Dem mccoy boys, p.1
Dem Mccoy Boys, page 1
Dem McCoy Boys
What You Have to Say
“Oh my goodness! I was totally drawn into this book from beginning to end! My how we reap what we sow!!!! I can't say enough about this series!” Rachel Baldwin. (McCoys of Holy Rock)
“Twists and turns that I did not see coming! What a way to continue the series with the sons taking over the ministry!” N2Bookz (McCoys of Holy Rock)
“Oh my God. This book was totally awesome” GBond (My Wife My Baby…And Him)
“Wow another page turner from Shelia!” LuvAGoodBook (McCoys of Holy Rock)
“This series just gets better and better.” Barbara Morgan (My Wife My Baby…And Him)
Dem McCoy Boys
By Shelia E. Bell
Shelia E. Bell
2017 © Shelia E. Bell Dem McCoy Boys
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person you share it with. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to the Smashwords.com store and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced mechanically, electronically, or by any other means without prior consent of the publisher, except brief quotes used in reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Any references or similarities to actual events, real people living or dead, or to real locales are intended are to give the novel a sense of reality. Any similarity in other names, characters, places, and incidents is purely coincidental
Acknowledgements
I take the time to acknowledge all of those who have supported me throughout my literary career. I can never emphasize enough just how important you are to me. You continue to motivate, inspire, push, and prompt me to keep doing what I know that God has called me to do, which is to write. Of course, I give thanks always and forever to God for taking me and molding me into the person you would have me to be.
Shelia
Dedication
To all those called by God to minister.
“Courage is contagious. When a brave man takes a stand,
the spines of others are often stiffened.” Billy Graham
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 1
“The best revenge is just moving on and getting over it.” Unknown
Khalil sat in Hezekiah’s office gleaning over the way he had handled the situation with George. He was not anybody’s pushover. He learned a lot when he was a youngster on the streets of Chicago shooting up dope, robbing people, and hanging out with gangs. He took the same hustle mentality he learned from the streets, and no doubt from his father, and put them to work at Holy Rock.
When he told Hezekiah about his decision to take over Holy Rock, Hezekiah mouthed some unintelligible garble. Khalil didn’t try to decipher what the man was saying. At this stage, he didn’t really care what his father thought. Hezekiah had done enough damage as it was and now Khalil was determined to be there for his mother and help her through the troubling times Hezekiah had put her through.
He did as he threatened and reported George to the police. When the police paid George a surprise visit coupled with a search warrant, they confiscated items from his home, but they also gave George a ride to the police station for further questioning.
Khalil had turned over the micro card, after making a copy of it, to the police so they had some more evidence. From what he found out from a friend who had a friend that worked at the police station, George was far more involved with young boys and pornography than Khalil could have ever imagined. From the items they confiscated, Khalil’s friend said that George had literally hundreds of illicit pictures of young teenage boys filed away on his computer.
Khalil and Xavier held back the books and computer files they found on Hezekiah’s computer. He wasn’t letting Hezekiah off the hook, not by a long shot, but for now, he was going to take his time and play his hand well. Hezekiah had messed with the wrong boys, even if those boys were his sons.
“I need you to arrange a meeting with the trustees and deacons,” Khalil told Sista Mavis, Hezekiah’s administrative assistant. I want it scheduled as soon as you can get the majority of them together, preferably Tuesday morning after the regular weekly staff meeting.”
“Yes, I’ll get right on it. May I ask you a question, Khalil?” Mavis said cautiously.
“What is it, Sista Mavis?”
“How is Pastor McCoy? I’ve been praying for him and well, since the family still won’t allow visitors, I…I’m well, I’m concerned about him.”
“The family? You mean me, don’t you, Sista Mavis?”
Sista Mavis Beechwood turned a shade darker than her already deep dark melanin skin. She tried her best to refrain from rolling her eyes and coming back with a smart mouthed rebuttal. How dare he talk to her like she was beneath him. Who did he think he was anyway? The pastor?
“No, I didn’t necessarily mean you. I meant the whole family. I’m sure First Lady McCoy has her reasons for not allowing visitors, but it would be good to see Pastor McCoy even if it was for a few minutes. Will you tell him that I asked about him and that I’m staying on bended knees before the Lord on his behalf? And y’all should remember too, that God is a healer. And before you know it, Pastor McCoy will be back up in the pulpit sharing his testimony about how God brought him through.”
“When you get that meeting arranged, give me a call or shoot me an email, Sista Mavis,” Khalil said without so much as acknowledging what Mavis had said.
Khalil strolled off, leaving her looking like she could have been bought for a dime.
