The Stalker Chronicles (16 page)

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Authors: Electa Rome Parks

Tags: #Fiction, #Suspense, #Thrillers, #Crime, #Urban Life, #African American

BOOK: The Stalker Chronicles
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Chapter 32
Pilar
“Damn. Damn. Damn,” I swore as I made my way home two weeks ago, hitting my fist on the steering wheel.
That was a close call
, I thought. I hadn't seen that coming. I definitely had to be more careful until my plan was fully executed.
Xavier showing up at Dre's house out of the blue was unexpected, but I handled it well. And Dre', I had him wrapped around my pinkie finger. I had learned long ago how to read people and to become what they wanted me to be. Too bad I had to involve him in this drama to teach Xavier, with his hardheaded ass, a lesson. Oh well, such was life. Sometimes people were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time or met the wrong person. When I had arrived back at my apartment after leaving Dre's, I walked straight to the kitchen. I quickly and efficiently took out an item carefully concealed in my large black tote. The antifreeze was placed back in my cupboard, concealed behind some canned goods. It would be safe there until I needed to use a bit more. I used it only in very, very small doses and not every day. In fact, the night Xavier showed up was only the second time I had mixed a bit in Dre's drink. Antifreeze was odorless and had a sweet taste, so it blended well with iced tea, lemonade, Gatorade, and other drinks. I had done my research. It would be safe in the cupboard. No one ever visited.
Dre' had never been to my apartment, not even once. He wasn't even exactly sure where I lived. He had bought the idea hook, line, and sinker that my place was tiny and I still hadn't unpacked everything and gotten my personal belongings like I wanted. So, we always hung out at his place. Men are stupid. You could pretty much tell them anything, and they would accept it. Especially if it was told to them after they got some.
Now my biggest concern was trying to figure out how I was going to get out of dinner with Dre' and Xavier. I had already missed having drinks with them. Even with plastic surgery, Xavier would recognize me in a second. That I was sure. During the media frenzy I'd been subjected to, Dre' never met me or saw me up close.
The day of the scheduled dinner came, and I still hadn't figured out how I was going to get out of it without it being obvious. It finally dawned on me. Later that evening I waited until I knew for a fact that they were both at the restaurant. I had watched them, from a distance, arrive earlier. Xavier, as usual, took my breath away. If only he could have loved me. Dre' arrived shortly afterward. I smiled sadly. Lately, he hadn't been feeling well. He had lost a little weight because he couldn't keep much in his stomach.
Poor baby
.
I gave them ten minutes to get settled and then called Dre's cell phone. “Hey, babe,” I said in my sweetest voice, which made him melt.
“Hey, where are you? Xavier and I are waiting at the restaurant.”
I paused. “I'm afraid I'm going to be a little late, babe.”
“Why?” I could hear the impatience in his voice. “What's going on?”
“I had a flat tire a few minutes ago. I think there may be a nail in it.”
“Damn. Do you need me to change it for you?”
“No, don't be foolish. AAA will be here soon. I've already called.”
“Are you sure?” Dre' asked.
“I'm positive, babe. You and Xavier go ahead and start dinner without me. I'll join you for dessert and coffee.”
“This is unbelievable. I'm never going to get the two of you in the same room at the same time.”
“Tell Xavier I'm sorry, but this was uncontrollable. I'm sure he'll understand.”
We hung up.
I checked in a few more times, but I never made it to that damn restaurant. Dre' was upset, but what was he going to do about it? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I couldn't come face-to-face with Xavier yet. Soon, though.
 
