“I understand their plight, Keith. You’re too charismatic, and your good looks are distracting. They want to spare you from getting caught up in the wrong situation with those young girls and their nubile bodies . . .” She trailed off.
Keith shook his head. “I’m set on this. I’ll marry only the woman I can see myself with forever. You’re the only woman who has given me that picture, so I know it’s possible. I’d rather remain single until I find that again.” He reached out and took her hands in his. He stunned her with his next words. “Gina, you’re the only woman alive who could ruin me. I’m a weakling when it comes to you. There’s no worry about me getting caught with my pants down with another woman—and I mean that in a figurative and literal sense.”
She gulped. There was no response needed for his heartfelt declaration. Gina decided to tackle the reason for her visit. “So I bet it shocked you to see me after all this time.”
Keith flowed with the conversation shift. “I was flabbergasted. You were the last person I expected to see in the crowd.”
She licked her lips. Here goes. “I came to see you, Keith. I had to because, to be honest, I didn’t have a choice.”
She saw the effect of her mysterious words. Keith’s interest and instinctive concern had been stirred. With kind but curious eyes, he moved closer to Gina and prompted her to keep talking.
“Michael sent me,” she confessed.
“Michael?” He looked perplexed. That was not the answer he’d been expecting. “Why would Michael send you? Why wouldn’t he come instead?”
“That’s what I cannot figure out or understand myself,” Gina replied. “I’ve been trying to guess his motives, but I have no clue what goes on in Michael’s head. He is not the same person anymore.”
She’d piqued Keith’s curiosity with her woebegone intonation. She knew what he was going to ask before he even asked it. “What do you mean, Gina? Is he hurting you?”
“No. Well, not physically,” Gina hedged. Her body tensed up with discomfort.
“I see your hunched shoulders and clenched fists. Now, I’m concerned.” He held her. “Gina, you can tell me anything. I think you know that by now. You can trust me as I trust you, without question.”
Nodding, she took a deep breath. “It’s not what he does. It’s what he says and how he says it. Michael has become disingenuous, and I know I can no longer trust him. I know I violated his trust, but I didn’t think he would make me pay for it for the rest of my life. I was so convinced we were at a good place . . .”
Keith’s chin dropped. “That does not sound like my brother. He was always so quick to forgive, and he never held a grudge.”
“Well, the Michael you know has changed. He’s bitter and cold and . . . different. I can’t put it into words, but I know it and I feel it.”
“Have you spoken to him about it?” Keith asked. He had a sneaky suspicion about what was eating away at Michael, but after all this time Keith wondered if he should let sleeping dogs lie.
The truth shall set you free.
He heard the thought. He remembered the last time he’d been given that warning. He had not heeded it then, and he didn’t heed it now. Though the Spirit urged Keith to clear the matter up, he kept his mouth shut.
He knew Gina would be hurt and furious over his deception, but he couldn’t tell the truth. He couldn’t tell her he was Trey’s father. He couldn’t tell her about Michael’s infertility. It was something he felt Michael should man up and do.
Gina sighed and returned to the matter at hand. “Michael sent me here to get you. He was most persistent about that. For my sake, I hope you can come back with me.”
Keith heard the desperation in Gina’s tone and surmised that though she wasn’t saying so, Michael would make things unpleasant for her if he did not return with her. “I don’t relish being Michael’s pawn, but for your sake, I’ll go. I’ll book my flight.”
“Michael took care of all the arrangements, and he gave me an open-ended ticket for you,” Gina replied while reaching over to grab her pocketbook. She started scouring through it for the plane ticket.
He felt anger toward his brother rise within him when he saw the visible relief on Gina’s face and her desperate search for the plane ticket. Her gratitude was evident.
She fixed him with an anxious gaze. “I know it’s short notice, but can we leave next week?”
“Yes, I can arrange my schedule.” Though he agreed, Keith felt uneasy. “Gina, is there more?”
She nodded her head in the affirmative, but he could tell she wasn’t ready to tell all. “Yes, but I can’t talk about it now. Please understand.”
Keith stood, ambled over to the windows of his brother’s penthouse suite, and looked out. He felt anger. The old demons of guilt attacked his being. It was his fault that Gina was now in misery. He was the one who had to have her. Caught up in his thoughts, he ground his fist into his palm.
Gina must have felt compelled to walk over to him and make a physical connection. She placed her hand on his arm. Keith turned to face her. He didn’t try to disguise the torture riding his senses. She lifted her hands to smooth his brows, and then placed her palm against his cheek.
Keith closed his eyes and leaned his head into her hand, much the way a pet would seek comfort. He felt the warmth resonating from her hand ease the thoughts running rampant in his head. She moved her hand and put both hands on his head. Keith opened his eyes.
Their eyes locked. She shivered from the impact and broke contact.
Oh, no, Gina. Grabbing her hand, he pulled her into him to comfort her as one friend would another. He could tell when her fears dissipated. Her shoulders relaxed and her stiff posture loosened. He didn’t know what Michael had up his sleeve, but he knew without question she would be safe as long as he was there. He’d make sure of that.
