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“A ‘thank you’ will suffice.”
“Thanks. It’s going to kill me being stuck here while she’s in trouble. I shouldn’t have sent her in there in the first place.”
“He would have found her one way or the other,” Will said. “And you and I would both be dead, unable to help her now.”
“Youcan help her. But there’s nothing I can do.”
“That’s not true. You can pray.”
“Oh yeah? You’re going to start in on this now?”
“I’m sorry, Maddy, but I care about Charlotte, and we need to do everything in our power to make sure she’s safe. That includes praying for her safety.”
“Right. You think God’s interested in hearing what I have to say?”
“Yes.”
“And I suppose you think he will save Charlie, huh? Like He saved my dad? And He’ll be there for her like He’s always been there for my mom?”
“Guys,” Peter said. “Now’s not the time. We need to get moving.”
“You’re right,” Maddy said. “But don’t expect me to pray. If you have anything else I can do to be helpful, I’m all in, but I won’t do that.”
“Fine. I won’t argue with you. Peter, if you’re offering your help, I’ll take it.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Wait,” Maddy said. “Make sure you keep me updated. Tell me everything that’s going on each step of the way. And if you find out that Charlie’s… Don’t spare my feelings. I need to know.”
“If there’s any chance of saving her, we’ll save her.”
* * *
After Peter and Will had left the room, Maddy pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes to stop the tears that brimmed. If anything happened to Charlie, she’d never forgive herself.
If she hadn’t been so busy competing with her sister and making sure she remained on top, maybe she would have seen what Antonio was really doing. And now she could do nothing to help.
“God, why do you keep doing this to the people I love? How is it that anyone can believe that you care for them when your interference only brings pain? If you’re so wonderful, why am I stuck in this bed while my sister needs help? She’s given her life to you, doesn’t that count for anything? No, I suppose it doesn’t. You never help those who have devoted their lives to you. You just let them suffer. Why won’t you do something?”
When she was met with silence, she pulled a pillow from behind her with great effort and threw it against the wall. “Why don’t you show yourself? Huh? Why don’t you stand here and make an account for your behavior? Or are you a coward?”
Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
She stopped breathing. The statement wasn’t audible, but the words were clear in her mind. Her dad had said them when he was in the worst pain. He’d said they were spoken by God to a man named Job who had suffered much more than he did. At the time, she’d barely paid attention to them. She didn’t want to hear her dad speak about the Bible to try to explain away what God was allowing to happen to him. Her dad had acted like suffering was an experience to be proud of.
“If you’re real, then fix me so I can go help save my sister.” She waited a beat. “That’s what I thought.”
Chapter23
It wasdark when Charlotte’s door opened again and a tray of food was left on the floor. She considered not eating it in order to protest her captivity, but Antonio didn’t care if she suffered, and she knew it was better to keep up her strength. If God made a way for her to escape, she’d be ready.
Her thoughts drifted to Will and Maddy, but she forced them away again. If she let herself think about them, she’d be lost in a sea of despair. Her spirit would break if she lost hope.
After finishing the meal, she carried the tray back to the door where she was going to leave it on the floor, but her vision blurred, and her mind went hazy. She stumbled sideways, dropping the tray before she fell to the floor. Then, everything went black.
* * *
“I counted at least fifteen guards when we came in this afternoon,” Will said as he and Peter positioned themselves outside the high stone wall. “I don’t imagine he would have increased that number. We might get lucky and find he’s got guys out looking for me.”
