Love's Return_A Christian Romance Read online

  “Hello?” he said, a slur to his voice.

  “Are you drunk?”

  “Jessica?”

  “The stalker, he was just here! He broke my door! Can you come over?”

  “I can’t. Call Kirk.”

  Click.

  Irritation rose up in me and I scrolled in my contacts to Kirk and tapped his name to call.

  Chapter 35-Kirk

  CRANKING THE STEERING WHEEL, I made a U-turn on Division Street and floored the gas pedal. My heart pounded as I made my way to Jess’s apartment. She had to repeat her address to me several times to get it out. She was scared. Flashes of fear and worry flooded my mind as I thought about how close this guy had gotten to her. This stalker had to be dealt with, once and for all.

  Luckily, no cops caught me speeding on the way to her house. I can only thank God for that. Arriving to her apartment, I jumped out of my SUV and hurried up to her floor. Getting to the busted-out door, I saw Jess sitting on the couch with her face folded in her hands. It reminded me strongly of how I’d found Bethany when I arrived home after her discovery of Scott’s passing in his crib—broken, scared. I nodded to the officers as they took their leave. I didn’t recognize any of their faces from my time on the force. Pushing the painful scar-filled memories of Scott aside, I proceeded through the open doorway toward her on the couch.

  “Jess.”

  Her eyes lifted and connected with mine. She jumped up off the couch and rushed over to me. Holding her in my arms, I felt like she was safe now. I didn’t ever want to let her go.

  The warmth of her body against my chest and the moisture of her tears on my neck made me realize she needed me to protect her. She let loose her fears once she calmed down. “I was so scared, Kirk. I thought I was going to die.”

  “You’re okay now, Jess. I’m here.” I smoothed a hand over her hair and kissed the side of her head.

  After a few moments, we released from our embrace and I asked, “Do the police have any leads?”

  “No. My cameras were disabled.”

  “Where’s Jax?” I asked, wondering why he wasn’t the first one here.

  “He sounded drunk when I called him. He said to call you.”

  I nodded slightly. It was no surprise he was hung over. Jax was never one to be big on early mornings.

  Leading her over to the couch, we sat down and I asked her more about the stalker, requesting that she spare no detail.

  “I know you said in your file that you couldn’t think of anyone who could be doing this, but I need you to tell me everyone who has ever shown any interest in you since you came to Spokane. Any ex-boyfriends, first dates which never led anywhere, old co-workers …”

  She thought for a moment, then looked at me. “An ex named Nick who started drinking too much and then hit me, but I would’ve known if it was him who attacked me because we were together for months. I also had an old co-worker who showed some interest, but he never acted extreme in any way. I thought a guy in my apartment complex was into me but I saw him dating another girl. Other than that, maybe two other dates since I’ve come here, but I couldn’t tell you their names. They were nothing and didn’t try to pursue a second date either.” Her frustration was evident by the sigh which followed.

  Hearing that a man she had cared for had raised a hand to her made my blood boil and my jaw clench. Putting him in the back of my mind for a visit later down the line, I wanted to give her some reassurance about the situation at hand. “We’re going to set this guy up, Jess. That’s how we can catch him.”

  “How?” she asked, shaking her head.

  “He knows your schedule, right?” She nodded, and I continued. “What’s the next assignment you’re going on? We’ll have Jax take a day off and I’ll tail you from afar.”

  “Okay.” She thought for a moment. “I have to go back out to Diamond Lake for a follow-up today with Serenah. She’s starting up a mission trip that Micah wants me to get more information on.”

  “Okay, good. I’ll call Jax and let him know to take the day off.” I stood up and pulled out my cellphone, but Jessica stood up too and grabbed my arm, stopping me from dialing. I turned to her.

  “You look like you haven’t slept—”

  “I’ll sleep when this freak is no longer a threat.”

  Chapter 36-Jessica

  THE COLD AND DISTANT KIRK was a thing of the past, and I wasn’t sure how to feel about it. When I called him, I figured it’d go to voicemail or maybe he’d talk to me for a minute to make sure everything was okay. I never expected this. After he got off the phone with Winston and then Jax, I approached him in the kitchen.

