“And the same way Derrick’s looking at you right now,” Alaina observed.
Staci turned to see Derrick’s eyes fixed on her from across the lanai. She blushed when he lifted his glass to her in a private toast. She did the same for him with her glass. Just as she was about to take a drink from her glass, he mouthed the words, “I love you.” The simple romantic gesture had an unnerving effect on Staci. She missed her mouth and ended up pouring her drink on her top.
Alaina and Shannon laughed, but Staci didn’t care. She had the love of her husband, and that’s all that mattered to her. She could buy another blouse.
“Man, why’d you mess my sister up like that?” Craig, who had been watching the exchange, teased.
“What are you talking about?” Derrick’s innocent role wasn’t even convincing to him.
“It’s so good to see the two of you together again,” Carey smiled and patted Derrick on the back.
Derrick braced himself to contain his emotions, but then decided, what’s the point? This was his family, the people who loved him. “It’s good to be together, not just with Staci, but with the family. I really missed you all.”
“We’ve missed you too, son,” Carey said, giving him the ritual handshake.
Derrick looked at his father-in-law. It was then he realized that the only man in his life who referred to him as son was Carey. He was also the only man to treat him like a son. His gaze then switched to Marcus and Craig. Derrick couldn’t recall one time when they added “in-law” to his name. It was always simply “brother” or “my boy.”
Derrick’s shoulders slumped, and Staci started to him from across the lanai, but Alaina’s voice stopped her. “Whatever is going on over there is good for him. He could use some male bonding.”
The women watched in silence as the men exchanged words that could only be heard amongst each other. After that, the men shared hugs and that ridiculous handshake ritual again. Finally, the men beckoned for the women to join them in their circle of prayer. Marcus stood behind Shannon with his hands resting on her extended belly. Staci took Derrick’s hand, bowed her head, and listened to her father pray.
“Heavenly Father, we thank you for reuniting our family. We thank you for the unconditional love that flows through our family. We thank you for a love that is both generous and longsuffering. We thank you for restoring my son and daughter’s marriage. We thank you for the new lives my daughter Shannon shall bring forth in just a few days. We thank you for Marcus’s success as a father and a provider. We thank you for Craig’s success in his business and pray that soon he’ll make a solid commitment to you. We pray that as this family grows, our love and devotion to you will also grow. In your son Jesus’ name we pray, amen.”
Derrick and Staci lingered, holding each other long after the rest of the family went inside for dinner.
Sunday dinner was interrupted when Brian called to say Lashay was in labor. Staci grabbed her digital camera as the family rushed out the door for the birth of the first Simone great-grandchild.
By the time they arrived at St. John’s Hospital, the waiting room was already packed with Simones. Nearly all of the first-generation siblings were present, including patriarchs, Carey Sr. and Ana Simone. No one wanted to miss the birth of the first Simone great-grandchild. Staci was enjoying a hug from her grandfather when Julia came out and informed her that Lashay had requested her presence in the delivery room.
Inside the delivery room, Lashay was surrounded by her mother and Brian’s mother. And, of course, Brian was right there, looking like a helpless puppy, Staci thought.
When the force of her contraction subsided, Lashay called Staci over to the bed. The intense look in her eyes implied that what Lashay had to say would make sense and was very important.
“What is it, Lashay?” The look in Lashay’s eyes scared Staci. Brian wiped his wife’s forehead, and the soon-to-be grandparents remained quiet so they could hear Lashay.
“Go and get Uncle André’s gun and please shoot me. Please put me out of my misery,” Lashay panted. Everyone in the room but Brain laughed at the request. “I can’t take it anymore,” she moaned and braced herself for yet another contraction.
“Yes, you can,” Staci said, taking Lashay’s hand in hers. Thirty seconds later, Staci wished she’d kept her hand to herself.
An hour later, Staci and the rest of the Simone clan celebrated the birth of the first great-grandchild. Briana Alysse Pennington made her debut at eight pounds and twenty-one inches.
