Authors: Darrien Lee
The Last Chance (14 page)
As he walked back into their hotel room Keilah followed close behind. She couldn't believe what he'd just said. “Excuse me?”
Michael pulled back the comforter and climbed into bed. “I don't take well to my woman calling me by another man's name.”
Keilah put her hands on her hips and said, “I told you it was a mistake, but if you want to make a big deal out of it, go ahead.”
Keilah climbed into bed next to Michael and turned her back to him. Ramsey was definitely on her mind, but not for the reasons she explained to Michael.
“Keilah?”
She turned to face Michael and whispered. “Yes?”
“I know you would never let another man touch you while we're together, because if you did I don't know what I would do.”
“It's been a crazy day, Michael. Let's just forget it and start fresh tomorrow. Deal?”
He kissed her tenderly on the lips and said, “Deal. Good-night, sweetheart.”
“Good-night.”
Keilah turned back over and let out a sigh of relief. She was glad Michael had interrupted her thoughts earlier about her father. It bothered her that their father's murder had gone unsolved for so many years. Somebody knew something, and she hoped to eventually find out who was involved because she wouldn't rest until she found out who was responsible for his death.
Chapter Eleven
The next day, Keilah and Michael met up with her brothers at their casino. While Keilah met in the conference room with her brothers, Luke gave Michael some complimentary poker chips to try his hand at the poker tables. Inside the conference room, the brothers had champagne chilling in a nearby bucket. There was a notebook positioned by each one of their seats, as well as a notepad.
Keilah walked in and jokingly said, “Dang. It looks like we're about to have a meeting with the president of the United States.”
Luke closed the door and smiled at her. “We just might have to do that, sis.”
Genesis, Malachi, and Roman chuckled as they took their seats. Luke sat at the head of the table since he was the oldest. He jotted down a few things before he began speaking. “OK, guys. Let's get this meeting started. First, I want say again how good it is to have our baby sister back home. Keilah, you're missed around here by not only me, but also the entire Chance family. You don't come home often enough, sis, so work on improving that next year.”
Unified laughter from the brothers filled the room. Keilah tapped her pencil on the table and smiled without replying. Luke stood up and retrieved the champagne bottle, along with a handful of champagne glasses. He passed the glasses out to each of his siblings and began filling them with the bubbling liquid. After every glass was filled, Luke asked his brothers and sister to stand. He held his glass up and spoke softly.
“Today is a milestone for the Chance family. We've overcome some major obstacles in our lives and in this business. The Lucky Chance has prospered beyond any of our wildest dreams, and because of that we have been able to open our second casino. Keilah, you are our only sister, and we love you very much. It's because of our love for you that the grand opening wouldn't have been complete without you here. Welcome home, sis.”
Tears filled Keilah's eyes as she took a sip of her champagne before setting it down on the table. Her brothers hugged and kissed her lovingly.
“I'm glad to be here with you guys, and I love you, too,” she whispered as she wiped away her tears. Genesis handed her a handkerchief and kissed her on the cheek. “Thanks, Genesis. So, when can I see the new casino?”
Roman finished off his glass of champagne then wiped his mouth. “Not so fast, Keilah Chance. You can see the casino tonight when you step out on the red carpet. By the way, a limo will be picking you guys up at the hotel. This is going to be huge.”
Keilah smiled and went into a slight panic. “I didn't know you guys were going all out like this. I need a dress, and Michael didn't bring a suit. We have to go shopping.”
Malachi mumbled, “Just like a woman.”
About that time, their attorney P.K. Sloan walked in. “Sorry I'm late. Traffic was hell on I-110.”
“We were just getting started anyway, P.K.,” Luke said. “You remember our sister, Keilah, don't you?”
P.K. walked over to Keilah and shook her hand. “Sure I do. It's good to see you, Miss Chance. Welcome home.”
“Thank you, Mr. Sloan,” she replied.
P.K. pulled a couple of documents out of his briefcase and said, “If you guys could help me out and sign these so I can make my next meeting, I'd appreciate it. I need to be back downtown in thirty minutes.”
