by Lisa Harris
“She’s all yours. Thank you, Kyle, and you, Charles, for everything.”
Kyle nodded. “We’re glad you’re okay, sir.”
“I’m ready to talk, Charles. I know you have many questions for me.”
Lindsey squeezed her father’s hand. “Are you sure, Daddy?”
“I want that felon behind bars the rest of his life.”
Charles nodded. “With two more arrests and a flat full of evidence, I’d say we’re on our way to doing just that.”
“Thank you, Charles,” Lindsey said, shaking his hand.
He smiled. “Kyle and I always have made a pretty good team. And the intel we received from you helped tremendously.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” Lindsey said. “And I’ll continue to help in any way I can because I want you to ensure that this is the last time Abraham Omah ever has the chance to scam anyone.”
Lindsey stood beside Kyle on London’s famous Tower Bridge as the sun began to set over the River Thames. She’d opted for a walk before dinner, giving her time to clear her muddled mind. The breathtaking view of the waterway had helped to soothe her frayed nerves. And she loved watching cars, motorcycles and open-topped, double-decker buses zoom across the bridge, while pedestrians strolled the famed walkway.
A cool breeze tossed her hair around her face, erasing some of the effects of the warm summer day. If only it could erase the memory of the past week as well.
She leaned against the railing and glanced up at Kyle. “Is it wrong for me to hate Abraham?”
“I believe God understands—more than we realize—the immense heartache we feel at loss and betrayal.”
“But I want Abraham to suffer the way he made my father suffer. The way he made all his victims suffer.”
“I felt the same way when Michael died. But we’re all sinners and Christ died for all of us, no matter what the sin.”
“Hate the sin but not the sinner?”
“Something like that. It’s hard, isn’t it?
“Very.”
Kyle wrapped his arm around her and drew her closer. “You just can’t let your anger eat you up and destroy you.”
“I guess it’s just going to take time. For both me and my father.”
Beside them a tourist snapped photos of the city skyline before the last light of day disappeared. A couple walked by, pushing a sleeping toddler in a stroller. Life went on. The emotional wounds would take time to heal, but she also knew that they would both one day recover from the ordeal.
Her gaze followed the path of a tour boat, white water churning at the bow, until the craft disappeared beneath the massive structure of the bridge. “You told me you had some news?”
“While you were at the hospital, I got a call from a contact in the Dallas police department. Jamie McDonald was hauled in for drunk driving and apparently, thinking he was being picked up for other, more serious crimes, tried to cut a deal with the D.A. and take Vincent Lambert down with him.”
“You’re kidding.” Lindsey laughed. “So he verified my father’s story that Jamie had been paid to get the money back?”
“That, and he gave them information about a mysterious case of fraud the D.A.’s been trying to pin on Lambert. With Jamie’s cooperation, they’ll have enough evidence to put the man behind bars for the next fifty years.”
“That’s unbelievable.”
“That’s what I said.” He took her hands and smiled down at her. “But enough of Lambert and McDonald. You know, we never had our first date.”
She smiled back, enjoying the tingling feeling that shot all the way down to her toes when he looked at her. “You don’t call flying to London and tracking down a couple of bad guys a date?”
He laughed. “I was thinking more like a dinner for two at this quaint Japanese restaurant I know.”
“I’ll go for that.”
“I was also thinking about calling up my business partner and telling him I’m moving to Dallas to work in our new offices there. You wouldn’t mind, would you?”
She shook her head, unable to speak. Her heart skipped a beat or two as he leaned toward her.
“I don’t want to lose you again, Lindsey.”
The noisy background faded along with the busy scene until all she could see was Kyle. He brushed his lips against hers, softly at first, then deepening into a kiss full of promise and expectation.
When he pulled away, she couldn’t help but grin. Perhaps her bridesmaid days were finally over.
Dear Reader,
Often one of the hardest things to accept in life are the consequences of other people’s mistakes. Especially when those mistakes affect our own lives. This is exactly what happened to Lindsey Taylor in FINAL DEPOSIT. Her father’s decision to trust the wrong person not only wiped out his finances, but put her own life at risk.
Forgiveness isn’t always easy to grant. Both Lindsey and Kyle had to choose whether or not to forgive those who had hurt them. In the end, granting forgiveness kept them from becoming bitter and ruining their own lives.
Of course, the ultimate example of forgiveness comes from God Himself. He was willing to send His own Son to die for our sins. Think about how much He loves you, and how that forgiveness sets you free from the penalty of sin.
That’s amazing forgiveness. Unmerited and unearned. What an amazing expression of love.
I hope you enjoyed FINAL DEPOSIT. I love to hear from my readers. Feel free to contact me at:
[email protected].
I’d also love for you to visit my Web site at:
www.lisaharriswrites.com or my blog at:
http://myblogintheheartofafrica.blogspot.com.
There you can keep up with what’s happening in my life in the heart of Africa, sign up for my newsletter and enter my frequent contests.
Blessings!
Lisa Harris
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
What was Lindsey’s reaction when she found out what her father had done? Would you have reacted that way?
Have you ever suffered the consequences of someone else’s bad decisions or choices? How did you handle it?
Kyle experienced the need to forgive when he lost his brother, Michael. How did he deal with anger toward Anya, the woman who scammed Michael?
Have you or anyone you love ever been scammed or conned? How did you or your loved one cope with it? How did it make you feel?
II Corinthians 4: 8-9 talks about the difficulties of life and how we will have times of despair, disappointment, hurt and anger. Have you experienced these things? When?
When Lindsey and Kyle are flying to London, Kyle says that one of the things he learned after Michael’s death was that he couldn’t put conditions on God’s promises. What do you think about that idea?
Have you ever blamed God for something that has happened in your life?
Kyle says that he had to learn to trust God no matter what. He also reminds Lindsey that God can bring good out of a difficult situation for those who serve Him. Do you believe this? (Romans 8:28)
Can you recount a time when God has worked things together for good in your own life?
How did God bring about good through the situation with Lindsey’s father?
In Corinthians 4: 16-18, Paul tells us that we shouldn’t give up, because the hardships in this life won’t last forever. Instead, they will help to mold us, shape us, even strengthen us to produce a glory that will outweigh everything we’ve gone through. Have you experienced the way hardships can make you a better, stronger person?
Paul says we should fix our eyes on the unseen. What does this mean to you?
What are some things you can do every day to fix your eyes on God?
ISBN: 978-1-4268-2239-1
FINAL DEPOSIT
Copyright © 2008 by Lisa Harris
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This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.
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