“You’re not real. I’m hallucinating.”
“Maybe.” She smiled at him. “Stop thinking you failed. You didn’t. And you won’t fail Chloe—unless you give up. Be strong and courageous. Isn’t that what you told her?”
“There’s nothing I can do.”
“The Lord is with you. Remember Philippians—I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. You are not alone, Colton. God is with you always. A righteous man gets up seven times.”
“Or seventy.” It had been one of their favorite verses to encourage each other when the going got tough.
She turned from him.
“Don’t go, Catherine. Don’t leave me. I love you. I need you.”
“Our time together is over. For now.” She turned toward him. “You are so brave, but so afraid of giving your heart to another. Don’t be afraid, my dear, sweet Colton. Love makes life worth living.” The fog closed in, and she disappeared.
Alone. No Catherine. No Ramon or his goons.
His gaze moved to the walls. Logs—a cabin? He was facing a sliding glass door. Lots of trees were visible. The area surrounding the mansion was different than these woods.
They had moved him.
His agent mind started working.
The phone call must have been someone warning Ramon that the FBI was coming to search his house.
Chloe must have called Robbie or the FBI. Probably Robbie. She was terrified of the LA office of the FBI. She’d believed someone in the LA office was helping Ramon Rivera. Obviously, she’d been right.
Why hadn’t Rivera killed him? Because they wanted Chloe. And he was the map to finding her.
Colton closed his eyes, praying for strength to not betray her. As long as she stayed in that hotel room, she’d be safe—as long as he kept his mouth shut.
*
Agent Buckley turned down a tree-lined road. “I can see why the judge didn’t want to come downtown. He sure lives out in the country.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to make this drive every day.”
Her stomach twisted. The scenery was familiar. Ramon had brought her out to a cabin a few times. It wasn’t one of his showy vacation homes. This place was for privacy. She was sure this was the way to his cabin.
Panic seeped in.
The agent was staring at her.
Something stopped her from speaking. As long as he thought she was cooperating, she might have a chance of getting away. She touched the phone in her pocket. She’d call Robbie as soon as she could.
The car was approaching a stop sign.
Her hand moved to the door handle.
She jumped out of the car and ran for the woods. The agent began screaming, but she kept moving. She zigged and zagged until she had no idea where she was. Finally, she stopped to call Robbie.
He’d help her—them.
She pulled out her cellphone as she sat down.
“Hey, Chloe. Long time no see.” Ramon stepped out of the woods. Their eyes met and he smiled. “So, how’ve you been?”
*
Colton opened his eyes.
Catherine’s message had been clear. Don’t give up. Trust God.
He’d told Chloe the same thing. Anything was possible, and that life was all about choices. He needed to make a choice—something to shift the odds in his favor.
He sat on a kitchen chair handcuffed to the rails. His feet were tied with a rope that went around the chair legs. Colton rocked back and forth on the chair until he managed to stand up. Inch by inch, he hopped his way to the kitchen. Sweat dripped into his eyes from the effort. He finally made it to the counter.
A wooden knife block was filled with knives.
He smashed the back of the chair against the counter. Finally, the wood splintered. A few more smashes and his hands were free. He still had the cuffs on but wasn’t connected to the chair any longer. He chose a large butcher knife. A few moments later, his feet were free. He kept the butcher knife.
Ramon probably had guns somewhere in the cabin, but that would take time.
Better to get out now. Someone could return at any moment. His hand was on the door knob when the sound of a car motor broke the silence. Colton peeked through the small window on the door.
The car door opened.
Chloe tumbled out.
He wanted to run to help her, to comfort her. But then they’d both be at the mercy of Ramon. Time to make another choice. Colton was sure it was the right one. He ran to the sliding glass door. The bright red light of the alarm on the wall beside the door caught his eye. Oh, well, it couldn’t be helped. He yanked the door open.
The alarm shrieked as he ran out onto the wooden deck.
*
The blaring alarm increased Chloe’s panic.
Agent Buckley’s fingers dug into her flesh.
Tears welled from the pain.
Ramon hit the buttons to stop the alarm.
The instant silence was a blessing.
“Where is he?” Ramon demanded.
The room was empty. The meaning of the blaring alarm came to her as she stared at the open door that led to a deck. Colton had escaped. Thank you, God. Knowing that Colton was safe gave her the courage to face Ramon.
Ramon turned to them. “Where’d he go?”
The one goon looked around. “He’s gotta be here. There’s no way that preacher could get away. I had him taped and handcuffed.”
Buckley dragged her as they followed Ramon through the house.
They all stared at the broken chair in the kitchen.
“Mmm. Guess he did get away, huh?” Chloe couldn’t resist taunting them.
Ramon glared at her, his face mottled red with anger. “I don’t know what you’re smiling about. It’s not going to help you.” He slapped her. “You’re going to die, no matter what.”
Stars swirled. Ignoring the stinging, she managed to smile. “Whatever you do to me doesn’t matter. He’ll get help, and before the day’s over your life as you know it will be gone. All the money. All the fame. Gone.”
He slapped her again.
