Jack wanted to thank Beck, whoever he was and however he knew so much, so he lowered his hands. He wanted to explain to the guy that this moment had answered questions he’d had for ten years. But when he blinked his eyes open… the man was gone.
“Beck!” He called the guy’s name out loud, loud enough so that he’d hear him. But there wasn’t a rustle or sound, no snapping twigs or footsteps on the distant trail to indicate which way Beck had walked off.
The man had vanished.
Jack looked at the flat rock beside him, the one where Beck had been sitting. The dirt and leaves were there again, and there were no signs of the brush marks Beck had made when he dusted off the surface.
A dizzy feeling came over Jack, and he covered his face again. What had happened? How could the guy just disappear? And how had he known Jack’s name and his story, the situation with his family?
But his efforts at making sense of the moment lasted only a few seconds. Then he dropped his hands again and stared out at the water. Another memory came to him. His mother explaining to him about God’s messengers, beings sent to take part in a rescue or a mission, heavenly soldiers with a word from the Lord.
One Christmas she had told him, “Angels are real. Not just in the story of the birth of Jesus. But today. For you and me and your father. For all people.”
An angel? Was Beck a soldier sent from heaven? he had wondered. Sent to talk to him here on this hillside? The longer Jack thought about the possibility, the more he was sure. Beck was definitely an angel. He had to be. And the words Jack had heard when he first reached the top of the hill were true.
God did love him. He always had.
Earth was… well, it was just earth. Eternity lay on the other side. Each day in a person’s life this side of heaven was a gift. Nothing more. No guarantees about tomorrow. And in that knowledge God wanted one thing from him.
Jack had seen it all clearly in that moment. His Father in heaven wanted him to let go of the past and look to the future. Love God, love people. And God had brought a girl into his life who was just like him. She didn’t care if she lived or died. She didn’t love God and didn’t love people.
Eliza Lawrence. Lizzie James.
In all the world, Jack was the only person who understood her, who knew what it was like to lose everything and hate the world. Hate life itself—all at the same time. What it felt like to care only about the mission.
Back at the hotel, Jack spent the next hour reading his Bible, Psalm 23 and then Hebrews Chapter Two and all of First John. The words filled Jack’s soul and gradually they changed him. God had loved Jack first, and because of that He wanted Jack to love people.
Especially Eliza.
Not romantically, no matter how attracted he was to her. Because of the job. But with the love of God, so that Eliza would understand her worth. So he could tell her about how much God cared about her… and about the new life He offered for her. For him, too. And so she could see herself the way God saw her—as a child whole and set free and fully loved by God.
Defined by love, not victimhood. By grace, not the grievous things she’d been forced to do in bringing other girls to the Palace. God’s love was a love Eliza desperately needed. The way Jack himself needed it.
The memory of that day in Dallas faded and Jack gripped the steering wheel. Don’t get ahead of yourself, he told himself. She won’t be expecting this. Take your time. As he drove down her street, he forced himself to relax. He had no idea how he was going to tell her all of this, but he had to try. Tomorrow they would face great dangers.
After tonight, he might not have another chance.
* * *
THEY PARKED IN the first spot Jack could find. He wasn’t sure it was smart, heading out like this so soon before a mission. But he had no choice. He wanted to see her before they parted ways, especially with the missions that lay ahead for them both.
“I’ve only heard about this place.” Eliza wore a sleeveless white pantsuit. She looked so beautiful, he could hardly breathe.
“The River Walk is what San Antonio is known for.” He wanted so bad to take her hand. But this wasn’t work, and he wouldn’t cross that line. It wasn’t right. “I have a surprise for you.”
“A surprise?” She sounded cautious, hopeful.
Jack tried to imagine who Lizzie James would’ve been if she’d had the chance to grow up in Lower Barton Creek. Under the watchful, loving eyes of Ike Armstrong. He pushed the thought from his mind.
Friday nights at the River Walk were always crowded and tonight was no exception. Once in a while Jack came here to people-watch. Tonight he was doing something he’d only seen other people do. He was taking Eliza on a dinner cruise.