Flee From Evil (35 page)

Vince gave him the evil eye.

“You sure know how to work an audience, Preacher Boy.”

“Thanks, Lew.”

“That would definitely be your gift.”

“Okaaay.”

Lew caught his gaze. “But buildin’ stuff ain’t.”

Vince stilled.

“And frankly, we don’t have the manpower to take you to the emergency room today.”

Vince gestured to the busy workers all over the house. “So what am I supposed to do here? Stand on a table and give a sermon?”

Lew’s heavy-lidded grin sent a chill through Vince. “Nope. Got another project for you.” He reached behind to extract something from his back pocket and thrust it in Vince’s face.

A toilet brush.

“You want me to scrub the toilet?”

He nodded. “And the sink. The tub. The floor needs a good work over too.”

Vince pressed his lips.

“You too country club to scrub toilets?” His eyebrow rose. “Didn’t that Jesus of yours wash feet?”

What other sermons had Lew snuck into?

Vince grabbed the brush and headed toward the bathroom.

“I’ll come by this week and help you with your deck. Maybe give you some pointers.”

“You’d do that?”

It was almost a full smile on the former racer’s face. “Yep. Already loaded Emergency on speed dial.”

~*~

Cassandra parked near the Crenshaw’s house, dropped her head back, and rested her eyes. This news would change everything, and she was unsure she could deliver it to Vince without a shaky voice.

Was he ready to hear the truth? Cassandra had spotted the envelope this morning as she plodded through the stack of mail that had piled up over the last week. Who could care about junk mail and bills when one’s daughter had been abducted? Even Tibo’s therapies had been delayed. She had forgotten all about the genetic testing until many days passed after Sophie had come home. She’d just wanted to revel in her daughter’s presence, but worried this news could take her away again.

When Vince had shown up offering to drive them all to the work-day event, Cassandra had jumped at the opportunity to let him take the kids so she could open the envelope alone. Now, she couldn’t put off the inevitable. If she didn’t tell him today, she’d never find her voice.

I’ve got this.

God’s reminder filled her soul. Hadn’t she learned over the past week His will is perfect. Still, she knew it wasn’t always easy … but His will was
always
good.

Entering the house, she looked around. “Is Vince here?”

Some guy chuckled. “Bathroom.”

“Oh.” She clutched the envelope folded neatly in her shorts pocket.

“He’s not using it. He’s cleaning it.” The guy pointed down the hall.

Cassandra followed the direction. As she stepped past a couple bedrooms she heard the humming.
He Loves Us.
Good song. It came from behind a cracked-open door.

Pushing it wider, she spotted Vince on hands and knees scrubbing the floor as though around the throne of grace, rather than a porcelain one.

He startled. “Cass.”

She pulled the envelope from her pocket then thrust it out to him.

His hands shook as he took it from her and scanned the return address. “What’s it say? Is she mine?”

Tears burned her eyes. How she could wish Sophie to be the daughter of Vince Steegle, she did not know. She shook her head.

He stood and wilted at the same time.

“She’s not your daughter.”

He placed the envelope on the sink. “But I want her to be.”

Cassandra sniffed hard. “We don’t always get what we want.”

Vince’s hands were slippery wet when he took both of hers. “You don’t understand, Cass.” His eyes seared into hers. “I
still
want her to be.”

“And how do you plan to make that happen?” Had he grown that attached to a child not his own?

He stepped closer, the scent of pine and musk mingled around her. “I hope to marry her mother.”

Could he feel her pulse in his grip at her wrists? “You’d marry me just to be Sophie’s dad?”

He wiped a palm on his shorts then pulled a stray curl around her ear as his eyes took in every inch of her face. “For a woman so capable, Cass, you can be really dense.”

His smirk infuriated her. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He pulled her into him. “It means I want to be your husband—Tibo and Sophie are gravy.” He kissed her forehead, her nose, her mouth.

She closed her eyes and whispered against his lips. “Gravy?”

“Mm-hm.” His mouth trailed her jawline up to her ear, his voice low. “I mean, I like gravy and all, but—”

“Whoa! What’s hap’nin’ in here,
Pastor
?” Billy’s eyebrows arced as he glanced between the two.

Cassandra pushed at Vince, but he pulled her closer. “Just askin’ a girl to marry me. Is that okay with you,
son
?”

“You two gettin’ hitched?” Billy’s fu-man-chu stretched wide at his cheeks.

Cassandra gasped. Did he have to say it so loud? The whole house would hear.

Vince looked into Cassandra’s face. “She hasn’t answered me, yet.”

Billy stepped into the bathroom, eyes wild with anticipation. “Well?”

Cassandra felt like little bubbles tickled up through her as she looked between the two best-buds. Both wore the same lines on their foreheads.

Finally Billy made an emphatic questioning gesture with his hands while Vince seemed to hold his breath.

She tilted her eyes to meet Vince’s startling blues. “I think I will.”

Vince’s body sagged relief while Billy whooped and hollered. “Hey, everyone,” he yelled out the bathroom door. “Vince and Cassandra are gettin’ married!”

Cheers, whistles and claps followed.

Billy ran down the hall, his voice carrying the announcement in every corner of the house. Eventually, it floated outside to an ebullient crowd.

Ayo’s face peeked into the bathroom. “Congratulations, my man.”

Sophie pushed past the youth pastor then hugged them together, bouncing up and down. “I’m so happy!”

Tibo trotted behind, stretching his arms to include as much family as he could.

Vince tossled his hair and squeezed them all back. “Me too, Sophie.”

