The Secret First Lady: The Naked Truth

by Bush, Rose

  “Ms. Jones, I’m Angela Lovett. I’m with Child Protective Services. Do you have a drug addiction to cocaine?”

  Rachel was floored. “Ma’am, I don’t even smoke cigarettes. No, I don’t have an addiction to drugs.” Christina came rushing to her mother’s side.

  “Mommy, what’s wrong?” she cried out. The lady in the suit didn’t give Rachel an opportunity to respond to her daughter. “Well, there has to be some explanation for cocaine being in your son’s system!” She snapped at Rachel hard and sharp!

  Rachel remembered Leah’s addiction, which supposedly brought her to Georgia. “Leah, if you brought drugs into my house, now would be the time to confess.” Rachel pleaded with Leah who had already deceived her in so many ways.

  “Rachel Jones!” Leah retorted in a shocking tone. “I am drug free and if I was a user, I wouldn’t dare bring it into your home with children around. I’m sorry. As much as I want to help you, I can’t take the fall for this.” Leah said shaking her head in dismay.

  “She’s lying! Check her history. Her real name is Tamara Leah Price. She’s been embezzling money from me and she almost lost her kids in Ohio for drug use. Check with Investigator Shane Gasko on Peachtree, he can confirm my story. Please! You have to believe me!” Rachel shouted at the officers and Angela Lovett.

  “Shame on you, Rachel!” Leah said with a straight face.

  “Bitch! You put my kids in jeopardy, I’m going to murder you!” Rachel charged at Leah and hit her as hard as she could with a right hook. The blow to the face left Leah with a bloody nose.

  The two officers snatched Rachel up and held her back. “Ms. Jones, your kids are going to foster care. You’re under arrest for child endangerment and now assault.” The lady reached for Christina’s hand.

  “No, I want my mommy!” Christina started kicking and screaming.

  “Let go of my baby!” Rachel sobbed as she dropped down to her knees. “Leah, please tell the truth. Don’t let them take my kids.”

  Leah sucked her teeth and looked the other way. She really didn’t want for the kids to get hurt or involved as a part of her little scheme, but she wasn’t trying to confess and go to jail either. She did discover that Rachel was on to her and she needed to act fast. It was time to migrate to a new location with her man and kids. Ms. Lovett picked Christina up and started to carry her away. “Wait! Please! Let me tell her something.” Rachel cried for a final plea.

  Ms. Lovett stopped and faced Rachel. She could sense that Rachel really loved her kids; but she was just doing her job. “Ms. Jones, you’ll be booked and drug tested. I’ll personally look into the other information you gave me. If everything checks out, this case will be closed as quickly as possible. You can speak with your daughter for a few minutes; Officers, please let her stop by and see her son before you take her. I won’t be picking him up until he’s discharged tomorrow.

  Rachel nodded her head in agreement. She figured being irate would only get her into more trouble. Christina jumped into her mother’s arms. Tears flooded her innocent face. “Christina. Mommy loves you so much. I need you to be super brave. Can you do that for mommy?” Christina nodded her head. “When your brother joins you tomorrow, you watch over him. Don’t let anyone do anything to hurt you or him. Mommy’s coming to get you real soon, I promise. Now go with Ms. Lovett, she’s a nice lady.” She gave Christina a tight squeeze and said a silent prayer over her. Lord, send an angel of protection, love, and comfort to be with my babies in my absence.

  Christina walked away with less resistance. She kept peeking back at Rachel until she could no longer see her mother. The officers escorted Rachel into CJ’s room. He was resting. A tear fell down Rachel’s face. She pressed her lips on to her son’s forehead. She didn’t want to wake him and explain to him that she wouldn’t be around and that he and his sister would be with total strangers.

  “Listen, I have nowhere to run to. Can you please not cuff me in here?” She had been humiliated enough for one day. It was eleven o’clock at night and she had been receiving bad news since eleven o’clock that morning. The officers agreed and allowed her to walk out with them. Once they got to the car, the younger officer opened the door for her.

