The Promise Read Free

I’m not as fat as I look.” Fred didn’t explain what he meant, and Tom didn’t ask.
    When Tom came back to the table, carrying his latte, Fred said, “Hey, did you hear about all the excitement over at the Coffee Shoppe this morning?”
    â€œWhat? No.” Tom feigned disinterest as he sat and took out his laptop and charger.
    â€œThe girls at the counter were talking about it when I came in. Somebody posted it on Facebook or something. They got robbed. Well, almost. Apparently, some masked avenger swooped in and almost knocked the guy out.”
    â€œMasked avenger?”
    â€œWell, not really. But a customer really did jump in and stop the guy, sent him packing. Took away his gun, and the robber ran out without a dime. When I went up to refill my coffee, I overheard the manager here talking on the phone, guess he called the owners over there to find out more about it.”
    â€œWhat’d he say?”
    â€œDidn’t hear everything, but the owner at the Coffee Shoppe said they felt sure they’d catch the guy pretty fast. The stupid kid wasn’t wearing any gloves, so they got some great fingerprints off the gun and the doors.”
    Tom was relieved to hear that.
    â€œEveryone’s buzzing about this mystery guy who broke up the robbery. Looks like he left in a hurry before the police arrived. That’s what superheroes do, you know.”
    â€œAnyone know who he was?”
    â€œNope. Apparently, he goes there all the time, but the guy’s real quiet, keeps to himself. Sounds like the newspeople showed up and did a bunch of interviews with the customers and staff. Should be on TV later this evening. I’ve been checking their websites but haven’t seen anything about it yet. Wonder what this guy’s story is.”
    â€œSo would you have stayed around if that was you?”
    â€œYou kidding? Sure I would. Well, to be honest, I’m not sure I’d have the guts to confront a robber like that. But if I did, you bet I’d have hung around. I’d let it slip out when those reporters questioned me that I’m an out-of-work IT guy, just doing my civic duty. You can’t buy publicity like that. People love hero stories. It’s going to be all over the news. Some hiring managermight see the interview, and there you go—my job hunt would be over.”
    There you go, Tom thought.
    He sighed thinking about it. Most likely if he had stayed, he’d get so uptight he’d forget to mention he was out of work. He’d still be out of work after his fifteen minutes of fame came and went. Only his situation would be much worse. Life as he knew it would cease, because Jean would find out he had been lying to her all these months, pretending to head off to work every day.
    That thought stirred fear inside him. There’d be no way to contain the firestorm it would create. Things could get so bad, his parents might even cut short their Italy trip. He had to slam the door on these thoughts . . . now.
    Behind them lay a dark hallway full of more doors. Each one leading to a room that was darker still.

 3 
    M arilyn Anderson was beside herself. She couldn’t believe it. She was really here. They were here. In Rome, the Eternal City. It was like a fairy tale. When Jim had told her two months ago that they were going to Italy, it didn’t seem real. Even when he’d shown her the airline e-ticket and the travel materials started coming in the mail, it was hard to imagine it would actually happen.
    But now, standing out here on their hotel balcony, watching the sunset over a skyline that included the Roman Colosseum on one side and the dome of St. Peter’s on the other, it was starting to sink in. She heard footsteps and turned to see Jim coming out to join her.
    He walked up behind her, put his arms around her, and rested his head against hers. “Isn’t this amazing, hon? Have you ever seen anything like