Once In Awhile Read online

  ONCE IN AWHILE

  ONCE IN AWHILE

  Kay G. Jay

  © 2019 Kay G. Jay

  Once In Awhile

  All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, scanning, or other—except for brief quotations in critical reviews or articles, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  Published in Nashville, Tennessee, by Elm Hill, an imprint of Thomas Nelson. Elm Hill and Thomas Nelson are registered trademarks of HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc.

  Elm Hill titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, fund-raising, or sales promotional use. For information, please e-mail [email protected].

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental.

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2019934228

  ISBN 978-1-400325177 (Paperback)

  ISBN 978-1-400325184 (eBook)

  Information about External Hyperlinks in this ebook

  Please note that footnotes in this ebook may contain hyperlinks to external websites as part of bibliographic citations. These hyperlinks have not been activated by the publisher, who cannot verify the accuracy of these links beyond the date of publication.

  This book is dedicated to my family and friends

  For they are truly my Merry Band of Misfits

  CONTENTS

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty One

  Chapter Twenty Two

  Chapter Twenty Three

  Chapter Twenty Four

  Chapter Twenty Five

  Chapter Twenty Six

  Chapter Twenty Seven

  Chapter Twenty Eight

  Chapter Twenty Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty One

  Chapter Thirty Two

  Chapter Thirty Three

  Chapter Thirty Four

  Chapter Thirty Five

  Chapter Thirty Six

  Chapter Thirty Seven

  Chapter Thirty Eight

  Chapter Thirty Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty One

  Chapter Forty Two

  Chapter Forty Three

  Chapter Forty Four

  CHAPTER ONE

  The dark figure was shrouded in a brown hooded robe, the face hidden in darkness. It began moving menacingly toward her. She whirled around frantically looking for a way to escape. Finding none, she stumbled backwards, hitting the wall behind her. She slid down and cowered like a child, as she waited for the inevitable attack by this faceless enemy. The room became deathly quiet. She slowly pulled her hands from her face and looked up. The face, only inches from hers, seized her heart in sheer terror and tore a primal scream from the center of her soul.

  * * *

  He leapt from the couch where he had fallen asleep and ran for the door. The gunshot wound he sustained a few weeks earlier pulled, as he stumbled headlong into the main foyer and scrambled up the large central staircase turning left at the landing. The colonial style house was divided into two apartments. He reached the other apartment’s second floor balcony at a dead run and threw his weight against the wooden door. It gave easily under his force and he rolled into the room. Leaping to his feet, chest heaving, he was prepared to do battle. He swiftly surveyed the room. Finding no obvious enemy, he went to the woman on the floor, curled in a fetal position moaning softly. She had not stirred. Bending over, he touched her gently on the shoulder. She sprang to life. He easily deflected her fist aimed at his jaw, but he did not anticipate the foot that drove into his groin. He squeaked her name as he toppled over.

  Despite the slightly higher octave, she knew that voice. She sprang to kneel beside the man. His normally tanned skin looked a little pasty in the moonlight. He stared straight up at the ceiling.

  He never blinked but finally croaked, “Kenann, you’re killing me.”

  “Danny Mac, I didn’t mean to kick you in the nuts.”

  He cut his eyes over to her in mild disdain. “Well, thank you for putting it so delicately, but that is not what I meant.” He slowly rolled on his side and made his way to a sitting position on the side of the bed. He patted the quilt for her to sit beside him. She complied.

  “Kenann, if you would just stop this nonsense and marry me, we could sleep together, and I wouldn’t have to break my neck trying to protect you.”

  “Well, for one thing, I don’t need you to protect me and for another, I don’t think it’s nonsense to have a proper dating period before we jump into marriage.”

  Her normally curly hair was exceptionally wild, and her eyes blazed at him. He couldn’t help it. She made him laugh. His eyes sparkled as he turned to her with a devastating smile.

  “And just what are you smiling about?” She huffed.

  “You.”

  “What’s so funny?”

  “I repeat.”

  “First you want to marry me, then you make fun of me.”

  “I’m not making fun of you, sweetheart, but I am having all kinds of fun with you.”

  “Hardy har har,” and slapped his bare shoulder. “Hey, what are you doing here anyway?”

  “Well, when I hear a blood curdling scream, I’m inclined to investigate.”

  “I screamed?”

  “Yes, and you were so out of it, you never flinched when I busted in here. It wasn’t till I touched you that you came out swinging.”

  “Are you alright? I really didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  “Yeah, sure. First you reject my proposal of marriage then you try to crush my manhood.”

  “I did not reject your proposal, Danny Mac.”

  “I’m just messing with you.”

  “Well, quit it.”

  “You were also crying. What were you dreaming about?”

  The dream flooded back. She clamped down on the renewed terror. “I have no idea,” she lied.

  “Well, it isn’t like you haven’t had some traumatic experiences lately. It’s probably just leftover nerves. Get back to sleep.” Danny Mac stood to return to his apartment. “Coming over for breakfast?”

