Yuletide Protector (Love Inspired Suspense)

by Lisa Mondello

“Yes, it was. I’ve learned not to ask the Lord why, because some things are just too senseless to understand. But for us, life went on eventually. For Lucy, it didn’t. After that night when Jimmy wouldn’t leave her house, the police and her parents urged Lucy to get a restraining order, but she thought everyone was overreacting. Even though he’d hurt her before, she trusted Jimmy. Until he killed her.”

  Daria sat up straight. “That’s why you want me to leave so badly.”

  He nodded. “And your situation is a thousand times worse because George has given us a warning sign as big and bold as a highway billboard. We know without a doubt that he’s a threat. We just don’t know when or where he’ll strike.”

  Daria shook her head as if she was trying to dislodge the image from her brain. “No one other than Judy knew Lucy was being hurt by this guy?”

  “No. He’d sat politely at Lucy’s dinner table next to Lucy hundreds of times. Jimmy had been to my house just as many times and I never would have believed the guy was capable of hurting anyone. But Lucy had confided in Judy and I think that was one more reason Judy took Lucy’s death so hard. She always wished she would have told someone instead of keeping Lucy’s secret until it was too late.”

  Daria went to stand, but fell back to the seat as if she was unsteady on her feet. It was clear the story had rocked her. “The alarm system—”

  “It’s only a means of alerting us if George or someone else tries to break into the house again whether you’re home or not. I don’t want your ex near you, Daria. I won’t give him the chance to hurt you.”

  “I’m not Lucy,” she said directly.

  Kevin drew in a deep breath. “I know that. But George has made his intentions clear, and he’s a dangerous man. And while we haven’t been able to prove his association with anyone worse than a loan shark, I’m pretty sure he knows some dangerous people—dangerous enough to find a real hit man this time. We need to get him put away before that can happen.”

  “Gambling.”

  “What?”

  He was still processing the omission when she suddenly stood up.

  “When you asked me that first day if I knew anything about why George needed the money from the loan shark, I was telling you the truth. But I’ve always suspected George had a gambling problem. I never knew why George had a lot of money sometimes, and sometimes would be so heavily in debt. He never talked to me about it.”

  She turned to Kevin.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “You said you wanted to pull an Al Capone on George. I don’t know enough about his dealings to give you any real information. We filed separate tax returns. His idea. Looking back, I realize I would have known more if we’d filed together.”

  “You never saw his tax returns?”

  She shook her head and sighed.

  “Unlike me, George liked to live a large lifestyle. I always knew he liked nice things, but it got worse after he finished college and got a job.

  “When we got divorced and submitted our financial records, George didn’t have two nickels to rub together. At least on paper. So where did all that money he was always spending come from?”

  “Maybe he just spent it all. You said he liked to live beyond his means.”

  “Yeah, but according to his court statements, he didn’t earn enough for the kind of money he was throwing around. The numbers didn’t add up. So where was he getting it?”

  Kevin thought about it a moment. “If he has gambling winnings he didn’t report to the IRS, that’s an angle, but not one that will necessarily land him in jail. I could have Jake check into it. See if he frequents any of the casinos in the neighboring states. But if he’s into private games, I’m not sure he’ll come up on any surveillance tapes. Most people who high roll want anonymity.”

  The tension had returned and although Kevin had enjoyed relaxing with Daria, he didn’t want to forget that George was still out there, possibly plotting another hit with someone else.

  Lord, Daria looks so small and fragile right now. If it is Your will, help me find the path that will lead to bringing her safety and peace of mind again.

  “I love the way you do that,” she said, breaking into his thoughts.

  “What?”

  “You were praying, weren’t you?”

  It amazed him that Daria could read him so well. “Yes.”

  “You were like that in church today.”

  “What about you? You said you’ve never really been inside church before, but you seemed right at home there. I kept wondering what you were thinking.”

  “I don’t know how to describe it.” A blush colored her cheeks.

  “You don’t have to be embarrassed.”

  “I’m not, it’s just hard to explain. I listened to the pastor and listened to the prayers. I didn’t know any, but I listened and I had this overwhelming feeling that I…wasn’t alone. Not so much because of all the people in the room. It was different. I can’t really describe it. I know it probably sounds crazy.”

  “No, it sounds nice.”

  She smiled. “I’d like to go back there. I wasn’t looking forward to Christmas because I thought I’d be alone. But now I’m really looking forward to going back to the church.”

  “You don’t have to be in church to feel God’s presence.”

  She nodded. “I think I’m beginning to see that.”

  His heart swelled. Today Daria had taken a huge step in her faith journey. And with it, he felt some hope that she was on her way to accepting the Lord into her life.

  And then her face changed. The quiet calm that seemed to have come over her for that brief moment when they were talking about how she felt in church was replaced by fear again.

  Kevin had the overwhelming urge to hold Daria in his arms. He wanted to keep her safe so nothing could touch her, nothing could hurt her. Today had brought him incredible hope that he and Daria could move forward with their feelings now that she was starting to accept Christ in her life. But with that hope also came alarming fear that she could be snatched away from him like Lucy.

