Chapter 27: Seeing Red

Alexander sighed while grinding his teeth without realizing it as he laid in bed. The past few nights had been rather strange. Clanging, swishing, and bumping noises made its way into the home. The thick walls and insulation seemed to do little to keep all the sounds out.

Alexander found himself questioning if it was Devin, his guards, or the uninvited visitor. He tried to fend off the questions he couldn't answer as a means to ease his mind.

As the days had dragged on, he conceded to the realization that he didn't need to know who the univited visitor was. It was obviously another one of Lorenzo's men. Another nameless face to Alexander, but ever since God had woken him up, bringing life to his spirit, he couldn't help but acknowledge the presence of theirs.

He had become much more aware of spiritual things. More things were temporary than he once realized, but he knew that mankind was never meant to stop existing, but to go on and live with the King for all of eternity.

Another swishing noise brought Alexander out of his thoughts. His eyes scanned above the trees, not bothering to move out of bed to look below. There was no point. It could either be his guards or the hooded man and it was hard to differentiate between the two in the darkness.

Yet his eyes would occasionally settle on the glow of the moon light that poured through the sheer curtains. The thin veil-like curtains draped over the window pane like a stilled stream of water, and the light glistened as it sparkled past the window pain, illuminating each rain droplet that settled there.

Even the gentle brush of wind could be felt on his skin, slipping in through the cracks around the frame. Yet to his sadness the rain had stopped and he found himself missing the pitter patter of each drop. And in its absence, the silence became louder and every second boomed.

Every. Second. Boomed.

The evening could easily be defined by two words.

Swoosh. Swivel.

If his guards moved, his ears would perk at the sound with his head turning to follow it. It had quickly become a constant pattern. It was as if it had a mind of its own and Alexander couldn't deny that it was beginning to make him feel unsettled. "Why am I acting this way?" He thought to himself.

Even the squirrels, the birds, and the field mice had become suspects to him. The negative feeling that had begun welling up within him was growing by the second, as if they had evolved into persistant weeds. He tried to push it down and away, yet it continued as if to challenge him.

Each weed of emotion labeled- One as fear, another as doubt, another as panic. They pushed and prodded against him.

"I can't be this way," he thought. He attempted to keep his breathing steady and his heart calm. He could feel the sudden emotions swirling and growing in his abdomen. Threatening to remove any peace inside him.

Yet as if a lightbulb went off, a simple instruction could be heard. Pray.

Taking a deep breath, Alexander closed his eyes and began to speak quietly to the Lord.

Every few seconds, his dark eyes would open, staring at the ceiling as he continued to talk to the only One who could keep him safe and emotionally stable. It didn't take him long into his walk to see why people like Arielle or his godmother sought their time with the Lord so regularly. They were diligent in their seeking of Him.

Alexander's heart rate began to slow down and he didn't bother to turn his gaze over to the clock anymore, he knew it was late. it was much later than he planned to stay awake, but there he was. If it weren't for leaning into the Lord with prayer, he would be at the brink of his sanity and still awake.

If sleep somehow took him before he surrendered those negative emotions to God, he wouldn't be surprised if nightmares rushed to meet him there. Thankfully, his eyes were able to remain open, and the budding fear was laid to rest.

"I will keep my mind stayed on You," Alexander whispered, feeling a peace fill his heart like a river of water satisfying his soul. He smiled and laid still in the silence, feeling the Lord smile back at him. He had no reason to fear.

"Father, please protect them all," he spoke quietly, knowing that every word was heard.

Feeling the inclination to, Alexander began to pray for each guard, for Devin, for Arielle and for her mother. Soon after, Vincent and his employees at his estate and AMI also came to mind. He prayed for each person, faith filling his heart as he prayed for them.

Once his prayers were completed, he turned on his side while breathing a sigh of contentment. The blaring red numbers of the clock caught his attention. It was 1:44 a.m. and he was still awake.

"But it's worth it," he whispered. It was worth sacrificing sleep to spend time with the Lord, to pray for their safety and to not lose his peace.

He knew that this fear of whoever was out there wasn't from above, it didn't come from God. Lorenzo's men had not stopped their assignment against him, but Alexander relaxed, feeling his eyes drift close every few minutes as his sleepiness began to grow.

He slid a hand through his tangled hair. While being away, he learned that it was wavier than he realized, some strands even mimicking a large curl and so his fingers would occasionally become stuck in a clump of them.

"Father, what should I do? This has been going on for so long..." Alexander spoke in the quiet, mostly mumbling as the craving for rest grew. "Thank you for listening to me. I need guidance. I just want them to be safe..." his voice seemed to become quieter under the new sound of rain-

It was raining again! He thought. A small sleepy smile fell on his face as he watched the rain glide down the window pane. It was music to his ears.

His prayers throughout the day were long and one would think with how late it had become, that he would run out of things to pray for, but that merely wasn't true. It felt like he needed more time. It seemed as if adding hours to the day wouldn't suffice for how much he both craved and needed God.

"Surely twenty four hours wasn't enough," he thought more than once throughout his stay there.

"Heaven is eternal. The light never ceases."

Alexander's smile grew as he thought about Heaven, occasionally asking God the many questions that had frolicked into his mind. For a moment, he didn't think of the intruder. The peace paired with joy and he felt utterly blissful.

