That morning was the first time Demetrius woke and didn’t want to hurriedly climb out of bed. Because Angel was lying next to him, and all was right with his world. But then the doorbell rang, and rang, and rang.
Demetrius got out of bed, put on a robe and headed for the door. The person on the other end was now pounding on the door. “Hold up. I’m on my way.” He looked out the peep hole and saw that it was Al.
Demetrius swung the door open and yelled, “What is wrong with you? Why you over hear banging on my door like the police?”
“I got orders to drive you to the airport this morning?”
Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, Demetrius said, “I can drive myself.”
Al just shook his head. “Can’t let you do that. Don wants you to have a personal escort to the airport.”
“What’s his deal? Why does he want me out of this city so bad this weekend?”
“I’m just the chauffeur.”
“Well you came at the wrong time because I cancelled my earlier flight so that I could fly over there with Angel.”
Al snickered. “That girl has got you turning flips and cartwheels, huh?”
“Whatever.”
Al pointed a finger in his face. “And you better watch yourself. Don wasn’t happy about the way you spoke to him just because he was trying to school you.”
“What’s he going to do, kill me?” As the words left his mouth, Demetrius began wondering if his father had in fact sent his enforcer over here to smoke him. His gun was in the bedroom, so if Al made a move, Demetrius wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.
“He’s your father, kid. He’s not going to kill you... but that don’t mean he won’t fire you... make you find your own way in this big ol’ cruel world. So, keep your cool and do as he says.”
“Look, my flight doesn’t leave until noon. So, go back home and get some sleep. I’m a big boy, I’ll get to the airport on my own.”
“I’ll be back at ten. Y’all need to be dressed and ready to go at that time,” Al told him as he walked back to his car.
Demetrius closed the door and then sat down on the sofa as he tried to figure out what his father had up his sleeve. Since Demetrius had already figured out that Al must have been the one who killed Professor Green and his wife, Demetrius could only think of one reason why Don didn’t want him in town this weekend... they were planning to kill again.
Demetrius sat on the sofa, trying to figure this out. Who did they plan to kill? And why were they working so hard to get him out of the way. Demetrius figured he must know the target. It had to be someone that Demetrius wouldn’t want to see dead. There were a few people Demetrius could put in that category, but he’d only took a ten thousand dollar bet from one of them.
His eyes shut tight from the pain of that thought. He wished he had never accepted that bet from Coach Johnson. The man didn’t deserve to be caught in his father’s crosshairs. He didn’t deserve to die simply because Don Shepherd was too greedy to pay out his big debts.
Putting his head in his hands, Demetrius was mired in guilt and didn’t know what to do. If his father was going to kill Coach, then Demetrius wouldn’t be able to stop him. No matter how upset he’d been with his father lately, Demetrius couldn’t turn against him. That would go against everything he’d been taught all his life.
But Coach was a good man, he didn’t deserve to die, and Demetrius just couldn’t get on that plane to the Bahamas and act as if he didn’t know what was going on.
He was tossing an idea around in his mind as he went to his bedroom to wake Angel up.
“Good morning.” She smiled at him as if the very sight of him brightened her day.
“Good morning to you too.” He bent down and kissed her on her soft, ample lips. “I’ve got some bad news.”
“What’s wrong?”
He ran his hand up her arm. “We can’t go to the Bahamas this weekend.”
Angel’s eyes widened in horror. She sat up in bed, pulling the blanket tightly against her naked flesh. “You tricked me,” she screamed at him. “You made me think that I was special to you, just so you could get me in bed. And now you’re going to take some other woman to the Bahamas.”
This was getting old real fast. “For the last time... I am not that dude. I’m not going to use and abuse you.”
She wasn’t having it. “I don’t care what you say, Demetrius. If you go to the Bahamas without us, Mar-Mar and I are getting on the Greyhound and I’m going home to my mother.”
Looking at her as if she was a genius, he said, “That’s actually not a bad idea.”
“What!” Angel swung on him. But Demetrius ducked and then grabbed her arms.
“Listen to me girl. I’m not going to the Bahamas either. So, stop acting crazy.”
“You done had your way with me and now you want me to go home. But you don’t want me to go off on you... I think you’re the one who’s acting crazy.”
“It’s not like that, Angel. Stop tripping and get dressed. Because I’m going to drive you to see your mother this weekend.”
Angel did as she was asked. Then went into the living room and sat down on the sofa with Demetrius. “Did you mean what you said? You’re going to take me to my mother’s place?”
He nodded. “I think it’s the perfect cover for us.”
“Cover for what? What’s going on?”
“Do you remember the man who accused my father of killing his friend?”
“The man who came to our table at Red Lobster?”
“That’s him. His name is Sam Johnson. And he is one of the reasons why I love baseball so much. He used to be my coach. He had been the first person to run out on the field to check on me after I broke my ankle. I always liked Coach and when I was younger I used to wish that he was my father.”
Angel didn’t say anything, she just kept listening.
