Page 76 of Hidden Chance

“It’s nothing personal,” Robby said.

“Don’t worry. I don’t take it personally. You’re special forces, aren’t you?”

“Hannah told you?”

“No, I can tell by looking. I’ve been in this game a long time.”

“Hannah said you were in the special forces as well.”

“I was. And even after that, I continued to do similar work around the world. But despite my extensive resume, I know how I look. It’s been a rough year, and I’ve been beaten down more than I care to admit.”

“You don’t look that bad,” Hannah said.

“You don’t have to lie for my sake. The whole way here, I’ve been trying to figure out what to say to persuade you that I’m the right man for the job.”

“Come up with anything?” Robby said.

“Telling you God sent me isn’t going to work, is it?”

Robby’s eyes flicked to Hannah, then back. “You’re a Christian?”

“I sure am.”

“I should have known. And you’re right, that argument might satisfy her, but it will take more than that with me. We’ll be putting our lives on the line, and I need to be confident I can trust you.”

“Robby,” Hannah said. “You told me you’d give him a chance.”

“It’s fine,” Peter said. “He’s absolutely right to be cautious. Don’t worry. Robby, if the tables were turned, I’d respond the same way. Even more so if the guy walked in saying God sent him. That always makes me wary.”

“But you’re a Christian.”

“Yeah. And I’ve seen a lot of Christians do very unchristian things in the name of God.”

Robby sighed. “Is that all you came up with? Or did you stumble upon something else?”

“I hope so. But even if it doesn’t change your mind, it’s important that I tell you.”

“Tell me what?”

Peter took a beat before he spoke. “God wanted me to tell you to stop blaming your brother. His heart was hurting so badly, he didn’t know what else to do.”

Robby’s jaw tightened, and it looked like he’d stopped breathing. Hannah’s eyes moved between the two men, unsure of what was going on.

“Also,” Peter continued. “Jesus didn’t let him die alone.”

“How—How can you know that? How do you know about Colin?”

“I don’t know anything. But God wanted you to know. Colin didn’t want to go in the end, but it was too late.”

“Then why—” He turned away as tears filled his eyes.

“Why didn’t God let him live?” Peter looked up at the ceiling, fighting with his own emotions. “I don’t know. I’ve struggled to accept when God’s ways are different from mine a lot this year. There’s no easy answer. All I can say is that he had to face the consequences of his actions. But he still had time to choose Jesus, and in the end, only eternity matters. So maybe God didn’t save him in this lifetime, but He did in the next.”

Robby pressed his palms against the wall to hold himself up.

Hannah prayed silently. She didn’t know what God was doing, but it was something big.

“You’ve lost someone?” Robby finally said when he found his voice. “You sound like you know.”

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