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I’m not entirely sure that I do, but I gesture for her to speak her mind regardless. Martha points to the bed, indicating I should take a seat. I sit but with hesitation and crossed arms. Anytime someone asks you to sit down, it’s because you’ve made a mistake or they’re about to deliver bad news. At least, that’s been my experience growing up. I had to sit down a lot, and my mother constantly berated me for doing something wrong. I didn’t smile big enough. I didn’t hit a certain pitch when singing. I didn’t wear the purple dress like she wanted. I didn’t. I didn’t. I didn’t.
Martha gently touches my hand, pulling me back to the present where I need to be firmly rooted. “Where did you just go, Anna?”
I shake my head, unwilling to answer her. When she smiles at me this time, it’s filled with sadness. “You told Penny that your childhood wasn’t a good one and that you prayed to God for deliverance from a bad situation. I don’t know what you went through, but I’m sure if I were in your position, I would have thought that He abandoned me.”
“He did.”
“Did He really, though? Anna, bad things happen to good people all the time. Sometimes, it’s the consequences of our personal choices, and sometimes, it’s because of the choices others make. God often uses negatives in our lives for the greater good. He didn’t abandon you, Anna. He prepared you.”
I scoff. “Prepared me? For what?”
“I can’t answer that for you, Anna. What I can tell you is that when Ethan told us who was coming, I remembered your name and looked you up. I watched countless videos of your pageants, including the ones you participated in while in college. Would you have discovered a passion for weapons that has become a useful skill in protecting those who can’t protect themselves if you hadn’t been in those contests? Would you have learned how to hide behind a mask and become an expert at becoming someone else? I’d be willing to bet that your ability to do so has been quite effective when going undercover. Who did God place in your path to change the trajectory of your life so that you ended up right where you need to be? These are questions only you can answer. What I can tell you is that I have never met a stronger and more resilient woman who is worthy of love, respect, and admiration.”
Martha’s words leave me speechless. She squeezes my hand before she gets up to leave me alone with my thoughts. Is she right? Has God been with me all along? Despite everything she said, it doesn’t negate the feeling of abandonment deep in my heart, although it does alter it. The realization hurts now that I know it was me who abandoned Him; not the other way around.
I freshen up my makeup before returning downstairs to prepare snacks with the family before the game. Everyone is decked out in Rockets gear, including me. I keep the promise I made to Aiden this morning, wearing my favorite shirt with the original Rockets logo and his name.
Reggie chuckles when he sees me, “Wow, that jersey brings back a lot of good memories. Where did you find that relic?”
“This old thing? I’ve had it in my closet forever and a day. I saved up for over a year to get it.” At the time, my mother took every last penny of any prize money I won and never bought me anything that wasn’t related to my pageants. I stashed away every coin I found lying on the ground until I had enough to buy it. I was surprised at how much the change added up over time. “It was worth every cent,” literally.
Martha and Reggie share a look of understanding that comes very close to feeling like pity, but I don’t let it get to me. I put a smile on my face and begin taking items out of the fridge to make a charcuterie board.
Reggie grabs a cutting board and knife to assist. “It looks good on you, Anna. Aiden will be pleased as punch, especially since it doesn’t say ‘Kristofferson’ on the back.” He nudges me in a teasing way that elicits a giggle from me.
Reggie is spot on regarding Aiden’s response. When Aiden arrives an hour later and sees me wearing the shirt, his eyes darken with desire and a longing I hadn’t expected to see. Aiden stares at me like I’m someone special and not an object to be admired. I’m not used to feeling so exposed, and it’s an uncomfortable, yet heady, feeling.
I do my best to ignore our growing attraction to one another and busy myself with bringing out the last of the food. Jeremy, who has been walking circles around the house for the past two hours, joins Scott and Jack as they come inside.
The three bodyguards follow me into the kitchen, where Martha and Reggie are making a tub of popcorn and a pitcher of sweet tea. I read Scott’s body posture and immediately know that something has happened.
“Do you have a status update for me?” I query.
“We do.” Scott informs me of the encounter with a crazed fan and gives me her description. An image comes to mind, and I reach for the newspaper from this morning, which is still lying on the kitchen table.
I point to a woman seated just beyond the family zone and ask, “Is this her?” The woman in question is two rows in front of Patricia, gazing menacingly in my direction. When I first saw the picture earlier, I dismissed the woman, figuring she was merely upset by something that happened on the ice.
Jack takes the paper from me and scrutinizes the picture. “I think so. The picture is a little grainy, but yeah, I’m fairly certain that’s her.”
“That’s good news, then,” I tell them, smiling broadly.
Scott looks perplexed, “How so?”
“For one thing, the section she’s sitting in is reserved for season pass holders and can be tracked. I’ll send the photo to Shining Knight and see what they can find out.” I had hoped the picture had captured the faces of the two men in suits, but alas, the photo in the paper had been taken after the men had disappeared.
“Anna, be careful. We don’t know what this woman is capable of. She seemed keenly interested in Aiden’s well-being and might have had something to do with the shooting. She was waiting for us by our car, and we have to assume that she had been watching from afar. Aiden normally drives his truck, which is still parked at the arena. If she hadn’t been watching, she would have been waiting by his vehicle,” Jack states.
“If she was in the crowd yesterday or close by, as you suspect, then she would have seen Jeremy drive Aiden and Swank away from the commotion. It makes sense she would be keeping her eyes out for your car since Aiden’s is still there. We need to have his truck inspected and then towed here.”
Martha interrupts, “Why does it need to be inspected?”
Scott answers for me, “The truck has been left unattended, and someone may have planted a tracker or explosive device. They could have cut the brake lines or sabotaged it in some way. Before bringing it back here, we need to ensure it’s safe enough to do so.”
Martha gasps, “Oh, my! That’s a horrific thought!” She hugs her husband and looks up at him worriedly. “What are we going to do about church tomorrow? How are we all going to get there?”
I scrunch my nose. “Do you really think going to church is the wisest decision, given everything that’s going on? Keeping you safe requires being out in public less, not more.”
Martha stands her ground, fierce and determined. “We will not live in fear but in trust. We trust that God sent the right people to protect us. With the four of you, I have no doubt you’ll keep us safe from harm.