“I didn’t want to believe that my father had killed Professor Green, so when Coach said it, I kind of blew it off. But the truth of the matter is... I think Coach was right.”
“Why?” Angel asked.
“Most of the bets we took in for the Frazier and Ali fight were for small amounts. If we had to pay out money on one of those bets it wouldn’t be a big deal. But Professor Green put a twenty thousand dollar bet on the Frazier fight. He bet it would end in a draw. Since he was right, my father owed him big money and he didn’t want to pay up.”
“But I saw how much money you came home with after that Frazier fight. If your father could pay you all that money, why didn’t he just settle up with Professor Green?”
“Because he needs the earnings from these fights to be a real player in a new business venture.”
“And he’d kill a man for that?”
“I think so,” Demetrius said, but he wasn’t finished. “Coach Johnson put a ten thousand dollar bet in with me for the Ali fight. He wants to use his winnings to move his wife to the South. But I think my father plans to kill him this weekend.”
“Oh my God. That’s awful,” Angel said.
Demetrius was trusting Angel with information that he shouldn’t have shared with anyone. He only prayed that she was about to prove his father wrong and be down for him and not turn a knife in his back. “I can’t let my father kill Coach. But I need your help.”
“What do you need me to do?”
“Al will be back here in about two hours. He’s coming to take us to the airport, because my father wants to make sure that I am out of town this weekend.”
“But I thought you said that you weren’t going to the Bahamas?”
“I’m not, but you’ve got to trust me, Angel.”
She hesitated for a moment, but only a moment and then said, “I trust you, Demetrius. Just tell me what you want me to do.”
“When Al gets here, I’m going to tell him that you couldn’t find a babysitter for DeMarcus so you won’t be going to the Bahamas after all. I want you to go off on me. Say something like... if I leave then you won’t be here when I get back. Like you told me earlier.”
Demetrius went to his bedroom and then came back with a stack of cash. He handed it to Angel as he continued, “When I leave with Al. I want you to put your bag in my SUV and go to Coach Johnson’s house. Give him this money and then tell him to come with you.”
“How much money is this?”
“It’s ten thousand dollars. I earned twenty thousand on the Frazier fight, so I’m just giving him his money back.”
“And you trust me with this money?”
He looked at her, then squeezed her hand. “I do, Angel. I trust your heart.”
“What if Coach Johnson won’t come with me?”
“Do whatever you have to do to convince him that he is not safe in this town anymore. Please Angel. You will have to get him to leave with you, because I can’t go to his house. He’d never trust me. I’m Don Shepherd’s son, remember?”
“Okay, once we leave, then what?”
She and Demetrius sat there for another hour making plans. Then the doorbell rang. Demetrius got up and headed to the door. As he walked he started yelling at Angel. “I don’t know what you’re mad at me for. It’s not my fault that you got this kid and no body to watch him.”
He opened the door and Al walked in. “Y’all ready?”
Angel angrily folded her arms across her chest and rolled her eyes as Demetrius said, “I am. But Angel can’t find a babysitter. Looks like I’ve got an extra ticket.”
Al’s mouth hung open as he looked from Angel to Demetrius. “Are you telling me that you done rearranged everything for this girl, and she couldn’t even get off her duff and find a babysitter?”
“Like I said, I’ve got an extra ticket.” Demetrius then looked at Al as if an idea struck him. “Why don’t you go with me?”
“Wish I could kid, but I’ve got important business to take care of this weekend,” Al told him.
“What’s so important? We’ve collected all the bets we’re going to get. Everybody else has already left for the Bahamas, why do you have to miss all the fun?”
Al shrugged. “Just the luck of the draw.”
“Seems like you keep drawing that same unlucky straw” Demetrius saw right through Al’s act. Al was the enforcer, so he would always stay behind to do the dirty work.
Angel hopped off the sofa and started wagging her finger in Demetrius’ face. “I’m telling you right now, Demetrius Shepherd, if you go to the Bahamas even though you know I can’t go, I won’t be in this house waiting for you when you get back.”
“What you talking about? Where you gon’ go?”
“Maybe I’ll go back to Frankie. How would you like that?” she countered.
He wouldn’t like that at all. Didn’t even like the fact that she brought it up. Before he could stop himself, he had grabbed her arm. “Don’t you ever throw that name in my face. Don’t even say that name in my house. You hear me?”
Her eyes filled with fear as she tried to pry his hand from around her arm. “Let me go, Demetrius.”
He caught himself. Their acting had gotten the best of him. He had been about to let jealousy take him somewhere he didn’t want to go. And all Angel had done was follow his orders. Demetrius took a deep breath and released her arm. He didn’t care that Al was there, he had to make this right. “I’m sorry, Angel. I shouldn’t have grabbed your arm. Just don’t throw Frankie’s name in my face again, okay.”
Rubbing her arm, she nodded as she told him, “You didn’t have to get so mad. I didn’t mean it anyway. You know I’d never go near Frankie.”
