Flee From Evil Read online

  Sophie closed her eyes. Her heart ached for the little boy he used to be. She took his hand in hers, and pressed it between her own. She wanted him to know he was loved … by Jesus, so she placed the injured palm to her cheek, the harshness against her skin.

  His brown eyes lifted to hers searching, longing, receiving what she wanted to give. His other palm closed in on her face.

  She shivered.

  He pulled her to him. Their lips touched.

  Her first kiss. It felt so right, she melted into it.

  Something washed over Sophie drawing her closer, deeper into all of who Sky was. The connection intense, like nothing she’d ever known. Was this love?

  His hands moved to her hips then slipped into the back of her T-shirt, pulling her into him.

  She shivered again. Was this going too far? She didn’t know. All she knew was that it felt real good.

  A knock fell on the window. “What do you guys recommend?” Pastor Vince’s expression was anything but jovial. “Cherry cheesecake flavored ice cream or Rocky Road?”

  Sky’s jaw grew ridged.

  Sophie peeked out the window. How much had the pastor seen? She resisted the urge to palm her flaming cheeks. “I’d, um …” she cleared the crud from her throat. “I’d get the Rocky Road.”

  Sky cranked the ignition and revved the engine loud enough Sophie could barely hear the pastor’s response. He waved, and entered The Ice Cream Stop as the car jerked into reverse and rolled out of the parking lot.

  Chapter Twelve

  “You gonna help us out here or what, Perkins?”

  Kevin eyed the guy on the ladder, banging a long nail through the gutter. “I need to prep the inside for painting.”

  The guy scoffed.

  “Hey, I got you this job, didn’t I?” Kevin strode in through the front door before he could hear any more of the dude’s ungrateful remarks. The jerk would be unemployed if it weren’t for him.

  “How’s it going?” Cassandra stepped out of the kitchen.

  “Great.” He scanned her blouse and slacks. “You look like you need to get somewhere.”

  She checked her watch. “I have a meeting with some church leaders in McLean Virginia about their special needs program.”

  “Why don’t you go ahead? I’ve got everything covered here.” He forced his friendliest, most trustworthy smile.

  “That’s okay. My mom should be back with the kids any minute. I’d rather stick around in case you have questions or need something.”

  Questions. She just didn’t trust him. “I think we’re good.” He gestured to the extra room. “I’m gonna prep the inside to paint.”

  Cassandra nodded before grabbing a mug and pouring coffee. She sat at the kitchen table, plugged earbuds into her ears, and flipped through her pages of notes.

  Now was as good a time as any. The woman lurked over him whenever he was inside the house. At least with the music drowning out sound, he might be able to take a real look around.

  Cassandra always seemed protective of her closet. He’d see what he could find there—valuables, bank statements, credit cards—anything that could lead him to her fortune, or be traded for one of its own.

  Kevin took one last look at the lady tapping her toe to the beat buzzing from her MP3 player and slipped into the bedroom. Boxes lined the shelves of the walk-in. Plastic drawers were stacked along the floor. He pulled out one after the other, sifted through pages and shook containers, and what did he find? Lots of junk. Pictures, kids’ drawings, funky hats, old shoes and a bunch of tangled jewelry. He fisted that and stuffed it in his pockets just in case.

  One last set of drawers. He pulled. Jackpot! Financial records. All he needed were a few account numbers and one of his buddies could help him siphon them. He flipped through to find a credit card statement. It only had a five hundred dollar credit limit. No point wasting his time on that. Pushing it aside, he searched for the larger one, or maybe a –Whoa! Here it was.

  Kevin’s fingers shook as he took in the address of a prominent bank in Philadelphia. He pulled it from the file and scanned the page. Hundreds of thousands of dollars had been moved in and out of the account in this one month—like she’d sold something big, then used the cash for something else. What would it be like to maneuver that kind of dough on a daily basis?

  He folded the statement and shoved it in his back pocket, almost giddy at the thought of draining the account somehow. He knew just the guy who could help him.

