by H. H. Fowler
“No, Ma…Drake is being detained at the police station, but don’t believe everything that is being reported in the news –”
Kevin held the phone away from his ear, just so that his mother’s scream wouldn’t rupture his eardrum. He knew he should have called his mother the moment he got that upsetting call from the police station, but he hadn’t any idea that things would have moved so swiftly in the media.
“Ma, I need you to calm down.”
“Don’t tell me to calm down!” Suanne fired. “You should have told me your brother was in jail, instead of me having to find out about it on the news. Do you know this could give me a heart attack?”
“Ma, take it easy,” Kevin tried. “I’m on my way…”
“Tell me the name of this whore who has lied on my baby,” Suanne cried. “Because I know my son…I know my son!”
“The woman is Yasmine Strummer,” Kevin said in between his mother’s rant. “I’m sure you remember her. She’s the same girl you forced me to ditch when I was fourteen.”
Suanne’s crying stopped immediately and then just as suddenly, she spat with a good dose of vehemence, “That witch!”
“So you do remember her?”
“How could I forget that wicked woman,” Suanne said. “She was here at my house, looking for Drake…I should have known she was after something, preening on my steps like she was about to take a picture.”
Kevin frowned. “Yasmine was at your house? When?”
“Two days ago – the same day you and Drake came to visit me.”
“What did Yasmine want with Drake?”
“Isn’t that clear now, boy?” Suanne spat. “She framed your brother for rape!”
“Ma,” Kevin said impatiently. “Please indulge me. I know Drake was set up – we all know that, but just our belief alone is not going to get us very far with a jury. We need proof that Yasmine went to that hotel room with the intention to harm Drake. And by the way, how did Yasmine know that we were staying at the Smithson Hotel?”
There was a brief pause on Suanne’s end and then came the quick, blunt reply. “That witch fed me some bull crap about Drake being hoodwinked by her father and like a bloody fool, I fell for it.”
“So you told her where we were staying, even though Drake instructed you not to let anyone know of his whereabouts?”
“What choice did I have? She was so convincing. What would you have done if someone told you that your brother was about to inherit some money and that they needed to reach him urgently?”
“Ma, money isn’t everything. People get killed for things like that all of the time. You should have known that something was up when Yasmine suddenly showed up on your doorstep without any prior warning. If I remember correctly, she hates your guts.”
“The feeling is mutual.” Suanne exhaled forcefully. “So what are you saying to me? That I’m the reason why Drake is locked up in that hell hole?”
Kevin eased the rental car to a stop in front of a traffic light. He detected raw horror in his mother’s voice. “Listen to me, Ma. What happened to Drake isn’t your fault and I’m sorry if I made you feel that way. We are all stressed about this situation and the longer we take to come up with information that could prove Drake is innocent, the harder it will be to get him exonerated.”
“Well, what do you want me to do? I can’t sit here and do nothing. And when can I see my baby?”
Kevin decided to tackle Suanne’s first question. “If you can tell me where Yasmine lives that would be very helpful.”
“Even if I knew,” Suanne snapped, “I wouldn’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because I don’t want two of my sons sharing the same bloody prison cell. You stay away from that girl. You hear me?”
“Well, if you want something to do,” Kevin said to divert Suanne from her rant, “Call this number…555-0022.”
“And whose number is this?”
“Barry Owens – a very good defense lawyer. Ask him to meet you at the police station tomorrow morning. I want him to provide legal representation for Drake.”
“Barry Owens?” Suanne was practically yelling during the entire conversation. “Not that man who’s responsible for getting many of these drug dealers and murderers off the hook. Are you crazy? I don’t want him representing my son…”
“Bye, Ma. I’ll see you in a bit.”
“Kevin, do as your mother says,” Suanne went on. “That Yasmine girl is poison and full of the devil’s spirit. I saw that in her all those years ago…look at where her evil vices have gotten your brother…”
“Love you, Ma.”
Kevin cut the connection and tossed the phone in the passenger seat, feeling like he’d been wrestling with a boa constrictor. He remembered now why he decided to move to the United States. His mother was just too much drama to deal with. When the traffic light turned green, he made an abrupt U-turn. Instead of going to his mother’s house as planned, he headed in the direction of Paradise Blvd. Hunter Rose was suddenly on his mind and he had an unexplainable urge to see her before he left for Tampa in the morning.
Chapter Fourteen
8:22 p.m.
Since Sasha had decided to turn in early for the evening, Hunter took advantage of the quietude by pulling out her laptop and logging into the back office of her website. She tried to update the main page once a week with anything from announcements to answering customers’ concerns to uploading new pics of her latest designs. Of course, being as busy as she was these days with her jewelry business expanding from one location to another, she could relegate the task of updating her webpage to someone else. But Hunter preferred her own personal touch. It kept her grounded and accessible to her customers.
Having a lot of money tended to make one feel as if they were more important than everyone else and Hunter didn’t want that to happen to her. That was why she constantly shied away from the limelight and tried to live her life as simply as possible. Her employees rarely saw her at the store. Not that she couldn’t make herself scarce in her spacious, Italian-designed office, but working from home was what she loved. And in this age of technology it was easy to communicate. Most of her employees’ concerns were either addressed through email or by Skype anyway. And for over five years this system had worked without a hitch.