  The alarm system Ski and his dad were installing today was only a safety net. It wasn’t a guarantee.

  Unable to watch her fear any longer, Kevin stood and drew Daria into his arms. She seemed to fit so perfectly there. As she lifted her face to him, he gently placed his lips against hers. Responding, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and returned the kiss. It felt so right. When they parted, he looked down into Daria’s eyes and thought of nothing but contentment, happiness. How could any man ever think of harming an amazing woman like Daria?

  Daria must have felt him tense and she sighed in response. Resting her head on his shoulder, she said, “He’s never going to stop, is he?”

  “I don’t know.”

  He looked into Daria’s amazing eyes, seeing the deeper meaning in the way she looked at him. He’d do just about anything to stand there and look at her beautiful face all night. Her smile had penetrated his every thought, every second of the day since the moment they’d met.

  An ominous mood settled over Kevin, breaking the peacefulness of the day. His instincts told him definitively that George would strike again. He only prayed that he’d make it to Daria in time to stop George or his hired gun from succeeding.

  THIRTEEN

  Ski and his dad were gone by the time they’d made their way back to Daria’s house. It was just as well, Daria thought as Kevin pulled his SUV into the driveway behind her truck. She wasn’t used to people parading through her house. And after the day she’d shared with Kevin, she didn’t want to make small talk.

  It was snowing again. As they walked from the truck to the front door, snowflakes stuck to her coat and her hair. The front-porch light was on, but the inside lights were dark.

  “I asked Ski to replace the front-door lock if he had time. Seems like he did, because the lock looks brand-new.” Kevin handed Daria a key and a slip of paper. “This is your alarm key code. Punch it in as soon as
you walk through the door and it will deactivate the alarm. Remember, you only have twenty seconds to disarm it. Put on all the motion sensors for the doors and windows as soon as you’re set inside. Shut off the sensors for the rooms while you’re awake. You can put them back on when you go to sleep. Just don’t sleepwalk or you’ll wake up the whole neighborhood.”

  She chuckled, but felt a sense of anxiousness. It wasn’t about the house or her safety. It was about Kevin. She’d had a hard time thinking of anything but Kevin all day.

  “I guess now that I have this new handy dandy alarm system, there really isn’t a need for you to continue watching over me as much. Is there?”

  Kevin cleared his throat. “You don’t get rid of me that easy, Daria. But you’re right, there is no need for me to be sitting at the curb tonight. I will be here first thing tomorrow morning though.”

  “No one but you and Ski have this code?”

  “Just us. But if the alarm goes off, you’ll have your own army of cops on your doorstep within minutes.”

  “What about you?” she said softly. “Will you come running too? I kind of liked having you close by.”

  “I’ll be the first one here.”

  Daria unlocked the front door, surprised she didn’t have to struggle with the lock. Once inside the foyer, she quickly punched in the alarm code, checking the slip of paper to make sure she’d entered it correctly. Kevin walked into the house behind her and turned the lights on, illuminating the hallway.

  “Go ahead and set the doors and windows to get a feel for the system until you’re comfortable with it. I’m going to take a quick look around.”

  She practiced setting and disarming the alarm several times, taking note of which lights on the panel turned on and shut off when she pushed the buttons. When Kevin came back to the foyer, she turned on the alarm for the doors and windows.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I called for a pizza. That way neither one of us has to cook,” Kevin said.

  “I appreciate that. I’m starved.”

  “You look tired, too,” he said, pulling her into a warm embrace. Daria relished the feeling. The day had been perfect and the thought that it would end too quickly was disappointing. She was glad he’d taken the initiative to call for takeout. Although it had been a major annoyance at first, she liked having Kevin here. She’d been alone in her house for so long, but even after these few short weeks, the house felt empty without him.

  Kevin followed her into the living room. “I found another box of ornaments upstairs and I want to finish decorating this tree,” she said.

  With a flip of a switch the Christmas-tree lights went on. Red, green, gold and white lights started to flicker.

  She turned to find Kevin watching her. In his eyes, she saw the same deep emotion she’d seen down at the marina when he’d kissed her.

  Daria handed him a box of ornaments and pulled a few hooks from a small package to attach to them.

  “Are you really serious about wanting to just take off and sail around the world?” she asked.

  “Yeah. When you’re out on the ocean and it’s just you, the water and the sky, it’s amazing. It feels like the world and its problems can’t touch you.”

  “Or find you,” she said. “George wouldn’t find me.”

  “That would be a bonus. I’d love to have you all to myself.” He reached up and kissed her lips, warm and soft. “Come on. You don’t think sailing around the world together would be fun?”

  She looked at him with serious blue eyes. “I’m not a gypsy anymore, Kevin. I left that kind of living behind when I grew up. I love the idea of going sailing with you someday. I love being with you. But I want to come home, too. To this home.”

  She’d been thinking a lot about that conversation at the marina and their time at church this morning. “I’m surprised you’d want to leave all this behind. I mean, it’s clear you know just about everyone in your church and they all know you. I’ve never experienced anything like that. You were right. When I was there with you this morning I felt so much a part of everything, like they all just accepted me in with no question.”

