Family Business

by Vanessa Miller

  “Because he needs the earnings from these fights to be a real player in a new business venture.”

  “And he’d kill a man for that?”

  “I think so,” Demetrius said, but he wasn’t finished. “Coach Johnson put a ten thousand dollar bet in with me for the Ali fight. He wants to use his winnings to move his wife to the South. But I think my father plans to kill him this weekend.”

  “Oh my God. That’s awful,” Angel said.

  Demetrius was trusting Angel with information that he shouldn’t have shared with anyone. He only prayed that she was about to prove his father wrong and be down for him and not turn a knife in his back. “I can’t let my father kill Coach. But I need your help.”

  “What do you need me to do?”

  “Al will be back here in about two hours. He’s coming to take us to the airport, because my father wants to make sure that I am out of town this weekend.”

  “But I thought you said that you weren’t going to the Bahamas?”

  “I’m not, but you’ve got to trust me, Angel.”

  She hesitated for a moment, but only a moment and then said, “I trust you, Demetrius. Just tell me what you want me to do.”

  “When Al gets here, I’m going to tell him that you couldn’t find a babysitter for DeMarcus so you won’t be going to the Bahamas after all. I want you to go off on me. Say something like... if I leave then you won’t be here when I get back. Like you told me earlier.”

  Demetrius went to his bedroom and then came back with a stack of cash. He handed it to Angel as he continued, “When I leave with Al. I want you to put your bag in my SUV and go to Coach Johnson’s house. Give him this money and then tell him to come with you.”

  “How much money is this?”

  “It’s ten thousand dollars. I earned twenty thousand on the Frazier fight, so I’m just giving him his money back.”

  “And you trust me with this money?”

  He looked at her, then squeezed her hand. “I do, Angel. I trust your heart.”

  “What if Coach Johnson won’t come with me?”

  “Do whatever you have to do to convince him that he is not safe in this town anymore. Please Angel. You will have to get him to leave with you, because I can’t go to his house. He’d never trust me. I’m Don Shepherd’s son, remember?”

  “Okay, once we leave, then what?”

  She and Demetrius sat there for another hour making plans. Then the doorbell rang. Demetrius got up and headed to the door. As he walked he started yelling at Angel. “I don’t know what you’re mad at me for. It’s not my fault that you got this kid and no body to watch him.”

  He opened the door and Al walked in. “Y’all ready?”

  Angel angrily folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes as Demetrius said, “I am. But Angel can’t find a babysitter. Looks like I’ve got an extra ticket.”

  Al’s mouth hung open as he looked from Angel to Demetrius. “Are you telling me that you done rearranged everything for this girl, and she couldn’t even get off her duff and find a babysitter?”

  “Like I said, I’ve got an extra ticket.” Demetrius then looked at Al as if an idea struck him. “Why don’t you go with me?”

  “Wish I could kid, but I’ve got important business to take care of this weekend,” Al told him.

  “What’s so important? We’ve collected all the bets we’re going to get. Everybody else has already left for the Bahamas, why do you have to miss all the fun?”

  Al shrugged. “Just the luck of the draw.”

  “Seems like you keep drawing that same unlucky straw” Demetrius saw right through Al’s act. Al was the enforcer, so he would always stay behind to do the dirty work.

  Angel hopped off the sofa and started wagging her finger in Demetrius’ face. “I’m telling you right now, Demetrius Shepherd, if you go to the Bahamas even though you know I can’t go, I won’t be in this house waiting for you when you get back.”

  “What you talking about? Where you gon’ go?”

  “Maybe I’ll go back to Frankie. How would you like that?” she countered.

  He wouldn’t like that at all. Didn’t even like the fact that she brought it up. Before he could stop himself, he had grabbed her arm. “Don’t you ever throw that name in my face. Don’t even say that name in my house. You hear me?”

  Her eyes filled with fear as she tried to pry his hand from around her arm. “Let me go, Demetrius.”

