Page 104 of Lavender and Lightning

As soon as she bows her head and closes her eyes, my stomach falls to somewhere around my knees. Deeply ingrained instinct takes over, and I drop my chin as Andrea starts speaking.

“Our heavenly Father, who looks down on us with mercy and grace, I come to you now in this moment to pray for your guidance. Our Lord and Savior, who never turns away the poor and meek, who heals all ills and brings everlasting life to your children, we ask that you shine your light down upon us and guide your lost lamb home. We pray in your name–”

“What the–”

Rhett starts and then Jason shushes him, and I catch him waving frantically, head bowed in prayer as well. My heart hammers and Andrea goes on, asking God over and over to help me find my way back to the light and be healed of sin, and I lose track of the thread after a while. I want to pull away, but her dry, weirdly cold hands have mine in a white-knuckled grip, so tight it almost hurts. Several people enter and exit the bank, but only spare us a glance before moving about their business.

“As you tell us in the book of John, Chapter 10, verse 1: “I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep.” Our sheep, our poor lost lamb, has been stolen from us, Lord, and we come to you now, praying to help her find her way back into your loving embrace, and back to the flock. We ask all of this in your name. Amen.”

“Amen,” I echo automatically.

She finally lets me go, and I take a step back, fighting the urge to wipe my hands on my skirt. She gives me a meaningful look and a nod, adjusting her handbag one more time before moving off toward the tellers. Jason ushers us outside, Rhett moving in close.

“Are you okay, love?” he breathes.

I nod, flexing and releasing my hands to stop their shaking. This definitely rattled me, but it could have been worse. She might tell my mother about this encounter, but the odds favor her not having the opportunity to do so with all the chaos of the wedding. At least not until it’s too late and we’re already halfway back to Georgia.

“What the hell was that?” Rhett snaps, turning on Jason.

“Honestly? Shorter than I expected,” Jason replies with a heavy sigh.

I nod in agreement, even as my stomach twists and churns. I can feel the cold sweat on my back, and I have to shake my head to clear it of the panic starting to form. It’s been so long since someone felt the need to pray in public that I’d forgotten how awful it could be.

“So who was the Preacher's Wife Barbie?” Lucas asks when we’re close enough.

“Darren’s mom. Her and Pastor Joe are going to be there tomorrow. Which is information I would have liked to learn before this moment, Jason,” I say pointedly, turning to snap at my brother.

“I didn’t fucking know either,” he returns, running a hand through his hair.

“Why is this important?” Caleb asks seriously, his brow furrowed in concentration mode.

I sigh harshly, rubbing my face. “Darren was always the worst when his parents were around. His father’s pseudo-celebrity status among the fundamentalist crowd makes him think he’s untouchable.”

“Dad’s also angling to lock down a huge contract for Pastor Joe’s next megachurch project. Darren might try to use that as leverage against him,” Jason adds.

I let out a colorful curse, pacing around slightly. This complicates things, but there isn’t any way to back out now.

“Jason, I know we’ve put you in a tough spot these last few weeks, but I have to know. If shit hits the fan…”

“I’m with you, Lydi. Even if I still don’t get why you’re still going after everything. If you go to the wedding tomorrow and Dad tries to make you stay, or if Darren tries to pull some fucked up shit, I’m not going to let you get hurt again,” he says, picking up as I trail off.

I sigh and nod, heart heavy. “Okay. Trust me, if I had another choice, then I wouldn’t be going, but–”

“Who said you don’t have a choice?” Jason cuts in, voice low with a growl.

I give him a long look, and he reads the answer in my eyes. Letting out a curse that would make a sailor blush, he walks four long paces away, hands on his hips.

“We’ve got this under control. As long as we don’t have any more surprises, then we can get in, get out, and get gone before anything can happen,” Rhett states calmly, taking a step toward Jason.

“How? I can’t call you or text you, so it’s not like I’m going to be much of help,” Jason snaps, turning back to glare at him.

“Yeah, I guess you are a bit of a liability right now,” Lucas drawls.

Rhett and I both turn to stare at the beta, my eyes wide with confusion, while Rhett’s brows drop into a harsh glare. Lucas and Caleb share a look and a nod, and my heart flip-flops at the grim frown my bodyguard wears as he steps forward.

“What’s going on?” I ask breathlessly, stepping between Caleb and Jason on instinct.

“I’m taking care of the problem,” Caleb says simply.

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