“That was the worst deflection ever, so don’t think I’m letting you get away with it. But Alicia is great. Just talked to her a couple of days ago. She bought a house for her parents. Of course, she’s still living in the same dive apartment, but that’s just her. Oh, she’s also building a school somewhere in Uganda west of Kampala. She’s going there in November. Invited me to come along. She said you’re invited, too, if you want to join us.”

“I’ll think about it. Glad she’s able to do something good with all that gun money.”

“I like to think it’s the oil money that paid for the paintings. Helps me to sleep a little better at night. I’m also going to talk with her about ending our little partnership. I think we’ve gotten her to a good place. She doesn’t need our help anymore.”

“Good call.”

She laid one hand on his arm. “Now, back to our pre-deflection conversation. How are you really doing?”

“Again, physically, I’m getting better. But the other stuff, the mental side, that’s been a little harder to get over.”

“What’s going on?”

Nir hesitated. He wasn’t big on being vulnerable with anyone. But if I hope this relationship will keep growing, I need to trust Nicole even with things like this.

“Honestly, I’m waking up two to three times a night. The dreams are so vivid, so clear. Sometimes I’m watching it take place, like I’m in an out-of-body situation. I can see on my face how the pain is breaking me down, but I can’t step in to stop it. Sometimes I’m back where I was, feeling everything they’re doing to me. Sometimes I’m even in both places, though I don’t know how that works.”

He gave a bitter chuckle. “But it’s not even feeling it over and over physically. It’s the helplessness. Knowing someone has complete power over me and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. That’s what wakes me in a panic.”

Nicole reached over and took hold of Nir’s hand again. “You told me Jesus showed you He was there, but you didn’t tell me how.”

This was the part of his ordeal most confusing to him. He’d called out to Jesus for help, and it seemed like he’d received an answer. He didn’t believe in coincidences, and the young Filipino man showing up when he did gave him exactly what he needed to push through until he was rescued. But was he Jesus? Obviously, he knew the man himself wasn’t Jesus. But was his appearance Jesus showing He was there? Nir just didn’t know. And for that reason, he’d decided to keep that encounter to himself. At least for now.