Breaking Barriers (Love Is Book 8) Read online

  The parking lot appeared calm with only a few people wandering in and out of their units. It seemed an ordinary balmy evening by the beach, but a criminal had lurked out here and tried to kidnap, or worse yet, kill her. She went as limp as a soaking wet beach towel.

  Derick leaned down then he and the paramedic moved her to a stretcher. “You seem fine, but Hank’s transporting you to the ER to have you checked out. I’ll meet you there. You can tell me what happened then.”

  Ann raised her head. Two police cars sat in front of the condo, yellow crime scene tape across the door. She let out a weak gasp then lay back. She was like a wounded bird barely able to tweet. Hank slid her into the emergency vehicle.

  “Your neighbors called and reported a woman screaming. They were gathered around you when we arrived, but most of them have gone inside now, and CSI’s investigating. You’re going to be fine. Try to relax.” Hank gazed at her with caring blue eyes.

  Ann tried to smile at his kindness, but her frightened lips barely moved. How could this happen to her? Why was this happening to her? It seemed surreal, but she was too tired to think about it.

  Within thirty minutes the ambulance arrived at the hospital, and the paramedic transported her inside. She soon lay on a bed with a beige curtain drawn around it, an antiseptic smell filling her nostrils. She sat up and opened the drawer in the metal chest, where the nurse had placed her purse. She rummaged until she found her cell phone and punched in Freddie’s number. “Hi, this is Ann.”

  “I can barely hear you. Are you all right?” Concern lined Freddie’s voice.

  “I think so, but I’m in the ER. I’m not sure how long I’ll be here. Would you open the store tomorrow after church?” After what happened at Christ Church most churches no longer held services, but Ann spoke out of habit. “Well, I meant at noon.” She couldn’t keep sadness out of what was left of her voice, and she hoped with every ounce of strength left in her the situation would change.

  “Of course. What’s wrong?”

  “Someone attacked me. I’ll probably be able to come to work, but right now everything’s such a mess.”

  “No. Don’t even think about it. Are you at Caring Hearts Hospital?”

  “Yes. Well, thank you for tomorrow. That relieves my mind.”

  Ann slid her phone back in her pocketbook as Derick slipped through a slit in the curtain. “Ahh, you look much better. The color’s returned to your face. I’m glad to see it, but I’m also here in an official capacity to ask you a few questions.”

  Ann usually looked past Derick’s uniform and saw him as her friend when he patrolled in front of Beach Lady, but his words reminded her that he had obligations she knew nothing about. Would they require him to report a secret Christian organization? The anti-Christian group constantly proposed numerous laws restricting Christianity. It was hard to remember which ones had passed lately. She dare not mention James’s suspicions. “Life seems unreal as though I suddenly dropped into a strange world, but I’ll tell you what I can.”

  “Okay, explain the assault, giving me all the details you can remember.” He pulled a pad and pencil from his pants pocket.

  Ann told him as much as she could recall from the time she unlocked the door to her condo to when she regained consciousness in the yard.

  He wrote furiously. “Is that all?”

  “Yep. That’s it.”

  Derick placed the eraser end of his pencil to his cheek. “I can’t help but wonder if the threat and this attack are connected to the initial crime at Allied Bank and Trust. Do you know anyone who resents your being a Christian, or is there a reason you’d be singled out by someone who hates Christians?”

  Ann’s heart sank to her toes. James’s words about an anti-Christian trying to get rid of her echoed in her head. The horror, the possible truth of what he said and her loss of him hit her like rocks. She put her head in her hands to shield her thoughts because her heart couldn’t bear them, but it did no good. Tears swelled inside, but she had to be strong. She swallowed them.

  She didn’t know Derick’s opinion of an underground Christian organization. People behaved in such strange ways now that Christianity had become a societal no-no and even more so since the shooting at the church. Even if Derick was sympathetic to the members of Christ Church and approved of the group, who might he tell? She and her band of Christians could trust no one. “I’m not sure any Christian’s safe now. Someone was probably trying to rob me.”

  “Oh, you didn’t mention anything missing.” Derick thumped his pencil on the pad. “I don’t understand why a robber would turn on your gas oven.” His words softened almost as though he talked to himself.