Hunter kicked off her shoes and was really beginning to relax when she heard her doorbell ring. The frown on her face suggested that she was not expecting anyone at this hour. Nevertheless, she got up from where she was sitting and answered the door. The frame of a man, maybe five feet, eleven inches stood off from the door, with his back turned toward her. Hunter was not comfortable with admiring a man’s buttocks, but she couldn’t help but be pleased with what she saw.
“Kevin?”
He turned to face her, the hue from the porch light making his ruddy complexion even more attractive. The Beckford brothers were very handsome men and Hunter could understand why many women would be drawn toward them. Even their personalities were mesmerizing, especially the way that they looked out for each other.
“What are you doing here?” Hunter inquired and when Kevin didn’t reply right away she got anxious. “Please don’t tell me something has come up again about Drake.”
Kevin’s lips twisted into a lopsided smile. “Wow…for a white woman, you are pretty amazing – to show such concern for my brother.”
Hunter’s cheeks flushed, like they usually did whenever Kevin smiled. Those moist pink lips of his were tempting, the way he unknowingly used them to entice. “I see that my skin color still bothers you.”
“If it did, I wouldn’t be here,” Kevin said. “You have won me over from the first day I saw you. You handled a very intense moment between Sasha and Drake with finesse and with respect. I can see that you have influence over Sasha, which you could have used to encourage her to keep her distance from Drake. But you have been advocating for them to reconcile from day one. Not many women I know would do that.”
&
nbsp; Hunter was sure by now her entire face was as red as a beet. How did Kevin expect her to respond to such accolades? She was merely being herself, because she loved Sasha and her ultimate desire was for both Sasha and Drake to be happy. Why did Kevin think that was so special?
She cleared the proverbial frog from her throat and asked, “Do you want to come inside for a minute?”
Kevin looked at Hunter with a lazy gaze. “I’d better not; I may never leave…”
That line, irrespective of whether an innocent interpretation was intended, the chemistry between Kevin and Hunter was undeniable. In fact, if left up to Kevin, he would have pulled Hunter into a long, hard kiss from the moment she opened her front door to greet him. But of course, he’d matured into a more patient kind of guy. He could wait until Hunter was a little more comfortable with him.
“Plus, I have an early flight in the morning,” he said, destroying the silence between them. “I was hoping to get an early night.”
Hunter looked at Kevin and tried not to show her disappointment. “You’re going back to Tampa?”
“Only for a day or so,” Kevin answered quickly. “I’ll be back, hopefully by Sunday. I have a client to deal with…”
Hunter tucked a strand of her blonde hair behind an ear. “I understand…don’t worry, though, I’ll look after Drake until you get back.”
Another stretch of silence ensued, as the two budding lovers struggled to process the romance that seemed to twist the general gist of their words. It was an electrifying experience and Hunter didn’t know how much more of it she could take.
“Have you found a lawyer yet to represent your brother?” she asked. At least it was a question to help take her mind out of the gutter. Kevin was staring at her in a way that made Hunter feel exposed and desired at the same time.
“Yes...the plan is that he will meet my mother at the police station tomorrow morning.”
“Good…”
“In any event,” Kevin said. “Having you by my side while I deal with this situation with my brother has made it easier to bear. You impressed me on so many levels and it would be robbery if I didn’t come by to say thank you.”
“Kevin, you don’t have to thank me.”
“Of course I do,” he said. “Especially the way you try to keep the peace between me and Sasha. After what she and Drake have been through in the last six months, I know she is having a hard time trying to come to grips with everything else that is going on lately. I should have been more understanding.”
“Sasha has nothing but love and respect for you as her brother-in-law,” Hunter said. “And I’m sure you feel the same way about her. Drake is a very special man and I can understand why everyone loves him so much. But no one’s family is perfect and there will be times of disagreement and even heated debates, but I sincerely doubt that means you stop caring about each other. We learn to forgive and live to cherish another day.”
Kevin rubbed his bald head in admiration. “You see, this is the reason why I’m starting to like you so much. Your words are so grounded.”
“Well,” Hunter teased, “you’re not so bad yourself. This past week you’ve been in Devin’s Cay, I’ve seen so many wonderful parts of your character and I’m happy to have met you.”
Kevin smiled. “Are you really?”
“Yes…you’re a great guy to know.”
“Wow…” Kevin said, closing in the space between him and Hunter. “That deserves a hug.”
Before Hunter could protest, Kevin pulled her into his chest. However, the contact only confirmed that the chemistry between them was as real as the warmth being generated between their bodies. With his hands still locked around Hunter’s waist, Kevin took a chance, leaning in to press his lips against hers. The touch was hesitant, but almost immediately, the kiss deepened into a breathless encounter. When Kevin moved away, Hunter still had her eyes closed, relishing in the sensation.
“Take care of yourself, beautiful,” he said. “I will see you soon.”
