Be Careful What You Pray For

“You just can’t trust any of these preachers nowadays, can you?” someone else commented.

“How pathetic!” a man shouted from the back.

“Everyone, please. Can I have your attention for just another couple of minutes? Please,” Alicia said, trying to speak over them. Finally they quieted down.

“As I said, I’m very hurt, but I’m also happy to know that something good has come out of all of this. I’m glad that justice will now be served.”

JT left his seat. “This is ridiculous. Baby, why are you doing this?”

But Minister Weaver quickly stepped in front of him. “Sit down, Pastor. Or else.”

JT continued standing but didn’t move any closer.

Alicia looked at him and then at Carmen again. “My dear, dear friend here paid someone to rig Michelle Valentine’s brakes, and that’s why she was killed in that car accident.”

“What?” JT said, frowning at his longtime mistress.

Carmen stood and rushed toward him. “She’s lying, JT. You have to believe me.”

“Get off me,” he shrieked, pushing her away.

“JT, you know I would never do anything like that,” she said, nearly having a fit.

“You did do it,” Alicia reiterated matter-of-factly. “And I’ve already turned over to the police a taped conversation with you confessing everything.”

“You killed my wife and my child?” JT asked.

Tears streamed down Carmen’s face. “I did it for us, JT. I did it because I knew you wanted me to. Otherwise how were we ever going to be together?”

“Is this a church we’re at or some evil den of sin?” an elderly woman asked, getting up and walking out of the sanctuary, and so did Diana Redding and her husband. A few others followed suit, but mostly people sat, waiting to see what would happen next.

“You’re sick,” JT said to Carmen, and then looked at his wife with pleading eyes. “Baby, I was going to tell you everything.” He faced the congregation and spoke loudly, since his wireless mic was no longer turned on. “I was going to tell all of you the truth. About my past, about all the women, about every terrible thing I’ve done over the years. I know you might not believe it, but I was planning to do it today.”

Alicia gaped at him, along with everyone else in the church, gathered her PI report, went and picked up her purse, and left JT standing where he was. As she made her way down the aisle, though, a group of plainclothes detectives and at least ten officers walked through the entrance. They proceeded into the church and Alicia wondered whom they were there for: Carmen, because of the part she’d played in Michelle’s untimely death…or JT, because of the forgery charges Curtis had recently filed against him.

Epilogue

Six Months Later

Alicia peered through the window of her condo, which was situated in a very nice community in Covington Park, the suburb she’d grown up in and the one where she’d hoped to have a nice life with JT. But so much for hoping and wishing, because her marriage to JT had turned out to be a total fiasco. First, she’d learned about Carmen from Levi, and then about Diana and Veda from JT’s phone records, and then the private investigator she’d hired had confirmed all her suspicions.

It had been one thing to discover all the infidelity JT was involved in but quite another to find out that he’d once pimped a willing group of women and had gotten some other young woman pregnant when he was married to Michelle. It had also been terrible learning that he’d been sleeping with Carmen since her college years and that Carmen had been responsible for Michelle’s death. Although these latter pieces of information hadn’t actually come from the investigator but instead had come from Donna, or Barb, as she now admitted her name was.

About a week ago, Alicia had received another package from her, but this time, she’d included a two-page letter that summarized exact details about Carmen and JT and also a CD that contained a fifteen-minute conversation. Unsurprisingly, Alicia had recognized the voice of her childhood friend immediately, and it hadn’t been more than a few seconds before she realized the other person was Barb. Alicia had listened to their entire discussion, and when she’d finished, she’d decided she would never tell another living soul that Barb had also included a separate note explaining that the only reason she’d initially followed Alicia to the mall that day and tried making her believe JT had murdered his wife was because of the way he’d treated her baby sister. Barb had wanted to pay him back for forcing her sister to get rid of her baby and then completely dismissing her, but then, once her conscience had set in, she’d decided it was time she stopped protecting Carmen, her closest colleague from her call-girl days, and told the truth about Michelle’s tragedy. Barb had decided to come clean, and now Carmen was facing a sentence of twenty years to life for first-degree murder-and some additional time because of the sizable amount of drugs the police had found stashed away in her apartment, something Alicia was still pretty amazed and confused about. Worse, she would have no choice but to give her baby up as soon as she had it. Be it to foster parents, adoptive parents, or even distant relatives, in the end, Carmen clearly wouldn’t be the person raising her child.

