Chasing Faith

by Stephanie Perry Moore

  Chapter 10

  Rocky

  As I pulled out of the parking spot in front of the beauty shop, the phone in my sister’s Gucci purse started ringing.

  “When did you get a cell phone?” I asked, also wondering where she’d gotten the money to pay for that expensive pocketbook and the top-end hair job.

  “My man gave it to me,” Crystal bragged, pulling out a tiny silver phone and flipping it open. The thought of my little sister running around with a hood rat like Stone made my flesh crawl.

  “Hey, baby,” she purred. “I’m glad you called.”

  I took a long look at my sister as she gabbed on the phone. She looked like she belonged in a hip-hop video, with her fitted clothes and wild hairdo and tiny waistline. It made me sick to think of what her life was really like.

  Crystal turned her head away. I knew she was saying something she didn’t want me to hear. I felt like snatching the phone out of her hand and throwing it out the window. But if she said something that might clue me in to Stone’s plans, maybe I could find a way to get that information to Troy.

  “Tonight?” she said into the phone.

  I gulped. I had to stop her from getting together with that guy tonight without tipping her off about why. If Stone got suspicious he might deviate from the plan, which would ruin Troy’s bust. “Tell him your big sister wants you to hang out with her,” I suggested, hoping she’d go for it easily.

  She held her hand over the phone. “But my man’s already got plans for us tonight.”

  “Let me talk to him,” I said, reaching for the phone.

  “No!” She pulled away from me. “Get out of my business.” She spoke into the phone again. “That was my sister,” she told Stone. “I don’t know what she wants. She said she’s got some big surprise for me.” Crystal gave me a curious look. “You want to talk to her?”

  I yanked the phone out of her hand. “Listen, man,” I said, trying to sound cool, “Crystal tells me she’s all hung up on you. But I haven’t seen my sister in a long time. How about I take her out and get her all cute for you, huh?”

  “She just got her hair and nails done,” a gruff, deep voice said. “I know ’cause I paid for it.”

  “Well, yeah, but I wanted to take her to get a massage. Get her body all silky and sweet-smelling. You know what I’m sayin’?”

  Crystal stared at me like she thought I’d gone crazy.

  “Crystal told me her big sister ain’t down with no sexual stuff.”

  “Hey, man, I ain’t her mama. What she does is her own business.”

  “Oh, yeah?” he said, his voice suddenly smooth. “Then maybe you can get yourself one of them massages, too, and come have some fun with us tonight.”

  My initial instinct was to curse him out, but I restrained myself. “You got it,” I said seductively. Crystal glared at me, obviously wondering what in the world we were talking about.

  “All right, then,” Stone said. “Go on and get yourself and my girl all dolled up for me. I got some big money coming my way today, so I can take you both out somewhere real special.”

  “It’s a date. Where should we meet you?”

  Stone gave me directions to a club called Playa’s. I hung up and handed the phone to Crystal. She stared at me, speechless. I drove on toward the spa, praying they would be able to fit us in without an appointment.

  When she finally got over being irritated that I was accompanying her on her date, Crystal started talking about her relationship with Stone. She went into far more detail than I felt comfortable hearing, but I pretended to be interested to encourage her to open up to me.

  “One of my friends from school introduced me to him,” she explained. “I told him I wanted to work the streets for him at night, but he told me he wanted to keep me for himself.” She said it like it was a big deal, like she’d won a big prize. Like this scum Stone was a movie star or something.

  “He has four gold teeth in the front. He’s an inch shorter than me, and he’s got dreads. One night he let me wash them for him. He’s so cute!”

  I clenched the steering wheel and bit my tongue. How could my sister be so blind? We’d both grown up with parents who spent most of their time at work and didn’t have much left over for their daughters. Maybe if I’d focused more on Crystal and less on climbing the ladder in the Agency and trying to get a man for myself, I could have made a difference in her life. But I couldn’t go back—I had to try to move forward.