  Kevin placed an ornament high on the tree and waited for her to hand him another. She slipped a hook on an ornament from the box and handed it to him.

  “Everyone who wants to accept the Lord into their life is welcome there. I guess it’s just a given to them that you felt that way.”

  When a short silence hung in the air a little too long not to notice, she said, “You always stop short of asking me. Why is that?”

  “Asking what?”

  “If I believe in God. You tell me how you feel about your faith. You asked me about how I felt in church today. But you stop short of asking me if my feelings have changed. If I believe. You said that was important to you.”

  Kevin thought a moment. “It’s very important to me. But faith is a personal thing between you and the Lord. It’s not something anyone else can make happen for you. My faith has seen me and my family through some rough times over the years. Without being able to pray and know that God was listening, feeling His grace, I don’t know where I’d be.”

  She thought about it for a moment herself. She had felt something special earlier today when she’d been at the church with Kevin. She didn’t know what it was and couldn’t define it. But it was there and it felt good.

  A soft sigh escaped Daria’s lips. “You’re lucky.”

  “Why?”

  “You were raised with all of that. I don’t even know how to pray.”

  He seemed to sense her embarrassment, but didn’t show any sign of judgment toward her. “There are a lot of formal prayers. But it doesn’t have to be that way. Prayer is just a conversation between you and the Lord. That’s all. There’s no right or wrong. You just have to have an open heart.”

  Her heart had opened up today. Was that what it was like to accept the Lord into your life? She didn’t know. But she wanted to know more.

  “Your faith grounds you. You’ve dug in roots here and yet you have no problem just picking up and leaving. My parents were like that. I’d come home one day from school feeling happy and there’d be boxes all packed in the kitchen ready to be loaded into the car. I always hated leaving and moving somewhere else. I’d love to have what you have here in Providence. But I guess so much of what you have here is dug so deeply inside you that it doesn’t matter where you are. You’ll always feel home.”

  “I suppose you’re right.”

  “Like I said, you’re lucky. I never had that.”

  “You could. But it has to be up to you.”

  The air flowing between them seemed to crackle. Kevin’s arm snaked out and curled around her neck, drawing her closer to him until she was pressed against his chest. With a ragged intake of breath, his mouth came down over hers. In his arms she trembled with the new feelings he evoked. She felt safe in Kevin’s arms. And for the first time, her heart swelled and she knew without a doubt, she was falling in love.

  The doorbell rang and Kevin groaned. “I’m starving, but that was bad timing. I don’t suppose we could get the delivery guy to drive around the block so I can kiss you a little more.”

  A giggle bubbled up Daria’s throat as Kevin kissed her again.

  “I’ll get the door,” he said.

  “Wait, take the code. I put the alarm on.”

  “Good thinking. I didn’t order enough pizza for the entire police force if the alarm goes off.”

  With the Christmas lights twinkling around her, she watched as Kevin went to the door. Her heart felt so light and so full. She was falling in love with Kevin and he was opening her heart to a new way of life. How could she possibly fear George when she had Kevin in her life?

  The daisies she’d picked up at the corner florist were an extravagance Daria hadn’t allowed herself in a long time. The prime rib she’d paid way too much for was definitely way over the top, but she didn’t care. She’d been thinking all day about how a candlelight dinner with Ke
vin would be a nice start to the week.

  He’d left her last night with a lot of questions still on his mind. It had become crystal clear to her as she lay in bed thinking of what her life would be like if Kevin was a permanent part of it.

  Kevin was a man of incredible integrity and unwavering faith in God. It seemed only likely that he would be with a woman who shared that faith. Daria wanted to be that woman. And tonight at dinner she would tell him that for sure.

  A deeper, startling revelation she came to was that she wanted to know the Lord even if Kevin wasn’t in her life. She’d found something she hadn’t realized was missing. Kevin had brought her to the Lord and now she didn’t want to turn back.

  Daria had managed to run all her errands during lunch so she would have extra time to prepare dinner before Kevin arrived. Marla had been too preoccupied talking about a new guy she’d met at the gym for her to notice the goofy grin Daria knew she’d been wearing all day. Daria had to admit she was relieved. She no longer had to worry about Marla hooking up with George and possibly getting hurt.

  Ski would be at the house waiting for her today to install the camera system. That meant that Kevin was coming over to her house to be with her, not to protect her. Things had changed between them. She had changed, too. After spending the day with Kevin, going to church with him, meeting the people he’d known his whole life, she’d felt something click.

  She wasn’t foolish enough to think she could have the kind of relationship with the Lord that Kevin had, or any of the other people she’d met yesterday. He’d had years to come to the place that he was in his faith. But as he said, it takes a first step to let God in, and she’d taken that first step yesterday.

  She found herself looking forward to Christmas and to helping out at the community center. Being with Kevin. If she had to deal with an alarm system in her house to be able to finally stay in the home she’d dreamed of for years, to have the sense of roots and community that Kevin had, then she’d put up with it. And hopefully, with Kevin’s help and the Lord’s guidance, they’d find a way to stop this threat George had over her.