Real Love 4 (If Loving You is Wrong)

by H. H. Fowler

  ****

  Late Tuesday Evening – Tampa, FL.

  Eyes bulging with terror, Yasmine was suddenly shaken out of her comatose state by a severe jolt. Blackness surrounded her, invading her entire body and smothering her every sense of existence. Sweltering heat seemed to pull every droplet of sweat through her pores, making her feel as if she’d been doused with a bucket of warm water. The more she tried to move to lessen her discomfort, the more pain she felt shooting through her limbs. They ached from being constricted and from being jostled about in the confined space.

  With the sound of the wind whistling through what was already a noisy background, it seemed as if she was moving at the speed of light. However, nothing was more terrifying than not knowing where in the world she was. The last thing Yasmine remembered was arguing with a man about getting into the trunk of a rental car...It couldn’t be…Yasmine’s heart leaped with fear, as if she could be any more terrified at that moment.

  Could it really be possible that she was exactly where she thought she was – in the trunk of a rental car? That thought brought on a panic attack as her mind settled on Ronnie. Only he would do something so inhumane or get his men to follow his twisted mind. He claimed that he loved her and that he would do everything in his power to make sure she did not leave him. However, this was not love. This was brutal torture, the manifestation of a sexually depraved man who’d fought to keep control of her all these years. Now it seemed as if he’d won.

  Her eyes burned with tears as the dread of hopelessness began to settle in. The heat was suffocating, her nostrils taking in just enough oxygen to keep her lungs from collapsing. She thought of Levi and the possibility of not ever hearing from him again. Her intense history with Kevin and all of the chances she’d blown at having a healthy relationship with him. However, they were two men who understood what real love was all about, who never exploited her for their own sexual pleasure, but accepted her for all of who she was and all that she was not. A rare breed of men Yasmine would never forget.

  She began to thrash about in the suffocating darkness, angry at Ronnie for taking every good thing that had happened in her life. Her cries for help were muffled beneath a thick layer of masking tape, trying to find a way to free herself. Where was her abductor taking her? Was she still even in Tampa? And where was Officer Mitchell in all of this? Didn’t he promised that he would protect her from Ronnie? Some promise that was.

  Enervated with despair, it wasn’t long after that Yasmine felt herself begin to slip back into another state of unconsciousness. But as she rested on her right side, she felt something hard pressing against her thigh. Was it possible that what she felt was really her cell phone? She may have subconsciously pushed it into her jeans pocket between arguing with Albert and the time he got shot. If only she could get to it, then there may be a way for her to escape this nightmare.

  I believe love is primarily a choice and only sometimes a feeling. If you want to feel love, choose to love and be patient.

  Real Live Preacher

  Chapter Six

  The Blue Marlin – 1:11 a.m.

  For a Wednesday, the crowd was exceptionally heavy and Levi was not too happy about it. For one, his shift was supposed to be over more than an hour ago, but to be caught in the middle of a binge-drinking competition was stretching his patience to its max. Four fraternity, blonde-haired dudes from upstate New York had command of the bar and between the four of them, they had already consumed enough beer to fill a five gallon container. They were loud and insulting, and were surrounded by females who seemed fascinated by their stupid jokes. Some were even French kissing the men with their mouths filled with booze.

  Levi shook his head at such debauchery. Since when had his boss began allowing such binge-drinking in a club that once catered to people with class and who carried themselves in a respectful manner? Well, in truth, the Blue Marlin had been created for the elite, but what Levi sometimes forgot was that these same people had a wicked side to them. They joined clubs like the Blue Marlin to live out their secret lusts, enjoying fetishes they ordinarily wouldn’t enjoy under “normal” circumstances.

  Take the Champagne Room, for example, which was a secluded area where strangers could have sex with each other all night long. No regard for their health or for the fact that many of them were in monogamous relationships. It was like the club had adopted the infamous slogan, What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas. Levi had been working at the Blue Marlin for over five years and this was the worst he’d seen it.

