by Scalzo, Russ
“Really? You like her, huh? I knew you would. She’s a babe.”
Jack laughed. “Yes, Frank. She’s a babe. She is also a very sweet girl. We are just getting to know one another, though. It’s a process.”
Frank stood up from the table. “A process? Oh brother… it’s not a process.” With his arms crossed and pressing his Bible close to his chest, he jokingly said, “It’s love, man. It’s love.”
Jack rolled his eyes. “Get out of here! It’s late. Remember, first service nine o’clock.”
Frank laughed. “Okay, I’ll be there. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”
Frank walked out to his car, opened the door, looked back at Jack and said, “Thanks for praying for me all that time. You’re a good friend, and hey, I’m telling you, don’t blow this one, buddy. That Emily, she’s a keeper.”
Jack raised his arm and pointed towards the end of the driveway without saying a word. He didn’t want to hear any more words of wisdom from his friend… at least for tonight.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
It was another beautiful morning in Eastern Virginia. The thermometer read seventy-two degrees and there was a warm, gentle breeze blowing from the southwest. Jack was up early, excited to introduce Frank and Emily to his friends at church. He was a little nervous, hoping they would both enjoy the service and, of course, anxiously counting the minutes until he would see Emily again.
Finally, it was time to go. Jack jumped in the car and headed off to pick up Emily. It was normally a short drive, but to Jack, it seemed too long. He pulled up to Emily’s apartment building right at 8:30 a.m., got out of his car and started walking up the sidewalk when the front door of the apartment building opened and Emily came out. She had been waiting and watching for him for the last fifteen minutes from her second story window. Jack’s eyes immediately lit up upon seeing her. She had on a beautiful, floral-print dress and a white, half-sleeve sweater. Her hair, her eyes, everything about her was beautiful. It was like he was seeing her for the first time all over again.
“Hi! I’m ready,” she said, glowing.
“Wow, you look great!” Jack was mesmerized.
He opened the door for her, walked around to the driver’s seat, and slid behind the wheel.
“I hope you like the service today. Pastor Eli is very laid back. He teaches in his jeans and sport shirt, but he really knows the Word. I think you will like him. My buddy Frank is coming for the first time today, too. He just came to the Lord last week. He is really pumped up.”
“That’s awesome. Wow… God is really doing a lot of new things lately.”
Jack smiled at her in agreement. “Yeah, I guess you could say that.”
It wasn’t long before they were pulling into the church parking lot. Jack could see Frank standing by his car waiting for him. “What an incredible day!” Frank shouted. “Hi, Emily! I’m Frank. So good to see you outside of CJ’s.”
“Hi, Frank. I’m glad to be here,” Emily reciprocated his excitement.
Jack took Emily’s hand and they all started walking up the steps to the front of the school. Jack felt like he was floating on air with his new girl and his best friend in tow. It felt pretty cool.
Jack introduced Frank and Emily to a couple of people on the way in, and then they found three seats just as the service started. Jack positioned himself between them so he could answer any questions that might come up. As the worship band kicked in, he looked over at Frank - he was smiling from ear to ear.
Frank leaned over and said, “I never thought it was going to be so cool. I love it.”
Emily was already clapping her hands to the music and worshipping the Lord. Jack thought to himself, Can it get any better than this?
The pastor finished his message with a challenge to the congregation to follow close to the Lord and to stay faithful to their weekly small group meetings, which were held in various homes throughout the community. Most people knew Jack even though he didn’t necessarily know all of them. It was easy for everyone to see that Jack Bennett now had a lovely young lady sitting next to him. After more introductions, Jack, Emily and Frank made their way back to the door leading to the parking lot. Pastor Eli stood by the door saying goodbye to each one as they came by.
“Hey, Jack! Good to see you. Who’s the young lady?”
“Good morning, Pastor Eli. This is Emily Richardson.”
Pastor Eli reached out his hand and greeted her, “Good to meet you, Emily. I hope you enjoyed the service.”
