Holiday Illusion (6 page)

And today, only a short while after she'd been in contact with Justin, someone had warned her to leave, then tried to kill her when she didn't. Whoever it was knew her moves. The thought chilled her.
Oh Justin, please tell me it's not you. I don't want to believe you could do that. What reason would you have?

Talking to the man in her head was getting her no answers. All she knew right now was she'd better be watching her back. When fear tried to crowd out reasonable thought, she gave it a good shove and recited the verse that had become her strength. “For God has not given me a spirit of fear…” Slowly her breathing eased.

So now she tried to form a plan. She had to find another way to get in that house—and do it in disguise. But how? The pounding in her head eased and her eyelids drooped. The adrenaline rush was gone, leaving her limp with exhaustion. She closed her eyes on a prayer for God to work through everything, for Paulo to get a new heart and be a healthy little boy, to find the evidence needed to put Shawn de Chastelain in prison where he couldn't hurt any more innocent people and for reconciliation between Lucas and his father.
Oh, and could You give me an extra dose of patience, God? I think dealing with Lucas's father is going to require a bit more than normal—okay, probably a lot more. Guard my tongue, please, Jesus. “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Thy sight, oh Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.”

 

Two hours later, Lucas had showered and checked his e-mail, and would soon be on his way to check on Paulo, but first he stopped by Anna's room to knock softly. When she didn't answer, he peeked around the door to see her stretched out across the bed. Good, she was asleep. Shutting the door gently, he backed away. He'd called the hospital and Mark had reported that Paulo was still hanging in there, his blood work completed. All they needed now was the donor. It bothered him that someone had to die for the little boy to get the heart, but unfortunately that was life—which often involved death.

“Lucas, how is she?”

Godfrey came from the opposite end of the hall where he and Dahlia shared a suite of rooms.

“She's asleep right now. I'm going to head to the hospital to check up on Paulo. Mark said he was doing all right, but I'll feel better if I go over there to see for myself.”

“How long do you plan to stay…here, I mean, at the house?”

Lucas shrugged. “I don't really have a timetable in mind. Right now, my goal is to make sure Paulo gets the help he needs, then possibly head back to Brazil.” But only if that was where Anna was headed.

“Really?” Godfrey looked surprised then he smirked. “You think you'll go back? I thought you might have ‘sown all your wild oats' and would be ready to settle down and raise a few kids.”

“Very funny. Since when did you start quoting my father? I've always wanted children but that's no reason to rush the experience…especially with the wrong woman. I have to admit I'm a little shocked at the reception I got from my father. I wouldn't call it warm, but he didn't decimate me. You know he's always blamed me for Lance's death.”

His cousin looked away. “Yeah, I know.”

“Do you? Blame me, I mean.”

“No, Lance was slowly self-destructing. You're just lucky you weren't in the boathouse with him when it exploded.”

“Lucky? I don't know. Maybe my father was right. Maybe it should have been me who died instead of Lance.”

“Who's Lance?”

Anna's soft question interrupted the cousins' conversation. Godfrey and Lucas's eyes met then Lucas said, “Hey there. I brought your bags up. We didn't mean to wake you.”

“You didn't. My stomach did. I'm starving.”

Godfrey intervened. “Dinner is served at six-thirty sharp. If you don't want to eat here, I can let the cook know. Or if you do, she always makes enough, so even last-minute decisions one way or another don't really matter.”

Lucas looked at Anna and said, “I want to go to the hospital to check up on Paulo. I thought you might not feel well enough to go. You want to stay here or go with me?”

Godfrey's cell phone rang, and he excused himself to answer it. “I want to go see Paulo, but—” she chewed her lip “—I'm afraid of putting him in danger.”

“I'll be careful. We'll watch our tail and keep to the main roads. Hopefully, they won't try anything again today. I called your buddy Justin and let him in on what happened. He said they'd send someone to guard Paulo's room if we thought he needed it.”

