Dangerous Deceptions: A Christian Romantic Suspense Boxed Set Collection

by Lisa Harris

  A promise was a promise. So those three dozen boxes of war memories and children’s toys from Uncle Tabbebo’s family and also Mom’s would remain in Sienna’s basement—probably forever—while her uncle and Mom moved into the Savannah Senior Living Resort for the rest of their lives.

  Sienna backed the van into the driveway and opened the garage door remotely. She got out of the van as Earl was still on the phone with Helen Hu, who seemed to have plenty of work for him to do at Hu Knows, Inc. So far, since they had returned home from the Bahamas, Earl had been gone a lot. That old adage, “absence makes the heart grow fonder,” applied to them.

  Earl had told her that every time he was away, he couldn’t wait to get home to see her again. Sienna had her own things to deal with, so she kept busy enough such that she didn’t miss Earl too much.

  Mariana Kimball lost her FBI badge over the mishandling of three GOOP employees. Whistleblowers Dana and Sienna nearly lost their lives.

  Thankfully, Dana had entered WITSEC, and not a moment too soon. Sienna didn’t have to because the storm was over and the criminals caught. She was told that Dana might come out of WITSEC soon, although she might opt not to, for the sake of her child.

  Sienna wondered what sort of deal Dana had made with the FBI to allow her to be in WITSEC instead of in jail. After all, she was very much involved in the embezzlement. If not for her, neither Celestia nor Gavard could have funneled that much money out of the GOOP bank accounts.

  Sadly, coworker Arun lay buried in an Atlanta cemetery. His child would have to grow up without him. His wife had filed a lawsuit against the FBI and the federal government. She remained in the country as her child was born here, and was thus an American citizen.

  On trial, Celestia Gavard faced years in jail for embezzlement, hiring Killjoy the henchwoman—and falsely imprisoning Sienna aboard a yacht. Her attorneys claimed that she only tried to salvage what was left of her scheme when her partner-in-crime and mastermind of it all, Mr. Ford, passed away suddenly. The twenty-one-billion-dollar company funds Celestia tried to abscond were reparation for having to put up with an adulterous husband who had slept with both his personal assistant, Noreen, and the company accountant, Dana, and impregnating the latter.

  Regardless, her schemes had backfired because Mr. Ford had another failsafe in place. When Sienna activated the phone inside the safe, it transmitted everything Celestia typed on the laptop to Mr. Ford’s lawyer in Atlanta, who then turned the evidence over to the state and federal prosecutors. In other words, Celestia didn’t stand a chance in court. And Mr. Ford had the last laugh over his half-brother Zachary and his sister-in-law Celestia.

  As for Joy “Killjoy” Burditt, there was nothing much to say except that she had lived by the sword and died by the sword. It was too bad that she had not been alive to testify against Celestia or explain how she had found the FBI safe house. However, killing a federal agent would have brought a severe penalty that would have been probably worse than a quick death onboard Celestia’s superyacht.

  The other vehicle door opened and slammed shut. Earl stretched and then walked toward Sienna, who was walking toward her mailbox. “That was a long drive.”

  “Yeah, six hours.” Sienna shuffled her mail. Mostly advertisements. “Good thing you came with me and drove for three hours.”

  “Glad to help.” Earl walked with her.

  Seven months after they had met, they stopped pretending as their relationship continued beyond the GOOP whistleblowing operation that the FBI had wrapped up. Zachary Gavard gave his full cooperation in exchange for a shorter sentence, even though everyone knew that GOOP, as they knew it, was over. Even Noreen quit her job there.

  Earl had tried to persuade Sienna to apply for the administrative assistant position at Hu Knows, but the more Sienna learned about the private investigation firm, the less she wanted to work there. She didn’t need the pressure and stress.

  After much prayer and introspection, Sienna decided that she did not want an office romance with Earl. She’d rather meet him after work hours so that they could have different things to talk about outside of work.

