“I’ll make the calls and you keep in touch,” Parker ordered.
Mandingo left and Parker was about to follow, but then went back upstairs to the bedroom he now shared with Charisse. She was sleeping peacefully but he wanted to see her before he left.
Tenderly caressing her cheek, he watched how she reluctantly came to, marveling in her beauty and the fact that his heart skipped as his eyes locked with hers. Pushing the comforter away, he then caressed her stomach in a worshipful way.
“What time is it?” she asked sleepily.
“Early. Something urgent came up and I have to leave.” He kissed her.
Charisse immediately could tell something was wrong. Her first clue was that he wasn’t dressed to perfection and her second clue was that he hadn’t shaved. “What’s the matter?” she asked in concern.
“Nothing important.”
“It’s urgent but not important? Parker, you’re not a good liar either.”
He revealed a little to appease her. “I’m going to Dr. Redmond’s to pick up the equipment to take to the cabin. It came in just the other day, but I’ve put off too long what I should have been preparing for last week. I don’t want you to worry and when I get back I’ll take you up to the cabin so you can enjoy some fresh air before the babies are born. Kimberly’s on her way here to keep you company because it might take longer than necessary.”
“Kimberly has to take her children to their special classes today at noon and it’s Janae’s big recital tonight. I won’t let you drag her away from her family.” She pushed the rest of the sheets away and started to roll out of the bed cursing her weight. “I’ll go with you,” she strained. “So you won’t have to return.”
He knew his phone would be blowing up about Chyna’s return and there would be no way for Charisse not to know the real deal. “No, Charisse. I don’t want you moving about unless you really have to. Dr. Redmond ordered strict bed rest and you need to conserve your energy. Please.” He grabbed the keys to the cabin leaving the extra set in the drawer by his bed.
Charisse felt there was more to his story, but she knew Parker would tell her the rest when the time came. “Fine, but hurry back and keep your phone on.”
“I promise.” He kissed her belly and looked up at her sympathetically. “I wish I could’ve taken the whole time off to share every moment of this pregnancy with you, Charisse, but I want to be there when it all happens. Holding your hand.” He took her hand and proceeded to kiss each knuckle. “I’m excited by this moment.”
“I know, but to be honest, Parker, I’m so tired of being pregnant right now. I really do think once we get up to the cabin, I might have you to get Dr. Redmond to induce the pregnancy.” She knew Kimberly would have a fit about this because they’d work so hard to make sure that things could go smooth naturally.
“Your wish is my command, mon cherie.”
She still tingled just from his proximity and really enjoyed when he called her that nickname. “I’ll be ready to go when you return, Parker,” she promised.
Their eyes locked for an intense passionate moment. There were things they hadn’t said to each other yet. Intimate things they stayed away from, like the subject of love and she never would express how much she needed him in her life. The thought of telling him was terrifying to her. At the same time, she wanted him to know even though she had a feeling that he knew. Expressing her immediate feelings was in condition of her promise to him, but her future need to be with him was kept to herself.
“I’ll miss you,” she said.
From those words, Parker was very reluctant to leave, but he forced himself to go because he knew time was running out.
He kissed her wonderful lips wishing he could stay.
***
Exactly thirty minutes after Parker’s exit, Kimberly called the house.
Stressed, Kimberly asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes, but it sounds like I should be asking you that.”
“My van! Someone cut the brakes on my van and… oh… Charisse, have you tried to contact, Parker?”
Worried, Charisse said, “No. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but the baby, she was injured while I was trying to stop and I have to go to the hospital. I’ve been trying to call Jaelen and Parker, but I’m getting no signal.”
“Are they together?”
“Yes, I made Jaelen go with him because I was worried about him. He said he had something urgent to attend to and it just reminded me of the tone of voice he’d used when he was dealing with Chyna, but he wouldn’t say anything. I spoke to Jaelen right before I started to drive and he told me that they were headed up to the cabin, but I don’t think they’re getting any phone signals wherever they are. I tried to call Onyx, but she has her out of town message on. Can you keep trying Parker’s phone, too and if you reach him just give me a call. I’ll do the same if I reach him or Jaelen.”