“It was wonderful, Pastor. I loved everything about it.”
Before Jack could introduce Frank, Pastor Eli jumped in.
“And this must be Frank. I’ve heard a lot about you over the past few years. When I saw you come in with Jack, I had a strong feeling that it was you. We’ve been praying for you, Frank.”
“I appreciate that… more than you know, Pastor.”
The pastor put his hand on Jack’s shoulder and said, “You stick with Jesus and this guy, and you’ll be alright.”
“I plan on it,” Frank said with a smile. “It was great to meet you.”
With his hand still on Jack’s shoulder, Pastor Eli said, “Let’s get together for lunch this week. I want to catch up with you and talk about a few things.”
“No problem! The sooner, the better for me. I think I’m going to have an interesting week. How about tomorrow morning? Is that possible?”
“Normally I am not available on Mondays, but that actually works for me. Let’s do it. Is your place all right? Say, ten o’clock?”
“My place it is. See you then,” Jack said as he waved good-bye.
They made their way back to their cars. Frank took off for Washington D.C. where he had a nine o’clock meeting the next morning. Jack and Emily drove back to Jack’s place.
Emily made herself comfortable as Jack began his assault on the kitchen. After a nice breakfast, Jack’s famous waffles and bacon, they went out onto the front porch where they sat together on Jack’s new outdoor sofa and enjoyed the beautiful surroundings and the fresh air. Jack put his arm around her and Emily intuitively laid her head on his shoulder. For a few minutes they just sat there, enjoying the moment. They were both old enough to know that this was a special time and they wanted to enjoy every second of it.
Jack put his hand under her chin, lifted her head up slightly and looked into her eyes. “Emily, you look absolutely beautiful.”
He tilted his head slightly and kissed her. Emily responded with a kiss of her own and, for a few minutes, Jack felt like a schoolboy kissing a girl for the first time. It was so sweet and new. As he turned his head, a breeze blew her dress slightly. Jack glanced down at her legs for a second. She was very beautiful, but he knew he would have to be very careful. He couldn’t let his feelings get the best of him. He didn’t want to do anything that would lead or tempt Emily to go down the wrong path. In days gone by or, as he liked to put it, in his B.C. days, this would have eventually led to the bedroom. Maybe not today, but tomorrow or the next time they were alone. Jack thought that even though that might be the thing to do in today’s world, there was way too much at stake for it to even be considered. He wanted to please the Lord and honor Emily at the same time. There was nothing more that the darkness would like to see than to have him and Emily fall and, in the process, get Jack and his ministry out of the way for a while. He really liked her. He liked her too much to even consider going down that road.
Emily gently touched his cheek, “You know I prayed for months that God would bring us together and yet it’s hard for me to believe I am sitting here with you at your house and holding you like this.”
Jack took the opportunity to say something he hoped would come out right without sounding presumptuous or inappropriate at all.
“I know we have only been on two dates.” He paused and asked, “I guess this is a date, right?”
Emily smiled and said, “I think that’s safe to say.”
“Well, I really like you. I mea
n, I’m not a kid anymore. I know what I feel and I believe I now know how you feel.”
Emily could see he was having an awful time getting whatever it was he wanted to say out, so she stopped him there.
“You don’t have to say anymore. I have had bad relationships and I have made major mistakes in my life, so I’m not offended. I feel the same way. As crazy as it sounds, I love you and I want us to do the right thing. Trust me, I feel it too. It will be all right. We’ll work on it together, okay?”
Jack could hardly believe that she had taken the words out of his mouth. He felt so relieved and responded, “You are awesome. I do love kissing you so we’ll keep that part, okay?”
