“Are you ready to die, Shiloh?”
Shiloh didn’t flinch. Adam saw no trace of the fear he knew had haunted her for so long.
She’d never been more beautiful to him.
Slate laughed. The hollow sound, void of any real amusement, echoed off of the cold walls.
“You’re just like your cousin.” Slate shook his head. “She was determined to be brave, too. Such a shame she had to die like she did.”
His laughter had a harsher edge to it this time. A mocking edge. “And now it’s your turn.”
Slate slowly, maliciously aimed his gun and eased his thumb back on the hammer.
“Wait,” Shiloh interrupted. “I still have questions.”
Slate relaxed his trigger finger, raised an eyebrow but didn’t lower the gun.
“You didn’t explain everything.” She motioned to the pile of coins. “How did Annie get a coin like that in Savannah? How did one end up in Treasure Point? And The Pilgrim’s Progress—how did she come to have that?”
He snickered and lowered the gun slightly. “Trying to stall, Shiloh?”
“You just seemed like you wanted us to understand everything before...before you killed us.” She forced out the words, not even letting her voice tremble.
He seemed to consider it. “That’s true. I’ve never been able to stand ignorance.” He sighed. “The coins were from another treasure trove of Blackbeard’s that I saw on display once. It was a classy affair, only respectable historians were invited, and security wasn’t tight enough to prevent two or three coins from disappearing. I used them to entice Harry—” he jerked a thumb toward his partner “—to help me search.” He glared at his partner. “I suppose he must have dropped one to get your attention.” Slate shook his head. “The book was lost in Savannah somewhere. Which was unfortunate, given all the research I had to do about Treasure Point simply in order to discover the book’s existence and the fact that it held a key to finding the treasure. Unfortunate indeed.” He glared in Harry’s direction again. “And it was recovered by your cousin.”
“But we found the treasure anyway.” Harry mumbled. “Isn’t that what matters?”
Slate ignored him. “I believe that answers all of your questions, and that’s all I have to tell you.” Slate raised his gun. “So if you were trying to stall until some kind of help got here, you might as well just acknowledge that no one is coming.” He smirked. “You’re on your own, Shiloh. And your little mission has finally, completely failed.”
The shuffle of footsteps behind Adam drew Slate’s eyes. For a split second, Adam saw fear dash across the professor’s expression. Horror and realization that he’d lost everything in that moment raced across his face. Then his jaw firmed, he leveled his gun back at Shiloh and moved his finger toward the trigger.
“Freeze.” The chief’s voice boomed within the walls, and Adam swung his head to see him and three other officers with guns drawn enter the room from one of the tunnels.
Gunshots, more than one, rang out simultaneously as Adam threw himself at Shiloh to knock her out of the way.
Fire exploded through Adam’s chest and something warm soaked his shirt. It was crimson red. Blood.
It was the last color he saw before he hit the floor and the world went black.
NINETEEN
Shiloh’s screams echoed in her ears as Adam fell in slow motion, the bullet that had been intended for her piercing high on the left side of his chest.
Someone had taken down Professor Slate, who had collapsed backward onto the floor, part of him lying on the scattering of gold coins, which were now stained deep red from his blood. She shuddered and turned away, hating the loss of life but feeling relief sweep through her that he was gone.
Dropping to her knees, she turned her attention to Adam.
“Shiloh.”
His eyes blinked open and hope rose in her chest. She didn’t know much about injuries like this, but his regaining consciousness so fast had to be a good sign. He’d been down for less than a minute.
“Shhh. Don’t try to talk.” She pressed a finger to his lips, blinking back the moisture stinging her eyes. He’d taken the bullet meant for her. The full import of that echoed in her mind and heart as a truth she’d suspected became a fact in her mind.
He still loved her.
“I love you, Shiloh,” he confirmed in a steadier voice.
Shiloh bit back tears—it couldn’t end like this. Not after all their relationship had endured. “I love you, too,” she whispered, knowing beyond any hint of doubt that it was true and always would be. “But please, you have to be okay.”
“I will be. I kept waiting for the right time to tell you, and I realized there’s never going to be a right time. Our lives are always going to be crazy, but no matter what we’re going through, I always want you to know that it’s true.”
Their eyes locked, and Shiloh would have bent to kiss him had she not been elbowed out of the way by the same EMT who’d attended to her after she’d been shot.
The seriousness on the man’s face as he did his best to treat Adam’s wound in the dark, stuffy tunnel made Shiloh wring her hands and pray even harder.
The man kept working, not commenting at all. Long minutes later, Shiloh noticed the bleeding had almost entirely stopped.
The EMT let out a breath and lifted his face to meet her eyes. “We need to get him to a hospital immediately for further treatment. But he’s going to be fine.”
The man and several of the officers helped Adam stand and supported him as they made their way out of the tunnel. Shiloh followed, then turned back to look at the aftermath one last time.
