“Don’t wanna talk about what?”
Alicia pretended she didn’t hear him.
“Wait. I know you’re not still upset about this whole Carmen thing and the fact that I don’t want her staying here.”
“No. Well, yes, I’m still not happy about that, but right now that’s the least of my worries.”
“Baby, please don’t do this.”
“Okay, fine. I’m upset because, for the life of me, I don’t get why this Donna woman sent me that package.”
JT moved his arm away from her. “But, baby, we already went over all that when you called me yesterday.”
“Maybe so, but I’m still bothered by the whole thing. I mean, who does this kind of crap for no reason?”
“Someone who is simply trying to cause problems for us, and as far as I’m concerned, this Donna person is nothing more than some raving lunatic.”
“But, JT, why is she continuing to make all these accusations if there’s no truth to what she’s saying?”
“Honey, pastors and their wives have to deal with this kind of madness all the time. I’ve told you that before, and at some point, you’re just going to have to get used to it.”
“Maybe, but just to be safe, I want to file a report with the police.”
“No,” JT said abruptly, and Alicia looked at him. He seemed dead set against the whole idea of pressing any charges, and that made no sense to her.
“Why not?”
“Because this really isn’t all that serious. I know it has you upset, but I don’t think it’s necessary to involve the authorities.”
“I disagree, JT, because this woman told me flat-out that when it comes to you, I should definitely watch my back. So, to me, this is beyond serious.”
“I understand how you feel, and if for some reason this woman contacts you again, I promise we’ll call the police. We’ll report everything.”
“Good,” Alicia said but had a feeling JT was hiding something. She wasn’t sure what exactly, but she knew that whenever her father would lie to her mother, he would either become defensive or would become angry and would blame everything on someone else-people who were crazy or who were simply just trying to make trouble for them. He would respond almost precisely the way JT was.
JT pulled his wife closer to him and hugged her. “I know this whole pastor, first lady, church situation can be a little trying at times, but please know that I am completely in love with you and only you, and that I would never do anything to hurt you. Sweetheart, you are my world, and I’ll do whatever necessary to protect you at all costs. You hear me?”
Alicia gazed into his eyes, wishing she could believe him. But her intuition insisted there was more to the story and that it was only a matter of time before Donna exposed it. Then, without warning, Alicia thought about Phillip and how he never would have caused her this kind of worry. He never would have caused her any kind of pain or suffering, and she was sorry she hadn’t appreciated how wonderful he was when she’d been married to him. She was sorry she’d acted like a spoiled brat, the kind who had to have everything she wanted or else, and that she hadn’t realized what it truly meant to have a caring, compassionate, and honest husband. She hadn’t taken the time to notice just how perfect Phillip had really been for her. She hadn’t valued his strong character or his obvious desire to do the right thing-she hadn’t cherished the man any woman in her right mind would long to be with. She’d made a huge mistake in terms of the way she’d betrayed him, and now this, these accusations and suspicions about JT, was the result of it. She finally had all the material possessions she could want and the ability to buy even more if she so chose, but sadly, she no longer had the most important thing of all: true happiness.
JT picked up his cell phone and answered it.
“Good afternoon,” Barb said in a chipper tone. “So, how’s my favorite pastor today?”
JT gritted his teeth. “What is it that you want, and why did you send my wife that pathetic letter?”
“First of all, you know full well why I’m calling. But to answer your other question, I sent it so you would know I’m not joking around with you. I told you I’m not playing, and I needed to make sure you understood that.”
JT wanted to curse her into oblivion but said, “Well, let that be your last time contacting her.”
“Well, actually, that’ll depend on you and whether you have my money. So, do you?”
“Yeah, I have it,” he said reluctantly.
“Good boy. So, now all I need you to do is go get a cashier’s check the same as you did last time, but instead of making it out to me, just make it out to Jessica Valentine.”
“Excuse me?” JT said, frowning.
“You heard me. Jessica Valentine.”
“And who on earth is that, Barb?”
“Well, according to the photo on my State of Illinois driver’s license, it’s me.”
JT laughed but wasn’t amused in the least. “So, first you tell my wife your name is Donna, and now you’re supposed to be someone named Jessica? And on top of that, you now have
“Is that a problem for you?”
“Actually, it is.”
“Well, it’s too bad, because my change of identity is a done deal.”
“So, I guess Valentine was the only name you could come up with?”
