Destiny's Captive by Beverly Jenkins Page A

out, Drew punched Logan in the nose and it turned into a three brothers’ free-for-all.
    Inside the house, Alanza could hear the ruckus outside, as could everyone else. Holding Tonio, Billie hurried to the dining-room window, which looked out over the patio, and snapped, “If they break those rose canes that I spent all summer reviving I will shoot them.”
    Alanza watched her sons rolling and punching and destroying the beauty of her patio and began spouting an angry stream of Spanish. Stalking to the gun cabinet in her study, she returned with her shotgun. As she primed it and started for the door, Max chuckled.
    Watching the destruction, Mariah said to her daughter, “Papa’s about to get a whipping.” Little Maria’s eyes went round and she stared up at her mother. “ Abuela ’s going to get him.”
    Tonio, on the other hand, seemed to be having the time of his life. Viewing the commotion, he laughed and clapped excitedly. In response to his obvious joy, Billie looked to the heavens and pleaded, “Lord, let me have a quiet little girl this time.”
    The next sound heard was the thunderous repercussion of the shotgun.
    Outside all three sons froze.
    â€œGet up, you idiots!” Alanza snapped in Spanish.
    Trying to hide their grins, they stood before her as they’d done all their lives. Each had at least one black eye and a split lip. The seams of their suit coats had burst, and the rest of them was covered with dust and soil from the destroyed clay flowerpots. Blood trickled from their nostrils.
    â€œAre you trying to ruin my wedding?” she yelled. “You’re going to walk me down the aisle looking like you’ve been wrestling with bears!”
    They dropped their heads in another effort to hide their now widening grins.
    â€œIf you so much as smile, I swear the padre will be handling three funerals, too!”
    â€œSorry, Mama,” Noah and Drew said in unison.
    Logan added, “Sorry, Lanza.”
    â€œNo you’re not! Go get cleaned up. May you live to have children as loco as you are!”
    She stormed away, still muttering in Spanish. Once she was out of sight, they fell to the ground with howls of laughter.
    Lying there in the silence afterwards, Noah said, “God, that felt good. Been wanting to punch something all week.” This was the most fun in recent memory.
    â€œGlad we could help,” Drew said around the handkerchief he held against his nose.
    Noah swung his head to his older brother. “Thanks Logan.”
    â€œAlways here to help.”
    They helped each other up and stumbled inside to go clean themselves up.

Chapter 5
    P ilar loved the city of Santiago. Its crowded, twisted streets were narrow and steep, and from different points one could view the tree-covered mountains and the beautiful blue waters of the bay that emptied into the Caribbean. Most of the buildings were of stone and constructed by Spain. The grander places with their expansive gated courtyards and ironwork verandahs housed the city’s wealthy, but she and her sister Doneta were walking the cramped, crowded streets of the poor, which were lined with women selling fruits and vegetables; men offering to black shoes; old Vodoun women from Haiti peddling potions guaranteed to bring death to your enemies, make a person fall in love, and everything in between. Small children ran through the crowds, garnering stern warnings from local elders, and laundry hung in windows open to the breeze. The air was thick with the mouthwatering smells of braziers cooking yams, fish, sheep, and goat, and the people they passed spoke French and Spanish, and because many from the Far East had been brought to the island as slaves, Chinese could be heard as well.
    She and Doneta were ostensibly on their way to sell the eggs they’d gathered from their hens that morning, and although it was just past dawn the streets were as filled as if it were noon.
    â€œHave