Unbreakable Read Free Page B

I’ll trust you to remind me.”
    â€œDon’t worry, I will. Jonathon, you mentioned Clay Center. What happened there?”
    â€œA pastor’s house was set on fire, and two local churches were bombed.”
    I gulped. “Did you say bombed ?”
    â€œYes, homemade bombs called Molotov cocktails.”
    â€œI don’t believe I’ve ever heard the term before. What does it mean?”
    â€œMolotov cocktails are bottles filled with gasoline or some other flammable substance. Then something else, like a piece of cloth, is soaked in the same liquid and stuffed into the bottle. After it’s lighted, it’s thrown at a target. It explodes just like a bomb.”
    I shuddered. “What an evil thing to do. Someone could be seriously injured or killed.”
    â€œThe house and the churches were vacant when they were struck, so it’s hard to tell if the bomber was trying to hurt people or just destroy property. But it’s obvious someone could have been hurt . . . or worse.” The sun shone right in Jonathon’s face, and he squinted at me. “That’s preciselywhy I’m following you home. Until whoever is behind these attacks is caught, I think it might be best if you stay in town. I’ll grab a couple of men, and we’ll come back for your buggy.”
    â€œWe have to pray that this was an isolated incident and that Kingdom is still safe. Quite a few of us have been out on this road, and no one has been attacked before today. Maybe it had nothing to do with what’s going on in neighboring towns. Perhaps it was a teenager who thought it would be fun to run a Mennonite woman off the road.”
    Jonathon frowned. “I guess it’s possible, but even if that’s true, we need to be careful. I think it would be best if our people stay close to home for a while.”
    I still wasn’t convinced it was necessary, but I had to agree that it might be wise to use caution. “I’ll certainly heed your advice,” I said, trying once again to push my hair back from my face. “But I have to wonder how long we’ll have to cower in Kingdom, afraid to leave.”
    â€œI don’t think it’s cowering. We just need to be cautious. You could have been killed, Hope. If anything ever happened to you . . .”
    I was so surprised by his words that I swung my eyes downward, afraid my expression would betray my emotions. For some reason my hair suddenly felt like it weighed too much for my head. I wanted desperately to put it back in its bun so I’d feel better. Safer. “What else can we do besides hide? We’re taught not to resist violence.”
    He was quiet for a moment, and I looked up so I could see his face. He was staring at me with an odd expression. “Well, we’re instructed not to resist evil with violence, but the Scriptures are clear that we are to resist the enemy. Thequestion is, how do we do that?” He shook his head. “Some in our community believe we’re not to do anything but pray. I don’t know if I can accept that, and I think there are others who agree with me. In light of what’s happening, it seems prudent to find a way to keep our town safe. When I get back, I’m going to talk to a few people. See if we can come up with a plan to protect our borders.”
    Before I had a chance to think it through, I blurted out, “I’ll help you, Jonathon.” I immediately felt foolish. Why had I said that? “I-I mean . . . Well, you probably don’t want women . . .”
    His easy laughter embarrassed me. Did he think I was silly? He reached out and briefly touched the side of my face, but then he quickly jerked his hand away as if my cheek were hot to the touch. “I would be honored to include you, but I’d rather you didn’t tell your father. I’m afraid his opposition would make things . . .