“I know. I’m sorry.” I sighed heavily, fighting the urge to take it out on him. I needed to stop blaming others for things they couldn’t help just because I felt like I was spinning out of control. I turned toward him and wrapped an arm around his waist. With the way his eyes widened, I knew he wasn’t expecting that. “Thank you for helping me. I mean, I know you have to get to the bottom of it as well, for The Swords and all, but thank you.”
“I’m here for you.” He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head.
“I need to find Marie. That lady said she was back there cleaning.”
“Let’s go.” Adam started walking me into the woods. When I glanced over my shoulder and got the full scope of how many monks and nuns were here, I held his hand tighter.
“Do you think maybe Wendy left of her own accord? Maybe she was the one who was supposed to be sacrificed?”
“Maybe.”
“But if she’s gone and Stella’s not here, it would fall on me.”
“Stop saying that. Can you stop saying that?” Adam ran a hand through his hair. “Jesus.”
“It’s not that far-fetched.”
“It is, Eva. People don’t sacrifice people. We’re not the freaking Aztecs.”
“Do you see the people standing in your backyard right now?” I nodded in the direction of the house we were walking away from.
“Clergymen and women, yes, not murderers or rapists.”
“I was raised Catholic and even I’m willing to admit that a lot of them are disgusting.” I shot him a look. “Adam, we saw them raping a woman. Various women if we take the photographs into account. My mother may have been one of them.” A sudden wave of nausea overcame me and I stopped walking, letting go of his hand and setting it on my stomach. “Oh my God. Do you think my father is a priest?”
Maybe it was because I grew up without one, but I was so fixated on my birth mother, I hadn’t thought about who my father could have been. Adam was looking at me like it was making him sick as well, but he didn’t say no.
“I mean, wouldn’t it be?” he asked finally. “Assuming that was your mother in the picture and they invited you and Stella here.”
“Oh, God.” I put my other hand over my mouth when my stomach rumbled. “I think I’m going to be sick.”
“Who cares?” Adam said. “Honestly, what does it matter? Look at how you turned out, Eva. You’re in Ellis freaking University. You did that on your own. You had Karen, and sure, you didn’t see eye to eye but she obviously loves you despite that. You have Aisha—”
“Had.” I blinked away unshed tears. “Had Aisha.”
“You have us.” He reached for my hand. “You have me.”
As I stood there, I felt something shift inside my chest. Maybe it was the butterflies flapping all around inside of me. Maybe it was the circumstances and the fact that out of everyone I knew, everyone I’d met, Adam was the only one who stood next to me and meant it. Whatever the case was, I decided right then and there that this wasn’t casual, this wasn’t a blip in my story. He was exactly what I never knew I needed and I wouldn’t push him away. Not purposely, anyway. With those thoughts in mind, I got on the balls of my feet and kissed him, his arms wrapping around me as my mouth moved against his. I pulled away quickly, not because I wanted to, but because I hadn’t lost sight of what needed to be done. His hazel eyes searched mine and without saying a word, I knew he saw what I was trying to tell him.
We started walking again until we reached the church. The door was open, and unlike the other morning, it didn’t look as daunting, maybe because I knew it would be empty. As we walked up the steps and walked inside, I braced myself to face Marie. Sister Marie. That was how I knew her. Finding her wasn’t an issue. She was on her knees, scraping the floor with a tool, and looked up at us and back down as if she’d been expecting us.
“Darn monks with their gum.” She set the tool down and stood. “I take it you’re not here for the cleaning position.”
“I need to know why I’m here.”
“Why you’re here?” She raised an eyebrow. “How would I answer that?”
“You helped my mother adopt me. You knew there were two of us.” I paused because I still wasn’t entirely sure about Wendy. She didn’t look exactly like Stella and so I assumed she had a different father. When she didn’t jump in, I continued. “Why did they separate us? Where is our mother?”
“Your mother is Karen Guerra.”