Blueprint for Love

by Chanta Jefferson Rand

  “You won’t be so cocky when Veronica finds out what you’ve done,” Allen spat.

  Toye asked Ronnie, “Did you know Vic has a criminal record?”

  Allen nodded. “Yeah, did you know he’s an ex-felon?”

  “Yes,” Ronnie answered, “I did.”

  The look of shock on Toye’s face would have been comical if Vic weren’t already pissed. “How could you just let him come into our company—?”

  “Our company?” Ronnie practically shouted at Toye. “This company belongs to the Jones sisters, not you! I hire who I want to hire.”

  Allen joined in. “Even a common criminal? Do you know this man’s background? Do you know why he was in prison?”

  “What I know or don’t know is none of your business, Allen. In fact, you need to leave.”

  Vic could hear the anger and frustration mounting in Ronnie’s voice. It was time he took matters into his own hands. Time he took care of this little shit once and for all.

  He lunged forward, and then grabbed Allen by the collar and slammed him against the brick wall of Ronnie’s entryway.

  “No!” Ronnie screamed. “Vic, don’t do it.”

  Vic was blinded by rage. This dude tried to humiliate him in front of Ronnie. Called the cops on him for some bullshit trumped up charge. He deserved to have Vic’s fist rammed down his throat.

  “He’ll kill me!” Allen cried out. “Just like he killed Samuel Beckley five years ago.”

  Vic went still at the mention of Sam’s name.

  “I did some investigating,” Allen continued. “Vic was sent to prison for assault with a deadly weapon. His hands.”

  “What?” Ronnie asked. “What are you talking about?”

  “He was an amateur boxer, trying to go pro. One night, outside of a bar, he beat a man to death with his bare hands!”

  Ronnie gasped. “Oh, my God.” She turned to Vic. “Is that true?”

  Vic released Allen and nodded. “Ronnie, that wasn’t exactly what happened.” He reached for Ronnie, but she shrank away from him like he had a disease.

  “Tell me the truth!” She turned her venom on him. She was half-screaming, half pleading. “Tell me why you killed a man, Vic. Why?”

  His heart sank to the pit of his stomach. He should have explained. He should have told her before now. He should have told her everything. About his mom. His sister. He couldn’t stand the way she was looking at him now like a leper. It was on the tip of his tongue to explain. But he glanced at Toye and Allen wearing smug expressions. Allen had been nosing around in his business. Toye had been a willing accomplice.

  If they truly cared for Ronnie, they wouldn’t have bum-rushed her with this news. They wouldn’t have called the fucking cops. They were haters, and he’d be damned if he was going to bare all in front of them. It wouldn’t do him any good to get angry now and validate everything this punk, Allen had said about him.

  Instead, Vic took the offensive. When he couldn’t fight physically, he did so with his words.

  “I don’t need this crap,” he told Ronnie. “If this is the way I’m going to be treated, I’m out of here. I don’t want to be where I’m not wanted.”

  With as much dignity as he could muster, Vic walked barefoot to his Explorer, got in, slammed the door, and drove off. If Ronnie had such little faith in him, maybe it was better if they never saw each other again.

  THIRTEEN

  A week later, Ronnie was still in disbelief over what had happened with Vic. He’d driven away from her house without so much as a goodbye wave. No calls. No appearances. Nothing. The only sign she had of him was the work boots he’d left on her living room floor. She’d put them in the trunk of her car hoping to be able to give them back to him when he called. But he never did.

  She bit back the feelings of loneliness that threatened to choke her. It had only been six days, but she missed him so badly. Correction: she was miserable without him. How could someone who’d only been a part of her life for a few months have her stomach in knots?

  “I should be mad at him, but I can’t force myself to be angry. More than anything, I’m worried about him. What’s he doing? Where is he working?”

  Ronnie sat across from Quatara on her best friend’s portico. She’d always loved this second-story patio with its breath-taking ocean view. Quatara and Bud’s occupations as engineers afforded them a beautiful home in this exclusive beach-front location. With no children of their own, Quatara and Bud put all of their money into their house.

  “Call his P.O. and find out,” Quatara suggested.

