by Alana Terry
But what if someone else — someone who didn’t want Keith to tell Jade what he knew — was responsible? What if they’d messed with his car or drove him off the road or ...
But who would do that? And if Keith hadn’t kidnapped her daughter, who had?
Faces and nameless images clashed around chaotically in her mind, and she realized she was hungry. Apparently even a breakfast as hearty as Mrs. Spencer’s didn’t do a whole lot after a night spent tramping around outside in the snow looking for her missing five-year-old.
Jade squeezed her eyes shut, visualizing for a moment a nice peaceful morning at home with her daughter. No sore feet, no aching back. Just her and Dez eating breakfast, watching a few silly animal videos on YouTube ...
The passenger door flew open. She turned her head in time to see a figure dressed in black, pointing a gun at her through the window.
She didn’t have time to scream.
Searing pain splintered through her skull.
Then there was nothing.
Chapter 21
“COME ON, JADE. I KNOW you’re in there somewhere. Wake up.” The sweet, melodic voice pulled Jade out of her pain-free slumber. The flickering lamp in the corner seemed as bright as Alaska’s midnight sun on the summer solstice. Her head throbbed, and her eyes hurt.
She felt dizzy and almost threw up when she turned toward the figure beside her.
“Good.”
Jade could hear the smile in the woman’s voice even through the ski mask she wore.
“Do you know who I am?”
Did she? Did she know anything? Jade tried to remember where she was or what she was doing lying on the wooden floor in a strange room.
The woman raised her long, elegant fingers and removed the mask. “Now do you recognize me?”
Jade knew that her body was supposed to respond, that she was supposed to feel afraid.
“I hope Gabriel wasn’t too rough with you. Was he?” A second figure, also in black, emerged from the shadowy corners, standing guard behind Lady Sapphire.
Her smile was like a snake’s. “So sorry about your head. But I assure you that you’ll be fine.”
Jade reached up to rub her skull, but Sapphire grabbed her by the wrist. “Not right now, darling. You’re lucky Gabriel didn’t crack your skull open. He’s stronger than he looks, my dear, which is saying quite a bit, isn’t it?”
She let out a mirthless chuckle.
“Now, tell me, are you going to be a good girl, or are we going to have to deal with you just like we did with Elder Keith?”
Jade blinked, begging her mental processes to speed up. This wasn’t the time to feel groggy or light-headed. She had to figure out where she was, and then she needed to escape.
“If you’re looking for Gabriel’s gun, I assure you we have no more intentions of shooting you now than we did back in that trooper’s car. Let’s cooperate, shall we? For old time’s sake.”
Jade squeezed her eyes shut as if she could will away the pain on the top of her head.
Sapphire ran the back of her fingernails up and down Jade’s arm as if she were trying to tickle her. Jade tensed her entire body.
“No need for that.” Sapphire clucked her tongue disapprovingly. “The way I see it, you owe me an apology. After all those lies you spread about my husband, did you think I was just going to forget all about you?”
Jade forced herself to sit up, surprised when neither Sapphire nor her henchman made a move to stop her.
Instead, Sapphire smiled. “That’s good. I knew you’d be feeling better soon. Once that goose egg dies down, you’ll be as good as new.”
“Where’s Dez?”
“The child?” Sapphire widened her eyes in mock surprise. “Didn’t I already tell you? She’s in the next room.”
Jade made a move to stand, but she was far too slow. Before she even got to a crouch, Gabriel had his arms wrapped around her waist and Sapphire held her finger to her lips. “Shh. The little one’s sleeping. She had quite the eventful night, I can assure you.”
Jade flung herself from once side to the other, but she couldn’t break free. “Dez!” she tried to scream before Gabriel smothered her face with his beefy palm.
“We can’t have any of that now,” Sapphire scolded. “Didn’t I just tell you she needed her sleep?”
“What did you do to her?” Jade kept her voice low to avoid getting suffocated again by Gabriel’s massive hand.
“Told her the truth.” Sapphire’s smile widened. “All of it. Imagine how surprised I was to discover the child didn’t even know who her father is.”
