by Debby Giusti
Fear flashed in Julia’s eyes. Abraham’s heart went out to her for the situation there were in. All she wanted to do was keep her son safe, yet they were walking into the middle of what appeared to be a clash between two street gangs. They were taking a big risk that could turn deadly.
“We have to keep walking.” Abraham put his hand on Julia’s shoulder and guided her forward. She scooted William closer to Abraham so the boy would be protected between both of them.
“Keep your head down,” Abraham said. “We will slip out along the side of the road. Act nonchalant.”
William looked as frightened as his mother. If they got out of this alive, the boy might understand the reality of being in a gang and change his mind about having anything to do with the Philadores.
The shouts on the street escalated. Abraham walked on the outside to protect Julia and William. Once they rounded the church, they stayed on the sidewalk, keeping their eyes averted so they would not make eye contact with any of the punks who might want to have fun at their expense.
“What about Pablo and Mateo?” Julia whispered.
“Grant said the people he called had spotted them.”
Julia glanced over her shoulder. “Pablo and his buddy are on the far side of the street.” Her voice was shaky and laced with fear.
“Keep walking.” Abraham wanted to look back as Julia had done, but he would not risk Pablo seeing him.
“Hey, you!” someone shouted.
“Stay calm,” Abraham cautioned.
“Pablo must have seen us,” Julia whispered.
“Just keep walking. If I say run, you and William head to the intersection where Randy will be waiting.”
“We won’t go without you,” William said.
The boy’s words touched Abraham’s heart. “You have to get your mom out of danger, William. I will stay back and distract anyone who tries to follow you. Can you protect her?”
“I can try.”
“Hey, you guys.” The voice came again.
Abraham glanced back. Two men were heading straight for them.
“Grant sent us,” the taller of the two men said as they approached. “The Philadores who followed you are being detained by some of our local guys. We’ll stay with you until we get to a safer area.”
A gunshot rang out. Abraham’s heart stopped.
“Sounds like things have gone south,” one of the guys said. “Let’s pick up the pace.”
Abraham, Julia and William started to run. Grant’s friends followed close behind.
“Cross here,” one of them said. “The street’s clear.”
Sirens sounded in the distance. More volleys of gunfire. “Did Grant order the violence?” Abraham asked.
“No way, man. Grant’s cool. He works to keep peace in the hood. It’s the local gangs. They’re fighting for their own turf. That area around the shelter can get bad. We watch out for Muriel, and Grant calls us in if anything comes too close to the shelter. Tonight, we didn’t expect gunfire.”
The other man pointed to an alleyway. “Head between those buildings, it leads to the intersection. Grant said you need to meet your driver there.”
Abraham glanced at Julia, worried that the pace was too much for her. She was keeping up but winded and, from the look on her face, scared to death.
William stayed close to his mom as if he was taking to heart Abraham’s suggestion to protect her.
The alley was narrow and the main road appeared ahead. Traffic whizzed by. Abraham hoped they would be able to find Randy.
One of the guys held up his hand. “Wait here. I’ll check the street.”
Julia leaned into Abraham. He put his hand on her shoulder.
“Did we escape without Pablo seeing us?” she asked.
“I hope so.”
“A car just pulled to the curb,” the guy announced. “Looks like your ride has arrived.”
Abraham squeezed Julia’s shoulder. “Let me go first.” But when he peered around the corner, his heart stopped. He did not recognize the car or the man sitting behind the wheel.
“Wrong car. We will wait in the alley.”
“Is it the gang member who’s after you?” Grant’s friend asked.
Abraham shook his head. “Someone new.”
“We’ll check it out.”
Grant’s friends walked toward the street and stopped near the car. They started laughing and making a ruckus, which gave Abraham a chance to study the car and driver. Finally, the vehicle drove off.
Abraham let out a deep breath.
Grant’s friends returned. “I don’t know who the driver was, but he had a Glock sitting in the passenger seat.”
Julia grabbed Abraham’s hand. “It could have been someone from the Philadores.”
Abraham spied Randy’s car across the street. “There is our ride.”
He turned to the two men and shook their hands. “Thanks, guys. You saved us.”
“Hey, you’re a friend of Grant’s. That’s all we need to know.”
“We appreciate the escort and help. I doubt we would have made it here unharmed without you.”
Their new friends looked up and down the street. “Get going now. The street’s clear. Things could change in a heartbeat.”
Abraham ushered Julia and William across the roadway. He opened the back door of the Amish taxi, and they all slipped into the rear.
“Do you know how glad we are to see you?” he asked Randy as he closed the door and buckled his seat belt.
Randy laughed. “The feeling’s mutual. This city isn’t for me, Abraham. Let’s get outta here.”
Gunshots echoed. “Sounds as if things haven’t calmed down near the shelter,” Julia said, glancing back.
“Stay down,” Abraham warned. “Until we are out of this area.”
