Storm Clouds. Cheryl Wolverton

nonplussed by her reaction.

      “Angelina.” David’s voice drew her attention. “You might want to let Steve finish his story.”

      He was another one of those Christians, but the gentleness in his eyes convinced her to hold her tongue. She was out of line.

      Turning back to Steve, she took a deep breath and let it out. “I apologize, Steve. Can you tell me anything else?”

      He nodded. “Your brother had contacts with all sorts of underworld types because of the life many of our students come from. You know, he’d hang out and meet them as he was helping others. They might not like his ways, but they respected him. He went into the cities and into the bush alike and was always hearing things. He’s rather a hero around here. He helped cut crime nearly in half. He’d been out making his rounds when he heard something disturbing. He didn’t go into any details with me, but I do know he mentioned you several times and decided he just might ring you up.”

      “Did he say anything else?”

      Steve shook his head. “The authorities asked me the same thing. No, miss. We’re hoping Jake might be able to tell us something if he regains consciousness.”

      “Jake?” David asked.

      Surprised, Angelina turned her attention to David.

      Steve nodded to David. “When I got back from town, we found this place tore up, and poor Jake was lying in the kitchen unconscious. We think the person or people came in through the back because of the woods and conked poor Jake over the head.”

      “Who’s Jake?” Angelina asked, then turned to David. “And just how do you know everyone here?”

      David answered this time. “He’s the cook. When Marcus led me to the Lord, Jake took me under his wing. He’s a special friend. And I used to own all of this land.”

      “Still do.”

      David acknowledged the other man’s comment.

      Angelina didn’t ask him to elaborate. Her mind still whirled with the fact that all of these people knew each other and they were all Christians like her brother. She didn’t like that.

      Putting it aside, she turned back to Steve. “Did my brother ever keep notes? Anything?”

      Steve sighed. “The authorities already asked me that and went through his study.”

      Her brother wouldn’t have kept it there. At least not when they were kids. They’d hidden everything from their uncle. “Can I see his bedroom?”

      “You need medical attention,” David said gently.

      She sighed. He was right.

      “Ted sent for the nurse,” Steve told David.

      She bristled. “Then I can search his room while we’re waiting for the nurse?”

      Her brother, gone. It was starting to sink in that her brother really was missing, and that whatever he’d called her about tied into his disappearance.

      Unfortunately, searching his room was going to have to wait as the nurse walked in right then.

      Frustration built. “I need to call the police too,” she blurted out.

      David touched her hand.

      She jerked.

      “Look sweet—gelina,” he corrected. His look calmed her as she stared into his eyes. And the way he’d changed the “sweetheart” almost drew a grin—almost.

      Still, that gentle touch anchored her. What had happened to her world in the last twenty-four hours?

      “I’ll call the authorities and report what has happened. I need to let my boss know why I’m gone as well. You allow the nurse to tend you and then, when someone arrives to take our report, you can question them about your brother. Before that, however, you can search your brother’s room. Maybe you’ll find something that will help them. All right?”

      She didn’t want to admit this man’s plan made sense. She tilted her head slightly. “How long have I known you now?”

      He smiled, dimples appearing. “Too long, I’m afraid.”

      She chuckled. The man had a sense of humor. “I suppose I should apologize for your Jeep.”

      “That is going to be hard to explain to my boss.”

      “I’ll be glad to elaborate for him.”

      “Americans,” he said softly and chuckled.

      She lifted an eyebrow in response, which reminded her of the injury.

      “You go this way, miss, and Myra will examine you.”

      She glanced at the woman who stood quietly off to the side. Large, wide features, but pretty, she had her hair pulled back, wore a pair of faded jeans and a top tucked in with a brown belt. She carried a knapsack in one hand.

      Definitely not what she expected a nurse to look like.

      Maybe if she got her alone, she could find out a bit more of what was going on, or what had been going on. She glanced at David. “Sounds like a plan.”

      David nodded. “Go with her then.”

      She stood and David watched her go. When she was gone, he turned to Steve.

      “How are you feeling?” Steve asked.

      David picked up his tea and drank some. The heat felt good going down his throat. “Like I’ve been run over by my Jeep,” he answered when he was done with the hot liquid.

      “How did you end up with Marcus’s sister?”

      “That’s a story,” David said. He stood and paced to the window. His back and shoulders ached from going over that cliff. He still couldn’t believe he’d done that and laid that at God’s feet. It had just come to him in a small voice to do it—and they had survived. Of course, they were both sore—but alive and sore were better than the alternative. “I was out making my rounds when this woman came flying out a window of a passing vehicle. I honestly thought the little sheila had tried to kill herself until she jumped up and ran toward me. Bullets exploded about us so I started driving.” He turned and faced Steve. “How did an American—and not just any American, but Marcus’ sister—end up out there in the middle of nowhere?”

      “God’s will,” Steve said simply.

      “It must have been. I was the only vehicle for kilometers. They shot up the boot and filled the Jeep with holes. I had no petrol left.” He ran a hand through his short sandy hair and sighed. “And I have no idea if the people who were chasing her are still after us. I kept looking over my shoulder the entire time. All I could think was we had to get out of there and get here before something happened to Angelina.”

      Why he’d felt that way, he wasn’t sure. But it had been his little wombat he’d worried about instead of himself. She was spirited. And when he’d touched her face in the cave…His blunt fingers had looked so large against her small delicate features. He’d wanted to fix all of her problems, even though he hadn’t known who she was. That was his purpose for being where he’d been.

      Steve nodded. “Marcus would appreciate that. I know he’s never forgiven himself for not bringing Angelina with him.”

      David nodded. Marcus rarely talked of his sister except to say they came from a bad background, and more was going on with Angelina than he’d understood at the time. David wasn’t sure what that meant, only that years later Marcus had regretted leaving Angelina in the States. He wondered how Marcus could have left such an innocent to fend for herself, though she was spunky and could handle a gun. “I need to call the authorities.”

      Steve nodded and David went to the phone and rang up the nearest help. When he was off the phone, he turned back to Steve, who perused him and said, “You look a bit injured yourself.”