Lord, I’m leaning on you right now. Trusting you. I believe in your sovereign power.
Robert let out a loud guttural noise and Magnus grunted as he pushed hard against the wheel, veering it away from the water. When we finally passed by, I blew out a relieved breath. At least I wouldn’t drown.
Thank you, Lord. Help me to…
I didn’t get a chance to finish that prayer because a police car zigzagged in front of us, heading us off. Instead of slowing down, Robert sped up. He had a death wish, but he didn’t prevail. A second police car rammed into us and the van spun around, coming to a complete stop. We faced oncoming traffic, but officers had created a roadblock so we were safe from another collision. Several police officers got out of their vehicles and pointed their guns in our direction.
“Come out of the vehicle with your hands up,” an officer said over a loud speaker.
Magnus hesitated and then slid the door open and jumped out, holding his hands in the air. He dropped to the ground, and the officers kept their guns trained on him.
Robert looked at me then, his eyes wide, face ashen. He had a large bump on his forehead where he must have hit the steering wheel when the police car rammed into us. “I don’t know how to let you go. You belong to me.”
I shook my head sadly. “No, Robert, I belong to the Lord. It’s over.”
He got out of his seat and came to sit next to me. “It doesn’t have to be over. If I take you as my hostage, they’ll let us go. We’ll escape and start over somewhere else.” He met my gaze, his eyes pleading with me to agree. “I love you, Kayla. I’ve always loved you. I know I can make you happy if you give me the chance.”
The fact that he was still trying to convince me of his love made me want to punch something. He didn’t know the meaning of the word, but I had to keep a clear head if I wanted to get out of this alive. I licked my lips. “If that’s the case, then please cut these ties. They’re hurting my skin.”
He nodded, appearing almost in a trance. “All right. I can do that.” He went back to grab his keys and returned with a pocketknife that was attached to his key chain. He made quick work of cutting the ties at my wrists and ankles.
When the rope fell to the ground, I touched the skin around my wrists. There were red marks where the rope had dug into my skin, but it wasn’t too bad.
“I repeat. Come out with your hands up,” an officer yelled through the loud speaker.”
Robert’s eyes widened, and he grasped my arm. “Follow my lead. We’ll get out of the van, and I’ll hold this knife at your throat. I’ll demand another car. We can do this.”
Did he actually think I’d go along with that? Was he crazy? It occurred to me that he believed I would comply because I didn’t fight hard enough before. I’d given it my all but, I hadn’t been much of a threat.
His plan filled me with a sense of dread, but a stronger emotion overpowered that feeling. I was so done with this. I was tired of always being the victim. Of being taken advantage of over and over again. Quite frankly, I was angry.
Troy’s clear instructions returned to me in an instant. He’d said that if all else failed, jab an attacker in the eyes. As Robert stared at me, waiting for a response, I knew I could do this. I had to do it.
In one quick motion, I used my three middle fingers on both hands to jab him in the eyes. He screeched in agony, and before he could fight back, I shoved the heel of my palm hard against his nose, drawing blood. He was still clutching the pocket knife, so I used the point of my elbow and rammed it into his throat. He dropped the knife this time and fell back, coughing. I didn’t wait another second but slid the van door open and jumped out, lifting my hands in the air so the officers would see I wasn’t armed.
Two lawmen immediately approached and took me to safety while others yanked Robert out of the van and handcuffed him.
Troy ran over and pulled me into his chest. I fell against him, letting out a strangled cry. “You’re here.”
“Of course, I’m here. I was so scared,” he whispered, kissing me on the forehead. “I’ve never prayed so hard in my life.” There was so much anxiety on his face, I hugged him again, this time to comfort him.
“Me too. I’m so thankful it’s over.” My voice trembled a little, but I’d never felt so alive. So free.
Paramedics were waiting to check me out, so I reluctantly let go of Troy, but he followed me, unwilling to part ways. He stayed with me, making sure I received the proper care, holding my hand and whispering how much he loved me.
When officers questioned me later about what happened, I didn’t hold back anything. For years, I’d thought Victor was behind Daniel’s death, and all that time, Robert was the one who’d orchestrated everything. He hadn’t fully confessed yet, but I knew the truth. At the very least, he would get charged with kidnapping.
There were a few things I still didn’t understand, but I believed the pieces would come together soon. Right now, I had to celebrate. God had given me a second chance at life, and I wasn’t about to take it
