Suddenly, both Jaheem and Evan laughed, but Zeke didn’t see a darn thing funny. They joked about each other’s mothers as if it didn’t bother them in the least bit.
“Hey, ease up on the mama jokes,” Zeke warned.
Clapping his hands, ignoring Zeke, Jaheem said, “Your mama so nasty, even the roaches won’t eat at her house.”
Evan cracked up laughing. “Oh yeah? Your mama so nasty, when she open her legs, she smell like fish sticks!”
Oh, no Evan didn’t. Laughter eased from Zeke’s lips. He put his hands over both of their mouths. “No more jokes. Now let’s go shopping.”
WHILE AT THE shopping mall, Zeke bought Evan a pair of brand new white Jordans and Jaheem a pair of red ones. He also bought them two hoodies apiece, two shirts with collars, which they didn’t want, and a pair of jeans each.
“Thank you, mister,” Evan said, licking his vanilla ice cream cone.
Walking along the sidewalk at the outlet mall, Zeke patted Evans’s shoulder. “You’re welcome. If you bring your grades up, I promise to bring you back here again and take you on a bigger shopping spree.”
Evan’s brown eyes rounded with amazement. “A shopping spree bigger than this one?! I’m gon’ try so hard to learn how to read. I’m gon’ study all day and night. I think all I need is for someone to take time with me.”
“Well, like I said earlier today, I’m going to teach you how to read. I promise.” Zeke looked forward to tutoring Evan.
Jaheem spooned butter pecan ice cream into his mouth and swallowed. “My teacher, Mrs. Lane, says no one should pay you to make good grades. She said you should do it because you want to.”
Zeke thought before he responded to Jaheem’s teacher’s statement. “Your teacher is right, Jaheem; however, there’s nothing wrong with being rewarded from time to time for doing something good. You and Evan have had very hard lives and deserve to be treated well for your hard efforts.”
Evan shook his head. “You’re right about that, mister. I’ve had a real hard life. My mother used to beat the skin off me.” Evan pulled up his shirt, exposing his side. “Look what she did to me.”
Zeke’s heart clenched when he saw the long permanent scar on Evan’s side torso. “What happened to make your mother do something like that to you?”
Holding the end of the ice cream cone, melted ice cream dripped down Evan’s small hand. “She just hated me because I was born, I guess. My mother is mean. She treated my brothers and sisters better than me, if you ask me. All I had to do was look at her, and she’d beat my butt.”
Upset, Zeke wondered what kind of person would beat a child to that degree. “Your mother should be ashamed for how she treated you.”
Evan licked his ice cream cone. “Tell me about it, mister.”
“How about we go to the park and play a round of football before I take you back to the shelter?” The boy’s cheers resounded in the air. “Let’s go—” Zeke’s cell rung, and he fished it from his pocket. “Hello?”
“Hello, Zeke. This is Don. I have something I need to share with you. As soon as you get a moment, I need for you and Taylor to swing by my office.” A sense of urgency was in Don’s voice.
Zeke’s heart pounded inside his chest. “I’m all the way across town right now. How late will you be in your office today?”
“What I have to tell you is important, so I’ll stay until you get here,” Don offered.
“We’ll be there around five,” Zeke confirmed.
“I’ll be waiting.” Don hung up, leaving Zeke wondering if he’d found his son Zavier.
As promised, Zeke took the boys to the park, and the three of them played football. The entire time they were there, Zeke had problems focusing.
On the widespread grass at the park by the ocean, Zeke gripped the end of the football and threw it in the air. Running sideways, Evan leapt up in the air and caught it. Evan had natural athletic ability, and so did Jaheem. Shoot, if someone invested enough time in these boys, there was no telling what they could do.
Zeke felt he had to be the one to invest time in these two boys, who had become a regular part of his life. More than that, Jaheem and Evan had become a major part of Zeke’s heart. For the rest of the day, the boys and Zeke played football, then he later took them to the shelter and dropped them off.
RIGHT AT FIVE PM, Zeke steered his Porsche SUV into the parking lot of Don’s office and parked. Pulling his key from the ignition, Zeke glanced over at Taylor. Her eyes met his; his wife looked distraught.