Luke said, “I think we can help you out.”
“Thank you. Luke, these are the documents you wanted me to draw up. All I need is Keilah's signature, since you guys have already signed it. Keilah, just sign on the lines where your name is printed. This makes everything official.”
Luke had had P.K. draw up papers giving Keilah sole ownership of the Special K Casino. They just hoped she wouldn't look at the forms too closely. Luke quickly scanned the documents and slid them over to Keilah. “Sis, before you run off to the mall, P.K. needs your signature on these for the casino.”
She picked the forms up and asked, “What are these for?”
Luke took a sip of his champagne. “It's just a formality regarding ownership of the casino. They need a copy on file with all of our signatures. Yours is the only one missing.”
Keilah quickly scanned over the paperwork as her brothers held their breath. Keilah didn't even notice their nervousness as she quickly signed her name on the dotted line. Her mind was on what kind of dress she was going to wear at the grand opening. The Chance brothers quietly finished off the rest of the champagne as Keilah signed the last document and closed the folder. She stood and handed the folder back to Luke, who passed it over to P.K.
“Do y'all need me for anything else?” Keilah asked as she grabbed her purse.
P.K. looked at the documents before placing them in his suitcase and said, “No, it looks like everything is in order. I think we have all we need from you, Keilah. It's good seeing you again.”
Keilah shook his hand once more and said, “Thank you, and have a good evening. Well I'm out.”
Luke said, “Have fun shopping.”
“I will,” she replied as she blew her brothers a loving kiss before walking out the door. “I love you guys.” The brothers blushed and smiled as Keilah rushed out the door to find Michael. Once she was gone, Luke turned to P.K. and his brothers. Genesis sat back in his chair and threw his pencil on the table. “Man, that was close. If Keilah had looked at those papers any closer, our surprise would've been ruined.”
Luke opened the second bottle of champagne and sighed. “Keilah trusts us. I knew she wouldn't look at the paperwork too hard. Now, with that out of the way, Malachi, do you have all the security in place for tonight?”
“You'd better know it.” Luke turned to P.K. and asked, “Is this everything?”
P.K. stood and said, “Yes, that's everything. I'll get these on file right away.”
“Thanks, P.K.”
P.K. shook everyone's hand before hurrying out the door. He'd been their family attorney for over ten years, and he was very good at what he did.
After P.K. left the room, Luke went down his checklist and had each brother report on their assigned task in preparation for the grand opening. When they were finished, everyone except Luke exited the conference room and headed out onto the casino floor. As he sat there alone, he thought back over all their accomplishments and the long road they had traveled to get where they were.
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Nearly thirty-years ago, Joe Chance and his friend Graham opened up a small but successful gambling house in the area. Luke and his brothers were busy trying to support their mother by working for Keytone. The brothers didn't want to get in deeper than they already were with Keytone. He gave them a huge offer, but they passed on it, much to his dismay.
Joe's partner, Graham, had inherited somewhat of a drinking problem, and within a year, it sent him to an early grave. After Graham's death, Joe tried to get his sons to work with him rather than Keytone to keep them out of trouble, but the money was too good for them to turn down. Luke and his brothers' plan was to work for Keytone for only a short time because they knew they were putting themselves in danger of getting robbed, killed, or arrested.
While Joe's gambling house was prospering, the boys wanted their own money to care for their mother and to establish their own business. Eventually, Joe convinced his wife to take him back so their sons would stop doing illegal jobs for Keytone. He also wanted to make amends for all the hurt he'd put on his wife and sons and start over as a family. In the end, Joe's sons gave in to their father and helped him open his first casino. It was small but became a huge success quickly, which had money rolling in for the Chance family. The casino profits were climbing fast, and Joe realized that with success also comes drama. All types of criminal elementsâwho saw the small casino as Joe didâa potential gold mineâtried to infiltrate the growing casino. With that in mind, Joe decided he needed a will in place to make sure his children would never be without financial security ever again. Joe felt like it was the least he could do after he abandoned his family in the past. Things were going great for the Chances, and it seemed that Joe was finally happy to have something go right in his life. He was able to take care of his family and have a business to call his own, but after about a year and a half, the unexpected happened.
