Love's Return: A Christian Romance (Protected By Love Book 1)

by T. K. Chapin

  You look pretty today.

  My heart raced as I turned to my left, then to my right. Everybody was typing on their keyboards and entrenched in their work. Leaning over to the cubicle next to me, I asked my co-worker, “Did you see who left this?”

  She looked at the note, then at me. “No, I’m sorry.” She smiled. “You have a secret admirer? That’s fun!”

  My insides trembled as I turned back to my desk and grabbed for my phone.

  Chapter 29-Jessica

  JAX MADE IT DOWN TO Faith Builders’ offices in less than twenty minutes. He was as disturbed as I was by what had happened. The elevator dinged, and he exited, starting to survey the office as a whole. I waved him down.

  “How long ago did it happen?”

  “Roughly a half hour ago. I had gone into my boss’s office to talk to him, and when I came out a few minutes later, it was here.”

  He nodded, his eyes quickly darting from corner to corner of the office. His eyes began to trace the ceiling. Pointing out a camera, he asked, “This thing record?”

  “Yes, it does,” Micah said, approaching from behind me. He stuck out a hand and shook Jax’s hand. “You must be Jax. I’ve heard a lot about you. Thanks for keepin’ an eye on our little reporter.”

  Pointing again at the camera, he looked at Micah. “Can we get the recording?”

  “Sure. Head downstairs and to the security desk. Luis will show you. I’ll go call him right now and let him be aware that you’re on the way.” Micah left back to his office and I turned to Jax. There had to be something on my face to give me away about the awkwardness between Micah and myself.

  “Is there a problem?”

  “With what?”

  He pointed toward Micah as he entered his office.

  Shaking my head, I said, “No.”

  He raised a hand. “Sorry, I had to ask. You looked uncomfortable with him nearby. I guess I read you wrong.”

  He’s good, I thought to myself as we walked together over to the elevator and stepped in.

  I hadn’t seen Jax since my run-in with Kirk out at Diamond Lake over the weekend and was curious about their relationship. Was it strictly professional or were they friends too? “So, you work with Kirk?”

  Raising an eyebrow, Jax nodded and turned to me inside the elevator. “Yeah, I know Dekker. You know him?”

  Raising a shoulder, I struggled to answer. “Kind of. Years ago, like in high school and stuff. It’s been over five years now.”

  His eyebrows raised, then he nodded. “Cool. Dekker’s a good man.”

  “What do you know about him?” I asked, eager for details from the past five years.

  He laughed lightly. “Plenty.”

  The elevator dinged, arriving at the bottom floor of the office building, interrupting our conversation. We made our way over to the guard station and Luis led us back to the camera room. There were dozens of different monitors showing the cameras pointing in various directions all over the building. Jax’s eyes scanned the camera feeds until he found the one he wanted. Pointing it out, I could see it was the one pointed toward the elevator on the fourth level. Luis backed up the recording and played it.

  A skinny kid in a hoodie walked off the elevator with a sticky note in hand.

  “That’s him!” I said, pointing to the screen. “He has a sticky note!”

  Luis printed off an enhanced still-frame of the kid and gave it to us. Walking into the lobby of the building, we asked about the kid to the security guards standing post.

  One guard said, “That kid skateboards outside all the time. We constantly have to get after him. Just saw him a minute ago.”

  Jax ran toward the rotating doors and I followed behind him.

  Out on the street, we spotted the kid sitting against the building and next to him, his skateboard.

  My heart raced. This kid was the one who had been torturing me? It didn’t seem like a child was the well-dressed masked man who attacked me on the sidewalk that night.

  We walked over to him.

  “Get up,” Jax demanded in a deep tone.

  Chapter 30-Jessica

  THE KID WAS SKITTISH AS he stood up. His eyes said he was going to run, then he tried. Jax grabbed his arm, clenching tightly.

  “What do you want, man?” the kid asked, squirming under the power-grip of Jax.

  “You put a sticky note on this nice woman’s computer. Do you find it funny to mess with women?”

