After the End

by Brenda Barrett

  Yuri chuckled. "Well, thanks."

  "So answer. Why are you looking like lukewarm porridge?" Terri asked. "Apart from the fact that we are here for the funeral and the fact that you always look gutted when you come back here, whether it's a funeral or a wedding. Remember Troy's wedding? You sat in a corner and you looked whipped, like some evil pixie had given you a beating."

  He remembered Troy's wedding. His little brother had gotten married five years ago, two days before Marla and Ricky’s wedding. Of course he had been gutted. He had been best man at both affairs and he had thought that he had hid his displeasure quite well.

  But of course, Terri had made it her personal job to psychoanalyze him and probe into his mind and had seen how devastated he had been at the time, even though he thought he had acted pretty well, considering.

  "Is there a point to this?" Yuri looked at his sister in disgust.

  Terri's eyes brightened considerably when she saw his expression. "Much better--you look less woebegone when you have that battle light in your eyes."

  Yuri kissed his teeth. "Whatever."

  "So why are you so sad looking?" Terri prompted.

  Yuri gave her an assessing look. "This is strictly between us. You can't tell Mom and Dad, or Troy."

  "As if," Terri snorted. "When have I ever let out a confidence?"

  "You told everyone that I liked Marla."

  "For goodness’ sakes, Yuri. You were fifteen. I was ten. Besides, the whole family knew, the neighborhood knew. I am pretty sure that one look at you and everybody in the world would have known! That was thirteen years ago." Terri looked at him slyly. "You still like her, don't you…after all these years?"

  "No!" Yuri protested quickly. "No, of course not; she's married to my best friend."

  "Ricardo Mills is not worthy to be called your friend." Terri snorted. "Why you still have him in your life is beyond me."

  "He likes to keep in touch," Yuri murmured, "so we keep in touch."

  "He likes to torture you and let you know that he won…that he got the girl," Terri said harshly. "I am absolutely not sorry that he had that accident and was paralyzed…that should keep the loud mouthed-bully humble."

  "Terri!" Yuri looked at her sharply. "I was responsible for that accident!"

  "No, you weren’t. He wants you to think so," Terri said stubbornly. "You know what, enough of this. You were going to tell me something before we went down this road."

  "I don't feel like telling you anything anymore," Yuri grumbled.

  "You'd better," Terri pinched him, "or else I am going to gently suggest to Mommy that you look like hell and it’s not because you are grieving. Then Mommy will hound you and call you all hours of the day and night, finding out if you have eaten and if you have brushed your teeth, if you are overworking and..."

  "Okay, threat received and processed." Yuri grinned. "She stopped doing that to you yet?"

  "Nope." Terri smiled. "It has gotten a little better, though. I think I have passed the adult test because I am a flight attendant now."

  Yuri looked up at the tree limbs and then at Terri. "The company where I work is selling out. Three of the guys are planning to buy it from the owner. They asked me if I wanted in. It is a good deal. They sell electronic circuit boards and the software division that I manage is on the cusp of a few break-throughs. So this would be a good...no, not just good... an excellent deal."

  "So what's wrong?" Terri asked innocently, as if she had forgotten that the Scarletts were not exactly the richest people in the world.

  Yuri laughed. "Terri, I can barely afford my rent and I am still paying back student loans. Where would I find millions of dollars to buy into this venture? Unlike the other guys I am not from a wealthy background."

  Terri nodded. "I see."

  "It has been keeping me up at nights." Yuri clenched and unclenched his fingers. "I talked to Grandpa about it couple months ago too..."

  "Really?" Terri said, "Why am I not surprised? You tell him everything."

  "I got a bit desperate and talked to Ricky about it too."

  "Why?" Terri's voice got frosty. "Of all the people in the world…really?"

  "He's rich," Yuri said simply, "and he is my friend. You keep forgetting that."

  "He wouldn't lift a finger if you were in trouble." Terri pointed out. "He is a phony who for some strange reason wants everything you have or want, which is very puzzling to me since he is the one that was born with a silver spoon in his mouth."

  Yuri sighed. "He said he would help."

  "A deal with the devil," Terri snorted. "What does he want in return, service from your unborn children, a right hand and a foot, no...wait, bet he wants you to paralyze yourself too, so that the two of you can be equals."

  "He wants a baby." Yuri sighed. "Well, Marla wants a baby. And instead of some strange sperm donor and all the works, they want my sperm. Someone they know and trust."

  There was silence after his statement.

  Terri looked like she was finding it hard to process what he said.

  "Terri," Yuri prompted in the silence.

  "Don't." Terri swallowed, her face serious and tense. "Do not do it; let Ricky find some other sucker to give him a baby."

  "I didn't say I would," Yuri rebuked her gently. "It wouldn't be right."

  "He is just looking for a way to torture you because you are no longer under his spell. You escaped the country and seeing him and Marla together, you are now living in Kingston far away from him and he doesn't know what you are doing. So he has to find some way of hanging on to you from afar.

  "He is so obsessed with controlling you that he wants a child by you and the woman that you love to make him feel better about himself." Terri was roiled up. "Poor little rich boy Ricky Mills has all the wealth in the world but he can't be Yuri Scarlett. He's obsessed!"