  She joined Earl’s church, Riverside Chapel in Savannah, some fifteen minutes from her new house—which she had purchased when Mr. Gavard gave her a generous severance package. At church, she met Priyanka Patel-Jacobs, doctor-in-residence at the Savannah Senior Living Resort, where Sienna had hoped would take Mom and Uncle Tabbebo.

  It just so happened that they were looking for an office manager. Sensing it was an opportunity from God for a change of scenery and pace, Sienna applied. Lo and behold, her extensive corporate experience landed her the job. GOOP was good for her career, after all. Both Priyanka and the SSLR Director, who was also her cousin, Dr. Roger Patel, were pleased with how Sienna cut office waste, cleaned up the office management system, and added efficiency to their daily operations. The ministry became a blessing to many, and the waiting list shortened as new wings opened up with more rooms.

  Since she moved to the area, Sienna had lunches with Earl every day, sometimes at the SSLR dining room or garden and sometimes in town in Savannah, where the Hu Knows headquarters was.

  Four months after Sienna started working at SSLR, a resident passed away at SSLR and another left to live with her grandchildren out of state. Sienna was thrilled to get the call that room was finally available for both her mom and uncle. Earl helped her move them from Chattanooga to Tybee Island, where Mom’s health improved as she spent time outdoors in the garden, greenhouse, and by the Atlantic Ocean. She even made new friends while playing Bingo, her dementia notwithstanding.

  Uncle Tabbebo himself had taken a fancy for one of the pretty widows at the residence, and decided it was time to sell his house in Chattanooga. Thus began the process of hauling his war memories, medals, and old books, plus Mom’s own boxes of family stories to Sienna’s basement.

  Earl opened the back door of the moving van. He reached for the cooler. “Want some water?”

  “Yes, please.” Sienna took stock of what they had stuffed into the van. There was an old lamp, suitcases, moving boxes. “How did we get all those things into the van, just the two of us?”

  “We chatted and listened to music and the news, so maybe it didn’t feel like work,” Earl said.

  “We also took our time.” Sienna recalled that it had taken them two days to load up the van. They stayed in separate hotel rooms nearby, but between the two of them, they had cleaned up Uncle Tabbebo’s house before the listing agent showed up to take photographs of the house for their real estate advertisements.

  Earl nodded, handing her a bottled water. “Shall we take a little break before we carry the boxes into the basement?”

  Sienna nodded. “I need to check on Wyclef, and then we can unload the van. So glad Cade could come over and feed him the last two days.”

  Earl nodded. “He’s good with pets, though he only has dogs of his own.”

  Sienna entered the garage and unlocked the door leading to the kitchen. She disarmed the alarm.

  “Wyclef!” She called out. Then she turned to Earl. “Can you believe it? No welcome party.”

  Wyclef came over, his fur all ruffled like he had been napping.

  “What? Did you sleep all day while we were gone?” Sienna picked him up in her arms. “I thought you’re our guard cat.”

  Earl laughed. He checked the house and the three rooms, and then returned.

  “All okay?” Sienna asked, even as she knew that her alarm hadn’t gone off. Still, when Earl went into protective mode, the best thing was to let him be.

  “Yeah. Looks fine.” Sienna let Wyclef down. She brushed off cat hair stuck to her goose down jacket.

  Earl looked warm in just a down vest over a few layers of flannel. He was walking around the kitchen, checking windows and the door leading to the porch.

  Sienna unlocked the back door for Earl, and they stepped outside onto a covered porch overlooking the ocean.

  The air was fr
esh and clean, but Sienna felt cold. She zipped up her jacket all the way to her neck, and wished she had worn a long coat to cover her legs. Her pair of jeans wasn’t thick enough to ward off the cold winter air coming up from the Atlantic Ocean beyond the yard and dunes.

  “I can’t believe Sabine found you this little gem.” Earl drew a deep breath.

  “God provides. She looked for such a house for months,” Sienna said. “I really like her and I’d recommend her to anyone who wants to buy or sell a house.”

  Earl nodded. “Both Sabine and her husband, Ming, are great Christians. They speak the truth and never let you down.”

