I watched Annie’s finger slide across the spines of the movies, and occasionally she would stretch up on to her toes, making her legs look miles long even though she was only about five foot five. The fact that I still didn’t know where she’d been going or who she’d been seeing weighed heavily on my mind, and I wasn’t above some harmless flirtation to get the information I needed from her. I could say I was worried about her safety, but jealousy was what fueled my inquisition. No one should be putting his hands on her.

She finally held up a case with her lower lip pulled between her teeth as she waited for my approval.

I nodded, not bothering to see what she chose, and she hurried to put the disc in the Bluray player before walking back toward the couch. I patted the cushion next to me, but she sat a foot away, her bare legs pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them.

“What’s this about?” I asked as she put her cheek on top of her knees, her face toward me.

She shrugged and reached for the popcorn. I pulled the bowl away as she glared at me, reaching farther as she stretched over me before pulling her arm back.

“I asked you a question.”

Her eyes locked on mine, challenging me before she reached again.

“Fine. Take it.” I set the bowl on my lap, and she fell back into her seat and reached her hand into the bowl to grab a handful. I relaxed, stretching out my legs and tucking my hand behind my head. The movie began, and the warmth of the alcohol was settling deep in my stomach and spreading throughout my body, but it was doing nothing to numb the thoughts that crept to the forefront of my mind. They were always present, haunting.

“It’s about this psychic in a small town, and she starts getting visions about a girl who’s missing.”

I smirked; even as defiant as she was, she still always listened to me one way or another. My cock twitched in response to her obedience.

“Sounds boring. I may need to find other ways to entertain myself.” I felt her gaze cut to me. I sighed as the opening of the movie seemed to drag on, but Annie was absolutely entranced and lost in the unraveling mystery. I pulled out my cell phone and began to scroll through the contacts, stopping on Leslie. I clicked the call button and stared off at the television as it rang, waiting for her to answer.

“Hello?” she answered with a thick Southern drawl.

“It’s been a while. Have you forgotten about me?” I asked as I pictured her bent over my desk as I took her from behind, her long, honey-colored ponytail wrapped around my fist.

“Like that’s possible. I’m in Texas.”

“That’s a shame. I was looking for some company.”

Annie groaned and turned up the volume on the television as her eyes narrowed, but she didn’t look my way.

“I’ll be back early next week. I could drop by.” There was a hopeful eagerness in her voice. None of these girls gave me the thrill of the chase, but at least they didn’t mind when I got a little too rough.

“I’ll already have replaced you by then, sweetheart,” I joked, and Annie glared at me, causing me to laugh. I pushed up from the couch and walked into the hallway to get away from her.

“That’s not funny,” Leslie shot back as I paced the floor, running my hand over my hair. She began to ramble on about visiting family and how her uncle was ill and not expected to make it. I didn’t give a fuck about her problems, her hopes, or her dreams. She served a purpose, and when she didn’t satisfy that urge any longer, she would be gone.

There was only one constant in my life, and that was Annabel. Her appearance was similar, but she couldn’t be more different from those girls. Even as she tried to prove otherwise, she was still the innocent one.

I plopped down on the couch next to her, our sides grazing each other as I rolled my eyes and focused on the movie. She adjusted herself like she was going to move away, but she stayed by my side.

I tried to shelter her from it as much as I could, but after the shower incident, it was all I could think about, weaving its way through my subconscious.

She was still clutching her knees to her chest, and I reached to the end of the couch and grabbed the red woven throw and laid it over her. She gave me a sideways glance but pulled it over her as she put her legs down.

“You can be pretty nice sometimes when you want to be,” she said, and I laughed, running my hand over my hair.

“The problem is I don’t want to be.” I studied her profile as she reacted to my words, her pink lips parting slightly and her chest rising a little farther and faster. That brought my gaze lower, and I turned to look at the television, closing my eyes as I pushed the thoughts from my mind.

The fog that had taken up permanent residence in my conscience as a child was now back in place, blinding me from the consequences of my actions. We always had a choice in life. I chose to give in to the darker side of my soul. The side that gained satisfaction from control. The side that was on the brink of starvation, waiting, biding its time until I was able to feed it again. It craved the wrong.

I did it all for the greater good, but now I wasn’t sure what that was and if I could really justify it as anything other than pure evil.

“She isn’t like the others.” The muscles ticked over my jaw as I clenched and unclenched my fists.

“What do you mean? Of course she is.” Taylor glanced back at me over his shoulder before continuing to type away at his next sermon on his laptop.

“She’s not.” I slammed my open palms down on the edge of his desk, bent over and glaring. This was wrong. This was all wrong from everything he had taught me. His eyes met mine with a warning glare.

Physically Taylor was no match for me, but mentally he had whittled me down to the same depraved, heartless creature he was. I looked up to him for guidance, and he fed my hunger—a hunger that he had helped create. His fingers stopped moving against the keyboard, and he eyed me intently.

“She scares you?” he asked rhetorically, and I stood, shaking my head as I paced the floor, my hands fisted in my hair.

“Nothing scares me.” I glared over at him, but he simply sighed and relaxed back in his seat, ignoring my thinly veiled threat.

“Perhaps I chose the wrong son,” he mused, and I felt the familiar boiling rage begin to simmer inside the pit of my stomach. Taylor liked to pit the boys of the church against each other. He got a sick thrill from watching us commit unspeakable acts to compete for his affection. “You don’t find her attractive, is that it?” He pulled off his brown-rimmed glasses and tossed them on the desk in front of him.

“She’s a good person. She doesn’t deserve—”

He cut me off as he stood, his face shacking in anger and turning red. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God!” His words echoed in the small space. “Is it my fault that she has deceived you?”

“No, sir,” I responded without hesitation.

“Then find out what her transgressions are. That is your job. If you ever question my decisions again, you will be on the street.” He sat back in his seat, his hand smoothing over his dark, greasy hair as he expelled a heavy breath. “Don’t let her fool you, son. That is the devil working.”

I nodded and pulled open his office door, propelling myself into the cool night air. I bent over, my hands on my knees as I struggled to gain control over myself. This girl was playing me, toying with me.

I headed across the dark field with a mission. I was going to find out what it was that Annabel was hiding.