Zeke reached over the console and cupped Taylor’s hand. “Regardless of what Don tells us, I’ll be here for you.”
Strain shone on her face. “I’m so nervous, Zeke.”
“I know. I can look at your face and tell.” Zeke grazed Taylor’s cheeks to find them rather warm.
“You feel hot.” He placed the back of his hand to her forehead. “You’re burning up, Taylor.”
“I know. I haven’t felt like myself in a very long time. I thought I might be pregnant, but as you know, unfortunately, I’m not. If this continues, I’m going to see a doctor.”
“Let me know when you make your appointment, and I’ll come with you.” Taylor gave her head a slight nod. More than concerned about his wife’s constant illness, Zeke pushed open the SUV’s door, then walked around to get the door for his loving wife. He pulled the door open for her, and Taylor stepped out onto the pavement. “Oh, by the way, the contractor called, and they started putting the stucco up for our home today.” Taylor stepped to the side, and he shut the door.
Her eyes smiled. “Now, that’s some very good news. I can’t wait to see what it looks like.”
“I can’t wait ‘til it’s finished being built so we can move into it.”
Zeke and Taylor emerged inside Don’s office to find him sitting behind his desk, writing on a yellow legal pad. When Zeke cleared his throat, Don lifted his eyes. He then stood to greet them and shook their hands.
“Have a seat,” Don gestured to the chairs in front of his desk.
Zeke and Taylor sat. Waiting on Don to explain why he’d called an urgent last-minute meeting, worry chewed away at Zeke’s insides. Determined not to let Taylor see him bothered, he pushed back his shoulders and made sure he sat upright in his chair. Regardless of what Don told them, he would remain strong for his wife.
Don steepled his hands together. “Thank you for dropping everything to come here this evening.”
“You’re welcome,” they said in unison.
“I called you here because I have some good news and some bad news to share with you. Which one do you want first?” Don asked, looking over the rim of his black square glasses.
“I want to hear the good news first,” Taylor said, and Zeke agreed.
Don continued. “I was able to get a hold of all the evidence inside your kidnapper’s house where you were held hostage. Inside the bag was a peculiar looking key. Come to find out, the mysterious key belonged to a locker at the train station in Walterboro. I drove to Walterboro to see if the key still worked in the locker, and it did. There was cash inside the locker, and passports for Mildred and Kelvin.” Don turned his computer toward Zeke and Taylor. On the screen was a picture of Taylor that she’d taken when she was a little girl. Don stated, “This picture of you was inside the locker at the train station, too.”
“I took that picture in the eighth grade,” Taylor confirmed.
“Where is all this leading, Don?” Zeke wondered.
“Mildred and Kelvin had a photo of Taylor in their locker. This confirms that Taylor’s kidnapping wasn’t random. Taylor didn’t just happen to be a few weeks pregnant, walking along the train tracks, and then some mysterious man just jumps out of the woods and grabs her. No.” Don’s eyes traveled to the computer screen. “Someone gave Kelvin this picture. The money in Mildred and Kelvin’s bank accounts, and the money at the train station…added up to half a million dollars.”
“Half a million dollars?!” Zeke sh
outed.
“Yes, half a million dollars,” Don reiterated. “Both Mildred and Kelvin were unemployed and disabled. The sudden large deposit to their bank accounts happened the day after Taylor vanished from Hilton Head. Someone hired Mildred and Kelvin to kidnap you, Taylor. And that someone knew you were pregnant. Whoever paid to have you abducted either didn’t want you to have the baby, or they wanted the baby for themselves. Now the questions are…who wanted your baby, and why?”
Raw hurt appeared in Taylor’s eyes. “Because I was so early in my pregnancy and not many people knew I was pregnant, I always thought maybe I was in the wrong place at the wrong time. That maybe Mildred and Kelvin kidnapped me because they wanted me to be a slave to them. Having this new evidence means that whoever paid Mildred and Kelvin to take me knows me, and they were watching my every move.”
Don swallowed. “Yes, Taylor, you’re exactly right. This is where the bad news comes in. Whoever in Hilton Head paid to have you and your baby stolen is probably still watching your every move.”
Taylor gasped. “Oh my God. This is frightening.”