  It was hard to think. Ann certainly wasn’t going to make up something, but she had no intentions of saying anything that would lead Derick or anyone else to True Light Guardians. “I must have surprised him when I came downstairs. I have no idea why he would turn on the gas unless he thought it might be a distraction if I caught him in the act. You know, as if I’d think I left it on and rush to the kitchen while he snuck outside.”

  Derick rubbed his forehead. “Yeah. I guess I can see that. Now, you say he grabbed you from the sliding glass door. Did something look amiss? What made you go over there?”

  “I wanted to let in fresh air.”

  “I see. I don’t know why a robber wouldn’t run. Wouldn’t he want to escape before you identified him, or worse yet, what if you’d called the police, and they were on the way? Do you have anything someone else wants?”

  All Ann could think of was her position with True Light Guardians. Weakness crawled up her spine and swallowed her.

  “It’s possible you don’t know what it is.” Derick’s cell phone rang. “Excuse me.” He placed the mobile to his ear and nodded occasionally until he hung up. Then he slipped it in his pants pocket. “The Crime Scene Investigators have finished. They may have some answers for us. You hang in there.”

  After Derick left, Ann prayed..

  Oh, dear Lord, give me answers. What am I to do? I’m afraid for my life, but I can’t put True Light Guardians in danger. I’m trusting You to show me the way to safety and how to protect True Light Guardians. In Christ’s name I pray. Amen.

  A hand pulled apart the slit in the curtain and Derick reappeared. “There’s a guy in the waiting room who says he’s here to see you and take you home if you’re released. Claims he works with you, a Freddie Smithers. I wanted to make sure you know him.”

  “Freddie! Yes, I know him. How kind of him.” Clearly, she had misjudged Freddie terribly. “He’s a friend.”

  “All right. I’ll leave you now. I’m going out and catch this creep, so your life can return to normal.”

  Derick stepped away.

  Would her life or any other Christian’s ever be normal again?

  * * *

  James sifted through the stack of papers on his mahogany desk in the spare bedroom in his third-story condo. The glow from the spotlights outside seeped through the blinds and created shadows on the blue carpet. Only muffled noises of people talking in the hall broke the silence. He always could think better here than in his office on Highway 98, with the phones constantly ringing and renters dropping by to pick up their keys or ask questions. Here was a confirmation from a Snowbird coming December first.

  This fall, winter, and into next year Crawford Rentals exceeded his expectations, a reason for contentment at least, if not celebration, in this economy. Yet an ache in his heart that he didn’t understand plagued him night and day. He tapped his pencil on his desk. It’d been there ever since he told Ann he couldn’t see her again. The good time they had in the Everglades ran in his head every day like a film stuck in a projector. Why couldn’t she see it that way? Just the two of them relaxing and enjoying life. Apparently he wasn’t enough for her. Relationships required commitment and obviously she didn’t want to make one. Life was hard. He’d recover.

  The phone rang. He jumped. “Hello, James speaking.”
/>   “This is Freddie.”

  “Hi, how are you?”

  “I’m fine. I figured you and Ann sort of broke up and all. But I thought you’d want to know she was attacked.”

  It wasn’t like he didn’t know another attack was coming. He couldn’t live with it. “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “Right now she’s at Caring Hearts Hospital. I’m here too. I’ll take her back to her condo when they release her.”

  James slumped in his seat. His insides turned to mush. How badly was Ann hurt? “I’m going to be honest. I’m terribly upset to know that. I want Ann to be safe and have a good life more than you could ever imagine, but she insists on putting herself in harm’s way. I saw you at the meeting of True Light Guardians. I stayed out of the way, where no one, especially Ann, would notice me, but I’m sure you could tell how fearless she is. She refuses to acknowledge someone from an anti-Christian group is stalking her.” James’s voice cracked. “I don’t know what the perpetrator has in mind, kidnapping, maiming, frightening her, or worse yet...” He choked up.

  “I understand, but I think I can help. I’ll call as soon as she’s released. I have something to share I think both of you will want to hear. Please meet us at her condo.”

