Stupid Cupid

by Liz Hunter, Aka Mennen, Phyllis Campbell

  When they reached outside, they all made a mad dash to George’s car. “Let me drive,” Joshua shouted.

  George didn’t question, but threw the keys to him.

  Once they were all inside and buckled, Joshua stomped on the gas pedal, squealing tires as he drove them out of there. All the way out of the parking lot, Lucinda and George kept their gazes out of the windows as they watched for guards. It was as if luck were on his side, because they made it to the freeway without any problems.

  After a while passed of nothing but silence, George leaned forward from the back seat and looked at Joshua through the mirror. “Why didn’t you tell Kenya?”

  Joshua glanced at the assistant then moved his attention back to the road. “You mean tell Kenya that Joshua and Eli are the same person?”

  “Yes.”

  He sighed heavily, inwardly cursing. It had been haunting him for a few days now. How could he explain things to her if he couldn’t understand them himself?

  “Because I never thought things would get this far.” He shook his head. “During the five years I’ve been locked away, I’ve tried many times to escape. Each time my attempts were unsuccessful. Nobody believed who I was, and if they did, they believed Terrel’s story, not mine. Terrel found out about my escapes and had Dr. Goodwin torture me.” He shuddered, not wanting to remember the kind of punishments that man had put him through. “Anyway, one day I found a book in the institution’s library. It was the story Kenya’s father wrote. That was when the idea of future-man struck me. If Kenya thought I was a man from the future, maybe, just maybe, it might work. She wouldn’t think I was a man who’d escaped the mental hospital like everyone else had thought.”

  He paused and chuckled. “Maybe I am crazy.” He glanced in the mirror at George’s wide eyes. “Do you think she’ll hate me when I tell her the truth?”

  George shrugged. “Eli swept her off her feet like no other man had done. She was deeply saddened when Eli left because she didn’t think your love was meant to be. Maybe she’ll be thrilled to see you again, and maybe she’ll hate you when she realizes you’ve tricked her.”

  Joshua gritted his teeth. “But I didn’t mean to trick her,” he bit out. “I was desperate to find someone to help me. I didn’t want to go back to that prison and be tortured again.”

  George patted his shoulder. “I’m sure everything will work out with you and Kenya.”

  He smiled, but not fully. “Thanks, George. You’re a good friend to Kenya.”

  Lucinda directed him to the house she’d driven by when following Terrel. As they passed and she pointed it out, he sucked in a quick breath. “Lucinda? Do you know who lives there?”

  “No. I saw Señor Montgomery take Kenya away, so I followed. Do you know who lives here?”

  “Tina LaRousse.”

  Both Lucinda and George gasped simultaneously. Anger lines popped in George’s forehead. “Why, that little tramp. I wonder why Terrel is dealing with the likes of her?”

  Joshua chuckled. “Little Miss Tina LaRousse was one of Terrel’s early drug friends. Before my father died, Tina and a handful of others like her would party with Terrel all the time. That was before she became big in the fashion world, of course.”

  George huffed. “Did you know Tina ships some of her designs to California and Hawaii?” He leaned back in the seat and folded his arms. “I still can’t understand why they think her designs are better than Kenya’s.”

  “I can.” Joshua met the other man’s gaze through the rearview mirror again. “Because of Terrel’s drug trafficking business, that’s why. I bet you a million dollars she sews the bags of cocaine in the hems of her dresses.”

  George gasped and covered his mouth. “Holy shit!” he muttered.

  Joshua chuckled and nodded. “Shit—exactly.”

  He drove to the end of the block and stopped. Resting his wrists on the steering wheel, he took a deep breath. “Now … what are we going to do?”

  George puffed out his chest. “Give me two minutes alone with that LaRousse, and I’ll take care of her.”

  Joshua held back a laugh. By the heat sparking in the assistant’s eyes, Joshua had no doubt the man would carry through with his threat.

  From the passenger’s seat, Lucinda released a shriek and pointed out the window. “Look, there’s Miss LaRousse now.”

