by Lisa Harris
“I needed it.” She wouldn’t mention that the color in her cheeks was more because he was sitting beside her, filling in the pieces of her life that had been missing for so long.
“What did you do today?”
Avery dog-eared the page in her book to mark her place, then dropped it into her lap. “My mother took Tess and me to get pedicures, then I actually took a nap.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d taken a nap. It had felt good, reminding her how simple things could make such a big difference. “What about you?”
“Unfortunately, my boss made me come in to work today, which meant I spent my day in autopsy.”
“You poor thing.” There was a hint of teasing in her response, but she couldn’t dismiss the grim reality in the reminder of what they both did for a living.
He nudged her with his shoulder. “I’ll remember your lack of sympathy when you’re hard at work on my next day off.”
“I don’t know.” She looked up at him and caught his gaze. “I was hoping we might be able to arrange a couple of days off together.”
“I’d like that. A lot. And speaking of days off,” he continued, “I spoke to my grandfather before coming over here, and I have a message for you from him.”
“What did he say?”
“I told him you had a couple days off, and he’s invited you over for dinner tomorrow night.”
“Dinner? I’d be honored. I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
“He’s going to love you. Both of you. Tess is invited as well.”
“So which one of you will be doing the cooking? As I recall, you told me you could whip up a fairly decent meal, but for some reason I’ve yet to see that side of you.”
“That is one of my many hidden talents, but you’ll have to wait a bit longer to experience it. In the meantime, I suggested a tray of Papps’s favorite peanut butter and bologna sandwiches, but he insisted on making his famous gumbo.”
“Peanut butter and bologna?”
“It’s a long story.”
Avery laughed. “I definitely vote for the gumbo.”
“I thought you might.” Jackson’s gaze shifted toward the house. “Where’s Tess?”
“Inside getting ready. You’d think we were going to prom, not bowling for the afternoon.”
“You never know what cute boys might show up.”
“Ah . . . now you are starting to think like a twelve-year-old, almost-teenage girl. Though looking back at my own childhood, I’m afraid that this is just the beginning. Before you know it, the boys are going to start showing up at my front door. I’m not sure I’m ready for that.”
He put an arm around her shoulder and took her hand, slowly rubbing his thumb across the back of her fingers. “You’ll be ready when the time comes and get through it just fine.”
“I hope so.”
She leaned her head against his shoulder and closed her eyes, content to enjoy the warmth of his arm around her and the rare, quiet moment of just the two of them together. And allowing herself to imagine what it might be like for the three of them to be a family.
The buzz of a lawn mower started up across the street. She opened her eyes and let her gaze focus on a clump of bright pink flowers sitting in a pot on her mother’s porch.
“What’s the latest from the DA regarding your case?” Jackson asked.
“I got a phone call from his assistant earlier today. Mr. Sourn’s arraignment is set for tomorrow morning.”
“Once again, justice prevails.”
“I’m just thankful it’s over. There are still a few lingering unanswered questions, like who killed our first Jane Doe, but Malaya and the others are safe, and thanks to Rice and Mrs. Sourn in particular, those responsible for trafficking them are now in custody.”
“What happens to Malaya now?”
“She’ll stay at the safe house along with the other girls until the DA is finished getting their testimonies. Then immigration will schedule flights for them to return home.” She looked up at him. “We make a good team, Jackson.”
“Yeah, we do.”
“If you hadn’t figured out the reason behind Tala’s enlarged spleen, we might still have the wrong person behind bars. And all of those girls might have never been found.”
“I don’t even want to think about that. What about Bear, our homeless man? What’s going to happen to him?”
“My father’s recommended him to a rehabilitation program he’s worked with over the years. If things go the way I think they will, he’ll get counseling and hopefully a job. It’s a small step, but at least a step in the right direction.”
“I’m glad.”
“Me too. The man’s been through a lot.”
“There is one more loose end that still needs to be worked out.”
Avery swallowed hard under the intensity of his gaze. “What is that?”
