The urge to pray was strong. She didn’t resist. Please, God, don’t let anything bad happen to Trevor the way it did to Adam. Please? I love him so!
The heartfelt truth of that statement caused tears to spill out and stream down her cheeks. Would she ever get the chance to tell Trevor how she felt? She had to. She just had to. Even if he didn’t feel the same toward her, she was going to swallow her pride and confess her love the first chance she got.
Steff felt her strength returning, her mind focusing. Escape was the first order of business. She was through allowing herself to be dragged along like a useless rag doll.
Stiffening, she balled up her fist and punched her attacker in the stomach before he could dodge the blow.
He released her with an audible gasp.
She staggered, stumbled, fell.
The man’s strong grip closed around her wrist.
“Let me go!” she screeched. “Let me go!”
In the distance she thought she heard someone calling her name just as she was backhanded across the face. She faltered, stunned. Was that Trevor she’d heard?
Imagining that her beloved was looking for her gave her fresh strength. She let herself go limp so the man would either have to tow her or pick her up and carry her, then screamed, “Tre-vor!” with every bit of breath she could muster.
Hearing him answer, Steff was elated. “Trevor!” she shouted again. “Over here. I’m over here!”
To her relief, the man who’d been holding her captive released his hold and fled into the darkness.
Gasping, she slumped to the ground at the base of an oak and struggled to catch her breath. A circle of light from a nearby lamppost illuminated the sidewalk next to the library.
Trevor ran into view.
He came straight to her and fell to his knees to gather her up in his embrace while he showered her hair and cheeks with kisses.
“Oh, Trevor! I was so worried about you.”
His arms continued to press her close. “I knew you had to be the one responsible for that flash. What were you thinking? Why didn’t you stay away, like I told you to?”
“I couldn’t leave you alone,” she said, managing to speak in spite of her highly emotional state. “I—I love you too much.”
He went very still for a moment, then held her away so he could look into her eyes. “What did you say?”
“I said I love you.” She sniffled. “I don’t care if you don’t love me back. I can’t help myself. I love you. There, I’ve said it and I’m glad.”
Trevor began to smile and Steff could see more tenderness in his gaze than she’d dreamed possible.
“Is that why you’re crying?” he asked.
“No. Of course not.” She sniffled again and tried to compose herself. “I’m just happy because my prayers were answered.”
He cupped her face in his palms and used his thumbs to wipe away some of her tears of relief as he said softly, “So were mine, Princess. So were mine.”
Then he kissed her.
Red and blue lights flashing, two police cars and one unmarked official vehicle converged in the parking lot bordering the Administration building less than four minutes after being summoned. Steff and Trevor greeted the police together and informed them that the attackers had already fled.
“It all started with a break-in, like we told the dispatcher,” Steff explained. “We were expecting trouble.”
“What about the kidnapping? Who was grabbed?”
“I was. I was trying to take pictures but I dropped my camera and I heard it break when it hit the floor. I’m so sorry. If I’d had the extra memory card in it the way I usually do you might have been able to read that and see if I actually got any pictures of the guy. Maybe you still can. I sure hope so.”
She could tell by the scowl on the plainclothes officer’s face that she was already in trouble as far as he was concerned. The more details she cited, the deeper his frown grew. Finally she deferred to Trevor and let him finish their explanation while the uniformed officers scoured the building and nearby grounds as directed and also retrieved her camera.
“After both the prowlers ran, I went looking for Steff and caught one of them trying to drag her off,” Trevor said in conclusion. He urged her closer to his side and she nestled there gladly.
“Did they get what they were after?” the detective asked.
Steff shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. The records I’d left in the basement weren’t the right ones and the scrap of wallboard that Trevor and I found earlier is safe in my computer case. I hid it in my room at the inn.”
She felt Trevor’s grip loosen. He stared. “It’s where? I thought we’d agreed you’d turn it in to the police.”
“I know. I was going to do that just as soon as I was sure we weren’t going to need it for bait. I guess the best thing to do now would be to go get it and be rid of it for good, huh?”
She looked to the officer in charge, a middle-aged detective named Jim Anderson whom she knew was acquainted with her father. “If I can have a lift over to the inn, I’ll give it to you tonight.”
“I think that would be best,” Anderson said as he eyed Trevor. “You come, too, Mr. Whittaker.”
Steff wasn’t at all surprised to hear Trevor say “I don’t intend to be left behind.” She knew he was angry with her, but she consoled herself with the knowledge that he must return her love, even though he hadn’t actually said so.
She cast a sidelong glance at him as they climbed into the backseat of the unmarked car. If she had seen a similar look on her father’s face she would have assumed he was irate. Hopefully, Trevor wasn’t going to stay mad the way J.T. did, because Steff wanted nothing more than to receive lots of his comforting hugs.
Truth to tell, even when Trevor was so mad at her he looked as though he could spit nails, she still felt safer with him than with anyone else. Being close to him was solace and security, the likes of which she had only imagined in the past.
The only thing she was sorry about was that it had taken a series of crimes to make them finally realize they belonged together.