Out in the waiting room, tears welled in Staci’s eyes as she watched her family enjoy the pictures from her digital camera. Her arms instinctively covered her abdomen, and she bent over as her desire to have a baby overwhelmed her.
Derrick sensed her longing, placed his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her to him. “Come on, let’s go home and take that ride I promised you.”
Chapter 38
Staci quickly packed her briefcase and grabbed her jacket. She was in a hurry to get home to see Derrick’s face when the new wardrobe she’d picked out for him arrived. The elevator arrived just as she said bye to Chloe. As she walked to her Mercedes, Staci fished her keys from her purse. She was just about to deactivate the alarm when her knees buckled.
“Oh my God!” she gasped.
“I’ve already phoned security.” One of the other building merchants came running to keep her from falling.
Once she was steady, Staci looked at her car in disbelief. She knew Malcolm was behind this. Who else would smash out all of the windows and spray paint U b long 2 me in red letters all around her car?
Staci leaned against the cement pillar and closed her eyes. Since Derrick bought her a new cell phone, Malcolm hadn’t been able to call her. He had tried to reach her several times at work, but couldn’t get past security and Chloe. Staci wondered how he was able to sneak into the reserved parking garage and deface her car without being noticed. In her head, she could hear Malcolm telling her he wasn’t going to just go away, but she didn’t know that meant he’d resort to vandalism.
“Staci, what’s going on?” Marcus asked, stepping from the garage elevator.
Staci gestured toward her car and tears trickled down her cheeks.
“Do you have any idea who could have done this?” the security officer asked, looking back at the vehicle.
“I know exactly who’s behind this,” Marcus answered, pulling out his cell phone.
While Marcus talked on the phone, Staci answered questions from security, and then waited for the police to arrive and take her statement. She held her emotions intact until Derrick arrived fifteen minutes later. No sooner had he touched her, she fell apart in the comfort of his arms. The depth of her fears poured out in deep sobs and spilled over on Derrick’s shirt.
On the ride home, Staci didn’t say a word. She couldn’t; she was too scared. She wasn’t afraid for herself. She was more afraid for Derrick. She didn’t know what he was going to do to Malcolm, but she knew her husband was not going to let this deed go unchecked. Neither were Marcus and Craig. She just prayed that none of them would have to suffer consequences because of her wrong relationship. She didn’t want her husband or brothers to do anything to jeopardize their lifestyle by beating the life out of Malcolm.
Slowly, she climbed the stairs and dragged into her bedroom. She looked around her empty room, then collapsed onto her bed, and between sobs, she prayed for a simple resolution.
Derrick lingered downstairs. He needed time to sort through his emotions. Malcolm had gone too far for Derrick not to respond. Verbal threats were one thing, but Malcolm proved tonight that he was capable of physically harming Staci. Derrick couldn’t allow that. And what about Staci? He saw the raw fear in her eyes and figured she blamed herself for what Malcolm had done. He also knew Staci was afraid of how he would handle the situation.
Derrick knelt down in front of the fireplace and prayed. He needed to get the vision he had of him strangling Malcolm with his bare hands ou
t of his head before he acted on it.
Staci was still lying on top of the covers when Derrick entered their bedroom. When she felt him lie beside her and take her into his arms, the dam broke again.
“Derrick, please.”
“Shush.” He held her tighter. “Let’s take a shower,” he whispered in her ear after the tremors subsided.
Derrick took his time and literally washed away Staci’s fears—for a while anyway. The lovemaking that followed was powerful, each sending the other a message.
For Staci, she needed Derrick to know that she loved him and needed him around; that her world didn’t exist without him. That she didn’t want him to do anything that would have an adverse effect on their marriage.
For Derrick, he wanted her to fully understand that it was his job to protect her and that he would give his life to protect her and keep her safe.
