Flee From Evil (31 page)

“You haven’t seen her lately.”

“I’ll make sure I visit real soon.”

Eddie nodded, and caught Vince’s gaze. “You do that.”

Things were coming together, but something niggled at Vince. He felt like ants were crawling over his skin. Everyone was risking something … but him. He knew he couldn’t go with Cass. That could put her and Sophie in greater danger. But he couldn’t just stand by, either. Something told him he had another role.

He glanced to the ceiling and almost nodded ascent to the Word that spoke in his heart. “Sophie won’t go with Chen. She doesn’t know him. Why would she trust him?”

“You better hope she learns to trust him, dude. He’s all she’s got.”

Vince’s leg bounced. “I’ll go with Chen.”

“Dude, you’ll blow the whole thing. Too many bodies make too much noise.”

“She needs to know Chen is safe, so she won’t resist.”

“But—”

Chen’s palm halted Eddie’s protests. “He can come.” He turned to Vince. “You do as I say if you want to get that girl back.”

The fear in Cass’s eyes drove through him. “Absolutely. But how do we keep Cass safe at the drop off?”

“He said for me to be alone. I have to go by myself.”

“I don’t like it.” If only some invisible person could go with her. He glanced to the ceiling again.
I know You’ll be with her God … but—

“We have no other choice. I drop off the money. You bring Sophie home.”

Vince knew she was right. This was their only hope.

~*~

“I have to go to the bathroom.” It wasn’t urgent, but Sophie figured she better do it before the
other
Voice came back. At least she trusted this one not to take advantage. The other, she wasn’t so sure about.

Steps came close. She braced herself for the yank, but it was gentler this time. He nudged and turned her. She hopped. They had it down to a science now, having done it many times since the first. She even had a way to finagle her pants off and on better with her hands bound behind her. Too bad maneuvering with bound hands and feet weren’t skills she could use once she was free.

If she ever escaped this place.

He pulled her from the tile floor then nudged her back the way they came—she assumed—until, “Ow!” The natural voice ran through her like a poison that burned every blood vessel. Too familiar. Like someone she trusted, but she couldn’t place it.

Or didn’t want to.

He left her standing in the middle of the floor. She didn’t dare move. “What happened?”

Scooching of furniture. Banging on tables. Clattering. “Just stand there,” The Voice finally said. “I’ll get you back to the bed in a minute. Don’t move.”

She listened intently. What was happening? She felt like a naked target. Was he going to hurt her? Fear turned her muscles to Jello. Her head felt woozy. She heard what sounded like the elastic pull of the latex gloves. Why was he taking them off?

Her body swayed. Oh no. All limbs bound, she couldn’t catch herself. She teetered and leaned, then strong arms kept her from hitting the ground. A bare hand pulled her to standing again. A bare hand with strange calluses—scars.

“Sky?” The question squeaked from her, tearing out her insides.

He didn’t say anything.

A door opened.

“Why are you doing this, Sky?”

“So you know your boyfriend is a bad guy now.” This voice came from above. Steps descended from that direction. The voice natural, but held the eerie derision of the “other” one. And yet that voice was also known.

That Kevin guy.

“Oh, so smart little girl. Too bad it will cost you your life.”

The form of the person beside her stiffened. Would Sky let her die?

Suddenly, she didn’t feel as brave as she had only hours before. She had more life she wanted to live. She wanted to see her mother again, her brother, her grandma. She wanted to make new friends at church.

Hands yanked her closer, and led her across the floor. She was nudged to the bed. “You said we’d leave the country. It doesn’t matter what she knows.”

“We’ll see, Sky. Maybe we can take her with us. I’m sure you could make use of her.”

Sophie balled up on the bed as if to protect herself with her bound legs. Every part of her ached. “I can’t believe you’d do this to me.” She hiccupped. “I thought …”

Laughter erupted from the derisive one as his voice and footsteps ascended the stairs then stopped at the sound of a shutting door.

The continual dripping noise reminded her of a Chinese water torture. With each drop, her despair grew. How could she have been so wrong about Sky?

“So, Sophie,” She’d never heard Sky’s voice so hardened. “Do you still think God can make evil good?” His tone challenged. She wasn’t sure where his anger was directed—her, the other man, or maybe something else entirely.

She sniffed hard, and swallowed the lump in her throat. If she said it, maybe she’d actually come to believe it. But now, she wasn’t so sure. “God can do anything.”

Chapter Thirty

“Can you come in?” The thought of being alone right now left Cassandra weak. She pulled the cash-filled duffel from the back seat of Vince’s car.

Vince flinched at her words as though they were the last thing he’d expected. She’d pushed him away for fear he’d betray her again, yet since Sophie went missing he’d been working harder than Cassandra had to get her daughter back. She needed to remember, Sophie could be the child he’d barely had time to know.

What would he do if Sophie turned out to be Drew’s?

“Sure.” He stepped out of the car, and met her on the walk. His steps were solemn, hands in his pockets, attention to the gravel in front of him.

The house seemed bereft of life. No Tibo making vehicle sounds on the carpet. All his little cars were lined up neatly along the wall, piles of lint stuffed into the crevices of the toys as Tibo liked to do. There was no Sophie blaring David Crowder from her ear buds, and no Mom watching her 24-hour news channels.

Cassandra dropped the duffel on the floor. The sound seemed to echo in the space.

She turned to the man beside her. His blue-eyed gaze caressed her face, hands still firmly in his pockets.

She couldn’t help it. Her body longed to be in his strong arms, so she slid her hands between his waist and elbows and pressed her face into his chest, breathing in his scent.

