Demetrius’ beeper went off again. He wanted to ignore this one also, but Mo put the 333 code in this time. That was their signal for distress. Mo was in trouble, so Demetrius had to reach out to him.
“Just what do you do, young man?” Marvin asked with a look on his face that said he knew the deal.
But Demetrius didn’t have time to get into it with Angel’s father. Mo needed him and he had to get to a phone ASAP. “I’m sorry, Pastor Barnes, I will tell you whatever you want to know about me, but right now I really need to make a call. Can I possibly use your phone?”
Pastor Barnes pointed in the direction of his office. “My office is on the other side of those double doors. Help yourself.”
“Thank you,” Demetrius said as he attempted to walk past the group. But DeMarcus reached for him.
“Daddy,” he said as he held out his hands.
He looked to Angel and she said, “Go on, take him with you.” Then she turned back to her parents. “That boy just can’t stand being without his daddy.”
If he hadn’t had other things weighing on his mind, Demetrius would have laughed his head off once he’d closed the office door. Angel hadn’t even wanted him anywhere near DeMarcus when they had first come to stay with him... now she’s lying her head off, telling anyone who will listen that he was DeMarcus’s dad.
He sat the boy on the floor as he dialed Mo’s number, Demetrius figured he already knew what the problem was, he just hoped that Mo was alright.
DeMarcus was playing with the long spiral phone cord as Mo answered the phone.
Demetrius said, “What’s up, man? You in some kind of trouble?”
“Your daddy is losing it, Demetrius. They pretty near beat me to death up in here. And Don said they’re going to kill me if you don’t put in a call to him in the next hour.”
Mo sounded scared, God only knows what they had done to him. “Put him on the phone.”
“He’s not here. I think him and Al are headed to Frankie Day’s house. They’re trying to find out where Angel’s people stay.”
“But if I put this number in his beeper, he’ll know where Angel’s people are.”
“And if you don’t, my people won’t know where to find me. Because I’ll be floating in a river somewhere.”
Don wasn’t giving him much of a choice. He had to call, but nothing said that he had to call from Winston-Salem. Demetrius stepped out of the office and signaled for Angel to come to him. When she was in front of him, he handed her DeMarcus and then said, “I have to leave.”
“But my father wants to talk to you.”
Stepping closer to her, so that only she heard him, Demetrius said, “I don’t have a choice. My father is going to kill Mo if I don’t call him within the next hour. So, I’ve got to get on the road now. Because I don’t want to call him from Winston-Salem.”
“Gotcha. Okay, you go.” she was whispering with him. “I’ll make sure Katherine and Sam get something to eat.”
“Where are they?” Demetrius asked, he hadn’t seen them since Angel had gone down the aisle to see her mother.
“They’re sitting on one of the back pews. I saw them when I handed DeMarcus to mama.”
He kissed her and then left the building. He made it as far as Concord before pulling off the highway at breakneck speed. He pulled into the first gas station he came to, and called his father’s beeper. He then stood at the phone booth and waited for the phone to ring. After ten minutes had gone by, Demetrius began to worry that he’d called too late and that Mo was already dead. Just as he was about to pick the phone receiver up and call Mo’s number the phone rang.
He quickly picked it up. “Hello... hello.”
“I’m here. I just need a minute because I’m still in shock that a son of mine would defy me in such a manner.”
“Dad, is Mo okay?”
“He’s still breathing if that’s what you mean.”
Demetrius sighed in relief. “Let me speak to him.”
Don laughed. “Don’t trust your old man, huh? Well, you can call him yourself when we hang up. But I think he went to the emergency room about a broken rib or something.”
“Mo had nothing to do with it, Dad. You shouldn’t have hurt him.”
Don’s voice was like steel as he said, “I want Johnson back here. I owe him money so, I need to settle up.”
“You don’t owe him anything, Dad. I gave him his money back. He’s not looking for a pay out on that bet. They just want to sell their home so they can relocate.”
Don pondered that a moment, then he asked, “And you believe that? Johnson is going to call the police and tell them everything he knows the moment you drop him at his son’s house in Columbia. You know that don’t you?”
“You know where his son lives?” Demetrius didn’t even know why he was surprised.
“Already sent someone to the house, but no one was home. Now why don’t you ask Johnson how long he thinks my people should wait on his son to return?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Demetrius was horrified by his father’s statement, but he tried to keep his voice calm.
“You know me, Demetrius. What do you think I mean? Better yet, what do you think I’m going to do next?”
“But he doesn’t want the money.” It seemed like his dad didn’t even care about the money anymore, like he was mad about something else. But Demetrius didn’t understand it at all.
“Oh and tell Pastor Barnes that I said hello. I might even attend services real soon.”
Nooo! Demetrius wanted to scream. His father had found them in no time at all. There was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide from Don Shepherd. “Why can’t you just leave us alone? Coach doesn’t want the money, so that should be the end of it.”
“He took something that belongs to me and somebody’s got to pay for that.”
“This isn’t about you, Dad. I just didn’t want Coach to die over a bet that he never should have made in the first place. Don’t you get that?”
