Running Scared Read online

  “Sure I do. I kill you. I get the gal. It’s as simple as that.”

  “It would be if I planned to let you kill me.”

  “Too bad you don’t have a choice.” Lyons sneered, lunging forward and plunging the knife toward Kane’s chest.

  He dodged again, knowing the door was still wide open, knowing that Lyons was standing in front of it. This time, he pulled Maggie with him, tackling her to the ground, holding her there as a volley of shots split the night.

  Maggie screamed and screamed again, her body trembling as Lyons crumbled onto the floor, blood pooling beneath him.

  And then there was silence, so thick and deep Kane wondered if it would ever be broken.

  A voice called from outside, and Kane shifted, lifting his weight so that Maggie could move again. He helped her sit up, cupping her face in his hands, looking into her eyes. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so.”

  Footsteps sounded on the porch, and Kane stood, offering Maggie a hand.

  And suddenly Lyons was moving again, lunging forward, the knife in his hand, slicing an arch through the air, aiming for Maggie as he crumbled to the ground again.

  Maggie stumbled—and fell to her knees.

  “Maggie!” Kane scooped her into his arms, backing up as a half dozen deputies raced into the room. She was limp in his arms, her eyes closed, her skin parchment pale.

  “Maggie? Can you hear me?”

  She opened her eyes and offered a wane smile. “You’re screaming in my ear. How could I not?”

  “Did he cut you?”

  “Barely. Put me down, and you can see for yourself.”

  He set her on her feet, keeping his hands on her waist to steady her as he looked at the ragged rip in her coat. It stretched from shoulder to waist, and Kane gently pulled the fabric away, wincing as he saw blood bubbling up from the wound.

  “It looks like the blade caught your shoulder, but only got the coat farther down.”

  “How bad is it?”

  “You’re going to need stitches.”

  “Good. I’ll have matching scars then. One from the bullet. One from the knife.” She smiled, but her lips were trembling.

  “They’ll only add to your beauty.”

  “Beauty? I’m a mess.”

  “You’re lovely.” He kissed her gently, smiling when her cheeks turned pink.

  “That’s better.”

  “What?”

  “You were so pale I thought you might pass out. Now you’ve got a little color in your cheeks.”

  “And that’s how you put color in a woman’s cheeks? You kiss her?”

  “Not every woman. Just you.”

  She blushed again, her cheeks deepening to dark rose. “We’d better go free Edith. She’s tied up in a chair in my bedroom.”

  She glanced at Derrick, who lay facedown on the floor, a deputy holding a wad of cloth to his gunshot wound. “I hope he doesn’t get up again. That was like one of those horror flicks where the bad guy never stays down.”

  “You don’t have to worry. He won’t be coming after you again.” The sheriff appeared at her side, his concerned gaze taking in the coat Kane held to her shoulder and the bruises on her face and neck.

  “Is he…” Maggie didn’t finish the thought, but the sheriff must have known what she meant.

  “He’s alive, but he’ll probably wish he weren’t after we get through with him.”

  “Sic Edith on him, and he’ll be even sorrier.” Maggie shifted again and started toward the stairs. “I need to make sure she’s okay.”

  “I’ve already sent someone to free her,” the sheriff replied. “Just rest there until the ambulance comes.”

  “Maggie! Maggie Mae Tennyson.” Edith’s screech carried down the stairs as she was carried out of the apartment by two young deputies. “Are you okay?”

  “Yes. I’m fine.” Maggie turned to face Edith, swaying a little with the movement. “Are you?”

  “Nothing’s hurt but my pride. That cad tricked me into letting him in. Said he was delivering flowers for you, and I made the mistake of opening the door. I should have known better.”

  “How could you have?” Maggie asked as the deputies and Edith reached the bottom of the stairs.

  “I don’t know, but I do know this. The next time a guy comes up to the door carrying a couple of dozen roses, I’m going to beam him with my frying pan first and ask questions later.”

