Several seconds passed. Angelica did not respond, and Lieutenant Broadnax waved his hand in front of her face. It was not her imagination, but passing in front of her was the man in dreads. She’d recognize his face anywhere. It was etched in her memory.
“Lieutenant Broadnax, don’t move. Read my lips. I don’t know how this man got in here, but I believe there is a guy in here who works for Santiago. I don’t want to set off an alarm or make him aware that I recognize him.”
Eyes shifting, Angelica watched the man scanning the room as if he was looking for someone. He eased through the crowd without arousing suspicion. Pulled back from his face, his dreads were held together with some type of elastic band. He wore a black, double-breasted suit, a tie and a white shirt. Santiago is clever, Angelica thought. Dreads looks like one of the mourners.
People continued to file out of the fellowship hall, although there were still groups clustered together, engaged in deep conversation. Angelica continued to follow him with her eyes when Lieutenant Broadnax began to speak.
“I need to call Petrowski and let him know that we have what seems to be a penetration in the building.”
“Look natural,” Angelica cautioned, tapping Broadnax’s chest with her hand. “I don’t want to give him any indication that we suspect him of anything.”
Broadnax removed her hand and made a quick call, never looking back to personally eyewitness the intruder. He hung up and looked at Angelica. “It’s not going to look normal if I keep standing here talking to you. I need to move around so that, if I need to make a move, I can get into position.”
“I’m sorry. My nerves have got the best of me. My brother, Edward, has a gun on him. I need to let him know what’s going on.”
“That wouldn’t be a good idea, Angelica. Let the police handle this.”
“Letting the police handle it has allowed the enemy to get into our camp. That man is looking for me; it’s my life on the line.”
“Please, Angelica, don’t do anything stupid. You could jeopardize everything. Just play along.”
Angelica let out a sigh and then panic gripped her as she lost sight of the man in dreads. She looked to the left and to the right, and then she felt it in the small of her back.
“Don’t move and don’t scream,” the voice said hurriedly. “I’m FBI. I’ve been working on the Santiago case, and I’ve been following you because we were sure you would lead us to him. We’ve made a lot of headway, but I’ll explain in more detail later. I’ve only got fifteen minutes to make my move. The SWAT team outside is working with the bureau.”
Angelica tried to turn around. “But why didn’t Lieutenant Broadnax know that you all were…”
“Don’t turn around, we have to move forward. The Fayetteville police are well aware of what’s going down. They were waiting for my signal. That’s why no one has pounced on me. I was able to infiltrate Santiago’s organization, and be glad I was in place when he decided to take you out. I didn’t learn about Hamilton until it was too late. That’s why I volunteered to take care of you; I knew that I could save your life.
“Santiago and a couple of his men are waiting outside a few blocks away. If I’m not successful with what they charged me to do, I’m sure they are going to try an attempt on your life. I’m going to walk you to a bulletproof vehicle, in the event something happens.”
“But my brother, Jefferson and Margo are here—what about them?”
“Look to your right, Broadnax is alerting them now. They are herding the others to the back of the room. They’ll be all right. Right now, we want to catch Santiago in the act. We have enough information on his activities, but since the shooting of your cousin, Donna Barnes Reardon, and Hamilton, things have moved so fast. Since I knew that he was going to make an attempt on your life, we are in a position to take him down. After you put on the bullet-proof vest I have in my backpack, you and I are going to walk out of the fellowship hall.”
“But what about all those things you said to me on the bus that day?”
“That was an attempt to get information from you. We let Santiago slip through our hands without a trace, but had high hopes that you would lead us to him.”
“That was pretty presumptuous of you because I wanted to be as far away from Santiago as I could possibly be.”
“Knowing how the criminal mind works, we were sure he was going to make some kind of effort to contact you—unfinished business. Now we’ve got to get moving. The plan is that I’ll have the gun drawn to your head, and the police will surround me. We hope to draw Santiago from his hiding place. Put the vest on, and let’s go.”
