by Darrien Lee
“No problem, Mr. Lapahie.”
Keaton climbed into the tow truck and pulled out his cell phone. He called the car dealership that would be working on his car. He explained to them what happened and told them if anything showed up suspicious to call him immediately. Keaton hung up the telephone and gazed out the window of the truck. His head was throbbing so under the instructions of the paramedics, he would take some pain medicine and call it a night. He didn’t want to worry his parents or Meridan until he knew what was wrong with his car. Until then, he would only tell him the vehicle was being serviced.
Later that evening, Meridan sat alone in her house severely distraught. If she didn’t love Keaton so much, he would never be in danger.
The telephone startled her out of her daze. When she answered, Mr. St. John said, “Hey, Baby Girl! How are you doing?”
“I’m doing fine, Daddy.”
“Have you decided if you’re going to Texas for the fund-raiser?”
“I don’t think so,” she answered solemnly.
With concern in his voice, he asked, “Why not?”
Sighing, she said, “I have a lot of work to catch up on, Daddy.”
“Well, you told his parents you were coming so you need to stick to your word. Do you understand?” She did not respond. “Meridan?”
In a whisper, she answered, “I’m here, Daddy.”
The tears started flowing heavily. Actually, she started sobbing. Mr. St. John felt sorry for his daughter. He tried to console her the best way he could from so far away.
“Meridan, I wish there was something I could say or do to make things better for you. You know I love you and I’m sure everything will work out fine. Hang in there, kid, and, in the meantime, be careful.”
Her voice was cracking. “Thanks, Daddy. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Goodbye, sweetheart.”
Another called beeped in on the line. “I have to go, Daddy. I have another call.”
“Okay, Meridan. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Goodbye, Daddy.” Meridan clicked over and said, “Hello?”
There was a brief silence before she heard, “What’s up, babe?”
Disgusted, she yelled, “I’m getting sick of you!”
Laughing, she said, “Meridan, my love, you might feel like that right now, but I’m going to make you so happy. Did you get rid of your little boyfriend like I told you to?”
“Yes!”
“You’re lying! I saw his punk ass with you last week! Did you sleep with him?”
“That is none of your goddamn business! You need to stop spying on me and my house, and who I sleep with is none of your business!”
“Oh, but it is! You will be mine one way or the other!”
“You’re dreaming, you bitch!”
“If you think I’m playing, Meridan, you’d better think again! If you don’t believe me, you’d better check with your little boyfriend. He went on the ride of his life today. Hee…hee…hee!”
Meridan slammed the telephone down and noticed her hands were trembling. She worriedly picked up the telephone to call Keaton.
“Hello?”
“Keaton? Are you okay? Did something happen to you today?”
“Calm down, babe. I’m okay, but my car isn’t doing so good. I believe someone tampered with my brakes and I suspect it could’ve been Sam.”
She covered her mouth and cried, “Oh, my God! Baby, I’m sorry.”
He stood and walked around the room. “It’s not your fault, Meridan.”
She whispered, “Are you okay?”
“Besides a bump on the head, I’ll be fine, but I’ll be better once I have you back here with me.”
She let out a breath. “You know, Keaton, I feel the same way. I’m tired of being afraid and putting my life on hold. I want Sam to come after me so I can look her in the eyes right before I—”
“Hold on, Meridan! Don’t go trying to be a hero. Let Deacon keep doing what he’s doing. I don’t believe we have much longer to wait before Sam is caught,” he begged.
“I guess you’re right,” she answered. “Have you called Deacon and told him what happened?”
“Yes, he’s waiting for the inspection report from my brakes.”
Silence surrounded them.
“Keaton, please be careful. If Sam did this to your car, then it means she’s in Texas.”
“I will and you do the same. I love you.”
“I love you, too. I’ll call you in the morning.”
Sam sat in the hotel room flicking the channels on the TV. Her conversation with Meridan earlier had finally sunk in. There was no way in hell Meridan was going to stay away from Keaton with a little incentive from her.
