Page 48 of Thorn Evermore
“Really? That’s your angle?” I grab his shoulder, squeezing so hard his knees nearly buckle and he releases the girl. “Go on, sweetie. Find Greer. He’ll help you out.”
“Thank you,” she says, clutching her little plastic bag of items and running off.
“You son of a bitch,” Dale growls. “I’ve been hunting her for weeks.”
“Hunting.” I chuckle. “Weirdly, we have something in common, preacher man.”
“I’m not this Dale guy. No clue what you’re talking about.”
“You think a black hat and a sweatshirt is enough to obscure your identity? Granted, the kids around here won’t know the charismatic evangelical preacher selling out arenas, all for the glory of a god that doesn’t exist, now will they? You’re counting on that.”
“It’s not me.”
I shove him against the wall, still chuckling. The scent of his fear is sour and palpable. “Oh, it’s you. I’ve been watching you for years. Know why?”
Dale doesn’t say anything as he watches me.
“Because I knew it. I knew you were bad news and hiding something juicy. Your kind always are. A prostitute habit? Special massages? Male lover on the side? Love children? Drugs, gambling, you name it, we’ve seen it all. But sex trafficking? Pastor. Shame on you.”
“Fuck you,” he spits. “You can’t prove it.”
“I won’t have to.” I crack my knuckles, amused, while Dale looks for an escape. But there’s only one way in and one way out of this alley, and that’s through me. “Here’s what’s gonna happen. You’re gonna tell me who you’re working with and where I can find Moxie.”
“I don’t fucking know who that is.”
“Pretty girl with long blond hair. Often wearing a pink jacket with an M on the back.”
“Haven’t seen her,” he mutters, and I can tell he’s being honest.
“Fair. Now, this is the part where you pay for your sins. Maybe you’ll get a nice publicity tour out of this from behind bars.”
Dale laughs, but I hear the thread of fear running through it. “You gonna blackmail me, tough guy?”
“Oh please. You don’t have anything I want.” I tilt my head. “Well, maybe one thing.”
His energy shifts to desperation. “What is it? Name your price.”
“Hmm, that’s a tough one. See, a part of me would really like to see you face the consequences of what you’ve done. The other part of me knows you’re just a little fly on the wall of some bigger organization. So maybe I’ll just kill you.”
“What?” His face goes completely white. “Kill me?”
“Why should I save you? You’re an embarrassment. Your wife and children will be humiliated. You’re responsible for manipulating thousands for money and influence, preying on their faith, and worse than all that, you’ve led innocent people into a slavery that’s nearly impossible to get out of.”
“They were already sex workers. Big fucking deal.”
I slap his face hard enough that he gasps and trembles. “It is a big fucking deal. You don’t get to decide people’s fates.”
“And you do?” Dale asks, rubbing his cheek. “You’re not god.”
“Why do you people like to say this to me?” I step closer, enjoying the way he cowers. “But you’re wrong, Dale. I am god. Yours, anyway.”
“I’ll give you whatever you want,” he says.
“I know you will. Who do you supply?”
“He’ll…” Dale looks over his shoulder but again, we’re in a closed alley. “He’ll kill me if I tell.”
“I’ll kill you if you don’t.”