  “I guess I’m not going to bring Maggie roses anytime soon,” Kane said, urging Maggie to sit on the bottom step while she waited for the ambulance.

  “I’ll make an exception for you. You did, after all, save her life.”

  “For the second time,” Maggie added, and she smiled into his eyes.

  “I’ll save it a million times more if that’s what it takes.”

  “For what?”

  “For me to show you how much you mean to me.”

  “You’ve already done that, Kane.” She grabbed his hand, tugging him down to sit beside her and leaning forward to press a kiss to his lips.

  “What was that for?”

  “It was just to show you how much you mean to me.”

  “You’ve already done that, but feel free to keep demonstrating.” She smiled at that, leaning her head against his shoulder and closing her eyes, her warmth seeping through Kane, reminding him that his arms had been empty for much too long.

  Now they were filled with Maggie, with Eli, with all the joy and excitement the two brought into his life.

  “I love you, Maggie,” he whispered in her ear, and she opened her eyes and looked into his face.

  “I love you, too.”

  At her words, all the lonely years, all the years Kane had spent desperately clinging to hope, faded. God had given him a miracle, and then He’d given Kane more.

  A double blessing.

  A double measure.

  A heaping double helping of love.

  EPILOGUE

  “Are you sure this dress doesn’t make me look fat, Maggie Mae?” Edith stood in front of the mirror and patted ample hips encased in sequined peach fabric.

  “It makes you look lovely, Edith.”

  “Lovely and fat. I knew I should have bought another one.” She frowned, turning to the left and then to the right, the sequins shimmering in the overhead light of Starr Road Christian Church’s choir room.

  “And miss a golden opportunity to wear that peach dress?” Jenna stepped up next to Edith and patted the older woman on the back, her dress a simple cream-colored sheath with a peach ribbon at the waist. “Why in the world would you have done that? Besides, Maggie is right. You look great.”

  “Humph. I’d look a whole lot better if I didn’t have to stand up there with you. Stick thin, that’s what you are, too beautiful for your own good and five decades younger than me. I’m going to look like an old hag standing next to you.”

  Jenna smiled. “A hag? Not even close. As for the decades, I don’t think either of us look a day over twenty-one.” Jenna frowned at her reflection, leaning close to smooth a chin-length strand of red hair from her cheek. Her face had filled out since Maggie had met her the previous fall, but she still looked fragile and gaunt.

  “You’re both gorgeous, and I don’t want to hear another word about that not being true,” Maggie said. “Besides, you’re hogging the mirror and I need to make sure I look…”

  “Perfect?” Edith offered.

  “Stunning?” Jenna asked.

  “Presentable.” Maggie took her place in front of the mirror and smoothed a nonexistent wrinkle from her silk gown.

  “Presentable? Presentable is for college graduation. Presentable is for senior photos. Presentable is not for the most important day of your life.” Edith blinked rapidly, and Maggie was sure there were tears in her eyes.

  “Have I told you both how much it means to me to have you standing up for me today?” Maggie asked, clasping hands with both of them and smiling into the mirror.

&nb
sp; “And have I told you how much it means to me that you didn’t choose one of those horrible tulle gowns for my bridesmaid’s dress?” Jenna responded, and Maggie laughed.

  “I thought about it. Just to torture you. But then I realized that I’d be torturing myself, too, since I’d have to see it in photos for the rest of my life. Besides, Edith really did want to wear her peach dress.” She turned, glancing over her shoulder so she could view the back of the gown. It was elegant and simple, the hand beading at the waist the only ornament. Despite what she’d said about just being presentable, Maggie had to admit she was pleased with the gown and with the cascade of tawny curls that Jenna had created with a curling iron.

  “Mom did a beautiful job making your dress. You look stunning.” For once, Jenna was serious, her gray-blue eyes skimming over the gown, then resting on Maggie’s face. “You really love him, don’t you, Mags?”

