right here.”
“Malik, not now. I guess you aren’t aware that Jefferson and I were almost killed the other night.”
“What are you talking about? Almost killed?”
“A drive-by. Someone riddled our house with bullets. It’s only by the grace of God that we’re alive.”
“I’m sorry, Margo. I haven’t looked at the news…oh my God…are you all right? Do the police know who did it?”
“No, they don’t know for sure, but they have some idea-in fact, a pretty good idea.”
“What can I do for you?”
“There’s nothing you can do for me or Jefferson. We’re under police protection, and that’s as good as it gets until they make an arrest. It’s been a scary ordeal.”
“You know you can stay with me. All you’re going through is probably because of all the mess Jefferson created. I’ve told you over and over, he doesn’t deserve you.”
“I’m staying with my husband, Malik. I love him, and I’m not going to leave him.”
“Does he know that you slept with me the other day?”
“Not unless you propose to tell him.”
“You’ve disappointed me, Margo. I didn’t come to you, you came to me. You gave yourself to me. You allowed me to touch your husband’s jewels.”
SLAP!! All eyes turned away from the slideshow that played Hamilton’s life over and over. No one was sure what had transpired, and murmuring was heard throughout the crowd. Stunned, Malik cradled his jaw with his hand while looking at the stranger who had laid one on him. Margo walked away in a hurry, leaving Malik for a second time, only this time nursing his aching jaw.
Margo saw Jefferson moving toward her as she hurried to distance herself from Malik. A frown was drawn on his face, and when he reached Margo, his frown turned to anger as Malik came toward them.
“Jefferson, not now,” Margo pleaded.
“Well, tell me something,” Jefferson said, looking between Margo and Malik.
“Your wife slapped my face,” Malik said, staring Jefferson down. “Do you want to know why?”
“Because you deserved it, you imbecile? Malik, I’ve given you more warnings than you deserve about staying away from my wife, but this is the last time I’m telling you.”
“And what are you going to do?”
“It’s fortunate that you won’t find out tonight because this is neither the time nor the place. Don’t push my nerve because if I have to go to prison again, I will if you mess with my wife.”
“Maybe the two of you deserve each other. You know, she’s not a saint either.”
Margo begged Malik with her eyes to keep her secret. She hated him and wished she could make him disappear. She hated herself even more for succumbing to a lust of the flesh in a moment of weakness, no matter how many times Jefferson might have been unfaithful to her. But it was the painful moment between two former friends that left everyone’s tongues wagging; it didn’t take clues to help them figure out what Malik was trying to say.
Jefferson was silent as he followed Margo back to their seats. Margo looked at Angelica as her eyes asked what had happened. Ashamed, Margo folded her hands and placed them over her mouth, her elbows glued to the table. She dared not look at Jefferson, for fear that his accusing eyes would convict her-and rightfully so. A reprieve came her way when one of Hamilton’s cousins got up to talk about what a good friend he had been.
53
One after another, they single filed to the front of the room, sharing good times about cousin Hamilton, Uncle Hamilton, my nephew Hamilton, and my good friend Hamilton. Laughter was the best medicine as it took some of the sting away from the final service, with each person trying to outdue the next in the stories they told. The crowd began to dwindle, and the few police officers that remained began to relax as the home-going for Hamilton was coming to a close without incident.
Angelica walked over to Lieutenant Broadnax and extended her hand. “Your words touched me, Carl. They were beautiful. I wished Hamilton could have heard them.”
“You know, Angelica, the lieutenant and I were at odds about a lot of things, but I truly loved him. Hated that things went down the way they did for us five years ago, but I took an oath to uphold the law, and I was doing my job.”
“I know.” Angelica brushed his shoulder. “You got someone in your life yet?”
“You remember Ebony?”
“Yes, she was Jefferson’s secretary.”
“Well, after her mom died, we became very close. In fact, we have a December wedding planned.”
“Congratulations, Carl. I’m so happy for you. Please give my regards to Ebony.”
“I will, and…we’d love for you to come to our wedding.”
Several seconds passed. Angelica did not respond, and Lieutenant Broadnax waved his hand in front of her face. It was not her imagination, but passing in front of her was the man in dreads. She’d recognize his face anywhere. It was etched in her memory.
“Lieutenant Broadnax, don’t move. Read my lips. I don’t know how this man got in here, but I believe there is a guy in here who works for Santiago. I don’t want to set off an alarm or make him aware that I recognize him.”
Eyes shifting, Angelica watched the man scanning the room as if he was looking for someone. He eased through the crowd without arousing suspicion. Pulled back from his face, his dreads were held together with some type of elastic band. He wore a black, double-breasted suit, a tie and a white shirt.
People continued to file out of the fellowship hall, although there were still groups clustered together, engaged in deep conversation. Angelica continued to follow him with her eyes when Lieutenant Broadnax began to speak.
“I need to call Petrowski and let him know that we have what seems to be a penetration in the building.”
“Look natural,” Angelica cautioned, tapping Broadnax’s chest with her hand. “I don’t want to give him any indication that we suspect him of anything.”
Broadnax removed her hand and made a quick call, never looking back to personally eyewitness the intruder. He hung up and looked at Angelica. “It’s not going to look normal if I keep standing here talking to you. I need to move around so that, if I need to make a move, I can get into position.”
“I’m sorry. My nerves have got the best of me. My brother, Edward, has a gun on him. I need to let him know what’s going on.”
“That wouldn’t be a good idea, Angelica. Let the police handle this.”
“Letting the police handle it has allowed the enemy to get into our camp. That man is looking for me; it’s my life on the line.”
“Please, Angelica, don’t do anything stupid. You could jeopardize everything. Just play along.”
Angelica let out a sigh and then panic gripped her as she lost sight of the man in dreads. She looked to the left and to the right, and then she felt it in the small of her back.
“Don’t move and don’t scream,” the voice said hurriedly. “I’m FBI. I’ve been working on the Santiago case, and I’ve been following you because we were sure you would lead us to him. We’ve made a lot of headway, but I’ll explain in more detail later. I’ve only got fifteen minutes to make my move. The SWAT team outside is working with the bureau.”
Angelica tried to turn around. “But why didn’t Lieutenant Broadnax know that you all were…”
“Don’t turn around, we have to move forward. The Fayetteville police are well aware of what’s going down. They were waiting for my signal. That’s why no one has pounced on me. I was able to infiltrate Santiago’s organization, and be glad I was in place when he decided to take you out. I didn’t learn about Hamilton until it was too late. That’s why I volunteered to take care of you; I knew that I could save your life.
“Santiago and a couple of his men are waiting outside a few blocks away. If I’m not successful with what they charged me to do, I’m sure they are going to try an attempt on your life. I’m going to walk you to a bulletproof