  He swiveled his head and looked behind him toward her house. Tina, dressed in regular blue jeans tight enough to have been painted on, and a pink belly-shirt, strutted out to her car and climbed in. While she backed out of the driveway, Joshua’s smile widened.

  Perfect timing!

  When the door closed downstairs, Kenya sighed in relief. At least no harm would come to her while Tina was out of the house. And Terrel was probably in some ridiculous meeting trying to figure out a way to blackmail someone—maybe even her or her father. She rolled her eyes. He’d always been selfish and devious. Why hadn’t she seen that before now?

  She sat upright on the bed and struggled with the ropes on her wrists, but Terrel had fastened them too tightly. Her skin burned from the effort it took to release them, yet she hadn’t been able to budge them an inch.

  Fresh tears gathered in her eyes, and she bit her bottom lip to keep from crying aloud. Terrel had been correct when he’d called her weak. Not only physical, but lately she’d been an emotional mess. She’d never liked arguing, and she’d been foolish enough to let Terrel walk all over her.

  She gritted her teeth. But no longer. If she ever got out of here alive, she’d make sure Terrel was put behind bars where he belonged.

  The sound of a downstairs door opening snapped her out of her thoughts. Her heart sank. Tina must be back. But when her name was called by a familiar voice, her heart leapt to life.

  “I’m up here.”

  “Kenya?” The tone grew louder.

  “Up in the attic,” she screamed.

  “I’m coming, Kenya.”

  She shook her head, trying to clear it out. Why did it sound like Eli? Couldn’t be.

  Heavy footsteps boomed on the stairs and she jumped to a standing position. “I’m here,” she called out.

  The doorknob rattled as someone shook it. “Kenya, are you in there?”

  It was Eli!

  Eleven

  Kenya’s heart bounced with excitement and she hopped to the door. “Eli, is that you?”

  There was a pause on the other side for a brief moment, then came his voice again. “No, it’s me, Joshua.”

  She gasped. “Joshua? How did you get out?”

  “There’s no time for questions. George and Lucinda are with me. We need to get out of here before Tina returns.”

  “The door’s locked. You’ll have to break it down.”

  “Then step away from the door.”

  The door rattled as he bumped into it, but it remained closed. Another set of footsteps sounded on the stairs. A familiar voice joined Joshua’s.

  “Let me help you with that door.”

  She smiled. George.

  After three more bangs, the door busted open. George frowned while he rubbed his shoulder, but Joshua stepped into the room, still in the clothes the institution provided for him. And barefoot. For a brief second, she remembered this was how Eli looked when she first saw him, except he wore black instead of the gray Joshua had on.

  She smiled through her tears. “You don’t know how happy I am to see you.”

  Joshua took her in his arms and hugged her tight, kissing her forehead. “Not as happy as I am.” He pulled away and struggled with the ropes at her wrists. George knelt in front of her and worked loose the ones at her ankles.

  “How did you know where to find me?”

  Joshua grinned. “Lucinda. She saw Terrel take you away, so she followed him.”

  She sighed heavily. “Thank God for that woman.”

  Once they removed the ropes, she wrapped her arms around Joshua and embraced him, laying her head against his chest. The rhythm of his he
art beat as fast as hers. She smiled, finally feeling a little comfort from the day’s strenuous activities. She didn’t want to analyze why she felt so safe with him. Not now. She’d deal with her confusion later.

  He kissed her head again. “As much as I’d like to do nothing but stand here and hold you, we’d better get out of here.”

  She looked up at him. Why did he say that? Perhaps Joshua did have strong feelings for her. Once again, she pushed away the confusion.

  “I think Terrel has a shipment of drugs going out tonight. Because Tina is involved, it might have something to do with her designs.”

  “I’m sure it does.”

  “But we need to catch them in the act. That will get Terrel put away for good.”

  He smiled and stroked her cheek. Warmth spread throughout her, awakening tingles only Eli had stirred. Although confusing, she didn’t try to push the emotions aside. She cuddled her face against his hand. Very nice.

  “But we don’t know where it’ll happen,” he said.

