Title: A Sacrament of Sin

Series: The Midnight Agency #4

Author: Matthew Angelo

Publisher: Self-Published

Release Date: October 15th, 2021

Pairing: No Romance

Length: 30k

Genre: Fantasy, Horror, Science Fiction, Paranormal, shifter, urban fantasy

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Synopsis

Working as a paranormal private investigator has its trials. I’m busy, which is excellent, but there are more people, alive and otherwise, after me than ever before. The Other Side has stepped up their game. The Fallen are trying to strong-arm me into joining their ranks; they feel I’m the perfect person to aid in their eventual rise to world power, and they don’t give a damn what I have to say about it. Then there’s the Catholic Church. Apparently, they’ve painted a giant bullseye on my back. That keeps you looking over your shoulder, I’ll tell you.

Oh, and did I mention the bastard who abandoned my mother and me when I was born wants to repair a relationship we never had in the first place?

Just another day in the life of Rian MacCaren—that’s me, by the way. I solve mysteries, and I see things… things other people don’t. First, dreams plagued me. Now they’ve escalated to visions. Aside from keeping myself alive, my next step is to use my gift, or curse however you want to look at it, to figure out who killed the woman we just discovered in the basement of an abandoned house. Who was she, and why is she dressed in a wedding gown?

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It’s been two months since my last confession.”

A raspy, baritone voice accompanied by the sound of a panel sliding away from a screen echoed in my ear. “Why so long since your last confession?”

That’s the age-old question right now, isn’t it? It was something I couldn’t and didn’t want to answer. To do so would be to admit how far I had fallen over the last couple of months. My job has never allowed me much of a chance to reflect on life. After stopping a serial killer, having an incubus and succubus sexually assault me, and then another burying me alive, you’d think I’d spend some time thinking about my life choices.

I guess now is as good a time as any. St. Mary’s had always been a second home for me. After the state committed my mom when I was eleven, Father Durham and the sisters here took me in. Until recently, my father, an angel, stayed absent. The angelic blood that ran through my veins had its advantages, but it made me a target for anything from the Other Side that wanted to start some shit.

“Oh, I don’t know. Guilt, I guess. It’s the Catholic way, right?”

“Is it guilt or something else?”

“Possibly. It’s hard to explain.” I paused. The truth can set you free, but it can also get you killed. Right now, I needed to hide that truth for a bit longer.

“Do your best, and God will help you. Have faith in Him.”

That’s the trick, right? I closed my eyes and let my hearing take over my other senses. Having supernatural hearing wasn’t something I was gifted with, but I could focus. My psychometry helped with that, along with the visions I’ve been getting. I listened. Not necessarily to God. I’ve avoided that conversation for a couple of months now. Too much anger, and I knew enough to know that the phrase He works in mysterious ways meant he probably wouldn’t answer, or it’d be cryptic as fuck.

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Matthew Angelo is a part-time writer, dog trainer, and photo enthusiast in the Northern Colorado area. In his free time, providing he has any, he practices Krav Maga, reads, and continues writing. He has written fantasy, science fiction, and urban fantasy stories amongst others.

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