Friends & Foes

by ReShonda Tate Billingsley

  Rachel nodded. “But let’s be clear, we would’ve won regardless.”

  Jasmine looked like she wanted to say something sarcastic, but she held her tongue. “Anything’s possible,” she managed to say.

  “Well, just don’t let that mess happen again,” Rachel said, finally breaking a small smile.

  Jasmine nodded. She seemed relieved that Rachel wasn’t upset. “You’re my girl now, so I got your back.”

  “Yeah, you do,” Rachel admitted.

  Rachel didn’t know what came over her, but she actually reached over and squeezed Jasmine’s hands.

  “Are we done?” Mae Frances interjected.

  They both said, “We’re fine.”

  “Good,” Mae Frances said casually, “because Earl is a creature of habit. And I knew it was just a matter of time.” She motioned toward a corner table and Rachel almost fell over when she saw a hostess seating Pastor Griffith at a table. Well, it looked like Pastor Griffith. Rachel had to lean in closer because this man was completely bald and actually looked twenty pounds heavier than Pastor Griffith. But when Rachel saw the woman next to him, all doubt was erased. She had on a long, jet-black wig, but that was definitely Yvette Holloway. She had on a blue-and-white maxi dress and a big floppy designer hat. Pastor Griffith wore a tan button-down shirt and some Bermuda shorts. They looked relaxed—like a loving couple on vacation.

  “Oh, my God!” Rachel gasped. She couldn’t believe her life was near ruins over this man and he was chillin’ in the Virgin Islands! “What do we do?” she whispered, raising her menu to hide her face.

  Mae Frances pushed the menu down. “You stop looking suspicious for starters. I had them sit us over in this corner for a reason,” she snapped.

  “So what are we going to do?” Jasmine repeated.

  Mae Frances shrugged. “I did my part.” She leaned back and sipped her tea some more.

  “Anything I can get you ladies?” the waitress asked, approaching the table.

  Suddenly, Rachel had an idea.

  “I’d like a refill on my tea,” Mae Frances said.

  Rachel reached in her purse and grabbed two twenty-dollar bills. “Actually, I do need something.” She slid the money toward the waitress.

  Ten minutes later, Rachel stood over Pastor Griffith and Yvette, an apron covering her body and a menu shielding her face. “Hello, dere,” she said in the best Caribbean accent she could muster. “You want to see de drink menu?”

  Pastor Griffith chuckled as he took Yvette’s hand. “Nah, we know what we want. Margarita for me and Sex on the Beach for my wife.”

  “Wife!” Rachel said, losing her accent and dropping the menu.

  Both Pastor Griffith and Yvette looked up at Rachel, the smiles immediately leaving their faces when they recognized her.

  “Rachel!” Yvette said. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

  Out of nowhere, Jasmine appeared by Rachel’s side.

  “Jasmine?”

  “I think the question is what are you doing here?” Jasmine spat.

  “You bastard,” Rachel hissed. “You tried to set me up for your murder.” She pointed at Yvette. “And you helped him! And all along, you were plotting some grand getaway?”

  “It-it’s not what it seems,” Pastor Griffith stammered.

  “Oh, it’s exactly what it seems!” Rachel said. “I’m calling the cops.” She was so furious, she wasn’t even going to try to reason with him to come home. She just wanted him under the jail. Pastor Griffith jumped up to stop Rachel just as she turned to stomp away.

  “Wait!” he pleaded. “Rachel, it’s not like that. We never intended to set you up. We just needed to get out of town. I was in with some bad people. They were the ones that hit me over the head that day. They weren’t trying to kill me then, but it was just a matter of time.”

  “So you decided to make it seem like you were dead anyway and try to frame me for it,” Rachel spat.

  “It wasn’t me,” he said. “It was Cecelia who wanted to lay the blame on you.”

  “Earl!” Yvette snapped.

  He turned toward her. Nervousness blanketed his face. “Shut up, Yvette! I told you having your godmother involved was just going to create problems!” He turned back to Rachel, a pleading expression across his face. “Rachel, I got involved in some really bad stuff and the only way I could come out alive was to pretend to be dead. I had nothing to do with you getting involved. That was all Cecelia, who saw an opportunity to pin something on you when you showed up at the Oprah show.”