  “We do now,” Lucinda said.

  All heads turned toward the housekeeper’s voice at the bottom of the stairs … and next to her stood Tina. The Hispanic woman had a clump of Tina’s hair in her fist, the other hand grasped Tina’s arm. The once very beautiful designer now whimpered and crumpled her face in pain, resembling an old hag perfectly.

  George gasped and flew down the stairs to help hold the struggling woman.

  Joshua left Kenya’s side and took slow steps down the stairs toward Tina. He shook his head. “Why did I ever believe you’d change?”

  Tina glared at him. “My, my, look who escaped the nut house.”

  “I finally found people to believe my story.” He shrugged. “Guess you and your druggie lover are going down.”

  She snickered. “Don’t count on it, Joshua. Terrel has connections you’ll never have as president of Montgomery Aisle.”

  “I don’t want those kinds of connections, thank you very much.” He stopped in front of her and folded his arms. “Besides, once we catch Terrel and put him away, then where will you be?” He shook his head. “What will happen to your designing business then?”

  She scowled, her eyes turning darker as she glared at him. “Nothing will happen to me, Joshua, because you can’t prove a thing.”

  Kenya hurried down the stairs and stood next to Joshua. “I bet if we had her warehouse searched this very night, the police would find some incriminating evidence.”

  Tina’s eyes widened and her face lost color. Kenya grinned. “I think we’ve hit the nail on the head, don’t you agree, Joshua?”

  He chuckled. “Yes I do.” He glanced at George. “You and Lucinda take her into the other room and watch her closely. I’m going to see if I can find some clothes to change into.” He picked at his hospital garb. “I think people might get the wrong impression if I go around wearing this.”

  Joshua looked back at Tina. “Does Terrel still keep some of his clothes in your room?”

  The other woman pursed her lips and held up her chin in defiance.

  He grabbed Kenya’s hand. “Come with me.”

  She hesitated. Did he want her to help him undress? Heat flared to her cheeks from the indecent thought. She shook her head. “I’d rather not.”

  “Please. I need to talk to you … in private.”

  Reluctantly, she allowed him to lead her back upstairs. He opened every door until he found Tina’s room. Just as Joshua had suggested, some of Terrel’s clothes were sharing Tina’s closet.

  “Thankfully, Terrel and I are about the same size,” he said, grabbing a T-shirt and pair of jeans.

  She reached down and pulled out some athletic shoes. “Do you think you can squeeze into these?”

  “I’m going to have to try. It’s better than going barefoot.”

  After digging through Tina’s dresser drawers, she found some of Terrel’s socks and brought them to him. He sat on the edge of the bed and undressed. For some reason, he didn’t seem at all embarrassed about taking off his clothes in front of her. And for some reason, she didn’t mind him doing it.

  When his shirt came off, she held her breath, knowing she’d let out a pleasurable sigh. She bunched her hands into fists and folded her arms to keep from touching the many muscles decorating his beautiful body. He pulled on the shirt, and she almost groaned in disappointment.

  As he yanked down his pants, a mark on this upper left thigh caught her attention. Eli had a mark just like this one…

  She gasped and covered her mouth. Eli’s image flashed through her mind—looking remarkably like Joshua’s naked body. Every muscle was shaped the same, every hair, every dent … everything.

  He met her gaze and gave her a tender smile. “You know?”

  Her heart beat quickly, a knot rose to her throat. “You’re … Eli.”

  He nodded. “I was hoping to tell you before you figured it out.”

  She took a tentative step toward him. Reaching out, she brushed her fingers lightly against his hair. Lastly, she stroked his clean-shaven chin. “You cut your hair and shaved your goatee?”

  “Yes.”

  “How … how did you get out of the hospital?” Her voice quivered.

  “One of the nurses believed me. She knew I had to leave in order to find someone out in the real world to help me. Every year for the past five years, I’ve escaped, which is the time Doctor Goodwin goes on vacation. But I’ve never found anyone to help me … until you.”

  “You … kept going back?” she asked with a shaky voice.