  “Sorry about all of this. I know we had plans tonight.”

  Coming closer to me, he touched the sides of my arms gently as he shook his head and looked deeply into my eyes. The warmth of his look sparked a part of my soul and reminded me of the best times of our car trip together, those moments in which we almost shared a kiss. He said, “Tonight can wait for another time. This guy is serious, Jess. It’s not just some guy who thinks you’re cute. He is stalking you, breaking and entering. You don’t need to apologize. I want to protect you.”

  Closing in on the distance between us, I looked into his eyes. “I had no idea you cared so much about me.”

  Kirk’s piercing brown eyes invaded my soul, bringing a warmth and tenderness I hadn’t seen before. “I never stopped caring about you.”

  “Then what was with the coffee shop and the freakout the other night?”

  He swallowed hard. “I had to deal with some stuff. The past five years were difficult for me, Jess, and I hadn’t dealt with it. I thought if I just left you in the past with everything else I’ve lost, I’d be okay, but I realized something.” His hands touched my arms and sent a wave of warmth over my being, calming my nerves. He looked at me and said, “I don’t want to lose you like I’ve lost everything else.”

  My eyes went to his ring finger and I saw his wedding band gone.

  “God is the only one who could fix my brokenness, and I gave all of my heart and pain to Him.” His phone rang just then. My eyes pleaded for him to not answer, to continue this conversation. Glancing at the screen, he said, “It’s Winston. Sorry. Gotta take it.”

  Turning, he walked over toward the sink to answer it and I headed back into the living room. My eyes fell on the doorway where my door had once hung.

  My heart melted. The gravity of the situation weighed on my anxious heart. Seeing the splintered wood shards lying on the hardwood floor, my eyes began to water and my stomach somersaulted at the thought of what could have happened if the cops hadn’t made it when they did.

  Peering back toward the kitchen, I saw Kirk, and the fear and pain built up inside of me washed away like a roaring river. I was grateful for his being here in my time of need.

  Chapter 37-Kirk

  A DESIRE TO SLEEP WEIGHED heavy on my eyelids as I followed behind Jess on her way out to meet Serenah at Diamond Lake. Outside of my visit from Charlie, last night had been a long and painfully boring experience. I spent most of the evening playing solitaire on my tablet as I tried to fight the natural desire for sleep.

  Seeing her eyes bob up into her review mirror, they cut through me like an arrow, landing directly in my heart. There was no doubt about it. I cared deeply for Jess. One might think it was because of her distress, but I knew myself enough to know it wasn’t that. The distress call only shone a light on my truest desire for her.

  Wanting to fight the sleep off, I called Winston for an update on those names I had given him from Jess’s past.

  “Nick Gillard has a warrant out for his arrest, failed to appear in court. Brent Longfellow was honorably discharged from the Navy. Then the rest were clean. I’m still struggling to find information on Ethan Gregs, the guy in the apartment complex, but I am waiting for someone to call me back. His initial report came up good too, though.”

  I sighed. Seemed to all be a dead end. “I appreciate your help.”
/>   “No problem. Take care of yourself.”

  Pulling up alongside the road, a way off before the inn, I watched as Jess pulled into the driveway at the inn. Hurrying, I got out and moved along the far side of the property. I was attempting to keep myself concealed by the trees and bushes in case the stalker was nearby. Finding a bunch of leaves and yard debris near a large pine tree, I got down on all fours and hid myself. Great cover and a perfect view of the driveway, of Jess.

  The cold, wet leaves stuck to my face and hands, sending my body temperature plummeting. On any other day, I might have found it distracting, irritating, but it helped in my efforts to keep my eyes open.

  I watched Jess’s car as I waited for our stalker to make his move. Come on, you coward, she’s here. You must be upset she called the police this morning. Make a move, you fool. The sensation of a few drops began to pelt against the top of the leaf pile I was hidden in, and then it started to rain.

