59 | The Storm

**GABRIEL**

The storm outside grew fierce with every passing minute as the ancient windowpanes of the church rattled against the strong winds. The constant sound of rain seemed no distraction, despite the occasional thunderstorms that lit up the night sky.
I had taken the words of Father Lucas to my heart and knelt before the altar for hours now. It did not feel cumbersome at all since I had done this before. Relentless hours of fasting and prayers were my only solace in my early days in the priesthood. It kept me sane and composed, and focused. Only now, my devotion was split in half.
Even now, knelt and bowed, I could place my hand upon my heart and vow my dedication to God. But I could not deny the love for Sienna either. She constituted the other half of my soul. I had never questioned the complete dedication and sacrifice that was required to become a man of the cloth until I realized my love for another human.
I was taught to be burned down to the bone with devotion to God. And for the longest time, I remained holy and whole until Sienna seeped into the marrow of my bones and awakened the man inside of me.
The more I prayed, the deeper I sank into the bottomless ocean.
“Gabriel.”
Father Lucas’s soft baritone cut the aura of silence around me as I slowly opened my eyes. I made a quick gesture of the cross before getting on my feet and turning around. And right at that sight, I knew it was a bad omen.
“What’s going on?” I asked as Harper and Father exchanged a worried look.
Harper was quite drenched, probably from toiling around in the storm at night. She hurried up to me, almost shaking. “I can’t find Sienna. I have been looking for her for hours now.”
Behind her, Father Lucas wore a similar look of concern.
“It is a large compound,” I said. “She must be somewhere around.”
“No.” Harper shook her head. “I could not find her since lunchtime.”
Father Lucas came closer, placing a hand on her shoulder. “When was the last time you have seen her, child?”
“She was there for the Morning Mass, but I did not see her afterward.”
Dread gnawed at me like a saw through a wood. “She has been missing for over 18 hours now?” I could not even fathom the implications. A lot could happen in 18 hours.
“Is there a possibility that she went somewhere without telling you?” Father asked me.
“No.”
“Have you searched everywhere?” I asked Harper.
“I have been looking for her since lunch. No one has seen her in school.”
“What about her home?” Father Lucas countered.
Harper negated. “That’s the last place she will be.”
“It’s true.”
A blazing thunderstorm crashed against the windowpane as the winds grew stronger. Father Lucas looked around and then checked his watch. “We have to wait until the storm recedes and then inform the police—”
“No,” I cut in. “If Sienna is missing, then the police won’t be able to help. I will see what I can do.”
“But, Gabriel—”
I was already rushing out of the church, sprinting towards my room, when his voice stopped midway. Since I had gone to pray for over twenty hours now, I had left my cellphone back in the rectory. I had prayed harder to God at that moment, chanting like a hymn that Sienna was safe. But deep in my heart, I knew this was coming.
As soon as I unlocked the screen, I looked for missed calls or any text that I had missed. Maybe Sienna would try and contact me in case of an emergency. But there wasn’t.
So I dialed the only number I could trust at that moment.
And he picked up on the seventh ring. “Sienna is missing,” I babbled like a lunatic. “I have no idea where she is. Do whatever it takes, but bring her back.”
“Ugh. What?” Marco’s groggy voice came from the other side of the line as I heard the soft rustling of bedsheets.
“Marco, wake the fuck up!” I practically yelled at him for no reason. “Sienna is missing from school.”
I could hear his annoying grunt over the speaker as he managed the next few words. “I am going to need details.”
I provided him with every shred of information that could be of use for the next few minutes. Marco listened patiently, even though less-useful details, and waited until I breathed a sigh.
“Give me some time, and I will get back to you.”
“Not good enough. I need—”
“I don’t give a fuck what you need,” he said coolly. “I will need time to track this shit. The photos were a dead end, though.”
“Shit.”
The phone disconnected on the other end as I slammed the cell against the bed and cursed like hell. Raging emotions roared within me as I fought the urge to set the world on fire.
I was angry, worried, and terrified.
God knows where she was and if she was safe at all. But there was no way I would let her take the fall of my sins, even if I had to scour the earth for her.
Even if I have to be the man I was seven years ago.
Even if I have to make a deal with the devil.
But I will bring her back to me.
The wild night ebbed away as I paced back and forth inside the rectory until the light in the sky peeked through. The storm outside had died down, making way for the new day, but the tempest that had risen within me was no match.
It was brutal.

***

In the early hours, a knock resonated outside the door as I reached for the knob. Father Lucas stood at the threshold, holding a scrap of paper in his hand. He did not bother to shade the anxious look on his face as my gaze dragged from his hand to his eyes.
“Gabriel, I have some news,” he said carefully.
I opened the door wide enough for him to stride inside. “What happened? Did you find her?”
He shook his head regretfully. “I am afraid not. But we might have an idea.”
He held out the paper for me as I took it from him and perused it at great length.
“Your office received this e-mail today morning. It is from Raymond Emerson, Sienna’s father. He categorically stated that he had withdrawn his daughter from this school. He has some allegations to contend for, and as such, he does not want her to be associated with the authorities of this school.”
Every word of every line was nothing but crap.
“Bullshit!” I exclaimed, crushing the paper into a ball and flinging it across the room.
He placed a hand on my shoulder, a gesture he had been doing for a year now whenever he knew that I would spiral out of control. And his piercing, mature gaze steadied on mine. “Gabriel, he is her guardian and…”
“Sienna is an adult by law,” I retorted. “And I know for a fact that she did not leave on her own. She is taken by force because there is no way she would just take up and leave. All the more reasons I know that she is not safe.”
“Do you have a way to get her back?”
It took me a minute to realize the meaning behind his words, and when I did, I was a little surprised that Father Lucas would hint at that. He was aware of my contacts, although not in great detail, but wise enough to know that the men were not exactly legal.
“I will get her back no matter what,” I said.
He nodded and then closed his eyes, uttering a solemn prayer to the Protector before leaving.
It was that moment of revelation that dawned upon me. That it was time.
I felt the certainty of that like I’d never felt anything before. I’d pretended long enough, struggled far longer than I should have to choose between my devotion to God and my heart. The truth was, I had already made my decision.
I chose Sienna.
I chose her over everything I had ever held true.
For the first time in my life, I did not mind being a *sinner*.