I wipe away the stupid tears before he can see them.
“I’m here,” he continues. “You need help with research, I can do that. If you need support, I’ll help. Whatever battles you have to fight, I’ll be by your side. I’m not going anywhere.”
I can’t help myself and lean into his chest. His arms wrap around me and squeeze. For a moment, I let all the cluttered thoughts escape my mind and allow myself to exist in this one perfect moment.
If I could stop time, this could be my happily ever after. Time doesn’t stop. Eventually, sadly, I have to pull myself away.
“What do we do now?” he asks. “How can I help you?”
“I need to find its name. That’s the key.”
He nods. “And your friend Father Ramon was helping you to find the name of this demon?”
“Yes.”
“Then you need to have the exorcism performed, right?”
I hesitate. I consider what to say next, wondering if I should tell him a truth I’ve never admitted to anyone else. It’s something I hid from Father Ramon—something I never even told Paige.
He looks at me, waiting. I decide to confess. “No.”
He wrinkles his brow. “I thought—”
“That’s not enough,” I add. “An exorcism removes the demon from my body. It sends this thing back to hell. But I don’t want to send this thing back to where it came from. It murdered my brother. It doesn’t deserve to just go home. That’s not enough.”
He furrows his brow. “What else can you do?”
I take a deep breath and tell him my secret. “I’m going to kill it.”
About the Author
____◊____
G.S. Fortis was born and raised in Southern California and now makes his home in the city of Los Angeles. For many years he worked as both a development executive and as a screenwriter in the entertainment industry. He eventually decided the story of a demonically-possessed private detective on a quest for her own salvation might make an interesting book.
When not writing, he enjoys exploring the nooks and crannies of LA. One of his favorite hobbies is taking photos, particularly of the weird and wonderful architecture of the city.
A NAME IN THE DARK is his first novel.