Mavis picked up the office phone as soon as Khalil completely disappeared down the hall and entered his office.
“Girl, something is brewing around Holy Rock. I don’t know what it is, but I have a feeling that things around here are about to explode,” she told the person on the other end of the phone line as she stretched her neck as far as she could around the corner to see if anyone was around who might hear what she was saying.
Khalil stood inside his office with folded arms. He wore his charcoal grey straight leg trousers, with a red pinpoint Untuckit shirt with the sleeves neatly rolled to his elbows, making him look like a male runway model. He made sure he dressed the part of a successful young man. With his matching expensive shoes, no one could tell him that he wasn’t sharp. On top of his debonair attire, Khalil smelled good. It was enough to make any and every woman, young or old, swoon in his presence.
He walked over to his desk and stood behind it, looking down on it for a second or two before picking up the phone and calling Sista Mavis.
“Yes, Khalil,” she said as soon as she put her call on hold and answered the interoffice call.
“Sista Mavis, will you call Omar and have him come to my office. I need him to move some things around.”
“Yes, I’ll get right on it.”
“Thank you,” Khalil said, and ended the call.
Omar was the junior building engineer. He and Khalil were a couple of years apart, with Omar being the oldest. Before Khalil assumed his self-appointed role as Senior Pastor of Holy Rock, he and Omar hung out from time to time, and had actually become friends. Khalil didn’t allow too many people close to him, at least, not too many dudes that is. He was cautious about who he allowed in his inner circle. So far, Omar had turned out to be a cool guy. He and Khalil shared some of the same interests like sports and women. Omar was overall one of the good guys. He’d been raised up in the church and since becoming the junior building engineer two years ago at Holy Rock, he had transferred his membership to the church. He was dedicated and committed and possessed good work ethics. Omar loved people and he loved God.
While waiting on Omar, Khalil sat at his desk and called his mother.
“Hi, sweetheart,” Fancy McCoy said when she answered her cell phone.
“Hi, Mom. Are you on your way to the church yet?”
“No, I’m still at home. I’m waiting on the nurse to come and relieve me. I’ve had a time with Hezekiah this afternoon,” she complained.
“What do you mean?” Khalil asked.
“You know how he’s been having these outbursts for the past few weeks. Now that he’s regaining some of his speech and able to get around in that electric wheelchair, it’s hell to tell the captain. You would think the man would be humble as a lamb but he’s as wild as a boar. Mean as the devil. I thought he was going to hit me earlier when I tried to feed him.”
“What? Hit
you? Ma, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m good; I dodged him. I think it’s the meds they have him on. Some of that pain medicine from what I’ve heard makes some people irritable and plus he doesn’t think rational all the time. That’s from the stroke. You were there with me when we took him to the doctor last month.”
“Yeah, but look, Ma, I don’t want you putting yourself in harm’s way. I think you should do like I suggested last month.”
“Khalil, honey. I know your father has done some horrible things. I mean, sleeping with that slut, Detria Graham, paying George under the table, and going behind my back embezzling money from Holy Rock, but I can’t help it—I still love him. If he can just get better, I believe he would try his best to make up for all he’s put me through. Actually, all he’s put this family through.”
“He needs to go to a nursing home, Ma. He needs around the clock care. All he’s doing to you is stressing you out.”
“Let’s not talk about that now.” A loud ring interrupted her train of thought. “Oh, dear, that’s the doorbell. It must be the nurse. Look, I’ve gotta go. I’ll see you shortly,” Fancy said and ended the call without waiting on Khalil to say goodbye.
It had been several months since Hezekiah’s massive stroke. He was showing marked signs of improvement. With the speech therapists working with him twice a week and both occupational and rehabilitation therapists coming in, Hezekiah was slowly regaining his strength.
He sat in his electric wheelchair out of Fancy’s view and listened to her talking to that traitor son of his. When he got out of this chair and fully recovered, he was going to make all of them pay. He couldn’t believe that his family had betrayed him the way that they had. How dare Fancy give her approval for Khalil to take over the ministry of Holy Rock. The boy didn’t know jack about the Bible or how to run a mega church like Holy Rock. Was Fancy out of her mind? He had to find a way to communicate his feelings to her but it was still almost impossible for him to string a complete sentence together. He knew in his mind what he wanted to say, but he could never get the words out. But their day was coming.
And what was she talking about? Telling Khalil he had tried to hit her. That was a bold-faced lie. Yes, he did reach out and tried to grab hold of her hand to pull her back toward him. But that was only because she had told him that she was on her way to Holy Rock to help Khalil arrange a meeting with the trustees and deacons to make it official for Khalil to take over his pastorship.