Steff led the way up to the second floor of the inn. As she reached to insert her key into the lock, Trevor’s hand closed over hers.
“I’ll do that,” he said.
Behind them, Anderson countered, “No. I will.”
Steff relinquished the key without argument. How typical of men to insist they had to be the ones to open the door to her suite. Did they think she was a shrinking violet who wasn’t brave enough to even unlock her own door?
The idea galled her. So did the uncompromising expressions on both men’s faces. The way they were glaring at each other reminded her of two schoolyard bullies going toe-to-toe over some inconsequential thing like being chosen team captain.
The lock clicked. The detective pushed open the door, took one step, then froze and pulled his pistol from its shoulder holster. He studied the scene in front of him for a few seconds before he said, “Stay here. Both of you. I want to check this out before we all go in.”
Steff peeked past him. Her lovely room was a shambles! She pressed her fingertips to her lips. It had happened again, just as it had in her condo, only this time the thief may have gotten what he’d come for!
She chanced incurring the detective’s further ire by calling to him, “Do you see my laptop case? It’s black leather. I slid it under the bed when I left it here.”
When he answered, “Just a second,” then added a muffled, “Nope. There’s nothing under this bed,” Steff knew that her best efforts had been thwarted. If the criminal, whoever he was, had taken her computer case, he also had the piece of wallboard.
Even if the theft hadn’t been connected to their earlier troubles and someone had simply wanted to steal an expensive computer, the result was likely to be the same. The authorities would never get a chance to see the bloody initial and no one would ever know who had drawn it, or why.
Discouraged and overwrou
ght, Steff blinked back tears. It was all her fault. Her father was right. She wasn’t nearly as smart as she thought she was and now her carelessness had cost the police potentially valuable evidence.
She felt Trevor’s closeness, sensed his protectiveness in spite of his earlier manifestations of anger. Looking up at him, she was struck by the kindness and tenderness reflected in his gaze.
“It’s okay, Princess,” he said softly. “The only thing that really matters is that you’re safe.”
Steff stepped into his waiting embrace and laid her cheek on his chest. “Do you really think so?”
“Yes.” Trevor’s voice rumbled in her ear as she slid her arms around his waist and listened to his pounding heart. “Whoever’s been causing us all this grief now has what he wanted, one way or another, so we can back off and let the police handle things from here on out.”
“I don’t know what they can do. Nothing really valuable was taken until tonight. My laptop is the only thing we can prove was stolen, and losing that won’t help you get the library construction job.”
“There are more important things than getting a contract, Princess. I wouldn’t trade you for all the money in the world.” He lifted her chin with one finger. “Do you understand what I’m saying?”
Steff had a pretty good idea, but she wanted to hear him speak the words. “I don’t know. I can be awfully dense, sometimes. Maybe you’d better spell it out for me so there’s no doubt.”
That brought a smile to lighten his serious expression. “I love you, Steff. I have for a long time. I was just too stubborn to admit it, even to myself.”
“I love you, too,” she said through unshed tears of joy. “I don’t exactly know how it happened, but I can’t imagine my life without you in it.”
Trevor gazed at her adoringly. “Are you proposing to me, Princess?”
“That depends. If you’re going to drag your feet and waste time trying to talk me out of loving you, then maybe I am.”
“Your family will be furious.”
“Livid,” she said with a spreading grin. “I can hardly wait to tell them.”
THIRTEEN
“Y ou got it? Finally?”
“Yes. I overheard the Kessler woman talking to the police outside the library tonight, after she got away from me, so I knew where to look. All I had to do was beat them to it. What do you want me to do now?”
“Destroy it. Wait! What does it look like?”
“It’s sort of an initial. The writing’s not very clear, so I don’t think it’s incriminating. I suppose it would be if it really is written in her blood. The splatters sure look like it.”
“I don’t want to take any chances. Burn it.”
“There’s plaster inside the scrap. I’ll have to peel the paper off to get it to burn.”
“Then do it.”
“What about the computer? What shall I do with that?”
“Throw it away. Sell it. Pour milk over it and eat it for breakfast, for all I care. Just stop bothering me.”
“But what are we going to do about the library annex? When they start it they’re liable to find…”
“Nothing. Do nothing. Just keep your distance and see that you don’t look guilty if you’re questioned later.”
“Why would I be questioned?”
There was a harsh laugh before the other person said, “You probably won’t be—unless you lead someone to me. If I were you, I definitely wouldn’t mention my name. Not if you know what’s good for you.”
Trevor stayed with Steff until the police had finished examining her room at the inn and taken a detailed report. Since the inn was fully booked, the management had offered to call in a crew of maids to redo Steff’s room for that night. She had politely refused. She wasn’t up to staying there, especially not after everything that had already occurred.
“I’m ready to move back into my condo,” she told Trevor.
“Are you sure?”
Steff nodded. “Yes. The new living room furniture hasn’t been delivered yet, but the cleanup is finished, thanks to you and my girlfriends. And I’ve had the door locks changed. Now I just want to go home.”
“I understand. Do you want me to drive you?”