  Ronnie sipped the Mimosa, made with fresh-squeezed orange juice. Quatara had a flair for the dramatic. She was fond of having brunch with Mimosas for no reason at all. Ronnie gazed at the spread Quatara had put together for just the two of them. Caviar with crackers, smoked salmon shavings, artichoke dip with red peppers, watermelon salad, baby zucchini, poached shrimp, and assorted cheeses.

  Normally, Ronnie looked forward to hanging out with Quatara. But today, she just wanted to hide beneath the thick duvet of her queen-sized sleigh bed.

  Vic’s parole officer had called to say Vic would not be back, and he’d found another job. The man really wanted to know if he could count on Three Sisters to give Vic a good reference. The man also seemed like he wanted to know what was happening, and why Vic had abruptly quit. Ronnie didn’t divulge the details, but she did assure him she was pleased with Vic’s work performance.

  Quatara leaned forward in her wicker chair. Her dark brown eyes captured Ronnie’s. “You know, you’re not the first woman to be lied to by a man.”

  “Vic didn’t lie to me.”

  “You asked him about his prison sentence, but he wasn’t honest with you.”

  “That’s not true, either. I asked him once. He told me it was complicated. Apparently, it was.”

  “Okay, so I don’t get why you’re so mad. You knew he had a record. What’s the problem?”

  “I’m not mad. I’m just…” She paused. “I just didn’t know he killed a man.”

  “Well, honey, what did you think he was in jail for—jaywalking?”

  Ronnie smacked her lips. “Of course not. I guess I never really thought about what he served time for. I looked past the fact that he was an ex-con. I let my guard down with him. I was just getting to know him. Then, this happened. Now, I feel like I don’t know him at all. The man I let kiss me, touch me in the most intimate places is capable of taking a life.”

  Quatara scoffed. “You feel like you don’t know him at all?” She shook her head. “That’s because you don’t. Let me tell you something, Ronnie. Vic hasn’t changed. He’s the same man he’s always been. You never took the time to know him. You never even followed up on the nature of his crime.”

  “So, now, my character is on trial?”

  “I didn’t say that. You just got carried away. You let your vagina do the thinking.”

  Ronnie sighed. Her best friend was right. All it took was one guy to come along and stroke her in all the right places and she started acting like a cat in heat. “Vic is surprisingly charismatic,” Ronnie admitted. “He has a way of making me…forget myself.”

  “Now, you’re just making excuses.”

  “I know. What kind of woman am I to lose myself like that? I’ve never been so captivated by a man. It’s like I’m obsessed or something.”

  “It looks like you’re not the only one.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Allen said he’d done some investigating and he learned Vic had a past. What do you think prompted his investigation?”

  Ronnie shrugged. “I don’t know.”

  “I do.” Quatara stood and refilled their glasses. “Allen is a weasel. I never trusted him, and I don’t think you should either.”

  “What? Oh, c’mon, girl.”

  “I’m serious. The only reason Allen was digging up dirt on Vic is because he sees him as competition.”

  “I’ve given Allen no reason to think
I’m interested in him.”

  “That doesn’t matter. He wants you. I’ve seen him looking at you, following you around the room like a loyal dog.”

  “Quatara, you’re creeping me out.”

  “I’ve got something even more creepy. I think Allen has been following you, too. Otherwise, how would the police know where to find Vic that day? They would’ve had no idea he was at your house.”

  Ronnie stopped to consider what her best friend was saying. Yes, how did the police know where to find Vic? The two of them had only been at her house for a few hours. Vic drove her directly from the rock shop to her house.

  “Damn, I never stopped to think about that,” Ronnie admitted. “I was so busy trying to stop the police from arresting Vic, I didn’t give any thought to how they knew where he was.”

  “I don’t know if Vic is dangerous or not. Only you know that. You’ve spent time with him. But I do believe Allen is dangerous. You need to keep away from that guy.”

