CheckMate 4: Winner Takes All (15 page)

She apprehensively answered, “Hey Sis.”

Debbie immediately went in. “Don’t tell me that your ass is in Utah.” 

“Well, I won’t tell you then.” MiKayla quickly said.

“My Goodness, K. What are you thinking about? Why are you there?” She worriedly questioned. “You shouldn’t be there and you know it.”

“Deb, I need answers. I can’t just sit around my house with Chad somewhere lurking and I don’t know what the fuck is going on. This man was supposed to be dead. Why the fuck is he back in my life stirring up trouble?”

“I don’t know, but you shouldn’t be there trying to find out.” Deb told her. “You need to catch the first flight out and get your ass back home.”

“I am home,” MiKayla irritably stated. 

“No you’re not. You left there, because you were trying to leave your past behind and for good reason. I don’t have a good feeling about this, K. I really don’t and it scares me. If you wanted to go home that bad then I would’ve gone with you. I don’t like you being there alone.”

“I’m okay, Sis. You should take one of your calmers and chill the hell out.”

“I won’t be able to chill out until I know you’re back on this end.” Deb said. MiKayla could hear the worry in her voice. She was already very overprotective so this definitely didn’t make it any better. “K,” she called out since MiKayla had gotten quiet on her.

“Yes Deb,” MiKayla answered.

“What do you plan on finding out? We already know that Chad is a lying ass bastard. He left you to think that he was dead. My God, you even lost your baby behind that shit. I don’t understand what else more you need to find out. You should know all you need to know and that’s to keep Chad as far away from you as possible. He isn’t worth your time or efforts of even being concerned about anything that y’all may have had. That part of your life is over. Just let it go and come back home.”

MiKayla sat in the car wiping the tears that had started to come down. She felt lost and hurt. At the moment she didn’t know what to say.

“K,” Deb called out.

“Hm,” she lightly responded.

Deb could tell that she was crying. Nothing hurt her more than to know that her baby sister was over 1600 miles away and there was nothing that she could do to comfort her the way she needed too.

“K, don’t cry. Please, just catch the next plane out. We’ll find you another house in Augusta and we can also take out a restraining order on Chad to make him stay away.”

MiKayla sniffed in the phone, and then wiped her tears. “He’s not trying to kill me or anything. Do you think that we’d be taking it too far to put out a restraining order on him?”

“K, please get yourself together. You’ve not been the same since mama died and everybody that enters your life gets a pass when they hurt you. You have got to start being stronger and harder in your feelings; especially towards the people that do you wrong.”

“I know,” MiKayla said as she sniffed in the phone while continuing to wipe the non-stop tears. “I know.”

“Please, just come home.”

“I’ll be home by tonight. I first need to go see Chad’s mom. She is not answering my calls and I need to know what the deal is. I loved that lady like she was my mom, but after I lost my baby she walked outta my life like I never existed. I mean, what were they planning on doing if she knew that Chad was still living. Were they trying to take my baby or something? I’m so lost and confused right now, Sis, and I need some closure.”

“K, that’s neither here nor there now, sweetie. That’s your past; you’re not heading in that direction anymore. You have got to let this go. It’s enough crazy shit surrounding this whole situation. We don’t need any parts of that.” For a few seconds MiKayla didn’t say a word. “K,” Deb called out. “Get your ass on the next plane leaving Utah and head back to Georgia. You don’t need to be there.”

MiKayla was caught up for a moment as she noticed the front door of the modest two-story home open. Her eyes widened as she nervously sat waiting to see who would come out.

“K,” Deb called out again.

“Uh, le’me call you right back Sis.” MiKayla softly said in the phone, and then quickly she hung up.

Her eyes were focused on the little boy that had walked out of the house with a remote control car in his hand. He put the car on the pavement of the driveway and started operating the remote while making the car come in her direction.

MiKayla ducked down a little, but realized that the little boy couldn’t help but see her. She was parked at the end of the driveway and he was getting closer and closer with his head tilted to the side like he was trying to get a better look in the car. Next thing she knew, he was at her window.

“Hey,” he said tapping on the window pane with his little finger.

MiKayla raised up a bit to look at him.

He tapped on the window again, and then said it again. “Hey,” what’s your name?”

MiKayla finally let the window down, and then spoke back in almost a whisper. “Hey,” she softly said. “My name is MiKayla. What’s your name?”

“I’m Chris. Who are you looking for my mama?” he asked with a sweet gaze as he watched her.

“No, I’m not really looking for anybody.” She said looking from him, and then towards the house. “I used to live here once upon a time.”

“You lived here, where we live now?” the little guy asked.

“Yep, I did.” She answered. “How old are you?”

“I’m four,” he said with a cute smile.

“You’re handsome, too.” She said.

“Thanks,” he nonchalantly responded like he’d actually heard that all the time.

MiKayla grinned a little. “You are a mess.” She whispered, and then looked toward the house thinking that maybe her sister was right. There was no reason for her to be there. She looked in the yard noticing the swing sets, and the tree club house that looked like someone had just put it up. There was a new family that had moved into the house that used to be hers and clearly it was time for her to move on. She didn’t need answers anymore. She just wanted to leave. She put her car in reverse, and then looked at the little boy.

“It was nice to meet you Chris.” She said with a sweet smile. “I have a plane to catch.”

