by Rachel Dylan
“Do you really think anything or anyone can protect me from the evil one’s wrath?”
“The grace and power of the Almighty can, but only if you accept His help.”
“I thought we were going to table this part of the discussion for another day.”
“I’m afraid we can’t afford to wait. Not with your safety on the line. Your testimony is going to set off a chain of events, and we have to be ready for that.”
“I’m afraid that no matter what I do, I won’t make it. Why would God want to protect someone like me? Someone who has worked against Him for years. A blasphemer, a witch—and all the time being proud about it?”
“Because that’s what God’s grace is all about. Jesus died on the cross for the sins of all humankind. All you have to do is repent for your sins. Turn from the ways of darkness. Ask for forgiveness, and accept Christ into your heart.”
Nina Marie jolted as a loud booming thunder sounded outside and the lights started to flicker.
“It’s just a storm,” Olivia said. But she wondered if something more sinister was happening. It wasn’t every day that the evil one was losing one of his favorites.
“Is it?”
Olivia took both of Nina Marie’s hands in hers. “Pray with me, Nina Marie. Can you do that?”
The room turned much cooler, and a shiver went down her spine. Dear Lord, please send your angels to protect us. We need the spirit of the Living God in this room right now.
“Yes. I’m ready,” Nina Marie said. “But do you think this is safe? For either of us?”
She started with the word of God. “In Second Kings when Elisha is surrounded by the enemy, his servant is distraught because he sees that they are totally surrounded by an army of horses and chariots. But Elisha told his servant, don’t be afraid. ‘For they that be with us are more than they that be with them’. Elisha then prayed that his servant’s eyes would be opened, and they were. And then his servant saw that the mountain was actually full of horses and chariots of fire protecting Elisha.”
“Do you really think that God would send that type of protection for me? For you, that’s a different story. But me? Just look at me. At what I’ve done.”
“Yes. But first you have to turn away from the darkness.”
Another huge flash of lighting and booming thunder hit. The lights flickered again before going out. The room was dark except for the flashes of lightning illuminating the kitchen.
A heavy presence of darkness settled in the room, but Olivia refused to let that deter her. She knew this wasn’t going to be a simple task. They were going to have to fight for it. Fight through it.
“They’re not going to let this happen,” Nina Marie said softly. “I can’t have you risk yourself again for me, Olivia. I can’t guarantee your safety here. I’d understand if you got up and walked away right now. I’ll still testify for you.”
“Absolutely not. I’m not going to leave you.”
“I’ve never had a friend like you before, Olivia.”
“We’re going to get through this, Nina Marie, but I need to know that you’re ready.”
“I’m as ready as I’ll ever be.”
“Expect opposition.”
“I don’t want them to harm you.”
“Don’t worry about me. I need you all in, though.”
“I’m all in.”
A heavy weight rested on her shoulders. Whispers of darkness pricked her ears. But she couldn’t let the foe stop her now. Not when Nina Marie was so close to rejecting the ways of the devil. This moment was more important than anything that could happen in a courtroom. A person’s soul was literally at stake.
“Now repeat after me.” Olivia hadn’t ever done anything quite like this before, but with God’s help she wasn’t going to stop, no matter what Satan sent their way. “Lord, I am a sinner. I have turned from your ways. I have actively sought out the devil. I have sought the forces of darkness. I have practiced witchcraft and all manner of dark arts.” With each word of her mouth the weight on her shoulders got heavier and heavier. Like someone was pressing her down into the seat, but she listened as Nina Marie repeated it all aloud. Her words were steady and sure.
“And now, Lord, I ask for forgiveness. I want to turn away and repent for those sins. I ask that you wash away my sins with your blood, the blood of our Lord and Savior Christ Jesus.” As she said the words a force took ahold of her neck, squeezing. She knew it wasn’t Nina Marie because their hands were still locked together tightly.
Nina Marie repeated the words, but now Olivia couldn’t speak. Another crash of lightning and thunder filled the air. She prayed silently in her mind for help.
“Olivia, are you okay?” she asked.
Finally, the evil force broke his hold. “Yes, but they are coming. Something was squeezing my neck. We need to continue. Don’t let go of my hands. We’ll get through this together.”
Nina Marie repeated the words Olivia said next. “I ask that you come into my heart, Jesus. I believe that you died on the cross for my sins, that you were buried, and that you rose from the dead on the third day. Now I want you in my life and in my heart, Jesus. I renounce the ways of the evil one and all of his demons, of all of the dark arts and occult practices I have sought out and participated in. Wash me clean with the blood of the lamb.”
Olivia could feel the evil presences filling the room. It wasn’t just one, but many demons. She remembered the words about Elisha she had just spoken a few moments ago, and she also believed that the angels were there as well. The battle raging around them. Most of it in the invisible realm that she couldn’t even see or know. “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.”
Nina Marie started to repeat the words, but then stopped midstream. Olivia felt Nina Marie’s hands slip out of her own.
“Nina Marie, are you okay?”
As the lightning and thunder cracked, she could see that Nina Marie was slumped over in her seat. Dear God, don’t let them have killed her.
