Secret Agent Minister by Lenora Worth

Or the…other?”
    “Both,” Dev said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. “And they are both my fault.”
    “But you don’t believe Eli actually committed this crime?”
    Dev thought about that. “It’s just a gut reaction. Eli is hurt and angry, and he’s grieving. But he has the heart of a warrior—a Christian warrior. He wouldn’t do something like this, but I believe his actions might have triggered it, somehow.” He tapped his fingers on the sleek black desk. “And I believe something went wrong. Now Eli’s on the run. He’s either after me—and my hunch is wrong—or he wants to seek my help. Either way, he’s going to be in big trouble when we find him.” The tapping stopped. “And as we both know, CHAIM has its own system of justice.”
    Kissie’s bright-red-painted nails hit the keys with precision. “I’ll see what I can find out.”
    Dev watched as she typed in:
    Pastoral, looking for a lost sheep. Please respond ASAP.

     
    “That’s obvious,” Dev said, shaking his head. “He knows I’ll be looking for him.”
    Then she wrote,

     
    Judgment and justice take hold of you.

     
    Dev understood the code. It was Kissie’s way of saying, “Don’t take your own form of justice.” And they both knew that was exactly what Eli specialized in. Even after rigorous training, Eli still had a vigilante streak.
    Then she wrote,

     
    Do not walk with wicked men.

     
    Dev knew that Job was CHAIM’s special book of the Bible, the one the organization used to talk in code. Would Eli, known as The Disciple, see the codes embedded in their main Web site and know Dev was trying to reach out to him? Or would this bring Eli right to Kissie’s door? Eli was smart enough to break through the encryptions and find the exact location of the router. He would be here within hours if that happened. Maybe that needed to happen, and if Lydia wasn’t here with him, Dev would almost welcome that confrontation. Once and for all.
    Dev thought about the woman sleeping upstairs and vowed he couldn’t let that happen just yet. Not until Lydia was safe. “What now?” he asked after Kissie keyed in a few more carefully worded messages.
    “We wait,” she said, her dark eyes giving him a sharp look. “And you try to get some sleep.” When he looked doubtful, she added, “Don’t worry. I rerouted everything and it’s all encrypted. It will only reach those who might be looking for it, and those who know where to look. I believe Eli is good at that sort of thing, but if he’s smart, he won’t come near New Orleans right now.” Then she got up, pushing him toward the door. “Rest.”
    “I can’t sleep,” Dev replied. “I have to watch.”
    “And pray,” Kissie added with a soft smile.
    “Who’s on the agenda for tonight?” he asked, hoping for a diversion.
    “The Gospel According to Pauly.”
    He nodded, flexed the tight muscles in his back. “I love that band. Perfect harmony of all the oldies but goodies.”
    “Good, solid gospel and soul,” Kissie said, getting up to shuffle some printouts. “Can’t go wrong with that mix.”
    “I need a good mix to get us out of this mess,” Dev said as they exited the room. “Of course, Lydia and I might have to miss the show.”
    “We’ll see, once we receive your next orders.”
    After they’d safely secured the secret entrance-way, Kissie turned to face him. “Pastoral, you did everything in your power to keep Eli on the straight and narrow. The Disciple has strayed on his own. He didn’t seek help. In fact, he refused any help…after the South America incident.”
    “But he went through his own form of grief and repentance,” Dev said, his voice low. “He went into seclusion, but it was at CHAIM’s demand. It was the best thing he could do, but Eli would have chafed under that sentence. And he would have plotted.”
    “Well, now he’s out,” Kissie said with a pragmatic shrug. “And apparently, his time to reflect didn’t help