  Rachel was floored. “Cecelia really wanted to pin a murder on her?”

  “Cecelia sent the blackmail letter to scare you, turned the cops on to you, all of that was her doing. She was behind all of this, trying to get your husband voted out,” he said frantically.

  “Earl, I can’t believe you!” Yvette cried.

  He ignored her and continued pleading. “Rachel, I just wanted out. I didn’t want you involved. They were trying to kill me and I just needed to get out.” He reached in his pocket, then lowered his voice. “Now I’m not even going to question how you found me. I just want to know how much it’s gonna take to get you ladies to just turn around, get on a plane, and forget you ever saw us.” He actually pulled out a wad of cash and extended it toward Rachel.

  “We don’t want your dirty money!” Jasmine said.

  Rachel’s eyes bulged at the sight of the cash. Man, she could do a whole lot with that money. Of course, she’d give her ten percent to the church, but she could finally buy her a new wardrobe, add on that private office she wanted, get that new Benz . . .

  “Ummm, Rachel,” Jasmine said, nudging her, “tell him we don’t want his dirty money.”

  “We don’t?” Rachel whispered to Jasmine, then quickly shook off her daze. “I mean, we don’t!”

  “Come on,” Pastor Griffith said, pulling another stack of money out of his pocket. “Everyone has a price.”

  “Not us,” Jasmine said defiantly.

  Rachel hesitated, but then said, “Yeah, not us.”

  Yvette finally stood. “Ladies, I am so sorry. I never meant for things to escalate out of control, but I’m begging you. They will kill us if they find us.”

  Rachel was just about to say something when she heard a raspy voice say, “You are definitely right about that.” Rachel turned around to see the man she’d sat next to on the plane.

  It was obvious from the horror on both Yvette’s and Earl’s faces that this was the kingpin, or at least he was high on the totem pole.

  “Hector, ummm, I, ummm,” Earl began, his eyes filled with fear.

  Hector immediately held up a hand to stop him. “Ummm, no. If I were you, I wouldn’t talk right now.”

  Earl immediately shut up. Hector turned to Rachel and Jasmine. “You two super sleuths did well.” He took Rachel’s hand and kissed it. “I must apologize to you, beautiful lady, as I thought you were her.” He pointed to Yvette. “And while you bear a striking resemblance, you are so much more beautiful.”

  Something about this man now gave her the creeps. He was short, but his demeanor was powerful. While he’d seemed nice on the plane, he now had the eyes of a killer. And for all the charm he was exhibiting right now, Rachel couldn’t help but feel the coldness that flowed through his body as he held her hand.

  “But your services are no longer needed,” Hector continued, motioning toward the entrance to the restaurant. “My associates and I can take it from here.”

  Rachel looked back to see Muscle and Bean posted up at the door. How had they followed her and she hadn’t seen them? At this point, it was an answer she no longer cared to know. She only wanted to know one thing.

  “So am I good? You won’t be bothering me or my family?” she asked.

  Hector flashed a smile. The smile of a killer. “You’re good, my lady. As long as you don’t mention us to anyone, we won’t be bothering you again. My debt is about to be settled.”

  Rachel couldn’t be sure b
ut she thought she heard Pastor Griffith gulp. “Mention who?” Rachel said quickly. “I don’t know you.”

  “Yeah,” Jasmine chimed in. “We don’t know nothin’ about nothin’.”

  Hector’s grin widened. “Good. Let’s keep it that way. Well, have a safe trip home, unless you plan to stay and enjoy this beautiful island.”

  “Oh no, we’re going home,” Rachel quickly said.

  “Please don’t leave us,” Yvette whispered, her voice shaky.

  “Shhhh,” Hector said, putting his finger to his lips. “You make this easy and come with us, or we just end this here and now, then go back to Chicago and take care of that crackhead daughter of yours,” he said, looking at Pastor Griffith, “and I’m sure it wouldn’t be difficult to find your family,” he said to Yvette.

  That silenced the both of them and Rachel and Jasmine took their cues.

  “I’ll pray for you,” Rachel said to Yvette, then darted toward the door.

