Shadowed (9 page)

“Yeah, I think you're only proving my point.” Megan moved to stand up, but Kaylan
put her hand on Megan's arm.

“Wait, please. You need to understand. You need to know that I really do understand
some of your heartache.”

“How could you possibly? This Sarah girl sounds pretty spectacular to me. Looks
like you're set in the friend department.”

Kaylan shook her head, her eyes welling with tears. More than ever she understood
that despite outward appearances, one could never really know or understand the broken
stories or the beauty that lay hidden in some people's hearts.
Lord
,
I don't want
to.

Again the urge to speak overwhelmed her, and she continued, praying for the right
words. “In late December Sarah Beth and I went to Haiti. That's where everything
changed.”

“I don't get it. I've heard you talking to that Rhonda lady and Abraham on the phone.
You have pictures of Haiti all over the house. How could that experience possibly
be bad unless . . . ” She grew still and her eyes searched Kaylan's face. “Kaylan,
please tell me . . . no. You weren't . . . you weren't in the earthquake, were you?”

Kaylan swallowed the growing lump in her throat, unable to speak. She nodded, tears
beginning to fall, but she remained calm. “Sarah Beth and I were in Rhonda's guest
bedroom when the quake hit. I managed to roll under my bed right before part of the
room caved in, but . . . Sarah Beth didn't quite make it to cover. Once I managed
to climb over to her, she . . . ”

Megan reached for Kaylan's hand and patted it awkwardly before squeezing, nearly
causing Kaylan to wince at her strength. She thanked the Lord for the pressure. It
kept her focused. “They didn't find us until the morning. By then, well, Sarah Beth
went to be with Jesus. She . . . ” Her voice cracked and Megan intensified her grip.
Another tear slipped down her cheek, and Kaylan realized Megan was crying too. “She
died in my arms. It wrecked my world. I spent the next few days trying to help as
many people as I could. A little boy I had played with died. I know I shouldn't have
favorites, but Reuben”—she smiled through her tears—“he was something special. So
many gone. I still have nightmares.”

“That explains a lot. Kayles, if I'd only known, I wouldn't have given you a hard
time.”

Kaylan covered Megan's hand with her free one. “I should have been honest from the
beginning. It's just, it hasn't even been a year, and there are times I still struggle.
I probably will for a while.”

“So how do you get over something like that? How can you still say God is good? Doesn't
seem like He cares much to me.”

Kaylan shrugged. “I still struggle with that too. But I know
He's good because I
saw what He did in the midst of the destruction. He is a master at bringing beauty
from brokenness, Megan. You can trust Him with your hurt. You can trust me with whatever
you aren't saying.”

The kitchen timer went off, and Megan jumped from the bed as if electrocuted.

“I'll get that. Thanks for telling me about Sarah Beth.” She placed the frame she'd
been holding on the bed. “Maybe some other time.” She turned and hurried from the
room.

Kaylan replaced the photos and ran her finger down the glass protecting the shot
of Sarah Beth and her in their Halloween best. “Miss you, Bubbles.” Her mind raced
back to her first meeting with Sarah Beth in kindergarten, blowing bubbles on the
stairs, and the beginning of a beautiful, lifelong friendship. In truth, it had been
lifelong, only ending in physical death. And they had an eternity together one day.
That thought made the tears dry and a small smile break through the lingering sadness.

She started to leave the room and noticed the frame she'd knocked to the floor in
her hurry to get to church on Sunday. She retrieved the frame and placed it on her
dresser, then stopped. The smiling faces of a foreign couple stared back at her,
the bar code from the store at the bottom of their portrait. She knew there'd been
a photo of her and Nick at the beach in that frame just last week. She searched the
floor and came up empty, then picked up the frame and studied the back. No loose
edges. Maybe Nick took it with him for something.

She shook her head. She still couldn't find her necklace, and now this. Maybe she
was losing her mind. She wandered toward the smell of cookies, making a mental note
to talk to Nick about the photo when he returned.

Chapter 10

K
AYLAN AND
M
EGAN
rang the doorbell of Nina Anderson's home next door, balancing
a plate of cookies and a pasta salad. The woman loved her flower beds. Kaylan spotted
a few tools lying in the dirt, probably abandoned for dinner preparations.

