Recipe for Desire Page 16

  “What are you going to do then?” Marie asked. Bria didn’t reply, she simply stopped walking and dropped her bags at her feet. Marie turned to her and saw a look of sheer terror on her face.

  “Bria?” Marie asked as she followed the girl’s stare. A man was running in their direction.

  “Patrick,” Bria breathed. Marie pushed Bria toward the car.

  “Go get in the car,” Marie said.

  “Yo, bitch!” Patrick yelled. “I knew I’d find your ass.” He charged toward Marie and Bria. Marie reached in her purse and grabbed her container of pepper spray and flushed Patrick’s face with the hot spray. He mumbled more profanities and reached out to grab Marie. With her good foot, Marie kicked Patrick in the center of his family jewels. He moaned like a wounded dog. “You like hitting women?” she spat. “Well, I hit back!” She kicked him again, even harder. He reached blindly for Marie’s other ankle, but before he could grab her, the burly driver rushed over to them and clutched Patrick’s neck. “Miss Charles, I called nine-one-one.”

  Marie nodded and ran to the car to check on Bria. When she opened the door, she found Bria huddled in the backseat, trembling like a baby bird separated from its mother. Marie climbed into the car and wrapped her arms around her. “It’s all right. He’s going to jail. The driver called nine-one-one, and when the police get here, we’ll just give them a statement.”

  “I’m scared, Marie,” she said, then began sobbing uncontrollably. “I wanted him to think I was gone. I wanted him to believe that I was gone or dead. He’s going to come after me.”

  Marie was about to assure Bria that she was going to be safe when she saw two cops marching toward the town car with Patrick in tow. But he wasn’t handcuffed as he walked with the officers.

  “That’s her,” Patrick said and pointed at Marie. “That bitch pepper-sprayed me and attacked me.”

  Marie positioned herself in front of Bria, who had seemed to stop breathing. “I was protecting myself and my friend,” she exclaimed.

  “She was trying to rob me,” he lied. Even the two officers didn’t believe that tale as they focused on Patrick.

  “Rob you of what? You ass! This man is a pimp and he was trying to assault me. Was I wrong to defend myself?”

  Bria gripped Marie’s shoulder tightly. “Why is he here? I thought you said he was going to jail.”

  “Ma’am,” one of the officers said to Bria. “Is everything all right?”

  “Tell them,” Marie said as she looked at Bria. What she didn’t see was how Patrick had locked his eyes with Bria and the fear that it inspired.

  “Ma’am?” the officer asked again. “Is everything all right?”

  Bria closed her eyes. “No,” she said.

  “Did he hurt you?” the officer asked as his partner pulled Patrick back from the car.

  “Not today, but he-he has.”

  Marie waved for her driver and the officer ordered her to step out of the car. “But, why?” she asked.

  “We’re going to have to take you in for questioning,” he said.

  “What? Questioning? So, you’re telling me you’re taking the word of this lowlife abuser over mine?” she demanded. “Do I need a lawyer?”

  “Look, lady, no one is being charged right now. We just need to get to the bottom of this.”

  “What about her?” she exclaimed as she pointed to Bria. “If you’re taking me in, I hope you’re arresting that bastard.”

  The other officer motioned for his partner, momentarily leaving the trio alone. “You say a word against me,” Patrick growled through clenched teeth, “bitch, I’ll kill you.”

  Bria wound herself into a tight ball and moaned, and then Marie leapt from the car and stood toe-to-toe with Patrick. She had him by about two inches and it made sense why he abused women. He had the Napoleon complex and needed to control something. “Say another word and I will kick your ass again!”

  “Nobody’s scared of you!” He inched closer to Marie and she coldcocked him, knocking him out. She felt good about herself for about two seconds, then she realized she had just committed assault in front of two police officers. Damn!

