Open Your Heart

by Cheris Hodges

  “Because I hate traffic, and if you had it your way, we’d never leave,” Alex said. “I’m going to put my bag in the car so y’all can talk. But I’m leaving in fifteen minutes.”

  Yolanda shook her head as her sister walked away. “How much of that did you hear?” Charles asked as they walked into the bedroom so that Yolanda could retrieve her bag.

  “I heard nothing, other than you saying you’re coming back to me.” She smiled and threw herself into his arms. Charles held her tightly and buried his nose in her hair. She smelled so good and felt even better. As much as he didn’t want to let her go, he knew he had to so that she could get to safety.

  “Do me a favor,” he said when he let her go. “Pay attention to any cars that might be following you guys when you leave.”

  “And if someone is following us, what am I supposed to do?”

  “Tell Alex to turn off whatever road you’re on and call me.”

  She nodded. “This is some real Jason Bourne shit here.”

  He stroked her cheek. “It isn’t, it’s some keeping-my-baby-safe shit.” Charles leaned down and kissed her slow and deep. His hand rested on the small of her back as their tongues danced against each other’s. Though he didn’t want to let her go, he knew Alex was going to leave her.

  “You’d better get going,” he said.

  “Wish you were coming with me.”

  “I’m going to see you real soon.” They started down the stairs and Yolanda tugged at his hand.

  “Chuck, I love you too, and I don’t care what you have to do, but come back to me.”

  “That’s the plan, Yolanda.” He opened the front door and saw Alex was ready to go. “She’s going to leave you.”

  Yolanda stood on her tiptoes and gave Charles a quick peck on the lips. “See you soon,” she said, then rushed to the car.

  It was five forty-five and Charles had to get ready for this showdown with Chase. He pulled out his phone and called Madison.

  “What’s up, Chuck?”

  “You tell me. Where are you?”

  “I’m in the East End. Right outside of downtown. I found out who this man really is.”

  “What do you mean and text me your address. I have a rental coming in an hour.”

  “Maybe I should come to you,” Madison said. “This man is an ex-cop. I think that’s how he’s gotten away with all of the murders. He knows how police investigations work. How to make evidence disappear and how to be a killer in plain sight.”

  “I’m in Petersburg and I’m not sure you should come here because I’m at Yolanda’s sister’s place.”

  Madison sighed. “You’re right, because I think he knows who I am. Chuck, how are we going to bring him down? Even the good cops I know are scared of this guy.”

  “So, we’re going in blind?”

  “Kind of. But we can possibly surprise him,” Madison said.

  “Surprise him and do what?” Charles asked. “Because I know you don’t think we’re going to bust in on him and kill him.”

  “No, not unless it’s necessary.”

  “Is there more to this story that I need to know?” he asked.

  “Ugh, I hate that you know me so well. I think this motherfucker killed my sister. Chase was fired because he ran a child porn ring. He started his career in Danville. He got caught in Richmond and disappeared before an arrest.”

  “Wow. But what makes you think he . . . How long have you been researching this?”

  Madison snorted. “I fell down a rabbit hole when I started looking for Simone Branch and things clicked.”

  “Is this about revenge for you?” Charles snapped.

  “Like this isn’t about you trying to make up for . . .”

  “Don’t go there.”

  “Chuck, we all have things that haunt our past and if I can finally get justice for Kira, then let me do it.”

  “You mean let you kill this man?”

  “If it comes to that, don’t try to stop me,” she said. “I just sent you my address. Let me know when your car comes.” She ended the call and Charles wondered if Madison could handle this.

  Chapter 32

  Charles drove to the East End in Richmond and met Madison at an apartment complex. Seeing his friend, he could tell she was mad. Dressed in a pair of jeans, a long-sleeve T-shirt, and a knife clipped to her hip, Charles knew Madison was ready for war. He didn’t know where her gun was, but she had one or two on her.

  “Glad to see you found your way here with no problem,” she said as she ran her hand through her cropped curly hair.

