Wrath (Heartlands Motorcycle Club #7) - Dani Wyatt Page 0,26

the church office to settle some business after they drop me at the house.

So nice to have everything all planned out for you.

I march into my bedroom after a few choice words to my father, and slam the door before dropping onto my bed. Then I go to my laptop and check my email. Then I pace.

I think of texting Jillian, but what good will that do?

Fuck it. This is bullshit. I don’t know what sort of drugs these two think I’m on, but it’s time to let them know, I’ve cleaned up and there’s no fucking way I’m riding this ride with them.

I turn to swing open the door to my room and see Wrath’s vest, the note and his pages of criminal records in a heap on my dresser.

I know a million times, there’s no way I want to marry William. But, I don’t see how I can be with someone like Wrath either. What kind of life does he live really?

I want to get my masters in AI and Bio-Engineering. Would someone like Wrath be okay with that? He said he admired my intelligence when we talked about my college and how I was just back to help out my dad until I decided what was next, but was that just part of a yes game to get me to sleep with him?

As the conflict pulls at my insides, there’s something else.

Something I’ve never felt before and until this moment, I think I was scared to say it or think it out loud.

“I’m in love with him.” The words echo around my small bedroom even as my brain is giving me all the reasons this is not right. Could never be right. The next words come easier, but they make my heart clench in my chest. “And I think he loves me.”

My mother’s words come back to me. Whenever I would be frustrated, unsure...she would always say when we have a crisis, be it of faith or something else, it’s there for a reason. It will propel us forward to something new and wonderful, or set us back to what we know. Comfortable, but without growth.

As I walk down the hallway and out the front door toward the church, I know I don’t want comfortable. I think whatever this crisis is right now, I will be propelled forward. Straight up and over William, but what’s on the other side, I’m still not sure.

A few minutes later, I’m through the darkened parking lot. The back of the church, where the fire started, is still covered in tarps and my gut is tight wondering if it could be true that Wrath started the fire either to get back at my father or to get to me.

I’m down the hall and a few feet from my father’s office door. It’s closed, but I can hear William’s raised voice coming through. I can’t make out what he’s saying, but it’s my father’s voice next and I stand flat against the wall to listen.

“That wasn’t the deal we made.” His voice is angry and scared at the same time, something I’ve never heard from him, and my heart breaks. Whatever else, he’s still my father, and until recently he’s always treated me well. “The deal was Kristina marries you. That’s what you wanted and that’s what I’m arranging. We didn’t agree on anything else.”

“Things change. It’s time, Leonard. The fire was a sign. Things are changing. If you step down, you can maintain your pension and a visiting Pastor’s privileges, but you will name me as your successor.”

“No.” I can hear the distress. “This is my congregation. I care about this church, about them. In time, you will have your own church, but we all have to earn that. You’re not ready.”

Growing up a Baptist Pastor’s daughter, a large church like ours isn’t without its perks. Our car is owned by the church; after all these years my father’s salary, perks and benefits are significant; our home is paid for and provided. A large church is a coveted position, but my father is right, it has to be earned.

William’s voice is hard when he answers. “Doesn’t seem you are in a strong negotiating position, Leonard. All I have to do is go to the Convention and show them the pictures. Tell them what’s been going on with you and Matthew. You’ll lose your teaching job as well. I don’t believe the church or the dean will take kindly to you having a