now tell me more about your friend so I can figure out how to rescue him."

My heart broke as Darius told me the story of the good father's straight omega brother Tony being sold into a mating to a male alpha after their parents found him dating a human girl. All of us looked heartsick as Darius ended it with the news that Father Clarence had never seen or heard from his brother again after he’d been shipped off to South Africa. He fell quiet after a few minutes, soaking up the comfort that Gib offered as they began to kiss. Nash went back to his book and I stared at my reflection in the window as I gazed out into the night sky.

1

Clarence

Mass was going great, or as well as could be expected, when one of the parishioners must've felt hot. At least, that's what I assumed when the ceiling fans kicked on. Like everything else in our small chapel, the fans were largely ineffective. They sluggishly churned the stuffy air just enough to offer hope that cooler air was coming.

This was a lie.

The rough fabric of my sweat-soaked cassock was already chafing under the arms. The outer robe and scarf that made up the rest of my vestments would hide it from the congregation. The weather outside would be nice and cool this late in the autumn. The problem was quite honestly a good one to have—there were just too many bodies stuffed inside our small chapel.

I took a deep breath and tried to remain focused while I completed the Eucharist. Not much longer and I could go home and change into street clothes, splash some cold water on my face, and figure out what my next move was going to be.

My intuition had never led me wrong. Just like I’d known that my calling to minister as an Anglican priest was a small part of a larger plan for my life, I'd known for several months now that my days as a priest were coming to an end.

After weeks of prayer and searching, I'd made all the proper steps. My bishop hadn't been thrilled and had insisted on weeks of counseling, believing me to be simply burned out. Only after he'd finally understood that I felt like I was doing the Lord's will had he begun the process that would allow me to leave my parish.

Today was my last service, so I figured I could probably be forgiven for my mind wandering. We’d said our goodbyes at my farewell dinner last night and after I left the church today, I wasn’t allowed to speak to any of them. The new priest would arrive tomorrow after I’d cleared my cottage and departed the island. It was sad but it was how it was done.

I’d spent many happy years leading the congregation and would miss my people—but I would not miss the evil lying under the surface of our seemingly lovely country. Nor would I miss my parents who lived here. I hadn’t spoken to them in many years, other than superficial polite greetings if we were at the same event. They knew why. Their actions were unforgivable and I didn’t feel like I’d be judged by the God I served for feeling that way. Evil didn’t deserve compassion, nor had my parents had shown any signs of regret for what they’d done.

My brother. Thoughts of him were always prevalent, but even more so now.

The most difficult part about my position was ending this stop for the underground. I’d wanted to confide in my dear friend Prince Darius when he'd visited not long ago but had held my tongue after meeting his mate and newly found son. Now that Darius would be free of Aurelia and was settling in Portugal, I hadn't wanted to burden him and make him feel obligated to find a way to keep the underground running here.

That absolutely couldn't happen. It was no longer safe. This was another thing I knew thanks to my intuition. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I knew it was no longer meant for us to operate within these shores. There would still be members of the community who