After Keith left, Gina returned to the window to people watch and take in the night scene. She reflected on Keith’s conversion experience. There was such a light in his eyes, which drew her in.
The shrill ring of the suite’s phone startled her out of her reverie. She scurried over to answer the call. As expected, it was Michael. He’d called the apartment phone to make sure she was there. Gina rolled her eyes, even though she knew her husband couldn’t see her.
“Hello.”
“Hello, wife,” Michael chirped on the other end. “How are things?”
Gina sucked her teeth and mumbled under her breath but kept up the farce. “The weather is beautiful, and I’ve settled in.”
“That’s good,” Michael said. “Was the car service acceptable?”
“Yes,” Gina answered, hating how their conversation was stilted and awkward.
“What about the penthouse?”
“Everything’s fine, Michael. The renovations you had done are impeccable, exquisite,” Gina sighed. “I’ve made contact with Keith, as you ordered. Are you still in England? I miss Trey and . . . I miss Trey.” She had to be careful with her words.
“Glad to hear you’ve gotten in touch with Keith,” Michael said, ignoring her question.
But Gina wouldn’t be swayed from the topic foremost in her mind. “Are you coming home?” she asked again.
“I told you I’ve scheduled the flights. We’re leaving for Georgia tomorrow. Stop acting like I’m a kidnapper.”
But you are, her insides screamed. It had been three months, and she was a desperate mother at her wit’s end. “Well, let me talk to him.”
“All in good time,” Michael said.
His “All in good time” grated on her last nerve.
Frustrated, she hung up the phone in his ear. She hoped he liked the sound of the dial tone. It was better than telling him what she wanted to say. The phone rang again. However, this time she ignored it.
Gina pondered her life. When had things between Michael and her soured? He had been so forgiving of her past affair with Keith, and for the first few months, they’d been in heaven. Then, overnight, he�
��d changed. He’d packed them up and moved them to a whole other country, away from family and friends, away from Colleen—away from Keith. Which was pointless, since distance wouldn’t fix what was in her heart.
Gina didn’t know if he had realized he could never get over her sleeping with Keith and thus shut down. Gina had been deceived into thinking Michael had given her another chance. He had convinced her, but how wrong she had been.
If pressed, Gina could not articulate exactly how Michael had changed. He was jovial. He laughed at the right times and made good conversation, but that all changed at bedtime. Then Michael would become cold and unfeeling. He would turn away from her if she took the initiative and pursued intimacy between them.
Gina cried herself to sleep constantly, feeling undesirable and unwanted. The worst part was she had no idea why. She had asked Michael over and over why he’d turned against her, and he declined to answer. She couldn’t pinpoint when it happened, but something had gone wrong somewhere. She believed something was eating away at him, but he refused to tell her. She had done everything she could think of to rattle him. But he never caved.
She strolled over to the window. She couldn’t help but think of the great times she and Michael had had together back when they were dating. He’d been so charming. But Michael had transformed into a monster. It wasn’t that he abused her. In fact, he’d never laid a hand on her. But, somehow, from his tone and mannerisms, Gina discerned that she could not trust him.
After months turned into over two years of torment, Gina had resigned herself to accept what she could not change. Colleen had been her sounding board and had told her that she was praying about it, but Gina had not seen any fruits from her labor yet.
Sometimes, Gina considered severing the ties between them for good. But Michael was a magnanimous and doting father. He had been the best thing for Trey during his recovery. She could sacrifice her happiness for the moment.
Then, out of the blue, Michael did the unimaginable. He took her offspring hostage. He sent her back to the United States alone—using the separation to manipulate her into doing whatever he wanted. Who did that? she thought. Gina furrowed her brows.
Well, maybe hostage was too strong a term, but Michael had not given her a choice. Instead, he had bought her a plane ticket and commanded her to persuade his brother to return with her on the pretext of mending fences. Gina suspected Michael had a hidden agenda, but she had no idea what he had planned.
Thinking about her husband, she felt chills run up and down her spine. She rubbed away the goose bumps springing up on her arm.
Michael was being downright creepy.
She ran her hand through her pixie cut. It was her sole act of defiance. Michael loved her hair long. She’d chopped it off to get a reaction. Instead, he’d recommended that she color it.
Gina sighed. Of course, she’d complied.
That was the scary part. Gina felt she had become a pawn in a higher scheme, but she couldn’t figure out Michael’s angle. Gina had tried without success to encourage Michael to contact Keith himself. But he’d been adamant about following his plan.
Michael completed his call with Gina, satisfied with the outcome. He was pleased she’d made contact with Keith. As he’d counted on, his brother was still hung up on his wife. Michael smiled.
So far so good.
Keith’s obsession with his wife had become useful, and Michael anticipated using it for his benefit. His brother would pay.
Chapter Twenty-six
Keith and Gina landed in Atlanta on time. They’d enjoyed first-class seats and a special treat in recognition of the coming holiday, Independence Day. They had been afforded a small measure of privacy since first class was practically empty. In fact, there had been only one other person in the section, and he appeared to be in his own world.