  “I remember Sabine giving me a reality check when I asked for a small oceanfront beach house. She said that many years ago, she sold another beach house like this one to her sister-in-law. However, she said it’s rare. Most of the time, people either keep them or mow them down to build a bigger house, and then sell those for way more than I can afford. Then she found this house in foreclosure. Good for me.”

  “Three bedrooms are enough to raise a family in,” Earl said.

  “You mean the resale value?” Sienna took another sip of water.

  “That too.”

  Sienna looked out at the ocean. “What a view.”

  When Earl didn’t reply, Sienna turned around—

  And gasped.

  Earl was on one knee. In his hand was a small red velvet box.

  “What’s happening?” Sienna could hardly breathe. She hadn’t expected this.

  “Are you surprised?” Earl popped open the red box.

  “I’m shocked.” Sienna couldn’t recall any of their conversations lately pertaining to marriage per se. However, they had talked about raising children. A lot. “Why today?”

  “If I wait for the right moment, that may never come. Today is just as right a moment as any other time.”

  Sienna gave him a look. “Is there another reason?”

  Earl cleared his throat. “Helen is sending me out of town for an undercover operation through Christmas and New Year’s. I don’t want to carry this ring with me and wonder whether you’ve found someone else.”

  “There’s no one else,” Sienna said quietly.

  “SSLR residents with eligible grand-nephews and grandsons would beg to differ.” Earl sounded serious. “They show up at Christmas in droves to see their grandmas and grandpas.”

  Sienna smiled. Earl had been jealous before, and she didn’t want to bring up the times when he wouldn’t let Deshon talk too much in the vehicle on their drive from Atlanta to Macon.

  “Sienna, I’ve been in love with you since the second week we met,” Earl began. “I can’t stop thinking about you when we’re not together, and when I’m with you, I don’t want to leave.”

  “Someone told me that I should trust God for him,” Sienna said. “You can trust God for me too.”

  “I trust God for you, Sienna. I’ve prayed about this for several weeks. The more I pray, the more certain I am that God has brought you to share my life with me—my joy and sorrow, my happiness and pain, and everything in between.”

  Sienna sniffled. She felt the same way about Earl as well.

  “I’m happy to just be with you. I’ll help you with your mom and uncle. I’ll carry out the trash every night. I’ll vacuum and cook and clean—on second thought, for the last part, I’ll hire a maid for you.” He chuckled.

  Sienna giggled. “Are you being silly?”

  “Seriously, I can’t bear to be without you.” Earl paused. “Sienna Bethany Halstead, will you marry me? There is no one else I’d rather spend my life with than you.”

  Sienna was so happy that tears streamed down her cheeks. In spite of the cold breeze, she felt warm inside, her heart full of peace, love, joy, and certainty that God had brought them together, as Earl had said earlier.

  “Yes, I’ll marry you, Earl Ambrose Young, and make you my one and only husband in my entire life. There is no one else I’d rather be with. May God guide us according to His perfect will.”

  After Earl placed the diamond ring on her finger, he lifted her up in the air and twirled her around on the porch, laughing with her and hugging her. Then he put her back down on her feet.

  His kiss was soft and gentle.

  “Kiss me like this for the rest of my life,” Sienna whispered.

  “Yes, dear.” He repeated his sweet caress.

  Above them, the sea birds called. Beyond the grass and sand, the ocean waves roared and cheered.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sienna and Earl wanted to marry as soon as possible, so they picked a date five months after Earl’s proposal, but Sienna’s mother passed away in her sleep two days before the wedding.

  Sienna’s grief caused them to postpone their big day, and it turned out to be a good thing, as Sienna and Earl spent more time getting to know each other as they met for lunch and dinner daily.

  Gentleman Earl didn’t rush Sienna. He stood by her side, waiting. He told her to take all the time she needed to grieve for her mother, but Sienna knew he was probably also praying that she would get through the hardest part of her grief journey soon so that they could be married.

  Her father came down to Savannah from Dahlonega to comfort her, and it was then that Sienna realized how much older her father looked. In fact, his second wife had passed away a couple of years before. Sienna was afraid that she would lose Dad too—even though she knew that their lives were in God’s hand.