  He caught himself. Their acting had gotten the best of him. He had been about to let jealousy take him somewhere he didn’t want to go. And all Angel had done was follow his orders. Demetrius took a deep breath and released her arm. He didn’t care that Al was there, he had to make this right. “I’m sorry, Angel. I shouldn’t have grabbed your arm. Just don’t throw Frankie’s name in my face again, okay.”

  Rubbing her arm, she nodded as she told him, “You didn’t have to get so mad. I didn’t mean it anyway. You know I’d never go near Frankie.”

  Al stepped forward. “I hate to break this lover’s spat up, but I’ve got to get this boy to the airport.”

  “Are we good?” Demetrius ignored Al. He was so afraid that he had just ruined everything and that Angel would never trust him again. He couldn’t even go along with their charade until he knew that she was okay.

  “I’m cool,” she responded. “You just scared me a little bit when you grabbed my arm like that.”

  “I shouldn’t have done it,” he admitted.

  “And I shouldn’t have mentioned Frankie.”

  “Well then everything is all good in the hood. She’ll be here when you get back, Demetrius. So, let’s get going,” Al told him.

  As Demetrius walked out the door, Angel got back into character. “I didn’t say I would be here when he got back. Demetrius, I mean it... don’t leave.”

  ~~~~

  The moment they left, Angel threw her bags in the back of Demetrius’ Bronco. She then put DeMarcus in his car seat and headed to Coach Johnson’s house, just as they had planned. Demetrius told her how to get there and Angel only prayed she had remembered the directions correctly. Demetrius wouldn’t let her write the directions down for fear that Al would somehow see it and know what was going on.

  She pulled up to a ranch style brick house with yellow trimming. “Here goes nothing,” she said to DeMarcus as she looked at him through the rearview mirror.

  DeMarcus smiled back at her and Angel’s heart just melted. No matter how badly things had turned out with Frankie, she would never regret having her son. She took DeMarcus out of his car seat and headed towards the door. Angel remembered Coach Johnson boasting about having a gun, and she prayed that he wouldn’t shoot her before she could tell him why she was on his property. Hopefully the baby in her arms would convince him that she came in peace.

  She knocked on the door and then waited. She could hear whispering inside the house but no one answered the door. She knocked again as she said, “Can you please open the door, Coach Johnson. Demetrius sent me.”

  When the door still didn’t open, she tried, “Sir, please. It’s real important that I speak with you and your wife.

  “Look out the window, sir. You’ll see that it’s just me... well, me and my baby. But we came to help... please let me help you.”

  Coach Johnson snatched the door open and barked at her. “I remember you from the restaurant. You’re in cahoots with them Shepherds, so you need to get from around here before things get ugly.”

  The gun was in his right hand, he wasn’t pointing it at her. Angel spoke slowly, trying to keep the situation calm. “I’m not in cahoots with anyone. I’m here as a favor to Demetrius. He really cares about you and wants to make sure you are okay, sir.”

  “I just never imagined that Demetrius would stab me and my friends in the back like this,” Coach Johnson told her.

  Angel took the money Demetrius had given her out of her purse. “This is for you; Demetrius wanted you to have your money back.”

/>   “But what about my bet?”

  “Please, let me come in so we can talk in private.”

  Coach Johnson thought about it for a moment and appeared to make a judgement call as he opened the door wide and let her in.

  Angel sighed as she put DeMarcus down on the sofa. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come out with it. Demetrius thinks you are right. His father did have Professor Green murdered and he thinks the same will happen to you this weekend if you don’t get out of here.”

  “Where am I supposed to go? This is my home.”

  “Pardon me for saying this sir, but it won’t be much of a home if they burn it down.”

  “That’s why I’ve got this.” He lifted his gun. “I’m going to stay up all night, just let ‘em try to come in my house.”

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Angel said. “Demetrius sent me here to pick you and your wife up. He said that you had plans on moving to the South. Well, I’d like to drive you there.”