Snuggled on top of him with his hands and arms still cuddling her body, Staci looked into her teddy bear’s eyes. “Just be careful,” she whispered, then buried her head in his chest.
Derrick held her tighter. He didn’t know what he was going to do when he confronted Malcolm, but he knew it wasn’t going to be good.
The next morning, after instructing Phyllis to cancel his morning patients, Derrick dropped Staci off at her office building. He walked around the SUV and opened the passenger door for her, but she hesitated before climbing out. She didn’t say a word, but he read the plea in her eyes.
“When I pick you up this afternoon, we’ll go and select your new car.” Derrick knew that wasn’t what she wanted to hear, but that was the best he could give her. Staci gave a slight nod and grabbed her briefcase, then stepped onto the curb. She looked over Derrick’s shoulder to see Marcus and Craig appear through the revolving glass doors. Her brothers’ faces bore the same hard look as Derrick’s. Chances of convincing them not to confront Malcolm were slim to none.
She turned her attention back to her husband. After dropping her briefcase on the seat, Staci took him in her arms and kissed him like it was her last time. “I love you,” she whispered, then grabbed her briefcase and rushed past Marcus and Craig and into the building.
Derrick’s eyes followed her.
“She’ll be okay,” Craig said, and Marcus quickly agreed.
Derrick quietly walked around and jumped in the SUV.
“Isn’t that lovely?” Malcolm sneered from the confines of his vehicle. Watching Staci kiss the big coward was sickening to him. And Malcolm was tired of being sick. He was tired of Staci refusing his phone calls at work after she changed her cell number. He was tired of not sleeping at night because of the nightmares he had of Staci being intimate with Derrick. Malcolm was tired of trying to find Staci.
He’d searched the public records for her address, but couldn’t find Staci Simone or Dr. Derrick Simone listed anywhere. He’d tried the DMV, even called MS Computers and pretended to be a repairman calling to verify her home address, but didn’t get anywhere. It wasn’t until last week when he went online and pulled up an old article about MS Computers did he find out her name is Stacelyn and not Staci and that the man who’d thrown him out of her office was Marcus Simone, the gospel artist and her brother. He found out her last name after following her to Derrick’s dental office one afternoon. She stayed there for over an hour. He could only guess what she was doing with him.
At first he tried to forget about her, but he couldn’t. He tried to turn his attention to other women, but it didn’t work. He wanted Staci. She reminded him too much of his mother, and that made him need her more. He thought she would come to her senses or that the coward would leave again. In six weeks that hadn’t happened, and now he was tired of waiting. That’s the reason he defaced her car; to remind Staci that she was his. He’d expected a call from her last night, apologizing for neglecting him, for leaving him, but that didn’t happen. Now it was time to put a stop to this. Staci didn’t understand that she was his woman. Today, he would open up her understanding.
He drove across Bay Street and parked in the parking garage. From his position he had an unobstructed view of the Mexican Restaurant where he and Staci met. He’d known the moment he saw her that they were destined to be together. The date he had planned to meet there that night had called and cancelled just as he’d pulled into the parking stall. Instead of going straight to the club, he decided to stay and eat dinner. When he saw Staci sitting alone, sipping a drink, and the epitome of loneliness, he knew it was fate showing him favor.
Malcolm fantasized about their future until his cell phone vibrated from the alarm he’d set. It was time. He turned off the ignition and hastily got out of the vehicle. He donned his sunglasses and adjusted the empty package under his arm. Stealing the delivery uniform made things easier than he’d thought. When he entered the office building, no one gave him a second glance. He nodded to the security guard at the information desk and headed straight for the elevator.
Chapter 39
“Are you praying yet?” Shannon asked as soon as Staci answered the line.
“Harder than ever. I have a real bad feeling about this,” Staci answered, rubbing her forehead.
“I kept Marcus up half the night talking—well, arguing—about this. I told him to let the police handle it, but you know them stubborn Simone men better than I do,” Shannon sighed. “When it comes to protecting their women, ego and testosterone are a deadly combination.”