  Lately, he’d been considering cutting ties with the Blue Marlin to pursue a fulltime position in his current role as a part-time basketball coach with Xavier High. Working two jobs was beginning to wear him out, especially with the relentless training and the monitoring of the school’s basketball team. However, Levi was not so sure he wanted leave the Blue Marlin just yet. The club may have become deeply rooted in perversion, but it paid his mortgage without him breaking a sweat.

  On top of that, if he accepted a full-time position at Xavier High that would mean he would see Sasha more often than he wanted to, which would be a bad move for his emotions. He couldn’t afford to lose his mind over that woman again, or allow his heart to feel so deeply for her. It would kill him for sure. Maybe it was best that he found somewhere else to work altogether, far away from Devin’s Cay. Certainly that would put some much needed distance between him and this complicated connection to Sasha.

  And for some reason, thinking about Sasha always made Levi think of Yasmine. Like right now, he wished he could text Yasmine and pour his heart out to her. She would understand exactly what he was going through at the moment, because she was going through a similar experience of being rejected by love. She would understand what it felt like to be the black sheep, being blamed for ruining people’s lives. It was ironic that he’d become so fond of Yasmine in such a short time, considering how hard it was for him to relate to any woman other than Sasha. Did he dare claim it to be a sign that meant he’d truly moved on with his life?

  Levi wanted to believe that it was because he couldn’t explain why he felt a sudden compulsion to connect with Yasmine. He rested another round of beers in front of the fraternity freaks and politely excused himself from their presence. He did not stop walking until he got to the bathroom and locked himself in one of the stalls. There, he pulled out his cell phone. But just before he typed a word, he stared at a photo of Yasmine she’d sent to him several days ago. Apart from Sasha, she was by far one of the most beautiful women he’d ever seen. Long ebony tresses with a flawless complexion to match. She seemed to love sporting pink. Her slightly full lips were painted a shade of pink, which harmonized with the pink jogging suit she was wearing.

  “I see you still have not responded to my text,” he finally typed. “Did I say something to upset you? Please respond to me soon, or I will begin to worry about you. Anyway, I need to vent and you are the only person who would understand me without taking things out of context. So here goes…I ran into Sasha yesterday morning on the basketball court and we had an argument in front of the boys. I wasn’t going to mention this to you, but ever since the incident happened, I haven’t been able to get it off my mind. But the more I’ve thought about it, I’ve suddenly come to the realization that I’m slowly disconnecting from that perfect image I had of Sasha. I can’t explain it, but I’m actually starting to feel some measure of disgust for her.

  “But it feels good to know that her words don’t get to me as deeply as they once did. My thing is, Sasha knew that it’s crunch time in regards to preparing the boys for their first national basketball tournament, yet she purposely interrupted their practice, just to have them lift a couple of stupid boxes. It was as if she wanted to pick a fight with me. I don’t understand that woman. If she demands that I leave her alone, then why the heck does she keep crossing my path?”

  Levi paused and waited for Yasmine’s response, but after two minutes of inaction, he typed:

  “Ar
e you there? Please respond to me and let me know you’re receiving my texts, because this is not like you. Well, maybe you’re asleep, because it’s almost 1:30 in the morning. In any event, I need you to text me back as soon as you can, just so that I can be sure you’re okay. I’m about to get off from work; hopefully, I’ll hear from you tomorrow.”

  With an uncomfortable feeling settling at the bottom of his stomach, Levi exited the stall and went to the basin to wash his face with some cold water. The bathroom door suddenly pushed open and in walked two men, sniggering at some private joke. Levi looked up and immediately recognized one of the men as Yasmine’s stepfather – the father of her unborn child. Although at the time Levi didn’t know who he was when he came into the club with Yasmine several weeks ago, he knew the man never meant Yasmine any good – simply by the way he seemed resentful over her having casual conversation with other men.