“Us.” He pulled her hand against his chest. “With the case closed, we might actually find some time to spend together . . . so we can figure out where our relationship is going.”
Her smile widened. “Oh, I plan on making some time.”
“Good, because I don’t think it’s a secret that I’m falling in love with you, Avery North.”
Avery’s breath caught. “Love’s a big step.”
“I know. I also know that life and love are never simple. We’ve both loved and lost, and while the experiences left scars, I think we’re stronger because of them. But just because we’ve lost in the past doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy what’s ahead . . . together.”
“Then where do we start?”
“How about with this . . .” He cupped his hand around the back of her neck and pulled her toward him.
All the frustration and fears she’d held on to over the past week evaporated in the sultry Georgia air, leaving her to enjoy the taste of his kiss, the warmth of his touch, and the realization that this moment was only the beginning for them.
“Mom?”
Avery pulled away, his kiss still lingering on her lips. She pressed her fingers against her mouth and looked up at her daughter. “Sorry.”
Tess stood in front of them looking more amused than upset. They were going to have to find a way to fumble through this together.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t see that.” Tess dropped her purple canvas backpack onto the porch beside her. “Not that I’m not happy about the two of you being together, don’t get me wrong, but all this kissy stuff—”
“Tess.”
“All I’m saying is that while I might not mind the fact that my mother is dating, I do have a young and impressionable mind.”
Jackson laughed. “We get it.”
Tess reached for Avery’s glass and downed the last of the tea. “Are you ready to go? Aunt Emily called to say she’d meet us there.”
“I’m ready.” Avery stood up, her mind still on Jackson’s kiss that had left her longing for a few more uninterrupted moments alone. Her phone rang in her pocket. “Just a second.”
Avery stopped at the top of the stairs and took the call.
“Avery, this is Tracy from the lab. You asked me to pass on to you any evidence we came up with regarding the break-in at your house last week.”
“Mom?” Tess shot her the familiar please-don’t-tell-me-you’ve-got-to-work look.
“Just a second.” Avery held up her hand then turned back to the phone. “Yes, what did you find out, Tracy?”
“We were able to get a DNA match on a spot of blood on the glass from your broken window.”
“Who was it?”
“We were able to match it to a man by the name of Ben Jacobs.”
“Ben Jacobs . . . Are you sure?” Avery’s mind spun. There had to be some kind of mix-up. Jacobs was the missing witness she was looking for in connection with Michael’s case.
“Yeah, his DNA is in the national database, so finding a match was pretty easy.”
“Listen, I appreciate your calling, Tracy.”
“A
nytime.”
Avery hung up the phone and let the information sink in. So the break-in and attack had nothing to do with the Sourn case. But if that were true, what had Jacobs been after?
“Avery.” Jackson ran his fingers down her arm. “You okay?”
“Yeah.” Avery shoved her phone into the back pocket of her jeans and shook off the mounting questions swarming through her mind. “It was just the lab calling with some DNA results I’d asked for.”
Bringing with it the possibility that at some point, someone had intentionally tried to remove Jacobs’s name from Michael’s case files, but why?
Tess frowned. “Please don’t tell me you have to go in to work, Mom.”
“No, sweetie. This is something I can deal with later.” She picked up Tess’s backpack off the porch and handed it to her, ignoring the tug pulling her back to her brother’s case. “Right now, I’m ready to take you on.”
“You’d better watch out, because this time I’m planning to win.”
Avery laughed, then laced her fingers with Jackson’s before heading to his car behind Tess. Maybe it was simple. Girl meets boy, girl falls in love, they get married and live happily ever after.
Maybe sometimes it really did happen.
Acknowledgments
I’d like to give a huge thank-you to Ane Mulligan and Kristi Ann Hunter for their insight into life in Atlanta, and to retired police officer Linda Crum for reading through my manuscript early on to ensure that the police aspects worked. And Ellen Tarver, your insights into bringing it all together are always spot-on. Any mistakes are my own!