“He did?” She wondered if she should voice her suspicions about her former supervisor. “What else did he say?”

“To be careful and that he'd look into everything.”

Deciding to keep her thoughts about Justin to herself for the time being, she said, “All right. Just give me a minute to freshen up.”

Anna disappeared back into the room, and Lucas went downstairs to wait just inside the front door for her. When she appeared only moments later, he took a deep breath as he registered just how beautiful she was—even with the nasty-looking goose egg on her forehead.

“How's the head?”

“I'll live. The medicine helped, but I'll need a couple more in an hour or so.”

Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, Lucas led her out into the chilly darkness. His eyes darted into the shadows, the hit-and-run incident still fresh in his mind, causing his nerves to jump under his skin. The sun had disappeared about thirty minutes ago, taking every ounce of warmth with it. Anna had on a long-sleeved T-shirt, jeans and tennis shoes along with a light jacket that he hoped would be warm enough. The air smelled like snow, but wasn't cold enough for it even though it sure felt like it. In the distance, he heard the waves crashing against the shore and, with a pang, realized he'd missed his home over the past years.

Since the rental car had been towed off, Lucas had his father's chauffeur pull one of the cars around from the garage. The late-sixty-something man stepped out of the silver Jaguar and handed Lucas the keys. “Thanks, Ted.”

“Have a good evening, sir.”

Anna slid into the passenger seat and sighed. Lucas had forgotten what a luxury it was to drive such a nice vehicle and nearly went into culture shock. The scent of rich, leather seats filled his nose and the quiet engine purred, whispering the promise of a sweet, smooth ride.

Anna asked, “Does Ted live here, too?”

“Yes. He's been with my family since I was in the third grade. He and his wife, Joni, live in one of the cottages down by the beach. Their children are grown and gone and Ted could retire anytime, but he insists on staying with my father. At least that's the story as of three years ago. I'm assuming it's still true.”

“Nice.”

“Very. They're good people, you'd like them. They've been trying to get my father to come to church with them for years. You'd think they'd have given up by now.”

“Why don't you go to church, Lucas? Every time the subject of God comes up, you run away.”

He stiffened, not wanting the conversation to go down that road. “I don't run away. I just don't believe God cares.”

“Why? What would make you think that?”

“Come on, Anna, look around you. All the suffering, the pain, the prayers for help that go unanswered. Look at little Paulo in the hospital, waiting for a new heart. Tell me the God you serve cares about all that. And if He does, then why doesn't He do something about it?” The words tumbled from his lips faster than he could keep up with them. But once said, he felt relief. Glad he finally blurted out his true feelings about the subject. He'd never been that blunt about it before. But this was Anna, he could tell her anything.

“Oh, Lucas.” She placed a hand on his right arm, and he slid his hand from the wheel to grip her fingers. “I'm so sorry you see it that way. And I'll be honest, I don't have all the answers. Unfortunately, it's not a perfect world. When sin entered it, so did all the pain and misery you're describing. But, God promises to be there during the hard times, and I know from personal experience that He is. I can't always explain it, I just know that even when I'm feeling at my lowest, if I praise His name anyway, I get peace.”

“I wish I could understand that.”

She gave his hand one last squeeze. “The only way is to give Him a try.”

“Yeah.” He changed the subject as he made a right turn into the hospital parking lot. “Here we are—and without incident. Let's go check on Paulo.”

 

Anna climbed from the car, her heart rejoicing at the conversation Lucas just initiated.
Please, Jesus, don't give up on him. Keep working on his heart. Show him Your unconditional love. He's never seen it, doesn't understand it, so just show him…somehow.

As they strode through the lobby, Anna looked at each face she passed, suspicion bubbling through every cell of her body. Would her attacker show up here again? Even the workers putting up the Christmas tree in front of the bay window were suspect; she inspected the two men running the lights around the ceiling and the one woman hanging the mistletoe over her chair. Anna smiled and nodded and took note of the smallest details. Lucas ran into Mark coming out of the restroom and stopped to talk to him.