Emily laughed out loud. “Oh yes. We’ll keep that part.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Monday morning found Washington D.C. bathed in a steady rain as Senator Wellsenburg’s limousine pulled up to Reagan National Airport where Dante Adal was waiting for him in his private jet. The Dassault Falcon 900LX was fueled and ready to go. The senator was traveling alone today, but that was normal procedure whenever he met with Adal. He always carried one small personal bag and a briefcase that held his tablet, a burner phone for calls he didn’t want anyone to know about, and a few important documents he was required to review. He wasn’t entirely sure why Dante called this meeting, only that there were some very important people who wanted to meet him and discuss his future.
Once aboard, the pilot was given the go-ahead for takeoff. Within minutes the jet was in the air and leveling off at course altitude. The cockpit door swung open and Dante Adal swaggered down the aisle and sat down next to the senator. He loved flying and always insisted on taking part in the takeoffs.
One of Dante’s personal flight attendants approached Senator Wellsenburg and asked, “Would you like a drink, Senator?”
Dante always had several beautiful young ladies accompany him on his flights. He found them to be both pleasing and useful.
“Yes, I’ll have a scotch on the rocks.”
“Hennessy Paradis for me,” Dante said firmly.
The senator raised his eyebrows, “That is an exceptional cognac.”
Dante gave him a smug look. “Why should I drink anything less?”
Senator Wellsenburg loved expensive things and nothing impressed him more than a man who was a connoisseur of all.
“I was asked by my superiors to remind you that you must renew you efforts to convince your fellow senators to pull back U.S. military support for Israel. We have great plans for the whole Mid-East area and don’t want any interference from the United States. You have to think bigger, Senator. The whole world is there for the taking. We are making great strides on many of the U.S. campuses; anti-Semitism is on the rise, fueled by demonstrations by Muslim activist groups promoting the Palestinian cause. However, we need to make sure we keep all fronts moving forward. The American people, especially this new generation, must become completely disenchanted with Israel. Do you understand?”
A small bead of sweat appeared on Wellsenburg’s forehead as he formulated a response. “Dante, that is very difficult for me to do. There is still quite a bit of support for Israel in the Senate. You have to remember that I have voted to support Israel in the past. My change of position has caused more than a few eyebrows to rise. I have made some inroads, but it is difficult.”
“I thought you were on our side, Senator? I urge you to keep our little deal in mind. You know, the one that helped you get where you are today. I don’t want to hear that. The Jews have been the bane of my existence since they became a people. Do you have any idea how many times we have attempted to eliminate those people down through the ages? There is always one that rises up and gets in the way. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joshua, David, Mordecai, Esther… and the list goes on and on. We sat beside Nero and the Roman Empire, Hitler and the Third Reich. We were there guiding them, inspiring them, and those damn Jews still survived. Do you plan on being the one getting in the way this time, Senator?”
Wellsenburg backpedaled for a moment. He thought, Noah? Abraham? Moses? What in the world is he saying?
“By we, do you mean the society?” he asked, cautiously. “I had no idea that the Sons of Nimrod had such a place in history. You never mentioned that before. How do you know all of this?”
Dante was in no mood to be cross-examined. His countenance changed drastically. He wasn’t about to divulge that he was, in fact, talking about himself and other powerful beings. He gave the senator a piercing look that shook him to his bones and made his blood run cold.
“It is called the Sons of Nimrod is it not?” he questioned him sarcastically. “Or did you think you and your Washington cohorts came up with that all on your own. If you need a history lesson, Senator, I will give you one someday, but now is not the time.”
Dante readjusted himself in his chair and peered into Wellsenburg’s eyes. “I asked you a question before. Do you plan on being the one getting in the way this time, Senator?”
Wellsenburg rubbed his chin and took another drink.
Clearing his throat, he answered, “No, I have no other plans. You know that. I need your support to become the next President of the United States. You said a new world order was coming and that as President, I would have an integral part in bringing that about.” Putting his drink down, he added, “And that is my one and only plan.”
Dante sat back in his chair, satisfied he had put the subject to rest.