She glared at him. “Gone. Gone. Gone.”
“And you’ll be dead, dead, dead.”
“All your money won’t help you now.” No longer afraid, she met his gaze. “I’ll be in heaven and you’ll be here, and your life will be anything but heaven. But don’t worry, many of the people in prison will be happy to be your friend, Ramon.”
He raised his hand.
She braced for another slap.
Instead, he turned to the men. “I heard the alarm go off. That means he’s not too far away. Go find him. Now!”
Buckley twisted her arm. “What about her?”
Ramon nodded at the other man. “Start looking for him. We’ll be out as soon as we make sure she can’t get away.” He pushed her onto a chair.
She kicked and her foot connected with Ramon’s knee.
He slapped her. “Buck, get her under control.”
The agent grabbed her arms from behind.
She struggled. Every second gave Colton time to escape.
Moments later, she was tied to the chair.
Buckley looked at Ramon. “OK, I’ve got her under control. Now, I’m out of here.”
“I don’t think so. You’re going to help us get this situation under control before you go anywhere.”
“I can’t be a part of this.” He shook his head. “I’m done.”
“You’re done when I say you’re done. You’ve taken my money for years. You aren’t going to back out when things get a little too hard. Now, let’s go find that preacher so we can finish this.”
Buckley said nothing but nodded.
Ramon knelt down in front of her. “Better take a few minutes to pray to that God of yours. When I get back you’ll be dead—along with that boyfriend of yours.”
18
Colton stood beside the cabin.
One of the bodyguards headed into the woods. Surely the others would come out to search, too. A moment late
r another man ran out. That only left two more.
Be patient.
Footsteps pounded on the deck. Ramon and the other man ran down the steps and into the trees.
Colton circled to the front and opened the door. “Chloe.”
Her head jerked towards him. “Oh, Colton. Thank God, you’re safe.”
Bending down, he sliced through the tape. “They think I went into the woods. What do you say we get out of here?”
“Sounds like a good idea.” She jumped up and her arms went around his neck.
“No time to get sentimental. We have to move.” He gave a smile, one he prayed filled her with courage.
They ran out of the house with her clinging to his cuffed hands.
“I hope they left the keys in the car.” When they reached the vehicle, Colton stuck his head in. “No such luck. We’ll have to use our feet.” He patted her arm. “Everything will be all right. We have more than enough evidence to put Ramon away. And you know what that means?”
Tears streamed down her face. “Home for the holidays.”
“Exactly.”
“You sure keep your promises.”
They ran.
A car was parked off the road.
“That was the FBI agent’s car that brought me here.”
“Let’s get out of here.”
“Probably not.” Ramon walked from behind the car gun aimed at them. “I heard what sounded like a herd of horses coming down the road.”
“Chloe,” Colton whispered, talking fast. “When I step forward, you run the other way. And don’t stop. No matter what happens, don’t stop. Run.” Colton gave her a push and walked towards Ramon.
Ramon shot at her.
“I’m OK, Colton,” she screamed.
“Keep running!” He yelled at her as he turned towards the actor. “Ever shot a moving target before, Ramon? It’s not as easy as it looks in your movies.”
“Stay back.” Ramon pointed the gun at him, then back at Chloe. Another shot.
“Put the gun down. Now.” Colton kept advancing.
“Are you crazy?” Ramon took a nervous step back and then shot at him.
Colton rolled to the ground as the shot went wide.
“Get back here, Chloe, or I’m going to kill him,” Ramon screamed.
“Keep running, Chloe! Don’t stop!”
Ramon’s expression turned to panic.
Colton charged with his head down and slammed into Ramon’s stomach.
The actor landed on his back and the shot went into the air.
Ramon pressed the weapon against Colton’s stomach.
With all his strength, Colton turned the gun nozzle.
Another explosion.
Ramon went limp, his eyes wide.
Colton pulled the gun from Ramon’s hand.
The bodyguards ran out of the woods, drawing weapons.
Colton aimed Ramon’s gun at them. “No reason to make this worse than it has to be.”
As the bodyguard stared down at his fallen boss, another man came up from the trees.
“Both of you drop your guns, and you, call for an ambulance.” Colton pointed at the man and turned to the other bodyguard. “You put some pressure on his wound so he doesn’t bleed to death.”
The two men threw down their guns. One reached for his phone while the other hurried to Ramon.
“Chloe, you can come out of the woods now,” Colton called.
“How’d you know I was here?” She stepped from behind a tree.
“Your footsteps didn’t fade away. They stopped.”
“You’re awfully smart for a preacher,” The bodyguard who knelt beside Ramon said.
“I wasn’t always a preacher.”
“A cop?”
“Actually, FBI.” Colton turned to the bodyguard with the phone. “Let me have that.”
The man handed it to Colton.
Chloe whispered in Colton’s ear. “I don’t see Agent Buckley.”
“Don’t worry. He won’t be free for long. They’ll find him.”
He turned back to the men. “Now, you can lean up against the car until the police get here.” He dialed a number. “Hey, Robbie, need a little help here.”
19
Colton pulled up to the house.