“No, thanks. I’ll need my car in the morning. But I would like you to follow me, if you don’t mind. I’m still awfully jumpy.”
“Little wonder. Have you seen any more sign of that little blue car you thought was stalking you?”
“No. None. It must have been my imagination.”
“Good,” he said, giving her shoulder a comforting squeeze as he walked her out. When she flinched, he paused to add, “Are you sure you don’t want a doctor to check you, first? You might have been hurt when you were being manhandled.”
Steff saw his jaw muscles clench and sensed his enormously protective attitude. It was probably a good thing that Trevor had not managed to accost her abductor because both men might have ended up in jail by the time Trevor got through evening the score.
“I’m not really hurt. Just a few sore muscles.” She slipped her arms around his waist, stepped into his embrace once again and smiled up at him. “If we were already married you could kiss it and make it better.”
“Don’t tempt me, woman,” he said with a lopsided grin. “You and I have a lot of lost time to make up for.”
“I wouldn’t dream of arguing with such perfect logic,” Steff replied. “All I ask is that you don’t tell everybody that I proposed to you instead of the other way around.”
“Why not? I thought it was kind of cute.”
“You were serious when you agreed, weren’t you?”
He held her closer and she laid her cheek on his chest as he said, “Yes, Princess. I was very serious. I want to marry you, the sooner the better. All we have to do is see what dates are open in Pastor Rogers’s calendar and reserve the church.”
Leaning away slightly to gaze into his eyes, Steff nodded. “I do want to be married in church. I’ve never thought so before, but since I’ve gotten to know so many wonderful people who attend Magnolia Christian, I’m sure that’s where we should hold the ceremony.”
Trevor cupped her face in his hands, his warm palms caressing her cheeks, his voice as tender as his touch. “When you said you thought that God didn’t answer your prayers for Adam, I started to see where you were coming from. I wish I could soften that loss for you, Princess, but only God can help you through it.”
“I know. He already has. I don’t know how it happened but I’m not angry anymore. I’m still sad. I probably always will be. But I’m not blaming God.” She managed a smile. “He answered me beautifully when I was praying for your safety.”
“He answered you before, too. The answer you got just wasn’t the one you wanted.”
“I know. Poor Adam. Right now I feel sorriest for my parents, especially Dad. He’s not showing any signs of recovering from the loss, and it’s been over ten years. Considering the way he feels about spiritual things, he may never get over it.”
“I’m so sorry.”
Steff’s smile grew as she gazed at the face of the man she was going to spend the rest of her life with. “I know you mean that, in spite of the way he’s always treated you. Maybe, someday, Dad will see the difference in the way you and I and our Christian friends cope with our troubles and that will soften his heart.”
“That’s between him and his Heavenly Father,” Trevor said wisely. “All you and I can do is pray for him.”
“And love each other,” Steff added, giving him a quick squeeze before loosening her hold.
To her delight, Trevor said, “Amen,” and sealed his agreement with a kiss.
Steff’s lips still tingled with the memory of that kiss as she climbed behind the wheel of her car. “I’ll drive you across campus to pick up your truck so you can follow me home.”
“Fine. I parked behind the library.”
She couldn’t help giggling as she pulled away from the inn with Trevor in the p
assenger seat.
“What’s so funny?” he asked. “Is it a private joke or are you going to share?”
Blushing, she arched her eyebrows and grinned. “I was just thinking about what I said and it brought to mind what my brothers and I used to say when we wanted a puppy. ‘He followed me home, can I keep him?’”
Trevor laughed heartily. “I’m no puppy, but I sure hope you plan on keeping me around.”
Steff reached across to touch his hand. “I can’t imagine my life without you.”
“Did you ever get the dog?” Trevor asked as he turned his hand over to interlace his fingers with hers.
“No. My parents were not the pet-owning type. I used to feed a stray cat that hung around the gardening shed, but she disappeared soon after my father discovered what I was doing. I suspect he had her carted off to the pound.”
“That’s a shame. I grew up with pets of all kinds, especially dogs. Maybe I should give you a puppy as a wedding present.”
That suggestion made Steff laugh until she considered it more seriously. “How about a little lapdog? One that I can carry around in my purse?”
“Well, that lets out a Great Dane or a Saint Bernard,” Trevor joked. “Unless you get a much bigger purse.” He sobered. “Actually, I was thinking more of a watchdog, like a shepherd. Something that can protect you.”
“That’s going to be your job,” Steff told him. “And judging by the way my life has been going lately, you’re going to be a very busy man.”
He squeezed her fingers. “My pleasure, Princess.”
Two days later Steff arrived at the Kessler estate just after seven in the morning. She was on a mission. A maid admitted her and she found her parents at breakfast. As usual, there was a buffet arranged on the sideboard with enough food for four or five people, which left plenty for Luke, when and if he managed to rouse himself from his latest stupor and join them.
The enormous Duncan Phyfe table was spread with a delicate lace cloth. J.T. sat at the head and Myra at the opposite end. It was she who jumped up and greeted Steff.
Hidden in the Wall Page 12