“He’s the last one,” one of the ladies said. “The last available Ali man is now off the market.”
Cheri nearly stopped breathing.
“She is kind of pretty, though,” another lady added. “With his handsome self, they’ll make a beautiful couple.”
“Who are you all talking about,” Cheri interjected, unable to hold back any longer.
“Hadn’t you heard?”
Obviously not, or I wouldn’t be asking, Cheri mused. Her lifted brows should have been enough of an indication that she didn’t know what the hell they were talking about.
“Ameer and Siobhan got engaged,” the woman continued.
“Where did you hear that,” Cheri seethed even though she tried to hide it.
Dorothy was all too willing to answer the question.
“Everyone’s talking about it,” Dorothy happily chimed. “I heard he surprised her with a flash mob at the mall. Using her dance students, too,” Dorothy continued. “Doesn’t that sound just dreamy?”
Cheri could see Dorothy living her own fantasy as she held her clasped hands near her heart.
No, it sounds fuckin’ awful, Cheri thought. When the other women seconded what Dorothy said, Cheri knew it was time for her to leave before she said out loud what she thought for real.
Why would he go and do something like that, Cheri considered as she made her way to her desk. They ain’t even been together that long? How does he know that she’s the one? All the questions were difficult to contemplate but even harder to answer. There was no right answer, not one that would assuage the ache in Cheri’s heart. If it had been one or two women talking about it, Cheri could have dismissed it as just stupid gossip with no merit. But with everyone talking about it, the engagement had to be real. Still, Cheri didn’t want to believe it. She wanted to hear it straight from the horse's mouth that Ameer had made the biggest mistake of his life. If the other women were right and Ameer did ask that wretched woman to be his wife, Cheri knew she didn’t have time to waste in correcting the matter. She couldn’t prolong it or toy with Siobhan like she did with Shannon. She had to send a clear message; one Siobhan nor Ameer could overlook.
She could try to be strategic and wait until the next morning and catch Ameer in the garage like she’d done so many times before and say something to him then. But tomorrow was too far away. Cheri had to know now. Quickly, she lifted her frame from her chair. The women were still huddled up, so Dorothy didn’t see her exiting the suite. The wait for the elevator was excruciating. It seemed to be taking forever to get to Cheri so she could get to Ameer. When the elevator door finally opened, she stormed in despite the people that were coming out. She slammed her hand on the button to take her to the executive level. There was a part of Cheri that hoped things would slow down to prolong the inevitable if it were true. But the other side of her, the side that loved Ameer and knew that deep down he loved her, wanted things to move fast so she could confirm that the people talking didn’t know shit for real.
The elevator door opened. Cheri stepped out. She turned in the direction of Ameer’s suite. Her heart thumped hard in her chest, the beat loudly echoing in her ears. She’d been right there all this time, waiting for him to make his move. To think that he made a move on another woman, that wretched Siobhan, turned Cheri’s stomach. It couldn’t be true. It just couldn’t be true. When she reached the door, she hesitated to go in. Geneva had been so awful the last time she popped by, even though Cheri had a damn good reason for being there. She had an even better reason this time, but she couldn’t share it with Geneva. She reached for the door again, and just as quickly pulled her hand back. What was she going to say? How was she going to explain her presence?
Just then, Ameer exited his office. Cheri moved away from the door but kept Ameer in her sights. He stopped at Geneva’s desk and said something before strolling toward the door, she stood near. She watched intently as Ameer sauntered so carefree towards her. He wore a brilliant smile, one that lit up his face and reached his eyes. It was truly a swoon-worthy moment except for the tightening knot in the pit of Cheri’s belly that tightened, even more, the closer he got to her.
“Good morning, Mr. Ali,” she uttered as he opened the door. Cheri could tell she startled him, but he smoothly played it off, just like she would expect him too.
“Oh, good morning, Ms. Jones, Were you going in?” He asked, holding the door.
“Uhm, yes,” she fumbled. “I hear congratulations are in order?”