Anna said, “I'm going to make a quick call, then head up to see Paulo, if that's all right.” She looked at Lucas. “You can fill me in on everything later.”

“Sure.” Lucas waved her on.

Anna headed for the elevator, stepped on and pressed the button for the third floor. As the doors slid shut, a hand reached in at the last moment to shove them open. A man with dark sunglasses stood there staring at her for a brief moment before stepping toward her.

A
nna sucked in a deep breath, immediately suspicious after the recent incident in the restroom, not to mention almost being run off the road. She moved to the edge of the elevator, keeping one eye on the man as he said nothing, just stepped in and turned to face the still open doors.

Dressed in khaki slacks and a long-sleeved dress shirt, unbuttoned at the neck, his broad shoulders and confident carriage shouted purpose, but it was the sunglasses covering his eyes that really creeped her out. Fear flickered in her midsection. She pressed a hand to it, cutting her eyes for a sideways glance at his face.

The man's hand reached up, a finger pointed…and he pressed the button for the fourth floor. Her breath whooshed out silently through pursed lips. You're being paranoid, she told herself, definitely losing it.

He turned to look at her, adjusted his sunglasses, twin dark lenses reflecting her face.

The doors started their smooth glide shut. He pushed his right hand into his blazer…

He's got a gun! Get out, get out, get out,
her brain shouted. Beyond caring whether or not she looked like an idiot, she stepped toward the doors, but just as she was about to slip out, an elderly couple rushed on, causing the doors to slide back open, and Anna to move back out of the way. The balding man smiled and said, “Sixth floor, please.”

The dark-headed man turned away. Slowly, he pulled his hand from his jacket, nodded to the two newcomers and did as requested. Then he stepped off the elevator. Her breathing slowed. Her pulse stopped galloping and she rubbed her sweaty palms on her jeans. Just because he put his hand in his coat doesn't mean he had a gun, right? Finally, the elevator slid to a stop on the third floor. Anna stepped out on still shaky legs, waited for the door to shut behind her, then turned down the hall to head toward Paulo's room.

Unable to put it off any longer, she pulled out her cell phone and punched in Justin's number. He answered on the third ring.

She got straight to the point. “Are you trying to set me up?”

“What?”

“Justin, who else knew I'd be here? Who else knew what car I'd be in? I don't want to believe it, but I don't know what to think. Every time I run it around in my head, I come up with you. You had a trace on my passport. You probably knew I was back before I did! You could have easily set me up.”

Silence filtered through the line. “Thanks a lot, Anna.”

A world of hurt loaded down those four little words. She almost felt like weeping. And yet…“I'm sorry, Justin, but you're the only link.”

“I don't know what to tell you except I only want to help you.” Anna winced at the pause. Then Justin said, “I promise you this, I'd never do anything to hurt you.”

“Yeah.” She bit her lip, thought about everything. “Okay, it's just that things started going crazy as soon as I landed on American soil.”

“And I'm going to help you figure out why. But I promise, it's
not
me.”

“I want to believe that, I really do,” she whispered.

A long pause. Then, “Will you accept my help? Let me send someone to keep an eye on you and the little guy at the hospital? Put you under protection?”

“Not a chance. But if something happens to Paulo and I find out you're behind it, I'll hunt you down, Justin.” She hung up the phone, grief nearly sending her to her knees. She couldn't believe Justin was behind this, she just couldn't.

Arriving at the right room, she shoved off the lingering fear from her elevator scare and the worry that Justin had something to do with the attempts on her life. Drawing in a calming breath, she gently pushed the door open to see Paulo breathlessly laughing at something Andy had said. Somehow the two of them were managing to communicate in spite of the language barrier. Paulo had picked up a lot of English at the orphanage. He'd even known some before he'd arrived on their doorstep in Tefe.