Randy pulled onto the main road. Another car pulled in behind them. Abraham glanced over his shoulder. “That looks like the sedan that was parked on the road earlier. The driver has a Glock on the seat next to him, Randy. Probably a nine millimeter strapped to his hip. He might have an ankle holster, as well. See if you can lose him.”
Randy accelerated.
“Who is it?” Julia asked, her voice tight.
“No clue.”
Randy increased his speed even more.
“Hang a left at the next intersection,” Abraham suggested.
The light started to change. Randy accelerated through the yellow and turned left. The car behind them was forced to stop.
“Hit it, Randy.”
Traffic was light, and Randy pushed down on the accelerator, but before long Abraham spotted the car again.
They needed to dump the tail. “Take a right and a left. See if you can lose him.”
Randy nodded and followed Abraham’s promptings. Eventually they ended up on a four-lane boulevard lined with homes.
Before they had gone more than half a mile, the car reappeared behind them.
“The guy’s sticking like glue,” Randy said.
Julia groaned. “I’m scared, Abraham.”
“We are in good hands with Randy at the wheel, Julia. We will get through this.”
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“Absolutely.”
But he was not sure of anything, especially since the tail kept coming after them.
More sirens. Two police cars flew past, heading in the opposite direction.
Randy turned on the car radio and found the news.
“Police are advising everyone to stay clear of the area near the Fellowship Church Shelter,” the radio news commentator said. “Fighting has broken out between rival gangs. At this point, there are two confirmed dead with a number of life-threatening injuries.”
“What about the men who helped us?” Julia said. “I pray they
weren’t hurt.”
“They seemed to know their way around the city. My hunch is they stayed clear of the violence.”
“What about Grant and Muriel?” William asked.
“From what Grant said, the church is a neutral zone. I doubt anyone holed up inside would be hurt. The fighting would have been on the street.”
Randy turned off the radio and glanced over his shoulder. “I don’t see the car.”
“Which worries me,” Abraham admitted.
“Do we cross the bridge and head west or chill around here and kill time?”
“Bad choice of words,” Abraham said with a wry smile.
“Your call.”
“Take the bridge.”
Randy pulled into the turn lane and rounded the curve aimed toward the water. Abraham glanced over his shoulder and stared behind them.
“See anything?” Randy asked.
“Headlights, but I am not sure about the car.”
“Traffic on the bridge is light, which is good.”
The headlights were catching up to them. “Check the right-hand lane.”
Randy nodded. “Our tail doesn’t realize we’re exiting. Hold on, everyone.”
The car sped along the exit ramp.
Abraham grabbed the front seat to keep from slamming against the door.
William groaned.
“You doing okay over there?” Abraham asked.
“Even with my seatbelt buckled, I crashed into Mom.”
“No harm done,” she said. “Although I’d like to straighten up.”
“Keep your head down a few minutes more, Julia.”
Abraham patted Randy’s back as they crossed the bridge to the Kansas side of the city without their tail.
“That is what I call too close for comfort.” Randy let out a deep sigh and eased up on the gas.
Abraham looked back again to ensure they truly were free of the tail before he helped Julia straighten up.
“Are you okay?” he asked.
“A little shaken but no harm done.”
She looked at William. “What about you, hon?”
“I’m okay, Mom.”
“Sure?”
“Just worried about Grant.”
“Grant knows how to take care of himself,” Abraham said. “Plus he has friends who work with him seemingly for good. You need not worry, William, but instead offer a prayer of gratitude that God led us to the shelter.”
Julia took her son’s hands and both of them closed their eyes for a long moment. Abraham silently lifted up his own words of thanks to the Lord.
He smiled at Julia when she opened her eyes, but she was not smiling. She was tense and scared.
If they could get out of the city and onto the back roads, everyone could relax. It had been three years since he left law enforcement. Some days he had longed to put on his badge again, but being with Julia and fearing for her safety, as well as William’s, made him realize he was well ensconced in the Amish life and farming. He no longer wanted to fight crime.
Abraham wanted peace and tranquility, but he did not want the loneliness that he often felt on the farm. Julia and William and Kayla had awakened a need within him for companionship. He glanced at Julia. She had closed her eyes, her arm around William who rested his head on her shoulder.
Abraham had feelings for Julia and her children, although he could not put a name to those feelings. But he cared about them and he was relieved that they were headed back to Yoder. He prayed trouble would not follow them.
TWELVE
Randy turned the car radio back on to the easy listening station, but even with the restful music, Julia’s pulse continued to race. Mentally she knew they were safe, at least for now, but knowing what had happened and the memory of how close they had come to being caught in the middle of two warring gangs circled through her mind.
William’s breathing became shallow as he drifted to sleep. A swell of gratitude rose within her for all Abraham had done to keep them safe. A warmth filtered over her as he turned to her, his eyes filled with concern.
