Secret Sins Ch. 15

"So... as I say, Coby was different. She was... odd. Even as a child, she was odd. As she got older, she got harder to manage but, worst of all, she became this religious wack job. I'd stopped believing by that time, and Angelique never really did. I should have Deleted it right from our husband's mind, but I cared a lot for him, more than I've ever cared for any human, before or since, and it was such a part of him that I couldn't bring myself to do it to him. He was the preacher I told you about."

I nodded, distracted from the basement door now.

"Religion is a funny thing," she sighed. "It affects different people in different ways. It had a horrible effect on Coby. She knew we were different from our people, knew that I was especially different. She came to see me like my mother saw me. She came to believe that I was Satan, that I had cursed her and her mother with my 'seed', as she'd put it. She tried to convince Angelique of her beliefs concerning me, told her that the 'holy spirit' had told her all about me. Angelique asked her about this Holy Spirit, and Coby told her that it spoke to her from the basement, whispering its little fucking secrets. She said she often went down there to be with it, to 'give herself unto it', as she'd said. You can imagine how I reacted. I went to her, tried to warn her that whatever that thing was, it was vile and couldn't be trusted. But Coby never listened and, in fact, only got worse until... until she murdered my Angelique. And her father, our husband."

"Oh my God..." I whispered.

"Yeah... That little religious whore. It's a good thing she ran off. I'd have killed her. I'd have torn her limb from... Anyway, I sent some workers out to find her, but she'd had too much of a head start. And by the time they got back without her, I didn't... I just couldn't deal with it then. By the time I did track her down, she'd already long made it to town and met a man. Got pregnant. How could I kill her then? How could I kill my own line?"

"What... what ever happened to her?"

"She stabbed her husband to death, slashed her daughter to bloody ribbons. But her daughter lived. Chased her down to their own root cellar with an axe handle and put an end to her. Good for her."

"Oh my God, that's..."

I couldn't even finish. I put my arms around her, holding her tight, unable to even imagine being cursed with such a horror.

"It's okay, sweetie pie," she said, rubbing my back. "It was a long time ago."

After a minute, we let go, and I saw tears running down her cheeks.

"That thing down there..." she said. "It spoke to your mother, too. It got inside her. Your mother was... Well, she tried to kill one of your half-sisters."

" ... Sisters?"

"Yes, you have three. You're the youngest. But, there'll be no more out of that bottomless well. Your half-sister has recently returned your mother's favour, only a lot more effectively. By all accounts, your sister Kathleen is absolutely nobody to fuck around with."

I could only blink at her.

"Yes, I know, a million questions," she said with a sad smirk, wiping her tears.

"Sooo... Coby's daughter...?"

"Long dead."

"Oh. So... your descendants aren't... like you in that way," I assumed. "Immortal, I mean?"

"No. Well... Lately, there's been something new, so that may have changed."

"What do you mean?"

"Some other time, sweetie pie, it's a lot to get into right now, and there are other things that you'd rather know first."

"Okay. So... how many other relatives do we have?"

"Seven."

"Have you met any of them?"

"No."

"So, why did you come to me?"

" ... They have each other and their money and power. You had nobody. I had nobody. You needed me. I needed you."

"Okay. Well, thank you."

She nodded, a little smile for my appreciation. After a pause, I asked, "Um... would you mind if I wanted to meet them?"

She took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh, eyes closed, allowing another pause to go by before she replied.

"Sweetie pie, I'm not going to forbid you from meeting them, but... I wouldn't be comfortable around them. And they'd have questions as to where you could possibly have come from, more importantly, who could have given you your inheritance and... And... I'm afraid I'll lose you to them."

"No. No, you'll never lose me to anyone," I told her, turning so that I could be face to face with her, cupping her cheeks with my hands in affectionate assurance of this. "I'm not like that. I belong to you, and you belong to me."

She smiled, eyes still closed, taking one of my wrists in hand to kiss my palm before saying, "You're so sweet."

I kissed her lips and we made out for a short time before I separated, my pussy heated and teased.

"So, what are you going to do now?" she softly asked.

