Love's Protection (Protected By Love Book 3) Read online

  Chapter 25 - Jax

  CHELSEA WAS MORE THAN a pretty face with good morals. She had somehow penetrated the secure fortress of my heart—a feat not many have accomplished. These feelings I had for her made me feel weak, made me feel vulnerable. I no longer had control and it scared me. That next day, the day at the park, I had to focus on one thing above all else—her safety. And after spending time with these people, I worried about their safety too.

  I suspected Antonio and/or his cousin would show up at the park at some point. I just didn’t know when. What were they planning? Not a clue.

  That morning after working out, I joined Chelsea and the others at the table for breakfast. She glanced up at me as I sat down by her side. My heart jumped as her eyes and lips smiled. I knew she was thinking the same thing as me— about last night.

  “Good morning.”

  “It is a good morning,” she replied, still with a grin from ear to ear.

  Reaching over the breakfast casserole, I grabbed a few slices of cantaloupe. Placing them on my plate, I pointed to the pot of oatmeal and asked Chelsea to pass it.

  “Hey, Jax. Are you going to shoot that guy if he shows up today?” Erin asked.

  “I hope it doesn’t come to that.”

  “You could lay down justice on him!” Erin insisted, pumping her fist. Pausing, she shivered as if a chill ran down her spine. “He was so creepy with those girls the other day.”

  Shaking my head as I scooped oatmeal onto my plate, I set the pot down on the table and looked at her. “No matter who it is, shooting is never a desired outcome. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t like the guy, but I hope reason and logic will win him over instead of taking a human life.”

  Chelsea smiled at me, nodding as she did. Every time our eyes caught this morning, I felt my insides jump. It took all of my strength to just ignore my burning desire to kiss her.

  Seeing Makayla, the girl who had come down with illness a couple of days ago, I fixed my eyes on her to distract myself from Chelsea. “Glad to see you’re feeling better today.”

  “Feeling a ton better!” She took a chomp out of a slice of watermelon. After swallowing her bite, she continued. “Just needed a couple of days of rest. Luckily, nobody else has gotten sick either! God is good!”

  “Yes, He is.” I couldn’t help but share a look with Chelsea as the words came off my lips. Picking up my spoon, I began to eat my oatmeal and think about the day. I was going ahead of the rest of them in order to make sure Antonio or his cousin wasn’t waiting for the church to show up to spring some sort of ambush.

  “Jax,” a woman called out to me as she came out from the kitchen.

  “Yeah?” I replied.

  “Ezekiel’s grandmother called and left a voicemail on Pastor Jose’s phone last night. He won’t be coming.”

  “Please excuse me.” The news didn’t sit well with me. Wiping my mouth with my napkin, I set it down and left the table to go speak with the pastor.

  “Is it true?” I asked, walking inside his office.

  He set his plate of breakfast casserole down on his desk. “About Ezekiel? Yes. Maybe it’s for the best with all the tension surrounding the day. I’m almost thinking about canceling the whole thing, to be honest!”

  “Can you figure out where his grandmother lives? I’d like to stop by and talk to them, if you don’t mind.”

  “Sure, sure. His grandmother left her full name. I can look her up.”

  Coming all the way into the office, I went to Pastor Jose’s side to assist him. I knew Ezekiel was looking forward to all the stuff going on at the park, and I thought maybe if I spoke with his grandmother, I could convince her to let him go.

  Chapter 26 - Chelsea

  FILLING UP WATER BALLOONS IN the kitchen, Valorie and I shared a slice of silence between us as we prepared for the large water balloon fight that would be going on at the park later that afternoon. There was a bit of awkwardness between us and I wondered if she felt it too.

  “Can I ask you something?” Valorie finally asked as she shut off the water in the sink.

  My gut flinched, wanting to say ‘no.’ She hadn’t approached me like this before now, and it was one of those rare times Jonathan wasn’t around. I had a feeling Jonathan kept us separated when he wasn’t around on purpose. Unfortunately for Jonathan, he was requested by Rick to accompany him down to the magic store that morning to get supplies.

