As Long As You Both Shall Live: A Christian Contemporary Romance with Suspense (Dangerous Series Book 2)

by Linda K. Rodante

  “You need someplace where Dean won’t think to look.”

  “But…there would be other problems.”

  He squelched the exasperation. She didn’t need to receive the bite of the emotions he’d rode after hearing her scream over the phone, after hearing Dean’s threat against her, after the hospital fiasco. He steeled himself against a need to lash out at someone.

  “I think it’s a good solution.”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “No.”

  “You’re just being stubborn.” The words jumped out before he could stop them.

  Quiet filled the truck. She turned her head away, brought her hands to her face. Idiot. She’s been mistreated enough without your badgering. In the streetlights flashing past, he saw tears run out between her fingers.

  “I don’t… want… to fight you.” The words came between sobs.

  When he pulled into her apartment complex, he turned and gathered her into his arms. “I’m sorry, babe. It’s okay.”

  He ran his fingers through her hair, twisting the soft curls and feeling her warmth against him. Yeah, she was right. There’d be other problems. He kissed the middle of her forehead, remembering that her whole face seemed bruised.

  She sniffed. “I’m glad you got there. He…He was crazy.”

  “Don’t think about it. You’re safe now.” He leaned down to find her mouth. She clung to him. His fingers trailed down her throat, and he tightened his hold, intensified his kiss. Her mouth answered his.

  “I love you.” The words sounded rough even to him. He wanted her, more than ever.

  “I love you, too.” Her words were just as ragged.

  “Let’s go in.”

  She drew back a little, trying to see his face.

  He bent his head again, his mouth searching hers. “Let’s go in. I can help you forget this.” His hand touched her cheek, feather-light, hesitant.

  “John, no, I…” She was shaking. “We can’t.”

  “Why not? I love you. You—” He stopped, fighting the desire, halting the thoughts that accompanied it. The temptation surprised him with its force.

  She prayed under her breath. “Lord, help us.”

  His mouth twisted. She was safe, he’d said. Obviously not. Earlier this evening, she’d agreed they needed time apart. How easy it seemed to get her agreement, and he’d been deceived by that. Satan had a plan all the time.

  He mixed his prayer with hers. Lord, help us.

  It took another minute before he set her away from him. A long pause followed. “I’ll go check your apartment. Stay here.”

  She put a hand on his arm. “John, your place would be more of a temptation. Do you understand?”

  “Any place with you would be a temptation right now. I won’t stay. I’ll go in and check your place. Once you’re inside, lock and bolt the door. I’ll stay in the truck tonight.”

  “What if Dean comes back?”

  “He won’t. I’ll be fine.” It would be a struggle to leave her inside by herself, but much more if he was on the couch. His labored breathing sounded loud in the night.

  God will make a way of escape… The words swept over him, and he reached for the truck keys, saying, “Look, this is not going to work. I’m taking you to Alan and Daneen’s.”

  Car lights swept the parking lot, and a car pulled in next to them. Sharee jumped, twisting in her seat. John wrenched his head around. The car lights went out. He stared through the window and chuckled. “Your father.”

  “Thank God.”

  “Yes.” His voice held as much relief as hers. He put his arm across her shoulders. They sat in silence.

  Sharee’s dad climbed from the car and came over. John rolled the window down. Brian glanced from him to Sharee.

  “Well, I was on the way home but couldn’t make it.” He smiled at John. “She is my daughter, after all; and I thought I’d probably do better on the couch tonight than you.”

  John met his eyes, and he nodded. “Yes…” he agreed on a long note. “Yes, you will.”

  Chapter 12

  Still groggy from sleep, Sharee opened her bedroom door. She heard voices and stared across the living area at her dad and John who sat at her small kitchenette.

  “Honey,” her father said, pushing himself up from the table.

  Her eyes opened. “Oh!” She awoke with a start and jumped back into the bedroom, slamming the door. What was John doing here this early? She’d let her dad have it next time they were alone. The extra-large tee shirt she wore most nights covered her in a modest way, but she still felt embarrassed to be caught off-guard.