  “Yeah, I guess.” Her voice held a pout.

  He turned, “What’s the matter?”

  “You haven’t kissed me nearly enough since we left Egypt.” She thought that might take her mind off the dream that had burned itself into her brain.

  “Kenann, passion has never been our problem. At some point you will have to trust that I love you for who you are, and I’ll love you forever.”

  “Well, can’t you just give me one little kiss?”

  “No, because it won’t end there, especially alone in this bedroom in the middle of the night. I am only human. Go to sleep.”

  She really needed a distraction. She walked over and put her arms around his neck smiling up at him. She played with the back of his h
air. He looked to the ceiling as if appealing for strength, then looked down at her and smiled. He slowly bent his head to hers. She raised up to meet his lips and her fingers curled in his hair. As he deepened the kiss, she felt his arms tightening and pressing her to him. Oh yeah, she was definitely distracted. He turned with her and pressed her against the door. Pulling her arms over her head he plundered her mouth. He felt the point of no return rolling over him and forced himself to reign himself in.

  While her mind surged on powerful feelings, he lightened the kiss and slowly lifted his mouth from hers. He pulled their hands down and squeezed her shoulders. He kissed her forehead and stepped back.

  “Now go to sleep.”

  “Of all people, why did I have to fall for a preacher?”

  He laughed and moved her from in front of the door. He winked at her before closing the door. Returning to his apartment, his mind replayed the events that had brought him and Kenann to this point in their lives.

  * * *

  Daniel MacKenzie, an orphan from Oklahoma with obvious Native American ancestry, had trained as a Marine and had become proficient in strategy and death. He came in contact, in some cases intimately, with some unsavory characters during those years. He eventually became sickened by all he had seen and done, and turned to Jake, his former Commander, who had become an elder in the church here in Memphis. Danny Mac gave himself and his life to God, and eventually became the minister for the Memphis congregation that met across the street from this duplex apartment.

  His former life, though, would not lie dormant. Recently, a former lover sent her minions to kidnap him. She wanted him to help her overtake a secret society that had powerful contacts in every country in the world. In order to control Danny Mac, they had orders to also kidnap someone close to him as insurance. Kenann James had recently moved into the duplex beside Danny Mac. They had become friends but to those who observed them, it appeared they were lovers and living together in the Colonial style house. When they moved in to take Danny Mac, they took Kenann to ensure his cooperation.*

  During the ordeal, passion flared between them while Danny Mac struggled with his vows of purity. Kenann knew in her heart that when Danny Mac said he loved her, he meant it. But she could not shake the fear that they had been caught up in the situation, and his feelings might not last. Now that they were safely home, she pushed for a dating period. Danny Mac insisted they already knew what they wanted but gave into her wishes and tried to be patient.

  He smiled as he remembered their friends who had gone to Alexandria, Egypt and the desert beyond to rescue them. Andrew O’Hanlon was his buddy from the Marines who now worked for the CIA. He headed up the government’s contingency to rescue them, but he received considerable, if often unwelcome, help from some zealous civilians. Their former Commander now church elder, Jake Taylor, tagged along to keep his eye on Mrs. Gabrielle Gage. She was an enigmatic and wealthy widow with a penchant for romance and intrigue, most of which she has lived out in her own mysterious life. She constantly amazed them all with her contacts and resources. Judy Crawford, Kenann’s best friend, had fought her own demons in order to plunge into the rescue effort, and proved invaluable with her skills as a nurse, her tough nature and her punch you in the gut beauty, which did not go unnoticed by Andy O’Hanlon.

  Blade, a ten-year-old neighborhood boy, stowed away on their rescue plane because he wanted to help Danny Mac. Mrs. Gage almost turned the plane around until Jake pointed out that Blade’s dark skin from an African American father and a Filipino mother would be of help on the African continent. Last, but not least, in the contingency, was Danny Mac’s newest best friend, Moira James, Kenann’s grandmother. She was a little bit of a woman with long peach colored hair – the combination of ginger and silver- usually worn in a long braid. She was born in Waterford, Ireland and came to America with her Welsh husband. She had lost him and her only son and daughter in law to early deaths. Kenann was all she had in the world, except for an unwavering faith in God and a touch of the Irish gift of fey. When she sensed something wrong with her granddaughter, she took a fast flight from West Virginia and would not be dissuaded from tagging along on the rescue adventure.

  Danny Mac and Granny James had not met until the ordeal was concluded, but it was love at first sight. He now looks forward to his daily calls to West Virginia. Sometimes it is just to chat. Other days he is begging for advice on how to handle her bullheaded granddaughter.