She hated to ask, but Cheri had to know. Her stomach churned in reply.
“Thank you, Ms. Jones,” Ameer smiled. “I appreciate that.”
He started to walk away, but the confirmation he provided wasn’t enough to fully satisfy her.
“So, have you guys set a date yet?”
She crossed fingers behind her back, hoping he would deny it or even ask what she was talking about. Anything other than further confirmation that he’d committed the dastardliest deed imaginable.
“No, not yet,” Ameer said, pausing and turning on his heels to face her. “But soon.”
Ameer had already turned back around and continued down the hallway, leaving Cheri standing there with her mouth open. It was true. Everything they said was true. Ameer was affianced and not to her. The churn in Cheri’s stomach intensified to a lurch. Her hand lifted to her mouth as her feet started to move. She moved quickly down the hallway to the ladies’ room, flinging the door open and scrambling for an empty stall. The contents of her belly barely waited as she dropped down to her knees in front of the porcelain bowl and gagged.
“Ugghhh,” she whined as what remained in her belly spilled into the bowl. When there was nothing left to give, she choked. Tears fell from Cheri’s eyes when she had nothing left to give. Reaching up, she flushed the commode. She wasn’t able to lift herself from the floor as quickly. Cheri was overcome with sadness. Ameer chose someone else, despite how much she loved him. Yet, just as quickly as Cheri allowed herself to think that about Ameer, the narrative changed. It wasn’t Ameer who made the choice. He wouldn’t do that. It was that woman, that Siobhan. She was the problem.
Even though Cheri still cried as she braced herself on the toilet and lifted her frame to standing, her tears were angry, replacing any semblance of sadness. Siobhan. The mere utterance of her name sent Cheri’s hairs on the back of her neck standing on end like spikes. By the time Cheri made it to the sink and looked up into the mirror, her eyes were narrowed, her brows knocked together, and her jaw was tight.
“That bitch ruined everything,” she hissed at her reflection. That was the moment Cheri knew she had to do something about it. Ameer was her man. Not Siobhan nor anyone else would stand in the way of that.
Getting at Siobhan would take Cheri out of her comfort zone. She would have to move differently. Fortunately for Cheri, she knew enough about Siobhan Greer, partly because the bitch had a business that was public record, getting access to her was no problem. That’s why God made Uber.
“She’s going to pay for this,” Cheri mumbled to herself as she stared at her reflection in the mirror. “I promise on everything I love, on the man I love, that bitch is going to pay.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Three Days Later
She taught her last class of the day. Although Siobhan was tired, it was a good tired. She always felt exhilarated after working out, and today was no exception. As she patted her face dry, Siobhan looked up at the clock on the wall. The class had run a little longer than expected; the group was having such a good time. Fortunately, Messiah was with Siobhan’s parents, so she didn’t have to rush home. But there was one thing Siobhan was in a hurry to do.
After turning off the studio’s lights, setting the alarm, and making sure everything was locked up for the evening, Siobhan placed the call. She hadn’t talked to Ameer all day. That was far too long to go without. By the time Siobhan got in the car, she had already dialed Ameer’s number and placed her cell phone in the
cradle on speaker.
As she started the ignition, his phone rang. It was almost as if he was waiting for her to call. Ameer picked up on the first ring.
“Hey, beautiful.”
The timbre of his baritone voice immediately lulled Siobhan into a relaxed mood with just a few simple words.
“Hi,” she replied, her face creasing into a sudden smile.
Siobhan pulled out of the parking lot. Looking both ways and finding it clear, she pulled out onto the main thoroughfare headed towards the interstate.
“How was your day,” Ameer continued, taking a moment to step away from his desk. No matter what he was doing, Ameer stopped giving Siobhan his full attention. She deserved that and so much more. He strolled to the picture window, gazing out as their conversation continued. There was something about Siobhan’s voice, her energy that settled Ameer, calmed him, even when he didn’t think he wasn’t already settled. She was like a sweet elixir, one that soothed all ills.