I knew she was referring to my choice between her and my career. She'd wanted an answer soon, and she deserved one. In any case, there was really no choice, especially since having received my inheritance. So, with a sad smile, I decided, "I'm going to resign my commission."

"I'm sorry. I know how much it's meant to you."

"And you knew that you'd be the end of it," I stated.

"Yes. Yes, I did, but it couldn't be helped. If I'd left you alone, you would have lost that anyway, and much, much more. It can't reach you now," she added, gesturing to the basement door, "Thanks to your inheritance, it'll never do to you what it did to Coby and your mother. Trust me, it was better this way."

"I don't resent you for giving me my inheritance," I told her.

The look of relief that came across her features said much more as to how she'd been feeling about that than her cautious handling of me since Wednesday evening, also giving me the perfect opportunity to jump in with a few things that I'd managed to work out for myself while I wandered around the Mission half naked and with a drink in my hand all the previous day.

"However... I think we need to set some, uhhh... boundaries."

"Boundaries?" she asked, her relief fading.

"Yes," I replied with a reassuring smile.

"Why do I not like the sounds of that?"

"No more killing people," I told her.

"Tara, I hope you can see, especially now, that I had to do that. I told you, once they slip my leash, I can't get them back and-"

"I do understand," I interrupted. "But, from now on, I'd like you- us- to operate in such a way as that won't be necessary."

"Tara, I've never killed anyone without some reason. Some of them may not have been good reasons from your almighty perspective, but-"

"No more killing people," I firmly repeated.

"Fine," she exasperatedly said, looking away.

"Promise me," I pressed.

"Oh, for... I can't make that promise! Do you realize what could have happened if Roman had gotten out of the house? Yes, I can try to operate in such a way as that it might not be necessary, and having you around will help in that but, believe me, if it means our safety and freedom, I'll kill as many people as I-"

"Okay, that's good enough," I said with a sigh, knowing it would have to be. As usual, Seraphine made some good points.

"So, what other boundaries have you come up with?"

"No more using people as our personal sex toys," I firmly put down.

"What!?"

"You heard me."

"No! I will not promise that!"

"In that case, I get to call you by your real name," I strategically countered.

She only stared, anger and surprise fighting for dominance on her pretty face before she finally spoke.

"I see what you're doing here, Tara! I told you about that name! That name is part of the reason why I had my parents go drown themselves in the river when I was done with them! Because they used it, even knowing what it meant! They didn't even have the decency to at least give me another name!"

She was shouting, suddenly quite worked up, but I wasn't afraid. Not at all. It was another subtle effect of my inheritance and, showing her the most loving smile, I said, "I don't care what it means. I love that name because it's beautiful, just like you, and I can't stand calling you by Donna's name anymore. So, it's either you stop using people as sexual toys, or-"

Her first answer was to tear the office door off its hinges and fire it across the room in a rage.

" ... -or I get to call you by your real name, which I love almost as much as I love you."

"You love-! ... They called me a witch, but you- you are the real witch!" she charged, pointing her finger at my face.

As much as I'd like to make myself come across as being all brave, I have to admit that watching her rip the door off its hinges with her bare hands did scare me a little. Her admission of how her adoptive parents had found their end didn't help, but was only further proof that some boundaries had to be set for her. As much as I truly loved her, I had to admit that she was a dangerously volatile, parasitic, inhuman monster. In reality, I'd be doing society a bigger favour by giving up my career so that I could keep an eye on her than anything I'd ever accomplish within the ranks of the Salvation Army anyway.

No longer smiling, I firmly stated, "I mean it."

" ... Good then!" she practically seethed. "Call me by my name! It's a personal insult, but have it your way, Tara! No worries over how I feel about it!"

With this, she stomped through the office like a child having a tantrum, and then up the stairs to my quarters, to do what, I had no idea.

"Okay," I sighed in quiet relief. "That went... well."

But that was only the start of my day. It being Friday, that meant that I had a meeting with the Major.