“You seem to have forgotten where your money comes from... and you go against me for some chump.” Pure anger spilled from Don’s voice as he continued. “Maybe I should do to you exactly what I’m going to do to Johnson’s kid when I get my hands on him.” Don hung up the phone.
Demetrius got back in his car and slumped against the steering wheel. He’d thought that once his father understood that Coach didn’t want the money, he would leave him alone, but Don wasn’t going to stop. Demetrius had driven an hour out of the way, just so his father wouldn’t know where they were. But Frankie must have known about Angel’s father and happily spilled the beans.
If Don wasn’t going to stop hunting them, then Demetrius had no clue how he was going to keep them safe. But one thing was clear to him, he had to get back to Winston-Salem immediately.
Fifteen
By the time Demetrius arrived back in Winston-Salem, everyone had left the church. Angel had beeped him, he called her back and she gave him directions to her parent’s home. She ran outside and got in the passenger seat as he pulled into the driveway.
“So, did we set a date for the wedding while I was gone,” Demetrius said, needing desperately to laugh about something.
“Thanks for not busting me out in front of my parents.”
“I should have,” he told her. “You had me co-signing all them lies right in the sanctuary of your father’s church. Woman, do you have no fear of God?”
Leaning back in her seat, Angel admitted, “What I did wasn’t right. But a whole lot of things haven’t been right for a long time.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “What your cousin did was foul.”
“That wasn’t even the worst of it, Demetrius. After you left, I asked my mom why she was walking with a cane.” Shaking her head in disbelief, Angel said, “My mom had a stroke after my cousin lied to her like that.”
“That’s why she and my father got back together. He felt so guilty for all he had done, that he stepped down as pastor o
f the church for about six months and took care of her. My mom said she fell back in love with my dad during that time. And they remarried last year.”
“Yeah, well at least some good came out of it.”
Angel looked doubtful. “That’s if he can stop letting these church hussies fill his head with how wonderful he is and stay faithful to his wife.”
“And you don’t believe he can?”
“My mother seems to believe it. And I guess that’s all that matters. She’s been through so much already, I don’t want to rain on her party. So, I’m going to try my best to keep my mouth shut.”
“Good, because we have bigger issues.” He turned to her, held onto her hands as he said, “I think Frankie told my father about your family. He knows that he is a preacher and he told me that he’s planning a visit to the church. So, he thinks that we’re with your family.”
“We are with my family, Demetrius.” Angel’s hands tightened around his. “What are we going to do?”
“I don’t know. Let’s just go inside. I need to talk to Coach and then I’ll figure something out.”
“My father wants to talk to you too,” Angel said, then grabbed hold of his arm. “But you can’t tell my father about any of this.”
“Why not... are you ashamed of your fiancé?” he teased her, but in truth, Demetrius needed an answer to that. He was who he was, and if the woman he loved couldn’t deal with that, then...
“I’m not ashamed of you, Demetrius. You’re a good man. And I’m proud to be on your arm. Now come on in the house so we can figure out what to do.”
Demetrius was intrigued the moment he stepped onto the veranda and then walked through the front doors. The house was a Victorian style that southerners seemed to love. At the front of the house the parlor and drawing room was used to showcase pictures. These pictures were unlike any he’d ever seen in anyone else’s home. On one of the walls was five photos of men dressed in dark suits, holding a bible. Each man had a clerical collar around his neck.
Of the five, the last picture was of Angel’s father. So, Demetrius asked, “Who are the rest of these men?”
She pointed at the pictures. “The picture next to my father is of my grandfather, then my great grandfather... great, great, grandfather and so on.”
He whispered, “Does everybody in your family preach?”
“Pretty much,” Angel said as she led him towards the back of the house where the family room and kitchen were. Katherine was in the kitchen helping Maxine with the dinner. Coach was seated in the family room with Angel’s dad watching television and kicking back with a tall glass of lemonade.
Before Demetrius could take a seat on the antique, Victorian style sofa, Coach asked him, “Did you get everything squared away?”
“Not quite,” Demetrius admitted. “You might want to call your son to see if he’s made it back home yet.”
Coach jumped up. “Don’t tell me that Don knows where Calvin lives?” His eyes begged Demetrius to say it wasn’t so.
But Demetrius couldn’t lie to him. “They sent someone to his house already. So, Angel was right when she told us not to make your son’s house our first stop.”
Katherine wiped her hands with the kitchen towel as she came into the room. “Has that monster hurt my son?” She looked from her husband to Demetrius, needing an answer quick and fast.
Demetrius shook his head. “No ma’am. No one is at Calvin’s home. But you need to find out where he is and advise him to stay there for a few more days.”
Johnson asked Marvin, “Can I use your phone?”
Marvin told him, “There’s a phone in the kitchen and one in the parlor.” As Coach and Katherine headed to the kitchen, Marvin set his eyes on Demetrius. “I think it’s time for us to talk, don’t you?”