 
Leeda had been on my mind lately. Since I had arrived back in Houston after leaving L.A., I had a new cell phone number. Therefore, Leeda had no way of contacting me. As far as I knew, she didn't know I was back in Houston. She didn't know where I was, and I was sure that was driving her nuts. I hated to upset her, because she was the closest person to a friend, or real family, that I had. I had broken most of my ties to my mother's family years ago. My time in Houston would be finished shortly, and I couldn't wait to talk to Leeda. I knew she loved me, imperfections and all, and I had to admit I loved her, too. In many ways, she was like the mother I had always wished for.
When she was my therapist, I got to the point where I enjoyed going into her office and talking about life: my past, my present, and my future. Leeda would quietly and patiently listen. And most of all, she wouldn't judge. She understood that I didn't have a wonderful childhood or a loving mother who catered to my every need. She knew my mother didn't meet any of my needs and was, in fact, what nightmares stemmed from.
Chapter 33
Dre'
Life had a funny way of crapping on your joy. Just when things in my life were going well—I was at the peak of my career, I had met a wonderful woman, and for once, I was truly happy—life took a dump.
Milan was all I had ever wanted in a woman. We got along well, and as I got to know her, at least the pieces of her life she shared with me, I realized I was falling in love with her. I didn't ask for it, plan for it, but it was happening. It was happening rather quickly, too. That part shocked me.
Milan and I had developed a comfortable routine of sorts. Most evenings found her at my place. She would even spend the night a couple of times a week. There was nothing I enjoyed more than falling asleep with her wrapped snugly in my arms. I loved watching her sleep. Milan had extra clothes in my closet, underwear in my dresser drawer, and a toothbrush in my bathroom—all the essentials. She pretty much came and went as she saw fit, because she now had her own key to my home. I understood her need for space and privacy; I didn't trip on that.
Some evenings I would come in from work to find her in her own little world, staring blankly into space. I began to expect those mood swings. I would hold, caress, and talk to her, and soon it, whatever it was, would pass. I think it was during those times that a shift occurred and we became closer. She started opening up, telling me bits and pieces of her childhood. She told me how she and her mother didn't get along—that was putting it mildly—and how she was molested and raped as a child. That explained a lot of the sadness I saw in her eyes. Not only did her confessions break my heart, but they made me so mad that I wanted to hurt someone.
I wanted to protect her and shield her from any more pain. I could relate at some level because my mother wouldn't have won the Mother of the Year Award, either. However, I now had a better understanding of alcoholism, and I had forgiven her years ago. Milan, on the other hand, doted on me to a shameful degree. I had to admit I loved it. She was forever cooking delicious meals and buying me presents. If it was true that the key to a man's heart was through his stomach, then she had mine hook, line, and sinker.
Milan and I had been seeing each other for a few months now. Xavier wasn't around a lot, because he was doing the TV and college circuit. He had been on several of the national talk shows as an expert on stalkers and stalking. We joked that all it took to be considered an expert was to write a book on a certain topic, in his case, after surviving it. It still amazed me how much he was paid to speak at colleges and universities.
Like I said, life had a way of snatching back any happiness it gave. For the first time ever, I had health issues. For the life of me, I couldn't figure out why I was always so damn tired. I never had any energy or an appetite. Whenever I forced myself to eat, I still couldn't keep much down. Lately, all I did was sleep, sleep, sleep. Most evenings after work, after spending time with Milan, I would crash. And on the days when she was out of town on business, I'd walk in the house and make a beeline straight to my bed. I had doubled up on my vitamins but still didn't feel any better. I felt like I had a long-term case of the flu, complete with body aches and chills. I had taken all sorts of over-the-counter remedies, but I still hadn't made an appointment to see a doctor.
Since I was a child, about six or seven years old, I had always had this fear of going to the doctor. I would literally have anxiety attacks. I think I saw going to the doctor as a bad thing. I remembered when my grandmother went when she was sick and never returned home. She died there, well, actually at the hospital, but I never looked at doctors quite the same way.
Milan told me not to worry. She said she would be my personal nurse, and I believed her. Believed every word she said, like she was my personal angel.
Chapter 34
Xavier
“Bailey, think hard. Can you remember anything else that you may have forgotten to mention earlier?” I asked.
