Authors: Darrien Lee
The Last Chance (18 page)
Keilah exited the vehicle and made her way around to the back of the house where she found Luke and Genesis eating a hearty breakfast beside the pool. They both stood when they saw her walking in their direction.
“Well, well, well, I didn't expect to see you up so early this morning, sis,” Luke announced as he gave her a brotherly hug.
Genesis gave her a kiss on the cheek and then stuffed a croissant inside his mouth. Keilah sat down at the table and shook her head as she looked at all the food on their plates.
“I get up early every morning to work out, and it seems like you guys need to join me sometimes.”
“Whatever,” Luke replied as he sat back down to his meal, which consisted of strawberry pancakes, sausage links, croissants, eggs Benedict and more.
“Are you hungry?” Genesis asked as he buttered his croissant.
“Not really,” she answered as she looked toward the house. “Where is everybody?”
“The kids are at school and Sabrinia just left for work. Where's Michael?” Luke asked.
Keilah picked up a fork and stole one of Genesis' sausage links. She took a bite of it before answering. “He's at the hotel.”
Luke and Genesis looked at each other curiously. “What's going on with you? I don't like the vibe you're giving off,” Luke said.
“Did you and Michael have a fight or something?” Genesis asked.
Keilah turned to him and asked, “Why would you think we had a fight?”
“I just thought he would be with you, that's all.”
Keilah finished off the sausage and sat the fork down. “He's still a little tired from last night, so I told him to stay at the hotel and rest.”
Luke nodded and he raised his glass of orange juice to his mouth. “I see.”
Genesis noticed Keilah staring at his plate. “Dang, Keilah. Let me fix you a plate before you eat up all my food. I know you're hungry.”
She smiled and stood up. “Thanks, but I can get it myself. Do you guys need anything while I'm in the kitchen?”
“I'm good,” Luke said.
“I could use more sausage, thanks to you,” Genesis teased her.
Keilah flicked out her tongue at him just like she'd done when she was a little girl. Her brothers couldn't do anything but laugh.
Once inside the kitchen, Keilah saw that Sabrinia had brunch laid out like a restaurant, making it easier for self-serving. Once she had a couple of pancakes, several pieces of sausage, and some fruit, she rejoined Luke and Genesis poolside.
When she sat down, Luke looked over at her curiously. “What's that mark on your neck?”
Keilah put her hand up to her neck and lowered her head. “That's why I came over here.”
“Did Michael do that to you?” Luke asked as he stood and balled up his fists.
“Sit down, Luke, and let me explain.” She motioned for them to sit down.
“Explain what?” he yelled. “Genesis, let's go. I'm going to kill him.”
Keilah knew that if she didn't hurry up and explain to her brothers what happened they would kill Michael and not give it a second thought.
Keilah's throat was dry, so she took a sip of orange juice before speaking. “OK, you two. There is something I need to tell you, but you have to promise you won't get all crazy on me.”
“I'm not promising you anything. Now what's going on?” Luke asked with a strained tone.
She had to be delicate with her news. If she told Luke and Genesis the wrong way, they would turn the city upside down. Keytone was already on the rampage and having her brothers doing the same would be like throwing gasoline on a fire. Keilah got up from her chair and paced back and forth across the pool deck.
“OK, I'll tell you, but you have to wait until I'm finished before you say anything.”
Luke folded his arms across his chest. “Get on with it, sis. We don't have all day.”
“Will you two please sit down?” she asked before continuing.
Genesis sat down and picked up his glass of orange juice. He leaned back in his chair and waited for her explanation. Luke also sat down and stared at her.
“Well?” Genesis asked. “What's going on?”
“You guys know how I'm sort of a fanatic when it comes to working out, right? Well, I got up at five to work out in the fitness room at the hotel. When I got there, I wasn't alone like I thought I was.”
She paused because she knew the rest of her statement was going to set it off. Genesis prodded her by asking, “Who else was there? Michael?”
Keilah nervously played with her hair. “No, he was still in our room asleep.”
“Then who was it, Keilah?” Luke asked impatiently.
“Two men were there, and they jumped me from behind by throwing a pillowcase over my head.”
Luke and Genesis sat there frozen, as if they were waiting for a punch line.
“What did you say?” Genesis asked as he slowly stood.
“I said I was roughed up by two men who jumped me from behind.”
Luke was still frozen in his chair. He couldn't move or speak at first. When he did move, he wiped his mouth with his napkin and also stood. He walked over to Keilah and cupped her face so he could look into her eyes and inspect the bruising on her neck.