Zeke’s heart plummeted to his gut. He reached over and grabbed Taylor’s hand to find it scorching hot. “Don’t worry. I’ll protect you,” he said, squeezing her hand.
Until now Zeke, had never wondered if he’d made a mistake by bringing Taylor back to Hilton Head. Jesus Christ. What have I done? Maybe I should’ve left her in Paris.
Knowing Taylor’s abductor may still reside in the area, Zeke shifted uncomfortably in the chair. If anyone hurt Taylor, he’d never forgive himself. First thing tomorrow morning, he was going to go buy himself a gun. And if anyone tried to hurt his wife, he’d blow their ass to pieces and wouldn’t feel bad about it.
.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Finally home alone, Katherine descended the staircase and strolled inside the living room. Red hair hanging over her shoulders, she wore a yellow spring dress she’d had custom made by a famous designer in New York. She pulled back the sheers on the large bay window and peered out at her front yard. Gazing out the window, she thought about her day today.
Earlier today, while Zeke was visiting the dumb group care facility instead of running Balfour Enterprises like he was hired to do, Katherine had gone to the guest house to take Taylor her lunch, prepared by Delbert. Right as Katherine had raised her hand to knock on the door at the guest house situated behind her mansion, she’d noticed it ajar.
Standing beyond the slightly parted door, clenching a tray with Taylor’s lunch in her hands, Katherine eavesdropped on Taylor’s telephone conversation with Kayla. At first, ungrateful Taylor had chatted with Kayla about how Kayla had given birth inside Sandella’s bakery, SugarKanes.
Then the two women had started talking about how it’d be fun to have a reality TV show called “The Brides of Hilton Head Island”. While Taylor sat giggling on the phone with Kayla, Zeke had called, and Taylor had rushed to end her conversation with Kayla so she could click back over. And what Katherine had heard next had bothered her all day.
Reliving the conversation between Zeke and Taylor, Katherine’s nerves jittered.
While on the phone with Zeke, Taylor had said, “Well, hello, Mr. Right. About time you gave your wife a call. When are you coming home?” Silence. “Don wants to see us? Today?” Silence. Taylor continued. “Don has something to share with us? Oh Zeke, I hope he knows where our son is.” More silence. “Why doesn’t Don want us to let anyone know we’re meeting with him?” Pause. Pause. Taylor eventually said, “Well, you don’t have to worry about me saying anything. I get it, Zeke, don’t say anything. Especially not to Katherine.”
Still gazing out the window, Katherine shuddered. “Especially not to Katherine…why didn’t Zeke want Taylor to tell me about their conversation? Why did Zeke emphasize my name?” Had Don linked the kidnapping back to her? Katherine wondered. Were the police going to come and arrest her soon?
Disturbed, Katherine turned from the living room window, strolled up to the brick fireplace inside the family room, and pondered. Looking over her left shoulder, then her right shoulder, she reached high up in the fireplace. Searching for the murder weapon she’d used to kill Bridget, her hand floundered over the dirty soot wall. “There,” Katherine said, hand gliding over the handle of a blade.
Biting hard on her molars, Katherine yanked the blade from the fireplace and now held it in her dirty hand. Black soot smothered the sharp blade. Tempted to hide the murder weapon used to kill Bridget somewhere different, her mind flashed back to the way Bridget’s mouth had popped open when she’d stabbed her.
Colton’s admittance about how he still loved Bridget came rushing inside Katherine’s head, instantly giving her a headache. “Colton is still in love with a dead woman. I done heard it all.”
“Mrs. Balfour,” Delbert called Katherine’s name. “I’m here.”
Katherine hurriedly replaced the knife back inside the fireplace. Hands filthy and black, she ran to the bathroom down the hallway and washed her hands. Glancing at her reflection in the mirror, she felt like she’d lost herself. Like she didn’t know who she was anymore. Like it was her up against the world. Up against Zeke. Up against Taylor. But worse of all, up against Bridget. A freaking dead woman.
With her stomach pressed against the bathroom counter, Katherine dropped her head in her palms. Her brain swirled. Jumbled. “I’m losing it.”