“And your name?” Angelica asked.
“Agent Walter Hopkins, at your service.”
Edward, Jefferson, and Margo stared at Angelica. Her fear returned as the remaining crowd watched from a distance. She and Agent Hopkins moved toward the main door of the hall, and when they reached it, he stopped.
“Act like you’re afraid but don’t go crazy. I’m not going to hurt you, and the other officers will be holding their guns on me. Drag your feet to make it look realistic—we’ll replace your shoes if we need to.”
Angelica’s face relaxed into a smile. “All I want is my life back.”
“Ready?” Agent Hopkins asked Angelica and the officers nearby. They moved through the door.
54
An ocean of orange, yellow, and a hint of magenta blazed across the sky, offering a panorama equal to that over the Polynesian honeymoon island of Bora Bora. Breathtaking was the sun as it slowly made its ascent due west. It is too beautiful a day to die Angelica thought, although she had buried a part of her past earlier that afternoon.
With a gun pointed at her head, she felt like death still lingered near, regardless of the amount of reassurances Agent Hopkins had given her. Out in the open, the commotion began as Agent Hopkins threatened to kill her if the police didn’t back off. She knew this was staged, but her life hung in the balance, and it made her cry out openly. There was no Edward at her side to rescue her if she needed him, and the thought of being the pawn to catch Santiago sickened her more.
Angelica and Agent Hopkins stood on the top step of the hall with police surrounding them.
“Release the woman, now,” blared the voice on the police bullhorn. Agent Hopkins had Angelica by the neck and the gun pointed right at her head. He continued to reassure her under his breath that all was under control.
The standoff was on. Agent Hopkins pointed his gun at the police officers and told them to move back because he was taking this woman hostage. The police would not back down and, for fifteen minutes, Agent Hopkins continued to wave the gun at the officers, who were poised to shoot at any time while he held Angelica tight. Then it happened.
“Kill her. Kill her now, you fool. Kill her or I’ll kill you,” Santiago shouted from across the street. He moved closer and pointed the Glock. “What are you waiting for? You said you were going to take care of it.”
Hopkins pushed Angelica into the sea of officers, who immediately pushed her into a bulletproof patrol car that had been sitting on the side of the church. All of a sudden, gunfire rang out as Santiago pulled the trigger. Twenty members of the SWAT team and Agent Hopkins returned the fire, and Santiago stood still like a robot waiting for its next order, taking a few steps before falling face down on the sidewalk.
Members of the Fayetteville police rushed to the fallen Santiago but dropped to the ground when a round of gunfire cut them off. From the rooftops of neighboring businesses, gunfire poured down until there was no response from the enemy—a deafening silence ensued. The officers who had dropped to the ground slowly picked themselves up from the pavement and went to check on the fallen victims. Soon, the others joined them, and then an announcement was made.
“Three down,” said one of the sharpshooters. “No sign of anyone else.”
Angelica emerged from the car and walked cautiously toward the group of officers. When Agent Hopkins saw her approach, he p
ut out his hand to stop her from coming closer. This wasn’t something she needed to see up close. Her worries were over—Santiago was dead.
The door to the fellowship hall opened, and Lieutenant Broadnax stepped outside. Edward, Jefferson, and Margo were right behind him, all in a hurry to find out what went down. All efforts to restrain the group of people left in the fellowship hall were fruitless as they pushed past Broadnax and spilled outside. A yellow ribbon and a sea of police officers blocked their attempt to proceed beyond a certain point as the police waited for the coroner’s office to scoop the dead from the ground.
“What happened…are you all right?” Edward asked Angelica as he ran to be by her side.
“Edward, it happened so fast. One minute I had a gun pointed at my head, the next minute I was thrown to a bunch of muscle-bound cops, who tucked me away in their patrol car. Then the shooting began, and after a couple of minutes, it was all over. Agent Hopkins saved my life, and to think I believed he was one of the bad guys. He deserves a medal for his undercover work.”