  Yuri had never seen Ricky the way that Terri did and he was quite taken aback by Terri's assessment of the situation. But despite her disdain for Ricky he was still tempted to do it. How else could he come up with thirty million dollars? He didn't know anybody else who would be willing to give him that amount of money or even hear the figure and not gasp in astonishment.

  Ricky had just calmly asked him when he wanted the money. Just like that. No fanfare, no questions; he hadn't even explained what the company was about or his plan to pay him back.

  Was it really a deal with the devil, as Terri had so dramatically put it? He wished he had his grandfather to discuss this with. He hadn't gotten the chance to in the last couple of weeks when Pops got sick; it wouldn't have been fair to burden him with his problems.

  He couldn't tell his parents. His mother was a worrier, and this sort of problem would be beyond their comprehension. They were poor country folks; telling them that he needed thirty million dollars was like speaking another language.

  His father was a farmer and his mother a housewife and it was only just last year that they had even finished the house. The four-bedroom structure had stood half finished for years, a sore in the eyes of the community, but his parents had not been able to afford fixing it up. They had sacrificed and sent all three of their children through college. Education before aesthetics was his mother's constant mantra.

  "Here comes company," Terri whispered, breaking into his reverie.

  Yuri looked across the yard, all the way to the front, and his heart skipped a beat. Marla was parking her BMW beside his battered Ford Escort.

  "It took her long enough to show up," Terri murmured. "Maybe she just heard that you arrived, or maybe evil Ricky has finally let her out of the house. You know, it wouldn't surprise me if he told her not to fraternize with us common folks."

  Yuri didn't respond. He had long hardened his heart against having feelings for Marla. He had long mastered the art of only showing her a friendly face.

  But now, just now, when she climbed out of the car in her khaki shorts and her white vest top, showing off her honey-gold skin, he had a lapse.

&nbs
p; A brief lapse.

  He was thinking of her carrying his baby and he had to admit to himself that this was not the first time he had done so. This very thought was what was keeping him up at nights. Every night. Maybe more than the money or buying into the company.

  OTHER BOOKS BY BRENDA BARRETT

  Resetter Series

  Never Too Late (Book 1)- Addi finds out she is a resetter and goes back to the summer of 92 to change her family's lives.

  Never Say Never (Book 2)- Skyler's handsome college lecturer, who happens to be her neighbor, has a T in his palms. Should she tell him the significance of it. If she does, would he believe her?

  Now or Never (Book 3)- Ten years later Addi and Randy meet again at Randy's engagement party. Why is it that the chemistry between them was still so potent? Can they ever have a future together? Would Randy choose her this time around?

  Almost Never (Book 4)- Tech genius Joshua Porter had all but given up on love. He then meets Portia, an escapee from the female penitentiary and his life takes a turn for the adventurous.

  The Scarlett Family Series

  Scarlett Baby (Book 1)- When the head of the Scarlett family died, Yuri had to return home to Treasure Beach for the funeral. What he didn't count on was seeing Marla, his childhood sweetheart and his best friend's wife. And when emotions overwhelm them and a few months later Marla is pregnant, Yuri wants the impossible: his best friend's wife and the baby they made together...

  Scarlett Sinner (Book 2)- Pastor Troy Scarlett realizes the hard way that some sins are bound to be revealed, like the child that he had out of wedlock with his wife's mortal enemy from college. His wife Chelsea was not happy with the status quo. She was not taking care of the son of the woman she had so despised from college. And she could not get over the deep betrayal that she felt from her husband's indiscretion.

  Scarlett Secret (Book 3)- Terri Scarlett had a soft spot for her friend, Lola. She was funny and sweet and they looked remarkably alike. But when Lola's Arab prince demands his bride, Terri foolishly exchange places with her friend and they meet up on a world of trouble.

  Scarlett Love (Book 4)- Slater always looked forward to delivering packages to the law firm where he could get a glimpse of the stunning female lawyer, Amoy Gardener. Unfortunately, for Slater a woman like Amoy would not take him seriously, especially when she found out that he could not read!

  Scarlett Promise (Book 5)- Driven by desperation Lisa Barclay decides to make some extra money by prostituting herself after being kicked out in the streets. Her first customer turns out to be a popular government senator and then to her horror he dies...

  Scarlett Bride (Book 6)- When Oliver Scarlett's missionary work in the Congo region was coming to an end, he had a decision to make, marry Ashaki Azanga and save her from being the fourth wife to the chief of the village or leave her to her fate and get on with his life...

  Scarlett Heart (Book 7)- After receiving a heart transplant shy librarian Noah Scarlett started to take on character traits that were unlike him and he kept dreaming of a girl named Cassandra Green...

  Rebound Series

  On The Rebound--For Better or Worse, Brandon vowed to stay with Ashley, but when worse got too much he moved out and met Nadine. For the first time in years he felt happy, but then Ashley remembered her wedding vows...

  On The Rebound 2- Ashley reinvented herself and was now a first lady in a country church in Primrose Hill, but her obsessed ex friend Regina showed up and started digging into the lives of the saints at church. Somebody didn't like Regina's digging. Someone had secrets that were shocking enough to kill for...