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  An outpouring of gratitude for Freddie’s help flowed through Ann as he led her to the rose and blue sofa. She patted his hand. “Thank you for coming to the hospital and bringing me home. I don’t know what I would’ve done without you.”

  Freddie’s eyes softened around the corners. “You’re welcome. Do you want anything? A cup of tea or coffee?”

  “That’s a good idea. I’ll...”

  Freddie held up his hand. “No. I’ll fix it.”

  The sensation of being dragged outside haunted Ann, chilling her bones. Freddie couldn’t leave the room. “You don’t think he came back, and he’s hiding in here listening to us, do you?”

  “I’ll check the condo if you want, but after the cops swarmed all over the place, I doubt he would risk returning tonight.”

  Reason cracked the icy fear that froze Ann in the dreadful moment when she was yanked from her home. “You’re right. I’ll take the tea.” She sank onto the couch, and Freddie went into the kitchen.

  Ann leaned back and gazed into the darkness covering the sliding glass door, the curtains still open. How much longer could she cope with the threats and attacks? She wanted to be strong for True Light Guardians, but her courage had shrunk like the rayon dress she recently washed in hot water. Could she lead the next meeting? What had happened to her iron will that refused to let this sleaze ball get the best of her? She’d had it the last time she told James she’d never give up as president of the group. Had she drawn strength from him because she assumed he’d take care of her? An ache hit her in the stomach and she doubled over.

  Freddie took tiny steps as he carried a steaming mug of tea toward Ann. “Here ya go.” He handed it to her.

  The aroma soothed her. “Oh, that’s wonderful. Thank you so much.” She sipped the drink and directed her gaze at the drapes.

  “Let’s shut these.” Freddie drew them then went back to the kitchen and returned with a cup of instant coffee. He sat down, sipped his drink, and set the potion on the glass-topped wicker coffee table. He fidgeted in his seat and stared at the entrance.

  Alarms went off in Ann’s brain. “Are you expecting him to come back? Earlier you said you didn’t think—”

  “No. No. Absolutely not.”

  “Why do you keep peering in that direction like you think someone’s going to break in?”

  Freddie sat up. “Was I?”

  The doorbell rang, and Ann jumped.

  Freddie hopped up. “I know who that is. I’ll get it.” Freddie disappeared and returned with James.

  Ann put her hand over her mouth. Speechless, she couldn’t stop the tears from cascading down her cheeks. She hadn’t cried that way since she was a kid and held in a hurt until she saw her mother. Then she’d let it all out.

  James reached the sofa, and she sprang to her feet. His eyes grew misty as he pulled her close to him. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sobbed. He held her tight, and his strength poured onto her.

  “Uh-hmm. I’m glad I could bring you two together, but that’s not the only reason I asked James to join us. I have something to tell you.”

  Ann stopped crying, raised her head, and swiped the tears off her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”

  James wiped the corners of his eyes with his knuckle. “Right. Let’s sit down.”

  James and Ann plopped down on the sofa. Only a cricket chirping outside and the scraping of the chair Freddie pulled up from the dining room table broke the silence.

  Freddie dropped down into the seat and rubbed his knees. “I recognized a guy at the True Light Guardians meeting at Dunes by the Sea. He was the same creep that came in Beach Lady.” Freddie directed his gaze at Ann. “He’s the guy you thought might rob the store, remember?”

  Ann gasped. “Yeah.”

  “At the time, he looked familiar, but I couldn’t place him, probably because I was too angry to think straight and he looks different than when I knew him. He’s no longer clean shaven. He has long, scraggly hair. He’s aged badly too, but I ID’d him at the meeting. He was a translator for the Army when I served in Kuwait, and he wasn’t a Christian.” Freddie raised his eyebrows, and his eyes widened. “As a matter of fact, if I ever saw someone passive aggressive against Christians, it was him. Most of our Bibles, New Testaments, and crosses went missing.” Freddie shook his head. “I always believed he took them. The soldier who bunked next to me read devotionals out loud from time to time. One night The Worm...that’s what we called the sleaze ball. The Worm glared at him and mumbled, ‘I oughta get the anti-Christians to take care o’ you.’” Freddie took a deep breath. “I can’t imagine why he’d go to a Christian meeting unless...”