  Chapter 38-Jessica

  KNOWING KIRK WAS OUTSIDE MADE me feel safe, comforted, and protected as I spoke with Serenah in the dining room. We sat at one of the few tables in the area and had a wonderful view of the lake and the rain while we shared conversation over cups of hot cocoa.

  “Chelsea is probably the most excited for the mission trip in December,” Serenah said. “She’s been looking forward to it since last June after she graduated college.”

  “Tell me more about Chelsea.”

  Serenah’s face lit up. “She’s been a huge blessing to Charlie and me in more ways than one. She’s watched Emma a few times for us for date nights. Then last year, she started to help out with the kids during service when we were doing the church on the lake. Whatever we need, she tries to help out. Her parents come from money and aren’t really looking forward to her trip away from home, but they’re trying to be supportive.”

  “I know how that is. My dad is always worried about me.”

  She smiled and looked over at Emma as she crawled down the steps into the dining room. “Charlie’s the same with Em and she’s still so young.” Her eyes came back to me. “I think it’s a father thing to protect their kids—it’s instinct.”

  “It’s true.” Glancing at my paper, I continued. “So, Chelsea and a few others from the church are going to Mexico in December. Do they have a plan on what they’ll be doing down there?”

  “Yes,” Serenah nodded. “There is an orphanage in need of some repairs, and there is a church that also needs help. They’ll be down there for a total of three weeks, back in time for Christmas.”

  Nodding, I jotted down notes on what she said on my notepad. “Sounds like a neat experience for them all. Are you going too?”

  She shook her head. “I’m staying here. Maybe when Em gets a little older, I can go down with them one year, but not this time. Especially with how much help Charlie needs with the church. I don’t want to leave him here with Em and all the responsibility.”

  “I understand.”

  As I wrote a note about Serenah not going, something like the sound of gunfire shot from outside. My pencil’s tip broke against the paper.

  Chapter 39-Kirk

  JERKING MY HEAD TO THE right at the sound of gunfire, the sleepiness melted away instantaneously. I spotted a man with a gun pointed at my SUV. Another shot rattled off, the bullet hitting my windshield. The man replaced his revolver into a holster and got into a red BMW.

  Adrenaline coursed through me as I leaped up from the leaves and sprinted through the rain toward the street. Pulling my gun out from its holster, I shot twice as he drove off. One hit the back windshield, and the other strayed to the left, missing his car completely.

  By the time my feet hit the pavement of the road, he was around the corner and gone.

  The rain covered me in a cold suit of wetness and I had lost. This guy really was a pro. He wasn’t easily tricked, and I feared we’d only made him more enraged by trying to entrap him. As I turned around back toward the inn, I saw her—Jess. She was standing under the eave at the entrance of the inn, Serenah by her side. I didn’t want to tell them what happened, that he got away, that I’d failed.

  On my approach up the driveway to them, Jess suddenly sprinted out to me in the downpour.

  “Kirk!” she screamed.

  “I know. He got away.”

  She shook her head as she ran up to me and her eyes dipped to my torso. “No, it’s not that. You were shot.”

  “What?” Peering down, I ran a hand over the side she was looking at. I suddenly felt a ripping pain. I hadn’t realized it until that very moment, most likely due to the adrenaline. The sharp pain ripped across my torso like a machete slicing through a watermelon. Dropping to the pavement of the driveway, I knocked the wind out of myself. Looking up through the rain, I tried to keep my eyes fixed on hers. I said, “I’m sorry he got away.”

  Tears mixed with the rain on her face as she shook her head. She brushed the rain from my eyes as she said, “Don’t worry about it.” Glancing back toward the inn and then at me, she said, “Serenah’s calling an ambulance. They’ll be here soon.”

  The pain became too much to bear and I closed my eyes. Rain continued to pelt against my face, my cheeks. Suddenly, Jess’s warm hand slipped under mine and she gave it a squeeze.

  Chapter 40-Jessica

  SITTING IN A CHAIR BESIDE his bed, I waited patiently for Kirk to wake. He had fallen asleep from the concoction of pain medicines the doctors had given him in conjunction with exhaustion from being up for over twenty-four hours.

