The Life and Death of Lauren Conway (Mercy 2)

the Aryan race with his clipped blond hair and hard blue eyes. Then there was Roberto Ortega and Kaci Donahue. Roberto seemed nice enough, his grin was always quick and he actually helped the students, though, because of his status as a teacher’s assistant, Lauren didn’t trust him. As for Kaci Donahue, the jury was still out on the tall brunette. Friend or foe? Who knew? Lauren’s problem with Kaci was the company she kept. Though she tried to hide it, Kaci had a thing for Rolfe, which was decidedly against the rules.

And what about you? Don’t be throwing stones, Lauren. It wasn’t your most brilliant move getting involved with him, now, was it?

Despite the cold, she felt heat flood her cheeks as Banjo bumped against her. “Sorry,” Banjo whispered.

“No problem.” Lauren forced her gaze to the conversation pit.

Reverend Tobias Lynch, headmaster for the boys as well as the religion and theology teacher for all students, took his position in front of the towering rock wall. He was a tall, imposing man whose sharp eyes that saw more than he let on. He warmed the back of his legs on the fire while his Bible lay open in his hands.

Lynch was flanked by Professor Burdette, headmistress for the girls, and Doctor Tyeesha Williams, a stately African-American woman with impossibly white teeth and a will of iron. Lauren had come to think of them as his right-hand women and figured Lynch preferred female company… well, she knew he did. Wasn’t it obvious?

She couldn’t help but wonder what Mrs. Lynch thought about his close relationship with his colleagues.

“Come on… move in… everyone, please, take your places,” Lynch said as students squirmed into their favorite spots. There were around forty-five kids enrolled in the program, all teens whose parents were desperate to turn their “troubled” children’s lives around.

The crowd was restless and whispering, but one long, “Shhhh,” from Reverend Lynch and they quieted just as the music slowly faded. “Welcome to the prayer circle,” he said, offering a beatific smile as he moved his gaze over the ring of faces. “It’s good to see you all here.” His voice was low and soft, expressing compassion. “We all need to take a moment to look back on this day and forward to the next. Did you make the best of this one? Will you strive harder tomorrow?” He was nodding now. Agreeing with himself and getting into it. “I’m sure you will. We can never take God’s gifts for granted, not for one solitary second.” His smile finally touched his eyes and without looking at the open page of his Bible he said, “Do not let love and loyalty forsake you, bind them around your neck, write them on the table of your heart.”

Lauren froze. Was he talking to her? Was his off-handed reference to loyalty aimed at her? She swallowed hard and from the corner of her eye noticed Rolfe and Missy staring at her. Their expressions were blank, but their gazes… Sweet Jesus, if looks could kill…

You’d be a dead woman!

Lynch continued, “I’m quoting loosely from Proverbs, here, but the heart of the message is that we have to be true to ourselves, true to our fellow man, true to our friends—” He motioned widely to encompass everyone in the room, “–-and of course true to God.” A shiver slid down Lauren’s spine as his gaze caught hers, then moved past. “Now,” Lynch said, finding his prayer book and laying his Bible on a side table. “Let’s take the prayer on page fifteen, the one about loyalty.”

Was it her imagination or did Rolfe’s lips actually twist in some kind of perverse understanding?

Lauren’s fingers felt numb as she flipped through the pages of her prayer book and when she glanced up, she swore Lynch was staring straight at her.

Oh — God.

Everyone bowed their heads and read in unison and the words about loyalty and strength of character echoed through her mind. Why had Lynch picked this prayer tonight? And that quote from Proverbs. Was it for her? A subtle reminder of the traitor she was? Or just a coincidence? She swallowed hard and fought the compulsion to flee the room as fast as her legs would carry her. No, she had to maintain her composure. For now.

But she had to leave Blue Rock Academy.

And she was pretty damned sure she had to leave tonight.

¤ ¤ ¤

Pretending that Lauren had no effect on him, the leader cast a glance at her and felt that same wrench deep in his gut he always experienced when he studied her. She was beautiful. Her hair was dark and damp. He remembered being with her in the rain, kissing the drops from her eyelids, her cheeks, then sliding his lips lower as he peeled away her drenched parka and sweater. The taste of rainwater against her flushed skin, the hint of salt as he’d slipped his tongue between her breasts… Now, in the rec room, with dozens of people in the room, he tried his best not to stare. Firelight illuminated her perfect features and he knew she, too, was attempting to avoid meeting his gaze.

Smart girl.

Too smart. With an IQ that rivaled his own.

And too damned sexy. The feel of her naked body squirming against his was a rush like none other.

He felt beads of perspiration along his spine.

His damned cock twitched.

No! Not here. Not now.

Quicky, he thrust the erotic image from his mind.

He set his jaw with renewed effort and silently reminded himself that she’d used him.

When he looked down at his prayer book, he mouthed the words that swam before his eyes. But his brain thundered at her betrayal and a cold, white rage burned through his soul. She’d made a fool of him, a mockery of all that he believed in, all that he’d worked for.

He couldn’t get her out of his mind, couldn’t ignore the wanton desire that fired his blood every time their gazes locked.