"Saturday Showdown" A Chronicles of Warfare Novel 

 By: Melinda Michelle

 

Chapter 4: More Bad News

 

 

The sun was bright and full of warmth that when it hit your face, you knew it was time to rise and shine.  When it hit her face, it made the tears that quietly ran down shimmer like diamonds. 

Kadijah didn’t even bother to wipe her face because she didn’t think the tears would ever stop.  Her heart was shattered into a million pieces. 

How could Pastor Josiah no longer be among the land of the living?  Why would God take such a valiant soldier for the Kingdom?  How was the church going to function?  How were they going to move forward? 

Question after question slammed into her already battered brain.  The assault of worry didn’t much help the headache that hit her the moment she’d heard the news. 

She wasn’t sure how she was able to actually sleep.  It must’ve been pure exhaustion that did her in.  Not only that, but she’d kept checking her phone until she’d fallen asleep waiting to hear something, anything from Julian. 

She didn’t even want to entertain the hurt that clung to her soul because Nigel had yet to contact her.  Not to check on her or at the very least let her know that he was okay.  Yeah, she could call him, but she didn’t want to distract him if he was working on something dangerous.  There was always the possibility that he wouldn’t answer.  She didn’t want to have the fact shoved into her face that even though he loved her, it still wasn’t enough to make her a priority in his life. 

She was always prepared to come behind God, as a matter of fact she preferred it that way, but coming behind his brother was something different.  She wasn’t equipped for it, neither did she think in the long run, she could handle it.  She needed him, plain and simple.

He’d assaulted her emotions with affection, intrigue, swag, sincerity and gentleness.  It had forced her once closed off heart to open.  She actually felt like he’d snatched her heart open and never did she have a chance of resisting his unique charm. 

Now that he held her heart, she wasn’t sure he could take care of it the way she wanted, even needed him to.  She wanted so badly to be in his arms.  She’d never experienced so much pain at one time. 

Sitting up, she wiped her face and tried to call Julian again.  Worry had her pacing as the phone rang.  She viciously ran her hands through her mass of wild hair.  No answer.  She cussed. 

“Oh God, let him be okay Jesus.  Please let Julian be okay.” 

She was afraid to reach out to coworkers knowing he meant to hide from Alonzo and his people.  She didn’t want to risk tipping anyone off.  Nature hit and told her it was time to release her bladder.  When she came out of the bathroom her phone rang.  She ran to answer it. 

Not recognizing the number she said, “Hello,” after clicking the green phone icon. 

“Hello, this is Officer Michael Sanders.”

“Oh my God. What’s wrong?”

“I have a Julian Black down at the Tallahassee Police Department.”

She panicked. “Oh my God. Is he okay? What happened?”

“Ma’am, Julian was arrested last night for driving under the influence.  A woman was killed in the resulting car crash.”

 All the blood drained from her face as the phone slid from her hand and softly hit the plush brown carpet of her bedroom floor.  The guilt was all consuming.  Could she have stopped him had she opened the door?  Momentarily her brain froze.  She froze.  Hearing her name being yelled through the phone, she picked it up. 

“I’m sorry.  What do I do?”

“Due to overcrowding, we need to release him to a responsible party.  He gave me your number.  His license has officially been revoked so I need you at the police station as soon as possible.”

Just then her doorbell rang.  “Crap.  Someone is at my door.  Okay, Officer Sanders is it? I’ll be right there.  Thank you for calling me.” 

Kadijah hung up the phone, then got up and closed her robe around her. 

“Who is it?”  She inquired once she got to her front door.

“Lauren Carmichael.” 

“Who?” She asked, clueless. 

“Lauren Carmichael.” 

Kadijah peered through the peephole and saw the most beautiful woman she had ever seen in real life.  The woman knocked again.  Since she didn’t look like a threat, Kadijah opened the door.  She blocked the bright sun by placing her hand over her eyes. 

Before her stood an exotic beauty with long, luscious dark tresses that flowed down a lean back.  Her skin was the color of bleached mahogany.  Her green eyes were almost hypnotic and the full lips that were painted a deep matte red at eight in the morning commanded her eyes to rest on them. 

Kadijah managed, “Can I help you?” 

Lauren smirked.  In her sultry voice, she said, “Actually I’m looking for Nigel.” 

Kadijah’s back went up.  “Why are you looking for him?” 

“Well, he called me and told me he needed me.  We go way back and so I dropped everything I was doing to get here.” 

There was a bold fire that flared in Kadijah’s bloodshot red eyes. 

“Come again?” 

“What don’t you understand?  My lover called me and said he needed me and I’m here.  Can you get him for me?” 

