Reluctant Runaway (28 page)
Authors: Jill Elizabeth Nelson
“Girl, I’ll lie down across a mud puddle and let you use me as a bridge. What’s up?”
“Tell Dean I’m coming to visit him.”
“Oh, Des.” Max started to cry. “You have no idea how much that will help.”
“It’ll help me, too. Gotta go now. A certain FBI agent has this gooey look on his face.” She put the phone away.
“Gooey
look?” His eyebrows climbed toward his hairline.
“Yeah, like you might kind of like me or something.”
“Woman, you’re delusional.” He tickled her under the chin. “Guess I’ll have to try harder to show you how I feel.”
“Oh, yeah, and how would you go about that?”
“How about I start by keeping my word?”
“What promise is that?”
He grinned. “I hereby place myself on the shopping altar, so we can look for that rock to put on your finger. I want the world to know that Desiree Jacobs is all mine. The future Mrs. Lucano.”
Desi took his arm, and they strolled toward the church building. “How far in the future would that event be, Mr. Lucano?”
“Not one second longer than it takes you to put together a wedding that’ll make your father shout in glory.”
She couldn’t hold back the grin. “Shouldn’t take long, hon. I’m a Jacobs, remember? We get things done.”
“Amen to that, sweetheart.” Tony chuckled, winced, then leaned in to cover her lips with his.
Dear Reader,
S
torytelling is an ancient art common to every culture and time period. Stories have unmatched ability to touch the human spirit for good or ill, to convey truth or spread deception. Have you ever been moved or changed by a well-told tale? Why do some stories stick with us longer than others? Do they touch on something so integral to our nature that we cannot forget them?
Jesus knew the power of story In fact, Scripture says He didn’t speak to people without using stories to convey His meaning.
In the
aha!
moments of writing
Reluctant Runaway
, I broke new ground in my understanding of the basics of faith and the battle for the human soul in the unseen realm. Plus, I understood afresh the unique claim of Christianity: that God Himself became a man, the Christ. Not simply a good person or a wise teacher or a miracle-working prophet, as some belief systems claim, but fully human and fully God. Then He willingly paid the ultimate price to purchase mankind out of slavery to sin and Satan. Without the understanding that Jesus is the Christ, there is no salvation. Christianity is that simple and that mind-boggling, and there is no alternate method to approach God, except through His own redeeming sacrifice.
I’m delighted that you joined Desi and Tony for their second outing in the To Catch a Thief series. I hope their adventure offered thrills and entertainment. More than that, I hope you take away fresh insights that will enrich your life. Their next adventure,
Reluctant Smuggler
, takes Desi and Tony south of the border in pursuit of thieves and killers involved in a deadly antiquities-for-drugs scheme.
I love to hear from readers. E-mail me at [email protected] or visit me online at
www.jillelizabethnelson.com
. My Stealth and Wealth page features a contest for a signed copy of
Reluctant Runaway
, and my contact page gives you an opportunity to sign up for my newsletter.
Jill
Desi and Tony have jobs that carry them into danger. Tony struggles to balance his need to know that Desi is safe with his admiration for her just the way she is. Do you think this is a common conflict for people in a relationship with those who have high-risk careers, such as police officers, firefighters, or soldiers? Have you ever felt anxiety about your spouse because of a job? What coping skills would be of help in such a situation? Is this anxiety higher for men in relationships with women who have high-risk careers? Why or why not?
Communication is a critical factor in a healthy relationship. Desi feels shut out when Tony shies away from personal subjects. Is her feeling justified? Why does Tony prefer not to talk about himself? Should we always expect our loved ones to tell us everything? Or are there times when a matter should remain private? If so, how do we know when silence is a good thing? Think of examples on either side of the communication issue, and share your experiences.
Desi fears that Tony’s career will take him away from her. In this fast-paced world, both men and
women often work outside the home—sometimes by economic necessity sometimes by choice. How can Christian couples balance the demands of the job with the needs of their families? What are
your
priorities in regard to faith, family, and work? How did you arrive at those priorities, and how well do you live by them?Do you believe that unseen spiritual forces affect our lives and the lives of those in our families as a result of our attitudes and actions? Why or why not? If yes, how should Christians go about breaking the power of evil forces that would invade their lives and the lives of loved ones? Read Ephesians 6:10–12, and discuss what these verses have to say about this issue.