  “What?” He gave her an are-you-crazy stare. “Where is Demetrius?”

  “He’s stalling the man who will be coming after you. I’ve seen him Coach Johnson. And I can tell you... you don’t want this fight. Let me get you out of here.”

  Coach Johnson paced the floor, thinking... trying to figure the best solution for the problem. Once he stopped pacing he hollered towards the back part of the house. “Katherine, come on out here.”

  Angel smiled at the pretty older woman as she came into the living room. “Hi Mrs. Johnson, my name is Angel.”

  “Demetrius sent this girl to take you down South. So, go pack your bags and get out of here for a little while.”

  Her head swiveled on her neck as she turned towards her husband. “Have you lost your complete mind, Sam Winslow Johnson? I am not leaving this house without you.”

  “You do as I say, Katherine. I had no business gambling away our money.” He handed her the stack that Angel had just given him. “At least Demetrius was good enough to get it back for us.”

  “He gave the money back?” Katherine’s eyes filled with tears.

  “Demetrius has always been a good boy. I told you that. Now you go with this young girl and let me stay here and take care of the mess I created.”

  “Where am I supposed to go without you, Sam?” The look on Katherine’s face as she asked the question told the whole story. She’d rather die in this house with the man she loved than leave and live without him.

  Tears streamed down Angel’s face as she watched them. They had the kind of love she always thought her parents had... until they didn’t. But this couple had survived the test of time. They were still together after kids and grandkids, and that was the kind of love she wanted. She wasn’t going to settle for the fleeting love her parents had, she wanted long, lasting, I’ll-stand-here-and-die-with-you kind of love.

  Eleven

  “I really feel for you, Al. We’re all going to be in the Bahamas having the time of our lives and you’re stuck here in this boring city.”

  “Well, don’t cry for me. Because when this weekend is over, I’ll have so much money that I’ll probably lay up in the Bahamas for an entire week.”

  Demetrius glanced over at Al, and to his horror the man was smiling. He was planning on killing another family this weekend and he was actually smiling. “So, you have no problem with your weekend plans?”

  “I’m good. Don’t worry about me.”

  Demetrius pointed to the gas station across the street from the airport terminal. “Pull in there.”

  “We don’t have all day, Demetrius. You don’t want to miss your flight.”

  “I won’t miss it. Now pull into the gas station. They got these barbecue skins that I want to snack on while in the air.”

  “Can’t you get some food at the airport?”

  “The airport don’t sell these skins. So, just pull over. You wanted to be my chauffeur so bad, so get over there and let me get some snacks.”

  Al shook his head. But he did as Demetrius demanded.

  Jumping out of the car, Demetrius glanced at his watch. It was ten-thirty. If Angel had left the house right after him, she should be at Coach’s house by now. But, knowing how stubborn Coach was and how angry he had been the last time Demetrius spoke with him, he figured Angel would need a little extra time to persuade him to leave.

  So, he did his best imitation of a turtle as he walked down each aisle, picking up a Reese’s cup in one aisle, and peanuts in another aisle. Down the chip aisle, Demetrius almost grabbed the bag of Funyuns, but then he remembered that he was supposed to be getting the skins. As he reached for them, Al stormed into the store.

  “Grab your stuff and let’s go, boy. That plane ain’t gone sit on the runway waiting on you.”

  Demetrius reached down and rubbed his ankle. He looked up at Al and said, “I don’t know why, but my ankle is bothering me today. Can you grab some pain pills?”

  “Where am I supposed to get that?” Al rolled his eyes in frustration.

  “I don’t know, go ask the clerk.”

  ~~~

  Someone knocked on the door. Sam tried to lift the gun in his hand, but ended up fumbling with it. The gun fell to the ground and as he bent to pick it up, Katherine whispered through tight lips, “You have no business with that gun. You’re going to get yourself killed.”

  The person behind the door said, “Mr. Johnson, it’s me, Mark Wilson. There’s a big storm coming tonight. I was just checking to see if you wanted me to shovel your snow in the morning.”

  Breathing a sigh of relief, Sam said, “That’ll be fine, Mark. Please shovel the snow in the morning.”

