A Commitment to Love, Book 3 (34 page)

“Chase—”

“No. I’m not done talking. Most of all, trust that when I see you, your body will know your sins.”

“Oh God.”

“And God won’t be able to save you.”

“Do you ever have an ego break?”

“Our love is worth everybody’s death. Remember that.”

“It’s not true.”

“Remember that. It’s you and me forever. They can die all around us for all I care.”

And then a boom sounded in the wine cellar. The phone clicked off before I could respond. I wasn’t sure if I did it or him. That didn’t matter. Vivian had dropped the dumb waiter.

Vivian’s signal. Fuck!

I jumped up and knocked my leg into the door as I tried to button my pants, grab the flashlight, hurry out of the cellar, and follow the red buttons to everyone’s nightmare.

Benny is here. Shit!

C
HAPTER
19

Chase

J
asmine’s
phone call had come right on time. We’d just landed. I’d rushed into the bathroom as everyone else left the plane and had kept her on the phone as long as possible. The phone call required a serious clean up afterwards. My pants were ruined, and my cock tired, yet still unsatisfied.

When I finally get her in bed, I hope I don’t hurt her.

I’d just come back from the bathroom, when I spotted Sophia waiting for me in the aisle. “You’re still here?”

“I thought I would wait on you. How was your phone call?” She glanced down at my pants. Wet spots covered the front. I’d planned on changing in the small bedroom in the back.

How much had she heard?

I leaned down and stared out the windows. A dark, wet sky hovered above London and hid the moon. Sherman would arrive in an hour and be guided to a hotel room far away from his mother and me.

If that’s not a sign that God approves of our love, then what is?

The smile never left my face. “Okay. Let’s go.”

“Was that my daughter on the phone?” she asked.

“What do you think?”

“I think, if it wasn’t you would have a lot of explaining to do.”

I’ll change at the hotel. I don’t care. I can’t be on this plane with this woman anymore. She creeps me out.

I walked past her and headed to the exit. “Are you a religious person, Sophia?”

“No.” She strolled behind me. “Are you?”

I didn’t like her at my back without the guards around. “No, but I’m damn sure thinking about putting some God in my life.”

“You shouldn’t curse when mentioning him. I had a lover that was a mean son of a bitch, but always hated when you used the Lord’s name in vain. I mean this was a killer.”

“Maybe he had a special relationship with God.”

“No, just with his counterpart.”

“The devil? How has that worked out for him?”

“Not bad.”

When we arrived at the opening of the plane, she paused and stared out. I continued forward, glancing back at her every few steps.

She breathed in and grinned. For a second, she was a kid, all bright eyes and full of excitement. “This is Paris? I’ve never been. I wouldn’t know if I was or not. I know Paris has the Eiffel tower, but I don’t see it from here. Jasmine had tons of pictures of—”

“This isn’t Paris.” I’d held onto the news long enough.

“No?” The expression changed to sadness.

“Not at all.”

“Then where are we?”

“London.” I studied her reaction.

“Oh!” She giggled. Her amusement returned. “I’ve never been to London either.”

She’s excited. Is that good or bad? Does she even know where Benny is, or is she just riding this out for the finish?

“I’ve never been out of the States. I’ve always had a kid to watch or things to take care of.”

“Were you scared to?”

“Maybe.” Her gaze brightened as she took in more of the airport. “Sometimes I was scared to leave my kids. I wasn’t the best mother in the world, but I didn’t want them to die from me not being there. Then once they got bigger, I just forgot about traveling. I let South End and the kids be my main focus. Something is always dragging down a black woman’s ankles.”

A limo drove forward. We waited for him to park and then headed his way, right as the driver jumped out.

“We’re so amazing that everyone’s always trying to drag us down,” Sophia continued. “There’s just something about a black woman in our world that makes men want to chain and treat us bad. Keep us low and far away from the rest of the world.”

She drank the little airport in. “You wouldn’t know anything about being a black woman. All you do is point and things happen. You got me a passport in barely twelve hours. That’s that rich, white man stuff right there. No matter how much money a sister gets, she still wouldn’t have power like that.”

“Would she? I bet Jasmine could run my corporation in a few years.”

Her eyes twinkled. “I bet she could.”

“Wouldn’t that give her power?”

“I’m hoping, Chase. I’m seeing if it’s possible.”

So all you want is power, or do you want Jasmine to have it? Who would have to die for that to happen? Who has the most power in your mind, Benny or me?

Before I started my plan, I decided to talk to her a little bit more. “I’m shocked that Benny never took you out of the States.”

“I’m not. Benny’s a bird keeper by heart.”

Bird keeper? No. More like bad, a lion tamer. It took him years to realize how bad you were.