“No, but if for some reason the bank decides to question me about my deposit, it’ll certainly make things a whole lot easier. I’ll simply explain that every penny came from a very generous family member, and then I’ll give them your number, so you can verify it.”
“Whatever,” JT said, losing all patience with her. “So, where is it you want to meet?”
“The same place as last time.”
JT hadn’t gone to that particular park in years, partly because it was pretty far out and was very secluded, but mostly because he hadn’t wanted to be reminded of Barb and the way she had blackmailed him. He hadn’t wanted to think about the history he had with her or anything relating to it. “What time?”
“Ten A.M. See you then,” she said, and hung up.
JT slammed his fist against his desktop and couldn’t wait for tomorrow to be over. Although, the more he sat thinking, the more he realized he had much bigger problems than ruthless, no-good Barb. He allegedly had a baby on the way and no idea what to do about it.
Chapter 33
As traffic slowed and merged into one lane, JT decelerated his vehicle. For over an hour now, he’d driven in a constant stop-and-go manner and was glad he’d left the house early enough, so he wouldn’t be late. Construction on I-294 South seemed to stretch for a couple of miles, but thankfully, he was only a few feet from his exit. Of course, it wasn’t like he was in a hurry to see dirty Barb, but at the same time, he knew it wasn’t smart to keep her waiting-not when she had all the goods on him and could ruin everything in a matter of minutes.
JT drove down the ramp, took a left at the first light he came to, and headed down a two-way road. Not ever did he think he’d be in such a defenseless state, but if he could help it, from now on he would be a lot more careful in terms of whom he dealt with. He would certainly never deal with lowlifes such as Barb or with any other common criminals, because he was finally above all of that. JT was a successful and very reputable pastor with a massive amount of potential, and he could no longer consort with anyone who wasn’t on the same level.
JT drove another five miles or so and then turned into the park entrance. For the most part, it still looked the same, and just being there brought back a lot of memories. When he was a teenager, he’d sneak off in his aunt’s car, pick up one of his many girlfriends, and bring her out there to have sex. Sometimes they would climb into the backseat and sometimes he would bring a couple of blankets, so they could spread them out in this little hidden section he’d discovered after going there a few times. He would take a different girl with him every single week and most of them practically begged for the opportunity. Interestingly enough, not much had changed today and the only difference was that instead of having his pick of girls, he had a wide range of women to choose from.
After cruising around a number of curves, JT saw a lone black Cadillac parked in an isolated area and pulled over next to it. Barb immediately rolled down her window, but JT was more interested in the man in sunglasses who was sitting next to her. At first, he had no idea who it could be…until this mystery person opened the passenger door and got out…and he saw that it was Minister Weaver.
“Wow,” he said, walking directly over to JT’s vehicle. “You look like you just saw a ghost.”
JT didn’t say a word. He was too shaken to even try.
Minister Weaver walked closer. “It just goes to show, though, doesn’t it? You simply can’t trust anybody.”
JT finally snapped out of his trance. “What is this all about, Weaver?”
“The pay raise I told you I deserved. You know, the one you basically blew me off about.”
This was all too much for JT. He couldn’t fathom any of what was happening, but mostly he couldn’t believe someone like Weaver would even associate with the likes of Barb. He wondered how Weaver even knew her, but before he could ask, Weaver said, “I’m sure you’re wondering, too, how I know your good ole buddy Barb. Am I right? Well, imagine my surprise when my long-lost sister-yes, believe it or not, Barb is my biological sister. But imagine my surprise when she contacted me last month, told me how she’d been one of six high-priced call girls you had pimped all while being pastor of NLCC, that you did it until you married Michelle, and also how right after your wedding, you manipulated our baby sister, got her pregnant, and then forced her to have an abortion. You forced our nineteen-year-old sister to kill her baby, and then you just dumped her.”
JT was still at a loss for words. He knew he couldn’t deny any of what Weaver was saying, so he just listened.
“You see, I always knew you were capable of criminal activity, but not once did I ever think my own sister would be the one to expose you.”
JT finally spoke. “Weaver, man, that’s all in the past, and I’m a totally different man now.”
Weaver laughed out loud. “No, you’re exactly the same, JT, only sneakier. You’re the same low-down minister you’ve always been, but most people just can’t see it. Although, I will admit, I was pretty low-down myself for cutting off my sisters the way I did. I separated myself from them years ago because they didn’t lead the most