  “I’m not going to cuff you, but I have to read you your rights.” He spoke gently as if he believed her story. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do can and will be held against you in a court of law…”

  Chapter Twenty: Vanished

  When they arrived at the police precinct, both cops agreed to not press assault charges for what she did to Leah at the hospital. “I’ve been in law enforcement for thirty years; I’m pretty good at reading people. She deserved that!”

  Rachel felt a tad bit relieved. She was finger printed, photographed for her mugshot and placed in a holding cell. She didn’t stay in there too long. One of the officers came back for her. He walked her down a secluded hall and then into a quiet office. Her heart began to pound. What is he going to do to me?

  He closed the door and turned on the lights. “I’ll be back in exactly one hour to get you. You can use the phone, computer, and whatever else you need.” He walked out, shutting the door behind him.

  It was already one in the morning; Rachel didn’t know who she could call. She didn’t want to startle her parents, especially with her father’s current illness. The only two people who knew about the situation were Mike and Rashonda. She dialed Mike’s number. “Come on. Pick up, baby.”

  “Hello?” A groggy voice finally answered.

  “Mike. It’s me, Rachel.”

  “Baby, what’s the matter?” He sat up in his bed and turned on the lamp. Rachel never called him this late. He respected the fact that she was a mother and a businesswoman so he never called her past 11:00 PM.

  “On top of finding out about Leah’s scheme, she brought cocaine into my house. CJ found it and almost died. Child Services took my kids and I’m in jail.” A tear dripped from her eye and on to the desk she was sitting behind.

  “This chick is crazy and lucky I don’t hit women!” Mike was furious. “A good buddy of mine is a judge, I can go through a bondsman and have you released in an hour. We’ll figure everything else out once I get you out of the hell hole.”

  She whispered, “Thank you, baby,” and hung up the phone. She didn’t have anyone else to call; her man was coming to rescue her. She didn’t want for much, but in times like this she needed someone to have her back and take control.

  Fifty five minutes later, the young officer walked into the office and announced she was being released. “The results from your drug test should be back by nine in the morning; they’ll be sent to CPS immediately. If I don’t see you again, good luck with everything.” He was very kind. His eyes looked very tired. His reddish-orange hair needed some maintenance.

  For the first time, Rachel looked at his name tag stuck to his uniform. “Sergeant O’Brian, thank you so much. God bless you.” She gave him a quick hug right before he released her into the hands of her fiancé. Mike embraced her tightly. He took off his sweatshirt and wrapped it around her.

  “It’s a tad bit nippy out there, babe.” He kissed her as he led her out of the precinct. She didn’t say much. She had finally reached a point of exhaustion. As much as she wanted to curl up and catch a few hours of sleep, they had a lot of work to do. Rachel wanted to stop by her place and ensure Leah wasn’t stupid enough to be there.

  Her and Mike swept through the house looking for any sign of Leah. It was the first time she’d allowed him to come over prior to their engagement. There was no trace of the con-artist. All of her belongings, plus some of Rachel’s things, had been packed up. She even had the nerve to take my good luggage. Rachel’s SUV was also missing.

  “Let’s report it stolen.” Mike suggested. He also recommended putting a restraining order on Leah in case she was crazy enough to show up to RTJ Incorporated for work tomorrow. Rachel would also be pressing charges on Leah and her boyfriend for theft. She
was done playing fair.

  Poor kids. She thought about what would happen to Leah’s children, but then again Leah didn’t have a problem with allowing Christina to be carried away. “Let me check one more thing and grab a bag before we get out of here.” Rachel shoved a few items in her designer bag that was only used for overnight travel. She went into her closet to make sure her safe hadn’t been tampered with. Obviously Leah missed it, but there wasn’t any money stored in the stainless steel compartment. Rachel pushed aside some documents and reached for a handgun. She grabbed some extra bullets and placed them in her bag.

  They arrived at Mike’s at a quarter to three. Rachel took a quick shower before sharing her fiancé’s bed. She wanted to get a few hours of sleep, but couldn’t stop thinking about her children.