  “Go for it.”

  “Did you and Jonathan ever date or anything?”

  Shaking my head, I said, “Nope. Never.”

  “Oh, okay.” She continued filling water balloons, but the look on her face held a bit of disappointment, like something was wrong or unsatisfying about my response.

  “What’s wrong?”

  Shaking her head, she stopped filling balloons and turned fully to me. “He’s just been acting really weird since we’ve been down here. He whined to Rick about you and Jax, and he keeps talking about you and Jax all the time. I get the feeling he likes you or something.”

  I had a decision to make in that moment. Reveal the truth of our history or keep out of it. Though it wasn’t my place to say something, I knew if I were in her position, I’d want to know. With a deep sigh, I spoke truthfully. “Honestly, Valorie …”

  “Yeah?” she said, her eyebrows lifted as if she was hanging on by a thread and just looking for confirmation of what she already believed was true in her heart.

  “I thought there was something going on, but I was mistaken. It all worked out though.”

  Shaking her head, she furrowed her eyebrows. “What? Wait, you like my boyfriend?”

  Raising a hand, I said, “No. Well, I mean I did, but I don’t anymore.” I thought of Jax, thought of last night. I had truly moved on from Jonathan. Even before the trip, I was more annoyed than crushed over the fact that Jonathan and she had started dating.

  “Okay …” She tapped her chin. “But does Jonathan have feelings for you?”

  I didn’t want to lie. Touching her shoulder, I said, “You need to talk to your boyfriend about this, not me.”

  She nodded confidently.

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “You know, I think we all need to do a better job on focusing on the reason we’re down here. It’s Jesus. Remember? The light?”

  She started filling more balloons. “You’re right, and don’t be sorry. I should’ve confronted him about it. But I wanted to talk to you first, and now I know the truth.”

  “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  She paused, looking over at me. “You didn’t have to. You confirmed what I already suspected. That he has feelings for you. He’d better hope one of those cousins of Antonio shows up and shoots him before I do. Sorry.”

  “It’s okay.” We continued to prepare for the park. Her mention, even if it was joking, about Jonathan getting shot sent a shiver of worry down my spine. I didn’t want anybody shot, anyone to get hurt. Praying, I asked God to protect us all as we ventured out to serve the children and adults that afternoon.

  Chapter 27 - Jax

  AFTER DOING A SOLID PERIMETER check at the park, I headed over to Ezekiel’s house. I didn’t know what to expect knocking on the door. Folding the piece of paper with the address for Ezekiel’s grandmother, I slipped it in my back pocket and waited patiently for someone to answer.

  The door unlocked and creaked open.

  A sickly-looking lady with a dark complexion and a cough of death peeked out through the broken screen door.

  “Who are you?” she said, her English broken.

  “I’m Jax. You must be Ezekiel’s grandmother. Gloria?”

  “What’s it to you?”

  “I heard Ezekiel wasn’t coming to the park and I wanted to come over and see him. I was really looking forward to seeing him again today. I met him down at the basketball courts a couple of days back.”

  “He doesn’t want to see you.”

  I tilted my head as I didn’t believe a word she said. “What?”
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  “He told me all about basketball the other day with you Americanos. He said you guys were all going to be gone soon and he doesn’t want to see you anymore.”

  My heart splintered at her words. They rang true, but hurt nonetheless.

  “Okay. Well, just let him know I stopped by and to come by the park if he changes his mind.”

  She nodded, but didn’t speak another word before shutting the door.

  As I walked off the broken steps of the porch and down the cement path to the sidewalk, I turned and looked up at the window on the second level. Beside a dirty yellow curtain, I saw Ezekiel’s eyes looking down.

  I waved up at him, but he loosed the curtain from his fingers, letting it fall back to its place.

  Though I had protected countless clients over the years and had been in some intense situations, I wasn’t ready for that. The little boy I couldn’t stop thinking about and who had touched my heart in such a way had no interest in ever seeing me again. Painful as it was, I did understand the kid’s reasoning. All we Americans would be gone soon enough, and then life would go back to the way it had always been for him—alone. His grandmother would still be dying and his parents still dead.