  How unfortunate that Levi was outnumbered two to one, because he would have punched Yasmine’s stepfather through the wall and left the bastard there to rot. How low could a man get, raping a girl from the age of fourteen, all the way to adulthood only to get her pregnant in the end? This beautiful young woman, whose character had been marred by shame and guilt had all the trouble in the world disconnecting from her dysfunctional upbringing. It was all because of this grey haired coward, who was out on bail and strutting around as if he hadn’t a care in the world. Levi walked quickly toward the exit, thinking it best to escape while he still had the patience to do so.

  “I think I know you…you’re that bartender who served me the other night.”

  Levi stopped in his tracks at the sarcastic tone. “Excuse me?”

  “Turn around,” the man said. “Let me get a good look at your face, because I never forget a face.”

  Levi was never one to back down from a challenge. “I never forget a face either,” he said, turning around. “You’re Yasmine’s stepfather.”

  The man chuckled. “Did she tell you that or had you heard it on the news?”

  “What does it matter? I know who you are. How sick are you, man, to molest an innocent girl for all those years? And now you’re walking around free as if you don’t have to answer to anyone.”

  The man grinned, genuinely impressed with Levi’s bravado. “I don’t think you really know who you’re talking to. Allow me to formally introduce myself. I’m Elder John Dewey, a presiding bishop and one of the most anointed preachers you will find on this side of heaven.”

  Levi’s lip twitched into a little smirk.

  “Why do you find that amusing?” Dewey asked.

  “What is a bishop doing in a place like this?”

  “I’m harvesting the souls of men. Jesus said, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled’. And by me coming to this club tonight and finding you in this bathroom, I am doing just what my Lord commands.”

  Levi’s smirk turned into a full laugh.

  “Son, one thing you need to know about me is that I came from the streets. And it’s going to take men like me to win men like you.”

  “Men like me?” Levi quipped. “You are a jokester, a fake, an imposter hiding in a cassock –”

  “When last have you heard from my daughter?” Dewey asked out of the blue.

  Though surprised by the question, Levi kept a straight face. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  “Of course you do and you will tell me everything she has told you or else you’re going to die.” Dewey pointed to the man who was accompanying him. “Between you and me, he is considered one of the most fearless killers the streets have ever produced. You don’t want to cross him. Now start talking.”

  Levi slowly moved his gaze between the two men and suddenly realized that these men hadn’t randomly strolled into the bathroom, but had calculatedly followed him, and were looking for a reason to beat the crap out of him. And even though the man accompanying Dewey was several inches taller than Levi, Levi felt confident that he could take down both men, if he caught them off guard.

  “I know Yasmine has been talking to you,” Dewey said to Levi’s silence. “As a matter of fact, about six weeks ago – if you recall—my men followed her that night when she came to see you at the club, but unfortunately for her, she found out in a very painful way there were consequences for a disloyal whore. I would have finished her off if she hadn’t run into your arms to save her.” Dewey looked away as if his thoughts had taken a quick trip down memory lane. “And to think I was her first, who taught her everything she needed to know about satisfying a man’s sexual needs. Man, she was such a sweet, innocent piece of flesh…soft and deliciously addictive…”

  Levi took a swing at Dewey, his huge fist landing squarely on the right side of Dewey’s jaw. However, it was a move that jerked the other man into action. In a matter of seconds, Levi was being banged against the floor. If it hadn’t been for the bathroom door swinging open, pushed by an unsuspecting patron, Levi would have blacked out from the blows. The beefy attacker sprang up, pulled a stunned Dewey to his feet and ushered him through the bathroom door.