  “I had to. Every time I escaped, Terrel found me and took me back. For several months after that I was kept heavily drugged. And that’s not including the torture Dr. Goodwin put me through for escaping. I couldn’t give up, though. I had to find someone to help me. This time I went back because I was worried that Terrel would discover I’d talked to you and I didn’t want him to hurt you.” He shrugged. “Guess I was wrong, huh?”

  She threaded her fingers through her hair, lifting the bulk off her shoulders. Her fingers squeezed her head, hoping the growing pound would subside. “But … this can’t be. What about my father’s ring? How did you get his ring if you’re not from the future?”

  “The book I read of your father’s … he has a picture of himself on the back. He’s wearing a ring. I thought if I had a ring made just like his, and I could come up with a time-travel story, you might believe me.”

  He hurried and slipped on his pants, zipped them and stood. “I wanted you to think my mission was a life-altering situation, because in reality, it is. Now, you know what a terrible person Terrel has been and that I need to regain my position in my father’s company. If nobody stops Terrel, he’ll only get worse, and you know it.”

  It was as if strong fingers were clutching her chest, the pain in her heart was unreal, making it hard to catch her breath. She wanted to scream at him, she wanted to claw at his face in anger. Yet … he was right.

  He grasped her hand. “Kenya, everything I said to you during our time together was true, except about coming from the future. My feelings for you are real. I’m deeply in love with you.”

  She yanked her hand away. Tears filled her eyes and streamed down her cheeks. “Not now, Eli … or is it Joshua?”

  He frowned. “Joshua.”

  “Please give me time to think about this.” She sniffed. “I feel like … like … a fool. Like I was the victim of a cruel joke.”

  He shook his head. “I didn’t mean for it to be like that. I’ve tried to convince people of Terrel’s plan many times since being locked in St. Benedicts, but nobody believed me. Everyone thought I was some escaped lunatic.” He swallowed as his eyes misted over. “You were the first person to take a chance on me.”

  A sob rose to her throat, but she held it back. She mustn’t cry in front of him. A part of her wanted to hate him, but another part of her wanted to wrap her arms around him and love him for the rest of her life.

  She moved to the door.
“Hurry and dress. I’ll meet you downstairs. I’m going to call my father and have him arrange for the police to meet us at Tina’s warehouse.”

  He nodded. “Okay.”

  Joshua’s heart broke a little more every time he looked at Kenya. Her eyes were red and puffy as if she’d been crying, but in front of him, she just displayed a frown upon her lovely face. They drove in silence to Tina’s warehouse. Well … not exactly silence because in the back seat Tina kept making threats, and George keep telling her to shut her trap.

  Tina never told them what they needed to know, but her panicked actions spoke the truth. The annoyed woman glared at Joshua through the rearview mirror. “You guys are going to lose, you know. They’re expecting me to be there, and if I’m not there, nothing will happen.”

  Joshua clenched his teeth and glanced at Kenya. She snapped her gaze from the side window back to him. Worry etched her brow and her mouth pulled lower in a frown. She nibbled on her bottom lip—a nervous reaction he loved watching.

  She glanced in the back at Tina, turned back, and pulled down the visor. Kenya peered in the mirror attached and ran her fingers through her hair, lifting the mass off her neck and twisting it a bun. Scrunching her nose, she shrugged.

  “I think I have an idea,” she whispered.

  “What?”

  “I could dress like Tina,” she continued in a soft voice. “She’s about my size. We both have a thin face. And if I wear my hair up and put some kind of hat over it, they may never know we have different hair color.”

  He raised his eyebrows. Taking a quick peek in the rearview mirror at the angry bee in the back, he looked back at Kenya. “No. I won’t let you do this.”

  She cocked her head. “You won’t let me? I don’t think you have any right to tell me that.”

  His fingers tightened around the steering wheel. “Kenya, I’m only saying that because I don’t want you to get hurt. The people we’ll be dealing with are dangerous. They carry guns on a daily basis and they won’t hesitate to use them.”

  She folded her arms and stared straight out the window. “Do you have a better suggestion?”