She sat there surfing the channels until she came upon CNN. The reporters were talking about all the upcoming elections. One in particular that caught her eye was of a tight race in Texas. Sam sat up after she recognized Keaton in a photograph standing next to Judge Lapahie. He turned up the volume and listened to every detail.
One close race in San Antonio, Texas is between Judge Herbert Lapahie and Alonzo Alvarez. Judge Lapahie has sat on the bench in San Antonio for several years. He is seen here with his family on victory night of the primaries. Judge Lapahie will end his campaign with a huge fund-raiser at the Montrose Hotel next month. Doctor Alonzo Alvarez, the incumbent, expects Judge Lapahie to give him a run for his money. Now, over in South Carolina, we have another close race—
Laughing, she said, “Well, I’ll be damned.”
She bent down and took a sniff of a white powdery substance, sat back, and closed her eyes with a huge smile on her face.
Nichole was in deep thought as she twirled around in her chair. She was back at work, but she couldn’t concentrate. Putting her ink pen down, she picked up the telephone and dialed.
“Deacon Miles speaking.”
“Hey, babe. Have you had any luck yet?”
“Not yet. Sam is being very careful, but I’ve got a feeling her luck is about to run out.”
She smiled. “It has to. Meridan’s miserable being away from Keaton, and I’m tired over looking of my shoulder.”
“I know, babe. I’m working as hard as I can,” he responded.
“I’m sorry, Deacon. I’m just on edge,” she said with a smile. “Are you still cooking dinner for me tonight?”
“You bet! I’ll have it ready by the time you get there.”
“Thanks, boo.”
“No problem, sweetheart. I’ll see you later.”
CHAPTER 55
Keaton sat in his office going over paperwork. It was just numbers on paper to him. He wasn’t mentally deciphering any of the figures, because his mind was elsewhere. He picked up the telephone and dialed Mr. St. John. Things were beginning to get serious and some extra precautions needed to be taken. Since he was going to Meridan’s father’s wedding, he needed to be even more careful so he decided to call William.
Mr. St. John answered, “Hello?”
“Hello, William. It’s Keaton.”
“Keaton! I’m so glad you called. I was just getting ready to call you and make sure you were still coming to my wedding this Saturday.”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world, William.”
Satisfied, William said, “Good! The ceremony starts at four o’clock and it’s at the church down the street from the house.”
“I’ll be there,” he acknowledged. “Oh, William, there’s one more thing. The reason I called was to tell you that someone tampered with the brakes on my car. I can’t help but suspect this Sam person but, then again, Jacob’s not too happy with me either.”
Alarmed, William asked, “What happened? Were you injured?”
“I crashed my car, but luckily I only got a bump on the head. The mechanic said the lines were definitely cut and I’ve reported it to the police.”
“Does Meridan know?”
“Yes, I told her even though I didn’t want to worry her any more than she
already was. That’s why I think we need to talk about security for the wedding.
I don’t put anything past Sam, and she might be looking for an event like this to make a move on Meridan.”
William St. John was at his rope’s end. Clearing his throat, William said, “You’re right, Keaton. Be careful and I’ll pick you up from the airport. Just call me back later with your flight information.”
“Will do. Thanks, William.”
“No, thank you for caring about my daughter so much.”
“It’s my honor,” he responded before hanging up the telephone.
Keaton hung up and placed a call to Jacob’s office in Atlanta. The receptionist told him that Jacob had taken an indefinite leave of absence due to health reasons. Hanging up, Keaton pondered on this new information. If Jacob was on medical leave, it was looking more and more like Sam was the culprit for tampering with his brakes. Right now, there was no telling where Samantha was and what she was up to. Looking at his watch, he called Deacon to get an update on his search for Sam. Hopefully he would have some new leads.
