Chapter Nine
Andrew’s ears rung as he stepped outside into the cold. “That was an awesome show.” His voice sounded strange. The sounds around him were dulled as if he were in a tunnel.
Emily walked next to him. With her head tilted down and hands holding the bottom of her jacket together, she hurried to zip it up. Her legs had to be cold in the red gown, but she looked so sexy in it. The evening dress had no sleeves and came down in a ‘V’ to emphasize her breasts. It fit a little snug, but she had a cute ass for it. When he’d seen it at the Square earlier in the day, he had to get it for her.
“I had heard about the band, but I had never thought they would be that good,” Matt said on the other side of Emily. Similar to Andrew, he’d dressed in dark slacks and a dress shirt with a tie. He slid his leather coat over his arms.
Men and women exited the arena in large masses and headed to the parking garage and side lot nearby. Taxis lined up the side of the street. Lights lit up the city. Although the temperature was cold, the night was calm and peaceful. Dinner had been wonderful. The concert had been fabulous. Christmas Eve had shaped up to be the best one ever in Andrew’s book.
“I’m glad you two enjoyed it,” Emily said with her jacket now sealed. “The idea came to me last night when we walked by the theatre and you two were talking about an AC/DC song. I bought the tickets first thing this morning when I saw Trans-Siberian was playing here. Merry Christmas!”
“Oh, you outdid yourself, Emily,” Matt said. “That was one outstanding gift.”
“I’m always telling Andrew, it’s about doing things together and having fun. The monetary presents aren’t necessary,” she said.
Andrew agreed with her. He hadn’t spent much on her for Christmas, but what he had bought he thought she would like. The dress, for example, made her look and feel sexy for their big night out. Dinner had been his treat since she paid for the concert tickets. The other gift he had yet to give hadn’t cost more than a hundred dollars in total. He’d spent extra to have the present engraved and a photo inserted. He couldn’t wait to see her response to his present, but he had a feeling it would make her cry.
They crossed an alley to reach one of the entrances to the garage. Several people waited for the elevators, but there were only two. His gaze landed on his wife.
She hiked up her dress. “I’m taking the stairs.”
Matt led the way up. Emily followed him. Her two-inch black heels clacked on each concrete step. He didn’t mind the view of her rear as he ascended the stairs behind her.
“Well, that was easier than waiting for the elevators,” she said as they reached the fourth floor.
Andrew dug the key from the pocket in his jacket. “We should have enough time to make it to the church.”
“Do you know how to get there?” she asked.
“I studied a map before the show started. It’s not too far from here, not even half a mile. But we need to try to beat everyone else leaving,” he said.
If the weather hadn’t been so cold he would’ve talked Emily into walking, but he couldn’t ask since the thin garment she wore didn’t offer her much protection from the frigid air.
He pressed the button to disable the alarm on the Jeep as they neared it. Emily strode toward the passenger side. Her red gown flowed gracefully around the lower part of her legs.
Matt followed her as he withdrew his cell from his jacket. “I’ll pull up a map on my phone in case we need to avoid any traffic jams. St. Patrick’s Church, right?”
“Yeah, that’s the one,” Emily said.
Andrew hopped into the driver’s seat while Emily and Matt filled in the passenger side. Emily shivered after she strapped her seatbelt.
“Crank up the heat, please.” She rubbed her hands together.
The time on the dash showed fifteen minutes after eleven. He could make it to the church for the 11:45 service, but finding a parking spot might be a problem if traffic delayed him too much. After switching the heat on high, he backed out of the parking spot.
Matt leaned between the front seats. “If you exit out of here on Seventh, make a right and then turn on G Street.”
Andrew hurried to reach the exit, but a line of cars had already formed. Fortunately, policemen were directing traffic. Andrew stayed with the flow, crawling at a snail’s pace toward the stoplight.
“This should be G Street,” Matt said.
Andrew flipped on his turn signal. “I still can’t believe how great that show was. The lights and the music together … it was incredible. I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
“From what I hear, they tour every year during December,” she said as she held her palms up to one of the vents blowing warm air.
“I’ve always wanted to see one of their shows, but I’ve always been busy,” Matt said.
Andrew turned down the street. Again, traffic came to a halt.
“The second street ahead should be Ninth. Turn left and then quick right to stay on G Street. The next street is Tenth and you’ll make a left to reach the church,” Matt said before he returned to the backseat.
“Isn’t there a library with a parking lot on the side near the church?” Emily asked.
“I didn’t look. Do you want me—”
“No,” she said. “Don’t worry about it. We should see it when we get closer. We may want to park on the lot so we don’t have fight for a spot elsewhere.”
Andrew nodded and glanced in his rear view mirror. Headlights from cars lit up the street. It seemed as if there were more behind than ahead of them. Nobody was going to get anywhere quickly.
“I want to go up tonight and take the bread and wine,” Emily said softly. “Well, juice.”
“The Eucharist?” Andrew asked.
“Yeah.”
Pride filled him and he smiled. “Okay, we can go up together.”