  A knock sounded on the doorway of the hospital room.

  Lifting my eyes from Kirk, I turned to see Serenah standing in the doorway with some clothing in her hands.

  Walking in, she glanced at him and then at me as I stood up.

  “Hey, how is he?” she asked softly as I came over and we hugged.

  “He’ll be okay.”

  “And how are you?” she asked. Dipping her head, she looked me in the eyes.

  “I’m scared.”

  She nodded. “I bet. Here, I brought you two some clothes.”

  Taking the shirts into my hands, I was overwhelmed by her kindness. My shirt had Kirk’s blood all over it, and Kirk’s was completely lost when the paramedics cut it off his torso. I wrapped my arms around her again for a hug. “Thank you.”

  “It’s just a couple of shirts, but you’re welcome.” She smiled at me as we released from our second hug.

  I laughed as I pulled back and wiped my eyes. “What is with me? I appreciate your caring.”

  She nodded and said, “Charlie and I are praying for you, and for Kirk’s fast healing. Keep me in the loop, okay?”

  “I will.”

  Serenah left and I turned my attention back to Kirk. Coming up to his side, I touched his hand. Flashes of earlier passed through my thoughts, seeing him hurt, wounded, and weakened. Our whole future swung in the balance. The paramedics arriving on scene was like from a movie. I had feared up until that moment that he was going to die. At the hospital, after he was awake and alert, we learned that the bullet had passed through his torso, missing vital organs as it tore through his flesh on the other side. No surgery would be needed to repair him or get a bullet out. God was watching over him.

  I went into the bathroom and put on my shirt, then placed his in the closet holding his pants and other personal belongings. As I shut the closet door, I heard something like his voice.

  Coming to his side, I held his hand and leaned slightly over him as I brushed my hand over his cheek. “Kirk?”

  “Jess?” his faint voice pushed out from his lips as his eyes opened.

  My heart jumped. I smoothed my thumb over the top of his hand as I peered in his eyes.

  “Hey.”

  He tried to move but let out a groan and relaxed his head back to the pillow. Another second passed before Kirk moved again. This time, he managed to sit upright.

  “He’s in a red BMW.” His words were heavy, laced with pain, but he wasn’t l
etting that hold him back from moving. He draped his legs over the end of the bed, keeping the blanket over his lower half, and touched his torso where the white bandage wrapped snugly around him. With no shirt on, his muscular arms and chest were in my full view, a view I didn’t mind in the slightest. There was a scar roughly six inches long going from his shoulder down across his chest. I had seen it earlier and was curious where it was from, but a part of me was scared to ask.

  “What? That’s not important right now. You were just shot! You have a hole in you! You need to rest.” Raising an eyebrow, my eyes looked at the pillow on the bed.

  He shook his head and surveyed the room. “There’s no time to rest. Where are my clothes?”

  “Your shirt was removed by the paramedics, but Serenah came earlier and brought one for you. It’s all in the closet.”

  He nodded. Kirk’s eyes found the cabinet and he started to stand.

  Placing my hand on his bare chest, I looked earnestly into his eyes. “You should really rest, please.”

  He kept the blanket wrapped around his waist and shook his head. Reaching over, he pulled the IV drip off its hook and made his way over to the cabinet. Opening the cabinet’s door, he blocked my view of him and dropped the blanket.

  Worry filled me as I didn’t think he could just leave a hospital. Turning my eyes away even though he was hidden, I said, “You probably need to talk to the doctors, Kirk. You can’t just get dressed and walk out of here.”

  “We have to leave. This stalker is a professional. I don’t think you understand. I’m pretty sure he wasn’t trying to kill me, just rattle me so I’d back off.”

  Just then, the door to the hospital room opened, causing us both to pause and look.

  It was Jax.

  “Jax,” Kirk said with a smile. Getting back into the closet, Kirk grabbed Charlie’s shirt and brought it over to the bed.

  “I figured you might need a little help getting out of here,” Jax said, coming around the bed.