“I think so,” Demetrius agreed as he sat down across from Pastor Marvin. Angel sat next to him, and he appreciated that. His father had been so worried that he had fallen for a girl who wouldn’t be down for him. But Angel was the one. He was glad she had told her parents that they were engaged, because he wanted to spend the rest of his life with this girl.
“Before I begin, I want you to know that I love your daughter, and although I’m not the best possible candidate for a son-in-law, I don’t think anyone will treat her better than I will.”
“That’s all well and good, young man. But exactly how do you plan to provide for Angel and DeMarcus? What do you do for a living?”
“I work for my father, sir. And I could try to pretty that up, but I’m not going to lie to you.” Demetrius took a deep breath as he continued. “My father’s business is organized crime. We make our living as bookies and loan sharks.” The business was about to transform into drug dealing, but he didn’t feel like sharing that bit of information just yet.
“And you think that you’re worthy of Angel, even though you’re nothing more than a criminal?”
Angel held onto his hand and squeezed it, reassuring him that she was still with him.
“No, sir. I’m far from worthy. But I still want to be with her.” He looked into Angel’s eyes as he said, “We want to be a family.”
“But you can’t raise a family if you are in prison,” Marvin exploded. “This is non-sense.”
Angel glared at her father and then went on the attack. “You have no room to judge Demetrius. Not when you ran off with some other woman while mama was left to take care of me and Ronny in some shack on the other side of town.” She stood up, shaking a finger in her father’s face. “You can’t raise a family like that either, can you?”
“Angel!” The displeasure in her mother’s voice rang throughout the room. “You have no right to speak to your father like that.”
Angel took a couple of deep slow breaths. She sat back down next to Demetrius as she told her mother, “I’m sorry. I will not disrespect your home again. But your husband has no right talking to Demetrius like that.”
“He’s only concerned for your well-being,” Maxine told her.
Before Angel could say another word, Johnson rushed back into the room. “I got in touch with his boss. Calvin’s safe. He took the family to the beach for the weekend.”
“Safe from what?” Marvin asked. “Does anyone want to tell me what’s going on?”
~~~~
Stan, Al, Joe-Joe and Don flew into Smith Reynolds Airport and rented two cars. Don kept Al with him, because he didn’t want his enforcer getting any ideas about shooting his son, unless he gave the order for such a thing. Joe-Joe and Stan got into the other car. It was late Saturday evening, the sun was going down as they headed out to find the church and/or the pastor’s home if need be.
Winston-Salem was a small little college town, with Wake Forest University and Winston-Salem State University, along with several other smaller colleges. It was a place for higher learning, which was why Don was surprised to see young thugs hanging out on the street when there was practically a college on every other block. They pulled up to the Full Gospel Church and got out of the car. Don and Al leaned against the car and waited on Stan and Joe-Joe to pull up next to them.
“What’s this,” Joe-Joe said as he closed his car door. “We leave our ghetto to come hang out in theirs?”
“We should have found the house, I bet you that preacher don’t live in this neighborhood. And the church looks like it’s closed for the day anyway,” Al said.
“We couldn’t get an address on the preacher,” Don reminded him. “But we’ll find him.”
~~~~
“So you’re telling me that you’re father wants to kill a man so he won’t have to pay money owed for a bet? And you and my daughter have risked your lives to save this man?” Pastor Marvin couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“When my father gets angry, there’s no telling what he will do.”
“And yet you decided to defy him in order to help the Johnson’s anyway,” Maxine said as if she was beginning to see what her daughter saw in him.
“
Coach Johnson means a lot to me. When I was a kid, he was more of a father figure to me than my father ever thought about being.”
“I appreciate your saying that, Demetrius.” Sam put a hand on his back. “I tried to be there for you because I could see that you were hurting without your mother.” Johnson then turned to Pastor Marvin and said, “Don Shepherd has to be stopped before he destroys anymore lives.”
Pastor Marvin clasped his hands as he stood up. “I know someone who can stop him.”
Demetrius shook his head. “If I call the police on my father he would never forgive me. I’d probably be found dead somewhere.”
“I’m not talking about any earthly authority,” Pastor Marvin told them. Then as their eyes got that puzzled look, he pointed upward. “I’m talking about Jesus. My Lord and Savior is the only one I trust with my life.”
Angel remembered her father saying things like this when she was a child. He had always inspired her to trust God for anything. But then he messed up and it had changed her whole outlook on faith and God’s ability to rescue her from anything.
Pastor Marvin got down on his knees, Maxine joined him and so did Katherine and Johnson. Demetrius whispered to Angel, “What should I do?”
She put his hand in hers and then got down on bended knee, getting the picture, Demetrius followed suit.
Pastor Marvin began praying, “Father God, we give thanks to You and You alone for Your mighty hand that is quick to save and to deliver. Only You know the true depths of the danger my daughter and her friends are facing this weekend. So I come to You now, asking that You put a hedge of protection around them that no evil force will be able to penetrate.
“And if these evil men cannot be persuaded to stop their pursuit of this good man and his family, then Lord I ask that You stop them in such a way that they will never look to this part of the country ever again. Send down warrior angels to fight this battle for us, in Jesus’s name I pray.”
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