A few days later, Meridan and Nichole woke up in Meridan’s Mississippi bedroom. After eating breakfast, they hurriedly dressed so they could get to the church to help Gwendolyn decorate the sanctuary for their father’s wedding. It was their father’s wedding day so they wanted everything perfect. Meridan didn’t want to damper anyone’s spirits with her problems.
It was going to be a unique wedding because Ms. Leona wanted everyone to dress in white for the wedding. She was going to be wearing pink and thought it would be a nice contrast. Meridan chose a strapless gown that fit snug to her figure. Gwendolyn would wear a beautiful white suit that had a long skirt and a slit up the back. Nichole bought a conservative white linen pantsuit.
Later that afternoon as they dressed quietly, Gwendolyn asked Meridan, “Are you okay, sis?”
“I’m fine, Gwendolyn. I haven’t been getting much sleep lately,” she admitted.
She held her hand and said, “Meridan, we all love you and I know you’ve been a little stressed, but things will be okay sooner than you think.”
Smiling, Meridan said, “That’s what I’m hoping for, Gwendolyn. Now we’d better get over to the church. The ceremony will be starting in thirty minutes.”
Gwendolyn picked up her purse and asked, “Is Keaton coming to the wedding?”
“I don’t know. So much has been going on that we never did talk about it.”
Checking her makeup one last time, Gwendolyn said, “Well, I hope he makes it. Hey! I heard that Jacob was sick. Have you talked to him?”
Frowning, Meridan said, “No, I haven’t talked to him in a while. Jacob knows he’s burned his bridges with me, but I hope he’s okay.”
Fluffing her hair, Gwendolyn said, “Me, too. On that note, I guess we’d better get going, ladies. You look beautiful.”
In unison, Nichole and Meridan said, “So do you.”
Meridan wrapped her arm around Gwendolyn’s waist and said, “Girl, I’m surprised Thomas is letting you wear that skirt.”
Smiling, Gwendolyn said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. He was the one who bought it.”
They all laughed together and headed out the door to the church.
At the church, family and close friends gathered to witness the joining of William St. John and Leona Gilbert. Gwendolyn, Meridan, and the rest of the immediate family took their seats at the front of the church. They hadn’t seen their father since earlier that morning and they were anxious to see him. As they sat there, an usher walked down the aisle and handed Meridan a note.
Meridan,
I need to see you in the minister’s office before the ceremony.
Love,
Daddy
She eyed it suspiciously as she read it. Confused, she showed the note to Gwendolyn, then excused herself from the sanctuary. When Meridan opened the door to the minister’s office, she saw William dressed handsomely in his black tuxedo. At his side was his brother, Conrad St. John. Meridan looked at her father in confusion and when she walked in, a chill ran over her body as she came face to face with Keaton.
She gasped.
“Keaton! You made it!”
Keaton stood there looking unbelievably handsome in his black suit. He smiled and walked over to her.
Leaning down, he kissed her softly on the lips. “Hello, beautiful. I’ve missed you and I wouldn’t miss this wedding for anything.”
She smiled with joy. “I was hoping you’d make it.”
William said, “Honey, I asked you in here so Keaton could assure you that everything is going to be okay. I know you’ve been under a lot of stress, Baby, and you know we wouldn’t let anything happen to you.”
Tears formed in her eyes as she listened to her father’s words.
“I’ll leave you two alone for a moment.” Looking at his watch, he said, “You guys have five minutes.”
Finally alone, Keaton said, “Meridan, you look absolutely breathtaking.”
Blushing, she replied, “Thank you. You look handsome yourself.”
“Thank you.”
Caressing her arm, he continued saying, “Your father told me you’ve been stressing since you’ve been here, and I want you to know that we went through great lengths to make sure you would feel safe. We hired security guards to be here to protect everyone, in case Sam tries to show up.”
Shocked, she said, “Really? I didn’t see any security guards.”
“You won’t see them. They’re blending in with the guests so relax and enjoy. Okay?”