After hanging up, she immediately called Parker’s phone, but was getting the message that the phone had gone out of the service area. Calling the office, she spoke to one of Parker’s assistant’s.
“I haven’t been able to reach him either,” the male assistant said. “And I can’t reach Katina either. She went to pick up Ms. Mills at the airport because her plane was to arrive in an hour. I’m getting worried too.”
She asked him to keep trying and hung up the phone. Alarm spread through her body like thick hot syrup and she just knew something was wrong. Chyna returning was why Parker was being so secretive. He didn’t want Charisse to get upset and most likely was getting the cabin ready to make sure Chyna’s presence didn’t distress her.
Charisse reached over and grabbed the stomach brace she’d been given in her seventh month. It took her over ten minutes to properly put it securely around her waist. Parker left his work out clothes in his immediate drawer instead of inside his closet, so she put those on because of all the roominess and warmness it provided. Inside her shoes, she found the pouch that carried everything she needed. She fought with her stomach as she hooked this around her ankle and then found some of Parker’s socks in the hamper. She didn’t have to go around and look far, but she was out of breath.
Still, she called Parker’s phone again only to be told the same message.
The house alarm deactivated suddenly and Charisse froze in the middle of putting down the phone.
Someone had come in the house and she was positive it wasn’t Parker!
***
Parker cursed himself as he tried his phone again. “We’re stopping at the next gas station and calling on a pay phone,” he told Jaelen.
Jaelen was just as upset because his last phone call he’d tried he was halfway able to get through to his voicemail and he heard Kimberly’s voice screaming into the phone but was cut off before he could interpret the message. They’d made one exit and all three phones they stopped at were either damaged or just not working. “I don’t remember Mandingo’s phone number by heart, but I know Onyx’s special number and she’ll get in touch with him.”
“I just want to hear Charisse’s voice right now,” Parker said. “And if I don’t hear from her now, I’m going to turn this car around and go back home.”
They were already and hour and a half outside of Detroit, just miles away from the cabin.
The car hadn’t come to a complete stop before Jaelen was jumping out to locate the nearest pay phone and when he found it he cursed at not having change. Parker had grabbed some from his car and was right behind Jaelen.
First they called Parker’s home.
“This phone number is temporarily having line trouble,” the computer female voice repeated twice before they hung up filled with confusion.
Jaelen called Kimberly’s number and it immediately went over into voice mail.
“Let me call my voicemail,” Parker said.
“Parker, her flight arrived an hour early. I just got out here. Your administrative assistant is gone as well. I’m heading first to
the salon and then to the house. Get back now. This just doesn’t feel right.” Mandingo said.
“You damn right about that,” Jaelen sneered.
The next important message was from Kimberly.
“Someone cut the brake line on the van. I can’t reach you or Jaelen and now I can’t reach Charisse. She isn’t picking up the house phone anymore. Parker, please come back!”
The rest of the calls were either Kimberly or Mandingo. Jaelen called his voicemail and received the same messages from Kimberly. He became very upset knowing the baby was hurt, but Kimberly has left the hospital after Leroy arrived to stay with the baby so upset about Charisse still not answering.
“I’m taking Leroy’s car to Parker’s house. Please tell me you’ve turned around and are coming home!”
Then the last one, even Parker heard from just standing by Jaelen as Kimberly screamed hysterically through the receiver.
“THE HOUSE! THE HOUSE IS ON FIRE! IT EXPLODED! JAELEN! JAELEN! THEY THINK CHARISSE IS STILL INSIDE! OH JESUS!“
The line clicked and Jaelen turned around to see that Parker was running to the car. He dropped the receiver and just barely got into the passenger seat before Parker was pulling off.