Chloe’s eyes filled with tears as she drank in the sight of her home. In all the years she’d been gone, she’d never dreamed this was possible. “Now I know what the prodigal son felt.”
“And what’s that?”
“Happy, excited, and scared all at the same time.” She paused. “And sad.”
“Sad about what?”
“For all the time I wasted. Not just the time I’ve been gone, but all the time I wasted not living for God.”
“You’ve got plenty of time to make it up to your family. And to God. Are you ready for this?”
“More than ready.” She laughed. “I can’t believe you kept your promise.”
“Well, a promise is a promise.”
She put her hand over his on the steering wheel. “Thank you.”
“Merry Christmas, Chloe.”
“Do you think they’ll be surprised?”
“You might give them a heart attack. I told you to call them first.”
“I want to see their faces.” Tears were already coming down her cheeks. “I don’t know what they’ll be more surprised about, me coming home or the new me. The Christian me.”
“Probably both.”
She grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the walk. “You’re coming with me, right?”
“I should go. This is your moment.”
She tugged again. “And I wouldn’t be having it if not for you. I want you there to share it with me.”
“In that case, I wouldn’t miss this homecoming for anything.”
She pushed the buzzer.
The door opened.
Her mother’s eyes widened, then she opened her arms. “Oh, Chloe. Chloe.”
Chloe rushed into the hug. “Oh. Mom. I’ve missed you so much.”
“Where…what…I don’t…” Her mother spoke through tears. “Never mind. None of that matters. You’re home. Charles, Charles. Come here.”
“What’s wrong, Rebecca? Are you OK? What’s the matter?” Her father’s voice moved towards them.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Her mother’s voice shook with emotion. “But there’s someone here. Someone who wants to see you.”
Her father walked down the steps.
Her mother stepped aside without letting go of her.
“I’m home, Daddy.”
“Oh, praise God.” He rushed to her and enclosed her in a bear hug. “Thank you, Jesus.”
“Got a fatted calf for your prodigal, Daddy?”
“You know I do, baby. You know I do.”
Her gaze moved to Colton.
He took a step away as if to leave.
“Don’t even think about it, Colton. You aren’t going anywhere.”
“I don’t want to intrude on your family.”
“Don’t be ridiculous.” She grabbed his hand. “Mom and Dad, I want you to meet my real life hero. Reverend Colton Douglas. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.”
“Reverend Douglas, huh?” Her father moved towards Colton with an outreached hand. “There must be a story there! I’m thrilled to see you, Chloe, but are you sure you’re safe? The FBI wouldn’t give us many details but did tell us they thought you were hiding out for your own safety.”
“Safe as can be, Daddy. It’s all over. Thanks to Colton.”
“You did this?” Her father stared at Colton.
“God did this.” Colton grinned. “And in His mercy, he allowed Chloe and me to help ourselves, too.”
“I owe you my thanks and a check. The reward money’s yours.”
“I don’t want the money. I was just keeping a promise.”
Her dad looked puzzled. “What promise was that?”
“To get me home for the holidays.” Chloe
piped up, grinning.
20
The last strains of “Silent Night” faded.
Colton stood at the door shaking hands with his congregation, wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as they left to celebrate the holiday with their families. After the last person left, he walked back inside the sanctuary.
The only remaining light shone behind the cross.
Colton loved the glow that illuminated the reason the world had mercy. He knelt down, so thankful that everything had turned out the way it was meant to. Chloe safe and back at home. Ramon Rivera and the bodyguards arrested. Agent Buckley was still on the run, but that wouldn’t last long.
The news had reported that Chloe had been found but before anyone could make a big deal of it, the stations had also reported the arrest of Ramon Rivera. The sensational nature of his crime had all the channels grappling for ratings and Chloe’s homecoming had faded without fanfare.
Her parents had been gracious. Her father offered him a job right on the spot. When he’d refused, they’d insisted on doubling the reward, which Colton also refused.
But they’d given a generous donation to the church. The Board had voted to accept it.
Colton had promised to see Chloe when they had to testify.
She’d managed to thaw out his frozen heart. She’d brought his emotions back to life. But there could be no future for them. Her home was in California and his was here.
The frigid wind slapped his face as he walked out of the church.
His own family, his siblings and parents, had decided to spend the holidays in Florida this year. Colton, after relating his adventures, had made the decision to shepherd his flock this Christmas, something his family understood. It was his way of decompressing and getting closer to God. They had generously offered to stay home, but Colton urged them to enjoy the sunshine.
He shivered and pulled his coat tighter. He was looking forward to watching a few of his favorite Christmas movies tonight and making some popcorn. Tomorrow he’d go visit those in his flock who didn’t have anyone to spend the holiday with either.
A loud banging noise came from the Nativity Scene.
Colton froze, perplexed.
A shadow stepped out from the darkness.
“Pink?”
“Yep, it’s me.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Well, you promised I’d be home for Christmas.” Her mittened hand moved to his arm. “I’m pretty sure, you’re my home and I’m yours…if you’ll let me be.”
No Home for the Holidays Page 7