“Good job, Angelica,” Margo said. Margo smiled and went to Angelica and hugged her.
“I needed that, girl. You don’t know. My life flashed before me a hundred times, but I’m glad it’s all over.”
“It’s over for all of us,” Margo responded. “We have you to thank for risking your life to save ours.”
“I’d do it all again,” Angelica laughed. “Well, I hope I don’t have to do it again. If I wasn’t forced to be the sacrificial lamb, I’m not sure I would’ve volunteered.”
Jefferson put his arms around Margo and finally spoke. “I can’t believe it’s all over.”
“From the little Agent Hopkins told me, Santiago probably wouldn’t have seen the light of day. Even though he won’t stand trial, there was enough evidence to convict him of several murders, including Hamilton’s.”
“Yeah, I heard about Hamilton’s cousin. Well, Santiago won’t be around to hurt anyone else,” Jefferson said.
“Look, why don’t we get away from here and go back to our hotel so we can sit down and talk?” Edward said. “We’ll get room service, if you want something to eat.”
Margo glanced at Jefferson and then looked quickly away. She puckered her lips. “Everyone has been through so much today,” Margo began, “and we’ve got to get our house taken care of.”
“This is Saturday, for heaven’s sake,” Angelica said. “You’re not going to get anything done on your house tonight. Come on, Margo. I want to bring you up to speed with what’s happened to me.”
“Well…” Margo began.
“Yeah, a few appetizers and some iced tea might do it for an hour or so,” Jefferson put in. “Help us to unwind from the day. We’re coming.”
“The Fayetteville police would have made Hamilton proud today,” Angelica added as an afterthought. “He lived and breathed that badge.” Before she could say anything else, Agent Hopkins approached.
“Hi, folks, I’m Agent Hopkins. Angelica was a brave woman tonight. I don’t know that I would have trusted me, if I were her.”
“It was a hard sell, but you left me little choice,” Angelica said. “And I’m glad it’s over.”
“Well, you did a fine job. Helping us to apprehend one of the FBI’s Most Wanted was a good thing. One of these days soon, I’ll be able to tell you the whole story leading up to this day.”
“Do you have any idea why Santiago may have killed Donna?”
“I can’t talk about the case, but it may have something to do with Donna kicking you out of her house and not telling him. But it’s apparent he found out where you were.”
“With Ari…,” Angelica mumbled. She pulled herself together. “Thank you again, Agent Hopkins, for saving my life…for saving all of our lives. I don’t know how we can repay you.”
“Nothing to repay, Angelica. I was doing my job and I’d do it again.”
“Would you do me a favor?”
“If I can,” Agent Hopkins said.
“On the day I left the women’s prison, Sgt. Macy told me that she would see me again, and because I don’t plan to ever darken the doorway to that place, please tell Sgt. Macy for me that Angelica Barnes is never coming back. She gave me and the other girls in Dorm L a hard time. And, Agent Hopkins, she is not quite right—a lesbo who’s taking sexual liberties with women, those who want it and those who are forced against their will.”
Agent Hopkins pondered what Angelica said. “We may be taking a trip to the women’s prison sooner than you think. You may have repaid me by giving me what I need to take down corrupt workers in the system. Thanks again, Angelica.”
“Glad to be of service.”
55
Nausea floated through Margo’s body as the images of Jefferson and Angelica walking into the hotel she now approached herself came back to her. Knowing the whole story did not make her feel better because she now had to deal with the mistake she had made. She hated how Malik had reacted when she told him that she was staying with her husband. Now she knew it would be only a matter of time before Jefferson found out.
She grabbed her stomach as a terrible reality seized her mind. God, don’t let me be pregnant, she thought to herself as her nerves started to unravel. She was too old to have baby momma drama.
“Are you all right, Margo?” Angelica asked with concern on her face.
Margo looked up, and Jefferson, Edward, and Angelica were in front of her, staring her down. From somewhere, Jefferson grabbed a piece of paper and began fanning her.