**
Nina Marie awoke in a daze. She was in her own bed, and it was still dark out. What had happened?
She looked over to see Abe sitting in the chair in the corner of her bedroom.
“You’re awake,” he said. He walked over to the bed and knelt down. “How’re you feeling?”
“What happened? Where’s Olivia? Is she all right?”
“Yes, Olivia is just fine. She called me over last night. It appears the two of you were on the receiving end of a vicious spiritual attack.”
“Where is she now?”
“She went home to try to get a couple of hours of sleep. The trial resumes this morning.”
She sat up in the bed. “I have to be there. I have to testify.” Her mind was jumbled with thoughts. “And you’re sure that Olivia is safe?”
“Yes. I saw her with my own eyes. She was a bit shaken up, but not seriously harmed.”
“And you stayed here all night?” She looked over at the clock and saw it was five thirty in the morning.
He smiled. “I did. I wasn’t going to leave you alone. I told Olivia to go get some rest and I would make sure nothing happened to you.”
“Did she tell you what I did last night?”
“Yes. How’re you feeling about that this morning?”
Tears filled her eyes. “I feel a little shaky. It was scary, and believe me, I’m used to dealing with stuff like that. But being on the receiving end of the forces of darkness is something else.”
He held her hand in his. “But the most important thing is that you opened up your heart to the Lord. Your life will never be the same again. The battle has already been won in Christ.”
She truly didn’t deserve to have a man like Abe in her life. It gave her hope that there was something different than what she had known. “I know you’ve already done so much, but could I ask one more thing?”
“Sure.”
“Would you make sure I get to the courtho
use safely this morning?”
“Of course, but Nina Marie, you shouldn’t live in fear. You now have the Lord on your side.”
She pulled him up off the floor so he sat on the edge of her bed. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she felt safe for the first time in years. “Thank you, Abe.”
“You’re welcome, but Olivia did the heavy lifting, and you had the willingness to change.”
“But only because you showed me another way. That there was something beyond what I had resigned myself to.” A wave of peace flooded through her, but she was under no illusion that the battle was over. No, Layton and his evil forces would come after her, especially after what she planned to do in the courtroom today.
“Why don’t I go make some coffee while you get ready?”
“That sounds perfect.”
Abe gently kissed her on the forehead and stood up from the bed. Once he’d left her bedroom, she threw back the covers. She was still wearing her outfit from yesterday. A hot shower would work wonders for her.
As she headed toward the bathroom, she wondered what her new life was really going to be like.
Then it hit her. She’d be resigning as CEO of Astral Tech. Not only would Layton come after her, but disgruntled Astral Tech members would as well. But in the end, it would be worth it. She’d have to find a new career, a new purpose, a new everything.
After a long, hot shower, she stepped out into a steamy room and wrapped a towel around her, and that’s when she saw him. “You’re not welcome in my home anymore.”
Othan stood looming large in front of her, towering over her, his dark hair sleeked back with his bright blue eyes locked onto her. She’d only seen him once before, but she knew from Layton that he hung around often.
“You can’t get rid of me that easily. You have a lot of debts to pay. Do you really think we’re just going to let you go? You’re evil, Nina Marie. You can’t just change that with one flimsy prayer.”
Her heartbeat sped up. What if he was right? But Olivia had said she could repent and everything would change. Olivia had told her she needed to stand firm—or at least that’s how Olivia had described it. “Get out of my home.”
He didn’t budge.
“In the name of Jesus Christ, get out of my home.”
He still didn’t budge. What was the problem? God, I know I’m new at this, and I’m a total mess. But I believe that I can change and that you will be there for me. Please help me get rid of this demon, Jesus.
A loud shriek came out of Othan’s mouth before he disappeared.
Then there was a banging on the bathroom door. “Nina Marie, are you okay.”
“Yes. One second.” She grabbed her bathrobe from the hook and tied it tightly around her before opening the door.
“What happened? I heard a loud noise,” Abe asked.
“This is going to be a fight.” A chill ran down her back.
“I’ve got your back, Nina Marie.” He pulled her into his arms, and there was no other place she would’ve rather been. Thank you, God, for sending me this man.
Chapter Sixteen
Layton Alito had called an early morning breakfast meeting with Morena and Stacey. Something was terribly off with Nina Marie, and he feared that she might try to sabotage everything he’d been working on.
Could she have really fallen for this Abe guy so hard that it made her change her ways? That wasn’t like Nina Marie at all. If anything, Nina Marie never let a man get close to her. He knew all too well. She had used him in their relationship. He’d been the one who was scarred from it, not her.
At the end of the day, there was one person whom he could place the blame on for all of this, and it wasn’t the man. No, it was that continuous thorn in his side, Olivia Murray.
If only he’d been able to destroy her when he had tried to take out Nina Marie. But Olivia had proven to be so much stronger than he could’ve ever imagined, and she was protected by a vast force of angels. She was unlike any person he’d ever dealt with, but that didn’t mean he was going to run away. He was a fighter.