  “I couldn’t do this if I didn’t. I’d end up being one of those runaway brides, hopping on a horse and riding into the sunset in my beautiful gown.” Her hand shook as she twisted the white-gold engagement ring she’d been wearing for six months. She was done running, but she was scared.

  Scared of the vows she was about to make.

  Scared of the commitment.

  Scared that somehow she’d mess up and she’d ruin everything.

  “Don’t be nervous, sweetie. Kane loves you, too. And so does Eli.” Jenna squeezed her hand, then stepped away from the mirror and lifted the long-stemmed peach rose she was going to carry down the aisle.

  “He’s really come far in the past year, hasn’t he? I can’t believe the young man who celebrated his tenth birthday a few weeks ago is the same scrawny, scared little boy who kicked my behind in Monopoly last Thanksgiving.” Edith lifted her own rose, sniffing it delicately. “Lovely.”

  “You didn’t attack the person who delivered it, did you?” Jenna asked, shooting a sly smile in Edith’s direction.

  “Young lady, I’ll have you know that I’ve not swung my frying pan at anyone in at least a week.”

  “A week. That’s a record.” Maggie tried to laugh, but failed miserably.

  Should a bride be so nervous on her wedding day?

  “You’re awfully pale. You’re not going to pass out or anything, are you?” Jenna put a hand on Maggie’s cheek and frowned.

  “Of course not.”

  “Good because I don’t want to have to drag you down the aisle.”

  “I’m sure if it came down to that, Kane would be happy to fetch his beautiful bride.” Edith straightened the ribbon on Maggie’s bouquet of white and peach roses and handed it to her. “But it won’t. Because Maggie and Kane and Eli belong together, and Maggie knows it, don’t you, dear?”

  “Of course.” And she did know it with every fiber of her being, but she was still scared.

  “How could you not?” Edith said, as if Maggie hadn’t even spoken. “God doesn’t play games, and it was no game when He brought you and Kane together. All that trouble and trial you two went through, and in the midst of it all, you falling in love. That’s a miracle, Maggie, and don’t you ever forget it.”

  Edith was right. God had performed miracles to bring Maggie and Kane together. And now, with Derrick in prison for murdering three of his girlfriends and Susannah Peyton in jail for kidnapping, they were free to move on with their lives. “I won’t.”

  “Good. That’s what I want to hear. Pinch your cheeks to get some color back in them because it’s just about time to go.”

  A soft knock sounded on the door, and Maggie tensed, her stomach fluttering with nerves.

  “Just about time? It is time!” Jenna hurried to the door, pulled it open and smiled at the handsome young man who stood on the other side of it. “Eli Dougherty, I have never seen you look so handsome.”

  He blushed, but his gaze was on Maggie, his green eyes filled with the same apprehension she was feeling. During the past few months, he’d opened up about the time he’d spent with Susannah. He’d admitted to calling her Mom and to accepting her as his mother. The guilt he felt over that was something he’d been working hard to overcome, and the success he was having showed in the easy way he communicated with Maggie and with Kane.

  Still, he had to go at his own pace in the new relationships they were forming, and Maggie had no intention of asking him to call her Mom, no intention at all of trying to replace the mother he’d lost just a few months after he was born. But she would mother him.

  She would love him.

  She already had.

  She already did.

  “You do look handsome, Eli,” she said, and he blushed again.

  “You look beautiful.”

  “Then, I guess we’ll be two of the best-looking people walking down the aisle.”

  Eli smiled at that, then pulled a small box from behind his back.

  “I have something for you.”

  “You do?”

  “Yep. I finally beat Grandpa at chess, and he paid me and everything. Just like he said. So I bought this for you. I hope you like it.”

  “Oh, Eli, you shouldn’t have spent your money on me.”

  Jenna smiled. “But he did, so open the gift before my brother comes looking for you and blames me because you’re late.” She ruffled Eli’s hair and smoothed it down again.