“Maybe Benny had other reasons for not taking you out of the country.”

“He would always say that being out of the country was a dangerous thing.”

“Let’s hope he’s wrong.”

I have to play the rest of these days safe. Benny thinks I’m on a wild goose chase. Sophia believes I trust her. Jasmine just wants to save everyone. I’ll have to break Jasmine’s heart. The only one who’ll be protected is her. I’ll do my best with keeping Troy and Vivian safe, but that’s it. I meant what I said. Everyone else could die.

“You look happy.” Sophia hooked her arm around mine. “Help me to the car, sweet Chase.”

“Of course, Mother.”

A line crossed her forehead. “Mother?”

“That’s what you are.” I couldn’t stop the confident smile as I helped her along.

“Why are you so happy?” Her gaze remained on the lit landscape far off in the distance of the airport. I could bet all of my money that she hoped to ravage the city. I doubted Jasmine lay on her mind, or that Jasmine’s psychotic father Benny would lose control and hurt her daughter.

“You look happy, too,” I said.

“I am.”

“Me too.”

“But,” she turned away from her enjoyment of London’s night time view, “you would think that you’re not worried at all about Jasmine.”

“Oh, I’m worried.”

We arrived at the limo. A cool breeze passed through her wavy hair. It lifted above her shoulders just like Jasmine’s did before she cut it all off.

I released my grip of her hand. “It’s just that finally things have changed.”

“Changed?” She smirked. “How?”

“Before, I was two steps behind Benny.”

“Benny has his ways of knowing things.” She raised one of her fingers as if to put a period at the end of her sentence.

“I agree.”

She eyed me suspiciously. “So how are you going to stop him?”

“I have some ideas. I think my plans are strong.” Before my phone call with Jasmine, I’d briefed all of my guards on the plane and held a short phone conference. They had clear instructions, and now was a good time as any to execute them.

“What’s your plan?”

“I’m going to be two steps ahead of Benny.”

“How’s that?”

I signaled for my two guards to flank Sophia. “I’m going to change the game.”

Both men towered over her. Sophia’s excitement disappeared. It was in the change of her expression. Her eyes lowered to almost closed, like a wild animal would squint at its prey right before attacking. She let go of my arm and arched her fingers. Those nails could’ve been a great weapon, if not for my men’s guns which they held pointed to her chest.

“Son?” She stood still. The word sounded like poison on her tongue. Thank God she didn’t possess the ability to lash that vile thing out of her mouth and swipe me with it. “Should I be worried?”

“Yes, you should.” I stepped away to give them more room just in case they needed to shoot her. Truth be told, I wanted to kill her myself, after realizing she’d been the cause for Jasmine’s near rape in her childhood. Plus, the woman had ruined Troy. He was such a smart man. Her little move to get power in the hood had shoved Troy off into a different path.

He’d become an unofficial killer.

You vile woman. The only reason why you’re still breathing is because Jasmine doesn’t know, and she wouldn’t forgive me. Troy probably guessed. If not, then he’d understand much faster than Jasmine. Your daughter’s biggest weakness is that she sees the good in people, even when they don’t deserve it.

Both men remained on Sophia’s side and hooked their arms around hers. In each of their free hands, the guns continued to point at her chest.

“Excuse me?” She looked at the guy on her right and then left. “Do I have special guards now?”

“Of course. You’re Jasmine’s mother. I have to protect you. Keep the most important lady safe. I don’t want Benny trying to hurt you.”

She frowned at both of the guns. “Benny won’t hurt me.”

“He might.”

“I doubt it.”

“But we still can’t be sure.”

She spat the next words out. “I don’t like these fucking guns at my chest.”

My smile widened. “Focus, Sophia.”

“Focus?”

“Yes, focus. The guns are not the problem. Benny is. Just focus on helping me get Benny.”

“Have them get rid of their guns. I’m not appreciating this at all. I doubt Jasmine would either.”

“They’re here for your protection.”

“No, they’re here to trap me.” She gestured to the guns. “Jasmine wouldn’t appreciate this.”

“Did Jasmine know about Omar?”

Sophia’s attention left the guns and shot straight to me. “Omar?”

“Yes, the guy that came damn near close to taking her virginity at twelve years old, if not for Troy stabbing him in the chest. Did Jasmine understand the part you played with Omar?”

“You read a few journals and you think you’ve captured the whole picture of our lives. I liked you better, when you were love-struck and pussy-whipped. Don’t start trying to use your brain, Chase. It makes you look ugly.”

“And you’re a scholar of ugly, right?”

Her expression hardened. “So you’ve decided to have guns pointed at your mother-in-law? Do you have any other genius plans?”

“I’m just seizing opportunities and learning my enemies.”

C
HAPTER
20