“Fine. We have other things to discuss, so let’s get down to business. There is a rash of new church groups popping up all over America. Not church buildings, but groups of believers utilizing schools and other public buildings for their services. We need a law to keep them out of all public places. I want them shut down. They are beginning to wreak havoc within the spirit world. Their faith must be crushed and they must be scattered.”
Wellsenburg’s ears perked up and a puzzled look crossed his face. He knew Dante was different and seemed to have some kind of mysterious dark power about him, but he didn’t really know much more than that.
“The spirit world? I don’t understand.”
Dante reached over and took a sip of his cognac. He knew he had revealed a little more than he intended to, at least for now.
“I use that terminology often to express the general atmosphere around certain situations that we have to deal with. It’s really more like karma. You will become accustomed to its usage as we continue to move forward on future projects.” Dante knew what those future projects would be.
The senator accepted the answer for now, nodded and decided it best to move on. He knew better than to ask any more questions. Perhaps he would save them for another day.
“I can’t be away from Washington for too long,” Senator Wellsenburg explained. “I have some important budget hearings to attend. Who exactly are these associates of yours and what is their agenda?”
“Not to worry. My pilot will fly you back in the morning. It is vital to your run for the presidency that you meet these men. If all goes well, you will have more than enough money for your campaign. There will be enough time for questions during the flight, but for now, I think you need to relax and enjoy some female companionship. Ladies?”
The good senator always enjoyed these meetings. Dante Adal knew how to keep his little marionettes happy.
* * *
Frank got out early from of his nine o’clock meeting at the J. Edgar Hoover Building at 935 Pennsylvania Avenue, and walked out into the light rain that continued to fall in D.C. He was on a mission. Grabbing his phone, he called Jack and headed to his car. The phone rang and rang until finally Jack picked up.
“Hey, Frank. What’s up?”
“You’re not going to believe this. This morning, before my meeting, I got talking to one of my guys this morning about the Lord. He told me that he was brought up a Christian, but hadn’t been to church in years. I told him about your church and he said he might check it out.”
Jack was smili
ng on the other end of the phone. “That’s cool, Frank. You didn’t waste any time sharing your faith. That’s awesome!”
Frank got to his car and got in. “That’s not why I called. I mean, I’m psyched about that too, but I found out something really strange. You know we’ve been talking about The Sons of Nimrod and this secret society stuff, right? So I heard a name today that blew my mind.”
Jack was locked in. “What name?”
Frank started his car and looked around. “Dante Adal.”
Jack’s eyes widened. “Dante?”
“Yeah. What’re the chances of that name coming up in association with The Sons of Nimrod? My guy says there was a meeting recently held at the Hotel Palomar with a couple of senators and a group of really high profile business types. One of them was apparently this Dante Adal character. That name hit me like a ton of bricks. I mean, how could I forget that name after that night at the church. Dante was the name the angel called that demon creature, right?”
Jack was stunned. Could that be true? A demon taking the form of a man and meeting with U.S. senators? Jack knew this was a bad sign. The darkness was stepping it up in an effort to gain even more control in Washington.
“I have to admit, I don’t think that it’s a coincidence. Creepy, but no coincidence. What senators were involved?”
“He wasn’t sure, but he thinks one of them was Senator George R. Wellsenburg from New York.”
“Wow!” Jack managed. “If that’s true, there could be no doubt that this Dante Adal is our demon prince. In that case, we are in for a major battle for the soul of America.”
Frank took a deep breath and mustered, “Never a dull moment when I’m around you, Jack. So what are we gonna do?”
“We have to pray, and pray hard. When are you heading back?”
“Well, that’s the next thing I have to tell you. We have a new case. It seems there is something crazy going on not far from where your church meets. A woman reported that she keeps hearing strange sounds coming from her neighbor’s house at all hours of the night. She says it’s been going on for days, and that last Saturday night she thought she saw objects flying around in the neighbor’s backyard. The local police checked it out and dismissed it, so she found the number of the agency and called us. The agency wants us to investigate and file a report. I should be to you by noon.”