  He held up his hands with a look of terror on his face. “A guy paid me twenty dollars to do it. I promise.” He looked over at me and continued. “Look, lady, I’m sorry. He said you were his girlfriend and he wanted to surprise you with a little message.” The kid’s eyes went back to Jax. “Please let go of my arm. I can’t feel my fingers!”

  My stomach flipped. Turning my head, I looked down the sidewalk as Jax pressed for information about what the man looked like.

  “I don’t know, man. He was a little older than you maybe. He was wearing a hat—I think it was a Yankees hat. White and dirty.”

  “Okay. Anything else?”

  “No.”

  My eyes filled with tears. “It was him, Jax.”

  He turned to me. “How are you sure?”

  “There is zero chance I have a secret admirer and a stalker at the same time. My life just isn’t that interesting.”

  Jax let the kid run off and came closer to me. “I think you’re right.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “You might want more protection than just outings, Miss. Sounds like this creep knows a lot about you.”

  Swallowing, I nodded. “I fear you might be right. Is there any possibility of your staying with me for all of today? I’ll pay the extra … I just don’t feel safe right now.”

  He nodded. “For sure. Let me call Winston and update him.” He pulled out his cellphone as we went back inside.

  On the elevator ride back up to my floor, my thoughts spun, swirling around in my head as anxiety rose up inside me.

  Staring into the shiny metal of the elevator, I saw my face as I thought of the stalker. He terrified me. He had no face, no name, no identity. Even though the police had been searching for him, they weren’t finding him.

  My stomach felt queasy and I dipped my chin. Praying as we rode the elevator to my floor, I asked God to protect me. It’d only be by the will of God that I wouldn’t end up in the hands of this man who was after me.

  Ding.

  Stepping out of the elevator, I took a deep breath and determined right then and there to trust God fully. It wasn’t ideal to have someone on the streets stalking me, but I was thankful to have the Creator of the universe on my side. I knew through Him, all things were possible, and staying safe was included.

  As I sat down at my desk, my co-worker leaned over the cubicle.

  “You okay?” she asked, concern littering her face.

  “Yes.” As the word fell from my lips, I smiled. It was a real smile because I knew in my heart that my Savior would protect me, that He was ultimately with me no matter what happened. I didn’t need to fear those who could harm the body. They’d never be able to touch my soul, which was His.

  Chapter 31-Jessica

  UNFOLDING MY NAPKIN, MY HANDS felt slightly shaky from the awkwardness of it all. Micah was sitting across from me, smiling, yet he looked pained. This didn’t seem like him, didn’t seem like the strong and faithful man of God who had hired me. This was something different.

  “She cheated,” he said bluntly after the waiter left with our orders.

  “Oh …” It was a lame response, but I had no idea what to say. If I said it was bad of her and then they got back together, he’d think I hated her. If I said it’s okay, work it out, he could become irritated.

  He let out a heavy sigh as he leaned his elbows on the table between us and dropped his napkin. His eyes came up to meet mine. “It was a guy from our church. Do you know how disturbing that is? Seriously, I just want to freak out.”

  “I’m sor
ry, Micah.”

  “Why can’t more women be like you? Why do I get stuck with a cheating wife?” He laughed, but it was sarcastic in nature. Glancing around the restaurant, he continued. “There’s a sea of women out there who want to be with me … and she has the nerve to do this to me?”

  After a few minutes of awkward silence, I blurted, “I finished the McArthur story you needed done. Sent it to Bev, so it should be edited and ready for the presses soon.” I knew he most likely saw the article being sent over for edits, but it was the best I could do to shift conversation to work.

  Raising his eyebrows, he said, “Good, good.” Shaking a finger, he leaned toward me. “You know what? I’m glad she cheated. I can rid myself of her now. That counselor wanted to talk about my feelings and communication and all this junk when she’s the one who cheated!”

  “Excuse me, I have to use the restroom.” I wasn’t one to lie, but I needed to get out of the situation. Crossing by Jax near our table, I headed to the ladies’ room.