“Were you raped?” Luke asked.
Tears fell from her eyes. “No, I just got this bruise on my neck from the pillowcase and a few more scratches and bruises. I was able to fight them off, and I actually left one of them with a limp. I'm sorry I let my guard down.”
Luke looked over at Genesis, who seemed to be trembling with anger. Luke led Keilah back over to the table and sat her down in the chair. He pulled his chair closer to her and held her hands.
“You have nothing to be sorry for, Keilah. We're the ones who let our guard down. Did you call the police? Why didn't you call me?”
“The police said they would review the surveillance tapes and get back to me as soon as they knew something.”
“Did you get a look at them?” Genesis asked.
“Yes, after I got the pillowcase off of my head.”
Luke ran his hands over his face. “Get your things and check out of that hotel right away. You're staying here,” Luke demanded.
Keilah picked up a strawberry and took a bite. “Thanks, but no thanks. You and Sabrinia already have a full house with the kids, and so do Genesis and Roman. We'll just check into another hotel.”
Genesis intervened by waving her off. “No more hotels, Keilah. I'm sure you guys can bunk with Malachi. It's just him in that big house, and I'm sure he would love to have you over anyway.”
Keilah laughed. “I don't think so. You know we don't always see eye to eye.”
“Malachi will be fine,” Genesis said.
“I'll think about it, and I don't want you guys blaming Michael for me getting attacked, because he didn't even know I had left the room. He feels terrible about what happened and is already blaming himself.”
“He should feel bad,” Luke replied. “What did those guys look like?”
“Look, before I get to that, there's more to what happened.”
He paused for a moment. “What do you meanâmore?”
“The guys who jumped me told me to tell my brothers if they know what's good for them they'd better take the deal. What deal are they talking about? Are you guys mixed up in something?”
Luke frowned. “I don't have a clue, Keilah, but we'll get to the bottom of it. You just get your things and get out of that hotel.”
“I don't want you guys to get into any trouble over this,” she pleaded.
Genesis held her hand and looked into her eyes. “They touched you, and that's all that matters to me. Luke, I'm out. Hit me up on my cell if you need me.”
Luke nodded and said, “Call Malachi and Roman, and fill them in on what happened.”
“Done,” Genesis responded. “Keilah, do what Luke said and get out of that hotel right away. I'll call Malachi and set everything up.”
She released his hand and said, “OK. I'll catch up with you later.”
Luke started clearing off the table. “Hold up, Keilah. Help me put this food away and I'll ride with you.”
Chapter Sixteen
Xavier's right-hand man, Romeo, pulled the midnight-blue Escalade into a parking spot at the front entrance of the East-Side Park. As they sat there in silence, the park quickly filled up with people.
“Yo, X, why did you want to come here?”
“I need to think,” Xavier informed him. “Momma used to bring me here when I was a kid. She always said it was the perfect place to hear your thoughts, and she was right.”
Romeo nodded in agreement with Xavier. “What are you going to do if the Chances don't take you up on your offer?”
Xavier lowered his sunglasses and stared at Romeo. “If they know what's good for them, they'll take my offer. Besides, I won't take no for an answer. This deal is non-negotiable.”
Romeo laughed. “You know those guys are not going to let you just walk up in there and take over their casinos.”
“They won't have a choice, and if they don't want to cooperate, then I'm sure that fine-ass sister of theirs can help persuade them to.”
A couple of young women walked in front of Romeo's truck. One was dressed in a pair of denim shorts that revealed every curve she owned. Her top was lime green and sheer, falling just below her breasts and showing her diamond belly ring. Her braids hung down to her waist, and she had legs to die for. The other woman looked a few years older than her friend and was dressed more appropriately in a pair of jeans and a red spaghetti-strap top. Romeo leaned out the window and smiled at the young women. “Yo, ladies. You gon' holler at me or what?”
The more mature of the two seemed to be irritated by Romeo's outburst. She grabbed the younger woman by the arm and hurried her past Romeo's truck. Romeo burst out laughing. “Did you see that? I think that chick would've hollered at me if old girl hadn't been with her.”
Xavier seemed distracted from the conversation. He wasn't looking at the two women nor listening to Romeo. Instead his mind was on the Chance brothers and the multi-million dollar casinos they owned.
“X, are you listening to me?” Romeo yelled.
Xavier sat up in the seat and let out a breath. “My mind is not on any shorties right now. I'm trying to figure out how I'm going to present my offer to the Chance brothers.”