  “Try the Twenty-Third Psalm. That might come in handy,” Jasmine added as she quickly followed Rachel out.

  Rachel had never been so glad to be headed home, and that airplane couldn’t come fast enough. She was anxious to get back home to the serenity of her house and her life. She was thankful that she’d had the opportunity to bond with Jasmine, but the next time she saw Jasmine, she hoped it was over lunch at a church business meeting. And the next time she found out Jasmine was getting anything she wasn’t, she was just going to let Jasmine have it!

  “Well, we’re all set,” Jasmine said, walking back over to Rachel’s seat. “Our plane is about to board, so we just made it.”

  Rachel smiled when she saw Mae Frances with her fur draped across her arm. The old woman had finally taken that thing off. “I still can’t believe you left us at that restaurant,” Rachel said.

  “Shoot, it looked like there was about to be trouble,” Mae Frances said unapologetically. “And I gave up trouble for Lent.”

  Jasmine and Rachel giggled.

  “Besides, I knew Cagney and Lacey were on the case, so you didn’t need me. I just thought I’d go wait in a cab outside.”

  “Well, I have a question,” Rachel said. “How did you know Pastor Griffith was going to be at that restaurant?”

  “Gil called me back, finally,” she answered. “He said they were actually on to Earl, Hector, and that whole drug cartel. Seems Earl had turned state’s witness and when he found out Hector was on to him, he decided to skip town—with Hector’s money. Then when that lady at Yvette’s said she’d gone to the Virgin Islands, I knew exactly where he was. Earl has had a secret place here for years. And I knew it was just a matter of time before he showed up at his favorite restaurant.”

  “Well, why didn’t you fill us in?” Rachel asked.

  “Because you, Rachel Jackson, are just as hardheaded as this one over here,” she said, motioning toward Jasmine. “You would’ve been worrying me to death until he showed up and I wanted to enjoy my dinner in peace.”

  Rachel couldn’t even be mad at the old woman. “Well, I can’t thank you enough,” she said.

  “Don’t. I helped you, but I still don’t like you,” Mae Frances said. But Rachel could see the corner of her mouth fighting off a smile.

  “Unh-huh, that’s because you don’t know me,” Rachel said.

  “I know you. And I won’t ever trust you as far as I can see you.”

  “Don’t pay her any attention,” Jasmine said. “I trust you, and that’s all that matters.”

  They hugged as Mae Frances rolled her eyes.

  “The sinners trying to act like saints.” She shook her head. “All this mushy stuff is getting on my nerves. Jasmine Larson, can we go please before I miss this flight? I—”

  Before she could finish, Rachel stole a quick peck on the cheek. Mae Frances looked shocked, like no one had ever kissed her. She touched her face, then frowned. “Oh, Lord, now I got to go get a tetanus shot.” She turned and marched toward the airplane.

  Jasmine and Rachel stood in an awkward silence. Finally, Rachel said, “Well, I’d like to say it’s been great . . .”

  “But it hasn’t,” Jasmine said, finishing her sentence for her.

  “At least something did come out of it,” Rachel said, smiling. “We make a helluva team.”

  “That we do,” Jasmine said, returning her smile.

  “Maybe Mae Frances is right. Maybe we should go into business, some type of detective agency.”

  Jasmine looked at her like she was crazy. “And on that note . . .”

  “You’re right,” Rachel said, “maybe we should stick to being first ladies.”

  “Yeah . . . at least for now,” Jasmine added. “But don’t worry, if I know you, drama is never too far behind.”

  Rachel put her hand on her hip and cocked her head to the side. Jasmine grinned. “Okay, if I know us, drama is never too far behind.”

  “Thank you,” Rachel said.

  “So until the next big adventure, be good.”

  They were about to embrace again when a voice boomed over the PA system, “Jasmine Larson, this plane is leaving with or without you! So bring your butt on!”

  They both glanced over to see Mae Frances at the counter, with the speaker in her hand.

  “How—?”

  “Don’t even ask,” Jasmine said, holding up a hand.

  Rachel stopped herself. Mae Frances had managed to take over the PA system just like she managed everything else in life—by ways no one would ever be able to explain.

