


Grace In The Shadows
Book One - The Journey of Grace series
BOOK EXCERPT
Grace In The Shadows Excerpt - Chapter 45
“Father wounds strangle us,” Mo said quietly. “They leave the soul gasping for air. Addiction often follows.”
Dalton felt a chill crawl across his scalp. He hadn’t said a word about his dad, yet Mo had somehow pierced straight through him. The memories already ambushed him enough—during worship songs, at his mother’s grave—any quiet moment was a trap. Only Oxy eve muted the pain.
Mo was right. No matter how hard Dalton fought, he couldn’t shake the drugs. He let the words come, low and raw. “I couldn’t stop. I kept needing more. And then more. And more.”
Mo scratched at the stubble along his chin. “Opiates numb a deeper pain. You’re starving inside, but nothing physical can fill that hunger.”
Dalton studied him. Mo’s calm had the weight of something deeper than knowledge. It was wisdom—more than even his mother ever carried.
“I saw you praying earlier,” Dalton said. “You a Christian?”
Mo smiled, nodded. “I am. What about you?”
Dalton turned his gaze toward the iron bars just a few feet away. “Wouldn’t matter if I was. God’s done with me. I really messed up.”
Mo’s eyes softened. “That’s exactly who He’s drawn to—the broken. The bruised reeds. The smoldering wicks.”
“Bruised reeds?”
“It’s a verse. You should read it.”
“Old Testament?”
Mo nodded. “Isaiah. It’s a gold nugget—easy to miss unless you’re looking.”
“I’ve heard it. Just never really thought much about it.”
“Not surprised,” Mo said gently. Then, after a pause, “Can I be straight with you, brother?”
Dalton tensed, jaw locking. “Go ahead.” He braced for judgment—he’d heard it all before.
“You’ve spent your whole life trying to earn a smile from God, haven’t you?”
A smile from God? No. Being tolerated, maybe. Surviving on crumbs beneath the table—definitely. But a smile? An affectionate beam? He couldn’t picture it. Not for him.