  Lord, I prayed, help me get my sister out of this situation. I want to tell her about You and make sure she gets it. ’Cause You’re the one she needs, not this jerk.

  Thank You, Lord, I prayed as the masseuse rubbed my shoulders and I saw a peaceful smile on my sister’s face as she lay on the table beside me, getting an oil treatment. She looked so innocent. I had successfully kept her away from Stone during the drug deal.

  After our massages, I suggested we get a bite to eat, hoping to prolong our time together.

  “I don’t know,” she said. “My baby’s planning to take me someplace special for dinner. Besides, you’ve already done enough for me. That massage was awesome!”

  “Hey, I’ve got an idea,” I said. “Why don’t we go to Akido’s for dinner. I know how much you love Japanese food.”

  “That does sound great,” she said, then bit her lower lip. “Let me just call Stone and make sure it’s okay.”

  “What you gotta check with him for?” I said as I pulled open my car door. “Can’t you make your own decision about having a meal with your big sister?”

  She got into the passenger side and started rummaging through her purse for her cell phone. “I just gotta check in, that’s all. You know what I mean?”

  “No, I don’t,” I said firmly. “That’s totally unacceptable, Crystal, and you should know better. Don’t you remember anything I told you about domestic violence? I’m sure you remember Mama’s boyfriend, Mr. Smith. The one that came to the house all drunk and knocked her around a couple of times.”

  She stared at the closed phone in her hands. “We kept wondering when we would be next,” she said softly.

  “Uh-huh. And you and I both vowed that we would never go through anything like that.”

  “But Stone ain’t slapped me around hard or nothing. He just likes to know where I’m at, that’s all.” She opened her phone, and I snatched it away from her.

  Her eyes grew wild. “Give that back! I need to call Stone.”

  “No.” I shoved her cell phone into my purse. At the same time, I furtively pressed the Record button on the handheld tape recorder I always carried in my purse.

  “That creep shouldn’t be sleeping with you. You’re only fifteen. That’s child molestation, girl!”

  Her eyes grew cold. “I knew this was too good to be true. You acted like it was okay that I was dating him.”

  “Where do you think he gets all his money, Crystal?” I said. “Have you thought about that?”

  “I know what he does,” she admitted. “I know he makes drugs. So what? Half of America is doing the same thing. It’s called survival.”

  “Have you seen him do it?”

  “Sure,” she said with a shrug. “He’s got five boys that work for him at this warehouse he owns.”

  “And he’s a pimp, too, huh? That must bring in some good cash.”

  “He gets ninety percent of whatever the girls make. Most of them are my age or younger. One’s in middle school.”

  “How many girls does he have?” I asked, feeling more revolted by the minute.

  “I think about fifteen.”

  “Do you even know what his real name is?”

  “Shavaric Dollar.”

  “No wonder he calls himself Stone.”

  “What’s with all the questions? He in trouble or somethin’?” she joked sarcastically.

  “Ha ha,” I downplayed her phony question. “I’m just trying to see how well you know this guy.”

  “Well, I’m through being g
rilled about him. Take me home.”

  “I thought you wanted to go to Akido’s,” I said.

  “I changed my mind.”

  I didn’t know what else I could say to get her to stay with me. So I decided to tell her the truth. “Crystal, the FBI has been investigating Stone. The cops are busting his warehouse tonight. He’s probably on his way to jail right now.”

  “They got my baby?” she screamed. “How did you find out?”

  Before I could answer, my cell phone rang. It was Troy.

  “We got him,” he announced. “You still with your sister?”

  “Yeah,” I said, watching her shoot arrows of hate at me with her eyes.

  “Did you get any information out of her?”

  I pulled the tape recorder out of my purse. It was still running. “Sure did.”

  “You taped me?” Crystal shrieked.

  I gave her an apologetic shrug. “We’re on our way to the station,” I said into the phone. “She’ll talk.”

  “That’s what you think,” she grumbled, her voice strained.

