CHAPTER TWENTY

TWO WEEKS LATER

“We know what we are, but not what we may be.”

- William Shakespeare

 

Alice paced the floor in the conference room of the attorney’s office and she was in an unspeakable mood. Victory, Noel, Blake and Marina were sitting around the table waiting on their lawyer who called late last night for an emergency meeting. When asked what the conference was about, they were told he would explain everything later.

“I don’t know what the fuck he wants,” Alice grumbled as she stopped moving and sat down in her chair next to Noel. Her leg jiggled rapidly.

“Did he say anything else to you?” Victory asked. White cat hair sat on the table in front of her and on her black dress jacket, even though no animal was in sight.

She sighed, her heart thumping wildly in her chest. “No. Just that we all needed to be here. And on time.” She paused and stood up again. “Fuck!” she yelled startling them. “And then nobody has seen or heard from Nine in weeks. I just hope she doesn’t have anything to do with this.”

“Alice, just shut the fuck up,” Marina yelled rubbing her arms rapidly. “For five seconds, please! You’re making me antsy and I need a hit. Messing with you, I’ve had to do things to get my medicine I never dreamed. All because I don’t have any money. If this doesn’t work, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”

Alice’s face turned downward. “I’m sorry, mama. Didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Don’t be sorry! Just don’t fuck up!”

Alice twisted the watch on her arm.

“This is not good,” Blake said to himself as his gaze darted from the door to the space in front of him. “Not good at all.”

When the door finally opened, Brett Jones walked inside and tried to avoid eye contact with the worried family. But Alice was all over his ass the moment he sat down. “What the fuck is going on? We’re all here now what?”

Brett sat a manila folder on the table and pushed it to the side, before clasping his hands in front of him. “There’s been a problem.”

“A problem?” Alice said as she tugged on the collar of her shirt. “How you figure?”

“Yesterday morning Nine was able to meet with the judge and had him lift the freeze on all banking accounts by having the majority Prophet rule. I don’t know all the facts yet but somehow she was able to put the case back in her favor.”

“Put the case back in her favor?” Alice repeated. “How?”

His legs moved restlessly under his body. “She was also able to prove to the judge that not only was she not crazy, but that she was being poisoned.”

Alice’s foot bounced around as she thought about everything she’d done up to that point. From the moment she met Banker and gave her the Phenethylamine poison to put in the wine a little at a time, she had been manipulating the situation. She didn’t want Nine dead, not yet anyway. If she died, the money would be left to Julius or Leaf. She had to keep her alive and convince the courts that she was not suitable to be at the head of the estate.

Whatever happened to her after that would be an accident.

“Poisoned by who?” Alice asked.

“By you,” he responded.

The moment he made the statement, she knew who betrayed her. Her least favorite cousin, Noel. Instead of looking at her, he lowered his head and closed his eyes as if he were praying. “I couldn’t do her like that, man,” he said softly, gazing at his family. “You didn’t tell us you was poisoning her. She’s good people; you just have to—”

“Son, why didn’t you tell us you was going to do this?” Blake asked. He released the navy blue tie from around his neck and tossed it on the table. “You knew she fired me. I was depending on this money to take care of myself. We could’ve jumped on board with you!”

“Oh, my God, Noel. What were you thinking?” Victory continued. “How selfish do you have to be to go behind our backs and not even alert us?”

“Because this way he comes out as a hero,” Alice responded coldly. “And we look like the bad guys.” She paused. “You’re a snake! After everything we went through. I was the one who taught you how to fuck. How to make a woman feel good and this is how you repay me? You were nothing without me, Noel! Remember how you begged me to stick my finger in your asshole so you could cum quicker? I don’t even think you like girls!”

Although the Prophet family was surprised to find out that Noel and Alice had slept together, it wasn’t a big deal in the scheme of everything.

It was Brett Jones who was at a loss for words.

“You said something else,” Victory responded trying to take her mind off of her dysfunctional family. “About Nine getting the majority Prophet rule. How is that possible?”

He cleared his throat. “I don’t know. Are there any other Prophets with your bloodline?”

“Yes, but I know they wouldn’t help her.”

“Are you sure?”

“I can’t be sure,” she said in a defeated tone. She was more upset that she allowed Alice to convince her to get involved with the plight than anything else. “But my brother Justin, her husband’s father, is still out there somewhere.”

“Yeah but he doesn’t respect our side of the family,” Marina said as she appeared more fidgety due to going into withdrawals. “I can’t see him helping her.”

“Me either,” Blake responded. “He doesn’t have anything to do with our family or Nine so I can’t see him getting involved.”