“God’s her father.”
Sapphire nodded patiently as if Jade were the same age as Dez. “That’s what she said. But don’t worry. She was quite happy to learn that she had a real daddy who loved her very much.”
“You won’t lay a hand on her.”
Sapphire shrugged. “Think what you will. It means nothing to me one way or the other.”
“What do you want?” Whatever game this was, Jade was sick of it. If Sapphire was telling the truth, if Dez really was sleeping in the next room, Jade just had to bide her time and wait for the chance to make her escape. Gabriel had a gun, which meant that if he wanted her or her daughter dead, they would be by now. Jade simply had to wait. Try to win as much of their trust as she could, wait for them to grow complacent, and then she’d rescue Dez.
It took all her mental stamina to keep from calling out for her daughter, but if Dez really was asleep, it was a mercy that she didn’t have to deal with this living nightmare. A nightmare that Jade would bring to an end, just as soon as she got her chance. She was bigger than Sapphire and outweighed her by at least sixty pounds. It was Gabriel she had to watch. Gabriel who had to be convinced she wasn’t a threat.
No threat at all.
She glanced at him, trying to figure out where he kept that gun.
Sapphire was standing now, walking around Jade in a wide circle. She glanced at the small window, trying to guess how much longer until the sun went back down. How long had she been unconscious?
The view was blocked by spruce trees. How far into the wilderness had Sapphire taken her?
At least her daughter was nearby. Even though Jade had no proof, she chose to believe that it was true.
The hope of seeing Dez again, the promise of a safe reunion, was all she had to give her strength.
Chapter 22
“WHAT’S IN THE BOTTLE?” Jade demanded, eying Sapphire suspiciously.
“Just some anointing oil,” she answered. “It’ll make your head feel better.”
Jade gritted her teeth. “Don’t come near me with that.”
Sapphire’s serpentine smile faded. “Have it your way.” She looked over her shoulder and shrugged at Gabriel, handing him the vial then letting out a sigh. “Now, let’s have a little chat about what’s going to happen next.”
Jade was resting on the hard floor with her back against the wall. Sapphire paced while she spoke, but Gabriel kept himself positioned beside Jade the entire time, stationed between her and a door. Was that Dez’s room? Jade strained her ears. Could she hear her daughter on the other side? The slightest hint that Dez was nearby would be enough to give Jade the superhuman strength she’d need to take on both her assailants. She was sure of it. She just had to find the right time.
“I’m very sorry for what you went through as a teenager.” Sapphire’s apology came as a surprise, but she went on without letting Jade speak. “I always knew you had the spirit of seduction, and I’m sorry I didn’t bring it before the church when I first suspected it. We would have prayed for you and anointed you and healed you from your sickness. But I had a certain fondness for you, and I’m afraid I let my personal affection for you cloud my discernment. I didn’t want to embarrass you, and so I kept my observations to myself. For that I’m truly sorry, and I beg you to forgive me.”
Her voice sounded sincere, but there was a haughtiness in her eyes when they met Ja
de’s.
“My husband was a godly, righteous man, the most devout and anointed believer in Alaska, I’m convinced.”
Jade wondered if they were talking about the same individual, but again Sapphire didn’t give her time to speak.
“His biggest weakness was that he was so compassionate. It’s what made him such a Spirit-filled preacher. He had the gift of empathy. He could look at a person and instantly understand what spiritual struggles they were going through. He told me everything about the day you came to him for counseling. Yes, I know all about it, about how that child of yours was conceived. He wanted to help you. He really did. I hadn’t warned him about the spirit of seduction I sensed in you. Like I said, I didn’t want to expose you to any embarrassment. As a result, my husband fell into temptation.”
Jade didn’t know what to say. Should she bring up the fact that Mitch’s abuse persisted for years before her pregnancy? Should she mention the Bible verses Mitch used to coerce her into compliance, to scare her into silence?
