Read Online Showdown by Ted Dekker - Free Book Online

“Good afternoon, Preacher.” She glided to him and held out her hand.“My name’s Katie.”
    He took the hand, lifted it to his lips, and kissed it gently. “Katie. Such a ravishing name.”
    â€œThank you.”
    â€œI assume I’ll see you in the church tonight.”
    â€œOf course.”
    Black’s eyes moved to Chrissy and Mary. He winked. It wasn’t the kind of wink that was necessarily sensual—perhaps just a father-to-son kind of wink. Then again, Paula couldn’t be sure.
    His eyes settled on her. It was the first time his deep blue eyes had stared into her own, and she found the attention unnerving. Katie’s remarks may have been inappropriate, but her friend was right. Black was handsome.
    Beautiful. Intoxicating.
    She felt completely flustered by his stare and desperately wanted to break off, but he seemed to have a hold on her. The realization only made it worse.
    Black stepped
past Katie and strode across the room, eyes fixed on Paula. He stopped in front of her and held out his hand.
    She started to lift her hand to him before she realized what she was doing, and by then it was too late to stop without looking like a fool. His fingers gently took hers. He bent and kissed them lightly, letting his warm lips rest on her knuckles for a beat more than she thought necessary. When he straightened, she could feel his hot breath on the back of her hand. He hesitated, looking to her fingers, and for a brief moment she thought he was thinking about licking them.
    Paula blinked away the thought, horrified that it had passed through her mind.
    Black pulled her in with his blue gaze again. “And what is your name, my dear?”
    â€œPaula,” she said in a light voice.
    â€œPaula. Paula, Paula.” He seemed to be tasting her name. “Such a . . . beautiful name.”
    Black withdrew his other hand from his pocket, fingers closed in a fist.
    â€œHave you ever been anointed with oil, Paula?”
    He opened his hand. A gel-like substance filled his palm—oil, she presumed. It smelled odd. Stale and musty. What he thought he was going to do with this smudge he called oil, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t about to be anointed or anything—
    Black lifted his hand and applied it to her head, as if smoothing her hair back. “I anoint you with oil. As a sign of my purity to all who see you, a light shall shine from you.”
    Black removed his hand from her head and said so that none of the others could hear, “You are lovely, dear Paula. Your purity is a light on a hill for all to admire.”
    For a long moment he held her eyes. Then he walked toward the door. He turned and smiled at all of them.
    â€œThank you for such a warm welcome. I’m sure we’ll be seeing each other tonight, but now I have to gather the flock. Make the rounds, so to speak. Ladies.” He tipped his hat again and was gone.
    â€œPaula?” Katie was staring at her head.
    She lifted her hand to feel the spot on her head where Black had rubbed his hand.
    â€œWas that bleach?”Mary asked.
    Paula’s hair was moist. She pulled her fingers away, smelled them. Same musty smell. “What?” she asked absently.
    â€œYour hair’s white!”Katie said.“He have bleach in his hand?” She crossed the salon in two steps. “Bleach couldn’t do that, not that quick.”
    Paula faced the mirror behind her. A streak of white hair ran from her forehead back toward her crown, where Marsuvees Black had wiped his anointing.
    Then Katie had her hands on Paula’s head and was examining her hair up close. “That’s no color, Paula. And if it’s bleach, it’s no bleach I’ve seen. Anything that strong would’ve burned your hair.”
    Paula pushed her away. Her head was tingling.
    For a while they all stared at her in silence. She felt oddly satisfied by the boldness of this one white streak where