“I thought you were asleep,” he said in a soft voice so as not to wake William or distract Randy.
“Just grateful we made it out of the city.”
He nodded. “I will call Jonathan and let him know.”
“Tell him you kept us safe.”
“We worked together, Julia. I will tell Jonathan we make a good team.”
“He asked you to take care of us because he knew you were a good man, Abraham.” She smiled and then glanced at her son. “I hope William has learned his lesson. He was more frightened than I’ve ever seen him. Plus, Grant made a good impression on him, along with Muriel.”
“William made a good impression on them. He is a fine boy, Julia. Your hard work has paid off.”
Abraham’s words brought comfort. “For so long I didn’t know if William believed what I was telling him,” she said. “The street was a bigger draw than staying home with his mom and sister. I was afraid I would lose him.”
“But you did not lose him. Even when he ran away, you were able to find him.”
“Because of you, Abraham. If not for you, I would have lost my son.”
He took her hand and held it as the car traveled along the back roads. Julia’s pulse calmed and the tension that had gripped her eased. Abraham had come to her rescue. He had arranged for Randy to drive them, for Kayla to be cared for by Sarah and for ways to keep them away from the Philador gang in Kansas City. Julia would always be grateful.
* * *
Once they were out of the city, Abraham called Jonathan on Randy’s phone. He kept his voice low to keep from being heard by the taxi driver. “We are heading back to Yoder,” Abraham told Jonathan.
“That’s good news. You have William?”
“We do. We holed up in a church shelter not far from the bus station. A woman named Muriel runs the shelter in the basement of the Fellowship Church. Turns out some former gang members, who found the Lord and work to get kids off the street, came to our aid and arranged an escort. They got us to where we had arranged to meet our taxi.”
“You had the marshal’s office in Kansas City worried.”
Abraham pushed the phone close to his ear. “Did you contact them?”
“They sent a man to pick you up at the intersection where you planned to connect with Randy. The marshal followed you for a short time but eventually lost you.” Abraham smiled to himself. “The guy was driving a black Buick.”
“You saw him?”
Abraham glanced at Randy, grateful that he was focused on the road, and lowered his voice even more. “And the Glock he had on his passenger seat. We thought he was associated with the Philadores.”
“Since when does a US Marshal look like a street thug?”
“After everything that happened, we did not hang around to ask questions.”
“I’m sorry we couldn’t be more help. We’ll all breathe more easily once you’re back at the farm.”
Abraham would, too. He was ready for the danger to end, although Julia and her children would be looking over their shoulders for years to come. Would it ever end?
Abraham thought again of the people they had met at the shelter. Muriel was a good woman who helped so many. As Grant had mentioned, Abraham would endeavor to pay forward the outreach that had benefitted them. Many people were down and out. Instead of being reclusive and only interested in his own needs, Abraham vowed to get out more and help others.
Right now he was helping Julia, but she would not remain on his farm forever, much as he enjoyed having her and her family stay with him.
He turned to stare out the window and thought about what he had lost and what had returned to his life.
Could Julia ever fill the void left by his wife?
She
could. In fact, she had already done so.
THIRTEEN
Julia blinked her eyes open when Randy turned the taxi onto the road leading to Sarah’s house. She rubbed her eyes and sat up straighter.
“I hope we don’t frighten Sarah, knocking at her door at this hour.”
Abraham patted her hand. “She should be expecting us.”
The house sat dark at the end of the drive.
“I’ll wait here,” Randy said when he pulled the taxi to a stop.
Abraham helped Julia from the car. Together they walked to the porch where Abraham rapped gently on the door.
When no one answered, he peered through a window.
“Do you see anyone?” Julia asked.
“Sarah is probably sleeping upstairs with her daughter and Kayla.” He knocked harder, and when that failed to summon anyone, he rapped again.
Julia turned to glance over her shoulder, her heart pounding. “Why doesn’t Sarah answer the door?”
He shook his head and tried knocking again.
“Tell me everything is okay, Abraham, and that Mateo and Pablo haven’t been here.”
“Just as you mentioned, Julia. Everything is fine. We have to be patient.”
“Patient? I’m scared.”
“I will check the barn and see whether the buggy is there.”
“Would she have taken Kayla with her?”
“She would not have left the child here alone.”
Tears burned Julia’s eyes. She thought of everything that had happened. Now Sarah and Kayla were gone. How could anything worse happen?
* * *
After checking the barn, Abraham hurried back to the car where Julia stood waiting. “Something must have happened,” he told her. “Sarah’s buggy is gone. Perhaps she needed to visit an aging relative and took Kayla and her daughter with her. She would have left a note on the door of my house with information about their whereabouts.”
“If only that could be, Abraham.”
Julia climbed back into the rear seat. Her heart pounded. William was still asleep, oblivious to what was happening. She had worried about him so much while they were in the city, but she never thought anything untoward would happen to Kayla. Her mistake.