  “I’ll be in touch,” Rachel called after her.

  Jasmine waved as she boarded her plane and Rachel felt a twinge in her heart as she was hit with a revelation she never in a million years ever would’ve believed—she already missed Jasmine Cox Larson Bush and couldn’t wait until the two of them met again.

  GALLERY READERS GROUP GUIDE

  * * *

  Friends & Foes

  ReShonda Tate Billingsley and

  Victoria Christopher Murray

  INTRODUCTION

  First ladies—and first enemies—Jasmine Bush and Rachel Adams are together again in the sequel to Sinners & Saints by ReShonda Tate Billingsley and Victoria Christopher Murray. Spurred by jealousy, Rachel sets out for Chicago with the seemingly simple motive of preventing Jasmine from appearing on Oprah. However, Rachel’s scheming quickly lands her in a whole lot more trouble than she bargained for. As a plot full of twists, turns, and even murder unfolds, Jasmine and Rachel are forced to rely on and trust each other in order to save their lives. With a healthy dose of humor, Jasmine and Rachel discover they not only make a surprisingly good team, but good friends as well.

  QUESTIONS AND TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

  1. Jasmine and Rachel go head-to-head with their schemes throughout Friends & Foes. Who do you think is the better schemer? Why?

  2. Rachel and Jasmine seem to contradict at times with what one expects from a pastor’s wife. How are their actions reconciled with their beliefs?

  3. What role do you think spirituality plays in each character’s life? What would you say is the difference between Rachel’s and Jasmine’s beliefs? What about Pastor Griffith’s?

  4. In what ways are Rachel and Jasmine similar and in what ways are they different? Which of the two do you identify with most?

  5. When exactly do you think Jasmine and Rachel started to feel that they could trust each other? When do you think they started becoming friends?

  6. Do you think Rachel and Jasmine will remain friends, or will their old feelings toward each other take center stage again?

  7. Why do you think Mae Frances had such a difficult time accepting Rachel?

  8. Jasmine seems to look up to Mae Frances as a sort of godmother. In what way is Jasmine like Rachel’s godmother?

  9. What do you think happened to Pastor Griffith and Yvette in the end? Should Jasmine and Rachel have left them in the Virgin Islands?

  10. What other adventures would you like to see R
achel and Jasmine embark on together?

  11. Humans are imperfect beings and possess natural flaws. What are Rachel’s and Jasmine’s flaws, and how do they play into the story?

  12. Which friend would you trust in an adventure like the one Rachel and Jasmine have in Friends & Foes? Do you have a frenemy you think would make a good partner to go through this sort of ordeal with?

  ENHANCE YOUR BOOK CLUB

  1. Interested in the backstory of how Jasmine and Rachel became sworn rivals? Read the first book in the series, Sinners & Saints, for your next meeting. Discuss how the characters have evolved in Friends & Foes.

  2. Have your book club over for an Oprah Winfrey–inspired pajama party. You can reminisce about your favorite shows and watch the OWN network while you celebrate your own “favorite things.”

  3. For all the levity throughout the book, drugs provide a sobering backdrop for Friends & Foes. Organize a few hours for your book club to volunteer at a local church that has community outreach activities, such as working at a soup kitchen or helping out at a shelter.

  Turn the page for an excerpt of Forever an Ex

  by Victoria Christopher Murray

  Coming in June 2014 from Touchstone Books

  Chapter

  One

  Whoever said that a kiss was just a kiss had never kissed Bobby Johnson.

  He had kissed me again. Seven days ago. On Christmas. And, I’m telling you, I saw stars.

  Now, maybe it wasn’t that Bobby was all that great a kisser. Maybe it had more to do with him being the love of my life, at least until 2007 when he’d made the stupid mistake of breaking up with me and going back to his wife.

  That Christmas kiss had stayed in my heart and on my mind. When I was awake, I thought about it and every time I closed my eyes, I dreamed about it.

  Just like now.

  My body was trying to wake up, but I was floating in unconsciousness. You know, that place where your eyes are wide shut—you’re half awake, half asleep. I was holding on to the sleep part because I wanted to keep dreaming about that kiss.