Chapter 54

Jacob appreciated his words and hoped the congregation would follow suit, but only time would tell.

Just as the last guest left and Jacob wanted to collapse, Mike showed up at the door, still in uniform. The boys had just settled in the living room to play video games, so Jacob invited Mike upstairs to the office.

“I’m going to work on cleaning up,” Garrett told them.

After Jacob ushered Mike and Luka upstairs, he closed the office door and sat at his desk. Luka took one of the other seats, but Mike stood, seemingly unsure where to go.

“You can sit, if you want,” Jacob assured him, gesturing to the empty chair.

Mike took off his hat and twirled it in his hand. “I’m fine.” He cleared his throat. “But I have some news. I’m sorry it’s taken so long to pin this down, but your family, Luka, is hard to find.”

Luka frowned. “They like to be ‘off the grid,’” he said sarcastically. “They don’t trust people.”