  Chapter 17

  All day, Devon waited to hear from Marie. He’d called, he’d texted, and he’d gone by her place two more times since he saw the reporter knocking at her door. Nothing. Was she mad? Had she found a party to attend? Pissed off at the world, especially his father, he decided to run his kitchen tonight. That way he would have to focus on something else, the one thing that always calmed him down when he felt like this—food.

  The moment he walked into the restaurant, Serena and Alicia whisked him into the office. “Your girl is all over the news today,” Serena said. Alicia nodded.

  “What are you two talking about? I know about the ‘it’ couple thing,” Devon said. “Why is the media pumping that up? No real news happened today?”

  Alicia turned the desktop screen around. “Oh, this is deeper than that blog post,” she said. Devon scanned the computer screen, reading the headline: CHARLOTTE SOCIALITE FACES ASSAULT CHARGE.

  “What in the hell was she thinking?” he mumbled as he read the story.

  Already on probation for a DWI charge earlier this year, Marie Charles is in trouble again. Charles was involved in an altercation outside of Southpark Mall.

  Patrick Hargro, a convicted felon, and Charles were arguing in the parking lot and Hargro said she pepper-sprayed him and tried to rob him.

  Devon shook his head. “Robbery? What kind of ...”

  Alicia pointed to another paragraph.

  Police were simply going to take Charles, Hargro, and an unidentified woman in for questioning. But when the officers ran Hargro’s name, it was discovered that he had an outstanding warrant. However, before they could put him in handcuffs, the officers at the scene said Charles assaulted Hargro and was taken into custody. She’s being held in the Mecklenburg County Jail.

  “I can’t believe this!” Devon exclaimed. “She’s on probation; does she realize what this could mean for her?”

  Serena and Alicia exchanged knowing glances. “Why is it so important to you?” Serena asked. “I guess this morning’s story was true.”

  Devon glared at his friends, then turned back to the computer screen. “What the hell,” he exclaimed when he caught a glimpse of Bria in the photo. Dashing out of the office, he headed to his car and sped to My Sister’s Keeper to find out what in the hell was going on. Why was Bria with Marie? And who was that man she assaulted? When he arrived at the shelter, a frantic Elaine met him at the door.

  “Oh my God, Devon, have you heard?” she said.

  He nodded. “Is Bria all right?”

  “She’s great and trying to get Marie out of jail.”

  “What?”

  Elaine twisted her oversized onyx ring on her index finger as she began to tell Devon what Bria said to her when she returned to the shelter. “Marie took her shopping after helping her in the kitchen earlier this afternoon. They were walking to the car and Bria said she saw the guy that she’d been running from.”

  “What? Is she all right?” Devon asked.

  “She’s inspired,” Elaine said. “Bria said for the first time she saw what a little punk that man was, since Marie kicked his behind with one good foot and then knocked him out.”

  Devon smiled despite himself. “Where is Bria?”

  “She went to the police station with Dana Toliver, her counselor, to file charges against that monster and tell them that he had been abusing her for years. This is a big step for her and we have Marie to thank for this. I just hope this doesn’t get her into more trouble.”

  “I’m going to the police station and see if I can find out what’s going on,” Devon said, then turned toward the door.

  “Devon,” Elaine said. “Marie was really trying to do a good thing. She brought in clothes and shoes for the ladies. She claims that she cleaned out her closet, but many of these items still had price tags on them. She’s not t
he party girl that I thought she was. So, if there is anything I can do to help her, please let me know.”

  Devon nodded and headed out. He had no idea what he was supposed to do. This wasn’t Law & Order; he couldn’t just march into the police station and demand to see Marie. He wondered if she had contacted her father. All Devon could do was wait.

  Marie folded her arms and glared at the officer who’d been questioning her. She hadn’t opted to call her father because she hadn’t wanted to hear a lecture. This was big-time trouble and she recognized that. But was she supposed to allow Patrick to terrorize Bria? Why had those stupid cops brought that man over there? His claim of robbery was laughable and they should’ve known that.

  “Miss Charles, did Hargro threaten you in any way?”