“I also know my husband, and teamed with my brothers, Malcolm’s in for a triple beat down.”
“Staci, all we can do is pray that everything works out without anyone, including Malcolm, getting hurt.”
“You lead, I’m too nervous.” Staci closed her eyes and listened to Shannon pray God’s protection over their husbands and Craig.
“. . . and, God, help Malcolm to see his wrong and turn to you for help. In your son Jesus’ name, amen.”
“Amen,” Staci echoed.
“Try to relax. I know everything is going to work out. I’ll even bring you lunch to celebrate after my visit with Lashay.”
The gesture got a smile from Staci. “Thanks, I love you, girl.”
“Love you too. Bye.”
Staci hung up the phone feeling a little better in her spirit, but her stomach still felt uneasy. That would remain until she heard from Derrick.
“What do you mean he’s not here?” Derrick barked at the secretary.
“I’m sorry, but Mr. Leblanc quit this job two weeks ago.”
Derrick made the secretary so nervous, her hands were shaking. “Miss, I don’t mean to scare you, but I need to find Mr. Leblanc.”
She nervously eyed Marcus and Craig, then looked at Derrick. “I could tell when you were here the last time he’d done something scandalous. Try his loft on Embarcadero,” she suggested. “I’ll give you the address. Mr. Leblanc treated me so badly; I want him to get everything due him, especially since he skipped my Christmas bonus for two years.”
Derrick’s patience wore thin during the minute it took for her to look up the address. “Thank you,” he said, after retrieving the Post-it note. “I know exactly where this is.”
“You’re welcome,” the secretary replied, although they didn’t hear her. Derrick, Marcus, and Craig were halfway to the elevator by then.
What should have been a ten-minute drive Derrick made in half the time. After knocking on Malcolm’s door for the third time, Derrick broke the door open. The three men stepped inside without hesitation. A disgusting sight greeted their eyes. The 1,800 sq foot loft was littered with filthy clothing and half-eaten food, some of which was covered with green fuzz and crawling maggots.
“Man!” Craig said when the stench reached his nose causing him to gag. “This place smells like something or someone died in here.”
Marcus searched for a window to open, and that’s when he saw it. On the one clean side of the room was an overblown picture of Staci. The hardwood floor beneath it was covered with a sticky white substance. T
o the left of Staci’s photo, a picture of a closed casket with Derrick’s name written on it. To the right, a picture of a bride with Staci’s face.
“He’s planning for both a wedding and a funeral,” Marcus stated the obvious.
Derrick’s cheeks burned as rage, and fear raced through his body. He had to keep this insane man away from his wife. Malcolm was more mentally unstable than previously thought. And for the first time in his life, Derrick acknowledged that although he was trained to preserve life, he’d kill in an instant to protect his wife.
Chapter 40
Staci leaned back in her chair and massaged her temples. It seemed as though she’d been working for hours; in actuality, it had been less than an hour. She decided to take a much-needed restroom break. This morning she just couldn’t shake the queasiness in her stomach. The same queasiness visited her the day before, but by noon she was fine. What she experienced today was almost unbearable. She decided to purge herself in an effort to make the feeling go away.
Her plan didn’t work, and now she felt worse than she did before. She stood over the sink holding her hair back with one hand and used the other one to rinse out her mouth. As she gazed in the mirror, she used her fingers to put her curls back into place. Her eyes caught a glimpse of her ring, and she stopped and stroked the shiny baguettes. “I know this is my fault, but, God, please show me mercy and keep my husband safe.”
When she finished praying, she felt the urge to regurgitate again. She barely made it inside the stall before the bitter yellow bile erupted from her.
“Ms. Simone needs to sign for this one,” the delivery man said to Chloe. Before Chloe could tell the young man that Staci wasn’t in her office and that it was Chloe he needed to see if he wanted a signature, the man headed for Staci’s door.
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