  “Can we talk about the plan first?”

  Madison sighed. “The plan is . . .You know, I have been waiting for this for years. But I’m not a criminal,” she said. He nodded and pulled her into his arms.

  “I know this is tough,” he said.

  She pushed back from him and wiped her eyes. “Very. But justice is sweeter than revenge. I called the FBI agent who had been working my sister’s case and she’s getting a warrant for Chase.”

  “I’m guessing we’re going to observe this takedown?”

  “Yes, we are! Agent Greene said we just need to stay out of sight.” Madison nodded toward Charles’s nondescript rental car. “And you got the perfect car for it.”

  “When is all of this going down?” he asked.

  “Waiting for her to text me.”

  “And you think she will?”

  Madison nodded. “Sarah wouldn’t leave me hanging like this.”

  There was something about the way she said Sarah that made Charles think there was more to their relationship than just an FBI agent staying in touch with a family member on a cold case.

  “Let’s go get some coffee and head toward Chase’s house so we can be there when this shit goes down,” he said.

  * * *

  Yolanda hated riding in the front seat while Alex drove. She had road rage, yet she wasn’t a speed demon like Nina. She drove like an auntie hauling her sister’s kids. The speed limit and no faster.

  Even though she’d normally talk junk about how Alex was the cause of rush-hour traffic because she did the speed limit in the fast lane, today she was following Chuck’s instructions.

  “Why are you staring at every car that passes us?” Alex asked.

  “Just trying to make sure . . . um . . . Chuck told me to.”

  “My God,” she muttered. And to Yolanda’s surprise, Alex actually sped up.

  “I had no idea you knew how to do this,” Yolanda quipped.

  “Do what?”

  “Drive above the speed limit.”

  “Oh, shut up. And I was going to actually stop and buy us breakfast,” Alex said. “How have you been dealing with this over all these months?”

  “Not very well,” Yolanda said honestly. “You know, I will probably never watch another movie where someone is murdered. Seeing that up close and personal is not healthy. It was horrifying.”

  “Don’t take this as a judgment, but what were you doing out so late?”

  Yolanda reached for her phone. “Being an artist.” She pulled up the picture of the window. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she’d set up that display. Alex gave it a quick glance.

  “Oh, that is cute. I hate that I never got to see your shop. I’m sure you’re going to make the Charlotte store pop whenever you officially open it.”

  “That’s the plan. And, I hope that you will stop by and let me style you for your vacation.”

  Alex snorted. “I don’t know about that, your taste is a little too outlandish for me.”

  Yolanda rolled her eyes. “That’s where you’re wrong. I have some nice Golden Girls–like items for you. Though, I hope when you go on vacation you get you some to take the edge off.”

  “There you go. Don’t ever change, Yo-Yo. And I am not going on vacation to have a tawdry fling.”

  “Why not?”

  “Have you ever?” Alex asked.

  “I’m going to go ahead and plead the fifth
on that.”

  Alex shook her head. “I don’t have the words to say.”

  “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but, sis, you need to live a lot. You spend all of your time about business. Or trying to fix whatever you think is wrong with me and Nina. When is the last time you did something for Alexandria the Great?”

  Alex sucked her teeth. “I hate that little nickname of yours.”

  “This time I mean it, you’re great. Beautiful, smart, and a boss. But if you don’t start having some fun and living life as more than Dad’s clone, you’re going to wake up wallowing in regret one day.”

  “You worry about me too much. I mean, I’m satisfied with my life. I get to help Daddy build on our family legacy, I get to watch you guys do amazing things. What’s wrong with that?”

  “You didn’t mention anything about what you do for you. It’s not selfish, but you could stand to be a little selfish. And please, let somebody in that doesn’t have the last name Richardson.”

  “All right, I’m done with this. Thanks for the advice. I might not ignore all of it.”

  “That’s my Alex,” Yolanda quipped.