Cassandra couldn’t resist.“Me three.”

Tibo’s smile sparkled in his eyes as he looked up. “Four.”

They all laughed as one.

Epilogue

Dear Diary,

It’s been a while since I’ve written you, but boy do I need to put some things on paper. Maybe it will help me figure them out.

I now understand the meaning of the dream—the one with the beasts trying to carry me away. God was preparing me for a battle that would use me as its pawn. I was neither loser nor victor—not a soldier for either side. Just a girl in the middle as God made Himself known through those who rescued me.

I am okay with that, because I know the good that came from it. I guess Romans 8:28 is true—“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” God even made use of Pastor Vince’s criminal past. How crazy is that?

I met some of his old friends this week in church. They said they were there to meet “the girl who caused all the fuss,” but I think it was more. They had that look in their eyes that reminded me of someone tasting a rich dessert for the very first time. Like they’d just discovered they’d been denying themselves the indulgence far too long. I wonder if the tax collectors and sinners of Jesus’ day looked the same way.

When I sobbed my account of how Sky deceived and kidnapped me, and the conversations we had in that dark, smelly basement, Mom said she believed the story was not over, and my role had been critical—for Sky.

I don’t see it. I don’t think I even want to. He is a liar and a thief. And I will never trust him again. I told him I forgave him—because I know God wants me to—but do I really? I don’t have the answer to that. I don’t know that I ever will. They say we must forgive and forget. One thing is for sure—I will always remember.

I know what my father would do … he would act as though he forgave until his heart finally caught up. Even now, I taste the bitterness on my tongue thinking about doing such a thing. So … I will pray about it.

Thoughts of my father prompt another question. Was he really my dad? I mean biologically?

And what about Pastor Vince? Should I even call him that? After all, he’s going to marry my mom … and I suspect …

I can’t even write the words. I don’t know what to hope. I’d love for him to be my dad—even my real dad—but would that be a slight to the man who’d raised me? I can’t bear the thought of someone replacing him, and at the same time I long for Pastor Vince to fill that void.

Is that wrong?

I don’t know, but I do wish he and Mom would finally tell me the truth!

Until then, I’ll meditate on the verse Amit quoted to me the other day. Proverbs 10:25, “When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever.”

Sophie

THE END

Dear Reader,

I hope you enjoyed Vince and Cass’s story. As you can see, there are still questions that need to be answered, and wisdom that needs to unfold. I hope to discover them soon.

Until then, feel free to check out my author site
www.ConnieAlmony.com
and sign up for the
newsletter
. I offer scenes between novels to newsletter recipients, and will be sending out fun
Shorts
until my next novel is out.

If you haven’t tried my other books, check out the following pages to see what else is available now. There is also a list of questions for book clubs to use.

If you like either this or any of my other stories, don’t forget to
review them on Amazon
. This helps me to know what works for you, and helps others find the book as well. A win-win!

Until then, God bless!

Love,

Connie Almony

About the Author

Connie Almony is trained as a mental health therapist and likes to mix a little fun with the serious stuff of life. She was a 2012 semi-finalist in the Genesis Contest for Women’s Fiction and was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Winter 2012 WOW Flash Fiction Contest
.
She is also the author of
One Among Men
and
An Insignificant Life
, about women who run dormitories at a major state university, and
At the Edge of a Dark Forest
,
a modern-day re-telling of
Beauty and the Beast
about a war-vet, amputee struggling with PTSD
.
Watch out for more books in each of these series, as well as a multi-author book anthology coming Summer 2016.

You can find Connie on the web at
ConnieAlmony.com
, where you can sign up for her
newsletter
, and hosting the following blogs:
InfiniteCharacters.com
and
IndieChristianFictionSearch.Blogspot.com
.

You can also meet her at these social media outlets:

https://
twitter.com/ConnieAlmony

https://
www.facebook.com/ConnieAlmony

http://
www.pinterest.com/conniealmony/

Other Books by Connie Almony

Available NOW!

Click links to download …

One Among Men
(The Maryland State University Series, Book 1)—December 2014

Samantha Hart’s job requires she live with 500, hard-partying, college guys, but it only takes one to lead her to danger. She must avert the pitfalls of a woman in her position running an all-male dorm, as well as the dangerous forces that threaten her life.
Chris Johnson, a rock guitarist, has come back to school as a music major, and finds himself in a business relationship with the ruthless supplier of an on-campus drug ring. He's intrigued by the lady RD who lives and works by her faith, while learning more about his musical gift and the God who gave it to him. Can he manage his two worlds without risking Samantha's life?

An Insignificant Life
(The Maryland State University Series, Book 2) —June 2015

She is drawn to those who might bring meaning to her world, only to find her past choices could have destroyed the one man who would truly love her.
Tiffany Lundgren is looking for significance in the world of academia, beyond being a visual distraction for men to ogle. But something stands in her way. When she removes the impediment that threatens her professional career, her world spirals deeper, and she discovers the things she once believed brought her strength, have only hardened her on the outside, leaving her insides empty.
Adam Grant, the K-9 campus police officer, wants to be taken seriously in his profession. But after having been purposely left out of the previous undercover investigation, he wonders if his new relationship with the liaison from the Maryland Drug Task Force Initiative will be an open one. Especially since he once tried to date the man's wife. But as the drug trade heats up in the dorms, and lives are being threatened, Adam resolves to get to the bottom of the problem, even to the point of involving his former-drug-dealing pastor.
Will his deeper commitment endanger the woman he's come to love?