I was still in a good mood as I parked in front of the Waterston Centre, and I knew that a lot of that was due to the change from deep within, the 'inheritance', as Seraphine called it. It's hard to explain, but I just felt different. Almost cheery. In addition, the time I'd taken to just stop and think things through the day before had helped a lot, and I was grateful that Seraphine had given me that.

Mind you, I was still upset about losing my career, but how could I realistically go on in uniform since receiving my inheritance? Even if I cleaned up my behaviour, unthinkably sent Seraphine away, how could I have carried on like normal? There really was no choice. It was just that I'd become so used to the idea of being in the ranks, to wearing the uniform... Major before thirty. Also, the Salvation Army represented all of my successes to date, and it was hard not to feel somehow cut off from myself when thinking of my eventual resignation.

The usual Booth Attendant was on duty, along with the same professional smirk he'd given me last time. Again, I wondered what was up with that as he buzzed me past the red door and into the inner office area. Walking into the office alcove, I happened to notice the latest issue of Salvationist on the leather couch. I wasn't on the cover but, with a smile, I paused on my way to Hurdle's closed door, grabbed the issue and started leafing through it to maybe find mine and Donna's efforts in print. What I found on page four slowly drained my smile.

There was a picture of the Rahmans alright, in front of the cross that Seraphine had erected inside the Mission, along with another of the Bennetts posed in front of the shield out front. But, instead of me and Seraphine posing with them, it was Majors Hurdle, the note of satisfaction unmistakable in Alessa's eyes.

"What the...?"

I quickly scanned the article, the one where neither I nor Seraphine were even mentioned and where Hurdle got all the credit. Furthermore, down at the end of the article, in small print, Bob Marshall, the Booth Attendant, got credit for taking the pictures. That was why he'd been smirking at me.

My good mood of only moments before had vanished, completely replaced by a sudden blind fury as I tore the magazine in half, throwing the two halves to the floor.

Again, Seraphine had been right. Hurdle had never cared about me and I felt like a world class fool. However, by the time I was standing in front of his door, I had all those feelings necessarily plowed under.

"Come in!" he called through the door when I knocked.

Closing it behind me, I also locked it. He said nothing about that as he watched me approach his desk, a smirk somewhat like the one his Booth Attendant wore on his face. Neither of us said anything as I put my Bible on his desk and began unbuttoning my blouse with the vapid smile that I'd pasted there.

"Just a minute," he said as I opened my blouse to show him my black and red, lace push-up bra. "I want your smartphone."

"Why?" I asked, genuinely at a loss.

"Because some people like to record conversations," he had the nerve to say. "One can never be too careful these days."

I wanted to kill him right then and there. Instead, I reached into my little purse, took out my smartphone and handed it to him.

"Satisfied, Major?" I asked once he'd checked it.

He only nodded, at once an answer and a que for me to continue stripping for his entertainment. So, I only continued to smile as I took my blouse off and then lowered the zipper at the back of my skirt. When I pushed that down to the floor, I was showing off my matching panties, and the little Salvation Army shield that I'd carefully cut out of one of my old, disgustingly frumpy polo tops. I then cut a hole in the front of the panties and sewed the shield into the breach in such a way as to make the little threads strain in holding it there, the only thing covering my pussy. Hurdle audibly gasped when he saw it.

"You like?" I asked.

"I... that's very, uh... creative..."

He definitely liked.

"Would you like me to sit on your desk? Right in front of you so you can stare at it while I give you my, um... report?"

"(Ahem!) uh, no, that won't be necessary, Lieutenant," he told me, visibly pulling himself together. "Just, uh, take off your bra and have a seat."

Yes, I was enjoying this. One other thing I'd been taking note of since receiving my inheritance was that I was even hornier than I was before, and stripping for a man was good fun, even if it was Hurdle. So, I removed my bra and sat, making sure my thighs were parted, smiling a little wider when he sat up so he could get a better view between them. Once again, I wondered where his camera was, not that it mattered at that point.

"So, what have you to report?" he asked, eyes all over my body.

"Nothing," was my simple reply.