“Here we go.” Megan rolled her eyes and Kaylan elbowed her, careful not to jostle
the pasta salad clutched to Megan's chest.

“They just want to get to know us. They are our neighbors, after all.”

“Kaylan, how many times do I have to tell you? We are not in the S—”

The door opened to a woman Kaylan had never met. Wispy blonde hair hung loose to
her shoulders. Light blue eyes stared back from a pale face with angular cheek bones
dusted by makeup that enhanced her facial features. She was dressed to impress. Designer
shoes, black skinny jeans, and a button-down, solid red shirt. Kaylan was glad she'd
taken time to throw on a dress.

“You must be Kaylan and Megan.” The woman extended her hand. “I'm Cathryn Brady.
I moved in across the street a few weeks ago.” She stood back and motioned them inside.
“Nina is finishing up in the kitchen.”

Megan spoke for the first time. “Welcome to the neighborhood. Where did you move
from?”

“Chicago. Before that, I moved from here to there with work. Enough to appreciate
meeting new faces.”

“Wow. My family moved everywhere growing up, and all I got from it was a bad attitude.”
Megan chuckled at her own joke.

Kaylan inwardly winced and moved past Cathryn toward the kitchen. “I guess we can
just put the food down in here?”

“Well, of course you can,” Nina said as she swept into Kaylan's view, a potholder
in one hand and spoon in the other. “Welcome, welcome to our little gathering. Looks
like you have already met Cathryn. Over there we have Taylor, Jenna, and Beth.” She
pointed to three ladies circled around the rectangular wooden table. What looked
to be salad dressing dripped from the spoon as she chattered away.

A woman with raven-black hair approached Kaylan and Megan. She looked to be about
the age of Kaylan's mom. Her designer jeans paired with a tailored blazer spoke of
a woman who knew how to make an impression and dress for her audience. “Kaylan, Megan,
I'm Jenna. Nice to meet you.” Her faint accent intrigued Kaylan.

Kaylan introduced herself and Megan as they laid the food they'd brought on the kitchen
counter. “And where are you from?”

“My mother was British. My father American. I am a child of two countries. But I
find I prefer California.”

Megan whistled. “California is definitely a melting pot. Is anyone in the room actually
from California?”

Taylor raised her hand, her smile shy as Nina bustled past her. “Just me and Taylor
it seems. But the world is too large to be from any one place. Wouldn't you say,
ladies?”

A murmur of confirmation greeted Kaylan's ears as small talk resumed throughout the
room. Kaylan took a deep breath, delighting in the aroma of home-cooked food. Nina
definitely
knew how to make a room both cozy and eclectic. The walls radiated a rosy
hue, catching the golden rays of the California sun. Mustard yellow, olive green,
and dusty blue chairs encircled the wooden table, and teapots of all shapes, sizes,
and patterns adorned the surfaces around the kitchen. It may not be home, but Kaylan
would take it.

Nina turned from the stove and motioned to the ladies around the table. “Let's eat.”
As they began to talk and eat, Kaylan took in the assortment of women and their familiarity
with one another. Nina with her short, spiked gray hair and spunky personality made
quite the hostess. Beth lived at the end of the block with her husband and their
three kids, two of whom were teenagers.

Taylor and her husband had been married for a few years and liked to take an exotic
vacation every summer. This year they'd been to Tahiti and stayed in a hut on the
water. Megan peppered her with questions.

Jenna was single and a CEO at a major corporation in San Diego. Work kept her busy
and traveling, and when she wasn't working, she trained for marathons, 5Ks, and Iron
Mans. She'd moved to the neighborhood four months earlier and enjoyed the monthly
get-togethers with the ladies.

Cathryn, who was in sales, was a jet-setter, frequently away on business trips. She'd
moved in not long after Jenna and was still unpacking. “I haven't had time to hire
a housekeeper yet. One of these days I'll get around to it,” she chuckled as she
took a sip of tea.

