Broken (Endurance) (5 page)

Tamarius chuckled to himself. "You’re going to love it."

Makayla looked down at her hands. Is this real love? She thought.

"What's bothering you, love?" Tamarius asked.

"Nothing, I just...." Makayla didn't know what to say. She was still overwhelmed by her emotions. She hated holding back all that she felt for Tamarius.

"Don't be afraid of me. I'm not here to hurt you," Tamarius said softly.

"I know that we are meant to be together.”

"You do, but because of what happened in the past you’re fearful. You told me that you dreamt of me, right?" Tamarius asked.

Makayla looked up at him. "Yeah, you remember that?" she smiled, warmed by the notion that he remembered.

"How could I forget? I was blown away. I thought I was losing it before I met you."

"I understand where you’re going, but I just don't know how to fit you in." Makayla said.

Tamarius was dumbfounded and suddenly afraid to lose her.  "I don't even know the right words to say to that.  You mean so much to me...." His words came out in a feeble mumble as he looked into her eyes. "Just let things happen naturally."

Makayla was so lost in the love she saw in his eyes that she didn't even realize she’d begun to speak again. "I know you’re the one for me.  There is no doubt in my heart."

Tamarius pulled her close. There were so many things he wanted to say to her. He couldn't find the words to express how he felt. As the limo pulled up to a shopping plaza, Makayla pulled away from him and got ready to exit the limo.

"Tamarius, you have no fears about us?" Makayla asked.

"Only one," Tamarius replied while he gazed at her.

"What is it?"

"That we’ll walk away from what we can be because of your fears."

Makayla smiled as she teased him. "What if I die?"

Not pleased by what he’d just heard Tamarius frowned. "Well, then when it's my time, I pray that you will be the one to greet me."

"Promise me you will always put God first."

"I promise God I will always put him first," he quickly answered.

Makayla smiled at him.  Though she didn’t yet seem to realize that her walls had begun to collapse with him, Tamarius could see a glow around her and he began to hear some of her thoughts. He was elated by this new development. The only other time he’d been able to read her thoughts was when they’d made love.

The driver opened the door and Makayla stepped out. Standing on the curb, she waited for Tamarius.

"Okay, we have one hour." His warning implied she needed to make some quick decisions.

"You’re coming with me, right?" she asked.

"Only if you promise to model for me," Tamarius teased.

"Let’s go. This will be quick." Makayla grabbed his hand and pulled him into a nearby boutique.

Makayla tried on numerous dresses, finally deciding on a black silk charmeuse dress with black high heels.

Tamarius, being a typical man, found a chair to relax in while she shopped. Once she’d found everything she needed, he quickly paid for everything while Makayla dressed in the fitting room.  He was breathless when she stepped out in her new dress. "Oh, my goodness. You look absolutely beautiful.  You’re stunning." He smiled at her.

"Thank you." Makayla blushed and looked over at the sales associate who had helped her.

"Your husband took care of everything," the woman said.

"What? Oh, we aren't married." Makayla blushed even more. "Tamarius you didn't have to. I got it."

"Does it really matter who pays? We are both fine and I will not let money be an issue in our relationship. Just let me be a gentleman, please." He walked over to her and extended his arm. "Now come on before it's too late."    

Before Makayla could slip her hand under his forearm, her cell phone rang. She quickly answered the phone and heard her father’s voice. "Daddy!"

"Hello, baby. How are you doing?" her father asked in Chinese.

"I'm good, just doing some shopping before dinner with Tamarius." Her cheeks were suddenly hot with blush again. Her father always made her feel like she was five years old and she hated to admit how she loved it.

“How’s my favorite daughter?” Fa Li asked.

“Daddy, I’m your only daughter, remember?”  She smiled as she played along with the line of questioning her father never seemed to tire of.  “How’s Trinidad?”

“With Coretta at my side, Trinidad is always worth having left China for.”

“And how is Lin Li?” Her aunt now lived in the Martinez mansion leaving Makayla little opportunity to see her.

“Like usual.  Her granddaughter, Mei is out at the island which should make her happy.”

“How nice.”

"So, Tamarius is with you?”

“Right here.”

“Put him on the phone and let me say hi," her father ordered.

Makayla smiled at Tamarius and shrugged as she handed him the phone and inched closer to him to listen to the conversation.

Tamarius seemed suddenly nervous as he took the phone. "Good evening, Mr. Li."

"Hello, Son. Things going good?"

"Yes, sir. We're doing good. I took Makayla to meet my cousins. They fell in love with her and I think they are plotting to steal her from me."

"Hold onto her." Fa said with a hearty laugh. "Well, you take good care of her. She is my one and only."

"Oh, I am and I will," Tamarius reassured him, his head bobbing in a fervent nod.

"Good, I’m sure she’s in good hands. Well, nice talking to you, Tamarius. I will see you soon.  Now pass me my daughter again."

"Okay, nice talking to you, too." He handed the phone back to Makayla.

"Kay," Fa said. "Listen, the orphanage your cousin Tia runs is having some problems."