Keith urged Gina to use this occasion to relax. As she’d rested her head on his shoulder, he basked in the simple pleasure of being in her company. It had taken him a couple of days to clear his schedule. He hoped he would be able to resolve things with Michael and prayed they could rebuild their former relationship.
He missed his brother with a fierceness that surprised him. As he got off the small aircraft, a sense of nostalgia encircled him. He couldn’t help but remember the last time he had been with Gina in Atlanta. It had been for her birthday, but it had turned into a vigil for Trey. Though he’d been back since for two mega gospel conventions, it had still been almost a year since he’d last set foot in Atlanta.
In hindsight, Keith welcomed the experience he had with Gina, because it precipitated his learning about Christ and accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior. He quietly uttered the words, “I can do all things through Christ, which strengthens me,” and felt a calm reassurance assuage his fears.
Gina gave him an odd look.
“I’m whispering a scripture for fortitude. I’m not a madman,” Keith assured her.
“I’m glad to hear you’re apprehensive. I was wondering if God had made you invincible. Nice to know you’re still human.”
Her words were preaching words. He couldn’t let that slide. “I’m a Christian, not an alien from outer space. I still have feelings—as you know—but it’s how I deal with them that’s different. I’m a human. I’m flawed, but I serve a perfect God.” Keith couldn’t hold back his praise. “Hallelujah. Thank you, Jesus, for salvation.”
Gina glanced to the left and the right as a light blush grazed her cheeks. Keith didn’t care. He wasn’t ashamed of God.
Keith followed Gina to long-term parking. She disabled the alarm system on a red Range Rover. He gave a small whistle. Her tastes had improved since he’d last seen her.
“Thanks for the luxury ride.”
She rolled her eyes and hoisted her small frame into the driver’s seat and started up the engine. Keith bit back a smile and jumped into the vehicle. Gina expertly maneuvered the vehicle out of the space and then tore out of the lot.
As he watched her drive, Keith acknowledged that he was worried about her. He knew she was being manipulated by his brother, but Keith didn’t have a clue what Michael was holding over her head, and he hated being in the dark. However, no matter how he coaxed and prodded, Keith hadn’t been able to get anything out of Gina.
This only heightened his concern, because it wasn’t like her to be close-lipped with him about something. It had to be big. He uttered a prayer while she navigated through the city and into the suburbs. His eyes widened when she pulled into the driveway of a sprawling mansion in Alpharetta.
His eyes roamed the flamboyant structure before him. It spoke of so much opulence and grandeur that Keith couldn’t contain his surprise. He looked askance at Gina, who shrugged her shoulders.
“Your brother’s choosing,” was all she said.
Keith followed suit as she exited the vehicle and walked up to the house. She’d left the keys in the ignition. A gentleman, who, Keith presumed, was a caretaker, got in the car and drove off.
Keith knew his brother was wealthy, but Michael had never flashed his money so ostentatiously before. He knew without any doubt that this wasn’t Gina’s doing. She had exquisite taste and style, but she had always been restrained and conservative. These upgrades were a clear indication that his brother had changed. He was overcompensating for something that was lacking.
Gina opened the door and greeted an older Latina woman. She introduced Keith to Melinda Diaz and instructed her to show Keith into the great room. Then she excused herself to freshen up.
After being escorted into the great room, Keith took a seat in one of the chairs and waited for her to return. He remembered a time when he would have made himself at home already, but Keith was all too aware that this visit was altogether different. He felt uncomfortable and sat stiffly in his seat until Gina returned.
When she reappeared, she took him on a quick tour of the house. As he looked around and took in his surroundings, Keith remained silent. But on the inside, thoughts were ra
cing through his head. This was not a home; it was a massive monument with all the glitz and luxuries one could desire. The house lacked warmth.
Keith did not see Gina’s stamp anywhere. In fact, she acted like a real estate agent who was giving a tour of a mausoleum. Her voice lacked any real pride or enthusiasm. As he listened to Gina ramble on, he had to prevent himself from grabbing her and shaking life into her. Her entire demeanor was monotone and resigned. This was not the same woman he’d encountered in New York a few days ago.
Keith came to a halt. “Gina.”
She stopped and turned to face him. She looked at him and then avoided his questioning eyes.
Keith reached over and turned her face toward him. He couldn’t keep the pity from his eyes and voice. He glided his thumb down her ear and trailed a path to her neck. “This is a nice house, but where is your touch?”
He knew she saw and despised his pity, but she’d never admit it. Instead of answering his question, she scoffed, “What do you mean? Michael hired the best of the best to turn this place into a showpiece.”
He agreed. “I agree with you. It’s a showpiece. But is it a home?”
“Ouch,” was all she said, followed by an awkward laugh. She declined to answer him further. Keith wished she would open up and tell him the truth. She was spared having to utter another word, as at that moment they both heard Michael calling for her.
“Come on. Let’s go get this over with,” she said, offering Keith a hand. He put his hand in hers, but discomfort filled him.
Gina dragged her feet like a woman heading to the guillotine instead of toward her husband. She held Keith’s hand until she was at the door of Michael’s study. Then she removed her hand from his.
Taking a deep breath, Keith entered the room to see his brother.
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