Chapter Ten
Having taken the Eucharist, Emily returned to her seat with Andrew. She sensed something troubled him. Earlier, his palm had felt sweaty and he’d bobbed his knee. She’d given him a smile and his response had been different from the norm. Sure, his lips had a small quirk on one side, but his expression hadn’t looked genuine. She’d noticed his brows had been slightly drawn together, too, at one point, as if he had been in deep thought. Before the service had started, he had been content. Something had changed him, but she couldn’t figure out what. She didn’t think it had anything to do with Matt standing in the back, but what else could have been bothering Andrew?
He began moving his leg again. People were going back to their spots while a few waited in lines for the Eucharist. The choir sang while the organ played softly.
Emily leaned close to his ear. “You okay?”
Without looking at her, he nodded. But his leg kept moving. She knew Andrew well enough to know when something bothered him.
She took hold of his hand. His palm still felt too hot and moist. “Is it Matt?”
He stared forward and shook his head.
Two answers had been given. One, Matt wasn’t the cause of his stress, which indicated there was in fact an issue. Two, he had a problem with something since he couldn’t look her in the eyes. Now, she needed to figure out his concern.
The rest of the congregation returned to their seats. The Father spoke again. They sang another song, well, everyone around her did, and then they prayed. As the priest gave his final blessing, people began to gather their belongings. When the service was over, most hurried to leave.
Andrew tugged her arm as he returned to sitting on the pew.
“Okay, something’s wrong. Don’t tell me there isn’t because I know it’s a lie,” she said, taking a seat beside him.
He held his jacket and dug in the pocket. “I want you to go with Matt back to the hotel.” He handed her the car key.
“What? Are you crazy? I’m not going anywhere without you.” He had to have lost his mind. It was Christmas Eve. How could ask her to go back without him?
He took her face into his hands and pressed his mouth to hers. “You have to go with Matt, get our belongings, and leave. I’ll call you later.”
Panic surged within her and chilled her to the bone. “Andrew, I’m not leaving you. Tell me what’s wrong.”
“Steven is here. You have to leave.”
Her heartbeat accelerated. “No.” The one word slipped from her.
“Matt’s been watching him. I think Steven will follow me, not you. So you have to go. I don’t know if it’s safe for you to stay at the hotel, so find another place.”
People packed the aisles and waited to exit the church. Many were stuck in pews, waiting for the kindness of another to let them in line. While everyone seemed bright and happy, eager to get out and go home to their families, Emily felt as if she were about to have a heart attack.
Her eyes filled with tears. “I don’t want to leave you.”
He gripped her arms and stared into her eyes. “You have to and you know it. You have to protect the baby. Matt will protect you. It’s me Steven wants. I’m almost sure of it.”
She swallowed the lump crawling up her throat. A tear escaped and she quickly smoothed it over her cheek. As much as she hated to admit it, Andrew was right. The enforcer wanted Andrew to do the job he was sentenced to do. And if Emily weren’t around, Steven couldn’t hurt her. But if she stayed to help Andrew, Steven could easily pull out a gun on her. She doubted he would hesitate to use it given the trouble they had during his last visit. Emily couldn’t risk the baby’s life.
Of all the fucking times to show up, why did Steven have to choose Christmas Eve?
Emily fought the wave of grief and fear wanting to consume her. “What are you going to do? Where will you go?”
“I’m going to take a taxi to a nearby hotel. I’ll talk to Steven and see if we can work out a deal.”
“You know how he is. He’s here to make you go after the demon. You’ll be wasting your breath talking to that man. He only responds to violence.”
Andrew shifted his gaze away from her for a few seconds. “I’m not leaving you and I’m not going to let him hurt you. I’ll take care of him.”
The last few words scared her. The only way to handle the enforcer was to kill him. Andrew had killed men with demons, but never a regular man. One could argue Steven wasn’t normal since he was from heaven. Still, Andrew hadn’t taken any life other than those who housed evil in their bodies. And if Andrew failed to kill Steven, then the enforcer would return Andrew to heaven. Andrew wouldn’t get to see his baby born and she might never get to see him again. Since she had no guarantee she would end up in heaven after she died, it was possible they would be separated forever. The thought terrified her.
She swallowed hard again. “If you don’t … take care of him…”
“I have to. It’s the only way to ensure your safety. Don’t worry, I’m not ready to leave yet.”
“If you do, you know he’ll come back and he’ll be more pissed.” Talk about a catch twenty-two. He would put himself in trouble either way.
“He’ll have to find us. We’ll be long gone by the time he returns,” he said.
She looked away from him and at the crowd trying to exit. The lines had shrunk and now reached the last few rows of pews behind them. Emily wanted to stay with Andrew, but she knew in her heart she had to go and protect the baby. She couldn’t figure out how Steven had found them, but he’d picked the worst possible time. Maybe that was part of his plan. The enforcer didn’t seem to care about anything other than himself and doing the job heaven sent him to do. She hated the bastard more than ever.
Her head began to throb. She locked her arms around Andrew and wanted to hold on for dear life.
“You need to go. Matt will take care of you. He’s in the back,” Andrew said as he gently pulled her arms down.
“How will I find you? How will I know—”
“I’ll call you.”
“What if he follows me?”
“I don’t think he will. But if by some chance he does, you and Matt will notice soon enough. Call and come back for me. We’ll figure it out.”
Her heart, mind, and soul ached. She struggled not to cry.
“We’ll get through this.” He brushed her bangs to one side.
Emily couldn’t help embracing him again. For all she knew, it could be their last hug. She dug her fingers into his locks while she breathed in his clean scent. Having memorized it, she kissed cheek and made her way to his lips. She didn’t want to let go.
He took hold of her forearms and tugged them. “Trust me, I don’t like this either.” His voice cracked and then he cleared it. “You have to be strong and go. I’ll call you as soon as I can.”
Emily shook her head as she gathered her jacket from beside her. She felt something hard hit her knee and remembered her wristlet and switchblade were in her pocket. She dug inside for the blade. Finding it, she pulled it out.
“Here.” She put the six-inch weapon in the palm of his hand. “You might need this.”
Andrew grabbed his jacket and hurried to conceal the switchblade.
Emily rose and began slipping on her coat. Andrew did the same. Most of the churchgoers had left, leaving less than fifty standing near the exit. Matt ambled along the outside of the pews on the far side. He had his jacket on and his attention on the exit. She couldn’t find Steven anywhere inside.
Andrew grabbed her hands and squeezed them. He merged his lips with hers. The kiss was tender and reassuring, but it failed to ease her misery even the slightest.
“I love you with all my heart. I’m not leaving you. I promise,” he said.
Sorrow flooded her in a wild rush. She couldn’t stop the tears. She lowered her head and shook it while she tried to hide her heartache. “I love you.” She barely got the words out.
He kissed her forehead. “Go.”
Keeping her head lowered and quivering lips together, she strode away from him. Through her watery eyes, she saw Matt walking toward her at the back of the pews. Her heart and head pounded. She wanted to scream and to tear Steven into pieces. She loathed the man for ruining Christmas and taking Andrew away from her. Anger felt better than agony, but the latter held the reins.
Wiping her face, she headed down the center aisle toward Matt. When she reached him, she handed him the car key. “He’s staying behind. Take me to the hotel.”
“Is that the plan?” Matt asked, walking next to her.
“I’ll tell you more in the car.”