Hezekiah prayed and prayed. Only God could help him. And only God would be able to help Fancy and his sons the day he would be able to get up out of this chair and walk back into Holy Rock. Yeah, God help all of their worthless, miserable, deceitful souls. They were going to pay the piper and they were going to pay him well. Just you wait and see, Fancy, Khalil, and you too Xavier.
Chapter 2
“You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all of the people all of the time.” Phineas Barnum
Xavier looked in the mirror and surveyed the cap and gown that still hung in his closet. He was done with high school and ready to live the life he wanted to live. He had plans to attend Xavier University in Louisiana, the college that bore his name, and pursue his degree in law with a minor in African American studies, but that had been put on hold. With George putting his secret homosexual lifestyle on blast to his family, he caved in when Khalil pressured him into helping out in the ministry of Holy Rock. He felt he had brought shame to his mother and brother so the least he could do was adhere to their requests, for now.
He didn’t want to forsake his college career for a life spent hanging around Holy Rock. He was tired of living life behind closed doors, fooling people, and hiding who he really was. Xavier wanted distance from his family and from the nosy, prying eyes of folks at Holy Rock.
He looked at his graduation attire one more time before removing the cap and gown from the rack, folding it, and taking it out of the closet and to the chest of drawers in his bedroom. He opened the bottom drawer and put the cap and gown underneath some other clothes he hardly ever wore.
“wanna go grab something to eat?” he texted Raymone.
A few seconds later his text notifier chimed. “Yeah, was just thinking about hitting you up. Pizza good?”
“Yeah, pizza is good. be there to scoop u up in 15,” Xavier texted back.
“Cool.”
“Xavier,” he heard his mother call him on the bedroom intercom. “Xavier,” she called again from the downstairs intercom.
He answered by grabbing his keys, leaving out of his room, and rushing down the stairs to see his mother standing on the outside of the foyer leading into the kitchen and garage.
“What’s up, Ma?” he asked.
“I’m headed to Holy Rock. Do you want to come along? I think you’ll benefit from sitting in on this meeting with your brother and me. We’re going to discuss the official announcement about him taking over your father’s pastoral duties. Plus, I want you to look over the rest of those files on Hezekiah’s computer. We need to make sure nothing is on there that will show that your father was embezzling money from the church. You know now that the feds are all over George, he’s probably going to sing like a bird on your father.”
“And what if he does?” Xavier said, sounding fed up with talk about his father and Holy Rock.
“We have to have all of our ducks in a row just in case the tables are turned. You’re the only one me and your brother can trust to clean that computer system. You’re a genius when it comes to things like that,” Fancy said. “And we have to stick together.”
“Look, Ma, I told you. The only thing I know to do is replace the hard drive. If the feds want to find something out, they have their ways of doing it no matter how much I clean up the computer. And I don’t know why you’re so concerned about Dad anyway. He did what he did and he is who he is. He’s a cheater in more ways than one.”
Xavier became angry inside every time he thought of how his father had betrayed his mother. He was also worried that once his father regained his speech that he would tear into Xavier for being gay! He didn’t want to hear anything Hezekiah might have to say. It was bad enough that his mother and brother refused to acknowledge that he was a gay man, even after George told them and showed them evidence.
Every time Xavier approached the subject, Fancy found a way to avoid it, and so did Khalil. It was always the wrong time according to the both of them. They even treated Raymone like he had AIDS or something. When Raymone came to the house, Fancy barely opened her mouth to speak or she would make sure she was gone or in her room out of sight. The one good thing about the whole situation was it seemed that his mother was giving him more freedom. She no longer kept him from driving his own car and she rarely said anything when he came in past his appointed curfew.
“It won’t take that long, Xavier. Anyway, what could you have to do that’s more important than helping your family and working in God’s ministry?”
Xavier almost choked at his mother’s statement. “Working in God’s ministry? Are you kidding me, Ma? I’m far from being the one to work in God’s ministry. Do you know how much Christians hate gays?”
“Xavier, now, baby, that is not true, and you know it. Sure, some people whether they’re Christians or not, do hate gays and lesbians. But you shouldn’t make all Christians wear that jacket. And anyway, I don’t want to talk about homosexuals.”
“No, Ma. You don’t want to talk about me being gay. That’s what this is all about. Every time I try to sit down and have a talk with you about the person I am, you find a way to skirt around the issue. You’re always too busy or you have to run some errand, or whatever. I’m about to leave for college in a few months, Ma. And when I do, it’ll be too late for talking.” Xavier’s voice began to rise. His frustration was obvious.