He would have more than twenty four hours in Heaven, but while he was here, he would live as a citizen of Heaven. A term, new to him, that he found in scripture, but it stood out to him. He realized that he could be in constant state of communication with God, even if it wasn't always in words, it could be in actions, in thoughts, in songs. He could be in His presence constantly.

In his sleepy state, he felt grateful that Devin had informed them of the renovated shed outback. He wasn't too surprised that they had transformed it into one of those popularized tiny homes. The Gullings always found a way to add to their passive income, but this came in handy for the men on duty.

He had no issue with them utilizing the cabin the two men stayed in, but he had a sneaky suspicion that it was plausible for the individual to attempt to enter the cabin once the door opened.

He knew that it wasn't Lorenzo. He wasn't here. Vincent kept him up to date on Lorenzo's whereabouts fairly regularly. The seething CEO was seen recently near the main square, so there was no way that it was him lurking past the trees.

Alexander decided that it would be best to call it a night soon, no longer seeing the need to fight off his sleep. He needed to wake up early to meet with Pastor Henry over a video call.

The food portion of his fast ended tomorrow as well, and although he knew very little about the practice of fasting, he did know that eating too much would be harmful. So he planned to have some of the bone broth that Devin stocked the home with and go from there.

He turned on his side and stared up at the moon. The double-layered curtains were drawn, but only the sheer fabric covered the window at that moment. It allowed the bright moonlight to flow into the room. Alexander sighed comfortably and closed his eyes.

He would choose to not worry. His guard was there, his close friend was there, but most importantly, his God was there and he knew that they would all be okay.

Crash!

Alexander jumped from his sleep. His heart raced as his eyes scanned the expanse of his room. The darkness seemed thicker and all promises of sleep left him.

His eyes darted from one corner of the dark room to another and another until he was sure that he was alone. Alexander sighed. Although he was alone in his bedroom that didn't remove his suspicions.

What was that sound? He thought.

A door closing could be heard nearby followed by feet rushing in his direction. Alexander fought the urge to leave the bed and check for himself. Yet it didn't take long for him to realize his predicament. Getting out of bed, he slid to its side, waiting for another sound.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

His body tensed. He did not plan for such a blunt invasion. A part of him wondered if it was best to meet his attackers head-on and to let them take him, if that meant they would leave Arielle, her mother, and Devin alone.

Knock. Knock.

He stared at the door for a moment with wide eyes as he tried to make it out in the darkness.

"Alex, open up. It's me. Devin," Devin whispered as he knocked again softly.

Alexander released a sigh and rushed over to the door, opening it quietly. Devin's face was hard to decipher under the blanket of night, but Alexander could make out the shock that mingled with a hint of fear on his countenance. He was almost certain that he appeared bewildered by the sudden crash.

"What was that?" Alexander's eyes peered over to the window as the two men crouched low in the room. Every step they took seemed calculated, for good reason.

"I don't know. I checked the cameras and saw nothing, but all of the guards were on high alert. Who or what could that have been?" Devin occasionally looked over the bedside before sighing and resting his head along its edge.

"I don't know who, Lorenzo has a rotating staff, but let's just stay low. The guards are trained to apprehend an attacker without having to do them any harm." Alexander breathed a sigh and shook his head. This was much too bizarre, even for him. Having enemies had never looked like this until he had gained rapid success within his company.

"Impressive," Devin murmured. Silence fell on the two men as they sat there quietly. Movement could be heard outside, but neither of them budged. Alexander's mind wandered back to Arielle. He had hoped that his theory would hold. Maybe they were focusing on him so much that it distracted them from her.

"Why does that man hate you, Alex?" Devin raked his hands through his hair while shaking his head in wonder. Devin also had a lot of success, yet even with that, he never had such troubles with his rivals. They would seethe in envy and even try to trip him up on occasion in business ventures, but never anything like this.

"You'd better ask him," Alexander shrugged.

"I've had some pretty crazy competition, but they've yet to try and eliminate me," Devin replied.

"Because they're fairly normal, Devin. As are you." Alexander leaned his head back against the side of the bed.

"Aren't you kind," Devin chuckled.

"I'm just being honest." Alexander mumbled back.

"Honest and kind. Like your bride Arielle, the lady of your heart?" Devin asked while looking over with a small smirk on his face.

Alexander was taken aback by his words, but he remained silent.

What can one say after that? He thought to himself.

Thankfully, the sound of his men running through one area of the property seemed to indicate that they located their target, but Alexander's heart dropped for a moment.

He thought that he heard something by the door and low and behold, the camera revealed that the hooded man stood at the door.

"Is that..." Devin began.

"I believe so." Alexander whispered in reply. The hooded man was trying to enter, but one of the guards raced toward him, successfully tackling him to the ground.

He and Devin sat in silence and anticipation, neither of them moving as the suspence continued to grow. Yet Alexander felt this need to get up and go down there, to face this mystery man once and for all. Maybe he could give them insight on Vincent's plan.

But before he could move, Devin rapidly clicked the button that controlled the porch light, illuminating the men and causing the camera's color grading to turn off night mode.

As colors flooded the screen, the hood was removed from his head. A bright tuft of red hair acted as an alarm as Alexander's eyes caught sight of it, but Alexander didn't need to see his hair to know who it was. Angry green eyes stared up at the screen and the first person who came to his mind was Arielle.

"How am I going to tell her?" He whispered in shock.