“What?” Clara’s voice wavered, trembling between outrage and disbelief. “That’s absurd. I can’t do that on the altar.”

Ben leaned in, sneering. “Oh, but you can… and you will. Besides, it's an abandoned church. It has been abandoned for decades.”

Before Clara could protest, Ben and George seized her arms and wrenched her down the aisle, the pews rising on either side like rows of silent witnesses to her struggle. She twisted, struggling to break free, but their grip was ...