“No. It's like I told you before. I know for sure it was a female, and she was dressed from head to toe in black. She had on some type of mask, which exposed her eyes, nose, and mouth. And those eyes ... I will never forget those eyes. They were filled with such rage and hatred. She came out of nowhere and viciously shoved me down the stairs.”
“What did she say again?” I asked curiously.
“I can't remember the exact words.”
“Think. This is important. What do you think she said?”
“She said that I had better leave him alone. This was just a warning.”
I was quiet for a moment. Thinking.
“Xavier?”
“Yeah?”
“What is this about? Why the fifty questions?” Bailey asked.
“I'm not sure yet, but I'm trying my best to figure it out.”
“You are scaring me. Do you think you know who did this?”
“Don't be afraid, but I have my suspicions.”
“Who, and why?”
I hesitated. “Pilar. Because she is still stalking me.” “Are you serious? Do you realize how irrational you sound?”
“Why is it so far-fetched? Dre' said the same thing.”
“Pilar would be crazy to still be around. Everyone knows the story, thanks to your movie.”
“You said the key word. She would be crazy, which she is.”
“Why would she attack me? I haven't done anything to her. She doesn't even know me.”
“She probably thought we were a couple, and then you became a threat to her.”
It was Bailey's turn to remain quiet.
“Bailey?”
“I'm here. Do you think she has been watching us?”
“I don't know what I think. Possibly.”
“Creepy.”
“Tell me about it. How have you been?” I asked.
She laughed halfheartedly. “I've seen better days.”
“I'm sorry this happened to you.”
“Me too. Life sucks.”
“Things will get better. Let me know if there is anything else I can do.”
She laughed. “Well, I haven't been laid in months. Can you handle that problem? Well, actually, I know you can. Real well.”
I laughed along with her, but I knew I would never go back there.
“My mother has moved in because I can't take care of myself. I'm literally flat on my back. I'm missing movie opportunities left and right. It can't get much worse, but I appreciate the fact that you wired money into my account.”
“You are very welcome, Bailey.”
“It meant a lot since I won't be working for quite a while. Thanks to you, I'm in pretty good shape financially. I can keep my place, pay my bills, and eat without any problems. Thank you.”
“You know you're my girl.”
She laughed. “Yeah, me and every other girl is
your
girl. However, regardless of what people say about you, you are a good person, Xavier.”
“Thank you, I think,” I said.
“Seriously, Kendall should have never let you go. No one is perfect and without faults. She was a fool.”
“Well, I think she would debate you on that point.”
“I was willing to share you in order to at least have a piece of you.”
“I'm afraid Kendall wasn't as accommodating as you. Listen, I have to run, so take care, Bailey. I'll talk to you later.”
“Oh, I'm getting too serious?” She laughed. “My Xavier. My Xavier. You will never change, but I still love you, though. Bye, sweetie. Don't take so long to call next time.”
I slowly hung up, trying to figure out if the unknown female could have possibly been Pilar. I simply wasn't sure. Bailey definitely got around and didn't have a lack of dates. The attacker could have been anyone, but my intuition was telling me otherwise.
I thought back to yet another encounter with Kendall a few days earlier. Talk about déjà vu. I ran into her at the mall again. This time I was searching for an outfit to wear on a local cable program I was cohosting. This time her face didn't register surprise when she saw me; this time I saw a flash of fear.
“Kendall,” I said, walking up to her. “How are you?”
“Hello, Xavier,” she said halfheartedly.
“What? No hug?” I asked jokingly, holding out my arms.
“No, not today,” she said without cracking a single smile.
I noticed she looked tired. “What was up with that text? And when I responded, you never texted back.”
“Just a moment of weakness on my part. Please, act like it never happened, because it never will again,” she said coldly.
“It's like that, huh?”
She didn't respond.
“Well, it did happen, but I will respect your wishes.”
“Look, Xavier. I have to go,” she suddenly cried out, walking away.
I reached out and grabbed her arm. “Listen, Kendall, I didn't mean to upset you. I'm just trying to understand what's going on.”
“Nothing is going on. Absolutely nothing, and it never will. I am a happily married woman. Now, let me go. Please.”
I stood there, frozen in place, shocked at her unexpected reaction. I released her.
“I suggest you be careful about who you mess around with.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“I mean you are dangerous, and I want no part of the unsavory people you attract.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I received a warning to stay away from you, and this time I am heeding it.”
“What?”
“Have a great life, Xavier. I sincerely wish you the best.” And with that, she simply turned and walked away. Kendall left me standing there, more confused than ever. I knew that would be the last time we would ever speak.
Some things were not adding up. One plus one did not equal three. I had always prided myself on paying attention to my gut instincts. It had given me an advantage and had kept my ass out of hot water numerous times in the past.
And now ... That little inner voice we all had was telling me all was not as it seemed.

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