Flee From Evil (16 page)

His lips trailed her neck, down onto her collar bone as his hands traveled into the back of her shirt and slid upward.

She shivered, but finally pushed away. “Whoa, Sky. We’re in the church parking lot.” The question was, would she have stopped had they been somewhere else? She no longer knew the answer to that question.

“Right.” His sigh held a hint of bitterness. “Pastor Vince might come out and question us on choice of pizza toppings.”

~*~

Even though he heard his name, Vince held back. How right that Sky was. With the smell of pizza wafting through the hall, he’d been formulating a question about toppings to use as he separated them. Thank goodness Sophie had pushed the dude away. Vince wasn’t sure he could limit the discussion to food choices otherwise.

His heart lodged in his throat, watching this sweet, young girl—Cass’s daughter—get swept away by the ragged-jean-wearing Casanova.

Vince stepped into the shadows so he couldn’t be seen, but now their voices were muffled. Sophie stared at the concrete, but spoke firmly to the ground. Sky shifted and sneered. He took her hand and pulled her closer, his fingers invading the gap between her skirt waist and shirt. What was she thinking wearing that outfit? Didn’t she know what guys like Sky read from that?

Vince did.

Sophie said something else, holding his chest from her. Sky threw up his hands in surrender, spit out one last comment, then left.

She looked so alone watching him leave, staring after him.

Good riddance.

Vince backed into the door then headed down the hall. He had a few emails to return and a phone call to make before he went home.

“Hi, Passa Vinss.” The enthusiastic lilt to Amit’s voice always made Vince smile.

“Are you still here, Amit?”

“Yep. Gonna kween up afta da yoof goop.”

“Right.” Vince shuffled through the papers on his desk. Did he really want to finish work tonight? Maybe he should just come in early tomorrow.

Amit stood in the doorway, leaning on his industrial broom.

“Is there something I can do for you, Amit?”

“Nope.” His eyes sparkled like he was watching bubbles float around the office. “Fo’ a man’s ways are in full voo uff de Lord, and he examines aw his paths. Das wat I read in da Bible tuh-day.”

Vince spied the sermon notes and realized he had too much to do to go home now. “That’s nice Amit. So glad you’re learning God’s word. It’ll serve you well.”

“Yep.” The simple man turned as if studying each wall along the way. “It’ll serve you well, Passa Vinss. Das right.”

Vince’s heart went right out the door with the big guy. Why did God allow someone so sweet to be so afflicted. The workings of God were beyond Vince’s understanding, but sometimes he wished God would heed Vince’s requests.

Then he thought of the old Vince, and was glad his Creator didn’t bow to the likes of him.

After writing up a To Do list for the next day, Vince locked his office door and headed past the sanctuary. He peeked in out of habit—like checking in on God—and found a lone figure in a second-row pew, staring toward the stage.

Sophie.

The loneliness emanated from her as he approached. She barely even registered Vince’s presence, then straightened as he sat next to her. “Oh. Hi, Pastor Vince.”

“What are you doing in here? Shouldn’t you be with the youth group?”

“It’s over.” Her shoulders rose and fell. “And my ride left me.”

“Sky?”

“Yeah.”

“Do you need a way home?” Bad question. He couldn’t give it to her since he avoided being alone with females so as not to be accused of his former behavior.

“No. I called my mom. She should be here soon.”

“What happened with Sky?”

She turned. Her eyes held a candor much like her mother’s always had. “You should know. You were watching the whole time.”

Caught. He fidgeted with the tissue box at the end of the pew. “Not the whole time.”

Sophie sighed. “I didn’t even get any pizza.” She placed her hand on her stomach. “And I’m starving.”

Vince stood and held up a finger. “Be right back.” He ran to the lounge and found the last box open displaying a lonely triangle dotted with pepperoni. His favorite. He snatched it, grabbed a plate, and ran back to the sanctuary where Sophie sat, a little smile creeping up her face.

“Is this what you want?’

She nodded, smile lengthening.

“Oh, too bad.” He held it to his lips. “It’s the last one.”

Her mouth dropped open. Eyes incredulous.

Vince took just enough of a bite to hook some cheese in his teeth and stretch it for effect. “Mmmm. So good.”

“That’s just mean.”

Vince agreed. “What?” But he feigned innocence instead.

Her voice became brazen for a teen addressing her pastor. “To dangle something you know I want, in front of my face, only to
not
let me have it.”

He shook his head. “But pizza’s not good for you. I’m doing you a favor not giving it to you.”

She planted her fists on her hips. “Then why did you taunt me with it?”

“That’s not taunting.” The ire in her eyes, so much like Cass, only prompted his mischievous nature. He waved the plate under her nose so she could absorb the aroma. “
This
is taunting.”

Oh, her expression so familiar it made him weak. He broke off a crumb of crust. “Here, take this.”

She grimaced. “That would only make me hungrier.”

“It wouldn’t satisfy you?” He put the piece in his mouth.

“No. Tasting it would make me want more.”

“Hmmm.” He smiled and held the plate out to her. She hesitated before taking it. Probably wondering if he’d jerk it away.

Her chuckle was ornery. “I can’t believe you just did that.”

“You mean, make you think I was getting you pizza, then not giving it to you.”

“Yes.”

“I never said I was getting it for you.”

“But I … you …” Her brows scrunched together. “It was implied.”

“No it wasn’t.”

She glared.

“You only assumed it from my behavior.”

She shrugged. “Right. Exactly.”

“Kinda like Sky, tonight.”

Her head swiveled. “What?”

“He made assumptions about you based on your behavior.”

“What do you mean?” Her defensive tone suggested she knew exactly what he meant.