  There was more here. Kevin could feel it. The in-laws—those kids’ grandparents—carried a net-worth in the billions. Surely, there was some way to access their wealth as well. But how? Suddenly hundreds-of-thousands sounded like a pittance. The thought of handling millions of dollars made his pulse pound. They’d barely blink at the loss, and Kevin could leave the country and go back to that little town in Mexico he really liked. He’d live like a king there.

  What was that sound? Someone was coming. Kevin closed boxes, shut drawers, stuffed the necklaces deeper into his pockets, and felt to make sure the bank statement didn’t stick out.

  “What are you doing in here?” Cassandra’s head tilted. The earbuds hung from a button, no music pumping out.

  He gestured at the dimensions of the space. “I was thinking we should probably make the closet in the addition the same size as the existing rooms. A greater uniformity would add to its resale value.” Like he really cared what they sold the place for ten years from now.

  His breath halted as he waited for her response. Did she believe him? Green eyes stared straight through him.

  Her blink was patronizing. “We already discussed that. I’d rather not add to the expense, and I don’t appreciate you continually trying to up-sell this job.”

  Kevin held up his palms. “That’s okay, Mrs. Whitaker. I’m sorry I brought it up.”

  The steam expelling from her nostrils seemed to cool as the opening of the front door sounded and that little retarded kid darted in and swallowed her in an embrace. She rubbed his back, her features melting into a smile. “Did you have fun, Tibo?”

  He peeked up. “Fun.”

  Her smile grew. She really seemed to love that kid. Even though he was a half-wit. Kevin bet his rich grandparents loved him that much too. The big question was, could that love be measured in dollars and cents?

  ~*~

  Sophie blinked, trying to clear the sleepies out of her eyes as she shuffled through the hallway toward the kitchen. Still exhausted after Grandma dragged her and Tibo around Annapolis yesterday morning, she’d take advantage of the extra hours of rest this summer while she could.

  Her next blink came with a knock at the door.

  Running a hand through her unruly hair, she twisted the knob to open it, hardly remembering she was still in her pajamas and pink fuzzy slippers. Who’d bang so loud this early in the morning? Okay, maybe ten a.m. wasn’t that early.

  “Sky!” She shut the door in his face.

  Mom walked in straightening her business suit. “Who was that?”

  “I just slammed the door on Sky.” Now, she was mortified.

  “Sophie.” Mom gave her the are-you-crazy look.

  “Can you get it?” She ran into her room. “I need to get dressed.”

  “Were we expecting him?”

  “No!” she called, voice shaking.

  Sophie pulled out drawer after drawer. Where was that new top that clung to her shape … and the cute jean shorts with the designs on the pockets? She threw a few items on the floor in the search.

  There. She sighed as she pulled off the pajamas, flipped the slippers from her feet, and dressed in record time. Dragging a brush through her long, black hair she checked her reflection. It was the best she could do on such short notice. What was Sky doing here, anyway?

  Sophie jogged out the bedroom door, slowing as she approached the living room where she heard Mom chatting with him, and tried to look demure … or something better than crazy, at least. “Oh, hi Sky.” Li
ke she hadn’t already seen him.

  His lips tilted almost flipping her heart. His gaze lowered. “I like that shirt. Is it new?”

  She batted her eyelashes—oh my! “Sort of.” What in the world did that mean? Her brain was definitely on the air head setting these days.

  His smile stretched. “I was hoping we could go somewhere today.”

  Sophie deflated. “Grandma’s away, and Mom has a meeting with church leaders in Columbia. I have to watch Tibo.”

  “He can come too. I found this go-cart place that has two-seaters for kids. I thought I’d take you both for some more driving lessons.”

  He thought of her brother even before he offered to take her out? She closed her mouth when she’d realized it hung open. “You want him to come with us?”

  Tibo peeked up from the train set he ran along the track, and smiled.

  “Yeah, but I get to drive with Tibo.” He grinned at her brother, overheating Sophie’s heart. Then smirked mischievously. “Don’t want to subject him to women drivers.”

  “Hey, you said I did a good job the other day.”

  “Sure, but we’re dealing with real human bodies who need to stay safe now. It’s a good thing go-carts can take a beating.”

  Sophie punched his shoulder, and he feigned pain.

  Mom came through again, briefcase in hand.