“Really good,” Siobhan replied, easing her car onto the highway.
“That’s good, babe,” Ameer commented.
“First beautiful, now babe,” Siobhan mused. “Hmmm.”
“Cause for speculation?”
“Some,” Siobhan grinned.
Traffic moved swiftly on the interstate. Siobhan escalated her speed accordingly. Either keep up your speed or get run over by someone going faster was an understood.
“Did I catch you at a bad time,” she asked as she merged into the center lane.
“Never,” Ameer crooned.
“Ameer, you are a director for your family’s company, an engineer no less. I know you are a busy man,” Siobhan countered.
“True, true, beloved, but I am never too busy to talk to you.”
“That’s so sweet,” Siobhan cooed. “You are too good to me, Ameer.”
“There’s no such thing as too good when it comes to the woman I love.”
“I love you too, babe.”
Saying those profound words was easy and became easier every day. Siobhan really did love Ameer, and she knew in her heart that he genuinely loved her, too. That’s why saying it, telling him, reminding herself was simple.
Suddenly, Siobhan felt something from the car that didn’t feel quite right. She gripped the steering wheel even tighter as the rumbling continued. Then there was a loud pop, like a small bomb going off. Siobhan’s eyes widened as she felt her car veering into another lane. Suddenly her blood rose like a jet. The beat of her heart escalated, and her eyes bulged unnaturally as her fingers tightened around the steering wheel to the point that the veins in her hands stood out pronounced. She was stricken with fear.
“Oh my God!!”
“Siobhan? Babe? What was that sound?”
Fear, stark, and vivid glowed in her eyes as she tried to control her car that didn’t want to be controlled. Horns blew loudly as Siobhan pushed her car into the next lane, praying that she didn’t hit anyone yet knowing it had to be done. She had to get to the side of the road. A whisper of terror moved through her as she did her best to steady her vehicle. She had to get to where it was safe.
Ameer called her name again, desperate for a response, but no response came. He heard a noise, a loud noise through the line. Something wasn’t right. Ameer’s heart thumped madly as he waited for Siobhan to say something, to tell him what was going on. The blood slid through Ameer’s veins like cold needles, as he waited.
“Oh, God, Please!” Siobhan whimpered as horns blew loudly in response.
“Talk to me, Siobhan,” Ameer begged. “What’s going on?”
“The car,” she uttered anxiously. “Something’s wrong with the car!”
A stiff, tight fist of fear resided in Siobhan’s belly as she peered in the rearview mirror, trying to find a space between traffic to move her car over another lane. Fear of the unknown writhed and knotted in Ameer’s belly. Adrenaline surged through every part of Siobhan as she put on her blinker, abandoning her grip on the steering wheel for the briefest moment.
“Come on, come on, come on,” she mumbled as she waited for an opening. The rumbling of the car worsened. A confusing rush of dread and anticipation whirled inside her. Siobhan’s nerves were stretched thin. A stalled car in the middle of a six-lane interstate with cars going faster than seventy miles an hour was what she was trying to avoid. Navigating multiple lanes against fast-moving traffic to get to the side of the road seemed like the only choice. She risked crashing into someone or being crashed into. Neither choice was optimal. All of Siobhan’s internal warning systems alerted simultaneously. But Siobhan had no choice as she pushed her way the next few lanes, praying all the while that she made it.
“Babe, please, “Ameer coaxed. He desperately wanted to know what was going on, yet he didn’t want his inquiry to distract Siobhan from what she was trying to do, whatever that was. He held his body rigidly, not even noticing how tightly he held his fist. Everything screamed with wanting. And then there was an even louder noise, prolonged and unnerving.
“Uhhhhhh,” she blurted, riding the hard bouncing of the car, sheer bleak fright sweeping through her. Ameer held a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, a dark premonition holding him still. He didn’t want to think the worst when all he heard was panic and fear in the voice of the woman he loved. Ameer felt so helpless. He despised that feeling. There had to be something he could do to help her. He had to help her.
