A Safe Haven

Twelve

Ace had felt the hairs stand up on the back of his neck as he was outside talking to Allison. "I'm going inside."

"I'm gonna sit outside for awhile. It's beautiful over here," Allison said sitting on a yard chair and making herself comfortable by stretching her long legs.

He gave her a small smile admiring her ler sexy legs as the skirt of her dress fell around her and went back inside. Walking by Spencer's room, he saw the boy was playing quietly with toy figurines and Mark wasn't in his office. It was a pretty big house and hard to find some one who might not want to be found and then he heard some one talking. It was coming from the chapel. Opening the door slightly, Ace looked inside.

Mark was kneeling before the cross with his hands folded. ".....I know I'm not a perfect person and I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, but please don't make me keep paying for them. I don't know how he found me, but I've got to protect these kids from my father. I'm not sure how to do that. I can't lock them in their rooms. Lord you have to help me keep them safe and I give it all to you. In Jesus name, Amen."

Ace cleared his voice walking all the way in. He knew he had felt something off when he was outside. "Where is your father and who were you talking to just now? That statue there on the cross?"

Mark turned towards Ace grimacing and getting up from the floor. "It's not polite to eavesdrop on people."

Ace rolled his eyes. "I wasn't eavesdropping. I was looking for you because I want to go out. It's not right to ground me when I was trying to help Spencer."

"You could have called me or had me called," Mark suggested folding his arms. "Your not going out tonight or the rest of the weekend. I know you have lived much of your life without much guidance but that is ending now."

Ace forgot about Marks father momentarily as his face reddened in anger. Pointing at Mark with his finger, he yelled, "No, I took care of myself and had to pay the bills and had to take care of my mom, but nobody cares about that. I don't need you. I could have taken care of myself!"

Mark shook his head walking into the hallway and closing the door behind him after Ace followed him out. "You need to calm down. Could you have taken care of yourself without doing illegal things? I know how you did those things and if you kept it up, you would eventually end up in prison. Is that what you want?"

Ace's fists instinctively clenched into fists and wanted to punch something. He knew Mark was correct but that didn't make him feel better. "Well what if I go out anyway? What are you gonna do about it?"

Sighing, Mark answered, "I would have to call the police to bring you back and you would be punished further."

Ace snorted as he wasn't really worried about his punishments. "Your such an asshole! But okay I got it. Now what were you talking about because my instincts were telling me I was being watched by someone."

"Yes, you were. I used my binoculars and could see my father a ways off watching you two with his own binoculars."

"Whats he want? Allison?" Ace asked recalling that she had run away from him. He was calmer now that his thoughts changed to this new problem. As a gang leader, there were always problems to fix or take care of. It was something he was used to although it could become stressful.

"Yes and possibly Spencer too if he knows about him," Mark said going into his office as he really didn't want the others hearing them.

Ace followed him inside but remained standing seeing the binoculars and taking a look for himself. He didn't see anyone watching them.

Mark sat in his chair. "He's probably gone now. He may have seen me looking too."

Putting the binoculars down and looking at Mark, "Okay and how is the Lord or whoever you were talking to going to protect her? He sure hasn't been around for my life and she's been through hell too. How can you believe some invisible God is going to stretch his hand and smite this guy?"

"No. God doesn't work that way, usually. Well it happened in the scriptures sometimes and maybe it even does today at times, but that is not the normal way God works. Our Heavenly Father is more like a light breeze blowing or a bird singing. He is part of our everyday life and was with us when we were created. He was with you before you were born and is with you all of the time Ace. He loves you more than you can even comprehend," Mark tried to explain why he believed in God.

"Then why didn't he help any of us?" Ace asked folding his arms and suddenly feeling angry at this God.

"How can you be so sure he hasn't helped you, Ace? weren't there times in your past when more horrible things could have happened but somehow they were averted?"

Ace squirmed a bit, remembering the time one of his mother's pimps almost drowned him in the bathtub. His mom had been totally stoned out of her mind and then rock hit and cracked the bathroom window which got the pimps attention. That had given Ace time to jump out of the tub and run to a hiding place. "Maybe," he said in a light voice. "But what about Allison? Is he really going to protect her?"

Mark swallowed and slowly answered, "Yes I believe he will, but He does things in His own time and way. It is often hard to understand Gods will for our lives and because we live in a world that is fallen with is a invisible spiritual battle going on around us all the time. That is why many of us are broken."

Ace was curious about the fallen thing but this conversation was making him too uncomfortable and he turned preparing to leave the room. Suddenly, he asked, "When are you going to tell them the truth Mark? They deserve to know."

"I will tell them soon," Mark promised but he still didn't tell them at dinner.

Ace saw Allison watching him, obviously hoping he would tell her the truth. Instead, Mark talked about getting her some new clothing for school and Ace too. Then he talked to Spencer about baseball and soccer.

"Baseball is stupid! How are you supposed to hit a ball going 90 miles an hour with a stick?" Spencer remarked shaking his head. "Now Soccer is fun."