  Ann sat on the edge of her seat, her nerves tingling. “Unless he’s a spy. How did he find out about True Light Guardians?” She put her hand over her mouth. “One of the churches has a mole. That has to be it. We all took a vow not to tell anyone about our meetings unless we knew he or she was a Christian. It’s hard to imagine someone who hates Christians sitting through even one worship service, let alone attending regularly.” Her voice trailed. “Unless he is highly motivated. What or who motivated The Worm?”

  James popped up as though Freddie had stuck him with a pin. “Maybe we can find out.” He directed his gaze at Freddie. “What’s his real name?”

  Freddie knitted his eyebrows. “I used to know. Let me think a minute. I can see it now on his mail. Emir. The last name was Jaffers. Yeah, that’s it.” A hint of pride rang in Freddie’s voice as if being able to recall the information pleased him.

  Ann’s heart pounded. “Isn’t Emir a Middle Eastern name?”

  Freddie scratched his head. “He doesn’t look Middle Eastern, and as I told you, he was in the United States military. Maybe one of his parents is from there.”

  James turned toward Ann. “It doesn’t matter where he’s from, just whether or not he’s evil. Can I use your laptop?”

  Freddie leaned forward, his green eyes wide. “It’s hard for me to imagine him having an Internet presence. If he’s surfing to find his victims, he wouldn’t want to draw attention to himself.”

  “I know. I’m grasping at the air, but we have to start somewhere. He has to have some type front for his dirty work.”

  Ann hurried up the steps, grabbed the laptop from the desk in her bedroom, padded downstairs, and set it in front of James. “Here.”

  She dropped down beside James as he turned it on. He punched the keyboard, pages popping up then disappearing from the screen. Finally, he pointed to a line. “It’s right here. He’s advertising collectible stamps for sale.” James clicked the keys. “That’s probably his home address. There are no businesses on Backwater Drive. Tomorrow I’m going to ride by his house.”
<
br />   “And do what?” Freddie asked.

  “I’m not sure. I want to see what the home tells me.”

  Freddie leaned back in his seat. “I like that. I’ll ride with you and see what it tells me too.”

  Discussing him made Ann’s skin crawl, but she wanted to go. “What time?”

  “No.” James pulled her next to him. “You stay here and rest.”

  Freddie nodded.

  Maybe sensing they thought her too fragile to go triggered her determination, or maybe having James by her side fueled her bravery. She would pop like a balloon with too much air if they didn’t take her with them. A little joke swelled inside her. “I know him better than either of you.” She snickered. Then she tilted up her chin. “I have a right to snoop on him.”

  James and Freddie glanced at each other.

  Freddie bit his bottom lip. “Yeah. I can see that. If it’s all right with James, it’s fine with me. You stay here, and I’ll work in your place tomorrow until six o’clock. The two of you can swing by and pick me up. Since it’s Sunday, no one has to stay late.”

  James touched Ann’s arm. “All right, I understand. Even though I’d rather know you were here where you’re safe.”

  “I’m not safe here. What if he comes to my condo while you’re gone?”

  “You have a point,” James admitted.

  Butterflies danced in Ann’s stomach. She could only imagine what they’d see at The Worm’s house.

  * * *

  Red and golden hues shone outside the window of James’s beachfront living room Sunday as the sun sank from the sky toward the sea. The last time he’d relaxed by the ocean he and Ann had gone to the state park to watch the baby turtles.

  He’d been so anxious to pry her away from her position at True Light Guardians. The fear someone would hurt her had haunted him to the point he could no longer stand it. He’d been foolish to think breaking ties with her would make his concern vanish. It’d made his anxiety worse. At least when he’d taken her out, he’d known she was safe with him.

  He paced back and forth across the blue carpet. Breaking up with Ann for being so stubborn had seemed so right. Now it seemed so wrong. She’d tried to tell him she was called to lead True Light Guardians and couldn’t give it up. Why hadn’t he listened to her, supported her, and trusted God to take care of both of them? Could he do it now? He squared his shoulders. He had to do the best he could and turn the rest over to God. He glanced at his watch then picked up the directions and left his unit.