Storm Clouds

“I’m Angelina Harding. Who’s in charge?”

“I’ll get Steve.” His gaze traveled over her curiously before he turned and strode back to the building. Almost immediately, an older man appeared. Dressed in scruffy pants and a button-down top, boots and a hat, he came forward. He was as dark as midnight, yet had the kindest eyes.

“David!” The man tipped his hat. “I’m Steve Hawkins,” he said to Angelina. “You’d be Marcus’s sister, wouldn’t you?”

She shook his hand, shaken by how nice the man seemed. Forcing her professionalism to the forefront, she nodded. “I received a call from him yesterday. What’s going on? Where’s Marcus?”

The older man frowned. His gaze darted to David and then back. “I’m afraid I have some bad news, miss.” He took his hat off and held it respectfully before him. “Your brother has gone missing.”

Angelina blinked. “Excuse me?”

The man glanced at David again.

Irritated she started to correct him but David spoke up. “Has someone called the authorities?”

The man nodded. He motioned with his hat. “Let’s get in outta this sun. You’ll burn fast down here if you aren’t used to it.”

He turned and headed to the house.

Numbly, Angelina followed.

After years of being angry with her brother, full of bitterness, refusing to see him, then she got news like this? She was furious with him, and yet…

“Are you all right?”

She glanced at David and realized he was carefully watching her reaction. She forced her neutral expression back over her features. “Fine. Where are the authorities?”

She stepped into the warm house and realized just how chilled she’d become. Her body immediately reacted to the warmth.

“Ted, get some tea please,” Steve called to the man who’d originally greeted them and now stood across the room, rustling through some papers on a table. He looked up, glanced at Angelina again, then nodded and disappeared down a hallway.

Another man stood up, a set of ledgers in his hands. Tall, distinguished, he wore a dark suit and boots.

“This is Frank Henson. Frank, this is Marcus’s sister.”

Frank nodded. “Sorry about the bad news, Ms. Harding.”

“He’s one of our financiers. He’s been in on your brother’s venture since nearly the beginning,” Steve explained to Angelina. Turning to Frank, he said, “Can we finish this up later, Frank?”

The gentleman nodded. “Of course. I understand.” He studied David curiously and nodded. “David.” Then his gaze went back to Angelina. He was probably wondering why she looked as if she’d been dragged through a drain pipe backwards, she thought. He nodded again. “I’ll be back later.”

He left, going through the back hall that Angelina thought might lead toward the kitchen. Though she’d been here before, she didn’t remember everything, some things had faded with time.

Steve led them into the spacious living room and motioned to the sofa.

Angelina didn’t realize David had followed until he seated himself by her. Why was he acting so protectively, she wondered.

“Is your head okay, miss, or do I need to get you medical attention?”

“I’m fine—”

“She needs medical attention,” David said at the same time.

She scowled at him.

Ted brought in the tea and Steve said something in another language to Ted who replied, then nodded and left. There certainly hadn’t been this many people either, back then, Angelina thought. Frank, Ted, Steve…all living here with her brother?

“Ted also helps manage the mission.” Steve nodded to the nice-looking man who had slipped out the front door. She saw him glance back one last time and then disappear from sight.

Steve handed a cup of tea to Angelina. “What did the authorities say?” she demanded as soon as Ted was gone.

She didn’t want to play tea party. She wanted to find out about her brother.

David accepted the tea and handed it to Angelina. She scowled, but took it, favoring her right arm as she did.

“I was gone last night,” Steve began and Angelina wondered if he was purposely trying to ignore her direct question.

Steve passed tea to David and then took his own. He added cream and sugar and stirred. Expressive eyes filled with anger when he finally looked back to her. “I had to run one of the students into town. She’d been feeling bad and the nurse was gone. It was our night out anyway so most of the students were away. Your brother told me to stop and pick up some groceries on the way back for the house, and so I was later than normal getting back—”

“And?” Angelina interrupted. She reached up for her head, realizing she was being rude but really only wanting an answer.

“Forgive me, miss. But I thought you’d want to know why your brother was alone. When I got back, well, the house was empty. Furniture was overturned and some of the lamps broken. We just now only an hour past got the house put to rights.”

Despite being separated from her brother for years, Angelina felt the blood drain from her face. Suddenly she was once again that little girl whose uncle used to drag her brother out of the room to talk with him. “Someone took him.”

David took her tea and set it aside, which snapped her back to the present. She shook herself.

“It looks that way, miss. I called the authorities immediately. They came out and looked around and I told them all that I knew, but…we’re praying.”

Her scowl returned. “Praying?” She stood. “My brother is missing and you’re wasting time praying?”

Steve reacted in shock. “Well we might not know where he is, miss, but God does.”

“Please!” She’d had all she could of this bunk. “What did the police say?”

Steve looked a bit nonplussed by her reaction.

“Angelina.” David’s voice drew her attention. “You might want to let Steve finish his story.”

He was another one of those Christians, but the gentleness in his eyes convinced her to hold her tongue. She was out of line.

Turning back to Steve, she took a deep breath and let it out. “I apologize, Steve. Can you tell me anything else?”

He nodded. “Your brother had contacts with all sorts of underworld types because of the life many of our students come from. You know, he’d hang out and meet them as he was helping others. They might not like his ways, but they respected him. He went into the cities and into the bush alike and was always hearing things. He’s rather a hero around here. He helped cut crime nearly in half. He’d been out making his rounds when he heard something disturbing. He didn’t go into any details with me, but I do know he mentioned you several times and decided he just might ring you up.”

“Did he say anything else?”

Steve shook his head. “The authorities asked me the same thing. No, miss. We’re hoping Jake might be able to tell us something if he regains consciousness.”