  Magnolia Sisters

  Dear Mystery Guy (Book 1)- Della Gold details her life in a journal dedicated to a mystery guy. But when fascination turns into obsession she finds herself wanting to learn even more about him but in her pursuit of the mystery guy she begins to learn more about herself...

  Bad Girl Blues (Book 2)- Brigid Manderson wanted to go to med school but for the time being she was an escort working for her mother, an ex-prostitute. When her latest customer offers her the opportunity of a lifetime would she take it? Or would she choose the harder path and uncertain love with a Christian guy?

  Her Mistaken Dreams (Book 3)- Caitlin Denvers dream guy had serious issues. He has a dead wife in his past and he was the main suspect in her murder. Did he really do it? Or did Caitlin for the first time have a mistaken dream?

  Just Like Yesterday (Book 4)- Hazel Brown lost six months of memory including the summer that she conceived her son, and had no idea who his father could be. Now that she had the means to fight to get him back from the Deckers, she finds out that the handsome Curtis Decker is willing to share her son with her after all.

  New Song Series

  Going Solo (Book 1)- Carson Bell, had a lovely voice, a heart of gold, and was no slouch in the looks department. So why did Alice abandon him and their daughter? What did she want after ten years of silence?

  Duet on Fire (Book 2)- Ian and Ruby had problems trying to conceive a child. If that wasn't enough, her ex-lover the current pastor of their church wants her back...

  Tangled Chords (Book 3)- Xavier Bell, the poor, ugly duckling has made it rich and his looks have been incredibly improved too. Farrah Knight, hotel heiress had cruelly rejected him in the past but now she needed help. Could Xavier forgive and forget?

  Broken Harmony(Book 4)- Aaron Lee, wanted the top job in his family company but he had a moral clause to consider just when Alka, his married ex-girlfriend walks back into his life.

  A Past Refrain (Book 5)- Jayce had issues with forgetting Haley Greenwald even though he had a new woman in his life. Will he ever be able to shake his love for Haley?

  Perfect Melody (Book 6)- Logan Moore had the perfect wife, Melody but his secretary Sabrina was hell bent on breaking up the family. Sabrina wanted Logan whatever the cost and she had a secret about Melody, that could shatter Melody's image to everyone.

  The Bancroft Family Series

  Homely Girl (Book 0) - April and Taj were opposites in so many ways. He was the cute, athletic boy that everybody wanted to be friends with. She was the overweight, shy, and withdrawn girl. Do April and Taj have a love that can last a lifetime? Or will time and separate paths rip them apart?

  Saving Face (Book 1) - Mount Faith University drama begins with a dead president and several suspects including the president in waiting Ryan Bancroft.

  Tattered Tiara (Book 2) - Micah Bancroft is targeted by femme fatale Deidra Durkheim. There are also several rape cases to be solved.

  Private Dancer (Book 3) Adrian Bancroft was gutted when he returned to Jamaica and found out that his first and only love Cathy Taylor was a stripper and was literally owned by the menacing drug lord, Nanjo Jones.

  Goodbye Lonely (Book 4) - Kylie Bancroft was shy and had to resort to going to confidence classes. How could she win the love of Gareth Beecher, her faculty adviser, a man with a jealous ex-wife in his past and a current mystery surrounding a hand found in his garden?

  Practice Run (Book 5) - Marcus Bancroft had many reasons to avoid Mount Faith but Deidra Durkheim was not one of them. Unfortunately, on one of his visits he was the victim of a deliberate hit and run.

  Sense of Rumor (Book 6) - Arnella Bancroft was the wild, passionate Bancroft, the creative loner who didn't mind living dangerously; but when a terrible thing happened to her at her friend Tracy's party, it changed her. She found that courting rumors can be devastating and that only the truth could set her free.

  A Younger Man (Book 7)- Pastor Vanley Bancroft loved Anita Parkinson despite their fifteen-year age gap, but Anita had a secret, one that she could not reveal to Vanley. To tell him would change his feelings toward her, or force him to give up the ministry that he loved so much.

  Just To See Her (Book 8)- Jessica Bancroft had the opportunity to meet her fantasy guy Khaled, he was finally coming to Mount Faith but she had feelings for Clay Reid, a guy who had all the qualities she was looking for. Who would s
he choose and what about the weird fascination Khaled had for Clay?

  The Three Rivers Series

  Private Sins (Book 1)- Kelly, the first lady at Three Rivers Church was pregnant for the first elder of her church. Could she keep the secret from her husband and pretend that all was well?

  Loving Mr. Wright (Book 2)- Erica saw one last opportunity to ditch her single life when Caleb Wright appeared in her town. He was perfect for her, but what was he hiding?

  Unholy Matrimony (Book 3) - Phoebe had a problem, she was poor and unhappy. Her solution to marry a rich man was derailed along the way with her feelings for Charles Black, the poor guy next door.

  If It Ain't Broke (Book 4)- Chris Donahue wanted a place in his child's life. Pinky Black just wanted his love. She also wanted him to forget his obsession with Kelly and love her. That shouldn't be so hard? Should it?