  “That’s what I know,” I said as I hung up the phone.

  I drove straight to the precinct, with Crystal screaming at me the whole way.

  Mom was waiting there with two FBI agents when we arrived. One was my supervisor, Agent Hunter. With a worn-out smile, he headed up to me.

  “Good to see you again, Ware.”

  “You, too, sir. Thanks for being here with my mom and for even calling her a while back and telling her about my accident.”

  “Your life is never dull,” he said. “We miss you in the office, but with your heroics, Secret Service might try to keep you.”

  “You know that saying about the grass isn’t always greener,” I said as he nodded and chuckled. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ll be back.”

  “Well, good,” he said as he pointed over to my mom and sister. “Go take care of that.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Crystal, honey, are you all right?” my mom asked, hugging my sister.

  Crystal didn’t even return the hug. “I ain’t saying nothin’ to nobody,” she declared.

  Our mother pulled out of the hug and glared at her teenage daughter. “Oh, you’re gonna talk, little girl. You’re gonna talk real good.” Mama grasped Crystal’s slender arm and dragged her into one of the empty interrogation rooms.

  Since I was an FBI agent, I was allowed to watch my sister’s interrogation from behind the two-way mirror. She told them everything she knew, which thankfully turned out not to be that much. I didn’t even have to play the tape. Fortunately, the agent realized she’d been brainwashed, so he didn’t take her into custody, and since Stone hadn’t clued her in on his goings-on, Crystal might not have to testify.

  When they emerged from the interrogation room, my mother had a look of satisfaction on her face. Crystal looked scared out of her wits. My little sister shot me a hateful glare. “Mom, will you take me home now?” she said without taking her eyes off me.

  “Of course, baby,” Mom said.

  “I will never speak to you again for as long as I live,” she cried. Then she turned around and stormed out of the precinct.

  I swallowed hard, trying to keep from crying. I knew what I’d done was for her own good. One day she’d thank me.

  Troy came up and threw his arms around me. “You did the right thing,” he assured me. “If she’d been there tonight, she would have been arrested for sure. Now it looks as if she wasn’t involved at all.”

  “Thanks,” I told him as tears escaped down my cheeks. “Thanks for saving my sister.”

  Troy grabbed my hand and led me into the interrogation room where my mom had convinced my sister to talk. “Chris,” he said as we sat at the table, “I care for you. Being away from you has made me realize that we had something really special. I thought I wanted to be single forever, and the whole baby thing really scared me. But now I wish you were carrying my child so I’d say the right things.”

  “Oh, really?” I said. “And what would you say now?”

  “That I want to have a family with you,” he said without hesitation. “I see kids all the time who are messed up because they don’t have a loving home and parents who take care of them.” He took my hand. “I want to change that. I know we can’t just jump right into marriage or anything. But do you think we could start dating again?”

  I immediately thought about Sebastian. I hadn’t heard from him in weeks and I had no idea where we stood with each other. But Sebastian wasn’t the real issue.

  Troy didn’t know the Lord. He was a good man, and I was glad he was finally getting some decent values. But my relationship with God had been growing, and I knew I couldn’t be with someone who didn’t share my faith.

  I took my hand out of his. “I’ve missed you, too, Troy. But—”

  “Don’t turn me down,” he said.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, wiping a tear from my cheek. “I appreciate what you did for my sister, and it’s great that you want to start a loving, caring family. But I don’t want to date you again.”

  He lowered his head into his hands and just sat there for a while.

  “I don’t want to let you out of my life, either,” I assured him. “I’d like us to be friends.”

  “I understand,” he said, looking up. “Go on home and be with your sister. She really needs you.”

  He kissed my forehead and walked away.

  As he was walking away, I called his name. He turned around and came back to me and I asked, “Troy, do you have a relationship with God?

  “I haven’t really thought of God in a while, Christian. Why?”