  By the time they made it back to Charleston, Yolanda had hoped to see a text from Chuck, but there was no news. She hoped that was a good thing.

  * * *

  Charles and Madison had been sitting in the car across from the address that was supposed to be Chase’s house for about three hours. They hadn’t seen any movement or the FBI.

  “I hate this shit,” Madison bemoaned.

  “Our tax dollars not working. You think someone may have tipped him off?”

  “I hope not. But if anyone did that, I’m sure it came from . . . Wait. Did you see that?” She nodded toward the front door of the two-story white house that looked as if a peaceful family resided there. There was a snowman flag flying from one of the pillars on the porch. The front door opened and Chase stepped out on the porch, holding a black trash bag. He didn’t look like a killer or a peddler of child pornography, but that’s probably what made him dangerous. Chuck gave Madison a sidelong glance as she gripped the door handle.

  “Whatever you’re thinking, don’t do it,” he said, then looked up at Chase. The man was smoking a cigar, but Chuck wondered if he was looking at them. “You’re going to have to relax. This guy probably came outside because he noticed the car.”

  “Don’t get any ideas,” she said as she dropped her head in his lap. It took everything in Charles not to start laughing. He just threw his head back and followed along with Madison’s playacting, but he never took his eyes off Chase. And he’d been right, the man was watching them. Madison’s quick, albeit crude, act was enough to send him back inside.

  “He’s gone.”

  Madison sat up. “But where the hell is Sarah?” She picked up her phone as it vibrated against her thigh. “Yes. The warrant has been issued and the calvary is on the way.”

  “We should drive around the block,” he said as he saw the curtain moving on the front window.

  “All right,” she said, then reached into her bag and pulled out her gun. Charles put his hand on top of it.

  “What are you doing?”

  “Getting ready, just in case. I said I was going to let . . . Why are you questioning me all of a sudden?”

  “Because I don’t want you to do something you can’t take back.”

  “Only if it’s me or him.”

  “How is it going to come to that if you’re going to leave his capture to the authorities?”

  Charles started the car and drove around the block. He saw four black sedans heading toward Chase’s house. He stopped on another corner and they got out of the car. Watching from the corner, they saw that the FBI was storming Chase’s house. Then the explosions started. Charles and Madison ducked down as debris flew everywhere.

  “Sarah!” Madison screamed as she pushed Charles off her and ran toward the flaming house. Charles tried to stop her, but he realized that he had been struck in the arm by a piece of wood. Blood dripped down his arm, but he got up and ran after Madison.

  “Madison!” he called out when he saw Chase aim at her from the flaming porch. Charles pushed Madison out of the way just as Chase fired. The bullet hit him on the shoulder; then two FBI agents tackled Chase to the ground.

  “Chuck! Chuck, are you okay?” She rolled him over and saw all of the blood. “Oh my God!”

  “I’m all right.”

  Madison waved for one of the agents. “Call an ambulance! He’s been shot!”

  Charles started to tell her that he was fine, but then everything went black.

  * * *

  “Yolanda! Yolanda!” Alex called out to her sister. Yolanda had been sitting in Alex’s office for two hours with her phone in her hand staring at it.

  “What?”

  “You’re not going to get a response to your text by willing it to happen. I have a meeting soon. I need you to get out.”

  “Why do you think Chuck hasn’t texted or called? What if . . .”

  “Maybe he’s busy with the police. Maybe he kicked the man’s ass who wanted to kill you or maybe his phone died. But you have to get out of my office so I can do some work.” Alex pointed to the door. “And don’t worry, I doubt there is anything that can stop your Chuck.”

  Yolanda wanted to smile, but she felt uneasy. She hadn’t even wanted to think it. And she wasn’t going to say it, but what if he was . . . Finally, her phone rang. It was Chuck.

  “Chuck, you really had me freaking out.”

  “Is this Yolanda?” a female voice asked.

  “Who is this?”

  “Yolanda, this is Madison. Chuck and I were working together on your case and I don’t want you to be alarmed.”