  As Mark walked away from the house, Angel said, “We don’t have much time. Al has probably dropped Demetrius at the airport by now.

  Katherine turned back to Sam. “I’m going to pack both of our things and you are leaving this house with me this morning.”

  “What about the snow that’s coming? Someone has to be here to make sure that the house is properly cared for,” Sam argued.

  But Katherine wasn’t hearing any of it. “This house, along with this whole town could freeze over and I wouldn’t think twice about it.” Wagging a finger at him, she said, “You created this mess, Sam Johnson with that gambling demon you can’t seem to shake. I have forgiven you for that. But if you stay here and die... I’ll never forgive you and because of the un-forgiveness that will be in my heart when I finally die, I won’t see Jesus, and it will all be your fault.”

  ~~~~

  They pulled up to the airport at eleven-fifteen, Al was still fussing, “If you miss that flight, I’m going to tell your daddy that it was all because of some barbecue skins.”

  “Don’t worry about it Al. The flight hasn’t left yet. But if I miss it, I’ll take the heat for it. It’s not on you.” He patted the man’s shoulder trying to reassure him that everything would be alright.

  “Okay then.” Al calmed down a bit. He got out of the car and helped Demetrius with his bags. “Is your ankle still bothering you? Want me to carry these bags inside?”

  “Naw, I got it. I guess the pain just comes and goes.”

  Al, was getting back in the car as he said, “Enjoy yourself. And don’t worry about lil’ mama. I’ll ride past your house and make sure she stays put until you get home.”

  That was the last thing Demetrius wanted. “She can leave if she wants. After that last comment she made to me, I’m not even sure that I want to deal with her like that anymore.”

  Al nodded and then grinned, exposing his rotting tooth. “Let me know when you’re done with her... I just might like a shot.”

  Demetrius clamped his mouth shut. The last thing he needed to do was respond to that nonsense. But if Al ever touched Angel, he’d kill the man with his bare hands. He stood there, watching Al pull off. He then went inside the airport and walked over to the Hertz rental car counter.

  ~~~~

  Katherine had managed to c
onvince her husband that they needed to get while the getting was good. But it still took another hour of packing before they had loaded three suitcases and two duffle bags into the Bronco. Sam finally put his foot down as Katherine went back to the house, grabbed a stack of papers and started stuffing them in her purse. “If you don’t get out of that house this instant, I’m going to change my mind.”

  “I’m coming. I’m coming.” She dropped a couple of envelopes by the door, she was about to reach down and pick them up, but Sam started hollering.

  “Right now, Katherine. We got to get on the road already.”

  She closed the door, locked it and then got in the SUV.

  As Angel drove, Katherine frantically searched through her purse. “I don’t have it... it’s not here,” she said as a single tear dropped from her eyes.

  “What’s wrong, hon?” Sam asked.

  She turned toward him, glaring with accusations. “You rushed me so fast that I left that letter Calvin sent us. It had a picture of our granddaughter in it.” This time there was an avalanche of tears.

  He held onto his wife trying to soothe away the pain. “Don’t be sad. I’ll make this right. I promise... If you want, we can come back once everything dies down.”

  Calming down, she shook her head. “Once we get where we’re going, I want you to put this house up for sale. I don’t want to live in the same city with Don Shepherd not another day. Calvin will just have to give us another picture of the baby.”

  “Where do your kids live?” Angel asked as she got onto I-75 South. She was hoping to get them in a conversation that would bring a smile to their faces.

  “We were only blessed with one child. A son,” Coach Johnson told her. He lives in South Carolina with his wife. They just had a baby girl and Katherine and I planned to spend the summer with them.”

  Katherine said, “We don’t want to burden them. Calvin and his wife are doing really good. The last thing they need is two old fogies to take care of.”

  “That’s why I wanted the money, baby. I knew you wanted to move down South, and if I had a hundred grand I could get you there in style.” Coach Johnson lowered his head and sucked in air.