“Well, however you do it, they're not going to like it, so I hope you're ready to go to war.”
Xavier frowned. “If it's a war they want, I have no problem bringing it. You feel me?”
It was at that time that Romeo's cell phone rang. He reached into his pocket and answered. “Yeah.”
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While Romeo talked to the caller, Xavier had a million things running through his mind, but his main focus was on the casinos he would soon own. Romeo hung up his phone and looked over at Xavier.
“Yo, X. Keilah just checked out of her hotel. Her brother, Luke, and that other guy were with her. Baby Dee lost them in traffic, so he don't know where Luke took them. If I have to guess, they went back to his house.”
Xavier let out a loud sigh. “She'll resurface soon. Take me over to the Lucky Chance. It's time for me to have a little chat with the Chance brothers.”
Romeo started up the truck. “Are you sure you're ready to do this now?”
Xavier looked over at Romeo, disgusted. “Why? You act like you're scared. Are you down or what?”
“Don't worry. I'm definitely down,” Romeo snapped back.
“All I know is, I can't just roll up on guys like the Chance brothers. They're old school, and from what I heard, they haven't always been legit.”
Romeo laughed and asked, “Now who's acting scared?”
“Whatever, man. Let's roll.”
Romeo pulled the Escalade out of the park into traffic and disappeared around the corner.
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Luke pulled up in front of Malachi's house with Keilah and Michael. “Luke, are you sure Malachi is cool with this?” He looked at Keilah with a smirk on his face and climbed out of the car.
“He's your brother, Keilah.”
Michael exited the vehicle and helped Luke remove their luggage from the trunk. “Luke, I appreciate everything you guys are doing for me and Keilah, but we don't want to impose on Malachi.”
Luke took the luggage out of Michael's hand and smiled. “We got this, Michael. It's okay.”
The trio was so deep in their conversation they didn't notice that Malachi had joined them in the driveway. “What's taking you guys so long to come in?”
Keilah walked over to Malachi and hugged his neck. “Thanks for letting us stay here with you.”
He hugged her, lifting her off the ground. “You don't have to thank me. I needed a live-in cook anyway.”
They all laughed and followed Malachi toward the house. When they got to the door, Malachi turned to Michael and asked, “You're not afraid of dogs, are you, Michael?”
Malachi had two huge German shepherds, but they were well trained, and he took very good care of them.
Michael took a deep breath and replied, “No, it's cool.”
“In that case, Michael, you and Keilah are welcome to stay as long as you like.”
“I appreciate that, Malachi,” Michael replied.
Malachi's dogs, Bonnie and Clyde, met them at the door, curious to see what stranger was entering their domain. Bonnie was jet black and Clyde had the typical black and tan markings. Malachi looked back at Michael. “Michael, they're going to sniff you when you come in. They know Keilah and Luke's scent. Just be cool, and they'll go on about their business.”
Michael did as he was told and the dogs did exactly what Malachi said they would. Minutes later, they all met out on the patio. While Michael and Malachi tossed balls to the dogs, Luke and Keilah watched from the railing as they enjoyed a glass of wine.
“Luke, where are the rest of the guys?”
“At the casinos. We rotate our shifts every week. This week, Genesis is running the Lucky Chance and Roman is handling your casino. Next week, Malachi will relieve Genesis, and I'll relieve Roman. It's not so bad, since we usually go by there anyway. Besides, we have good managers overseeing things when we're not there.”
She wrapped her arm around her brother's waist. “Can you believe it? Daddy would be so proud of you guys.”
Luke looked down at Keilah. “Daddy would be proud of you too, sis. Don't forget, you're doing your own thing, too.”
“I know, but the casinos were Daddy's dream.”
He kissed her forehead and said, “You were Daddy's dream.”
She laid her head against his chest as she finished off her glass of wine in silence.
“Keilah, I don't know what's going on. Maybe it would be best if you went back to D.C. You don't need to get caught up in whatever is going on.”
She walked over to the table, refilled her glass and sat down. “Luke, whoever jumped me put me in the middle of it, and I want to find out why.”
He walked over and sat next to her. “I guess you didn't understand what I said, Keilah. I said stay out of this and let us handle it.”
When Luke raised his voice, it got Malachi and Michael's attention. “Is everything OK over there?” Michael asked.
Keilah sat up in her chair and gulped down the remainder of her wine. She smiled and waved at Michael. “Everything's fine, baby.”