  Ronnie nodded. For the past week, she’d given Allen what he wanted. She’d pushed Vic away when she’d learned of his crime. Allen had been calling relentlessly. Checking on her, he’d said. This only bolstered Quatara’s claim. But Toye had been there with Allen, too. Were they partners in this? Ronnie still hadn’t forgotten Toye’s brief attempts to seduce Gabe almost two years ago. Candace had forgiven their cousin, but she hadn’t forgotten. Neither had Ronnie. She hated to think Toye was involved in trying to humiliate Vic. Why hadn’t Toye come to her personally and told her, instead of crushing her world in public?

  “Truthfully, I don’t know what to believe anymore.”

  “I think you owe it to yourself to talk to Vic again. Ask him what happened five years ago.”

  “I already know he’s guilty.”

  “Yes, but do you know his version of the story?”

  Ronnie shook her head. “No.”

  “Well, it’s high time you found out.”

  # # #

  Monday, Ronnie dragged herself to work, hiding behind a pair of dark sunshades. She certainly didn’t feel like working. She was in a funk. She’d left Quatara’s house well after five p.m. yesterday. She went home and promptly threw up. Then, she fell asleep. She had no business consuming all that champagne. She wasn’t a drinker by nature, but somewhere after the fifth glass, she’d suffered a mini meltdown. She’d almost called Vic, but changed her mind three times.

  When Jovan woke her up this morning to tell her he was leaving for school, she felt even worse. She’d neglected him the night before. It was no big deal to him. He figured she was feeling bad, so he’d let her sleep while he played video games on the big screen TV in the den. But it was a big deal to her. She didn’t want to turn into her mother, leaving her kids to fend for themselves. She wanted Jovan to enjoy his childhood for as long as he could.

  By the time she made it into the office at ten a.m., two hours past her normal scheduled arrival, Ronnie was not in the mood for Olivia’s jokes.

  “Well, well. Look what the cat dragged in,” Olivia purred. “Did somebody have a hot date that I’m unaware of?”

  “Coffee. Black. Please.” Ronnie walked past Olivia’s desk with no further instructions.

  “Oh, Allen called for you. He said to call him when—”

  “No calls today. Especially not from him.”

  “Uh, okay.”

  “I’m going in my office and I don’t want to be disturbed.”

  “What about payroll? If you want me to cut Vic’s final paycheck, I’ll need you to sign it.”

  Ronnie choked back a sob at the thought of severing the last tie between her and Vic. “Fine,” was all she said. She didn’t trust herself to say anything else.

  Ten minutes later, the door to Ronnie’s office opened. Figuring it was Olivia with her coffee, Ronnie didn’t bother to look up from her computer.

  “Finally,” she murmured.

  “Since you won’t return my calls, I decided to stop by.” Ronnie looked up to see her cousin, Toye holding a steaming mug. “I brought your caffeine fix,” Toye added.

  Ronnie pursed her lips. “Is it safe to drink?”

  Toye smirked as she sat the cup on Ronnie’s desk. “How could you even ask that?”

  “Simple. I don’t know if I can trust you anymore.”

  Ronnie stared at the woman she’d helped raise. Toye’s mother overdosed when she was thirteen years old. Ronnie, only four years older than her, had taken her in, adding her to the list of responsibilities. But she never complained. Toye’s mama and Ronnie’s mama were like peas in a pod—two rotted peas who attracted even more rotten men and bad habits.

  Toye’s grey eyes softened. “Where did we go wrong, Ronnie?”

  “You mean, where did you go wrong.”

  “I thought I was doing the right thing.”

  “By confronting me at my house?”

  “By telling you about Vic.”

  “Did it ever occur to you that I already knew about his record?”

  Toye shook her head. “I didn’t think you would have hired him if you knew he was an ex-con. Besides, Allen did a good job of convincing me you were in danger.”

  Toye was a beautiful woman. But she made dumb decisions. Just like she’d done with Gabe and Candace, Toye was butting into Ronnie’s business. “Are you and Allen screwing or something?” Ronnie asked.

  Toye’s jaw dropped. “God, no! The man is in love with you. He came to me begging me to help him find a way to tell you about Vic. He was so worried for you.”

  “To hell with Allen! You’re my cousin, Toye. After all we’ve been through, I expect more from you. You should have come to me privately with any concerns you had. Instead, you humiliated me.”

  “I know that now.” She gave Ronnie a pleading look. “I’m sorry. I messed up.”