One sunny afternoon, nine-teen-year-old Luke Chance savored the smell of fried chicken as he walked down the street. The heavenly smell radiated from the smokestacks of Leroy's Chicken Shack. As he walked closer, he noticed a large crowd of people gathering on the next block. He also noticed a large number of police vehicles blocking the street as well. Curious, he joined the crowd of people to see what was going on. Making his way through the crowd, he pushed his way to the front and froze. The coroner was pushing a gurney with what appeared to be a body on it toward their vehicle. He couldn't take his eyes off it, and immediately his attention was drawn to the shoes sticking out from under the sheet. Almost immediately, Luke heard a familiar scream. It was his mother, and she was on the ground, distraught. Someone in the crowd had told Amanda the person killed was in fact Joe. Two detectives started questioning her even though it was obvious she was very upset. This angered Luke, because at the time, his mother was pregnant with Keilah, so he rushed to her side and to her defense.
“Ma'am, do you have any information on this homicide?” the detective asked.
Before she could reply, the officers were interrupted by a very angry young man.
“Leave my mother alone,” Luke yelled.
Amanda was speechless at first, but when Luke embraced her she gathered enough strength to try and answer their questions. “It's okay, Luke,” she said through sniffles.
“No, it's not okay. They can see you're pregnant.”
The detective turned to Luke and asked, “Who are you?”
“This is my mother. Whatever you want to know, you can ask me,” he stated boldly.
Amanda patted Luke on the chest and said, “No, Luke. I'm okay. I can do this, and I need to know if that is your father.”
The officer reached inside his pocket and pulled out a notepad and pen. “In a moment, ma'am. What is your name?”
“Amanda. Amanda Chance. This is my oldest son, Luke.”
Luke held onto his mother tightly and bit down on his lower lip to keep it from trembling. He frowned and looked the officers directly in the eyes. “Is that my daddy under that sheet?”
The officer wouldn't look Luke in the eyes, and that was all the confirmation he needed. His heart thumped in his chest because he knew in that moment he had become the man of the house.
The detective said, “Mrs. Chance, let me get you out of this hot sun and off your feet. You'll be more comfortable in my squad car.”
Luke took his mother by the arm and led her over to a police car. He turned to the detective and said, “I need to know if that is my father.” He walked over to the coroner's van and looked down at the gurney. The second officer joined Luke at the van.
“Are you sure you want to do this, son?”
Luke stood there in deep thought for a moment before answering. “I have to do it, officer.”
The officer nodded at the coroner who reached over and pulled back the sheet. Luke stood there, unable to move. It was Joe, and whoever killed him wanted to make sure he was dead. There was no way he could let his mother see Joe in this condition. He had been beaten and shot multiple times, and his throat had been slit. The officer finally spoke up and snapped Luke out of his trance.
“Is that your father, son?”
Luke swallowed hard and nodded. He felt lightheaded, so he bent over to try and get air into his lungs. He looked over at his mother, who was still crying. The officer put his hand on Luke's shoulder to comfort him. “Are you going to be okay?”
“Yeah. Who did this to my daddy?” Luke asked.
“We're working on it, son. We're interviewing anyone who could've been a witness, but right now it appears that robbery was the motive. When was the last time you saw your father?”
“Yesterday, around noon.”
The officer asked Luke a few more questions before giving him his business card.
“Call me if you think of anything or need anything. We're going to do everything in our power to find out who murdered your father. I'm so sorry for your loss.”
Luke took the card out of the officer's hand and tucked it inside his pocket.
“Thanks, man. Look, I need to get my momma home.”
After giving the officer their address, he walked over to his mother and helped her out of the squad car.
“Come on, Momma. Let me take you home.”
She looked up into Luke's eyes. “Is it Joe?”
“Yeah, Momma. It's him.”
She fell against Luke and sobbed.
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