Luke grabbed her firmly by the hand and whispered. “Keilah, I'm not kidding with you. If you want to play detective while you're in D.C. then go right ahead because I can't do anything about that, but when you're home, I can. Don't cross me on this, sis.”
Keilah looked up into Luke's eyes and knew he meant business. She didn't want to defy or disappoint him, but she had a feeling he knew more about what was going on than he wanted to reveal. If only Keytone could find out what was going on, she wouldn't have to snoop around behind her brothers' backs. If not, she would have to do her own investigation and just pray they didn't find out.
“OK, Luke.”
He scooted away from her. “I hope you mean that, Keilah, because I would hate to have to escort you back to D.C. myself tomorrow.”
Her head snapped around, and when she looked into his eyes, she saw red and knew he was very serious. She walked over and refilled his wineglass. “Don't worry, Luke. We're out of here on Monday anyway,” she reminded him.
“I wish you could stay longer. Every time we get together we always argue the first few days. I don't like that, sis.”
She smiled. “That's what brothers and sisters do. We're a passionate family. That's why we argue, but it doesn't mean we hate each other.”
Luke leaned over the railing. “Oh, I know that. We all love very hard. I guess that's why you and Michael are getting along okay. Are wedding bells in the future?”
“I wouldn't say that because we just met. He's a great guy, but I'm not in love with him.”
Luke studied his sister's facial expression and said, “I see.”
She turned to him and said, “So when I do get ready to get married, are you going to walk me down the aisle?”
He leaned against the railing and laughed. “Nothing would make me happier than to walk you down the aisle, but I'm sure your other brothers would have something to say about it.”
“You're the oldest. You're supposed to do it since Daddy's not here.”
He waved her off. “Traditionally, yes, but we all raised you, Keilah and I'm sure they'll want to be a part of it.”
“They will be a part of my wedding. You know I wouldn't leave them out.”
Luke put his arm around his sister's shoulder and recited the perfect solution. “How about this? Each one of us can walk you in, starting with the youngest brother. After they walk you down the aisle a few feet, they take their place up front as a groomsman. I would be the last to walk you to the altar and give you away. This way everyone's involved.”
“But what about my bridesmaids?” she asked. “They'll need someone to escort them in.”
Luke ran off the details like a wedding planner. “Not necessarily. A lot of weddings allow the bridesmaids to walk in alone. The brothers would be there to escort them out when the ceremony is over.”
Keilah was speechless. What Luke had said just might work under their unusual circumstances. It would be heartwarming to have all of her brothers walk her down the aisle. “Sounds like a plan to me.”
Malachi was out in the yard attending to his pool. Michael walked up on the deck with Clyde following close behind. He was clearly winded from playing with the dogs. “I see you two are making up for lost time,” Michael pointed out.
Luke hugged Keilah's shoulders. “Yeah, and it's long overdue.”
Michael kissed Keilah on the cheek as Clyde found a spot next to Keilah's chair. “Well, I'm going up to shower. Playing with the dogs got me all sweaty. Malachi assured me that this neighborhood is safe, so after I get dressed, I'm going to ride over to the casino with Malachi and play a little poker if it's OK with you.”
“Go ahead, babe, because he's right. The weather is beautiful, so I think I'll just stay out here and enjoy this pool and Jacuzzi. You go and have fun.”
Michael looked at Luke and asked, “Are you going to be here with her?”
“No, I have some errands to run, but I can swing back through and hang out with you.”
Michael stood there pondering on his decision to leave Keilah alone. “Never mind, I'll stay here with you.”
Luke laughed. “She'll be fine, Michael. I wouldn't say it if I didn't know it for a fact.”
Keilah plopped down in the chair and stroked one of the German shepherds on the head. “He's right, Michael. Besides I have the dogs with me. You guys go and hang out.
This is a gated community, so no one's coming in that shouldn't be here.”
By that time, Malachi had joined them on the deck. He reached for the wine bottle and then noticed it was empty. “What the hell? Y'all drank all the wine.”
Keilah took the empty bottle out of his hand and tossed it into a nearby garbage can. “Please, I know you have a fully stocked wine cellar, so don't even go there, Malachi.”
She was right. Wine collecting was one of Malachi's hobbies, and most people who knew him were surprised he took up such an unusual hobby because he always portrayed himself as a tough guy. Most fine collectors are usually the total opposite.
“That doesn't mean y'all have to drink it all up,” Malachi teased. “Luke, you coming?” he asked.
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