hand. “I’ll be praying for you and your family.”
Tears glistened in the fiftysomething spectator’s eyes. “That means so much to me. I don’t know what else to do anymore.”
“Praying is important. I’ll be addressing some of the issues you’re dealing with today. I know our talk will be piped out here for the people who couldn’t get seats.” Mary lifted the rope standing between her and the woman. “But I’m sure we can find one extra place for you.”
Chloe inched closer to Mary, especially as the crowd surged forward with the vacant spot left by the lady. Several people nearby shouted various problems they were dealing with, but the words jumbled into incoherent sentences.
“We need to keep moving,” Chloe whispered to Mary while her full attention remained fixed on the throng. “Your husband is at the door waiting.”
Mary nodded and replied to a few close to her as she shuffled forward, shaking hands with as many as she could.
They were only yards away from the entrance now. The feeling of being watched tickled up Chloe’s spine, leaving goose bumps in its wake. She’d learned not to ignore that sensation. She glanced back, but couldn’t tell anything because everyone’s eyes were on them.
Then a middle-aged man, going bald, pushed past the off-duty officer and grabbed Mary, making her stop. “I want to sit inside, too. Take me.”
Chloe stepped forward, putting herself between Mary and the man, forcing him to let go of her client and back away. Anger flashed across his face. Tension whipped down Chloe as others began to shout they wanted inside.
Mary smiled, although Chloe could see the corners of her mouth twitching from holding it in place. “I’m sorry. The fire codes are specific about how many people can be in the auditorium.”
Finally, Mary and the older lady entered a large church foyer with lots of windows and skylights. Mary paused to talk to one of the coordinators to make sure someone took care of the lady and to see about letting the crowd outside stand in the foyer, where it was warmer.
Having no time to do a walkthrough beforehand, Chloe swept her gaze around her surroundings as she crossed the threshold, noting where everyone stood, where the doors and exit signs were, as the floor plan she’d seen indicated. “I don’t think that’s wise under the circumstances,” she whispered to Mary, imagining the chaos that could cause.
The young coordinator called over an older gentleman, who must be the person in charge, and they talked together.
The man turned to Mary. “We’ll try to accommodate as many as we can.”
“Will they be able to hear our talk?”
“We can pipe your speech out into the foyer. But we can’t fit everyone in here.”
“I understand. I’d appreciate anything you can do to make it better for the people outside. Bless you for trying.” Mary made her way toward her husband, taking his offered hand.
The love that flowed between them made Chloe wonder when she had given up on her dream of having a family—a husband who loved her like that and at least two children. But everyone she’d dated since T.J. hadn’t been right, especially her last boyfriend, Adam. He’d cheated on her. At least T.J. hadn’t done that.
The noise of the crowd in the massive auditorium at the end of the lobby grew to a deafening roar the nearer they came. With every seat taken, there were over fifteen hundred cheering people here to listen to the Zimmermans. Chloe wouldn’t relax until they were all back at the house where the couple was staying.
The young coordinator escorted the guest speakers toward the stage area. As the Zimmermans stepped out to greet the crowd, the people all rose, clapping and yelling. A wall of sound assaulted Chloe. As the audience finally quieted, Chloe stationed herself behind the Zimmermans, positioning herself so the lights didn’t obscure her view of the spectators. Her quick glance took in where T.J. was. He tipped his head toward her, his signal he would take the left side of the auditorium while she cased the right. Even with her and T.J. each taking half the auditorium, it was hard to keep an eye on everyone since people crammed the place.
* * *
After the presentation by the Zimmermans, T.J. paced the room above the church auditorium like a bear he’d seen at the zoo. He should be used to waiting. It was a big part of his job, but this assignment was different—and all because Chloe Howard prowled the other side of the room. From the surprised look that had flashed across her face this morning before she masked it, he was sure she hadn’t known he was the other bodyguard on this case.
In fact, he was positive she hadn’t or she wouldn’t have taken the case. Not after how they had parted nine years ago. He’d been falling in love with her when he’d been given a choice assignment to be part of the detail covering the vice president. He had been a Secret Service agent at the time, assigned to Dallas working counterfeiting cases and financial crimes, sometimes in coordination with the Dallas Police Department. He couldn’t turn down a chance to move into the protection part of the United States Secret Service, a move that would make his career in the agency. He’d wanted Chloe to move to Washington and see if their relationship would grow into a lasting one. He’d known from his fellow agents how hard being a law enforcement officer could be on a marriage, and that a marriage would only survive if it was based on a deep friendship. He’d decided he would only marry once.
She wouldn’t leave Dallas. Her widowed mother had been fighting cancer, going through chemo, and she’d needed Chloe. He’d understood that, but she also hadn’t wanted to have a long-distance relationship. He’d realized it would be difficult, but he’d been willing to try it, even though he had trouble trusting others—collateral damage of his law enforcement days. He’d never found someone like Chloe. Was that the reason he’d decided to settle in Dallas when he’d left the Secret Service?
Now, having seen Chloe, he wondered at the wisdom of asking to team up with her, even though she was an excellent bodyguard. From working with her nine years ago on a counterfeiting case in conjunction with the Dallas police, he’d seen her dedication, and that had impressed him enough to persuade her to go out with him after their assignment was over.
He turned from watching her out of the corner of his eye and peered out the only window in the room that overlooked the church entrance hall. Finally the crowd was thinning and soon they could leave. He’d feel better when they were back at the couple’s temporary residence, the house of one of their good friends who was on vacation, although T.J. could never totally let down his guard. The chances of something happening increased during transport from one place to another.
He was still amazed the Zimmermans had had to be convinced to have two bodyguards. Today, at their talk, he’d sensed a person in the audience calculating how to get to the pair, but he hadn’t noticed anyone who stood out. He’d learned, though, not to ignore that gut feeling. It had saved his life several times.
The couple might think the past threats had been pranks. They hadn’t been. He glanced at them, talking with the organizers of the event. When he’d insisted on bringing Mary and Paul into the church the back way, they had told him they were in the Lord’s hands and were safe.
He’d believed in God fervently at one time. Now he was at a crossroads in his life, especially concerning the important aspects of life. He was good at guarding people, but he’d become jaded in his job. He needed something more. That was the reason he’d resigned from the Secret Service after fourteen years and approached