  Levi staggered to his feet, ready to go after the men, but he was too disoriented to even walk a straight line. He was more than certain that this had been no random attack, but a setup to lead Dewey to Yasmine. He shakily pulled out his cell phone and typed:

  “Yasmine, where are you, girl? This is urgent. Your stepfather was here at the club tonight and I think he is trying to track you down…come on, respond to me, before it’s too late…”

  Levi stopped texting and decided to physically talk to Yasmine, but his calls kept going to her voicemail. What else was left for Levi to think? Dewey had probably already gotten to Yasmine and was now trying to get rid of anyone associated with her. For the first time in years, Levi stared up into the heavens and mumbled a brief, but heartfelt prayer:

  God, this one is on You, because I’m in no condition to even think straight or ask for any favors from You. But please, don’t let that bastard hurt Yasmine...she has been through enough.

  ****

  Mitchell sat up in his bed and clicked on the lamp. He couldn’t sleep and couldn’t quite put his finger on the reason. Well, if the truth be told, ever since Dewey had been released on a cash bond, Mitchell wasn’t getting a good night’s rest, because he was determined to find a way to get Dewey off the streets and back into prison where he belonged. But there was something unusual about today’s events. He’d called Yasmine several times and she did not answer any of his calls. And even though Albert kept reassuring Mitchell that Yasmine was fine and that she did not wish to be bothered, Mitchell’s concern refused to be mitigated.

  Albert was a faithful, twenty-five year veteran with the Devin’s Cay Police Department and was actually one of the lead men in several of their sting operations. So when Albert volunteered to accompany the team that would escort Yasmine to Tampa, Mitchell hadn’t any reason to question Albert’s loyalty nor his ability. The man had a reputable record and when the time came to assign someone to monitor Yasmine’s movements while she was in the witness protection program, Mitchell didn’t hesitate making Albert his eyes and ears. So, Mitchell couldn’t understand why he was still feeling like something was amiss.

  He grabbed his cell phone to call Albert once more, but changed his mind at the last minute. It was almost 2 a.m. He doubted Albert or Yasmine for that matter would be awake, even though that wouldn’t be the reason why he wouldn’t call. He could be overreacting, allowing the cop in him to ruin his perception of a good man, or maybe he was beginning to feel the side effects of insomnia. Whatever the reason, daylight couldn’t come fast enough for Mitchell, because he would not rest until he heard Yasmine’s voice in his ear for himself.

  Chapter Seven

  “Sasha, honey, I’m back in Devin’s Cay,” Hunter said into the headset of her phone. “I’m hoping we can meet up for lunch and have one of our girly talks.”

  “You d
on’t even have to ask. Gosh, I’ve missed you terribly this past week,” Sasha admitted. “Was the showcase successful? And did you get to see Kevin as you’d planned?”

  Kevin is the main reason why I need to see you, Hunter wanted to say, but instead she said glibly, “Not that I’m bragging, but my showcases are always successful. And yes, Kevin and I did spend some time together.”

  “Good for you. But you have no idea how happy I am to know that you’ve made it safely back to the island.”

  “I would say that I’m flattered, but there is just a little too much excitement in your voice. Is everything okay with you and Drake?”

  Sasha swallowed her first response, which would have been a blatant ‘no.’ She didn’t want to discuss her private affairs in the cafeteria anyway, considering she’d already made a fool out of herself by arguing with Levi in front of the basketball team. “I’m only ten minutes into my lunch hour, she said. “How soon can you get here to the school?”

  “Well, I just left the airport. I could be there in twenty minutes or less.”

  “Let me meet you halfway. That way we won’t waste too much time.”

  “The Shale may be the ideal spot,” Hunter said. “If I get there before you, I’ll order you a small cup of espresso.”

  “Thanks…see you in a few.”

  The Shale always had a good crowd, especially on Wednesdays at noon. It was the all-the-coffee-you-can-drink special for 99 cents. Any flavor, any size. The place was so packed that Hunter regretted making the suggestion to spend lunch here with her best friend. She had to wait in line to be seated. She thought maybe she should call Sasha and tell her to meet her somewhere else. But while Hunter was contemplating those thoughts, Sasha was walking through the entrance. She squeezed in right next to Hunter, not caring about the nasty looks she received from the other patrons in the line.

  “It looks as if we chose the wrong time to come here,” Sasha said.