“I’d like that,” she said.
He recalled when they’d visited a church in Rockport, Maryland, in October. She’d told him she’d stopped going to church at fourteen and had strayed from believing in God. He sensed her faith had started to return even before then. He was glad because she’d need it to help her deal with his loss in the future. And it would probably help her get into heaven.
Traffic continued to crawl. It took ten minutes to reach the stoplight on Ninth. Andrew curved left and then right as Matt had instructed.
“That’s the library,” Emily said, pointing to the window on her right. “The lot should be a little further up.”
Couples and families were crossing the street up ahead. They seemed to have come from the right. He suspected they’d parked near the library. Andrew stayed in the lane, hoping the lot wouldn’t be full. They’d already wasted close to twenty minutes in the car. If he had to circle around the block to find a spot, they might show up late for the service.
The two cars in front of him switched on their turn signals. Andrew did the same.
“Wow, I bet that’s it.” Emily pointed to the left. “I wish it was daylight so we could see it better.”
From where they were at, all they could see was the back and top of the church, thanks to the lighting on the building. Andrew couldn’t marvel at it too much since he had to monitor the progress of the vehicles in front of him.
After waiting another five minutes, they reached a man in wearing a bright vest directing traffic onto the lot.
“I bet a ton of people come here every year,” Matt said.
“There has to be spots if they’re telling you where to go,” Emily said.
Andrew pulled in the lot and braked fast. He glanced in his mirror to see the vehicle behind him had done the same. Frustration began to blossom within Andrew. He gripped the wheel tighter. Finally, the cars in front of him crawled forward.
Another man wearing a vest jogged by. Andrew watched the man in his side mirror. The attendant stopped at the entrance.
“I wonder if the lot is getting full,” Matt said.
“We’re about to find out,” Andrew said.
Andrew steered the Jeep to the back, following the other cars. A few parking spots were empty. A sense of relief passed through him as he turned into one.
“I had no idea it would be this crowded,” Emily said as he cut the engine.
“It’s okay. We made it. After this, we get to go back to the hotel and relax.” He leaned toward her and she met his lips with hers.
“And exchange gifts,” she said before she kissed him a gain.
He smooched her a third. Three was always a good number for quick kisses.
They left the Jeep and headed in the same direction as everyone else. Emily slid her hand into his as she walked at his side. Matt strode next to her with his jacket unzipped still, but he had his hands in his pockets.
“Did you go to church much when you were growing up, Matt?” Emily asked.
“Not really. I started going after my sister died. I went by myself and my mom would always nag me about it. She’d say it was pointless. I actually enjoyed going. I couldn’t attend services as much when I was on active duty, but if there was a service, I wouldn’t miss it.”
They passed the two attendants who were now blocking the entrance and directing traffic further down the street.
“We got lucky.” Emily squeezed his hand.
“We were meant to be here,” Andrew said, and she smiled.
They blended in with the others crossing the street. Women of all ages were dressed nicely and men wore dark pants with jackets or suits. Shoes clacked on the brick sidewalk. The front of the large church was an incredible sight to see with its Gothic architecture and stained glass above the door. They climbed steps leading to the entrance. Emily’s hand slipped away from his as she moved in front of him.
“Emily picked this church, not me,” Andrew said over his shoulder to Matt. “You can blame her for getting us in the crowd.”
“The architecture is stunning. I can’t wait to see inside,” Matt said.
Andrew didn’t get a chance to nod. The line had moved forward and he had to hurry to catch up to his wife. He hadn’t been quick enough. An older couple slipped behind her. Then a family with two grown kids stepped in front of Andrew. He grumbled to himself.
“She’ll be okay,” Matt said. “It’s a church.”
“Didn’t I tell you about the last demon in Rockport?”
“You did. That’s right, the priest…”
“Exactly.”
“We better keep our eyes on her.”
Andrew finally made it inside the church. Tall arches gave way to the high ceiling. Stained-glass windows throughout depicted saints and religious scenes. A huge pipe organ rose from the far back. The interior screamed of history.
Matt put his hand on Andrew’s arm and pointed. Several feet away, Emily stood with a family, talking to a small toddler dressed in a red frilly lace dress. The cute little girl held her mother’s hand while she stared at Emily with a wide grin.
“Doesn’t she look so motherly?” Matt asked.
“She always has looked that way around kids. She’s so good with them. If I could stay on Earth, I’d want to have at least five.”
Emily shook the little girl’s free hand. The mother tugged the other one gently. The toddler waved as she walked away.
“You go ahead and find a seat. I’m going to hang back here for a little bit,” Matt said.
Andrew gave him a nod before he headed for Emily. She saw him coming and smiled.
“Did you see how cute that little girl was?” she asked as he reached her.
“Does this mean you’re going to dress our daughter in frilly lace dresses?”
“She looked so adorable.”
He kissed her cheek. “You’re adorable. Can I dress you up later?”
She curled her arm around his. “You sure can.”