  Running her hands through her hair, she went to her bureau and pulled clean jeans and another tee shirt from it. Well, John had seen her at her worst in the hospital. A few minutes later, she took a deep breath and opened the door.

  Both men glanced her way and stared. John’s chair scraped the floor as he started to rise.

  She held up a hand then pointed to the bathroom. “Just let me clean up, please.”

  Closing the door after her, she pulled out her toothbrush and toothpaste and began brushing. Her eyes lifted to the mirror, and a strangled cry escaped her lips. The toothbrush clattered to the counter and into the sink.

  “Sharee?” Her dad voice sounded concerned. “Are you okay?”

  She didn’t trust her voice. She didn’t trust her eyes. She rinsed the toothbrush off, setting it on the sink, and picked up the mouthwash, rinsing it through her mouth. She did not look in the mirror again.

  “Sharee?”

  “I’m…okay.” Picking up the hairbrush, she ran it through her hair, keeping her eyes downcast. When she set it down, she took a long, slow breath and raised her eyes. Black and blue patches spread over both sides of her face. Her bottom lip was swollen. Tears spilled over her eyelids and down her cheeks. I look horrible.

  She heard quiet talking, and chairs moving; and then the door to the apartment open and close.

  “Sharee.” John’s voice came from just outside the door.

  “Give me another couple of minutes, please.” Steps moved away from the door. Her shoulders relaxed. What she wanted most was to crawl back in bed and hide.

  A few minutes later, John’s voice came through the door again. “Please come out.”

  She drew it open, keeping her head averted. He took her hand and drew her over to the sofa, pulling her down beside him.

  “It’s okay. You’re okay. The doctor said…”

  “I look terrible.”

  “Who cares? You’ll look fine in a few days…well, maybe in a week... or ten days...”

  She buried her head into his shoulder. Tears pooled behind her eyes. His hand stroked her hair. When she pulled away, she stared at the wet spot on his shirt, keeping her head down.

  “Where’s Daddy?”

  “He went to get lunch.”

  “Lunch? What time is it?”

  “After 1:00. You slept late.” His hand touched her cheek. “Sharee, look at me.”

  She swallowed, but slowly raised her head.

  His lips compressed, and his eyes darkened. “I’d like to get my hands on the man. But if I’d walked you to the door last night…”

  “It’s not your fault. Don’t say that.”

  “What I’d like to say would earn me a bolt from heaven.”

  She tried to smile, but it hurt her broken lip. “He was inside, anyway. And you came back. I don’t know how you heard…”

  “I made a u-turn in the middle of the highway when I heard you scream.” He stared out the window, his eyes dark still and hooded. “Probably a few drivers still recovering from that.”

  “John?”

  He shifted and took a deep breath. “Your dad and I had a long talk while you were asleep. He can relate to what I’m feeling. He’s…a godly man. You’re blessed to have him.”

  “I know.”

  “Someone needs to be here, Sharee. You’ll feel better if you’re not alone.
I’ll feel better.”

  “I know. I’ll ask Lynn, like you said. Mother can come in a day or two. You’ll change my lock?”

  “Yes. Today.”

  “They’ll find him.” She made it a statement but heard her own nervousness.

  “They will. He can’t go back to his own place or to his work; but he’ll need money.” John frowned. “He must have been watching you for some time.”

  “But he said he saw mom and dad leave the hospital. That’s how he knew I was there.”

  “Probably lying.”

  “Then you think he’s the one who’s been doing this?”

  “Detective Shepherd thinks so. We talked early this morning. He still wants to talk with you.”

  “Again?” She drew in a weary breath. “All right. You know, I hate to think of Dean following me, stalking me for awhile. And that I didn’t know. But what set him off?”

  “Maybe he was just keeping tabs on you and then we started to date. When I left for Indonesia, he might have assumed we broke up. How was he to know where I went? Then I came back. That could have triggered it. It was that day that I was run over. Right after dropping you off.”