“I’m all right.” Margo sat up straight. “I guess so much happened today that it all caught up with me.”
“Do you want me to take you home…I mean, the hotel? We no longer have police protection since they’ve killed Santiago.”
“No, Jefferson. I’ll be fine. If I can have some water or something else cold to drink.”
“Coming right up,” Angelica said as Jefferson sat next to Margo and held her in his arms.
“Water for the lady,” Edward said, handing a bottle to Margo. “Look, I want to thank you guys for sticking with us today. I know the relationship between our families has been rocky, but when it counted, you were there. We owe you a debt of gratitude. And I think my sister can finally get on with her life.”
Angelica smiled, walked to Edward and gave him a brotherly kiss on the cheek. “That was sweet, Edward, and I’d like to say I feel the same as my brother. Margo, you are the best, and if I ever get a friend like you again, I’m going to keep her for life. I want you to know that I do love you, and if you can find it in your heart to forgive me, I’d appreciate it so much.”
Margo smiled and nodded. She took a sip of water and sat the bottle down.
“Angelica is thinking about going back to New York,” Edward said, trying to ruffle the silence.
“So, you liked New York?” Margo asked quizzically.
“It’s not that I like New York so much, but I left someone there who is very special to me. I don’t know what I would have done if I didn’t have Ari on my side. He gave me hope and came to my rescue when I was trying to get away from Santiago. I put him through more changes, but he was my pillar of strength when I didn’t have it for myself. I’ll never forget how he gave me safe passage out of New York. He means the world.”
“He seems awfully special,” Margo said. “Sounds like you’ve found true love.”
“I believe I have, Margo. I believe I have.”
“Let’s see if we can’t get a bottle of wine to celebrate!” Jefferson said. “I don’t believe in taking a life, but seeing Santiago lying face down on the sidewalk made my heart glad. He was evil, and I can’t believe I allowed myself to get caught up in his scheme for the sake of the almighty dollar.”
“It’s your past now, baby,” Margo said. She went and put her arms around him and kissed him passionately. Visions of Malik tried to break through, but she held Jefferson tight to keep the ugly deed she’d done with Malik at bay.
; “Uhh, time out, time out. It’s getting hot in here,” Angelica roared, making the time out sign she’d seen football players do on the field. “You may need to go on home.” Angelica winked at Margo and Jefferson.
Margo pulled away from Jefferson and wiped the corner of his mouth. “Hurry back, baby. Don’t let Edward keep you out too long.”
Surprise registered on Jefferson’s face. “I’m back, baby,” Margo said before Jefferson could utter a word. “Run along. Angelica and I have a little girl talk to do.”
Jefferson didn’t say a word but watched Margo with renewed interest. He followed Edward out of the hotel room, but not before glancing back at Margo with a curious frown on his face.
“What’s up with Jefferson?” Angelica asked.
“He can’t comprehend the new me. You see, it was a little difficult for me to consummate my marriage when Jefferson first came home. As much as I loved him, memories of all the things he had done and how he had treated me flooded back. I wanted to accept him without any reservations, but I found, Angelica, that the wound was open and hadn’t completely healed.”
“How was it that you forgave me so easily when I got out of jail?”
“Angelica, don’t kid yourself. It was not easy, and I’m not sure that I had forgiven you totally. It’s different when you live with someone and you see them every day and night. I made baby steps with you because I knew I wasn’t going to sleep with you and bear my soul to you.”
“Okay. I can accept that because I certainly didn’t deserve an ounce of your love.”
“But, as a Christian, I’m taught to love everyone, even my enemies. I didn’t hate you, Angelica, I hated the things you did and what you represented. I trusted you like a sister—I would have gone to the ends of the world for you. But you disappointed me greatly, for which I thought at one time there was no repentance. But I do love you.”
Tears flowed from Angelica’s eyes. She took her hands and wiped them from her face. Angelica stood and went and sat next to Margo and hugged her. “Thank you for the hug today, friend, I needed it,” Angelica said.
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