  Maggie pulled the pink ribbon from the box and lifted the lid, her eyes filling with tears as she caught sight of the simple silver chain and the pendant that read #1 Mom.

  “Thank you, Eli. It’s perfect.” She hugged him tight, then reached around to take off her white-gold and diamond necklace.

  “Are you going to wear the necklace I bought you?” Eli looked shocked, and Maggie nodded.

  “Of course. Today is my first day of being your mother. I want everyone to know it.”

  “I guess maybe that means I can call you Mom now.”

  “I guess it does.” She put the silver necklace on, then took Eli’s hand. “Ready?”

  “If you are.”

  They stepped out of the room together, following Jenna and Edith through the corridor, the sound of organ music beckoning them on.

  The sanctuary doors were closed as they approached, and two tuxedoed men swung them open. Jenna and Edith walked through first. Kane’s father followed.

  And then it was Maggie and Eli’s turn.

  Her heart raced as she heard the swelling strains of the bridal march, and for a moment Maggie didn’t think she could move.

  This was it.

  She was going to marry the man of her dreams, was going to finally have the family she’d always wanted.

  Please, God, don’t let me mess this up.

  Eli squeezed her hand and looked up into her face. “It’s going to be okay, Mom. We’re going to be okay.”

  She stepped into the sanctuary. Kane stood at the end of the aisle, dashing and handsome in his tuxedo, his smile filling up the emptiness that had made her doubt and worry.

  Edith was right.

  Eli was right.

  This was right.

  She took a deep breath and placed her hand in Kane’s, felt his warmth and strength seep in, chasing away the nerves, leaving nothing but love.

  “You’re stunning.” His knuckles brushed her cheek, his fingers leaving a trail of fire.

  “So are you.”

  “Can boys be stunning?” Eli whispered, and Jenna let out a quiet laugh.

  “Are you sure you want to marry into this crew?” Kane said with a smile, and Maggie squeezed his hand.

  “They’re my family.”

  “And you are the love of my life.” He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips.

  “Hey, no kissing before the deal is sealed,” someone said, and Maggie laughed, turning to face the pastor. Kane on her right. Eli on her left. Her family.

  There was nothing to fear, nothing to worry about.

  There was simply joy, simply love, simply a thousand dreams finally coming true.


  And it was so right.

  Dear Reader,

  Running Scared is a story about danger. It is a story about love. Perhaps more than all those things, it is a story about grace.

  Maggie Tennyson grew up tough, and she’s made a lot of mistakes because of it. Now a Christian, she’s turned away from the hard-partying lifestyle and is trying to make a better life for herself. When she becomes embroiled in a missing child’s case, everything she’s worked for is threatened. If she’s going to survive, Maggie must rely on private investigator Kane Dougherty to help her track down the man who nearly killed her three years ago. As she and Kane face danger, they must also face the past and learn that God’s grace truly is sufficient for them.

  I hope you enjoyed reading their story as much as I enjoyed writing it, and I hope that whatever your past has been, your future will be filled with the wonders of His mercy and grace.

  God bless,

  QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

  What is Maggie’s biggest challenge as she tries to live her life for God?

  Maggie has repented of her sin and is trying hard to move on. What is it that keeps her from fully accepting that she is forgiven?

  Kane has prayed for a miracle for five years and finally gets it. How does the reality of it measure up to the dream?

  How does Kane feel during the years that he’s waiting to be reunited with his son? What is it that he struggles with the most?

  When Kane tells Maggie that she is family, how does she feel? Why?

  What is it about Eli that reminds Maggie of herself? How does this affect her relationship with him?

  Kane wants desperately to reconnect with his son, but Eli is nothing like the child he remembers. How does he reconcile the child he has with the child he lost?

  Why is Maggie hesitant to tell Kane about her past? What is she afraid will happen when she does?

  How does she feel when she realizes that Kane knows the truth about who she once was?

  What do you think makes Kane able to accept Maggie’s past?

  As Christians, what should our response be to those who are truly repentant?