In just the few hours since he'd been in this hospital, he'd gained a little color. Yes, he still looked tired and weak, but his eyes were shining. When he saw her, he grinned. In his raspy, labored voice, he said, “Miss Anna. I have a new friend. This is Andy. His mom went downstairs to get something to drink. Senhorita Ella went to the restroom.”

Crossing to his side, she clasped his small hand then glanced at the boy in the other bed. “Hello, Andy. It's good to see you again. How are you feeling? Better?”

“Yes, but getting tired again.”

Paulo rasped, “Yes, me, too.”

Sadness gripped her. If she could rip out her own heart and put it into that little body, she'd do it. The fierce love that swept over her rocked her to her very soul and she knew Paulo had become the son she'd never have. She thought about the elevator incident. Was she putting Paulo in danger by being here?

Sure, it's possible she'd been paranoid this time, but that didn't mean next time it wouldn't be the real deal. Sadly, Anna realized that this may have to be her last visit with the little guy depending on how things went in her investigation. She'd just have to make the decision of whether or not to visit a daily judgment. There was no way she was leading anyone anywhere near this child. She choked back the sudden surge of tears, forcing a smile as she leaned over to kiss his silky black curls. “I know, but soon you will be running and playing and building snowmen in the snow.”

“Christmas. The day Jesus was born,
sim?
A very special day. You told me all about it, remember?”

“I sure do.” And she did. About six months ago, when Paulo had been sick with the virus that damaged his heart, she'd sat by his bed, reading the story of Christ's birth from Luke chapter two. He'd been fascinated with the fact that Jesus was really God but came down as a baby to save the world. She'd read the story so many times over the course of his illness, she could practically quote it now.

“What do you want for Christmas, Paulo? Something special?”

Andy piped in. “I know what I want. I want an Xbox.”

Paulo studied Anna's features very seriously before saying, “I do not know. But I will think on it.” His eyes fluttered closed. Anna waited, thinking he'd fallen asleep, but then very faintly, she heard, “Sing for me, Miss Anna. The praising song.”

Anna blinked. The praising song? Then she remembered. The song she'd sung for him a couple of times while he'd been lying in the hospital. She'd translated it into Portuguese and he'd seemed to relax each time he heard it. “English or Portuguese?”

“English,” he whispered, “so Andy can understand the words, too.”

So, she held his hand and sang, “‘Your name is blessed in all the land, your beauty unsurpassed, your faithfulness never ending. I call on you as I praise your name…” Closing her eyes, she let the words wash over her, opened her entire being to the worship. That indescribable feeling filling her heart, her very soul, with the peace she could only find in her Lord. His presence flooded her, joy nearly choking her as her eyes filled with tears “…you find me when I'm lost, wandering through the darkness, flailing to find You when I can't see…I turn to you praising your name…”

 

Lucas stood in the doorway to Paulo's room, watching the most beautiful—and unbelievable—thing he'd ever seen. Anna sang in a sweet perfect pitch, praising her God. He listened to the lyrics as she sang about the path she traveled, blessing God's name even in the midst of her torment.

How? How could she do that? What kind of God did she serve that allowed her to feel the peace that practically oozed from her every pore when it seemed like everything in life was going wrong? Paulo slept as she sang. Andy's eyes were heavy, drooping, fluttering open, then closed.

Stuck, Lucas felt like an intruder on such a private moment. He wanted to leave yet felt compelled to stay. He wanted to kneel down beside her and share in her worship. He wanted what she had.

Her voice filled the small room but there was no mistaking that Anna wasn't there. She was somewhere with her God, the one she worshipped, had faith in and trusted unwaveringly to get her through the hard times.

Lucas felt the presence behind him and jerked around, his finger to his lips. It was Lindsey, the nurse. He wondered how long she'd been there but then realized, from the tears standing in her eyes, she'd been there long enough.

And then there was quiet.

A soothing stillness that made him want to savor every blessed moment.

“Oh, hi,” Anna said, her words a little breathless. Seeing her audience, she seemed flustered. “Um, Paulo wanted me to sing to him.”