  “I told you that one time he threatened Bria. Said he was going to kill us and he’s the reason she’s homeless now. He rushed toward us and I protected us. Didn’t those officers on the scene tell you how afraid she was?”

  “But what does that have to do with you?”

  Marie cocked her head to the side and was about to tell the officer that he could take a long walk off a short bridge when the door opened. “Not another word, Marie,” her father boomed. “Have you Mirandized my client?”

  “She didn’t ask for an attorney,” the officer said.

  Richard looked at his daughter and shook his head. “Well, I’m here now and this interrogation is over.”

  “Mr. Charles,” the officer said. “I’m trying not to charge your daughter. Hargro isn’t the kind of man we want on the street, but my hands are tied.”

  “So, if Marie hasn’t been charged, why is she still here?” Richard asked and then motioned for Marie to stand up. “We’re leaving.”

  “We’ll call if there are further questions,” the officer said and allowed the duo to leave. Marie was in awe, but also waiting for the next shoe to drop.

  She and Richard headed out of the interrogation room in silence, but he placed his arm around his daughter’s shoulders protectively. As they crossed into the lobby of the police department, Richard asked, “Why didn’t you call me?”

  “Because, I thought that I had done the right thing by trying to keep that creep away from Bria. Daddy, had you seen her face and how scared she was,” Marie said with tears welling up in her eyes.

  “Who is Bria?”

  “One of the women from the shelter. She’s barely eighteen and she has had it rough. Am I going to go to jail?”

  “Not if I can help it,” Richard said. “This isn’t one of your stunts, I see that. But Marie, do you realize the danger you put yourself in?”

  She was about to tell her father that she wasn’t thinking about that when she saw Devon walk in the door. Richard looked from him to his daughter and shook his head.

  “Marie,” Devon said as he crossed over to her, then took her hand in his. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, I’m fine. I think Bria’s here, too,” she replied. Devon turned to her father and extended his hand.

  “Mr. Charles,” he said as the older man shook his hand. “I’m Devon Harris.”

  “I know who you are,” Richard replied, not revealing that he was impressed that Devon had acknowledged him, something none of Marie’s other male friends had ever done. Still, he wasn’t sure that Marie and Devon should’ve had anything more than what the state had arranged. But Richard wasn’t blind. He could see this man cared for his daughter. Cared for her in a way he’d never seen in the eyes of other suitors.

  “So, Marie, are you all right?” Devon asked, turning his attention back to her. “What happened?”

  Marie leaned against Devon’s chest and he hugged her tightly as he felt her warm tears seep through his shirt. “It’s all right,” he whispered. “Is Bria OK?”

  She nodded. “I never meant for any of this to happen. I just wanted to give her a chance to get out of the shelter and be a normal teenager.”

  Devon kissed the top of her head. “But do you realize how dangerous what you did was?”

  “Now, you sound like my father,” she replied as she wiped her eyes.

  “Is that such a bad thing?” Richard asked, growing a little more impressed with Devon as he spoke.

  “I guess not,” she replied, smiling at Devon and her father.

  “I’m sure your father was just as worried, even more so than I was,” Devon said. Marie leaned in closer to him and nodded, forgetting, until he cleared his throat, that her father was still there. Turning to him, Marie asked, “So, what happens next?”

  “We wait and hope that the district attorney has the good sense not to file these bogus charges against you.”

  Devon wiped away moisture from Marie’s cheek. “It’s going to be fine. Your dad and I are going to make sure of that.”

  Marie felt the tingle of security course through her body. Devon and her father were standing by her like guardian hawks, and she honestly felt like gold. Moments later, Bria and her counselor approached them. Marie broke her embrace with Devon and crossed over to Bria, wrapping her arms around her. “Are you all right?”

  “Yes, now that I know that monster is off the streets, and I’m going to do everything I can to make sure it stays that way. You taught me something when you stood up to him.”

  “I just don’t want you to be afraid anymore,” Marie said.