The smile vanished from Sapphire’s face, and she stared at Jade with a mix of both pity and contempt. “I want you to know that I forgive you. I know it wasn’t you but the spirit of seduction living in you. My husband was a prime target for spiritual attack given his success in the ministry, so it’s no wonder the devil decided to oppress him in this way. At first, I was heartbroken. Devastated that my husband would fall like this. But then one night, God gave me a dream. He showed me a picture of my husband, bent over and weighed down by his guilt and shame. He was chained to prison bars, him and many others, and then just like Paul and Silas in that dungeon, my husband began to sing. His praise released not only his own chains, but those of all the people around him as well. That’s when I knew God was going to exalt my husband to an even higher place of leadership and authority, that he would use my husband’s weakness to bring even more children into the kingdom. His prophesies always come true.”
Something changed in Sapphire’s countenance. “And speaking of prophesies,” she went on, staring at Jade with the intensity and beady eyes of a cat, “let’s talk for a minute about your daughter.”
Jade glanced over at Gabriel, trying to figure out how many seconds she’d have to wrap both hands around Sapphire’s pale throat before he intervened.
“You remember, I’m sure, that God gave me a dream in which he promised my husband a child to carry on the ministry at Morning Glory.”
Jade didn’t trust herself to respond. It was taking all her energy and focus to keep from killing Sapphire where she stood.
“For decades, I believed the prophesy meant that God would open my womb and give me a child, but I’ve since learned that his ways are so much higher than our ways, his wisdom so much greater than our own. God never promised that I would be the one to fulfill this promise, but that doesn’t mean the prophesy itself could fail. God’s calling and plans are irrevocable, and he promised Mitch a child. Your daughter.”
Jade couldn’t listen to this crazy woman anymore. She wouldn’t. She pictured herself jumping up, charging Sapphire and barging into the closed room to grab Dez, but she remained immobile. What kind of strange mysticism was this? What was this woman doing to her?
Sapphire continued to pace, and Jade was acutely aware of the vibrations she sent through the floor with each step, as if the weight and force of Sapphire’s stride had increased tenfold.
“I had a dream a few weeks ago,” she began, and Jade clenched her hands into fists. It was the only control she had over her body at the moment.
“In my dream, Mitch had just returned home after a long trip serving God overseas. On his back was an empty sack symbolizing the burdens God had taken off his shoulders during his season of international ministry. His hair had turned white, but his eyes were younger and more joyful than I’ve ever seen, and as he came toward me, he knelt down on the ground and stretched out his hands, and then this beautiful brown baby girl ran toward him shouting, ‘Daddy! Daddy! You’re home!’ and he hugged her and promised he was never going to leave her again.
“I woke up, and I could still feel the love and the joy that surrounded my spirit in that reunion, and I knew what the Lord was telling me. I wasn’t the one he chose to bear Mitch a child to complete his life’s work and calling, but I could see the prophesy fulfilled nonetheless. It was a glorious picture. The next night, I had the same dream, except after that little brown girl ran into Mitch’s arms, she turned to me and smiled and said, ‘I love you, Mommy.’ And that’s when I knew what God was calling me to do.”
Jade felt heavy. Heavy and tired and subdued, as if each word she heard was a chain tying her down. She needed to think, needed all her mental acuity, but she found herself inexplicably drawn to the rhythmic cadence of Sapphire’s words.
“I’m sure you’re worried about your daughter. That’s why I’ve included you in my plan. That and the fact that Elder Keith wasn’t strong enough to do what had to be done. He was with us at first but then changed his mind. He’ll receive his reward, I’m sure. Now the biggest question is up to you. Will you be reunited to our fold? Will you come back under the congregational headship God has called you to? Think of what a glorious testimony that would be when you and your daughter come to live with me under one roof, held fast together by the cords of Christian love. I’ve talked to your daughter, and I sense a great destiny’s been placed over her. What do you say?”
Sapphire stopped her pacing, releasing Jade from her state of transfixed confusion. She leveled her gaze. “I say you’re a monster and a freak. You deserve to rot in jail just like your husband should have.”
Sapphire frowned, lifted her hands toward heaven, and started mumbling under her breath.