“You waved a pizza under his nose, so he could see, smell and touch it, but had no plans to let him indulge.”

She stared at her nails.

“At least I hope you hadn’t planned to.” He sat next to her. “You know pizza isn’t very nutritious.”

Her small chuckle suggested the tension broke a little.

“Careful Sophie. You’re a beautiful girl. You don’t need to dress like this.”

She peeked up at him. His heart hurt for her. He could see she just wanted to be loved.

He nodded to her short skirt. “What you wear, whether you like it or not, sends a message to a guy.” He looked into her blue eyes. “Make sure your message is that you deserve his respect. That you want to be loved. Not used.”

Sophie nodded, tears gathering. “I don’t know why I did it. But somehow …” she picked at the polish on her nails, “wearing this makes me feel powerful, in control.”

Vince swallowed hard. “It makes you powerful all right. But not in control. Kind of like the ring of power in the wrong hands.”

Sophie smirked. “Don’t tell me you’re a
Lord of the Rings
freak like my dad.”

Vince warmed at the idea of being like the man she obviously admired. He lifted a shoulder. “A little.”

She gave him a placating look. “I get it. This power is dangerous.”

He rested his arm along the pew above her shoulders. “Exactly. However, I must say, I love your honesty.” He chuckled. “So much like your mom.”

Her jerk told him he’d said too much. “Did you know my mom? I mean, before?”

“Get your hands off my daughter!” Cass’s voice rang through the sanctuary, echoing like a command from the grave. Sophie bolted upright.

Vince stood. “Cass.”

“Sophie, go to the car.” Her voice was firm.

“But mom—”

“Sophie,” she ground the words through her teeth. “Go to the car. Now!”

Vince braced himself for the onslaught he had no power to defend. Sophie ran out the door, glancing back as if she feared for his safety.

“What were you doing with my daughter?”

“She was upset—”

“And you were comforting her?” The anger in her voice blazed. “How convenient for you.”

“What kind of a creep do you think I am?”

Her eyebrows shot high, and her mouth opened to speak.

“Don’t answer that. I know full well what kind of creep you think I am.” His head swiveled back and forth. “But there is no way I’d hit on that young girl.”

“Ha!”

He met her glare and whispered with force. “Is she mine?”

Cassandra blanched.

“Why didn’t you …” He thrust his hands in his pocket. “Never mind.”

Cass raised a finger at him like he’d broken his mother’s prized vase. “If she had been yours and you had your usual way,” her face contorted as though she held back a geyser of emotion, “she’d be dead right now.” With those words Cassandra pivoted and strode out the door.

~*~

Cassandra dropped into the driver’s seat of her Lincoln Aviator, and started the engine. It gasped and strained and revved before kicking into life. Cassandra could almost hear Sophie’s teeth grind next to her.

“What did Vince—” Cassandra glanced over and noticed the skirt that barely covered her daughter. She scanned the rest of Sophie’s outfit and air fled her lungs. “What in the world do you think you’re doing in those clothes?”

Sophie pulled up the neckline to finally cover the top edges of her lacy pink bra. “I don’t need another lecture about my outfit.” Her voice cracked. “Pastor Vince gave me the full picture.”

“What does that mean?” Cassandra could only imagine what type of picture Vince could draw up.

“He said I was like smelling a pizza without being able to eat it.”

“What?” Cassandra almost veered off the road. “He better not have been smelling your pizza.”

Sophie sighed emphatically. “No, Mom. You don’t get it. He also said it wasn’t nutritious.”

“What’s not nutritious?” Cassandra’s muscles seized.

“Pizza, Mom. Aren’t you listening?”

Cassandra hoped shaking her head would make the pieces of this conversation fall together right.

Sophie sucked in a big breath, causing her shirt to dip and show her bra again. She turned to face her mother full on. “Pastor Vince suggested I not tempt guys to eat pizza because it’s not good for them.”

By the pointed look in Sophie’s eyes, and the dramatic way she formed the words, Cassandra got the impression Vince imparted a valuable lesson about dressing modestly and saving one’s self for marriage without actually using the word “sex.” Incredible. Only Vince could talk his way around that one. And for once, she valued that particular gift.

The oncoming headlights whizzed by as Sophie’s gaze burned into Cassandra. Her daughter expected something from her, but Cassandra wasn’t going to give it.

“Are you ever going to tell me how you know Pastor Vince?”

“No.” The headlights were hypnotizing.

Sophie pulled the passenger-side visor down, brushed her black bangs out or her face, and looked hard at her reflection in the little mirror. “Is he—”

At Cassandra’s fierce glare, Sophie’s mouth shut quick. Now her daughter stared at the headlights too.

The rest of the drive home remained silent except for the occasional rattle of the aging engine and little sniffs from Sophie as she drew the back of her hand under her nose, and knuckled her eyes.

Cassandra’s world was unraveling around her. Everyone kept asking the question as though she kept a secret. Little did they know she didn’t have the answer herself.

Chapter Fifteen

Sitting at the glass-top table on Billy’s waterfront deck, Vince calculated the golf scores of the guys he’d just played with—Billy, John and Ayo. “What did you get on sixteen, again, Billy?”

His friend fished three golf balls out of his cargo shorts, scrunching his fu-man-choo. “Can’t remember.” He held them up. “But I found three Titlest on that hole, just outside the rough.”

“I think it was a twelve.” Vince scribbled on the card. “Felt like we were there all day.”

Ayo nodded emphatically as he pet Smokey, Billy’s German Shepherd, who sniffed the edge of the table.

“Well, yeah. That’s a tough hole. Great place to find lost balls though.”