The overpass was within her sights. If Siobhan couldn’t get the car to stop as she coasted down the shoulder, pressing hard on the brakes, she would crash into the overpass. It almost seemed inevitable, the closer she got. She pushed away the dark thoughts and images that encroached upon her mind. This couldn’t be happening, not when she had so much to live for, not when things had been going so well. She had to live. She had to be there for Messiah. She was supposed to be Ameer’s wife. She pressed hard on the brake, still clenching the steering wheel hard in her hands.
“My God,” Siobhan breathed as the vehicle finally came to rest on the side of the road.
“Babe?” Ameer dared to ask.
He could hear labored breathing on the other end of the line. But she was breathing. That was the most important thing. Still, Ameer needed to hear that Siobhan was okay.
“I’m okay,” she finally sighed.
“Where are you? What happened?”
“I don’t know, babe, something’s happened with the car,” she breathily explained. “I was able to pull it off the road though. Whew,” she breathed. “I’m shaking so bad.”
“Tell me where you are? I’m coming to you.”
“I don’t know exactly,” Siobhan breathed deeply, trying to steady her heartbeat.
“You’re on the interstate, right,” Ameer tried to say as calmly as possible even though his heartbeat hard against his rib cage. He had already moved away from the window, strolled quickly to his desk, and picked up his keys.
“Yes,” Siobhan hummed. “Highway 85.”
“Okay, look around, beloved. Is there a mile marker there, an exit sign, anything?”
Siobhan took a moment and scanned the area looking for an indicator. Her chest rose and fell fast. She still felt the aftereffects of an overflow of adrenaline moving through her.
“Uhm, marker 145.”
“Okay, babe, stay in the car,” Ameer insisted. “I’m on my way.”
Geneva looked up when Ameer’s door flew open.
“What’s the matter?” She asked, seeing her boss rushing toward the exit.
“It’s Siobhan,” he huffed. “She’s been in an accident.”
Ameer didn’t wait for a response from Geneva. He was singularly focused.
“Oh my God,” she uttered as he hustled out of the door. Geneva didn’t know if there was anything she could do to help. What she did was whisper a word of prayer on Siobhan’s behalf.
Waiting for the elevator made Ameer impatient, but he knew it was still faster than running down twenty some odd fli
ghts of stairs to get to the garage. He didn’t feel right, not being in contact with her. She was alone, all by herself on the side of the road. When the elevator door opened, Ameer quickly stepped inside. He lifted the panel that activated the nonstop action on the elevator car. He had to get to the garage as fast as possible. The door to the elevator closed, and the car dropped twenty stories to the garage in record time. He barely waited until the door opened before Ameer moved forward, stepping out. Although his truck was close, Ameer jogged the few feet to his vehicle, hitting the key fob and activating the locks before he arrived. With the push of a button, he started the truck and threw the land Rover in reverse. After putting the truck in drive and heading for the exit, Ameer made a call from the vehicle. With that matter settled, his second call was to Siobhan.
“Hello?”
“Hey, sweet,” Ameer crooned through the phone. “Are you still okay?”
“Yes, I am,” she answered. “I thought about it when you hung up. I should call my insurance for roadside assistance.”
“I’ve already taken care of that, beloved,” Ameer replied. “Service is on the way.”
“Okay,” she sighed. That’s all she had. She didn’t have the words to say more. Siobhan was still shaken by everything that happened. She desperately wanted to see what the damage was, but heeded Ameer’s warning. Cars continued to race by at a fast clip. One didn’t realize just how fast the cars moved on the interstate when driving alongside, but standing still, the speed seemed exponential, some passing so close they made Siobhan jump. Stepping out of the vehicle on the driver’s side was a dangerous undertaking considering just how close and how fast the cars moved by her.
“I don’t want you to feel alone,” Ameer began as he sped towards the highway. “Even if we don’t talk, babe, I want you to know I’m here.”
Ameer (The Brothers Ali Book 5) Page 19