Vince seemed to hesitate before pulling his hands from his pockets and wrapping them around her back. The tentative nature of his care reminded her of the new man he’d become. The man she could rely on. She wanted to absorb his strength, and he seemed okay to let her.

“I think I love you too.” She said into his shirt, remembering his admission over a day ago. She’d spurned him at the time, but he’d proved himself over and over to her. She needed for him to know now, before either of them set out to do a job wrought with risk.

Vince ran a hand atop her hair and kissed her forehead. “We’re even, then.”

She nodded and looked up. “Please be careful tonight.”

“I was going to tell you the same thing.”

Cassandra pulled tighter and his lips touched hers. It felt like a first kiss, and a last. So sweet and yet longing for completion, as though its impact would have to span eternity. The culmination of all they’d been through together—the hurt and the pain, as well as what God had refined in them with His wisdom, and His all-encompassing love. Cassandra wanted more. She didn’t want this to be the end.

Would they all survive this terrible night?

The danger they faced had not been lost on her. She’d gotten the message loud and clear from the comments that were cut short or the looks not well hidden. Kevin Perkins was a ruthless man. A man who’d beaten a young boy, and possibly killed his wife. Who knew what his friend was like, the other man who held her daughter. Somehow, that one scared her even more.

Vince pushed away this time. “I need to get back. Chen has a lot to go over with me about the layout of the area and the rooms in the house. He wants to show me how to use his equipment so everything is seamless.

Seamless. Cassandra liked that plan. “Hug Sophie for me when you get her.” She needed to be optimistic. He’d get Sophie back. And Sophie would need his love.

Vince smiled. “You bet I will.”

She reached her fingers into his goatee and caressed his chin. “Thank you, Vince Steegle.”

He kissed her long and gentle, breathing life into her weary heart. “You’re welcome.” One more kiss. “Now, I need to go.” He placed his palm on her cheek before stepping out the door and driving away. All she could do over the next several hours was wait for Lew to drop off her car, and Perkins to tell her where to drive it. She thought of her son, now safe with his grandma in another state. She knew what he’d say to do—“Pway!”

~*~

The man lived in the boonies. A long forested drive took Vince to the cottage house hidden by more trees. Not only was Chen’s business stealth, apparently so was his lifestyle.

Vince pulled up to the front. Chen waited by the door, as though he’d been there an hour or more, hardening in what sunlight actually reached the place. He checked his watch as Vince stepped out of his Elantra, then entered the house, obviously expecting Vince to follow. He did.

Chen disappeared into a room.

Vince turned to get smacked by a stack of clothes. “Hey.”

“Put ‘em on.”

Vince dropped his attention to the pile on the floor. Camouflage. “Are we headed into combat?”

“I usually work in the dark. Wear black. Might not be dark enough tonight, so we’ll need to blend with the trees.” Chen pulled a jar from a drawer and shoved it into Vince’s palm.

Vince opened it. Green paste. “What’s this for?”

Chen dug his fingers inside and slathered it on Vince’s face.

Vince stared at the man a full head shorter than himself. “You’re serious?”

Chen locked his gaze. “You want that girl back?”

Vince nodded.

“Then, I’m serious.”

After covering Vince’s skin, Chen opened a cabinet, took two backpacks from hooks, opened some more drawers and loaded one. Binoculars, metal containers, and packages with small printing on the labels. He pulled at some other drawers. “These will be your tools.” He dumped a gun, a knife, and a saw onto the table.

Vince shuttered at the memory of the blade that almost removed his spleen before he went to jail. “What’s the saw for?”

“There’s a padlock on the outer cellar door.”

“Won’t sawing it make too much noise?”

“No.” How could he be so certain?

Chen fished through a flat drawer and took out a black case. He opened its tri-fold flaps, revealing tiny metal rods, various shapes at the ends. “Remember how to use these?”

“It’s been a while since you to helped me when I locked myself out of the house. I wasn’t very good then.” And they didn’t have time for him to fumble.

Chen nodded, then surveyed Vince from lowered lids. “What’s in this for you?”

Vince couldn’t maintain Chen’s steely-eyed gaze. He dropped his attention to the floor. How could he explain his love for the people in his life to Chen, a man who saw relationships as dangerous entanglements?

Then it hit Vince. “What’s in it for
you
?”

Chen shook his head and began loading the second backpack with the tools he’d shown Vince.

“How’re we gonna do this?”

“I’ll get the kid outta the house. You get the girl.”

“How are you going to—?”

“Don’t ask. Just do.”

~*~

How does one pass the time waiting for hours to hear from a kidnapper? How does one sit around for the moment to rush as fast as she must to save her daughter? No one ever teaches this stuff in school.

Cassandra paced, prayed, flipped on the TV, flipped off the TV, prayed and paced some more. She opened the duffel bag of bills and counted each stack. She compared one stack to another to see if she could spot the phonies. Her heart sank. She didn’t know which was which, but there were definitely some differences.

Cassandra threw the bills inside the bag then looked at them in the shadow within. “Lord, please don’t let him notice.” She rolled them around and looked again. She prayed that wherever they met, the lighting would be dim.

Tears stung her eyes. No, she wouldn’t cry again. She had to be strong. She’d go in there, confident as if she didn’t have a care in the world.

But she did. Way too many. More lives were at stake than the one they were trying to save.

Her life was on the line, and so was her daughter’s. The man had likely killed before, and she did not doubt he was poised to do so again. Even if Chen freed Sophie, there was no guarantee the man might not discover the bills and kill Cassandra on the spot, leaving Sophie without a mother to come home to. What if the other man killed Vince? Sophie would lose another father—the one she’d barely known.