If Colton hadn’t had an affair with Bridget, her life would be so different. If her unfaithful husband just would’ve kept his dick in his pants, Zeke would’ve never been born. And she would’ve never had all these insecurities. One thing having led to another, she would’ve never felt the need to have Antonio arrange for Taylor to be kidnapped and her son to be sold. All the horrible ugliness she’d done had been brought on by one man—Colton Balfour. And now knowing Don had something to tell Zeke and Taylor, her past just may be catching up with her.
Trying hard to pull herself together, Katherine lifted her head from her hands, pulled open the bathroom door, and waltzed to the kitchen. Delbert stood at the stove, stirring a spoon into a small pot, when she arrived.
“What’s for dinner?” Katherine asked, forgetting what Delbert had said he was cooking for dinner this evening.
Delbert lifted his gaze from the pot, looked at her face, and frowned. “You have something black on your face, Mrs. Balfour.” Soot! “I’m cooking fried smothered pork chops with mushrooms, cabbage, Mexican cornbread, and rice pilaf. And I’m cooking chicken gnocchi soup for Taylor. Earlier, she put in a request for something healthy and bland. You know Taylor; she loves eating healthy.”
Katherine drawled, “She’s not footing the grocery bill, so she needs to eat whatever you fix.”
“Oh, I don’t mind cooking separately for Taylor. I hope you don’t want any soup, because I only made enough for her.”
“I need more than a bowl of soup for dinner.” Let me go get this soot off my face. Tires rolling over gravel entered Katherine’s ears. She walked to the living room, slightly parted the sheers on the window, and looked out to the driveway.
Bright lights blazed from Zeke’s Porsche. Sitting in the passenger seat of the SUV, Taylor leaned over to kiss Zeke’s cheek. She got out of the car and headed toward the guest house. Dropping Taylor off, Zeke backed the vehicle out of the driveway and left.
After Katherine washed the black soot off her face, she returned to the kitchen, where Delbert had a glass of red wine waiting for her. While making small talk with Delbert and sipping the flowery fragrant wine, Delbert’s cell rung. “Excuse me. I need to take this call,” he said.
“Go ahead,” Katherine told him, and she couldn’t have been happier that someone had interrupted their conversation.
Delbert left the kitchen through the back garage door.
Head still aching, Katherine reached into the pocket of her dress and retrieved a small orange bottle. Standing over the stove, she twisted the white cap off the bottle, spr
inkled the white powdery poison into Taylor’s soup, and stirred.
Sliding the bottle back into the pocket of her dress, Katherine strolled over to the table and sat as if she hadn’t done a darn thing. I’m killing Taylor slowly. She’s dying and doesn’t even know it. Talking about she thought she was pregnant. Maybe if she died, Zeke would forget about finding his son.
Delbert emerged back inside the kitchen and walked over to the stove. He stirred Taylor’s soup, poured it into a bowl, and after making Taylor a fresh tossed salad, he put her food items on a tray. “I’ll be right back to fry those pork chops after I drop this off with Taylor.”
Finishing off her glass of delicious red wine, Katherine said, “Take your time. The men are at the office. According to Colton, they all will be working late tonight.” It’ll just be me and the prissy bitch out back at home tonight.
Chapter Twenty-Three
“Thanks, Delbert.”
“It’s my pleasure,” Delbert said, closing the door to the guest house.
Sitting on the barstool inside the kitchen, Taylor hefted the remote, aimed it at the television inside the family room, and pressed the power button. Steve Harvey’s face appeared on the television screen. Listening to Steve Harvey host “Family Feud”, Taylor lifted the lid off her soup. A mild chicken flavor wafted up her nose. “Mmm. This looks delicious.”
Spooning the soup into her mouth, Taylor thought about what Don had said earlier. The person who had kidnapped her may still be watching her. Savoring the soup, the scary thought made her shiver. Thank God Colton and Katherine were gracious enough to let Zeke and her stay here at the estate with them and Antonio. Bane had his own place. With a family this large, someone was always at home or visiting. With her kidnapper still out there, the last thing Taylor wanted was to always be alone.
Sucking the soup from the spoon into her mouth, the warm, chunky food glided down her throat. “This is pretty good, Delbert.”
MARRYING MR. RIGHT (The Brides of Hilton Head Island Book 3) Page 17