His cock twitched. It didn’t matter where they were, who was around, or what was going on, if she teased him he always responded. No other woman had ever made him feel so horny, so madly in love. Emily was the one and only for him, forever.
“Let’s find a seat,” he said.
“Where’s Matt?”
“He said he’d catch up. We can save him a spot.”
He tugged her to the far side of the pews instead of going down the center where most people were heading. Attendance for mass ranked high. Row after row had few spaces left. Andrew found a pew not quite halfway up from the back and with enough room for three people. He paused to allow Emily to take a seat first.
She tugged her jacket away from her shoulders. “This place is huge. I can barely see the front.” After she removed her coat, she set it across her lap.
Andrew took off his jacket too. “You don’t need to see much. There are speakers, so we can follow along.”
Emily removed the hymnal from the shelf in front of them. He set his coat to his other side to save a spot for Matt. His red tie dangled in front of his chest. He’d picked the color to match her dress. Arm behind her and resting on the pew, he glanced around. So many people had colored auras. They out-numbered the white ones.
The service began with the sound of the organ. Even at a distance, the music was overpowering and called all to give it attention. A group of kids strolled out from the back and stood in rows near one corner. When they started signing, everyone watched and listened intently. People streaming into the church hurried to find a seat.
Andrew looked over his shoulder and scanned near the entrance for Matt. He found him standing on the far other side of the room. His arms were crossed and his expression seemed tense. He’d seen that look on Matt before when they’d been security guards for the country music singer Andrew killed. It was as if Matt were watching, waiting, and studying. He tried to follow Matt’s line of sight, which was directed at a section of people sitting in pews on the opposite side of Andrew. Everyone had their gazes forward as the children’s choir sung. But one person with short, dark hair and wearing a leather jacket had his attention elsewhere.
Alarm shot through Andrew when he saw Steven sitting at the end of a row. Heart gearing up for a marathon, Andrew jerked his head forward. How did Steven find them? Did he follow them from the concert? Had he been following them longer?
Emily put her hand on his thigh. She gave him a slight smile. Andrew swallowed hard and forced his lips to move, if only a little. He had to protect her. He couldn’t let Steven near her. They were in a church on Christmas Eve. Surely, the enforcer wouldn’t try to hurt her.
Andrew remained unfocused while the service continued. He stood with everyone and spoke when needed, but his thoughts swam with concern for Emily. How could he get her out and to a safe place?
During the sermon, Andrew slowly turned his head to the back. Matt held his jacket in his crossed arms. He continued to watch Steven. Andrew mentally patted himself on the back for showing Matt photos of the enforcer. Emily had taken a few shots with her phone when they were in Rockport. She’d sent them to him in case he might need them. Now more than ever, he couldn’t be more grateful for his wife’s smart thinking. And he was even more thankful Matt was with them. An extra man guarding his wife might be enough to get her to safety.
Emily took hold of his hand and threaded her fingers with his. He deeply appreciated everything she’d done to make Christmas Eve special. He didn’t want to ruin it. She deserved to be happy, safe, loved. Somehow he had to get her out and away from him. But they couldn’t leave during the service. Steven would follow without any doubt. Andrew couldn’t risk him having a gun and shooting at them on the way to the Jeep. Andrew needed a way to keep Steven’s attention on him so Emily could leave. He needed to lure Steven somewhere and then make sure the enforcer would never go after Emily. But there was only one way to guarantee the last part.
Andrew bobbed his leg while he conjured a plan. He’d have to talk Emily into leaving with Matt. It wouldn’t be easy. She’d argue to stay with him. Matt could take her back to the suite to get their belongings. They could find another place to stay for the night. While they are busy, Andrew could take a taxi to a local hotel. If Andrew wagered all his money, he bet Steven would follow him. He’d find out soon enough if he were right. And if so, Andrew would have to confront Steven.
The thought of having to spend the Christmas Eve away from his wife soured Andrew’s stomach, but it was the only way to keep her safe. Andrew would talk to Steven, but Andrew had a gut feeling words wouldn’t do much good. He’d have to use force and enough of it to give him plenty of time to get away and back to his wife.
He swallowed hard as he considered he might have to kill Steven. He’d never taken the life of a regular man. Even though the enforcer came from heaven and would likely return, Andrew didn’t want to kill him. It seemed wrong, but he had a wife and baby to protect. Their lives mattered more than his.
The Father asked everyone to bow their heads and pray. Andrew closed his eyes and asked for courage and strength. He begged for forgiveness for what he had to do. Then, he requested forgiveness for Emily and pleaded for her to be allowed entrance to heaven one day. She’d saved many lives and had changed Andrew. She’d helped him become a better man. She had a good heart and soul. In his opinion, she’d redeemed herself and had earned a spot in the kingdom above. Before he finished, he appealed for her safety on this night.
The Father ended the prayer. Andrew opened his eyes and gazed at his wife. He loved her so much. If he managed to get rid of Steven and see her beautiful face on Christmas, then he’d know his prayer had been heard.