Al stepped forward. “I hate to break this lover’s spat up, but I’ve got to get this boy to the airport.”
“Are we good?” Demetrius ignored Al. He was so afraid that he had just ruined everything and that Angel would never trust him again. He couldn’t even go along with their charade until he knew that she was okay.
“I’m cool,” she responded. “You just scared me a little bit when you grabbed my arm like that.”
“I shouldn’t have done it,” he admitted.
“And I shouldn’t have mentioned Frankie.”
“Well then everything is all good in the hood. She’ll be here when you get back, Demetrius. So, let’s get going,” Al told him.
As Demetrius walked out the door, Angel got back into character. “I didn’t say I would be here when he got back. Demetrius, I mean it... don’t leave.”
~~~~
The moment they left, Angel threw her bags in the back of Demetrius’ Bronco. She then put DeMarcus in his car seat and headed to Coach Johnson’s house, just as they had planned. Demetrius told her how to get there and Angel only prayed she had remembered the directions correctly. Demetrius wouldn’t let her write the directions down for fear that Al would somehow see it and know what was going on.
She pulled up to a ranch style brick house with yellow trimming. “Here goes nothing,” she said to DeMarcus as she looked at him through the rearview mirror.
DeMarcus smiled back at her and Angel’s heart just melted. No matter how badly things had turned out with Frankie, she would never regret having her son. She took DeMarcus out of his car seat and headed towards the door. Angel remembered Coach Johnson boasting about having a gun, and she prayed that he wouldn’t shoot her before she could tell him why she was on his property. Hopefully the baby in her arms would convince him that she came in peace.
She knocked on the door and then waited. She could hear whispering inside the house but no one answered the door. She knocked again as she said, “Can you please open the door, Coach Johnson. Demetrius sent me.”
When the door still didn’t open, she tried, “Sir, please. It’s real important that I speak with you and your wife.
“Look out the window, sir. You’ll see that it’s just me... well, me and my baby. But we came to help... please let me help you.”
Coach Johnson snatched the door open and barked at her. “I remember you from the restaurant. You’re in cahoots with them Shepherds, so you need to get from around here before things get ugly.”
The gun was in his right hand, he wasn’t pointing it at her. Angel spoke slowly, trying to keep the situation calm. “I’m not in cahoots with anyone. I’m here as a favor to Demetrius. He really cares about you and wants to make sure you are okay, sir.”
“I just never imagined that Demetrius would stab me and my friends in the back like this,” Coach Johnson told her.
Angel took the money Demetrius had given her out of her purse. “This is for you; Demetrius wanted you to have your money back.”
“But what about my bet?”
“Please, let me come in so we can talk in private.”
Coach Johnson thought about it for a moment and appeared to make a judgement call as he opened the door wide and let her in.
Angel sighed as she put DeMarcus down on the sofa. “There’s no easy way to say this, so I’m just going to come out with it. Demetrius thinks you are right. His father did have Professor Green murdered and he thinks the same will happen to you this weekend if you don’t get out of here.”
“Where am I supposed to go? This is my home.”
“Pardon me for saying this sir, but it won’t be much of a home if they burn it down.”
“That’s why I’ve got this.” He lifted his gun. “I’m going to stay up all night, just let ‘em try to come in my house.”
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Angel said. “Demetrius sent me here to pick you and your wife up. He said that you had plans on moving to the South. Well, I’d like to drive you there.”
“What?” He gave her an are-you-crazy stare. “Where is Demetrius?”
“He’s stalling the man who will be coming after you. I’ve seen him Coach Johnson. And I can tell you... you don’t want this fight. Let me get you out of here.”
Coach Johnson paced the floor, thinking... trying to figure the best solution for the problem. Once he stopped pacing he hollered towards the back part of the house. “Katherine, come on out here.”
Angel smiled at the pretty older woman as she came into the living room. “Hi Mrs. Johnson, my name is Angel.”
“Demetrius sent this girl to take you down South. So, go pack your bags and get out of here for a little while.”
Her head swiveled on her neck as she turned towards her husband. “Have you lost your complete mind, Sam Winslow Johnson? I am not leaving this house without you.”
“You do as I say, Katherine. I had no business gambling away our money.” He handed her the stack that Angel had just given him. “At least Demetrius was good enough to get it back for us.”
“He gave the money back?” Katherine’s eyes filled with tears.
“Demetrius has always been a good boy. I told you that. Now you go with this young girl and let me stay here and take care of the mess I created.”
“Where am I supposed to go without you, Sam?” The look on Katherine’s face as she asked the question told the whole story. She’d rather die in this house with the man she loved than leave and live without him.
Tears streamed down Angel’s face as she watched them. They had the kind of love she always thought her parents had... until they didn’t. But this couple had survived the test of time. They were still together after kids and grandkids, and that was the kind of love she wanted. She wasn’t going to settle for the fleeting love her parents had, she wanted long, lasting, I’ll-stand-here-and-die-with-you kind of love.