Professor Slate was dead. The chief had cuffed a sick-looking Harry, who’d no doubt go to jail for the rest of his life. The treasure lay where it had been on the floor, soaked in blood. Shiloh shivered and turned around, vowing not to look back again.
She hurried to catch up to the men who were helping Adam. After only a few more minutes they walked up a staircase similar to the one they’d fallen down originally. It led to the middle of the pile of charred rubble that made up Widow Hamilton’s old house. They were very near the spot in the house where the library would have been, and Shiloh smiled to think they’d been that close to the entrance to the tunnel and had never known it was there. Professor Slate and Harry must have found this entrance after they blew up the house.
She followed Adam to the waiting ambulance and drew in a long breath of fresh air as she soaked in the warm sunshine.
The nightmare was finally over.
* * *
After the EMTs had explained that they’d be taking Adam to a hospital in Savannah where he could receive all the treatment he might need, Shiloh had resolved to stay in Treasure Point and talk to the chief before heading to join Adam.
Her boss had waited long enough for her explanation.
He had officers taking care of Professor Slate’s body and the treasure, and he told her to wait in his office until he’d arranged for Harry’s transport to a state prison north of Savannah.
Shiloh hadn’t been sitting for long when he came in.
“Ready to talk?” he asked as he took his chair.
She nodded. “I’m ready.”
Starting at the beginning, Shiloh told him every detail she could remember, up to the point when they’d entered the cave.
“Wait.” She frowned. “I couldn’t call you to let you know we thought we’d found it. There was no cell service out there. So how did you know we needed backup?”
“Mary Hamilton called me and told me what she thought you were planning. Also, a couple of guys from the fire department noticed that the scene appeared to have been tampered with and asked our guys to come out and investigate. When we found the staircase to the tunnels, everything fell into place.�
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She nodded. “However it happened, I’m glad you came.”
“You don’t make it easy to have your back, Shiloh,” his stern voice admonished her. “You should have told me about the case and your part in it weeks ago, as soon as all of this heated up again—if not when you came here to take this job.”
“I should have,” she admitted. “But when things began, I started to wonder if someone in the department was connected to the threats—especially when I mentioned here that I was going running on the coastal trail and then someone came after me there.” Her voice trailed off, and she felt herself tensing. “I still don’t understand how that happened.”
The chief waved off her concern. “It was Hazel White.”
“The secretary?”
“Apparently, she’s Professor Slate’s sister. Harry sang like a bird, and she’s on her way to prison with him right now. It’s over. You’re safe, Shiloh.”
The chief sighed. “You’re one of the best cops I’ve ever seen. But this case has made it clear to me that the kind of work you’re doing now isn’t for you.”
Her heart plummeted into her stomach, and she shifted her gaze to the floor.
“I have another idea in mind.”
Shiloh looked back up at him and waited.
* * *
After days in the hospital, undergoing surgery and regaining coherency from the pain meds he’d been on, Adam was more than ready to get out and find a cabin in the woods to hide out in for the rest of his life, somewhere away from people. He didn’t think he’d been alone for more than five minutes since the ordeal in the cave, between visitors and the nurses.
“Knock, knock.” Shiloh smiled at him as she entered the room with two to-go cups of what he guessed was coffee. “I got it at the coffee shop downstairs, which is much better than I had expected.” She held out one of the cups. “I got decaf for you, in case they’re not letting you have caffeine yet.”
He thanked her and took a minute to study her pretty face and those impossibly deep blue eyes.
Maybe he’d give up on the idea of being a hermit after all, unless he could convince Shiloh to come with him. Because one thing was sure—he wasn’t letting her get away again.
“I’ve missed you,” she said softly as she eased into the chair next to his bed.
He laughed, noting that his shoulder and chest hurt when he did so, but not as much as they would have even twenty-four hours ago. He was amazed at the progress he was making, and the doctors were pleased, too.
With any luck, they’d let him out of here soon, and he could get on with important things. Like dragging Shiloh to a church and finding someone to marry them.
“Any word on when they might let you out of here?” she asked between sips.
“Not too long, I don’t think. They won’t tell me a day yet, though.” Something which frustrated him to no end. Finally, there was nothing serious standing in the way of a future for him and Shiloh, and he was stuck in a hospital bed.
If God was teaching Adam patience, he was certain he’d learned now and would be fine moving on.
Seeing how close she’d come to being killed in the line of duty had made him more uneasy than before about her continuing her job as a cop. But he’d meant what he had said about loving her for who she was. And though it bothered him, he was going to do his best to ignore it. Maybe pretend she worked at a bakery or somewhere else safe instead.
“I talked to the chief the other day. Finally told him everything.”
Adam shifted to see her face better. “And? What did he say?”
She paused.
“You’re in trouble, aren’t you?” He winced for her sake.