To Andrea Doering and the team at Revell for giving me the opportunity to write this story that has been on my heart for a long time. I’m very grateful!
And to my sweet, sweet family who constantly supports me as a wife, mom, and writer. You guys are the best.
Reader Questions for Dangerous Passage
Through the story, Avery struggles with balancing life so she wouldn’t neglect her daughter and family. How did she try to handle this struggle?
On a more personal note, how do you handle your struggle to balance things in your own life?
What practical things have you discovered in your own life to help find a better balance?
The issue of human trafficking is a major theme of this story. What do you know about this tragedy?
Are you surprised to discover that it is an issue in the United States as well as in other parts of the world, and if so, why?
Malaya was willing to do almost anything for the hope of a better life. Do you take your freedom for granted? Why?
What would you do if those freedoms were taken away?
What would be the hardest thing for you to give up?
Author’s Note
Dear Reader,
If I were to be perfectly honest with you, I’d have to confess that Avery and I share some of the same fears. It’s that reality of feeling overextended, neglecting one relationship to feed another, and being pulled in too many directions.
I think most of us can relate. Because between kids, spouses, work, and ministry, it’s easy to feel like all we do is run. I could give you lots of advice on what you should do. Say no more often, get organized, or start exercising so you have more energy. The Bible, though, has some advice you might find surprising.
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
We can run from one appointment to the next, accomplishing all the urgent tasks on our extensive to-do list, but if we don’t stop to find out who God is, to really start to know him and build that relationship, what have we gained? How can we know God when we don’t spend time with him?
We will never be like God—or perfect—but we were created in his image. Paul says in Philippians 3 that we haven’t obtained being everything God created us to be. But then he encourages us to forget what happened yesterday, or last month, or last year and instead look ahead toward spending eternity in heaven.
Man, in turn, has taken something good and broken it to use for his own gain. That’s one of the reasons why the plight of human trafficking rips at my heart. No woman deserves to be forced to sell her body. No child deserves to be forced to work with little or no pay, along with inadequate food, water, and sanitation.
Here are some of the facts:
FACT: Human trafficking takes place around the world, including the United States.
FACT: Human trafficking includes prostitution, involuntary servitude, debt bondage, and serving in armed conflicts.
FACT: About 27 million people are enslaved around the world. Human trafficking is the second largest illegal and profitable enterprise in the world!
FACT: About half of these victims are under eighteen.
FACT: There are more slaves today than ever before in history.
FACT: The FBI estimates that there are currently over 100,000 children and young women being trafficked in the US.
What can we do? One, we can pray for those involved in this horrible crime. Two, we can inform ourselves about what is happening both around the world and where we live. Three, we can go where God sends us to reach out to those around us. It might mean getting involved with a group that is specifically fighting human trafficking. Or it might be reaching out to a hurting neighbor down the street, a lonely teen in your church’s youth group, or a forgotten elderly person in your apartment building.
May we each find the courage to step out of our comfortable world and make a difference in the lives of those around us. To see the hurting, the lonely, and the helpless, and learn to stop and make a difference in their lives. The amazing thing is that, in turn, our own lives will be made richer because of it.
Be blessed!
Lisa Harris
Lisa Harris is a Christy Award finalist and the winner of the Best Inspirational Suspense Novel for 2011 from Romantic Times. She has over twenty novels and novella collections in print. She and her family have spent the past ten years living as missionaries in Africa where she has homeschooled, led women’s groups, and runs a non-profit organization that works alongside their church-planting ministry. The ECHO Project works in southern Africa promoting Education, Compassion, Health, and Opportunity and is a way for her to “speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves . . . the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice” (Prov. 31:8).
When she’s not working, she loves hanging out with her family, cooking different ethnic dishes, photography, and heading into the African bush on safari. For more information about her books and life in Africa visit her website at www.lisaharriswrites.com or her blog at http://myblogintheheartofafrica.blogspot.com. For more information about The ECHO Project, please visit www.theECHOproject.org.
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