It took a second for this to register but, when it did, his eyes snapped up to my face. When we made eye contact, he actually started, and was about to say something when he just kinda... slacked. That's the best word I can think of. I expected him to be difficult, like Tyler was at the bar, but he wasn't really. To give him credit, he was harder than Tommy, the bartender, but I was through his outer defences rather quickly. Once inside, I took my time, looking about here and there, getting to know him in a sense that I never could have before. It was exciting, and I had to keep reminding myself that I'd locked the door, that I could take my time with him.

I'd planned on mesmerizing him, then giving him the honesty directive before I asked a lot of questions but, once I was finally finished poking around in his mind, there was simply no need for very many questions. I already knew all the answers.

For example, he was certainly very attracted to me and, were he not married, he'd have seriously considered courting me despite my age. Even so, he'd debated initiating an affair many times before finally deciding against it, as I seemed just a little slutty for his tastes. From there, he proceeded to use me for whatever mileage he could get out of me. It wasn't even anything personal; he liked me as a person just fine, but that was useless to him.

On the Monday when Seraphine had taken me to Moosejaw, he'd come out to the Mission with the intent of blackmailing me into convincing Seraphine into taking part in the next Funraiser. Finding the two of us gone, he'd noticed Sumitra and her husband working in their front yard, as they often do, (without any noticeable results) and approached them. He told her some stupid story about how the pictures I'd taken didn't turn out and, after calling his Booth Attendant, had her and Debesh pose with him for some new ones. From her, he'd learned where the Bennetts lived and did the same thing with them, telling all of them that they shouldn't mention it to me as it was going to be a surprise.

He'd set out to use me practically from the beginning and, while the Territorial Commander was most certainly not his uncle, he knew that none of the higher ups would care, especially considering who my parents were. Once again, Seraphine was right and any sincere misgivings I'd had about resigning my commission were gone then and there.

Beyond these things, there wasn't much else to dig out of him that was useful to me, aside from a few details, such as the fact that there was no camera in his office and never was, (another lie that I was dumb enough to fall for) and that Major Alessa did know about the Funraiser and only didn't attend because she felt it was beneath her as a Lady and an Officer. The impressions I got from his mind was that she was rather prudish and this is what had him debating a possible affair with me. Needless to say, Alessa was quite jealous of me until she delighted to hear of my auction at the Funraiser. In fact, the only thing she didn't know about was how he liked me to undress before giving him my weekly reports.

"You've had quite a career," I commented.

"Yes. Yes, I have," he replied, obviously pleased with himself.

"I could have too," I told him.

"Maybe," he said. "You're pretty slutty but, aside from that, yeah, you could have really gone somewhere before you did so much to sabotage yourself."

"With your help," I clarified.

"It served me," he explained with a smile and a shrug.

"You're a real son of a bitch, Major," I told him, my smile becoming a little harder.

"Yeah, I suppose I can be, but you know what they say, Lieutenant: Nice guys finish last."

"Uh huh." Well, you're not the only son of a bitch out there and, as I'm sure you know, there can only be one winner."

"And just what do you mean by that?"

"Shut up and get your priggish wife in here."

His eyes widened at this, finally looking south of my face, but not for fun as he started to resist with, "But you're half nak-"

"Well, you're the one who told me to strip for you, so I guess you'll just have to deal with that the best way you can. Now, get her in here."

"I don't think I like your tone, Lieutenant," he stiffly told me as he picked up the receiver of his desk phone.

"Well, if your uncle were the Territorial Commander, or something like that, then I guess I'd have to care but, under the circumstances..."

"I'm still your Commanding Officer," he reminded me, his eyes narrowing as he dialed. I could ruin you in less time than it would take you to recite the Lord's Prayer."

"You won't," I told his narrowed eyes.

"I won't," he confirmed with the same tone he used to threaten me with before changing it to say, "Hi, dear. Uh, I wonder if you could step into my office? And when you get here... well, you'll see something quite out of the ordinary, but I want you to remain calm and give me a chance to explain, alright? ... Okay, see you in a few."

He hung up, his eyes narrowing again as he regarded me, saying, "You've really put me in a bad situation here, Lieutenant. Nobody in the ranks has ever gotten away with that."

"Go unlock the door for her," I replied.