Read Online For His Name's Sake (Psalm 23 Mysteries) by Debbie Viguié - Free Book Online
Authors: Debbie Viguié
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should still be a whole bunch of cold cuts in the fridge. Her stomach grumbled at the thought. Maybe a sandwich was a good idea.
She heard the creak of a door. It wasn’t very loud, and she could swear it was coming from the first floor. Maybe Joseph was awake after all.
She turned and left the kitchen, making her way to the foyer, hoping that once there she’d either see him or figure out where he’d gone.
She was nearly there when she heard a faint step, so light she thought for a moment she had imagined it. She walked out into the foyer and swiveled her head. Her eyes fell on the front door and she noticed that it was ever so slightly ajar. That made no sense.
She turned and screamed as she came face-to-face with a man in a mask.
6
Jeremiah awoke to the sound of Cindy screaming. He vaulted out of bed, yanked open his door and ran down the hall. The sound had come from far away, so it couldn’t be from just across the hall. He also registered as he ran that it was a sad statement on their recent lives that he could hear a scream and know that it was hers and not Geanie’s or someone else’s.
He made it to the stairs and glanced down. He saw moonlight shining on Cindy’s hair and he could see someone dressed all in black struggling with her, their hand clamped over her mouth.
Jeremiah vaulted the stairs, crouching to distribute the impact throughout his body as he landed so he wouldn’t break anything. At the thud of his landing the man jerked toward him.
Cindy bit the hand that was covering her mouth and the man made a sharp hissing motion but did not let go. Jeremiah blinked. It took years of training, experience, not to react to something that painful.
Jeremiah coiled himself to lunge, trying to see if the man was armed before he did so. The last thing he needed was for the intruder to cut him or Cindy because he failed to see a knife.
The man seemed to have his hands full with just Cindy, though, who was writhing and thrashing. She brought her foot down on his and elbowed him in the stomach.
He flung her away from him so hard that she fell and slid several feet across the marble floor, and turned to face Jeremiah head-on. Jeremiah brought his hands up, and began to circle, sizing up his opponent.
The man stared at him from behind a mask. In the darkness Jeremiah couldn’t make out the color of his eyes. He lifted his hands, lunged forward as if to attack, then at the last moment threw himself sideways.
He hit the door at a run and flung it open. Jeremiah chased after him. A moment later his bare feet were slapping against the asphalt of Joseph’s driveway. The thief was fast and he was already on the lawn heading for the woods.
Jeremiah heard the roar of a car engine a moment before a car rounded the last bend of the road leading up the hill. High beams hit him square in the face and Jeremiah staggered to a halt.
“Police!” someone shouted.
Jeremiah pointed. “The intruder went that way!” he shouted.
He heard a car door open and the sound of running feet as one of the officers gave chase. Jeremiah knew, though, the man would be too late. He bit back a curse, struggling to bring himself under control and hide his frustration. The police had terrible timing. Thirty seconds earlier or thirty seconds later and the guy would be in either their custody or Jeremiah’s.
The second officer got out of the car and approached Jeremiah cautiously. Just then Joseph, Cindy, and Geanie came out the front door. Jeremiah could hear another engine revving as someone pushed their car up the drive too fast. It sounded like there was another one just behind it, too.
Seconds later both of the other cars had parked. Two more officers had gone after the first and Mark was striding toward them, his face ashen.
“What happened here, is everyone okay?”
“Cindy startled an intruder,” Jeremiah said. “I chased him out here when your men intercepted me he got away.”
Mark stepped farther forward.
She heard the creak of a door. It wasn’t very loud, and she could swear it was coming from the first floor. Maybe Joseph was awake after all.
She turned and left the kitchen, making her way to the foyer, hoping that once there she’d either see him or figure out where he’d gone.
She was nearly there when she heard a faint step, so light she thought for a moment she had imagined it. She walked out into the foyer and swiveled her head. Her eyes fell on the front door and she noticed that it was ever so slightly ajar. That made no sense.
She turned and screamed as she came face-to-face with a man in a mask.
6
Jeremiah awoke to the sound of Cindy screaming. He vaulted out of bed, yanked open his door and ran down the hall. The sound had come from far away, so it couldn’t be from just across the hall. He also registered as he ran that it was a sad statement on their recent lives that he could hear a scream and know that it was hers and not Geanie’s or someone else’s.
He made it to the stairs and glanced down. He saw moonlight shining on Cindy’s hair and he could see someone dressed all in black struggling with her, their hand clamped over her mouth.
Jeremiah vaulted the stairs, crouching to distribute the impact throughout his body as he landed so he wouldn’t break anything. At the thud of his landing the man jerked toward him.
Cindy bit the hand that was covering her mouth and the man made a sharp hissing motion but did not let go. Jeremiah blinked. It took years of training, experience, not to react to something that painful.
Jeremiah coiled himself to lunge, trying to see if the man was armed before he did so. The last thing he needed was for the intruder to cut him or Cindy because he failed to see a knife.
The man seemed to have his hands full with just Cindy, though, who was writhing and thrashing. She brought her foot down on his and elbowed him in the stomach.
He flung her away from him so hard that she fell and slid several feet across the marble floor, and turned to face Jeremiah head-on. Jeremiah brought his hands up, and began to circle, sizing up his opponent.
The man stared at him from behind a mask. In the darkness Jeremiah couldn’t make out the color of his eyes. He lifted his hands, lunged forward as if to attack, then at the last moment threw himself sideways.
He hit the door at a run and flung it open. Jeremiah chased after him. A moment later his bare feet were slapping against the asphalt of Joseph’s driveway. The thief was fast and he was already on the lawn heading for the woods.
Jeremiah heard the roar of a car engine a moment before a car rounded the last bend of the road leading up the hill. High beams hit him square in the face and Jeremiah staggered to a halt.
“Police!” someone shouted.
Jeremiah pointed. “The intruder went that way!” he shouted.
He heard a car door open and the sound of running feet as one of the officers gave chase. Jeremiah knew, though, the man would be too late. He bit back a curse, struggling to bring himself under control and hide his frustration. The police had terrible timing. Thirty seconds earlier or thirty seconds later and the guy would be in either their custody or Jeremiah’s.
The second officer got out of the car and approached Jeremiah cautiously. Just then Joseph, Cindy, and Geanie came out the front door. Jeremiah could hear another engine revving as someone pushed their car up the drive too fast. It sounded like there was another one just behind it, too.
Seconds later both of the other cars had parked. Two more officers had gone after the first and Mark was striding toward them, his face ashen.
“What happened here, is everyone okay?”
“Cindy startled an intruder,” Jeremiah said. “I chased him out here when your men intercepted me he got away.”
Mark stepped farther forward.
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