Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 46130 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46130 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 231(@200wpm)___ 185(@250wpm)___ 154(@300wpm)
The key almost sparkled as she spotted it. Pushing it quickly into the lock, she rotated it until she heard the click. She twisted the doorknob and dragged it open. Her heart wouldn’t let her abandon the assistant minister. “Quick, Lester. Come on.”
“Go call the authorities, Molly.”
Go back to the office to get to the phone?
The sight of the man launching into a run made her dart through the doorway and keep running. Molly’s heart pounded in her throat as she forced herself through the dark storage area. With any luck, he wouldn’t find the lights. The switches were partially concealed by the extra shelves that had been put up over the years.
Taking off her shoes, Molly walked as quickly and silently as possible. After turning a corner, Molly paused for a few precious seconds to pull a set of cushions from a stack under the shelves to scatter on the ground. If he fell, she’d have more time.
If she could get to the door that led to the baptismal pool, Molly could crawl through the curtained area to get to the sanctuary and out the door. She cursed that there was no phone along her path. Maybe Faust would figure out something was wrong.
“Oh, Molly. They say smoking is bad for your health,” the man called, and she looked over her shoulder to see the flickering glow of a small flame.
Of course he has a lighter!
He’s too close. There was no way she could find the right key fast enough from the thirty jumbled on her keyring. She’d never make it into the baptism area before he turned the corner. Her gaze darted around the shelves as she tried to remember where everything was.
Molly scrambled to come up with another plan. Scanning the boxes, she noted one stuck out more than the others. An idea jolted into her brain. Molly sank to the floor and felt along the items on the bottom row.
Praying with all her heart, she pushed that protruding box and it shifted. Thank you! The small Christmas tree! They’d almost forgotten to put it up in the children’s area a few years ago because it got pushed back out of sight. After that, Molly had always placed it carefully at the edge of the deep shelves so it wouldn’t get overlooked.
Please, let there be a space big enough for me to fit into.
She grabbed the gold candlestick on the shelf above the box as a final back-up plan. Feeling the intricate decorations biting into her palm, she forced herself to move. Unable to stop herself from looking back toward the corner as she backed into the disguised space, Molly could see the light getting brighter. He was almost to her. Holding her breath, she closed her eyes and prayed.
Chapter
Sixteen
Faust spotted a police car coming from the opposite direction as he turned his bike into the church parking lot. He pulled his bike close to the door and kicked the stand down with the other Shadowridge Guardians at his back.
“Stop right there,” the officer called from his patrol car.
Faust ignored him and ran for the door. Ink, King, Kade, and Bear followed him into the building. Faust heard Steele’s voice explaining.
“Officer, there was a break-in. They’re after…” Steele’s voice cut off as the door slammed closed.
Faust ran to the office. The older minister pointed down the hallway and Faust didn’t wait for an explanation. He jumped over a man slumped by the wall and continued through the open door. The passage was dark.
“Molly, I’m here!” he shouted into the gloom. He didn’t care if the man knew he was there. Nothing was going to get between him and Molly.
A chuckle came from the obscurity before him, sending a chill down his spine. It was muted. Distant? He moved quickly to close the distance.
“What’s your endgame, dickwad? The police are in the parking lot. Unfortunately for you, so are my brothers,” Faust called as he stalked forward.
“The police won’t let them put a hand on me.”
“I hope there’s an exit in front of you, you piece of shit. Otherwise, you have to come back through me,” Faust pointed out.
“Molly’s going to be my ticket out of here.”
Going to be. He didn’t have her. He took several steps forward toward the corner that separated them to get a better idea where the other man was. Turning the corner, he peered into the darkness, straining his ears for a whisper of a sound.
“If I don’t get her now, I’ll get her the next time I get out,” a voice answered, still at a distance.
How fucking big was this storage area?
“Out of what?” Faust asked, trying to keep him talking so he could locate him. Turning another corner, he saw a faint glow flickering. A flame. The bastard could see.
“Jail. The bitch reported me for disciplining my wife and kids. I’m young. I’ve got plenty of years to get revenge. I can play the game to get parole—again.”