I’d left my computer in the truck, so I pulled up my favorite word puzzle app on my phone. The walls in the office were pretty soundproof since dad wanted his flock to feel comfortable sharing their private troubles in the sanctity of his office, so I was surprised when I heard him raise his voice.
Celia looked up from her keyboard and shot me a reassuring smile. “I’m sure everything is fine.”
Despite her attempt of offering reassurance, the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. I’d seen my father get upset before, and he wasn’t a yeller. Whatever was going on inside that office had to be pretty bad. I got up and walked over to the water cooler located next to the office door. Taking my time, I filled a thin paper cone while I tried to make out what they were talking about.
The door flew open and a man in an expensive-looking suit stepped out. A jagged scar cut across one cheek and his eyes lit up when he saw me. “Is this your daughter? The same one from the pictures on your desk?”
“I’m Bess.” I dropped the paper cone in the trashcan and returned his smile. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“No. The pleasure’s all mine.” He lifted my hand to his lips and planted a soft kiss on the back. “You must get your beauty from your mother.”
My stomach churned at the contact. I was used to making small talk with members of the congregation, but something about the way he held my hand and looked at me—like he wanted to consume me—made my hackles rise.
“Leave her out of this.” Dad cleared his throat and smoothed his hair back into place. Something had him rattled.
“That will be up to you, Pastor Trammer.” The man narrowed his eyes and slowly looked me up and down. “For your sake, I hope you make the right decision.”
My dad opened his mouth like he wanted to say something, then snapped it closed again. The man casually strolled through the front door out into the afternoon heat.
“What was that all about?” I filled another paper cone and handed it to my father. He looked like he could use something stronger than water, but I’d rarely seen him drink.
He gulped it down then motioned for Celia. “Can I have a word with you in my office?”
“Dad? What’s going on?” I stepped out of the way as Celia shuffled past. “Can I join you?”
“I need you to sit this one out, hon. Why don’t you take the truck back up to the house, and I’ll call you when I’m ready to come home?” With no further explanation, he shut the door and left me standing there all alone.
I’d been taught to respect the privacy of others, but I had a feeling whatever he was talking to Celia about somehow involved me. I pressed my ear to the door to try to make out bits and pieces of their conversation. Celia did most of the talking, but her voice was too soft for me to hear much beyond a word here and there.
I was about to give up when my dad pounded his fist on his desk. “Dammit. Someone should have told me what I was getting myself and my family into. What am I supposed to do now?”
The room went quiet. I slouched into my chair and tried to make sense of it all. A few minutes later, Celia came out of the office and scurried back to her desk. “You’re still here. I thought you would have left already.”
“He never gave me the keys.” I shrugged a shoulder and leaned forward, hoping she might shed some light on my dad’s strange behavior. “What’s going on?”
“It’ll be better for you to talk to your father about it.” She picked up her phone, pressed a couple of buttons, then held it to her ear.
Having reached a dead end with Celia, I headed into my dad’s office. My high school graduation picture sat on his desk along with a cheesy family photo of him, me, and Mom that was taken years ago at one of those department store photo studios. Dad leaned forward and held his head in his hands.
“Dad?” I rounded the desk and reached for his shoulder, trying to offer comfort. “What happened? Who was that man?”
“We need to get home.” He covered my hand with his.
“Are you okay?” Seeing him shaken made me feel rattled inside. I couldn’t remember him ever losing his composure. He was a pillar of strength and the one everyone counted on for support.
He took in a deep breath and pushed his chair away from his desk. “I will be, and so will you. We’ll get through this.”
“Get through what?” Something big had happened, but I had no idea what it was.
“Let’s get back to the house.” He kept hold of my hand as we walked out to Celia’s desk.
She hung up the phone and looked up us. “They’ll send someone over to talk to you about your options.”
“Who?” I planted my feet, unwilling to move until someone told me what the heck was going on.
Dad squeezed my hand as his eyes met mine. “The Rebel Hearts. They’re a local motorcycle club. Celia seems to think they might be the only ones who can help us right now.”
CHAPTER5