"What problems?"

Fa’s loud exhale and inhale told Makayla of the stress he was under. "What happened, Pops?"

"Look, the other day Tia came by to see me and she was real shook up. She told me the children were waking up with scratches and bruises on their skin."

"Oh my goodness, Daddy..." Makayla headed for the front door.

Tamarius stepped ahead of her and open the door for her, following closely behind as she walked out. He looked at Makayla who’d stopped and stood next to a large cement column as she continued to speak with her father. He could tell by the heavy slope of her shoulders and the tight clenching of her fist that the call was very serious.

He waited patiently for her to get off the phone and when she walked up to him and gently wrapped her arms around his waist, he welcomed her into his arms as she rested her head on his chest. He offered her a gentle hug and planted a kiss on top of her head. "Something bad must have happened. You rarely come to me." He forced a smile.

Makayla looked up at him. "Not true."

"Not important. What happened? What did your father say?"

"Remember my cousin Tia," Makayla began.

"Yeah, the one who takes care of those kids in Saint James."

"She got hurt pretty bad. She just got out of the hospital. The doctors couldn’t do anything for her. She’s in some kind of catatonic state and..."

Tamarius was speechless.  He gently pushed Makayla back to look into her eyes. She was crying as she continued to speak.

"My dad said the only word that came out of her mouth was the name of a demon."

"What... what's the name?" Tamarius asked trying to control the sudden rage he felt building up inside.

"I don't ..."

"Don't say the name. Just tell me what his job is." Tamarius knew that many demons’ names should not be repeated.

"He is a major one sent to seek, destroy and kill God's chosen children.  Tamarius, I have to go back home. Those children are in danger. It's only a mater of time before he finds the one he is looking for. In the meantime he will be trying to reap their souls."

Without another word Tamarius pulled out his cell phone and called his pilot. He arranged for them to leave soon. He pulled Makayla into his embrace. Feeling her hands around him seemed to calm him down as he whispered to her, "Everything is going to be alright. We can do this together."

Cressida

Maxwell softly laid a passed out Cressida on his royal king size bed. Being worried about her, he knew sleep would not come to his eyes if she were out of his sight. He slowly slipped her shoes off and pulled the sheets over her. He then stood up and walked over to the sofa lounge chair he had in the corner of his room. 

Looking over at the sofa chair Maxwell knew his slender six foot four frame would not fit comfortably on that couch. He shook his head and complained, "It’s going to be a very long night." He pulled off his jacket and kicked off his shoes before heading to the shower. 

Cressida slept fitfully in the strange bed.  She kicked the sheets off and swung her arms wildly into the air as though fighting off some unseen enemy. In the middle of an intense nightmare, she felt the tug and tear of her skin as hideous creatures pulled and grabbed at her from every direction causing her body to twist and turn from the intense pain. In the background she could
hear
her name being called repeatedly by a voice that could only be described as demonic. It droned on and on in a register so low, she could feel its vibration. Cressida could smell the putrid odor of rotting flesh, and she coughed and gasped for air as a demon pulled her by her hair and yelled, "You
a
r
e
mine!"

Soaked in sweat and screaming at the top of her lungs, Cressida sat up. Her screams pierced through the gentle gurgling of water and startled Maxwell.  Naked and dripping, he jumped out of the shower, grabbed a towel and quickly wrapped it around his waist as he ran out to the bed. He knelt beside her as she sat erect, her hands balled into tight fists while she continued to scream hysterically.

“Cressida!” he shouted.  He took a hold of her arms and shook her. “Cressida.”

Her screams diminished until they were just woeful whimpers.  Cressida's eyes flew open and she broke down in tears.

Maxwell held her against his wet skin.  “It’s alright.  You’re alright, Cressida.  You’ve had a bad dream, but it’s all over now.  You’re safe.”

Cressida gained control of herself and pulled away from him.

"Maxwell?  What am I doing here?" she asked looking around the room.

"Yeah, what is going on?  I literally caught you falling off a bar stool."

"Damn, I'm sorry.  It's so unprofessional of me.  I should go," Cressida said as she started to throw the sheets back.

"No, you are in no condition to drive and you still haven't answered my question."

Cressida looked at Maxwell as if she’d never seen him before. His soft curly hair, beautiful grey eyes and charismatic smile seemed to entice her. Maybe I’m still drunk, she thought as flashes of him kissing her ran through her mind. "Maxwell, it's a long story and I don't want to waste your time. I will be okay."

He leaned back against the headboard as he sat next to her. "Do you remember back in the days when we used to be friends? When your brother went off to med school he asked me to watch over his baby sister."

"He did not," Cressida argued.

"Yeah, he did. You mean a lot to him. I know he would have been upset if he’d seen you earlier today."

Cressida bowed her head, feeling shameful for having lost her grip. "I don't know what happened to me. Just stress, I guess," she mumbled.

"That scream was not stress, Cressida. Something is wrong. Talk to me. I can help you.  You’ve always been my friend first and if I have to lose you as a lawyer to help you, I will."