“As of now, there are eleven living Prophets,” Victory explained. “Five are here (Blake, me, Marina, Noel, Alice) and three more are my daughters. So we have the majority.”

“But where are your children?” the lawyer asked.

“Bethany and Samantha are at home on house arrest and Isabel…” Blake looked over at Victory. “Isabel is staying with Nine.”

When Victory’s phone dinged, she saw it was a text from Bethany. ‘Mama, something crazy is on the door. Where are you?’

She ignored the message.

Brett sat back and looked at all of them. “Well, someone is assisting her. That you don’t know about.” The expression on his face showed he’d given up on helping them. They were a lost cause.

There was a slight knock at the door and in walked Nine, Leaf, Isabel and four other people whose complexions were lighter than theirs and could be confused for white.

Although Alice and the others didn’t know it, they were full-blooded members of the Prophet family.

Always a man of great appetite, many years ago, Kerrick had an affair with Bridget Danker. A beautiful black woman with skin so light she could pass for white. The moment he met her, she was a breath of fresh air. Not because of her beauty but because unlike Victoria and Fran, Bridget was an adventurer.

Through her he was able to pursue the wilder side of life and he found himself at home in her energy, in her presence. Whether it was skydiving or rock climbing, she was a child in a woman’s body always looking for a new rush.

And then she got pregnant.

The first child, Lisa, she hid from him by causing a petty argument over him speaking to her harshly about a meal she prepared for dinner one night. The disagreement was foolish and planned because she needed a reason to break ties. Young Kerrick would’ve snapped her neck for disrespect but Bridget caught him at an older age.

But she wasn’t stupid. Kerrick’s legend preceded him and she knew that he wasn’t a man who dealt easily with children outside of his marriage. She heard stories of Fran whose womb he had destroyed for the same behavior. Still, she was determined not to abort the child so there was a decision to be made. Stay with him and give up her baby or cut things off. Not believing in abortion, she chose the latter. And although she missed him, and he her, she felt resolved in her decision.

Some months later, Kerrick learned that she was pregnant. At first he sent Mox, Riley and Jameson to “get rid of the problem” but when he saw her, he was amazed that even while pregnant Bridget seemed to glow. Going against his rule, he allowed her to live. And he allowed her to carry his child.

He felt validated in allowing her to bear his child when he saw Lisa, and to his surprise, Lisa’s beauty rivaled her mother’s. As the years passed, Lisa grew into her gorgeousness. Her big stunning eyes and long black luscious hair made her sexually appealing to all men who encountered her. But she was a Prophet, which also meant she was off limits without Kerrick’s approval.

After Lisa was born, Kerrick placed money in Bridget’s bank account for their wellbeing, to ensure that his child would never have to go without. They didn’t have the classic rich Prophet lifestyle but it was a come up.

Things were going good and a year later, she got pregnant with boy triplets and this time she didn’t run, she let Kerrick know. Since Bridget handled his marriage so well in the past, never bothering to contact his wife, he allowed her another honor. On one condition. That she explained to them how important it was to keep their bloodline pure.

At first Bridget was disgusted at the idea alone. But Kerrick was a great orator and he explained that his lineage came from the kings and queens of Africa. In his delusion, he talked about how intelligent his older children were and how even in Roman times incest was accepted.

Before long, she was sold and when her children were born she allowed Kerrick to push the same rigid beliefs into their minds. As a result, Lisa had a son by her oldest brother Wagner, who she named Kerrick II.

Kerrick’s sex-starved energy made some wonder if there were any other Prophets out there that no one knew about.

As the new Prophets made themselves comfortable in the conference room, Lisa first, followed by the triplets Wagner, Porter and Jeremy, the other Prophets wondered what was happening. Each of them was beautiful and flawed.

For instance, one of Wagner’s eyes were cocked, due to wearing a pair of prescription glasses when he didn’t need them as a child, just to look like a local street killer in his neighborhood.

And then there was the middle child. Although as handsome as the other male siblings, Porter kept his top lip pulled down because his teeth were crumbled, due to not taking care of them.

Lastly, there was Jeremy, who lost his arm recently when his brothers and sister busted into an abandoned house where his mother was being gang raped. They successfully saved her but they got into a war with the gang that was looking for them at the moment. This was why Lisa, the girl Nine had seen in the photos Gates showed her, attempted to reach out to Nine by way of Leaf.

When Lisa first approached him, he doubted they were related. He was used to people trying to get close to Nine to access her money by claiming to share the bloodline. So he hid the matter from his wife for fear she’d get involved and be taken advantage of.

However, Lisa was persistent and suggested blood tests be taken. She was a Prophet and was willing to prove it. He could tell in her eyes that she wasn’t going away so he had the tests performed and was waiting on the results. So when Nine lashed out at him in the restaurant, he was willing to eat the L to make sure he kept fakes away from her because the tests had yet to come in.