Panic, despair and misery filled Parker as he pushed the pedal to the floor, maneuvering in and out of traffic cursing himself repeatedly for leaving her.
‘I never should have left!’ he hissed inside of his head.
Just as they reached the Metro area, Parker’s phone rung. It was Mandingo.
“Where are you?”
“Fifteen minutes from the house.”
“I don’t think you need to come.”
That only made Parker to the pedal to the metal. “Where’s Charisse? What’s going on, Mandingo?”
“I don’t know all of it but I think you need to stay away, Parker. I think this isn’t good at all for you to see.“
“WHERE IS CHARISSE?!” he bellowed.
Jaelen’s phone rung at the same time. “It’s Kimberly,” he said before answering it.
“I lost her at the airport because her plane arrived over an hour early. By the time I came over to the house from the salon, where I was told they never showed up, the house was already on fire.”
“You’re stalling Mandingo!”
By this time Parker was pulling around the corner having ran over four lights to get there, he dropped the phone and jumped out the car feeling the blaze of the fire on his face from over thirty feet away.
“CHARISSE!” he screamed insanely as if she was going to come bursting from the crowd that was around the home. “CHARISSE!”
Someone else was calling him but all he wanted to hear was Charisse’s sweet melodic voice saying his name and feel her body pressed against his own.
Parker had to be dragged back from the blaze because despite the fact that the home was consumed and falling apart, he still wanted to try to go in.
Jaelen and two other firefighters had to hold him down, but all he could do was frantically try to get away.
He needed to get inside and save Charisse. The only way to stop him was the massive fist that knocked him to the ground, knocking him out cold.
In the blackness, all he could do was scream her name and pray when he opened his eyes she would be there offering him comfort and letting him know she was fine.
Chapter 44
The pain ripping through her back shot her to sit up, but only half way up as she clocked herself in the head on the roof of the trunk door. Lying back down, she held her head and her stomach, but when the pain became too much she screamed not caring if they had thought they had killed her.
Parker wouldn’t believe the crazy story, would he?
Taking deep breaths just like Kimberly said, Charisse breathed through the contraction.
‘Gotta think about something else!’ she ordered remembering Kimberly’s advice.
She replayed what had happened.
Setting the phone back on the receiver, she heard a voice snap, “Hurry and close the damn door, stupid!”
Instantly terror gripped her and she called Kimberly’s phone, but it went straight to voicemail. Either Kimberly was still on the phone or her battery had died from using it so much.
Charisse was too damn big to try to hide anywhere inside the bedroom.
“Damn she’s heavy!” Joanie said huffing and puffing.
“Shut up!” Cheyenne snapped. “Drag her ass to the backyard, Joanie. She’ll help corroborate our story.”
“Please Cheyenne,” Chyna cried in a muffled voice.
The rush of relief filled Charisse hearing Chyna’s voice and almost made her run down there to see her sister, but her condition stopped her. Even with the stomach brace holding up the weight of the babies so her back wouldn’t break, she still looked like a walking whale and wouldn’t be able to save herself let alone her middle sister.
Flesh being struck told Charisse that Cheyenne wasn’t in the kind of position to hear reasonably.
“Get up there. She’ll come out if she knows you’re here. And you better not give her reason not to.”
They were coming up the stairs going all the way to the third floor. There was a pair of strong steps and a pair of weakened steps.
How’d they get Chyna to work with them? What had they done to her?
“Where is she?” Cheyenne demanded slamming open the only door that was Rochelle’s old room.
“I don’t know,” Chyna said weakly.
Another slap was heard and then Joanie was coming up the stairs tiredly.
“Okay, I put the assistant outside by the back patio, Cheyenne,” she said huffing.
“Did you see anyone in the house? Anywhere?” Cheyenne demanded.
“No.”
“Go back down all the way to the basement and then come back up. Even look in the garage and see if there’s anyone in the backyard. Chyna said she’s here and she’s too damn scared to have run away from here. She had nowhere to go. That’s why I sold everything to make sure of that.”
