He frowned, a look of dismay washing over his features, and I instantly felt guilty. He cleared his throat, and there was a vulnerability about him that hadn’t been there before. “I would never do anything to hurt you.”
I hurried to speak, not wanting to offend him. “I know. It’s not you. Please don’t take it personally. I just can’t be close to anyone like that.”
He nodded, appearing sad. “I hoped that after all this time you would trust me.”
“I do trust you. You know I do.”
“You’re so skittish at times.”
“Can you really blame me after what happened?”
He shook his head. “No, but I thought after therapy you’d…” He trailed off, looking thoughtful, and then he forced a smile. “Time heals all wounds. I truly believe that.”
I nodded grimly, but wasn’t so sure I believed it. If I disagreed, we would spend the next twenty minutes discussing my hesitation, and I didn’t want to go down that rabbit trail, so I kept my mouth shut.
He reached down and took my hand. Holding it securely, he gave it a squeeze. “I’ll take care of you. The first thing on the agenda is to hire a bodyguard. I don’t like the idea of you going out in public after those incidents, and I have a contact who can help. He owns a security company.”
My eyebrows flew up. “A bodyguard? You can’t be serious.”
“I’m completely serious.”
I blinked. “Isn’t that expensive? I don’t have that kind of money.”
“I would never ask you to pay for it.” He squeezed my hand again, looking pleased with himself. “This is for my peace of mind. I have to go out of town for a few days, and I don’t like the idea of you being alone. Don’t worry about the cost.”
I stepped back and pulled my hand away. “I can’t let you do that. It’s too much.”
He set his jaw with a look of determination, and I had a feeling he wasn’t going to change his mind. “I have the money, and it’s what I want to do.”
“It’s not just the money, though. It’s taken this long for me to feel safe again. I don’t want to go back to being scared of my shadow. That’s what will happen if I make a big deal out of this.”
“How can you feel safe after what just happened?”
“God will take care of me. The Lord has my life in His hands.” My faith hadn’t always been that strong. It took a serious trial for me to grow in that way.
“Trusting God doesn’t mean you shouldn’t prepare for the worst.”
I shook my head. “I don’t like the idea of someone following me around.”
“It won’t be for long. Just until all of this blows over.”
I pictured some guy two steps behind me wherever I went and the thought was suffocating. There would be no privacy at all. It seemed like Robert was overreacting. That probably wasn’t the most gracious way to think considering how caring he’d been towards me, but I really didn’t like this.
“I appreciate your help, but I have to say no.”
His brows creased, and he almost looked angry at my refusal. “I wish you cared about your safety as much as I do.” His cell phone rang, and he looked at the screen. “Sorry, it’s work. I need to take this.”
While he talked on the phone, I sat on the couch and leaned my arms on my knees. Lord, am I being stubborn here? I don’t want a bodyguard, but maybe I should consider it. Help me to know what to do.
A few minutes later, my landline rang, and I got up to answer it. “Hello.”
“Kayla Keller.” The man’s voice was deep and rough.
“Yes, this is Kayla.”
“You don’t have a prayer.”
I froze and chills spread down my spine. I had heard that phrase used once before, and it was the worst day of my life. “Who is this?” I asked in a panicked tone.
“You know who it is.”
My heart thudded in my chest as I held the phone closer to my ear. “What do you want?”
The line went dead, and I dropped the phone. It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be him. Four years had passed, and I never thought I would hear from him after all this time.
“Kayla, what just happened?” Robert rushed over to me and put a hand on my arm. “Are you okay?”
I felt the blood rush from my face, and my skin tingled all over like I was going into shock. “He said I don’t have a prayer.”
“Did he sound similar to the guy in the parking lot?”
“I don’t know. That man never spoke.” I tried to take in a breath, my throat constricting. Adrenaline shot through me, and I rushed over to the open window and glanced outside, looking for anyone who might be watching me. There was no one. I quickly shut the window and closed the blinds.
“Kayla, you’re scaring me. Do you have any idea who it was?”
“No, but it was the same phrase the man used right before he shot Daniel.”
His jaw tightened. “Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure.” My breathing was so shallow I was afraid I might hyperventilate. “I can’t go through this again.”
Robert pressed his lips together in a thin line, concern showing in his eyes as he put a hand on my arm. “Now are you willing to listen to me? You need a bodyguard.”
“Yes.