Then there was JT, who’d done more dirt in the last five years than most criminals would do in a lifetime. Although Alicia was sure that of all the crimes he’d committed, not once had he expected forgery to be his ultimate ruin. But that’s what he got for messing with the wrong man, namely her father, because it had only been when three ministers had called Curtis, saying they’d received a mailing from JT that included a recommendation letter from him, that Curtis had decided to bring him down. He’d debated how he was going to go about doing it but had finally decided not to confront him just then. In the meantime, however, he’d recontacted two of the ministers and asked them each to personally call and invite JT to come speak at their churches a few months down the road. After that, he’d phoned back Pastor Braeden, the minister he could trust the most, told him what JT was up to, and then asked if he would bring JT in to speak at his church as soon as possible. Pastor Braeden had readily agreed, and Curtis had covered the cancellation fee for the original minister Vineyard Christian Center had already contracted. Then, once JT had accepted payment for his services and deposited his five-figure check, and Curtis had received a complete listing of all the churches that that bogus letter had gone out to-thanks to Curtis making it clear to JT’s executive assistant that if she cooperated, he would tell the authorities he believed her when she said she had no idea of what her boss had been up to-Curtis had gone straight to the police. Shortly after, Pastor Braeden had flown to Chicago and had given an in-depth statement, confirming that JT had purposely tried to deceive him and had gained financially by forging Curtis’s name. Of course, this had only made the prosecution’s case even stronger, not to mention some previous money scheme JT was also now being charged with, and he had a chance of spending up to seven years in prison.

Alicia had heard he was out on bond and still preaching every Sunday morning, business as usual, but that less than two hundred people actually showed up. So she couldn’t help wondering how long he’d be able to continue. Although, to tell the truth, she honestly didn’t care one way or another and was just happy to be finished with him. Their divorce was already final, she’d moved out of his house, and she had no intention of ever seeing or speaking to him again.

And why would she when she’d finally learned a truly valuable lesson-she’d learned it the hard way, no doubt, but still she’d learned it and learned it well. She’d also come to realize that Phillip and not JT was the best thing that had ever happened to her, and from this day on, she would do whatever it took to get him back. She would do all she could to regain his trust and show him that she would never again allow material possessions or money to come between them. And to begin proving it, she’d reimbursed her father for every dime of the money he’d spent paying off each of Phillip’s credit cards last year, the ones she’d maxed out behind his back, and she’d opened a money market savings account and checking account and purchased a few investment products. This had all been made possible because of the two-hundred-fifty-thousand-dollar signing bonus she’d received from her publisher and also an additional one hundred thousand dollars they’d paid her now that her book had been revised and accepted for production. There was her agent’s commission and federal and state taxes that had to be deducted, but there had still been more than enough money left over, and she was very proud of herself for managing it so well. She was happy because, for the first time in her life, she didn’t have this great desire to shop or spend beyond her means. For the first time ever, she had her priorities in order and was working extra hard at doing the right thing. It was the reason Phillip, at this very moment, was hugging her from behind, and she couldn’t have been happier. It was the reason she finally knew her fairy tale had nothing to do with men like JT, but had everything to do with her first husband, the man she loved and hoped to marry again. Yes, it was true that Phillip still wanted them to take things slow and wanted her to be completely sure about her new sense of satisfaction and total commitment, but Alicia had the utmost faith in their relationship. She was even willing to spend the rest of her life making things up to him if she had to.

She would do this from now on.

And would forever be careful what she prayed for.

Acknowledgments

First and foremost, I thank God for guiding my direction and for protecting and blessing my family, friends, and me. Without You, absolutely nothing would be possible.

To my loving husband, Will. I love you from the bottom of my soul, and thank you for loving me to the fullest and for being my greatest support in all that I do.

To my loving brothers, Willie Jr. and Michael; my wonderful stepson and daughter-in-law, Trenod and LaTasha, and the boys, Lamont, Tre, and Troy; my beautiful nieces and nephews, from the oldest to the youngest-Jamaal, Malik, Ja’Mia, Ja’Mel, Shelia, William, and Nakya-and their wonderful mothers, Karen, Danetta, and April; my loving cousin, Patricia Haley (also a fellow writer); my aunts, Mary Lou, Fannie, Ada, and Vernell; my uncles, James, Cliff, Luther, Ben, Charlie, and Earl; and all of the rest of my cousins, in-laws, and other family members who I love so very much. And to my girls who have my back no matter what-Kelli, Lori, Janell, and Victoria (also a fellow writer).

To Eric Jerome Dickey, Trisha R. Thomas, Lolita Files, Mary B. Morrison, Trice Hickman, Eric Pete, Victor McGlothin, ReShonda Tate-Billingsley, and all my other writer friends. I also still have to acknowledge my friend who I miss dearly: the very kind and compassionate E. Lynn Harris. You will remain in my heart always.

To the best assistant in the world (and I sincerely mean that), Connie Dettman; to my very talented editor, Wendy Lee-thank you for just being you; to Richard Aquan, Tavia Kowalchuk, Ben Bruton, and Aurora Hughes, for putting forth so much effort when it comes to my books; to the entire sales and marketing teams and everyone else at HarperCollins/William Morrow/Avon for all that you do for me daily; to my wonderful agent, Elaine Koster, for absolutely everything; to my amazing freelance publicist, Shandra Hill Smith, for doing such a splendid job with getting my work noticed by the media and beyond and for being so kind; to Luke LeFevre, my fabulous and exceptionally talented website and e-blast designer for everything; to every bookstore and retail outlet that sells my books; to Patrik Henry Bass, senior editor, and everyone else at Essence magazine for the best support in the world (I am beyond grateful for all that you’ve done); to the wonderful and hugely syndicated