Del Diablo (Stygian Isle 0.50)

Jess snorted. “Not the same someone who would overlook our cars parked out front, right?”

“This is a church. They’re open twenty-four hours no one would think it’s weird for us to be here,” Troy reasoned.

Kyle laughed; the sound harsh. “This is a member-only society smartass. I don’t think you being here would go over well, especially dressed like that.”

“Isa, let’s go,” I spoke over him and gestured for her to come.

I didn’t care to have a battle of words right now. I wanted to get the hell out of here. This building was creeping me out. It looked nothing like a church that associated with any kind of religion I could name. What had Kyle just called it? A society?

Some of the cultish symbols ingrained into the dark woodwork were eerily similar to the ones my father had occasionally drawn on paperwork.

Affixed to the large stone altar were two black flags bearing the same goat head image.

I didn’t know Draven that well. Aside from our dinner tonight and the texting we’d done I had never spoken to him before but in friendly passing.

If someone told me he was the head of some sort of satanic religion I’d have laughed in their face. As it was, I had an increasingly bad feeling about us being here. There were too many things not adding up, the most obvious that this building had been left unsecured so anyone could walk right in.

“Isa,” I repeated.

“She can go after we get the cash,” Troy objected.

“The…how do you know there’s cash here to steal?”

“A little birdie told me. I can’t give their name.”

I knew this was coming. He only would’ve come here for one thing, and it was to rob the place. How low did you have to be to steal from a house of worship?

“You go ahead and do that, she’s allowed to leave whenever she wants. Isa, please.”

She took a step towards us and faltered, still wearing the same outfit I’d left her in beneath a thick pea-coat. “Maybe just let him see if he can find it?”

“Why do you keep letting that man drag you down?” Jessica admonished.

I stared at my sister, laughing in disbelief when she didn’t say anything. Troy’s smug expression was the tipping point for what I could handle.

Did she enjoy being a doormat? I just didn’t understand her anymore. Not even a few hours ago she didn’t even want to marry this man, but it was perfectly fine to stick beside him why he did stupid shit like this?

“What was the point in calling me out here, Isa?”

I ran a hand over my brow in frustration. How had my night started so great just to end like this?

“You know what, you stay here and help your piece of shit boyfriend rack up felonies. I’m going home. If you get caught don’t call me, I want nothing to do with this.”

I turned and headed back towards the way we came in, grabbing hold of Jessica and Kyle to take them with me. I kept walking when my sister called for me again. I refused to stop and listen to anything else she had to say. I was so tired of this cycle.

She needed to grow up and stop catering to the man who would be her downfall. And Draven, how could I ever explain this to him if they were caught? How would he explain why his church looked like Pinhead’s playground?

Either way, it went I would be betraying him or my sister if I chose a side. Reaching the double doors, I went to pull the left open, frowning when it didn’t so much as budge.

Grabbing both rounded handles, I pulled and pushed to no avail, not getting so much as a rattle. We were stuck.

“These doors are locked.”

“How? From the outside?” Jess stepped up beside me and began to run her hands over them. “Why is there no visible lock?”

“Maybe it’s automatic,” I suggested lamely.

“Do you think someone triggered it? There could be cameras in here.”

Fuck. Why hadn’t I thought of that? It was highly likely that there were in fact cameras inside of this building, which meant Draven would know we’d been here no matter what I did.

“We’re completely fucked.” I took a step back, placing both hands on the back of my head.

“Not yet we aren’t. There has to be another way out,” Kyle replied.

“He’s right. Let’s get the money and then find it,” Troy cut in.

I laughed humorlessly and turned to face him. “You still want to find the money? This isn’t a sign to you how bad of an idea that is—how terrible this whole plan of yours was?”

“She’s right, Troy. Please,” my sister pleaded.

“Can everyone just calm down?” He demanded, his face pinching in irritation. “The doors probably are on a timer or something. There’s too much money at stake here to leave now. This would set us up really well, babe. Think of the baby. Let’s get the cash and wait until the doors unlock.”