“And stop praying for me,” Jade snapped. “I don’t want to hear any more about your dreams or your deluded fantasies. I don’t want you anywhere near me or my child.”
Sapphire’s incoherent mutterings grew louder and more intense. The mental fog returned, but Jade strove to break free from its hold.
“You’re not a real church,” she shouted. “Your husband was a disgusting fraud, and the only power either of you ever had was only because people were terrified of both of you. You pretend to know God’s will for others’ lives, but you’re so crazy you actually think you can get away with kidnapping and murder.”
Sapphire chuckled. “Murder? I’m sorry, aren’t you the one whose father tried to kill my husband?”
“He didn’t want to kill him,” Jade replied, even though she wasn’t sure if that was the case.
Sapphire raised an eyebrow. “No? Your father was afflicted with the most oppressive spirit of anger and violence I’ve ever witnessed. That’s why I wasn’t surprised to hear what that policeman had to do to him.”
Jade jumped to her feet. Sapphire wanted to talk about a spirit of anger and violence? Jade could show her a spirit of anger and violence. She threw her weight into Sapphire, knocking her to the ground as easily as she could have blown out a candle. Straddling her, Jade tried to shrug Gabriel off long enough to land at least one good punch.
Sapphire screamed. “Get behind me, demon.”
Jade managed to pry one arm away from Gabriel’s grasp and elbowed Sapphire in the gut before slamming her fist into that perfectly upturned nose that always made her pastor’s wife appear both haughty and regal.
She couldn’t get in any more shots before Gabriel overpowered her, grappling until he had both her arms pinned behind her. She threw her head back but only hit his chest and may as well have been a newborn cub wrestling a lion.
“I wash my hands of you.” Sapphire stood clumsily and smoothed down her clothes. “I gave you a chance at restitution.” She spat down at Jade on the floor. “And you were a fool to disregard my gracious offer. I wipe the dust off my feet. Everything that happens from here on is your own fault. Your blood is on your own head now.”
Chapter 23
JADE STRUGGLED HELPLESSLY in Gabriel’s arms while Sapphire to
ok a key from her pocket and opened the door on the far side of the cabin.
“Mama?”
The tiny voice made Jade’s pulse surge, and she strained against her confines. Unfortunately, Gabriel didn’t seem to be exerting any extra effort keeping her immobilized.
“Dez!” Jade shouted. “Dez! Mama’s here!”
Breath and warmth and relief coursed through Jade’s entire body when her daughter ran toward her, throwing her arms around her neck. Laughing, Dez ignored the man who kept Jade’s arms pinned behind her back.
“Mama, Auntie Sapphire says she knows where my daddy is and that I really do have a daddy besides God.”
“Sweetie, we’ll talk about it all later.” Jade nestled her head against her daughter’s cheeks, soaking in her presence, praising the Lord for allowing her to be with her daughter again. “What have you been doing, honey? Did you get hurt?”
Dez shook her head. “No, I’m okay. Auntie Sapphire told me you were coming, but I didn’t think it’d take so long. Why did it take so long, Mama?”
“Mama had a few things to take care of first.” She tried hard not to choke on her words. Her heart swelled with love for her daughter, with gratitude for her safety and a simultaneous primal instinct to do everything in her power to keep her safe.
Even kill.
Gabriel was so close behind her she could feel the gun in his pocket. If she could only find the right opportunity ...
But that was all secondary. Dez was safe. Keeping her that way was the only thing mattered. She breathed out a silent prayer of thanks, drinking in the sight of her precious child.
Dez put her hands on her hips and jutted out her lip. “Hey, what happened to the top of your head? It’s all bumpy.”
“Mama got a little owie. It’s all right.”
“Let me give it a kiss.” Dez leaned in and got close enough to Jade’s ear to whisper, “I know she’s not my real auntie.”
Jade’s whole body swelled with relief. Of course Dez was smart enough not to be fooled, but she was putting on the perfect act. Jade didn’t trust herself to reply to her daughter’s words and hoped Gabriel hadn’t heard.