Kicking Eternity

Chapter Twenty-five

Chapter 25

Raine squinted at the brightness of the camp sign as she walked by, heading for the beach. This was the first time Eddie had called her in the middle of the night. Something wasn’t right. He sounded desperate. Oddly, she wasn’t afraid. She hadn’t been afraid of him since she forgave him. Warmth bubbled up inside her despite everything. She would finally get to spill her forgiveness out on Eddie. How could he help but feel her love for him?

She yawned and wiped the sleep out of her eyes. Part of her mind stretched to remember the research paper she’d done on tweaking when she was in high school. Mom let her choose her topics even though she thought Raine had a morbid curiosity about drugs, methamphetamine in particular.

Night’s dampness crept toward her from the openings of her sweatshirt, and she pulled her hands inside the sleeves. Was he tweaking—what she’d dreaded for years—his loading up on more and more meth till it ceased to give him the euphoria he was after? If Eddie was tweaking, she would need to pop her hands back out to keep them in plain sight. Paranoia was a common symptom. She would need to do anything she could to keep from frightening him. Weird when she’d been the one afraid of him for so long.

The wind tossed the tops of the pines and drove thick clouds across the sky, hiding the moon and stars. She could make out the outline of the bathhouse and shed beyond the streetlights.

Jesus, fill me with Your ability to communicate love and forgiveness to Eddie. Give me wisdom in how to deal with him. Make this a turning point for him away from drugs. Please.

She dropped off the seawall onto the sand. “Eddie? I’m here. Where are you?”

#

Drew heard the ping from his phone that he got a text message. He’d been tossing and turning all night anyway.

Aly. Raine meeting Eddie in five. Don’t know where. Afraid for her.

Alarm slammed through his body. Meth addicts were dangerous, and Eddie had already done violence to Rainey. He wasn’t taking any chances. He grabbed his phone, dialing 911 on his way out of the cabin. He filled in the operator as he sped across the athletic field. “My first guess is they’re meeting at the beach, but it could be anywhere a five minute walk from the camp. The guy has a history of violence.”

The dispatcher told him to stay connected. He tossed his phone into the pocket of his gym shorts and took off at a dead run for the beach. He hoped he guessed right. Rainey’s life could be in danger if he got it wrong. His mind blocked out the ground shells and pebbles under his bare feet. Keep Rainey safe. Help me find her.

#

Aly uncurled herself from the ball she’d clenched into after texting Drew. He’d sent her a one letter answer, k. The way Raine worried about Eddie, she didn’t trust him. Not one stinking bit. Meth addicts were capable of anything.

She slid over the edge of her bunk, stepped on Raine’s mattress and knelt on the floor.

God, I know You haven’t heard much from me. But I’m scared. Keep Raine safe. She’s totally into You. Do it for her sake.

She made the sign of the cross and climbed into Raine’s bed to wait.

#

Only the rhythmic crash of the waves answered Raine. The wind picked up, and she rubbed her arms—a feeble attempt to dispel the chill of fear crawling through her clothes.

“Eddie?”

“Over here.”

She turned toward the sound of his voice and saw her brother backlit by the neighborhood lights in the distance.