  “Mom, can Sky and I take Tibo to ride go-carts?”

  She picked lint off the navy skirt, and looked between the two as though it took a while to process the question. “Sure. Just—”

  “I know, Mom. Watch him carefully.”

  As Sky’s car headed down the road, Tibo bounced in the back seat. “Kuck,” he said as the trucks barreled past. “Fire,” he shouted every time a siren blared.

  Sophie glanced in the side mirror at the familiar sound of an engine rev. There was that car again. The red one with the tinted windows that raced out of the pool parking lot the other day. It was hard not to notice given the custom painted racing stripes along the sides. Only today, the car changed lanes when Sky did, and matched his every speed. Was it following them?

  Sky glanced over. “You okay, Soph?”

  Did she dare tell him what was on her mind? No way. He’d think she was paranoid. Why would someone want to follow them? “Sure.”

  His brows bunched like he didn’t believe her, then he peeked in his rear view as if noticing the threat himself. After flipping on his emergency blinkers, he rolled down his window. “I think this guy’s trying to pass me.”

  Sophie scanned the empty lane to the left. “There’s plenty of room.” What was that driver really trying to do? Her pulse kicked up speed. Would this end in one of those car-jackings she’d seen on the news?

  Sky slowed his vehicle, pulled slightly onto the shoulder and waved at the car to go by. The driver seemed to hesitate like he might stop with them. Then it jerked left and squealed past, the smell of burning rubber filling the air.

  If only she could see through the dark windows to find out who was on the inside.

  Sophie coughed and waved her hand in front of her nose. “What a jerk.” She couldn’t believe someone would be so rude.

  Sky rolled his window up. “Better get used to it. Lots of crazies in this world. Sometimes we have to share the road with them.”

  “Is that driving lesson number two, oh great teacher?”

  “The beginning of it.” His dimple twitched.

  What did he mean by that? She didn’t dare ask.

  Sophie blew out a calming breath. “Just glad that car’s gone. He was making me nervous.”

  Sky’s lips stretching into a curve made her racing pulse seem a whole lot nicer. She was glad that if she had to face a freaky driver on the road, she’d done it with Sky at the wheel—her protector.

  Ten minutes later, he handed cash to the attendant at the window of the go-cart place, and strutted toward the track.

  “Come on, Tibo,” Sky said conspiratorially. “We’re gonna find us a man-car. Fastest one on the lot.” He turned, but Tibo was nowhere to be found.

  Sophie cursed her negligence. Tibo hadn’t drifted off in public in a long time. She’d become sloppy, and now he’d disappeared. She scanned the area.

  A loud revving erupted from near the fence. Was that one of the go-carts? Couldn’t be. It was too noisy, and sounded like—

  There was that car again. Sophie swung around, now frantic to spot her brother, but couldn’t see him anywhere.

  “Where’d he go?” Sky grimaced. “He was just behind us.”

  The red car sped out of the parking lot. Sophie began to panic. “Tibo!”

  “Car!”

  Sophie sagged with the hard sigh that emptied her lungs.

  Tibo bounced at the edges of the track watching the vehicle speed away.

  “How’d he get over there?”

  Sophie headed for her brother. She couldn’t answer Sky’s question. It was one of those riddles only Tibo had the answer to—and he wasn’t talking. She was just glad he was okay.

  Sky passed her and swooped her brother in the air. “Hey, dude, don’t scare your sister like that.” He winked, and Sophie lost another beat of her heart. But an uneasiness settled in her gut. What was that red car doing at the go-cart place? And why did it seem to be following them everywhere they went?

  Tibo’s belly laugh floated around as Sky swung him. Boy, was he strong.

  Sophie tried to put her anxieties out of her mind. After all, Sky didn’t seem bothered by the car showing up again. She found a single-seater go-cart, and Sky buckled Tibo into one with two seats. They started the engines, and the two carts went hurtling around the ring at top speed, Tibo screeching with excitement.

  Speed. Just what she needed to get her mind off her crazy imagination. Sophie plunged her foot to the floor, pulling the steering wheel to make the curves.

  Wham! That side was close.

  “Women drivers.” Sky shook his head as he and Tibo fled past.