  * See Book One in the Once Trilogy:

  Once, A Long Time Ago

  CHAPTER TWO

  Kenann rolled out of bed the next morning feeling groggy and disheveled. One look in the mirror confirmed both. She exited the shower a few minutes later, towel drying her hair. She flipped her head over and finger combed the curly mass. That and a little gel were the extent of her efforts at style and headed downstairs to meet Danny Mac for breakfast. He really was being patient with her. She must be nuts not to jump at his offer of marriage. He was everything a woman could want. But that was just it. For the life of her, she could not figure out why he chose her.

  He had naturally dark skin with aquiline features and the light eyes of European ancestry. She liked to tease him about his good looks because it made him very uncomfortable. She suspected he thought them a nuisance. He also worked very hard to hide the tough side to his nature. He wanted to keep that dark and dangerous part of his life buried in his past. Despite his best efforts, it remained just below the surface.

  As Kenann hit the floor of the central foyer between the two apartments, the front door burst open. A boy, gliding on the rug, slid in sideways and came to a perfect stop in front of Kenann. They both extended their right hands and began an elaborate maneuver of bumps and slaps, sliding of palms and fingers. It was their own signature handshake.

  “Hey Blade. You here for breakfast too?”

  “French Toast?”

  “I hope so. Let’s go find out.” She slung her arm around the boy’s shoulders, and once again thanked the good Lord for bringing him home safely from that sacrificial slab in the desert of Egypt. They opened the double doors into Danny Mac’s living room. Since the house had originally been a single dwelling, the entrance to both apartments consisted of matching oak paneled double doors. One side had been the parlor and the other had been the formal dining room. Now they were converted into living spaces with attached dining areas in each side. Danny Mac’s side held the original and the largest kitchen, while Kenann’s apartment was equipped with a smaller galley kitchen and breakfast nook overlooking their large tree shaded back yard. The area beneath and behind the main central stairs was divided into the main bathrooms for both apartments.

  Danny Mac heard them come in and came through the swinging door from the kitchen wearing apron and oven mitts.

  “Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. If you’ll have a seat, your gustatory experience will begin.” Kenann laughed and pulled Blade toward the dining table sitting in the sunlight of the front window. There were three place settings laid. Blade whispered, “What is gussidory?”

  “I think that means ‘Eatin good in the neighborhood’.”

  Danny Mac carried out a tray laden with French toast, strawberries, powdered sugar and syrup. On the table was a carafe for coffee and a glass pitcher with orange juice. Blade rubbed his hands together. “Let’s dig in and gussidory.”

  “Not so fast, Buddy. Let’s say our thanks first.” Everything happened at once. They all heard what sounded like a gunshot. With lightning speed, Danny Mac grabbed them by their collars, pulling them to the floor and covered their bodies with his own. Kenann felt his heart pounding into her back. He slowly moved off them while motioning them to stay down. He went to the window. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. People were casually going about their business on the sidewalk outside. He turned back and looked at Kenann who was sitting up by now.

  “Danny Mac, I think it was a car backfiring.”

  “Yeah, I guess so.” He continued to look t
roubled.

  “Wow, that was exciting. Can we eat now?” Danny Mac gave a shaky smile to his little friend.

  “Sure, Buddy.” He reached out and pulled Kenann and Blade to their feet. He righted the chairs and they all sat down again.

  “Father, thank you for this day which you have given us. Thank you for this food. Keep us from harm. Protect us from the evil one. Lead us in your way. In Jesus name, Amen.”

  Blade gave an enthusiastic ‘Amen’ and reached for the French toast. Kenann looked across at Danny Mac and gave an inquisitive lift to her eyebrow. Danny Mac shrugged a shoulder. He was obviously still very edgy from their ordeal over the summer.

  Katerina, his former lover and nemesis, was dead. Pierre, the leader of the Society she was trying to overtake, had been killed as well. Pierre Montfort had become convinced upon seeing Kenann for the first time, that she was the reincarnated Sumerian Goddess, Inanna, come to fulfill the long-awaited prophecy of their ancient society. The climax of the ordeal had occurred in a subterranean cavern in the Sahara Desert. A sacrifice of blood was required, which is how Blade ended up on that stone altar. Danny Mac killed Pierre, Kenann killed Katerina. And Danny Mac took a bullet meant for Angelo.

  Angelo had been one of the best things to come out of the entire ordeal. Danny Mac had been Angelo’s enemy for almost ten years. But as Angelo kept close video surveillance on Danny Mac and Kenann while they were held captive, he became enthralled by the change in Danny Mac and the things he discussed with Kenann. He began to question his own life’s values and when Danny Mac leapt to shield him, taking a bullet meant for him, Angelo was changed. He returned to Alexandria with the band of friends and was at Danny Mac’s bedside every day. He learned about the Son of God while Danny Mac convalesced, and provided Andy with all the information he had at his disposal about the Society. He had resigned himself to imprisonment for his partnership with Katerina despite his efforts to thwart her near the end. When Andy and Danny Mac gave him his chance for freedom he was stunned and humbled.

  He asked, “Why are you doing this?”