You stand in the basement of the church, surrounded by Claire’s appointed groomsmen and the Coates Family’s personal attendants. The lights are much dimmer than upstairs, but glancing through the room, you count at least 20 other people all finalizing their hair and clothing. They gather together in small groups, exchanging gossip with one another between quick looks over their shoulder back at you.

Unlike them, you are all alone. There is nobody by your side and nobody giving you a last look to make sure every inch of your collar is folded correctly and there isn’t any stray lint stuck to your back. The moment was expected and you understand their curiosity. You wait and remain silent. You may be the Groom, but it's all just for show. The Coates haven’t made any secrets about their plans for this wedding. You are to be presented as a life-long devotion of charity. They’ve already made a public claim to have rescued you from the sins of the world and through their connection to the Lord, they have vowed to remove all of your wickedness from this day forward.

In some ways, it’s perfect that nobody is talking to you. While the Coates’ have their own agenda, the truth of today is going to be much more than any of them are prepared for. You shift your weight from your right foot to your left, feeling the dull scrape of Lance’s gun behind your back.

“I’ll never see any one of you people ever again.”

You look away from the group of mumbling Groomsmen just as several Bridesmaids suddenly appear in the room. They have just finished their hair and makeup, leaving them with shiny curls and smoky eyes. Each one of them is wearing a tight, mint-green dress that contours their bodies from the top of their chest to just above their knees. They laugh nervously to each other as they step down off the stairs and listen to their heels begin clacking across the floor. Individually, each one of them steals a glimpse of you standing alone and then quickly looks away. Like everyone else, they immediately begin whispering to each other between spurts of hushed laughter.

Taking a deep breath you look away and try to focus on something else. The clock says it’s five minutes until the wedding starts. Your heart begins to pump a little faster. Your ears begin to fill with the sound of feet shuffling overhead. The organist begins warming up, playing “All His Little Joys” by local Christan music superstar, Lisa Ganesh. It’s opening notes ring in your head like the sound of funeral bells.

You look up at the ceiling above you. It’s likely that more than 300 people have already gathered upstairs. You bite down and try to stay calm. You shift your weight again and the Peacemaker feels like a full size gorilla hanging off your back.

“You gonna run?” A woman’s voice whispers from behind you. You spin around and find a pair of seductive green eyes and two full red lips staring back at you.

It’s Gail.

Continue here.

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