Broken Seed
Page 35
“Please, tell me,” I asked, my voice still weak and cracking.
God sent you to me—
“I felt something was terribly wrong. When I watched you leaving the courthouse today, I sensed some kind of danger lingering around you. I couldn’t shake the feeling. It was a sinking dread in the pit of my stomach. So later on, I finally gave in and called you since I had to tell you about my conversation with Frank anyway. I needed to check in on you and make sure you were all right. But when you answered, you sounded fine, so I forced myself to shrug it off. I should have listened to it sooner. Melanie, I am so sorry!” David said.
“How did you know to come here?” I breathed.
“Well, the feeling of danger flared back up so intense, I could feel in my spirit demonic warfare shifting, closing in on you. So I prayed harder. I suddenly knew in my heart that you were home. See—I’ve known where you lived since you started working at Kate’s Café,” David said, sounding a little embarrassed.
“You have?” I sniveled. I couldn’t help it. My ribs were starting to send shooting pains through my side again. I bit my lip and tried not to moan.
“After Frank interviewed you, he left your résumé on the bar next to his other office paperwork. I was cleaning up for the night when I found it and snatched it all up to take to his office. I didn’t mean to read it, but your street name jumped out at me, and I thought it said Copperfield, as in the magician. When I reread it and saw that it said Cobble Field, I didn’t think anything of it. And I wasn’t likely to forget the numbers of the house. I told you about being deployed after nine eleven. Who would have known that I’d need that address today? Melanie, I prayed so hard that I’d make it to you in time.” David squeezed me to him tighter, and I let out a moan of pain. My battered body starting to wake up enough to feel all the abuse I had suffered.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” David said, concern thickening in his voice.
“Tis all right,” I slurred. It felt as though electrical currents were shooting throughout my body making me twitch. Then all was calm and I took in a shallow breath.
“Who was he? Have you ever seen him before?” David finally asked me once I’d quieted back down, worry clouding his face.
I felt my heart start to break into a thousand pieces. I didn’t want him to know this part of my life. I didn’t want him to see me this way. I was trying so hard to be a strong woman, a good person. I didn’t want him to look at me and see me as the daughter of that monster—that murdering rapist.
I started to sob.
“Shh,” David soothed, and he gently rocked me. “You’re okay. You’re okay now.”
He held me and I cried, grieving the loss of being able to choose the time and place to open up and share with this good man, the true horror of my past. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t ready to admit anything to him.
“You’re safe now. I’m not going anywhere,” David whispered as he rocked me tenderly.
I believed him. David had saved me. God had sent him to rescue me as I had cried out for help. David had been patient, gentle, and thoughtful, ever since I met him. He was telling me the truth, he wasn’t going anywhere. I felt a small drop of hope mix with my sorrow and heartbreak.
David had fought my father and put his life on the line for me. David had stood against evil with me twice in as many days. And David had done something I had never witnessed before in all my life—he had made my father run away.
He should know. He has a right to know.
“He-he was my father,” I whispered, the horror of the admission trying to crush the last of my hope that David would ever see me as anything other than a broken seed.
David reached down and took hold of my face, his gentle hands holding both sides as if I was a precious child, so delicate and fragile.
“He’s gone now,” David reassured me. “You’re safe now. I’m not going anywhere. Knowing him just means the police will be able to put an accurate BOLO out for his arrest faster. He’s gone now.”
Relief, glorious relief filled me. He didn’t care who the man had been, only that I was safe. I could see it in his eyes. He wasn’t looking at me like I was trash or a waste of all his time and efforts to pursue me. He was simply looking at me with a deep compassion and a raw, tender—love.
I rested my head against him once more and closed my eyes. I was safe now. My father was gone. David was here. And soon Liz would be home, too. My circle of trusted friends and allies were growing. Unfortunately, so were my enemies.
To Be Continued In…
Sanctuary of Fire
Volume 3
Books By
R. J. Machado De Quevedo
The Deceiver Saga...
The Deceiver Saga Continues in Blood Enemies, coming soon!
For Updates and Release Information Visit
www.TheDeceiverSaga.com
Follow Information
@TheDeceiverSaga
www.RJMachadoDeQuevedo.com
P.O. Box 640
Elk Grove, CA 95759