“But I’m tired and hungry,” Joanie complained.
Another slap had Joanie’s heavy steps trudging all the way down to the first floor and then the basement. That’s when Charisse knew she had to face the music or be dragged by Joanie up the steps risking the babies health.
She climbed the stairs slowly listening to Cheyenne screaming at Chyna.
“Did you lie to me, bitch?”
In a choked response, Chyna begged hysterically.
Then there were some muffled sounds and bumps. Just as Charisse had made it to the top of the steps, it was to see Cheyenne viciously kicking Chyna in the back with pointed toe shoes. Chyna was so weak all she could so was weep.
Breathing heavily knowing now how Joanie felt, Charisse said, “S-Stop hurting h-her.”
“SHIT!” Cheyenne screamed looking incredulously at her. “You’re… Oh my gawd! She was right! You’re so damn fat!”
Cheyenne’s nose had a large bruise over the bridge and she looked so much like their mother it frightened Charisse, with this deranged look in her deep brown eyes. She’d gained weight in her hiding and she looked as if she were wearing clothes straight from Charisse’s old closet.
Chyna strained to look at her. “I-I’m sorry,” she cried pitifully. Her lip was busted so her words were mumbled and it looked as if there was a fist print over her cheek. One eye was completely swollen and dried blood ran out of one ear. There were deep scars over her face that looked as if they had dried up. Blood had coagulated around a slash across her nose showing that someone had taken a knife over her face.
Charisse used Cheyenne’s surprise to go over to Chyna and kneel down by her. She was beaten serious and there was this strained breathing about her. Chyna coughed and blood came out of her mouth.
Tears welled up in Charisse’s eyes. “W-What did you do?!” Charisse cried. “Why, Cheyenne? How could you do this to her? She’s your sister! She’s your twin!”
�
��She’s just an obstacle to get what I want no matter what, you stupid whore and she stole what’s mine! She stole my plan. Do you really think I was going to let her live?” Cheyenne asked as if it were just spilled milk.
Charisse pressed her face against Chyna’s. “It’s okay. Parker’s going to come and save us,” she whispered and then gasped in revulsions as she saw the third degree burns up and down Chyna’s legs, along with rope burns and slashes all over her skin. She was tortured inhumanly and from the way she smelled, she hadn’t even been allowed to use the bathroom or change her clothes.
“N-No, time,” Chyna whispered. “I’m so sorry, Charisse. She made me tell everything.” She gripped Charisse desperately. “She… She killed … the nurse… to get information of where I was… she came and made… made them all think it was me… but I tried to … to help… I-I swear…C-Charisse.”
“It’s okay.”
“Y-You gotta be strong, Charisse. Sh-She can’t win. B-But I run out of… of plans. D-Don’t let her w-win.”
The roots of her screamed as Cheyenne dragged Charisse away. It was natural to turn away from the fist that struck at her, so that Cheyenne’s strike landed hard high on her shoulder.
“Get the fuck away from her! Now that I have you, I don’t need her. Joanie!” Cheyenne screamed.
“You won’t get away with this! Parker’s had the house watched and you’re now on the radar.”
“I know what Parker was doing and I made sure I took myself off the radar while I traded places with Chyna, stupid! Joanie, get your fat ass up here now.”
Joanie came panting up the stairs. “I-I didn’t find … oh. Why didn’t you tell me, Cheyenne?”
“Shut up! Go to the car and get the gasoline and then blow the pilot light out in the basement. I’m blowing this shit up bigger than the fourth of fucking July!” Cheyenne cackled.
“What do you plan on doing?” Charisse asked. “You can’t kill me. Parker will know it was you.”
“Parker just wants the baby. He doesn’t want your nasty depressing ass. You won’t even let him touch you.”
His Substitute Wife... My Sister Book Two Page 20