Lindsey sniffed. “Whoo, girl, that was beautiful. Better than any church worship service I've ever been in.”

Anna swiped at her face then reached to grab a tissue from the box beside Paulo's bed. Giving a chuckle, she said, “God shows up at the weirdest times and sometimes the strangest ways. I'd planned to just sing for Paulo, and, instead, I ended up singing for Him. I love it when that happens.” She giggled again. Lucas wondered at the joy that lingered, the aura of peace that still surrounded her. If he thought he could have that…

“How's Paulo?”

Glancing back at the small boy in the bed, she shrugged. “I think he feels a little better. He had some color in his cheeks when I walked in a little while ago, but he got tired real fast. Andy, too.”

“You two need to get on home.” Lindsay shooed them off. “It's getting late. Don't you worry, I'll be keeping a close eye on these two all night long.”

Footsteps sounded behind him and he turned to see Mark Priestly coming toward him. “Hey there, how's it going?” The serious expression on his face sobered Lucas. “What is it?”

“Paulo just moved into the number-one spot for a heart.”

Which meant the person previously in the number one spot had just passed away. Pressing his lips tight, Lucas gave a short nod and Mark turned on his heel to head back down the hall. Probably to talk to the family of the deceased.

Lucas looked at Anna. “Are you ready?”

“I feel I should stay with him.” Sorrow darkened her eyes; she'd heard Mark.

“He'll be fine. Ella will be here and Lindsey will call if we're needed. And you need to get some proper rest or your head isn't going to feel good tomorrow.”

She lifted a hand to her wound. “I'd forgotten all about it, but now it's starting to throb again. Okay. You're right. Let's go.”

 

First thing the next morning, Anna came downstairs to the smell of breakfast. Scrambled eggs, toast, ham, bacon, orange juice, fresh strawberries and toasted bagels. Her mouth watered as she followed her nose into the dining area. Lucas, already seated with Godfrey across the table from him, looked up when she entered the room. “Good morning,” he said.

He stood and pulled out a chair next to him. She stepped past him, and he placed a hand at the small of her back, causing shivers to chase up her spine. Mentally, she fussed at herself for her attraction. She looked around to distract herself and her eyes landed on the petite blonde next to Godfrey. She assumed she was his wife, Dahlia. Anna hadn't met her yesterday as the woman had been otherwise occupied.

“Good morning. I hope I'm not too late.”

“I told Maddy to let you sleep in as late as you could. How's your head feeling?”

“It's fine,
Doctor,
” she teased as she sat. Actually, it still ached a little, but nothing she couldn't deal with.

“Anna, this is Godfrey's wife, Dahlia. I've told you a little about her, but I don't think I mentioned she's the president of her own company now. She started Scents of Beauty, a cosmetics company, about six months ago and it's already doing quite well.”

“With my help, of course,” Godfrey chimed in with a smile. “I've got the business head and Dahlia has the product smarts.”

Anna greeted the pretty woman. “Hi, nice to meet you. And congratulations on your success.”

“Thank you.” Dahlia flashed a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes as she dipped her knife in the butter and made the act of spreading it on her toast an exercise in elegance. She seemed sad, possibly depressed. Anna would certainly recognize the symptoms if she had enough time to analyze the woman. Giving a mental shrug, she decided maybe she was wrong and Dahlia was just reserved. Anna would have to give it time to get to know the woman a little better before making a judgment.

Serving herself, Anna listened to the conversation around her. “So you design fragrances and the like?”

Dahlia looked up at Anna as though surprised at her interest. “Yes,” she said slowly, “and a line of makeup that cleanses your skin even as it covers up the flaws.”

“That sounds fascinating. How did you come up with the idea?”

A spark of animation flashed in those dark, pretty eyes and a genuine smile lit her features. Wow. No wonder Godfrey had fallen for this woman. Her smile revealed dimples a mile deep. “Oh, I have a Ph.D. in chemistry, and I love makeup. It was a natural fit.”