  “Well, lately I’ve been working on getting closer to Him and trying to live the way He wants me to. I guess I wanted to know how you felt about Him. Troy, you’re a good man and would benefit greatly from knowing Him.”

  He stood there for a moment and just looked at me; then he said good-bye and walked away without answering.

  As I watched him leave, I thanked God for working in my life.

  Lord, I can’t believe I turned down a gorgeous guy just because I want to be with You for eternity. I shook my head as I headed for the exit. My life sure is bumpy right now, but I’m glad to see You’re straightening it out.

  The Democratic Convention was only a month away, and Reverend Stokes’s campaign had escalated. He accepted every single invitation he received for a speaking engagement, no matter how big or small. I was ordered to return to Atlanta immediately.

  Besides the busy schedule, two things made me apprehensive about going to the Peach State. It had only been a couple of weeks since Crystal had given the cops all the information she had on the guy she loved. On my nights off I stayed with her at Mom’s house. The poor thing cried herself to sleep every night. Leaving her at such an unstable time was extremely unsettling.

  And I still hadn’t heard from Sebastian. Not even a message on my answering machine. I had called him a few times because dealing with my sister had gotten me down and I needed someone to talk to. He never answered my calls. I thought about leaving him a message saying, “It’s over,” but I never got the courage.

  Troy had continued reaching out to me, but I didn’t want to turn to him. So I brought all my fears and concerns to God instead, and He had given me peace.

  I knew I couldn’t avoid running into Sebastian, because I would be stationed at his parents’ house. Maybe it would be better to confront him face-to-face and tell him it just wasn’t going to work out between us.

  I was a strong woman. I’d never had to beg for a man’s attention, and I never had trouble getting a boyfriend. My problem was keeping one. Men didn’t want to settle down with me. Sure, Troy had sounded interested in marrying me, but I knew in my heart that if I tried to take him up on his offer, he’d back down.

  Maybe Sebastian’s mom was right. Maybe he would never think of me as anything more than a pretty bodyguard.

  On my first da
y back in Atlanta, I stood at my post just inside the entrance to the Stokes mansion. Part of me wanted Sebastian to walk through the door; another part hoped I would never have to see him again.

  That night, as I was doing surveillance in the van, I saw a limo pull into the driveway. I stopped breathing for a second. I wanted to open the van door and run into his arms and say, “Baby, have you missed me as much as I’ve missed you?” But I was on duty.

  The limo driver got out, popped up an umbrella, and opened the back door. Sebastian emerged, looking just as handsome as ever. He took the umbrella from the driver, then turned back to the car, bent down, and held out his hand. I saw a pair of shapely legs. Even through the black hose, I could tell the legs were white!

  I blinked, wondering if the heavy rain was clouding my perception. I grabbed the binoculars and focused in. A tall, slender blonde stood beside Sebastian, her long, straight hair blowing in the wind. He put his arm around her waist and they hurried inside the house.

  I dropped the binoculars on my foot. Stifling a squeal, I picked them up and tossed them onto the seat beside me. “I gotta go to the bathroom,” I said to Agent Hold.

  I opened the van door and dashed across the dark, two-lane road, squeezing through the front door right behind Sebastian. His mom shut it before any more rain got into her home.

  I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the full-length foyer mirror and almost didn’t recognize myself. My eye-liner had smudged so badly, it looked like I had a black eye. My black pants, black blazer, and white shirt were drenched. My hair hung loose around my face, dripping water. A small puddle was forming at my feet.

  I looked up at Sebastian, hoping my love for him would show through my rumpled appearance, and that his feelings for me would melt the distance between us.

  “Christian,” he said, giving me a warm smile. The girl beside him glared at the back of his head.

  Instead of replying, I walked down the hallway to the bathroom.

  God, I thought, it’s not supposed to be like this. I stared at my sorry reflection in the gilt-edged mirror above the marble sink. I love this man, but now he’s with another woman. If things can’t work out between us, You’ve got to help me forget him!