  “You’re not doing a real good job of keeping me calm right now.”

  “He was shot.”

  Yolanda nearly fell to the floor. “Sh-shot?”

  “He’s all right,” Madison said.

  “Where is he? I’m coming to see him.”

  “We’re at Richmond Memorial Hospital. I know you went back to Charleston, right?”

  “So what? I’m coming.” Yolanda ended the call, then remembered that her car was in Charlotte. She turned back toward Alex’s office and saw her sister standing in the doorway.

  “Did I hear you say Charles got shot? Come on, let’s go.”

  “Thought you had a meeting? If you would just let me drive your . . .”

  Alex stood in front of Yolanda and grasped her shoulders. “You’re shaking like a freaking leaf. I’m not letting you drive. Let’s go.”

  * * *

  Charles sat up in the hospital bed as the pain medication began to wear off. It was funny to him that the wood that had gone through his forearm hurt more than the bullet he’d taken in his shoulder. He started to call the nurse for more medicine, but he didn’t want to go back to sleep. How long had he been in the hospital and where in the hell was his phone? He needed to call Yolanda and ease her into what had happened.

  He gingerly rose from the bed and walked the length of the small room. He felt dizzy after his first two steps, then got his bearings. On his second walk around the room, Charles realized that he needed to sit his ass down. Reaching for the edge of the bed, he eased down on the mattress and closed his eyes again.

  It felt as if a few minutes had passed when he felt soft lips on his forehead. Clearly, he was dreaming because . . . Charles opened his eyes and saw Yolanda standing over him. Her eyes were red rimmed and filled with tears.

  He reached out and stroked her cheek. “Hey, hey, don’t cry.”

  “Don’t cry, he says from a hospital bed. Chuck, what happened?”

  “You’re safe now. That’s all that matters and I’m going to be fine,” he said.

  “You’d better be and we need to talk about your superhero complex. You’re Clark Kent, not Superman.”

  “Yolanda, you’re lucky that smart mouth of yours is one of the main things that I love ab
out you.”

  She leaned down and kissed him slow and deep. “You wait until you get out of this hospital bed,” she said when they broke the kiss. “I’m going to show you what a smart mouth can do.”

  Epilogue

  Yolanda stood in the middle of her showroom. She’d finally made her mark in Charlotte with her boutique. Her shop had been called iconic and the place to get a one-of-a-kind outfit. Though her sister couldn’t stand a certain quarterback, he was one of Yolanda’s best customers. Nina figured it out when he was on television in an outfit that matched.

  Tonight, though, Yolanda closed her doors early and was preparing to show Chuck Morris her latest fashion line. Things had changed so much over the last three months. She no longer had to look over her shoulders for killers, Robin and Logan were back to being insanely happy, Nina was still learning to cook, and Alex . . . well, Alex was always going to be Alex. And Chuck Morris was going to be a daddy.

  The couple had been engaged for a month. After he was shot in Richmond, Yolanda hadn’t wanted to leave his side. First, they spent a week at his home in Charleston, where she refused to let him work. Then he suggested that they come to Charlotte and actually put together a security system in her house and the shop. He’d also announced that he was going to open an office in Charlotte. Yolanda had been pleased and they decided to split their time between Charleston and Charlotte, which Yolanda felt was the best of both worlds, the city and the beach with the man of her dreams.

  The buzzer went off when the front door to the shop opened. “Yolanda,” Chuck called out. “What’s all of this?”

  She flipped the switch and turned on the overhead lights so the room was bathed in pink and blue. Yolanda sauntered over to him, dressed in a pink and blue sundress. “What do you think?” she asked as she did a little twirl.

  “Interesting color choices. What’s with all the pink and blue?”

  “Well,” she said as she grabbed his hand, “you’re going to be somebody’s daddy.”

  Chuck’s eyes sparkled like the Emerald Coast she loved so much as he lifted her into his arms and spun her around. “I love you so much, Yolanda.”