Karen Webb is a new Christian, a true believer. Is it easy for the young in the Lord to get sucked off track before they become established in their faith? How can more mature believers nurture and protect babes in Christ?
More and more often, mental illness is found to have a biological and treatable cause—as in the case of postpartum depression like Karen had. How can the church educate itself to deal with often misunderstood mental and emotional conditions with compassion, wisdom, and grace?
Max says her sister Jo has tried lots of “faddy spiritualities.” Desi answers that Jo is an example of a
person who is always learning but never coming to know the truth. Read 2 Timothy 3:7. What does this mean? Do you know anyone like Jo? Brainstorm strategies for reaching this type of person.What is the difference between a cult and a religion? Which definition does Reverend Archer Romlin’s movement fit the best, or does it contain elements of both? A religion implies a degree of acceptance and respectability, which a cult does not have. Does Romlin deliberately capitalize on similarities to Christianity in order to lend credibility to his brand of toxic faith? Romlin’s movement has a public face masking a sinister private inner circle. Which definition does the private inner circle fit?
Pete Cheama credits his tribal beliefs with “saving” him and regards Christianity as an evil system forced on his people. Why might he have come to that conclusion? How can Christians answer those who see Christianity as either harmful or just another option among many?
Snake Bonney and his motorcycle gang live in blatant sin and rebellion. They have no illusions about themselves as either respectable or righteous. Would Jesus go to Snake’s house for supper? How can we as individuals and as church bodies reach out to the Snake Bonneys of the world and show them God as He is, not as religious legalism has portrayed Him?
Chris Mayburn operates like his “real boss,” Archer Romlin—public respectability, private corruption. What motive do they share? What further motive does Mayburn voice for going along with the ritual in the kiva? Are there people who enjoy evil for its own sake? What makes people this way, or do they choose this path? Have you ever had to deal with someone like this? How did you do so?
Desperation drives people to justify doing the unthinkable. What “theology” does Hamilton Gordon concoct to make it right and even noble to kill and eat human flesh? Does this approach bear any resemblance to the mindset that glorifies suicide bombing? What is a Christian’s response to such ideologies?
What does the Bible teach about the consequences of pivotal choices on our lives and future generations? Give Scripture verses and biblical examples. Discuss the choice that Max makes, which negates the “family curse” in her life. Do you think this choice will carry down positively in future generations? Would her choice necessarily be the right one for everybody in a similar situation? Why or why not? What choices do Desi and Tony make in the scene outside the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in order to stop evil from wreaking more havoc in the new generation they hope to start together? Have you ever felt as though your family bore a “family curse”? How has God helped you to overcome that struggle?
next adventure in
Reluctant Smuggler
Releasing October 2007
To Catch a Thief, Book 3:
Reluctant Smuggler
ISBN 1-59052-688-0
Looting of archaeological sites is big business in a thriving art and antiquities black market. When a desperate foreign government hires Desiree Jacobs’s security company to stop the hemorrhage, she runs afoul of a deadly art-for-drugs operation. Tony Lucano risks his rising career in the FBI to dive into the international underworld after her. Before either of them can come up for air, they must navigate through a deepening murk of ruthless looters, veiled identities and dummy corporations, hair-trigger DEA agents hunting drug smugglers, crooked government agents, and innocents caught up in an illegal trade beyond their ken. Even if a miracle delivers Desi and Tony from evil, will their love survive the test?
This is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogues are products of the authors imagination and are not to be construed as real.
Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead,
is entirely coincidental.
RELUCTANT RUNAWAY
published by Multnomah Books
A division of Random House, Inc
.
© 2007 by Jill Elizabeth Nelson
Scripture quotations are from:
The Holy Bible
, New International Version
© 1973, 1984 by International Bible Society,
used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House
Multnomah
is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers,
and is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
The colophon is a trademark of Multnomah Publishers.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
For information:
MULTNOMAH BOOKS
12265 ORACLE BOULEVARD, SUITE 200
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO 80921
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Nelson, Jill Elizabeth.
Reluctant runaway: a novel / Jill Elizabeth Nelson.
p. cm.
1. Missing persons--Fiction. 2. Albuquerque (N.M.)—Fiction. 3. Art thieves—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3614.E44585R457 2007
813’.6–dc22
2006031086
eISBN: 978-0-307-56197-8
v3.0