  “He did tell me the night that you stayed here that he’d waited all night for you to leave, and that he’d been watching me since.”

  “He said that?” His look became distant once more. “You could go home with your Dad for a few days. That wasn’t a bad idea.”

  “And miss more work? When I went in for a short time the other day, they teased me about needing reliable help. I need to be there, you know that. I have work to do. I have clients that need me, classes to teach… “

  “Okay, okay.” He held up his hand and grinned.

  “And I have bills to pay.”

  “We can work something out about that.”

  “I’m not taking money from you. We’re not married yet.”

  “I keep hearing that. How long does it take to get a license in this town?”

  “John, be realistic.”

  “I am. Why wait three months if we don’t have to?”

  “If you think I’m getting married looking like this, you just think again.”

  One side of his mouth lifted. “You looked pretty cute in your tee shirt a while ago.”

  She punched his arm, but twisted toward the door when a sharp rap sounded.

  A key turned in the lock, and her dad’s voice preceded him into the room. “Look whom I found outside.”

  Lynn came in, carrying a sleeping bag and an overnight case. “Hope you don’t mind putting up with me for a few days, but I’m tired of having my best friend beat up.” Then she stared at Sharee and put her hand to her mouth, gasping. Her eyes rounded. “Oh, Sharee, I’m sorry!”

  She dropped her bags, crossed the room in two steps, and elbowed John aside.

  Tears filled Sharee’s eyes. “Oh, Lynn.” Two words were all she managed.

  ***

  “Forgive him?” John’s lowered brow and voice carried their own message. He wasn’t happy with her pronouncement. “I’d like to do a lot to him, but forgive him is not one of them.”

  “We don’t have a choice, John.”

  “You might not have a choice, but—“

  “If you two don’t mind,” Lynn stood with her hands on her hips, “I think I’ll run home. It’s wonderful that the police found Dean and arrested him. You don’t need me anymore. I’m going to scoot home and get ready for church.” She gave them both a huge smile. “You two can finish fighting without me.”

  Sharee grabbed a few of her friend’s things and helped her pack. “We’re not fighting.”

  “Oh, sure. Sorry.” Lynn stuffed a number of make-up items in a designer bag. “That’s just what it sounds like.”

  Sharee hugged her. “You’re the best friend ever. I’d forgotten how much fun you were.”

  “That’s because you spend all your time with John. I just get left out.”

  John looked up from knotting the tie on her sleeping bag. “Is there a competition?”

  Lynn sent him a look from between narrowed eyes, “You know, I really could use a wedding date. You’re not dragging your feet, are you?”

  “Me? If anything, I’m trying to move it up. The bride-to-be can’t find a good time for us to talk about it. I told her to just pick at date. I’m free any weekend.”

  “Any weekend?” Lynn’s eyes rolled. “Aren’t you going to have a honeymoon?”

  “Oh, we’ll have a honeymoon.”

  Sharee handed Lynn her purse. “Now that Dean is in jail, and all this craziness is over, maybe we can pick a date.”

  John’s face changed. “A few years in prison would be good for him.”

  “I never said he shouldn’t go to jail.” Sharee’s voice sharpened. “I only said that God loves him, and we need to have some compassion…”

  Lynn held up her hand. “The church service starts in less than an hour. I’m glad you came, John, so you can take Sharee. I’ll run home, and I’ll see you two there.” She gave them a mocking smile, lifted her bags, and went towards the door.

  John opened it, and Lynn left, shaking her head. He closed the door behind her and made a slow turn. “So, you’ve forgiven him already?”

  “John, he hasn’t got what we have. We have God. We have each other.”

  “And I’m supposed to forgive him, too, now that you have?”

  She bit her lip but said nothing. The relief, the elation, she’d felt—that they’d both felt—at Detective Shepherd’s call had vanished. Those jubilant emotions, for her, had only lasted a few minutes. The turn Dean’s life had taken was heartbreaking. John’s reaction was a hundred and eighty degrees different.

