Hey Jaidon. You made it, amigo.” Roberto greeted Jaidon with a hug when he joined Roberto’s small group at the center. “Where were you last night? We missed you at church.”
Nathan and Ariannah joined the men. Jaidon was a little hesitant to answer the youth pastor’s question. He normally didn’t miss Wednesday night service. “I went to church with Catherine last night.”
“How is she?” Roberto stood with his arms folded across his chest. “I would’ve gone to the hospital to see her if I’d known they were going to keep her overnight.”
“That’s okay.” Jaidon was glad his friend cared enough to follow up on Catherine’s progress. “She’s doing better. She really wanted to come, but I persuaded her to stay home tonight. I didn’t think it was safe. Not after what happened.”
“I understand,” Roberto said.
“What’s her church like?” Ariannah rolled her eyes. “Bet you’re glad that’s over with.”
Jaidon was beginning to understand why Catherine seemed a little defensive when she first came to the center and everyone questioned her about her beliefs. Was she always met with negative attitudes? “It was wonderful. I liked it so much I’m considering joining.”
“You’re what?” Ariannah squeaked.
“No way.” Nathan, who was normally reserved, shook his head vehemently. “You belong at our church. There’s no way Dad’s going to let you leave.”
It was hard not to laugh. He knew Nathan meant his father would do everything he could to persuade Jaidon to stay…by friendly persuasion. While Nathan’s father may have been the senior pastor, he didn’t have the ability to keep Jaidon from changing churches. Only one person had that ability, and she was the reason he was willing to change. If he planned to marry her, their children needed to be brought up in the church they attended, and if they attended different churches…
Right now the only thing that was important was getting the clearness committee to approve his membership and marriage to Catherine. Then the two of them could work out their plans from there together.
“I appreciate all of your concerns.” Jaidon could tell by the strained look on Roberto’s face that he wasn’t happy with his revelation either. “But it’s my decision. And it’s not like you won’t ever see me again. I’ll still volunteer at the center, and I’m sure Catherine would agree to visiting our church from time to time.”
Ariannah pointed a finger at him and glared. “See. You still consider it your church. You’re only changing because that no good—”
“That’s enough, Ariannah,” Jaidon said sternly. “It’s obvious you never liked her from the beginning, but stooping to name calling is way out of line.”
“Mr. Taylor.” Jaidon turned when he heard his name shouted.
Tanesha.
She hadn’t been to the center in at least a month. The last time he saw her was at the hospital when Daryl had been shot. She ran over to him. “Bruno’s going after that woman to make sure she doesn’t say nothin’ about him.”
“That woman? Do you mean Catherine?” Jaidon stammered.
“I don’t know her name,” Tanesha said. “That woman.” She shook her hands frantically. “The one D-Dog robbed. Bruno has her wallet. He knows where she lives.”
“Thanks, Tanesha.” Jaidon fumbled for his cell phone and dialed.
“Hey, how are you?” Catherine’s melodic voice rang out.
She was safe. For now. “Sweetheart, listen. You need to make sure all the doors and windows are locked. I’m calling the police. I’ll see if they’ll send a squad car by your mom’s.”
“What’s wrong?” He heard the panic in her voice, mirroring his own.
“Bruno has your wallet. Was there any information in it, or in your purse, that might give away your mom’s location?”
There was a pause.
His heart quickened. “Catherine?”
“No,” she replied. “Not that I can think of.”
“Good.” Jaidon breathed a sigh of relief as he headed toward the door. “I’ll be there in a few minutes.”
“We’ll be praying for you,” Roberto called.
He glanced over his shoulder. “Thanks,” he said and jogged toward his vehicle while he dialed 911.
Catherine paced, peered out the blinds, and paced again. She didn’t know whether or not to be glad her mother wasn’t home.
Being alone right now scared her, but she didn’t want anyone else to get hurt either.
“For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind,” she reminded herself then flopped down in the recliner and started to pray.
The doorbell rang and she jumped. She heard loud voices before she reached the door; more than one person was outside her house. She peeked through the living room blinds. Jaidon stood on the porch with his hands raised in the air. Flashing lights flickered. An officer was pointing a gun. Her heart pounded in her chest. Jaidon wasn’t the bad guy. The police must have confused Jaidon for Bruno—the last thing she needed was for them to shoot him. She opened the door.
“Close the door!” Jaidon shouted over his shoulder. “And lock it!”
She stood dazed a brief second before doing as instructed. Catherine ran into her old bedroom that faced the front of the house and peered through the blinds. She caught a glimpse of a dark-skinned man holding a gun, pointed at one of the officers. She glanced at the commotion on the curb and in the street. Her breath caught when she noticed the black Ford Explorer. Bruno. He really was after her. And for what? Catherine shook her head and sighed. Violence was senseless. Lord, please help them to settle this peacefully.
“Put down the weapon!” the police yelled.
Bruno hesitated then relented. His odds weren’t good if he put up a fight. He might be able to shoot one of the officers, but the other one would take him down. Chances were the police officers had backup on the way. As soon as the thought passed through her head, Catherine heard sirens.
She rushed back to the living room and opened the door.
This time she was greeted by Jaidon’s smiling face. She flung her arms around his neck. “My hero.”
Jaidon squeezed her tight. “Don’t I wish.”
“But you are.” She leaned her head back and looked at him. Pain etched his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“He followed me here.” Jaidon ran a hand along the side of her face, staring at her as if he’d never seen her before. “You could have been killed because of me.”
“I wasn’t. God is faithful. He kept us safe.” Catherine kissed him on the cheek.
“Amen,” Jaidon said and nuzzled her close. He lifted her chin and stared into her eyes then claimed her lips in a breathtaking kiss.
The next morning Jaidon called his friend Harvey. “I wanted to thank you for taking Daryl Jones’s case. Any chance you’ve heard anything from the police about Bruno’s arrest?”
“For a workers’ comp lawyer, you sure get mixed in with the wrong element,” Harvey said. “Are you sure volunteering your time at that center is worth all the hassle? You could’ve gotten yourself killed.”
Or someone else. Jaidon closed his eyes. He’d talked with Catherine last night after the police left. She’d insisted she still wanted to volunteer at the center, even when he offered to quit and suggested they do something else together.
Catherine was right. They were making a difference. Even though Daryl had messed up, he tried to do the right thing. Tanesha had even warned him. She’d cared enough to reach out and let them know Catherine was in danger. “It’s a thankless job, but somebody has to do it.”
“Better you than me,” Harvey said. “Anyhow, the short of it is, I’ve gotten Daryl a deal in exchange for his testimony. Come to find out he witnessed several drug deals and can name some key players. Plus he saw Bruno kill a rival gang member who was trying to sell drugs in his territory. Bruno isn’t going to see the light of day for a long time.”
“That’s good to know.” Jaidon exhaled a deep breath. That was one load off his mind.
He just had to figure out how to transition his life to the upcoming changes. With time he knew his friends would be happy for him. Right now… He had to prepare Catherine for the resistance they might encounter in the meantime.
He also needed to write a letter.