Chris smiled at him, but he before he could say anything the front door opened and a man walked out on the porch.

“Lil Chris, who is that?” He called out. MiKayla’s eyes stretched as she saw who it was.

“That’s my daddy. I gotta go,” he said running back towards the house.

“Chad,” MiKayla whispered. She was stuck for a moment as she stared at him.

Chad continued walking toward the car while fussing at Chris as he ran past him. “What I tell you about talking to strangers?!” he spat while looking in the car like it scared him a little that someone was there.

“It’s just a lady,” Chris said picking up his truck, and then running inside the house.

Chad’s eyes grew bigger as he noticed that the lady in the car was MiKayla. “HEY,” he called out. By this time she had backed out of the driveway and was more on the side of the road. She wanted so badly to put the car in drive and just pull off, but her foot was stuck on the break, not budging.  “HEY, wait a minute. MiKayla,” he called out again now reaching the car.

MiKayla sat behind the steering wheel with tears already streaming down her face. She was hurt to the core. If she’d heard Chris correctly, Chad was his daddy which meant that she never knew anything about him having a son.

“Let me explain.” Chad said leaning down in the car as they came face to face, yet again.

“Explain what? My God Chad! You have a kid? What else don’t I know? And why the hell are you living in the house that used to be mine? What kinda fucking games are you playing?”

“Please, just put the car in reverse. Let me explain.” He pleaded.

MiKayla sat there angrily shaking her head. She wanted nothing more than to pull off and run his ass over in the process, but another part of her wanted him to explain. She hit the steering wheel with one hand, and then put the car in park. “Explain Chad, please fucking explain.” She spat.

Chad disappointedly shook his head. He’d not been upfront with her about a lot of things and now it seemed like it was time for him to come clean.

“MiKayla, please just hear me out.” He said sounding sincere.

MiKayla stared at him with regret and disappointment in her teary eyes. She was definitely hurt by his actions. “You got five minutes to talk.” She said, but before Chad could say something she continued. “And, the only reason why I’m remotely even listening to you is, because at one point in my life I really did love you.” Her lips trembled as she spoke. “But, when I leave here I don’t ever wanna see you again.”

A hard lump formed in his throat as Chad stood there with tears in his eyes unable to speak.

“TALK!” MiKayla yelled at him. “Damnit, just fucking talk! Your time is winding down.”

“I’m an undercover FBI Agent.” He confessed.

MiKayla frowned, and then said, “What? You’re a what?” she questioned with disbelief.

“I’m an undercover FBI Agent,” he repeated. “I’m sorry. I know that this doesn’t sound right or even believable at this point, but it is the truth. I’ve been an agent for six years now.”

“Damn Chad,” MiKayla said with a shake of the head. “Why you gotta be lying? Just be fucking honest.”

“I am,” he said pulling his badge out of his back pocket and handing it to her. MiKayla looked at that badge wallet. His picture was in it, but the name on it was Chris Crimson. She frowned immediately thinking about the little boy name Chris.

“That figures,” she whispered feeling somewhat disgusted at this point that she’d been played like a fiddle by the one man she just knew loved her without a doubt.

“Listen babe,” he started.

“I’m not your babe. You lost the right to call me that a long time ago.” MiKayla shot his way while still staring at the badge wallet in her hand.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t tell you that I was undercover. It’s not something that we can talk about.” He explained. “I met you and I instantly fell in love. Things with me and my wife had long ago fizzled.”

“Wait, what?” She questioned with a serious mean mug on her face. “Your what?”

Chad sadly shook his head. “I was on an assignment to bring down this drug Lord when I met you, but I couldn’t stop myself from falling for you. So, I put on like you were the only one. I bought this house for us and I tried to be that man. However, my wife found out and threatened me.”

“Maaannnn, go ‘head on with this foolishness.” MiKayla uttered still shaking her head. Chad sounded like a real fool right about now and she didn’t know what to believe.

“It’s not foolishness,” he said. “She threatened me with a lot of bad of things that I’ve done if I left her. I’ve taken from people and I’ve had my fair share of fucking people over.”

“Tell me about it,” MiKayla uttered.

“I’m sorry. I’m sooooo sorry, but they’d kill me if I went to prison for some of the shit I’ve done and from the people I’ve taken from. How do you think I was able to leave you all of that money?” He questioned with a sincere look on his face. “My intentions were never to hurt you. It wasn’t supposed to end that way, but when she threatened me I knew I had to back away and the only way to do that-”

“Was to fake your fucking death,” MiKayla cut in through gritted teeth. “Nigga, are you fucking kidding me?”

“No, I wish I was.” He responded. “How I wish I was.”

MiKayla was stumped as she sat there. Nothing was adding up, but then again as she thought more; it was. Come to think about it, she never really spoke to the police like that. His mom always did. And even when the cop came to their house, he only asked a few questions, and then she never heard from or saw him again. “Wow,” she whispered while thinking that they never had a real funeral for him either, and when they did it was just her, his mom, his brother, and her sister. It was very intimate and low key.

“I love you though. I swear I do and it has been eating me up to not be able to come forward and keep it real with you. I’ve watched you from afar wishing and praying that you were alright. I was depressed for months after you lost our son, but I couldn’t reach out for numerous reasons. My mom couldn’t even be there for you like she wanted to, because it was best for you to move on and the sooner the better.”