The Reverend

THE REVEREND
 By
 Kayla Perrin
 *****
 Published by:
 Kayla Perrin
 The Reverend
 Copyright © 2023 by Kayla Perrin
 Publisher’s Note:
 This story is a work of fiction. References to real events, organizations, or places are used in a fictional context. Any resemblances to actual persons, living or dead, are entirely coincidental.
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 Printed in the United States of America
 © 2023 by Kayla Perrin
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 No part of this ebook may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical—including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system—without permission in writing from the publisher.
 
 
 Also by Kayla Perrin
 
 
 
 
 The Secrets of High River Church
 
 
 
 The Reverend
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 Watch for more at Kayla Perrin’s site.
 
 
 
 
 Table of Contents
 Copyright Page
 Copyright Page
 Also By Kayla Perrin
 Dedication
 CHAPTER 1
 CHAPTER 2
 CHAPTER 3
 CHAPTER 4
 CHAPTER 5
 CHAPTER 6
 CHAPTER 7
 CHAPTER 8
 CHAPTER 9
 CHAPTER 10
 CHAPTER 11
 CHAPTER 12
 CHAPTER 13
 CHAPTER 14
 CHAPTER 15
 CHAPTER 16
 Read the next book in the series, The Reverend’s Mistress, coming soon! | And in the meantime, check out this free read, THE EX NEXT DOOR! | https://dl.bookfunnel.com/st2hq9hdve
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 Also By Kayla Perrin
 About the Author
 
 
 
 
 
 For my daughter, an insanely talented artist. I'm so glad I get to be your mom.
 
 
 CHAPTER 1
 
 Reverend Emerson James looked out at his packed congregation...and wondered which of his parishioners was blackmailing him.
 I know all about your dirty secrets.
 I’ll stay quiet for a price.
 Five million dollars.
 Emerson’s brow dripped with sweat, and it wasn’t just because of the humidity in the sanctuary. The note hadn’t been signed, but the person who’d slipped it under his office door had promised to be in touch with further instructions soon.
 Emerson dabbed at his forehead with his handkerchief as his eyes swept the semi-circular room, starting with the section on the far left. Surely it couldn’t be Claudette Williams? He had slept with her only a handful of times, the last time being two weeks ago just after her husband had left for his latest deployment. No, Claudette had a lot to lose—just as he did. The newlywed from Jamaica had recently come to High River, North Carolina and would not want to jeopardize her status here by admitting to an affair.
 Emerson’s eyes bounced over the second and third sections of the sanctuary, then went higher, to the balcony. Many of the congregants were waving fans on this hot Saturday morning. The ceiling fans were on full blast, but the air conditioning had clunked out so the crowded room was humid. He loved it though. Church always seemed more alive when the seats were full and the room was hot, the words of his sermon hanging in the drops of moisture in the air.
 Five million dollars! Who would have the nerve?
 He gripped the edges of the ornate wood pulpit before continuing. “You see it’s really quite simple,” he intoned. “It’s not about your education level, or the fact that you’re driving the latest Mercedes, or how big your bank account is. That’s not going to get you a first-class ticket on the train to heaven.” He pointed a finger upward. “It’s about what’s in your heart.” He turned the finger to aim it at his chest. “Do you give willingly? Or do you pull up to the women’s shelter in your Mercedes G-Wagon and carry in that bag of donations, just because you want to be seen?”
 He did an exaggerated strut across the large podium, imitating someone carrying bags and looking around for adoration—much to the delight of his parishioners. There were bursts of laughter all through the room.
 “Mercy!” Enid Baxter, seated near the front of the middle section, waved a hand in the air. The fair-skinned beauty was always vocal during his sermons.
 Hmm, she could be a likely candidate, Emerson thought. Enid was the church’s biggest gossip. But Emerson always kept his indiscretions discreet. Besides, Enid didn’t need five million dollars. Her husband was Hayden Baxter, the Carolina Panthers’ star quarterback. They had a ton of money and always tithed well beyond ten percent.
 “First Corinthians 13 verse 3 says, If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.”
 His eyes wandered to the left side of the room, near the middle. Was it Minette Walters? She had been moody and cold with him lately, especially after he had rebuffed her latest advance. The woman wasn’t his type. Robust, she had an attractive face, but a body that would never inspire lust in him.
 He glanced toward the back of the sanctuary on the far right, where Shirley Oliver sat on her own, her large pink hat perched over one side of her face. He couldn’t see her eyes. His stomach tightened. She could be the one behind the note. Emerson had thought that she was up for a no-strings attached fling, something to perk her up because of the problems she was having with her husband. But she’d gotten clingy, and now claimed that she was in love with him. In fact, just last week she’d asked when he was going to leave his wife. But of course he couldn’t do that. He was Reverend Emerson James of the High River North Carolina 7th Day Nondenominational Church, the biggest church in this suburb outside of Charlotte. To leave his wife would cause a scandal that the church couldn’t recover from.
 And that was something that Shirley had to have known when she’d gotten involved with him. Their relationship was meant to be