  I called Isabella when I got into the bathroom. When she answered, I said, “This isn’t good at all.”

  “What?”

  “My boss asked for a ‘working dinner’, but I’m pretty sure it’s a date … and a lame one at that. He’s just talking about his wife he just barely separated from.”

  “Ugh. Super bummer, girl. You can call him out on it?”

  Cringing, I thought of it backfiring on me. “I think I’ll just let him jabber on and pray for God to work it out with him.” I laughed. “I dunno.”

  Isabella let out a laugh. “Speaking of dates … I’m kind of in the middle of one with freezer dinner guy.”

  “Oh, my goodness! I’m so sorry! Go ahead and go back to having fun. Pray for me!”

  She let out a laugh. “All right. Have a good night.”

  Glaring at the bathroom door which led back into the restaurant, I lifted a prayer up and headed back to our ‘working dinner’.

  Chapter 32-Kirk

  STANDING GUARD FOR THE SECOND night in a row at the construction site, I sat in my car playing a game of Solitaire on my tablet when my phone rang.

  It was Jax.

  “Hey, man. A gal name Jessica McColler ring a bell to you?”

  “Yeah. We reunited recently. Why?”

  “I don’t know the nature of your relationship, but just figured you might want to know she might be out to dinner with a guy right now.”

  My heart twisted at hearing him say it. I wasn’t sure what Jessica and I were at this point, but hearing she was out with a guy was concerning since I was trying to sort out exactly what I felt for her. Sitting upright in my SUV, I shut off my tablet and shook my head. “Really? Who?”

  “Yeah. It’s her boss.”

  “Oh. It’s probably just a work thing.” I breathed a sigh of relief. “Wait … Jess is White Eagle?” White Eagle was one of the many code names we had for clients. Winston gave code names for each client. White Eagle was the newest client of WIN and the client had been dealing with a stalker. From what I read in the file, it was a dangerous situation.

  “Yeah. The stalker showed up at her work today. She asked if I’d tag along for the rest of the day. She was pretty shaken up about it.”

  “You check the cameras?”

  “Of course. He had someone leave the note on her desk so he dodged all cameras.”

  “He’s good.” Hearing her stalker had come to her place of employment was concerning. Most of the time, the less serious ones would back off once someone hires a bodyguard. This one just found ways around it.

  Jax sighed. “I know, man. Look, I’ve got her back though. Don’t worry.”

  “I can’t stop worrying about it if he actually gets to her again, what he’ll do this time.”

  The sound of wood falling off the top of the pile behind the church caught my attention. Adrenaline surged through me, interrupting my train of thought.

  “I’ve got to go.”

  Hanging up, I got out of my SUV and pulled my gun from its holster. Aiming into the darkness, I crept slowly toward the side of the church, passing briefly through the light. My heart raced and sweat began to form on my forehead as pressure mounted. These thieves were the violent type. I had learned that the other night when they attacked me.

  Suddenly, a man popped out from the shadows with his hands in the air.

  Chapter 33-Kirk

  “DON’T SHOOT!” THE MAN EXCLAIMED. “My name is Charlie, I’m the pastor.”

  Relaxing, I let my gun down to my side and re-holstered it. Shaking my head, I said, “You’re lucky I didn’t shoot you.”

  Raising an eyebrow, he said, “That would’ve been awkward.” He extended a hand and a smile as we came into the light. “You must be our beefy guardsman.”

  I laughed and shook his hand. “Name’s Kirk. Kirk Dekker.”

  “It’s nice to finally meet you, Kirk. I think you met my wife on Sunday. Serenah?”

  “Yes. She gave me some amazing coffee at the inn.”

  “That’s her. We have it imported especially for the inn. I’m sorry I wasn’t there. I was tied up in Spokane at the hospital with one of our church members.” He smiled and glanced around. “The nights are long out here. I tried doing it for a bit but couldn’t keep up with my family and the church and the inn.”

  I nodded. “I agree, the nights are long. But it’s worth it to keep things safe and secure. Plus, I don’t have anything going on in my life except work, so it works out for me.” Glancing at the church, I asked, “Looks like you’re almost done building.”