  One year after she buried her mother, Sienna was ready to start a new life with Earl.

  So here they were.

  Sienna didn’t feel harried this Saturday morning in May, two years after she had met Earl. It was interesting to her that seven months into their relationship, Earl had known for sure that he wanted to marry her. Their engagement had been a happy occasion, with Sienna growing to love Earl more and more in the months following it. Sienna knew there was no one else she’d rather marry than Earl Ambrose Young, even if their wedding was delayed.

  Sienna had always been careful about her spending, and she was shocked to find out how much a wedding costs. Adding that to the expense of paying for her mother and uncle at Savannah Senior Living Resort, she could barely afford the reception. It was bittersweet that Mom passed away before the wedding, but Sienna would rather have had her mother alive with her than to have a lavish wedding.

  Everyone had been kind to them, saving them an enormous amount of money. Donovan Moss gave Sienna a discount on the garden venue for the wedding at the oceanfront Moss Tybee Resort on Tybee Island. And it came with a wedding planner. He also gave them a discount at his island resort in the Bahamas, where they would spend their weeklong honeymoon. Helen Hu prepaid for their business-class plane tickets. The rest of Earl’s colleagues came together to gift them their first married month’s house payment.

  “Such practical gifts,” Uncle Tabbebo had said. “My kind of people.”

  There he was down the hotel hallway, walking toward her now, wearing a charcoal suit with a white gardenia boutonniere. Gardenia was Mom’s favorite flower.

  Sienna held back her tears. If she let them flow, she’d never make it to her own wedding ceremony.

  “The guests are waiting,” Uncle Tabbebo said. “The garden is lovely, not as cool as I expected even though it’s only nine o’clock.”

  “Thank you for the weather report.”

  “Your mother would’ve loved to be here, but let’s be happy for her that she is now pain-free and frolicking in the green meadows of heaven.”

  “Are there meadows in heaven?” Sienna asked.

  “I don’t know, but whatever God has prepared for us will be beyond anything we can see on earth.” Uncle Tabbebo patted Sienna’s hand.

  “I’m so glad you shared Christ with Mom before dementia took her.”

  Uncle Tabbebo nodded. “I’ve tried to witness to her for many decades, as you know. Somehow after all her adventures, she had returned to me for one last chance to tell her abo
ut what Jesus had done for her on the cross.”

  A door opened nearby, and Dad appeared.

  “I’m praying for your dad,” Uncle Tabbebo whispered in her ear.

  “Thank you.” Sienna smiled.

  “Let’s go.” Dad lifted his elbow on one side of her.

  Uncle Tabbebo also lifted his elbow for her.

  After all that Uncle Tabbebo had done for Mom and herself, Sienna couldn’t imagine not letting him walk her down the aisle. However, in recent years, she had reconciled with her estranged father, and traditionally, the father of the bride would do the honors.

  So here they both were.

  As for a bridesmaid, Sienna had none. She wondered how Dana was doing in WITSEC, whether she had a safe childbirth. Someday, Dana might appear again in Sienna’s life. Or not.

  Sienna prayed for Celestia and Gavard. God could still forgive their souls, if only they would repent of their sins and humble themselves before God. Celestia had written back from prison, rejecting both ideals, and adding that she and Gavard were still corresponding.

  Sienna didn’t have the heart to remind Celestia that Gavard would serve less time than she would, although his carte blanche had enabled Celestia to hire and pay off rogue FBI agents and assailants. After all, Gavard had divorced Celestia and testified against her. No doubt when he was released, he would move on with his life and leave Celestia to languish in prison. Or so, Sienna suspected.

  “Let the past go,” Uncle Tabbebo said, as if reading her mind.

  Sienna was stunned. Was she holding on to the past? Quietly, she prayed for her friend Dana, surrendering her to God. Ironically, if not for Dana, Sienna would not have become a whistleblower and called Helen Hu for help, and therefore she would not have met Earl.

  Down the hallway, violin and harp music grew louder through the stained-glass doors leading to the outside garden.