  “Majorly.”

  “Everybody is mad at me. Candace won’t speak to me. Marlowe called me a name that rhymes with witch.”

  Ronnie had filled her sisters in on what had happened at her house that day. The day Vic took off like the hounds of hell were dogging him. He’d never looked back. Not once.

  “Please forgive me,” Toye pled. “I’m miserable without my best friends. Don’t let what Allen did come between us.”

  Ronnie pointed her finger at Toye. “You need to quit being so meddlesome.”

  “I promise, I will.”

  “If you do anything like this again, I will disown your ass.”

  Toye nodded. “I get it.” She picked up the coffee mug and held it out to Ronnie. “Peace?”

  “Peace.” Ronnie accepted the cup of coffee. She’d forgiven her cousin. She hoped she wouldn’t regret it.

  Ronnie worked non-stop for the rest of the day. At some point, a plastic container with a turkey on wheat sandwich, chips, and a bottle of lemonade appeared on her desk. She was so busy typing she hadn’t realized Olivia must have brought it in. Ronnie immediately felt contrite. Poor Olivia. She’d learned to stay out of the boss’s way when she was in a bad mood.

  “Probably didn’t want to get yelled at for letting Toye in here,” Ronnie muttered aloud.

  The next time she looked outside her window, the sun had set. She realized it was time to go home. Jovan would be waiting for her.

  She shut down her computer, slung her purse over her shoulder, and stepped into the outer office. Olivia’s desk was empty; the tiffany-style lamp she kept on it was turned off. Ronnie set the office alarm and walked the short distance across the street to the lot where she usually parked her car.

  Even though it was dark and the seasons were changing, it was still incredibly warm outside. She shrugged out of her suit coat as she walked. She’d almost made it to her car when out of nowhere, a masked man blocked her path.

  “Give me the purse, lady, and nobody gets hurt.”

  Ronnie panicked.

  Oh, God! I’m being mugged!

  She hesitated for a second, her heart pounding in her ears. As the man reached
for her handbag, her natural impulse was to resist. She clenched the purse strap tightly.

  “Dammit, lady. Let go,” the thief ordered.

  The man’s voice sounded vaguely familiar. His foul breath stank of garlic and liquor. She recoiled, and turned her face the other way to avoid the pungent odor. She tried to make a run for it, but she stumbled in her pumps and twisted the heel of her new designer shoes. Through it all, she clutched her handbag close to her body, thwarting the robber’s attempt to take her purse.

  “Enough of this shit,” he grumbled.

  He swung at her, but he missed.

  Ronnie ducked in time to avoid his powerful fist. She knew if he would have connected, she’d probably be out cold on the sidewalk by now. The thought pissed her off. She brought her leg up and kneed him in the nuts.

  “Oof!” The man groaned and clutched his balls.

  She thought that would be it, but he recovered quickly, grabbing the hem of her dress as she tried to flee. He spun her around and gripped her by her elbows. His fingers dug into her skin. A nearby street lamp reflected the deadly gleam in his eyes.

  Ronnie struggled to escape his grip.

  “You like playing with people’s private parts?” he threatened. “How ‘bout I play with yours?”

  Just as her mind began to comprehend his meaning, the man was suddenly wrenched away from her. He stumbled backwards and lost his balance, sprawling to the ground. She watched, mouth agape as Vic grabbed her assailant by the collar and hauled him to his feet. Without warning, Vic punched the guy in the face, landing a blow that made the man’s head snap back.

  Vic felt the power of his punch unleashed on the man. For years, he’d held this raw energy in check, afraid of the consequences. Few knew he was capable of delivering such a blow. The man looked up at him through rage-filled eyes that peeped from behind a black ski mask.

  Vic snorted. What this guy didn’t know was Vic could get just as enraged. Just as angry. Just as calculating. The image of this son-of-a-bitch attacking Ronnie spurred his movements. He stepped forward and swung again, this time connecting with the man’s midsection. Vic’s bare knuckles protested as they smashed into part of the man’s belt buckle. This would be much less painful if he was wearing gloves. But the motion was still there. Had never left him. Who the hell was this fool attacking a defenseless woman? His woman?