Nine and the new Prophets stood on the other side of the table, next to Alice’s lawyer. Antonius and five other men stood outside of the door on guard. Upon first entering the office, Nine felt powerful but when she walked in and saw the faces of the family members she’d grown to love, it was as if a pin was stuck into her balloon.

She realized at that moment that she cared for them but the betrayal changed something in her spirit. She was starting to hate them. No longer was she going to be pushed over by those who didn’t deserve her love or money. If they wanted to bite the hand that fed them, then they would be on their own.

She looked down at Alice and the others and said, “I do not look like you. I do not dress like you or talk like you. But I am still your blood. I am still a Prophet and it is sad that you could not see it.” She sighed and looked behind her. “These are also your relatives. They are Prophets who grandfather took care of until he died and now they need my help.” She gazed back at the original Prophets. “Since you do not want my assistance, since you have aligned with someone who has nothing to lose, I am removing my hands from you. No longer will I give you money. No longer will I accept your calls. No longer will I be there when you are in need. The only exceptions to this rule are Noel, Bethany, Isabel and Samantha, because they were not involved in this betrayal. Do not try to reach out to me because I will not be accessible.” She paused. “And I suggest you all find somewhere else to live. Soon.”

Victory leaped up, cat hairs falling everywhere. “What do you mean find somewhere else to live?”

Nine stared into her eyes, looked down at Brett Jones and walked out, the new Prophets following.

“What does that mean?” Victory screamed to her.

When she made an attempt to follow Nine, Antonius pressed her back with a firm push to the center of her chest.

So she looked around him. “Nine, I love you! Don’t do this to me! It was all Alice’s fault! Please!”

 

****

 

After the meeting, Victory, Blake and Alice stepped out of the car and walked slowly toward Victory’s house. Victory’s jaw dropped when she approached the home she’d come to love. Just as the lawyer clarified when Nine left the meeting, every Prophet who betrayed her would need to find new places to live. Because plastered on their door was a notice to vacate the premises within sixty days.

Some years back, when his children were young adults, Kerrick purchased each of their homes in his name. He didn’t keep them in his name to enact some strange power. He simply forgot to give them the titles and they forgot to ask. And as a result, each property belonging to him was rightfully Nine’s because they were part of the estate. That included Alice’s mother’s condominium.

Victory snatched the sign off of her door, walked over to the steps and flopped down. She looked at the verbiage again, hoping it wasn’t as bad as the lawyer claimed.

It was.

As she wept harder, Blake sat next to her and pulled her into a one-arm embrace. He looked up at his niece and said, “This is all your fault! I hope you’re happy, Alice. Because of you, she took everything from all of us!”

Angry with Nine outwitting her again, she stepped in front of them. “I can’t believe you all are blaming me for this. This is just another example of her using her power against us!”

“If you aren’t to blame who else could it be?” Victory yelled gazing up at her. The sun standing behind Alice made it difficult for Victory to see her face. To see if she felt any remorse. “You should’ve left it alone. We might not have had it all but we had some.” She lowered her head. “Noel was right. She was a good person, Alice, and you were the only one she had a problem with. If only I hadn’t listened to you.” She shook her head. “Now it’s too late.”

“So I’m to blame for you not having any money saved up also?”

“I have some money, Alice,” Blake interjected.

Victory looked over at him, unaware of the secret. “You do?”

“Yeah,” he exhaled. “A few hundred thousand. I put it up in case something happened.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asked him.

Silence.

In shame, she dropped her head already knowing the answer. She spent too easily and he didn’t trust her.

“Thank you so much, Blake,” she said hugging him. “Thank you.” For a second, relief passed between them before she focused back on her niece. “Just leave.”

“But—”

“Get the fuck out of here!” he screamed.

She swallowed. “I don’t have anywhere to go.”

“Not our problem anymore,” Victory responded.

Alice looked at her relatives once more and walked toward her car, which sat on the end of the street. Her heart was filled with so many emotions. Anger. Fear. Resentment. Guilt. She was so disappointed at not defeating Nine that it didn’t dawn on her until that moment that Victory and Blake were the only people who tolerated her. Now she knew how Isabel felt when she rejected her. Without them in her life, she had nothing.

Did being an outcast still make her a Prophet?

The moment she stepped to the driver’s side door, a white van pulled up alongside her. Without turning around, Alice knew what was happening. The door to the other van opened and a tall soldier stepped out and walked toward her. “Get inside,” he demanded.

She thought about running but knew it was no good. It was time to pay the cost. So she turned around, and eased into the waiting van to meet her fate.