  Sharee dug her nails into her palms. “He’s in jail. I feel sorry for him.”

  “You what?”

  “Feel sorry for him.”

  “That’s ridiculous. I don’t understand that. He hurt you.”

  “I don’t understand you. How can you be like this?”

  “Me? Look what he did to you. What he tried to do to us both.”

  “He denied trying to run us down. He said he didn’t do that. Or chase me into the woods.”

  “And you believe him?”

  “I don’t know what to believe.”

  “But you forgive him?”

  “John, yes. It’s just there.”

  “He doesn’t deserve your forgiveness.”

  “We don’t deserve God’s forgiveness either.”

  ***

  Here they were again. Standing in church, singing praises to God, with this hardness between them. Was she a hypocrite when she answered Lynn’s question a few moments ago in the affirmative? Yes, she and John had argued, but did that mean she wasn’t fine? She listened to the words of the song. God was real, he was alive and he was in control. She could put her trust in him. And she would. Once more. Sharee slipped her hand into John’s as they stood together, singing.

  No, she wasn’t a hypocrite because she didn’t tell everyone her problems. She was fine because of God.

  John’s head turned, his gaze dropping to her.

  “I love you,” she mouthed.

  He gave a brief nod, but his hand tightened around hers. When they sat to listen to Pastor Alan’s sermon, his arm slipped around her shoulders. At the end of the service, he indicated the side door with a move of his head. She nodded, and they slipped outside and walked across the field to the pond.

  The dark water reflected the image of the tall cypress, Spanish moss and hanging fern. As they neared, a turtle scurried from the bank and hit the water, sending ever-widening rings to break the reflection. John pointed to the opposite bank.

  Sharee tilted her head, checking the abundance of fern and cypress knees. “What? Oh.” The alligator lay half hidden among the foliage. The sun’s rays had dried his dark hide to gray.

  “The anhinga’s in the tree above him.”

  “I wonder who steals fish from whom.”

 
“That would be good to get on an animal webcam.”

  “The service was good.”

  He slid a glance her way. “Guess I needed it.”

  “We both did. Amazing how Alan preaches right to our needs.”

  “God knows. Alan listens to Him.”

  “Yes.”

  “Sharee…”

  She heard the change in his voice and raised her head.

  “I’m sorry about losing my temper this morning. When your Dad and I talked the other day, he told me how he felt the first time Dean hit you, and he told me what God had done in his life so that he could forgive him. I should be able to do the same, but every time I look at your face, the anger builds. When you said you felt sorry for him, I wanted to explode. I couldn’t imagine forgiveness coming that fast. It’s going to take me longer.”

  “It’s okay.”

  “No, it’s not, but I’ll get there. One day. What was not okay was asking if I could come in the other night.”

  She’d said no, but she hadn’t wanted to. Was wanting to love him so wrong? God, why do you draw that line? Why—

  “I shouldn’t have asked.” He pulled her to him but stared over her head. “Ever since I entertained the idea of going out with you, I knew where you stood on that. Purity is right. Our relationship mirrors the relationship Jesus has with the church. We come to him pure because he’s washed us in his own blood.”

  “I said no, but I didn’t want to.”

  He dropped his head and smiled down at her. “And so you prayed.”

  “Yes.”

  “That was humbling when I heard it. And put me on the right track. Along with your father showing up.” He squeezed her. “Our culture today doesn’t understand purity, doesn’t understand yet what has been unleashed on us because we’ve let it slip. Like I told the youth—STD’s, uterine cancer, broken hearts, broken marriages, as well as sexual addictions that lead to rape, incest, and human trafficking.” He stopped and focused on her. “I thought I wouldn’t have a problem. But things started getting out of hand at the hospital, as you know. Still, I felt I could handle it. I didn’t see that as pride, but it was. As well as underestimating the enemy. I was blindsided by what happened to you.”

  “It’s okay, John.”