  “We’re close. It’ll be done early-to mid-November. We have electricians and plumbers on standby from the church agreeing to hurry everything up, then it meets code, and we’re done.”

  I nodded. “Awesome. Looks like God’s hand is in this.”

  Charlie looked at the church and nodded. “He sure is. It’s been a hard journey, but God’s been good. You a born-again believer in Jesus, Kirk?” His eyes came back to mine.

  “I haven’t gone to church in a while.”

  Charlie smiled. “I didn’t ask if you go to church. I asked if you were a believer.”

  “Yes, I’m a believer.” My mind flashed to the other night in my office. The crying, the Bible reading, the prayer. It was a turning point back to my faith.

  “Good. Then you’ll understand when I tell you that it’s through the Lord establishing our steps and directing our plans that we’ve made it this far.” His eyes back on the church, he continued, “On paper, none of this seemed possible, especially with the breakins, but God keeps providing.”

  “I know what you mean. Scriptures say a man will plan his steps, but God will establish them. Hey, can we back up a second to something you said earlier? Do you think it’s okay to miss church?”

  He laughed, grabbing his stomach as he did. Relaxing, he shook his head and a hand through the air. “Not at all. We shouldn’t ‘forsake the assembly’, but I’m far more concerned about people’s lives Monday through Saturday than I am of their Sunday morning check boxes.”

  “Nicely put.”

  “I’d better get going home. It’s late. It was nice meeting you.” Charlie headed down to the shore and started up the sandy beach toward his house. I watched as he walked and thought about how much faith he had in God despite all the misfortune that had happened with the breakins. I had faded away from God for years before my revelation the other night.

  Chapter 34-Jessica

  RUNNING MYSELF A SHOWER THE morning after my supposed ‘working dinner’ with Micah, I let the water heat up while I brushed my teeth. Looking in the mirror, I thought of my evening with Micah. I tried several times to direct the conversation to work, but he kept veering toward personal matters, not just his wife and their marriage issues, but he pushed to ask about my personal life and relationships. I knew I needed to talk to him about it, explain how it wasn’t right, but I just wasn’t sure how to go about it. I didn’t want to upset him, but I also
didn’t want rumors flying around the office. My work ethic was strong and I was advancing quickly into the spot of second in charge at the magazine. I didn’t want others in the office to think it was because there was something going on between us.

  Hearing a knock on the front door, I suddenly froze.

  Setting my toothbrush down, I gulped and reached for my cellphone. I pulled up my wireless camera surveillance application to see who it was.

  All the cameras were black, signal lost.

  Fearing for my life, I quickly turned off the shower and called the police, then shut the bathroom door, locking it.

  Trembling as I sat down in my towel in the bathroom, I gave the 911 operator my address.

  “Ma’am, are you sure you’re in danger and it’s not just someone you—”

  “Yes!” I said, trembling. “It’s my stalker. He was at my work just yesterday!”

  Tears streamed from my eyes as I heard the knocking grow louder.

  “We’ll send someone over. Stay put and don’t answer the door.”

  Hanging up, I prayed as I rocked back and forth and held on tightly to my knees, praying for God to rescue me. I was about to call Jax, but then the knocking stopped.

  Letting out a relieved sigh, I set my phone down.

  Suddenly, the door busted off its hinges, a loud crash following. Scurrying to my feet, I hurried over to the linen closet in the bathroom and got inside, closing myself in. I tried to control my breathing. I prayed as I listened to footsteps move throughout my house. Tears streamed down my cheeks as my heart raced with fear. Glancing up through the darkness of the closet, I prayed again, this time for the police to get here quickly.

  The sound of sirens came from outside seconds later. Salvation had arrived.

  I could hear him curse and then sprint out the door.

  “Thank you, Jesus!” I said, and twisting the knob of the closet, I fell outward and onto the floor, crying.

  Though it was only seconds until the cops came into the apartment and found me in the bathroom, it felt like an eternity.