“What’s going on?” Morena asked. “It’s early for a meeting.”
It was seven in the morning, and they gathered around his large kitchen table while his personal chef prepared breakfast.
“We’ve got a problem,” he said. “Nina Marie has completely gone mad.”
“I just met with her not too long ago,” Stacey said. “Just like you asked me to.”
“And how did she seem then?” he asked.
“Like she was still wrestling with her past. She said she didn’t want me to end up a victim.”
“I knew some stuff happened to her years ago that set her on her path to darkness, but we never spoke in detail.”
“She seemed protective of me, if anything,” Stacey said. “So are you saying that she’s leaving the New Age way of life?”
“I think it’s a distinct possibility,” he said. “Even more of an issue for me currently is her trying to mess up this trial. We are so close to getting a conviction here. Having Pastor Dan thrown in prison and convicted of embezzlement would be the death knell to Windy Ridge Community Church. It would probably shut its doors. Its congregation would scatter, and we already know we have some potential recruits lined up who have expressed interest.”
“So what do you want us to do to help?” Morena asked.
“We have to stop Nina Marie from doing whatever is it she’s planning on doing.”
“How much does she know about the details of what happened?” Morena asked.
“She knows enough to destroy this whole thing. If she confides in Olivia, then Olivia can use that knowledge to try to get an acquittal.”
“Would Nina Marie testify?” Stacey asked.
“I highly doubt it, but at this time, I think she’d tell Olivia all that she knows, and that would be bad enough.”
“We’ll do whatever you need,” Morena said.
“Come to court with me. That way we’ll be there to try to manage whatever goes down today.”
“Don’t worry, Layton. One way or another, we’ll make sure Dan is taken out,” Morena said.
“I knew I could count on the two of you.”
**
Olivia steadied herself at counsel’s table as Dan was brought in by the officers and took his seat beside her.
“You won’t believe what happened last night,” she said in a soft voice.
He leaned closer to her. “What?”
“Nina Marie gave her life to Christ. She’s coming today to testify.”
Dan’s jaw dropped. “Praise be to God. I never in a million years would’ve thought that to be possible. How did you do it?”
“It wasn’t me. It was all the Lord, but the night wasn’t without incident. We had some company join us that wasn’t in favor of her changing.”
“I guess that’s not surprising. Were either of you hurt?”
“Nothing major.” She rubbed her neck remembering the vice grip of the last night. “So I’m telling you all of this because today could get crazy.”
“I’m ready for whatever happens. The Lord is with us, Olivia.”
Olivia could only pray she’d be ready for it. She turned around, surveying the courtroom, and let out a breath as Nina Marie and Abe walked in together, hand in hand. There had been a piece of her that worried Nina Marie might back out. That this would all be too much for her to handle. And could she really blame her?
But just as she was letting out a sigh of relief, Layton, Morena, and Stacey also walked in and sat on the side behind the prosecution. This was a recipe for disaster. Layton would stop at nothing and she knew that. Dear Lord, protect us here today. Let Nina Marie testify about the truth, Lord, so that your servant Dan may be cleared of all of these charges.
With the judge and jury in place, it was now time. “I’d like to call to the stand Nina Marie Crane.”
“Your Honor, I object.” Tony stood up. “This is a late addition to the defense’s
witness list.”
“It is late, Your Honor, but the defense just discovered that this witness had relevant testimony yesterday, so I would argue that we should be able to put on our witness. We won’t be springing any new documents on the State. This is just testimony and this is a criminal trial, after all, where I think this sort of testimony should be allowed and not suppressed.” She purposely used that word to put the bug into the judge’s ear that if he wouldn’t allow the testimony, it would be one of her grounds for appeal.
“I agree with you. You’ll get your opportunity for cross-examination, Mr. Sampson. I have no doubt you can think on your feet.”
Thank you, Lord. First hurdle overcome. Nina Marie walked up to the witness stand. She wore a tailored black pantsuit and pink pearls around her neck. As the Bible was presented for her to be sworn in, Olivia could sense the brief moment of hesitation. But then Nina Marie made eye contact and placed her hand on the Bible.
Olivia glanced over her shoulder. Layton’s eyes were locked onto Nina Marie. She could only imagine what kind of evil he was plotting, along with his cohorts beside him. Lord, protect Nina Marie.
“Please state your name for the record.”
“I’m Nina Marie Crane.”
“And what is your current job?”
“I’m CEO of Astral Tech.”
“And what is Astral Tech.”
“It’s a New Age company focusing on technical applications like the Astral Tech app.”
“And can you tell the jury what you mean by New Age?”
“New Age has a lot of meanings, but Astral Tech focuses on an individual spiritual journey.”
“And are New Age beliefs consistent with Christianity?”
“No, at least not the way they are practiced at Astral Tech.”
“And are you the only New Age company in town?”
“No. Our competitor is Optimism.”
“And who is the CEO of Optimism.”
“Layton Alito. He’s actually in the courtroom today.”
That got the jury’s attention.
“Objection, Your Honor. I have no idea how this has any relevance to what is going on in this trial.”