As Nina stood up to serve dessert, Kaylan leaned closer to Cathryn. “I may have a
solution to your housekeeping problem.”

Cathryn raised delicately plucked eyebrows. “Oh?”

“Well, I have an internship right now, but I could use some hours at a job to help
pay the bills.”

“Perfect. It wouldn't be many hours. I've unpacked most of the
house but haven't
had time to tuck it all away yet. I could use the help.”

“My pleasure.” Kaylan smiled, thankful for a distraction and a way to make some money
while Nick was away.

Nina waved a hand through the air as she placed Kaylan's cookies on the table with
a tray of lemon bars and a teapot. “No more business talk over dinner.”

“My apologies, Nina.” Cathryn offered a small smile before leaning over to Kaylan
and whispering under her breath. “Stop by in the next couple of days.”

Kaylan nodded in response as the dessert was served. She'd missed her family around
the kitchen table, but if she couldn't have that, maybe this group of women could
help fill the loneliness she'd experienced since moving to California. And maybe
it would be good for Megan too.

Chapter 11

N
ICK PACED BACK
and forth in the hospital hallway, his stomach rumbling in anticipation
of dinner. They'd been in Germany a little over three days, and if they got the green
light, the team would fly out that night on a plane headed home. He ran a hand through
his hair and for the fifth time that day wished for a shower and a razor. The hair
on his face was starting to irritate him.

Grabbing another cup of coffee, he headed back to the waiting room where the rest
of the team had taken up residence. How they had escaped with only one gunshot wound
blew his mind. Micah had a cut over his eye from a piece of debris, and Colt had
a few bruises, but it was nothing unfamiliar to them.

He rounded the corner and almost ran into the doctor, who was updating the rest of
the team on Logan's progress. Nick stilled as the doctor's words registered in his
sleep-deprived brain. “ . . . infection. We gave him antibiotics, but it will take
a few days to see if they work. We're going to bandage him up and send him home for
doctors there to decide. We've done all we can do for now.”

“And if the antibiotics don't work, sir?” Titus broke the silence.

The doctor shook his head and removed his glasses from the bridge of his nose. “He
could lose his leg below the knee.”

“Doc, why would he lose his leg? I thought we got here in time.” Jay stood up, his
nervous energy clear. He hated hospitals.

“The bullet severed his artery. He lost a lot of blood, and the debris lodged in
his muscle, severely damaging his mobility. Because of pollution in the water, infection
set in. We are working to contain and eliminate it right now with medication. But
I think the best move is sending him home. He and his wife and the doctors will
be able to make the best decision together. This is only my immediate recommendation.”

“Thanks, Doc, for all your help.” Micah stood and shook the doctor's hand.

The doctor pointed at the gash he had butterflied shut above Micah's right eye. “Take
care of that. No fights, got it?”

“Yes, sir.” Micah's Alabama accent intensified in his exhaustion, and right now he
looked about dead on his feet. None of them had slept much since bringing Logan in.

Jay and Titus still blamed themselves for not getting the sniper, but Logan would
hear none of it. “You two were exactly where we planned, covering our backs around
the perimeter, so shut up or get out. This could have happened to any of us, and
I wouldn't wish it on any of you.”

The only thing that helped Logan was Tim McGraw and old John Wayne DVDs that they
managed to rustle up. If Nick listened hard enough, he could hear the cheesy cadence
of Western music and the muffled sound of old rifles filtering down the hall.

Nick wanted to shoot something. As soon as he got back, he would hit the shooting
range and stay there until all his adrenaline faded. Then he'd run for another hour
or so on the beach. He hated to lose, and he hated to fail on a mission.

“So now what?” Colt threw his arms in the air. “Logan's career may be over. And we
didn't even catch this chick.” He walked to the wall and slapped it.

Nick sank down in a chair and hung his head. “They've got
a baby coming soon. And
the kids . . . they'll have a tough time understanding this.”

Jay paced the room then stopped and made eye contact with every one of them. “They
won't do this by themselves. Hear me? We will be there every step of the way. Even
if that means we all pitch in and get Logan a prosthetic and then give him heck as
he learns to walk. Got it?” He pointed. “No matter what.”