  Getting back into the van, I headed to the church to pick up Chelsea and the others to take them to the park.

  Chapter 28 - Chelsea

  JAX ARRIVED AT THE CHURCH right on schedule to pick us up. He didn’t get out. Instead, he stayed in the van, appearing to be pondering something deeply. I knew he had been to Ezekiel’s house. After our van was loaded, I got in on the passenger side and immediately asked him about what had become of his visit.

  Shaking his head, he looked over at me. “Don’t worry about it. He’s not coming.”

  I wanted to pry but left it alone. He needed the space: that was obvious. The drive to the park was rather quiet up in the front seat, but in the back, the youth were barely able to sit still and keep quiet. They were bubbling over with excitement for the day ahead at the park.

  Arriving at the park’s parking lot, a smile broke free across my face. The jumpy houses were already inflated and Jonathan was walking around in his magician outfit. Laughing, I covered my mouth and pointed him out to Jax.

  He laughed, loosening the gloomy demeanor he had been carrying the entire van ride to the park.

  As soon as he parked the van, Makayla yanked the sliding van door open and the youth piled out. They all screamed and sprinted across the park’s grass toward the festivities.

  I stayed back, walking with Jax.

  Grabbing his hand, I stopped him and made sure nobody was around to see. Then I leaned in, planting a kiss on his lips.

  He smiled again.

  “Keep that smile,” I said, pulling back from him. “I don’t know what happened with Ezekiel, but I’m sure God has a plan for that boy’s life. You have to have faith and trust in God. There’s always a way for God to work things for good.”

  We continued to walk, crossing over into the grass of the park.

  Stopping, he turned to me.

  “What is it, Jax?”

  His gaze went over to the jumpy houses, to the stations and youth, then over to the police who were stationed around. Eyes back on me, he said, “There’s only three police who showed up. I don’t know what’s going to happen today, but I’m worried.”

  Shaking my head, I said, “Don’t worry. God is in control.”

  “Sometimes, bad things happen though, Chels. Look at Paul’s life. Look at Stephen. Men of God were beaten, crushed, and killed. Faith doesn’t protect us from the physical.”

  Touching his face, I looked deeply into his eyes. “You’re right. But to die is to gain. Everything is going to work out. You have to believe.”

  He swallowed hard and nodded. “You’re right. I feel better now. Let’s go.”

  We continued our way into the park and to the cotton candy machine where Sister Lopez was filling bags of pink and blue deliciousness. Rick came over with a camera and took a picture of the cotton candy station. Then he lifted it and snapped a picture of Jax and me. Jax and I looked at each other and smiled, then I jumped right into the action. I began to help Sister Lopez by hanging the bags up on strings that dangled along the sides of the tent. It was almost time to start, and soon, the park would be filled with children and adults here to have fun and to hear the word of God.

  Chapter 29 - Jax

  KEEPING AN EYE ON CHELSEA as she worked the cotton candy machine into the third hour of the event, I left the stage where Rick was preaching the gospel and stood over by the stage where The Great Magician Jonathan was putting on his show for the children. It was enjoyable to watch. A bit of comic relief after feeling tense all afternoon. Jonathan had a cape, a top hat, and the whole magician ensemble.

  After his current show ended, I noticed his energy running thin. Grabbing a water bottle from a cooler in the face-painting tent, I stepped up to his stage and offered it to him.

  He grabbed it and downed half the bottle immediately.

  “You’re good, man. You seem like a natural.”

  He glared for a second and put the cap back on his water. “Don’t talk down to me.”

  “No, not the magic. I mean for serving. I’ve watched you give your comfort up here all day, and I gotta say it’s impressive.”

  He set the water bottle down on the side of the stage and raised an eyebrow as he looked over at me. “Yeah?”

  “For sure.” My eyes peered over toward Chelsea. She stopped, her gaze catching mine.

  She smiled.

