Page 37 of Sinner

“Forget what Gloria said.”

“If you let me finish, Gloria said they have special abilities that will unlock once they meet their mate for life, and that these will help them fight the evil of their sin. Without a mate, they risk falling prey to the sin they fight.”

“What are you saying?”

“I… I guess what I’m saying is that if we don’t want that destructive future to eventuate, then they need love in their lives.”

Flint looked at the hotel room. Those little kids inside… so innocent now, but not forever. Pride already seemed jaded.

Lust’s little girly voice piped up inside the room. She had spunk that kid, and she was only four, maybe five.

He made his decision hours ago.

“We don’t go,” he said. “We take the kids off grid. We raise them ourselves. You’re a fucking ninja, you can teach them how to protect themselves. I can teach them… well, how to build a robot, or some shit, but the point is, we might even give them a chance for a normal childhood. School. Fun. Friends.”

“But… the Sisterhood.”

“Fuck the Sisterhood. What have they done for you except suck your soul away? I don’t like them, no offense. I know they saved you from your parents but, Mary, they used you. They wanted you to kill the children! They’re as bad as the company that created them.”

She said nothing for a while.

Flint licked his lips and kept going. “Mary, we lost their sister, but we don’t have to lose them. You said they need love in their lives. We can provide that for them. You and me.”

“Flint. That’s a massive commitment. That’s your entire life we’re talking about. You only found out about them yesterday.”

“But I fell in love with you two years ago.”

“What?”

“Like I said last night, from the moment I laid eyes on you, I knew. Even though my mind said you weren’t available, my heart was gone. I trust you. I’m with you, all the way. If you say these children need love in their lives, then let’s give it to them. You’re more than the Sisterhood. You’re more than abruja.”

Tears welled in her brown eyes and her bottom lip trembled. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him, hard. When she pulled back, her eyes locked with his. “I love you so much. Let’s do this. You, me, and the seven.”

“Done. On one condition.”

Fear flashed in her eyes. “What?”

“We give them real names.”

Mary laughed. “And a new last name for us.”

“You don’t like Fydler?”

“I love it, but we must change our identities.”

“Oh, of course. Okay, got any ideas?”

She thought about it for a moment, then a smile danced on her face. “How about Lazarus.”

“Lazarus,” he said, testing the name. “Laz-ar-us. Okay. Sounds good. Kinda like lazy-ass but, okay. We can work with it. Why that name?”

“Because he was the only other man in the bible apart from Jesus who came back from the dead.” She turned serious on Flint. “You brought me back from death, Flint.”

“Then Lazarus is perfect.” He kissed her on the forehead.

A suspicious sound came from inside the room, as though a lamp had dropped.

Mary gave Flint a sideways glance. “Last chance to back out—take your money and run.”

“Mary, this is a battle I’m prepared to fight. You got me until the end.”

As they entered the motel room, Flint’s foot knocked on something. A pebble. He picked it up with a smile and handed it to Mary.

“What’s this for?” she asked.

“For our new collection.”

“For a new garden,” she whispered then tipped on her toes to kiss him on the cheek. “It’s perfect.”

* * *