  Devon spoke with Bria’s counselor briefly and then crossed over to the women. Bria smiled brightly when she saw Devon. “I’m so glad I listened to you and talked to someone about what was going on and what I was running from.” He smiled and gave her a brotherly hug.

  “I told you that you’d get through it,” he said.

  “I just didn’t believe it.”

  Marie smiled at them, happy that Bria had finally stood up to her tormenter. She knew what that meant to Devon as well. She was sure that he saw his mother’s struggle through Bria’s life. But Marie knew things wouldn’t get easy for her right away. Bria needed money, and it seemed as if her aunt was holding the purse strings to her trust fund. As Devon and Bria talked, she walked over to her father to see if there was something more they could do to help her.

  Smiling at Bria, Devon was about to tell her that she would be able to do so many more things now that she’d faced her fears, when his cell phone rang. He pulled the phone from his pocket and groaned inwardly as he saw the 404 area code. “Excuse me,” he said to Bria and her counselor, “I have to take this.” He dashed outside and answered the call. “Yeah?”

  “Is this Mr. Devon Harris Jr.?” an unknown female voice asked.

  “Who is this?”

  “My name is Clara English, I’m an admitting nurse at Carolinas Medical Center. Your father was rushed here from Charlotte Douglas International Airport. His condition is very grave. Your number was listed in his cell phone, and I thought it would be best if I called you.”

  “All right,” Devon said. “And what do you want me to do about it?” He wondered why his father was in town, since he’d said he wouldn’t be in Charlotte until next week.

  “Well, I, um, figured that you would want to know the condition of your father,” she said, her voice brimming with surprise.

  Devon sighed, realizing that he needed to check on his father—especially if he was going to let go of the issues that had plagued their relationship. “Where do I need to go?”

  The nurse gave him the particulars about his father’s admittance to the hospital and that he was in the ICU and was nonresponsive.

  “I’ll be there shortly,” he said, then disconnected the call. He turned toward the lobby and saw Bria, Marie, and Richard engaged in an intense-looking conversation. He wondered if he should tell them that he was leaving, yet another part of him wondered, what were they talking about that was so intense? Walking into the police department, he wondered why Bria was crying.

  “What’s going on?” he asked.

  “This is the best day of my life,” Bria exclaimed through her tears
. Marie wrapped her arms around Devon with a big smile on her face.

  “My dad is going to help Bria get back on her feet,” Marie said.

  “That’s great,” Devon replied. “I have to head out. My ... . A family member is in the hospital and I need to ...”

  “Oh, no,” Bria said, bringing her hand to her mouth.

  Marie looked up at him and saw a flicker of sadness and weariness in his eyes. “Want some company?” she asked. Richard started to voice his objection and tell Marie that she needed to focus on her own issues and problems. But he wasn’t blind to what was going on between his daughter and the chef.

  “Yes,” he replied.

  Marie caught her father’s gaze and recognized that look of “be careful” on his face. Crossing over to him, she kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “I know he’s different. I’m going to be careful.”

  “All right. At least I know he has your best interests at heart.”

  Marie turned her head, looking over her shoulder at Devon, “You’re right about that.”

  She gave her father a hasty hug and kiss, then headed out the door with Devon. Once they had settled in his car, Marie turned to Devon and asked, “Is it your father?”

  He nodded. “We had decided to meet and talk, and I guess he fell ill on the plane. I got a call from the hospital.”

  “I guess that was a pretty surprising call to receive. Are you OK?”

  Devon shrugged. “I honestly started to ignore the call,” he said. “Then, I thought about something you said. I do have to make peace with my father and release the anger.”

  “Are you ready to do that now?”

  “I don’t know. It’s really hard to muster up enough emotions to care,” he said. “And I don’t understand why the nurse would call from his cell phone.”

  Marie grimaced and wished she could say something that wouldn’t start another disagreement. Devon glanced at her and said, “I know this isn’t how you and your father get along or interact, but ...”