  “Rest, my child. They are doing fine; expect a call no later than noon. Good news awaits.” The voice came out of nowhere and disappeared. She remembered that same voice speaking to her when she first moved to Atlanta; shortly before Christopher’s brief reappearance.

  She slept until eight that morning. Waking up to the smell of buttermilk pancakes would’ve been great on any other occasion, but she had no appetite. Rachel took a few bites, not wanting to seem ungrateful. She sucked down a cup of coffee before she started making calls. She set up a three-way conference with Bridget and Rashonda. She filled her receptionist in on everything that had taken place over the last few weeks. After that, it was show time.

  “Bridget, cancel all my appointments for the remainder of the week. Alert security and make sure a picture of Leah is posted on every floor. Rashonda, put a hold on all debits coming out of the business accounts.”

  “I’m so sorry this is happening to you. Do you want us to come and be with you once all tasks are complete?” Bridget asked. She was really a sweetheart, despite what most people thought. Her demeanor said don’t even speak to me unless its work related. If more people had the opportunity to know her, they would absolutely adore her.

  “No thanks, darlings. I need to ya’ll to run the company. Maybe tomorrow once the kids are back with me, you guys can visit.”

  “Well if Leah happens to make it through these doors, do I have permission to beat sparks off her ass?” Rashonda broke out into laughter at Bridget’s question.

  “As much as it would probably make all of us feel better, we don’t need to get into any trouble. She’s already defeated, it’s just a matter of finding her now. I’m heading downtown to file these charges. Call me if anything happens,” she hung up the phone. She and Mike headed to the courthouse.

  He knew a lot of people and was respected in the city of Atlanta. Once the report was filed, APD and Mike’s judge friend were waiting to catch Leah and Marvin. They were going to make sure those two got what they deserved.

  They exited the courthouse and decided to head back to Mike’s. Before they could leave the parking lot, Rachel’s phone vibrated in her purse. She dug her cellular out of from under her makeup bag and other miscellaneous items that filled her pocket book. “Hello?” She quickly answered.

  “Ms. Jones?”

  “Yes?”

  “This is Angela Lovett from APS.” Rachel kept silent hoping for good news. “I received your drug test results; you can come and pick up your children.”

  Tears streamed down Rachel’s face. “I’m already downtown, I’ll be there in ten minutes. Thank you!” She screamed through the phone before she ended the call. She looked at Mike who waiting on the good news. “We can pick up the kids!”

  “That’s great, baby!” He was excited for his future wife. Although, this wasn’t the way he was supposed to be introduced to his soon-to-be step children, he was happy to be a part of the reunion.

  “Do you mind waiting here?” Rachel asked while Mike parked the car. She wanted to talk to Christina and CJ alone first.

  Christina had her arm wrapped around her baby brother, looking after him just as she was instructed to do. Rachel squeezed both of them as tight and gentle as she could. “I’m sorry.” Rachel fought off her tears.

  “It’s not your fault mom; Leah did this.” Christina’s sophistication sometimes over powered the fact that she was a child. “I took care of CJ, he just got here.”

  “Thank you, sweetheart. I know everything is happening fast, but I have something to tell both of you. Mommy has a friend outside waiting for us; his name is Mike. I was going to let you meet him this weekend, but he’s been helping me out today and I would like for you guys to meet him now. Is that okay with you?” The two children nodded their heads in approval. The young mother decided she could mention the engagement at a later time. She thanked Ms. Lovett and filled out some paperwork that released the children back into her care.

  “Ms. Jones, I had a detective friend of mine look into Ms. Price’s background and check with the private investigator. I will be turning all findings over to the court. I’m also going to press child endangerment charges on her.” Ms. Lovett looked remorseful for removing Christina and CJ; but Rachel understood she was just doing her job.

  Once they got into the car, the introductions went smoothly. The neat thing about children is that they don’t see color; they see the good and bad in people. “It’s nice to meet you, princess, and you, too, little guy.” Mike shook their little hands. If it’s okay with your mother, I have two lollipops.”