  Sophie pulled out and zoomed after him. He threw his head back in a laugh and slapped a high-five with Tibo, then—”

  Crash!

  He should have watched where he was going. Sophie guffawed as she sluiced by.

  Sky’s determined expression when he turned from the wall made Sophie’s breath catch. Could this car go faster? Her foot already hit the floor, and he was gaining on her again. His smile took on an edge as he pulled up beside her speeding vehicle, then cut in.

  Thudd!

  “Hey, that’s not nice.”

  Tibo’s laugh was delirious, Sky’s devilish.

  Fine. She’d get them—Whack!

  “Are you trying to parallel park, Soph?”

  Oh. That was low. Her brows dropped in determination. She’d get him now. Oomph! Whack! Thudd!

  … And so it went for the next four rounds. Sky paid for all three of them to go again and again.

  When they finally stepped out of the vehicles for the last time—Sophie grateful she wouldn’t need a neck brace after so many collisions—all three couldn’t stop laughing. Tibo bounced on his toes and clapped.

  “How about lunch.” Sky opened the back door of his Civic for Tibo and buckled him into the seat.

  “We should probably go home to eat. Tibo can only have gluten- and casein-free, remember?”

  “Yeah, so I looked up some places online and this deli down the road has gluten-free bread.”

  “You did that?” Could there be a more perfect specimen of a man? Sigh!

  “Sure,” he said dropping into the driver’s seat. “How else was I gonna get you to come out with me today?”

  Her heart stopped. She peeked back at her brother, now looking wistfully at the zooming carts they left behind. “Okay. Let’s have lunch.”

  “Do you think you might come to our church again, sometime?” Fear of his rejection made it hard to look at him.

  His eyes took her in sideways, a quirk to his cheek. “I don’t think your pastor wants me there.�
��

  What were those negative vibes Pastor Vince seemed to give off around Sky? “We could go to the youth services in another room. I’ve been checking it out lately, and Ayo, the youth pastor, is really great.”

  “Ayo?”

  “He’s from Nigeria.”

  “He won’t stare daggers at me like Pastor Vince, will he?”

  Sophie chuckled. “Not likely. He doesn’t seem the dagger-staring type.” Though neither did Pastor Vince.

  “All right, Sophie.” His smile sent chills down her arms. “I’ll go back. For you.”

  She raised her eyes to the heavens. It was a start. “And if you like that, maybe you can come to youth night too.”

  “Sophie.” At least he didn’t sound dead-set against it.

  “Fine. Just promise you’ll think about it.”

  “I’ll go to services with you.” He placed his hand over hers, warming her entire body. “And if this Ayo dude doesn’t give me the evil-eye, I’ll consider going to youth night. Okay?”

  Sophie was falling hard. “Okay.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cassandra meandered around the hair salon as Kat took payment from her last customer. Mom had promised to babysit Tibo so she could have a little girl time with the salon owner. A welcome bonus after a long week of juggling Tibo’s speech therapy, behavior therapy, and occupational therapy, not to mention the plans for the special needs program. The appointment with a research doctor next week would take a full day’s drive to Richmond and back. It was good to have a moment to breathe.

  Cassandra ran her fingers along the frames of the pictures on the shop walls. Bible verses and inspirational sayings were alternately hung with scenic pencilings and child-like drawings. She’d learned Kat had a girl away at college. Cassandra pointed to a crayon masterpiece. “Was this your daughter’s?”

  Kat lifted the large pages of the shop schedule at the front desk as the customer exited, and glanced back. “Oh, no. My Shelby couldn’t draw a stick figure. Those were done by a little boy who used to come in here a long time ago.”

  “You framed them?”

  Kat’s expression softened as though floating on a memory. “He was such a sweet kid. His mother used to work the sub shop next door, and he hung around the strip while she worked. He landed here one day, and asked to sweep the floor. I’d cut his hair a few times.” She shrugged. “He was always so polite, so I let him.” Kat shook her head, large loop earrings swinging. “When he started going to school, he did his homework in the waiting area.” She smiled sheepishly. “I even helped him with it sometimes. He’d pay me in drawings.” Kat strode to the far wall. “This was his as well.”