LITMIR.BIZ

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a spasmodic jerk, Gelina spun around and grabbed the knob on one of the double doors beside her. Her clammy hands slipped on the cold, polished brass. Locked!

      The hum of the car motor grew louder. Her heart bucked like a wild thing. She grabbed the other knob and gave it a violent twist. The latch clicked back as the gleam of the headlights threw her shadow against the painted wood. At that moment, she yanked the door open and leaped inside the building. She slammed the door closed and collapsed against it, her chest heaving with silent sobs.

      The hum of the powerful motor faded away down the street.

      “Good evening.”

      Gelina jerked upright and spun about.

      “I’m afraid the service has already started. But better late than never.” An elderly man smiled and handed her a leaflet. In the center of the cover was a large cross with the word Crossroads emblazoned on the horizontal bar.

      Hysterical laughter bubbled up into Gelina’s throat. She was in a church. Of all places! Tony would never—

      “We’re quite crowded because of our guest speaker, but if you’ll just come this way, I’ll have one of the ushers seat you.”

      The hysterical laughter died. Gelina stared at the man. Was he blind? Any fool could see she didn’t belong in a church. Her long, brassy-blond hair swung side to side as she shook her head. “No, thank you. I’ll just wait here a moment.”

      The hum of that powerful motor sounded nearer. A car door slammed. Gelina dropped the leaflet and whirled to face the door. She jumped when the man touched her arm.

      “You’re in trouble, aren’t you?”

      Mute with terror, she nodded.

      The man gave her a little push as footsteps approached the door. “Go through those doors. Hurry!”

      She stumbled forward, caught her balance and ran.

      “…so there’s no need to be afraid, no matter what your situation or circumstance. Our God is a big God. He’s King of Kings, and Lord of Lords. The great I Am. He watches over His children to care for them, to protect them. But I don’t expect you to take my word for it. God Himself tells us in His word.”

      The preacher’s words seemed to fill the room. Gelina took the church bulletin a smiling usher handed her, slid into an empty spot in the back pew on the right and glanced over her shoulder at the double doors. They remained closed. She clasped the bulletin and her gold shoulder bag in her trembling hands, took a long, deep breath to calm herself, and looked around for another exit.

      “Look at Psalm ninety one, verse three. ‘For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler.’ Verse five; ‘You will not fear the terror of the night, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.”’

      Gelina snapped her gaze to the tall, blond young man standing in the pulpit. His head lifted. He looked out over the congregation.

      “And just look at the promises God makes in verses fourteen, fifteen and sixteen.” He began to quote by heart. “‘Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.”’ His gaze slid over Gelina—came back and held her own gaze captive. “‘When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble.”’

      Gelina stiffened. Her long, scarlet nails poked holes through the bulletin and dug into the gold purse. Was he talking to her? No. That was foolishness.

      “‘I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.”’

      Nonetheless, Gelina sagged with relief when the pastor’s gaze shifted, swept over the people.

      “Who are these promises for? They’re for those who love God, who know His name. They are for His children. For those who walk in close, personal relationship with Him.”

      The pastor placed both hands on the pulpit and leaned forward. “Are you a child of God? Do you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?” His gaze swept over the congregation again. “If not—all you have to do is ask. God’s salvation is available to all. He loves us.” His gaze slid back to Gelina. “He loves you.”

      The softly spoken words shot like an arrow straight to her heart. Tears welled into her eyes and spilled over. She couldn’t stop them, couldn’t pull her gaze from the young pastor’s face as he stepped out from behind the pulpit and descended the few steps to the center aisle.

      “If you don’t know how to ask, come forward and I’ll pray with you. Just come forward—we’ll ask Him together.”

      Gelina couldn’t breathe. She reached down and gripped the hard seat of the wooden pew fighting an inner urge so strong she shook with the force of it. She bit down hard on her lower lip to stop the sobs clawing their way into her throat, and looked down at her lap, horribly ashamed of what she was—of how she looked.

      She drew a shuddering breath and tugged at the black leather miniskirt she wore trying to cover her slender thighs. She couldn’t go forward. God wouldn’t want her. She was too dirty, too shamed, too—

      “He loves you! Just as you are…Jesus loves you.”

      The words rang through the room.

      Gelina jerked her head up and met the pastor’s steady gaze.

      “Just as you are.”

      The quiet words were accompanied by a feeling of warmth, of well-being that Gelina had never known. Wave after wave of it washed over her. God loved her. He knew what she was, and He still loved her! Somehow, someway, deep down inside, she knew it was true. She could feel it. She could feel God’s love for her.

      Suddenly, everything inside her went still. Gelina drew a long, deep breath and closed her eyes as the despair and terror that had filled her were swept away by a peace she could not understand.

      Awed by the sudden certainty of a Heavenly Father that loved her, that cared about her, she gripped the back of the pew in front of her and rose to her feet. The open church bulletin fluttered down, covering the gold shoulder bag that slid off her lap and fell, unheeded, to the floor. She drew another steadying breath, stepped into the aisle and walked forward.

      The gold-and-diamond rings on Tony’s hands glittered as he shoved the swinging doors open, stepped into the sanctuary and swept a searching gaze over the pews full of people. There was no leather-garbed blonde in sight. Cursing under his breath, he moved toward the empty spot in the pew on the right to get a better view.

      If Gelina had gotten away because of that talkative old fool in the vestibule… His foot brushed against something on the floor as he stepped into the pew. He glanced down—there was a church bulletin covering some woman’s purse.

      Stupid woman! Tony drew his lips back in a sneer, sat down and reached for the purse. He froze as the old man that had followed him into the sanctuary stepped to the end of the pew and shook his head.

      Tony threw the man an ugly look, then rose to his feet and again scanned the assemblage. There was no sign of Gelina. She wasn’t there—unless she was the one that circle of people up front were praying over.

      He snickered at the thought, gave the purse a vicious, satisfying kick, then shoved past the old man and left the sanctuary.

      Angela pulled the new, cream-colored turtleneck shirt over her head and glanced around the lovely bedroom. Two nights she had slept here. Two nights she had been safe from the terror that had threatened her every night since her mother and stepfather had forced her into prostitution to pay for their drug habits.

      She broke off the thought, snipped the tag from her new, brown wool pants and pulled them on. That life was behind her now—if she could escape the city. Her stomach knotted. She had stayed hidden in this house yesterday, but she didn’t fool herself that Tony had given up the search. He couldn’t afford to let her get away.

      Angela shivered, and sat down to lace

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