God is here with us.
Seeing the vast change in Dylan on those stairs is proof of that. He went from panicked to calm nearly instantly.
God is here with us.
He has to be.
I take another deep breath. Okay, Lord. I put my faith in You. Please help us. Please.
Chapter 27
Dylan
One Day Later
Emma’s curled up on her side near the edge of the cot. I can see her face, and based on the tense expression she wears, I imagine she’s not resting peacefully. But she’s at least resting—which is a win. Especially since, if he’s going based on some sort of twisted torture pattern, Heath will be back in here for another round with me within the hour.
Betrayal aside, Jesper was right.
Heath is sadistic.
I’ve been cut, burned, beaten, all in less than twenty-four hours—but I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing just how badly it all hurts.
And even though I’m reliving the worst moments of my life, I feel a calmness over me. A peace that settled on my heart the moment I surrendered to God at the top of those stairs. I can’t explain any of it, but I’m grateful for the clear-headedness and for the understanding that, even though we’re suffering, we’re not alone.
One way or another, this suffering will end. And for the first time in years, I know where I’m going when this life is over.
I’ve been forgiven.
Redeemed.
And that’s something Heath Slater can never take.
I shift my attention back to Emma. She’s still wearing Jesper’s now-dried blood. Her shirt is covered in it, the side of her face crusted from where it sprayed her. I wish she’d never seen that. The horror of watching the life fade from someone.
Oh, how I wish she’d been spared that nightmare.
And the one we’ve been living since yesterday.
Emma opens her eyes.
“Hey,” I say, my voice hoarse. “Did you get any sleep?”
She nods. “Are you okay?”
I shake the cuffs binding me to the ceiling above. “Hanging in there.”
She glares at me. “That’s really not funny.”
“It’s the truth. How are you?”
“At any moment, he could come in here, kill you, and force me down the aisle. So I’m going to say—not good.”
“It’s going to be okay.”
“You keep saying that, but we’re still here.” She sits up. “I’m losing hope, Dylan. I’m trying not to, but—” Tears fill her eyes. She cries all the time now, and the light within her is slowly beginning to dim. Is that why he’s leaving her here with me? Why he’s doling out the pain in front of her? Because he wants to use me to break her?
“Emma. Don’t lose hope. For the first time in my life, I’m seeing things clearly. Sinful people do evil things. But that doesn’t mean that God has forsaken those of us who follow Him. He’s still there, standing beside us, even in the pain.”