  “Please mom?” CJ pleaded.

  “Sure, baby.”

  Mike drove the family to Stockbridge. He refused to leave them alone until they felt comfortable. Little did he know, Rachel had a license to kill and wasn’t afraid to use her handgun. The kids agreed it would be okay for him to stay over on the couch. They were actually enjoying his company. He played video games with CJ and even did some drawing with Christina’s coloring books. Once the kids were fast asleep, Rachel stayed up and made some tea for her and Mike.

  “Are you sure you want all of this drama in your life?” Rachel teased.

  “I’m sure I want you and would love for your children to be a part of my life.”

  Rachel leaned in and gave him a passionate kiss on the lips. Before he could enjoy it, a ring from his cell phone interrupted them.

  “This is Rizzo.” He stroked Rachel’s hair as he listened to the caller. “Oh that’s great. Well that’s unfortunate, but that just means you guys are getting closer.” Rachel tried to make out the conversation from his responses. “We’ll be there first thing in the morning to pick it up. Yup. Thanks, Dave.” He hung up and took a long sigh. “That was APD. They found your SUV, but no sign of Leah. Don’t worry, we’ll get them.” Mike reassured her, kissing the top of her head.

  Rachel was happy to have her kids back; that’s all that mattered at this point. It was nice to retrieve her vehicle, but like every other material thing, it could’ve easily been replaced. If she never heard from Leah again, she would be okay with that. Leah wasn’t able to get away with the money she attempted to embezzle, CJ recovered, and she would soon be married again. The emotional scars would eventually heal and life would be great.

  Chapter Twenty One: Daddy’s Secret

  Months had flown by. The case against Leah and Marvin turned cold. Mike and Rachel were planning their wedding with a honeymoon in Aruba. The Rizzo family instantly fell in love with Rachel and her children; welcoming them with open arms. Kathy Rizzo, Mike’s mother even wanted Rachel to wear her wedding dress. It was a family heir loom that was passed down from generation to generation. For the most part, life was good, except Rachel knew her dad couldn’t walk her down the aisle with his health.

  Ms. Jones and her children flew into Detroit Metro Airport on a Thursday. They rented a car and drove forty-five minutes to Toledo. The kids had a four day weekend so it worked out perfectly. Mr. Belmont called his daughter and asked her to visit the week prior. His condition was getting worse and Rachel knew in her heart it was time to say goodbye.

  Mike was going to meet them later on that evening after his conference in Atlant
a. Rachel wanted the man she planned on spending the rest of her life with to meet the most beautiful man in her life. Mr. Belmont treated his daughter like a princess from the moment she entered the world. Rachel admired her father for his integrity and gentle spirit. She loved how he always took care of home and pampered her mother. Although, her first marriage was with a man who didn’t have any traits like her father, she hadn’t given up on love. Mike brought out those good childhood memories. He showered her with genuine love just how her father did. Christina had grown extremely fond of her soon-to-be stepfather and CJ was happy to have someone to play sports and video games with. The couple had discussed having at least one more child.

  She pulled into her parents’ driveway and the little Jones’ instantly attacked the doorbell with their fingers until their grandmother answered. Mrs. Belmont flung the door open, greeting her daughter and grandkids with a Kool-Aid smile.

  “Grandma! Grandma!” The children exclaimed.

  “Hi, babies!” I missed you guys.” She showered them with hugs and kisses. “Where is my new son-in-law?” Mrs. Belmont said as she gave her daughter a hug.

  “He’s coming later, he had to work.” CJ chimed in and answered for his mother.

  Mrs. Belmont briefed her grandkids on their grandfather’s condition before escorting them into the family room where his hospital bed was stationed. He couldn’t pick them up like he usually did, but he was happy to hear their cheerful voices. Of course, the inquisitive Christina asked a million questions pertaining to his illness and wanted to know why there was a bed in the middle of the family room.