  I smiled.

  Jonathan caught our interaction. “You two seem to be hitting it off.”

  “She’s great.” Leaving the stage, I made it a few steps and looked back at Jonathan as I saw his eyes on Chelsea. “By the way. You were a fool to have passed her up.”

  Leaving the great magician to chew on the thought, I walked over and into the volunteer tent. I wanted to check in with the main police officer in charge and see how things were, plus, they had more water there. As I pulled out an icy cold water from the ice chest, I asked him, “How are things going?”

  The sound of gunshots broke out in the park, and panic rippled through my soul as I heard it ring.

  Throwing my bottle of water, I flipped the picnic bench over that had the ice chest and drew my pistol as I moved the volunteers inside behind cover. Immediately, I peered over to the cotton candy machine and saw Chelsea taking cover with the others.

  More shots were fired, and children and adults began screaming and running. Moving from cover, I and the cop pulled people running by into the tent and placed them behind the picnic table. One of the women from the church in the tent took a man who had been hit in the arm by a bullet and began her attempts to stop the bleeding.

  Screams echoed throughout the park like a horror movie. Droves of locals continued to flee from the park.

  Spotting the police in attendance, I saw them moving north.

  Peering back over to the cotton candy machine, I was about to go get Chelsea but she was gone.

  A knot tightened in my chest as I tried to look on through the crowd to find her.

  Keeping low, I maneuvered over to the cotton candy machine and squatted near Sister Lopez.

  She was holding children’s heads down and praying over and over again in Spanish. I shook her shoulders.

  “Where’s Chelsea?”

  Tear-filled eyes looked up at me. “She left. She went out to one of the vans to get the first-aid kit.”

  I bit my lip so hard I felt it cut into my flesh. Of course, she did. Always thinking of others instead of her own safety.

  Turning around, I exited through the back of the tent toward the parking lot. I saw the ugly truck that was Antonio’s cousin’s sitting next to the van.

  “Where is she?” I asked myself, my gaze bouncing across the parking lot and trying to see past the people running. Then I saw her.

  One of the men was shoving Chelsea into the truck. My h
eart felt weak.

  I took off as fast as I could, sprinting through the crowd, pushing people out of my way.

  As I was almost to the parking lot, the truck spun around in the lot and peeled out toward the exit.

  Digging as deep as I could within myself, I tried to speed up even faster as my feet hit the pavement in the parking lot.

  The truck turned onto the street and then punched the gas, taking off. The sound of the engine rippled through my chest, zapping all of my strength at once.

  Collapsing to my knees, I let out a scream.

  She was gone.

  Chapter 30 - Jax

  AFTER CHELSEA WENT MISSING, I went numb. The hours following her abduction rolled off the clock like a slow-dripping faucet into a bucket. I drove all over that town looking for her, but to no avail. The local police were helpful, the church too, but nothing felt like it was good enough for my satisfaction. My worst nightmare had become a reality. In the days and weeks and eventually, a month, that followed, I never slept for more than a few winks at a time. Waking up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat, I’d vomit into a bucket next to my cot. Though everyone insisted there was nothing I could’ve done, I took on all the guilt. If those feelings for her weren’t there, I would have never let her go to the park that day. Christmas came and went, and I didn’t even care. New Year’s too. I quit taking phone calls from almost everyone I cared about back home. Kirk was the only one I would speak to, and even those calls I answered were infrequent. Winston threatened at one point to come down to Mexico and drag me back home, but I talked him out of it. Thankfully, he eventually stopped bugging me and just requested that we meet up when I got back to town. Almost everybody from the mission trip had returned to Spokane. It was just down to Rick and me.

  Sitting in the low lighting of the sunlight just before dawn on the steps outside the Church of God, I drank my coffee and read over the day’s newspaper, hoping there might be a mention of her somewhere in the crime log or some story that could lead to her. It had become a daily habit I clung to every morning since she’d vanished. Though we had no leads since she went missing thirty-four days ago, I wouldn’t release my hold on the hope of something showing up.