The frown lines were now etched deeply on Kadijah’s fair-skinned face.  Red splotches and tear tracks ravaged her face.  She’d never had low self-esteem but standing here across from this breathtaking beauty looking like night of the living dead definitely damaged her ego as well as seriously pissed her off.

Lauren eyed her up and down enjoying the emotional turmoil she caused the woman.  She wanted to claw her face off.  If this is what Nigel chose over her he would deeply regret the insult. 

“Nigel doesn’t live here.” 

“Oh,” Lauren feigned genuine shock.  “Sorry, he must’ve given me the wrong information.” 

“Yeah, he must have!” 

Kadijah slammed her door.  Here she was thinking Neil was her biggest challenge.  Clearly the charming and sexy Nigel had a major flaw.  He was a liar!  Somebody had some explaining to do.

 

†††

 

Lindsey had just gotten to work but quickly regretted it. Her heart ached tremendously.  She thought that coming to work would give her something to focus on, but she was sorely mistaken.  She had been in the office for 45 minutes. 

Her office was spacious with contemporary décor in black.  Her degrees hung on the wall as well as pictures of her family.  She put the wedding picture she kept by her computer face down.  The sooner she removed him from her life, the better.

She couldn’t settle and she couldn’t focus.  She was praying for Grey and had text Neil, but knew he was probably busy looking for her.  Finally, she gave up and pulled out her phone.  Scrolling through Facebook to take her mind off her problems proved to be more traumatic than her current situation. 

“What in the…  Are you serious?  This can’t be…” 

Post, after post, after post mentioned the death of her beloved pastor. 

“This is crazy,” she said to herself.  There’s no way…” 

She picked up the phone on her desk and dialed.  By the time she realized the number she automatically dialed, he picked up. 

“Hello, Lindsey.” 

She sighed but remained focused on the task at hand. 

“Did you see the news this morning?”

“Yeah, I heard about Grey.”

“Have you talked to Neil?”

“No, I called, but he hasn’t gotten back to me yet, which is understandable.”

“Oh okay.”

“If there’s nothing else…,” he said dryly.

“Jamal wait, I was just on Facebook. I’m seeing all these posts about R.I.P. PJ.  What’s going on?  Please tell me Pastor Josiah is not dead.  Did you know?” 

“I’m sorry to be the one to tell you.  He died yesterday.” 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” She demanded. 

“Really Lindsey?  I don’t know, maybe it was the fact that when I got the message my wife had just signed divorce papers and walked out on me.  Or maybe it’s because when I woke up this morning my wife and child were gone along with quite a bit of their belongings.  You didn’t give me a chance to tell you.” 

“Whatever Jamal.” 

She slammed the phone down and stared.  Her heart ached.  How could he just be… gone?  Lindsey put her head down and wept.

 

†††

 

Jamal wanted to throw his phone across the room but didn’t.  He paced his bedroom floor trying to calm down. He’d never been so pissed in his life. 

What was he supposed to do?  How was he going to fix this?  What kind of example was he setting for his daughter?  He swallowed hard.  What kind of example would he be setting for his son? 

Finally, he took a seat on the bed.  That’s when it hit him.  He was concerned with what he would do and not what God could do.  He was back to his old thinking, trying to do things his way.  His way had failed him miserably time after time. 

He remembered hearing Pastor Josiah say quite often, “The definition of insanity is doing something over and over again expecting different results.” 

If he continued down this path he would literally be behaving insanely.  It was time to try something different.  It was time to try God, not to get his wife back, but to get his life back. 

This thing called life proved to be too much for him to handle on his own.  He reached over to the nightstand and picked up Lindsey’s Bible.  He opened it to where the bookmark rested.  A verse was highlighted. 

He read aloud, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you.” 

Jamal closed the Bible and nodded. 

“Okay, God I hear you.  This time, I’m going to try You at your Word.” 

Jamal got down on his knees then fell on his face. 

He prayed, “Father, I need you. I’ve screwed my life up and I don’t know how to fix it.  I feel like a failure as a husband, as a father, and as a man.  Clearly, I shouldn’t be the one to guide my life.  I’m putting my life in Your hands. I surrender all.  Father, please forgive me and restore me. I repent of all my sins.  Whatever Your will is for my life, I’ll accept it even if I lose her.  Just make me better, please.  I’m tired and I’m giving up control...” 

As Jamal continued to pour his heart out, his angels glorified and bathed the room in white, emerald, and sapphire brilliance.

 

Saturday Showdown: Book 7 in the Chronicles of Warfare Saga

Releases July 16, 2016