Shiloh shook her head. “No. Not in trouble exactly. We did talk, though, and decided it would be best if I gave up my job as a patrol officer.”
Never before had Adam’s spirits plummeted and danced simultaneously. After only a heartbeat, the plummeting won out. “Shiloh, no. You’re incredible at what you do. You know that. Why doesn’t he know that?” He tried to sit up straighter but grimaced as the ache in his chest intensified. He lay back down, settling for strengthening his tone to make his point instead. “I’ll talk to him, Shiloh. I don’t know if it will help, but I’ll make sure he understands how hard you worked—”
“Adam.”
“—and all the things you figured out and—”
“Adam.” She laid a hand on his arm. The touch got his attention, and he stopped talking and stared at her. Smiling. The woman was smiling.
“I’m quitting my job because I’m going back to school and getting some extra training. I decided—not the chief, me—that patrol work isn’t where I want to be forever. I’m going to learn what I need to know to be a crime-scene investigator.”
Adam blinked, sure this was a dream, and he would wake up any minute. He’d found the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with; she wanted so far to spend hers with him, too; and she was going to quit doing a job he’d never loved the idea of her doing?
He couldn’t have asked for more.
“Adam?” Her voice was hesitant. “What do you think?”
“I think it’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.” He brought her free hand down to his face and brushed his lips across the back of it. “You’ll be amazing at it, I’m sure.”
Her entire face lit up with his praise. “I hope so.”
Adam’s face tightened, and he shook his head. “I also wanted to tell you that the board came to visit me earlier today, and we had a talk. I explained to them that the woman I choose to date or marry is my business, and I would be the judge of whether her faith was important to her, not them. I already told you I was wrong to let their opinions influence me. They understand now, and most of them apologized.” Which was important, because Adam was excited about his future with both the church and Shiloh. It felt good to start over and move past the mistakes all of them had made in the situation.
“And, Shiloh? My dad says he’s sorry, too. That as your pastor he should have been more supportive of your plans to become a cop and find Annie’s killer. He says he’s proud of you, that my mom would have loved you.” He handed her a small envelope. “He left a note for you that says all of that, whenever you’re ready to read it.”
He thought he saw moisture in her eyes, but her small smile told him everything was okay. “Thanks. And thanks especially for believing in me when no one else did.”
“I hope to always do that, from now on.” He smiled, knowing he’d never find a better moment than right now to ask the question that had been on his mind.
Nerves gripped Adam as he felt for the ring box he’d slid under a pile of blankets earlier. His dad had visited every day since Adam had been admitted, and yesterday his dad had asked if there was anything he could get Adam from his house. This box, one of his most treasured possessions for the past five years, was the only thing he’d asked for.
His dad had teared up as he’d handed it to Adam, apologizing for putting so much pressure on him and telling him how good it was to see him happy and at peace with his choices in life. Then they’d hugged—the first hug Adam could remember receiving from his dad since he’d graduated from high school.
He took a deep breath, ready to move into the future. “I have something to tell you, too. Or to ask you, really.”
Shiloh’s eyes widened.
“I know it’s not the most romantic place for this.” He cleared his throat. “But our timing has always been atrocious, and I’m tired of waiting.” He shrugged as he pulled out the box and opened it to reveal the glittering ring she’d left behind five years ago. “I love you, Shiloh Evans. I lost you once and almost lost you so many other times. I don’t want to lose you again.”
Tears glimmered in her eyes, making them even more blue.
> He hoped tears were a good sign. “Shiloh...will you marry me?”
The tears spilled over and slid down her face.
His heart twisted. “What do you think?”
And then she smiled. “I think it’s the best idea I’ve heard all day.”
A grin spread across his face and he slid the ring back on her hand before tugging her toward him to seal their new promise with a kiss.
* * * * *
Dear Reader,
I’m so glad you joined me for Shiloh and Adam’s story. When I started writing this one, all I knew was that a young woman was running from her past—that someone was trying to kill her, and she had moved to a new town with the intention of starting over. I had no idea why anyone was after her—just that she kept looking over her shoulder, waiting for her past to catch up.
At the beginning of the story, both Shiloh and Adam are controlled by fear. I am by nature a worrier, so in a way writing this story and seeing how God worked in their lives to remind them of His sovereignty helped me. It made me remember that I am supposed to give my worries to God and live without fear. That’s my prayer for you, as well.
I hope you enjoyed reading this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.
I would love to hear from you. My email is [email protected], and I blog at espressoinalatteworld.blogspot.com, where I talk about life, books and living as a pastor’s wife in the ministry fishbowl.
Sarah Varland
Questions for Discussion
How does Shiloh react when Adam walks back into her life? Do you feel you would have reacted the same way?
What did you think about a police officer and a pastor starting a relationship? Do opposites really attract in real life?
Shiloh and Adam both struggle with fear. What’s something you fear in your life, and how can you work on letting go of that fear and trusting God?
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