Meridan took a deep breath and said, “I’ll try.”
They kissed each other passionately one last time before William tapped on the door. “Hurry up in there, you two. You’re holding up our wedding.”
Meridan yelled, “We’re coming in just a minute!”
Before leaving the room, Meridan said, “I love you, Keaton.”
“I love you, Meridan.”
“I guess we need to get out of here before Daddy comes in here after us.”
Taking her hand into his, he said, “Let’s go, beautiful.”
They returned to the sanctuary and witnessed the marital joining of William and Leona St. John.
Thankfully, Sam stayed away and the wedding went off without any problems.
CHAPTER 56
A couple of weeks later, Meridan received an urgent message that Jacob was very ill in a Florida hospital. Her mind told her not to go visit him, but her heart told her she couldn’t let their friendship end this way; especially since he was ill. Against her better judgment, she caught a flight to Miami to visit him.
Upon arriving, she caught a cab and made her way to the hospital. As soon as she stepped off the elevator, she knew how sick Jacob was.
As she entered his room, she walked over to his bed and whispered, “You’re always trying to get attention, aren’t you?”
He forced a grin. “Thanks for coming, Meridan.”
Meridan sat down. “You know, this was hard for me; especially after what you did.”
He looked up toward the ceiling. “I’m so sorry I tripped out on you like that. It was the drugs, Meridan. You know that wasn’t me.”
She tried to swallow the lump in her throat but it wouldn’t go down. “Why are you messing with drugs anyway?”
He turned away. “I don’t know. Stupid, I guess.”
Looking around his room, she asked, “How long are you going to be in here?”
“I don’t know. I hope not long. They want me to get a little stronger first.”
“I see,” she answered with sadness.
Curious, he asked, “So, are you still with that guy?”
She folded her arms. “I’m trying to be and, if you’re asking me if I love him, the answer is yes.”
“Then why the long face?”
She sighed. “Do you remember that girl, Samantha, who stabbed me?”
He sat up and frowned. “How can I forget th
at crazy Amazon? What has she done now?”
Meridan stood and walked over to the window. “She’s out of jail and she’s after me. She’s trying to force me into a homosexual affair with her.”
Jacob laughed and said, “You’re shitting me!”
“It’s not funny, Jacob. She’s threatening to kill me. She already shot and nearly killed my friend, Nikki. Thank God, she’s okay now.”
Jacob sat up in bed. “You’re serious, aren’t you?”
Meridan sat back down. “I wouldn’t joke about something like this. She told me to stay away from Keaton or she’s going to hurt him. I think she tampered with the brakes on his car. It nearly killed him.”
Jacob couldn’t believe what he was hearing. He wiped his eyes and said, “You know that chick did look a little scary in court. You be careful because it sounds to me that she’s not playing.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” she responded.
“Damn, Meridan!”
She laid her head down on the side of his bed and said, “I’m scared, Jacob.”
“What is that dude, Keaton, doing about it?”
Mumbling, Meridan said, “He’s mad as hell. I told him to stay away from me until the police find her so he won’t get hurt.”
“Now you know that man’s not going to do that,” Jacob added.
She looked up at him and said, “He doesn’t have a choice. He came to Philly to get me but I told him things would be better if he stayed in San Antonio.”
“He’s a fool!”
“No, he’s not. He doesn’t know what she looks like, Jacob. It would be easy for Sam to hurt or kill him. You know if she tried to kill me, she wouldn’t think twice about doing something to Keaton,” she said in frustration.
Taking a sip of water, he said, “I guess you’re right.”
She walked over to the window and softly said, “I’m supposed to go to San Antonio to his dad’s fund-raising dinner that’s coming up, but I don’t know.”
“You should go,” he urged.
“Why?”
Jacob sighed. “Well, you say he’s your man so, if that’s true, you should be by his side. This campaign thing is a big deal. I saw his father on CNN a while back. He’s in a tough race.”