****
Sasha twisted and turned in her bed for an hour straight, trying to get an early night’s rest, but to no avail. She couldn’t sleep and it was making her miserable. She pushed her body up against the headboard and sat staring in the dark at the shadowy figures. After a while, she began to feel a strong impression on her heart to pick up her bible and read Matthew 7.
But she resisted the feeling, passing it off as something her tired mind had conjured up. But soon, she was being compelled and Sasha knew then it was not just her mind. It was the Holy Spirit, trying to get her attention. It was almost as if a presence of authority had walked into the room and was demanding that she listen.
Not wanting to ‘grieve’ the Spirit, Sasha reached for her android phone and clicked on the bible icon that was on her main screen. In no time she was able to pull up the scripture that was impressed upon her heart. Though it felt strange reading about being told not to judge, because she didn’t understand how that fitted into the sphere of the moment, she continued on. However, it was not until Sasha read verse 5 that she gradually saw the error of her ways:
"Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye."
It was clearly a rebuke that Sasha wasn’t ready for. However, she knew there was a message in that verse, reading it over and over again until it suddenly broke into the walls of her stony heart. The only thing Sasha could do was drop to her knees and cry out in true repentance. It had to be the Holy Spirit dealing with her because what she was about to pray for she never saw coming:
Lord, help me to forgive my husband…And help him to forgive me…
Seventy Hours After Drake’s Arrest
Chapter Fifteen
10:10 a.m.
“Beckford, wake up!” Mitchell instructed, tapping the iron bars with his baton. “You have a visitor. And don’t get used to sleeping late in this cell because pretty soon, things are going to be different when you’re sentenced and remanded to a real jailhouse.”
All of the crying and praying the previous nights had Drake feeling lazy and heavy in spirit. But despite the feeling, he was relieved to be out of the cell, if only for a short while to get a change of scenery and briefly ignore the fact that he was facing a serious charge that could completely alter the course of his future. He fell in behind Mitchell’s quick strides, down the hall and into the same room he’d sat with Kevin two nights ago. His gaze circled the room and landed squarely on his wife. By then, every lethargic bone had awakened in Drake’s body.
“You have twenty minutes,” Mitchell barked, before leaving Sasha and Drake to their privacy.
Drake stood, frozen and not having any idea of how to react. For all he knew, Sasha could be there to tell him that it was officially over between them, especially with the pending rape allegations. What else did he expect? They weren’t on the best of terms and she certainly had a good excuse to walk away without looking back. However, he sincerely prayed last night that this situation would begin to turn around for the better. These past three days, being detained in isolation, Drake had had ample time to think about his marriage and to work on repairing the damage in his relationship with God. It was only then that he was able to look at his incarceration from a different perspective.
Maybe it was God’s plan to humble him, helping him to understand that the only way for him to be fully restored in body, mind, soul and spirit was to let go of his bitterness toward his wife, the hatred he had for Levi and the disdain he’d recently developed for Yasmine. Yet, it was not easy at all for Drake to do this, especially when he was forced to admit that revenge had been the main motivator behind his actions. But he now saw that he’d caused more harm than good. And even now, as he meticulously took in the form of his precious wife, looking as delicate and as graceful as the last time he’d seen her, Drake suddenly realized that his actions had almost destroyed this fine specimen of a woman.
�
��You’ve lost some weight,” she finally spoke up, giving Drake a quick sweep with her eyes.
She’s showing concern…that’s a good sign. “I haven’t been eating.” Drake looked at the chair facing Sasha. “May I sit?”
Sasha shrugged. “I don’t see why not. I didn’t bring anything to knock the heck out of you with, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
There wasn’t a hint of humor in Sasha’s expression and Drake wasn’t sure whether he should interpret that as a joke or not. Six months ago, it was easy to talk to Sasha and easy to read her body language, but things were so different between them now that Drake wondered if they would ever find their way back to each other. He took the risk and sat anyway.
She uncrossed her legs and with much solemnity in her tone, she said, “I will admit that I did not want to see you, even though Hunter was constantly urging me to do it. In fact, I’d made up mind that I wasn’t even going to bother finding out the truth of whether you raped Yasmine or not –”
“I didn’t rape her.”
“Let me finish,” Sasha cut back in, her tone now matching her piercing gaze. “I wanted to give you a taste of your own medicine – to let you feel what it’s like to want to explain your side of the story, but you can’t because I’m not around to hear it. I wanted to make you regret the day you walked out on our marriage and to punish you for making me cry myself to sleep just about every night. For embarrassing me and leaving me to face the music alone.
“I struggled with depression and with my self-esteem and during those months you were gone, part of me felt as if it were gone too. Eventually, I became filled with anger and bitterness, until it consumed me and I solely blamed you for ruining my life. I began to rationalize that if you’d really loved me, you wouldn’t have given up on our marriage so easily. But you know, I said all of that to say this: God really has a sense of humor...”
Drake clasped his hands in his lap, sensing he should keep his mouth shut and just listen to his wife. She deserved his full attention. Six months ago he’d forcibly taken that right away from her and he wasn’t about to make the same mistake again.