Destiny's Divas, page 1
THEY CAN TALK THE TALK, BUT CAN THEY WALK THE WALK?
Sierra, Raine, and Liza are Destiny’s Divas, a fresh, new gospel group whose unique blend of singing and testifying has gained them fans across the country. They tell the world about how good God has been to them, but offstage, each is living a life totally opposite to what she preaches—and each harboring a secret that could ruin them all.
Twentysomething Sierra Dixon speaks about the joy of being single and celibate, though she is anything but, drifting from one relationship to another. Although she stresses the importance of unconditional love within the family, Raine Omari has hit her breaking point with her mother-in-law and is ready to take drastic steps. And when Liza Washington discovers that her pastor-husband is in the middle of a scandal that could bring down more than just their ministry, she knows she must do something to stop him. One fateful evening their secrets are exposed, and one diva commits an act that could land her in prison for the rest of her life. Each has motive—who will crack?
PRAISE FOR The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil
“Murray’s story has the kind of momentum that prompts you to elbow disbelief aside and flip the pages in horrified enjoyment.”
—The Washington Post
VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY is the author of several bestselling novels, including The Ex Files; Too Little, Too Late; Lady Jasmine; and Sins of the Mother. Winner of the African American Literary Award for Fiction and Author of the Year (Female), she splits her time between Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. Visit her online at VictoriaChristopherMurray.com.
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Praise for
Sinners & Saints
“Murray and Billingsley keep things lively and fun.”
—Juicy magazine
“Double the fun, with a message of faith, Sinners & Saints will delight readers with two of their favorite characters from two of their favorite authors. It’s a match made in heaven!”
—Grace magazine
Praise for
The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil
“Murray’s story has the kind of momentum that prompts you to elbow disbelief aside and flip the pages in horrified enjoyment.”
—The Washington Post
Praise for
Sins of the Mother
“Sins of the Mother shows that when the going gets tough, it’s best to make an effort and rely on God’s strength. It gives the message that there is hope no matter what, and that people must have faith.”
—FictionAddict.com
“Ha[s] a great blend of faith, reality, conflict, and just enough heartbreaking scenes to keep you enthralled.”
—HelloBeautiful.com
“Final word: Christian fiction with a powerful kick.”
—Afro.com
Praise for
Lady Jasmine
“She’s back! Jasmine has wreaked havoc in three VCM novels, including last year’s Too Little, Too Late. In Lady Jasmine the schemer everyone loves to loathe breaks several commandments by the third chapter.”
—Essence
“Jasmine is the kind of character who doesn’t sit comfortably on a page. She’s the kind who jumps inside a reader’s head, runs around and stirs up trouble—the kind who stays with the reader long after the last page is turned.”
—The Huntsville Times (Alabama)
Praise for
Too Little, Too Late
“[In this book] there are so many hidden messages about love, life, faith, and forgiveness. Murray’s vividness of faith is inspirational.”
—The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, Mississippi)
“An excellent entry in the Jasmine Larson Bush Christian Lit saga; perhaps the best so far. . . . Fans will appreciate this fine tale. . . . A well-written, intense drama.”
—Midwest Book Review
Praise for
The Ex Files
“The engrossing transitions the women go through make compelling reading. . . . Murray’s vivid portrait of how faith can move mountains and heal relationships should inspire.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Reminds you of things that women will do if their hearts are broken. . . . Once you pick this book up, you will not put it down.”
—UrbanReviews.com
Praise for
A Sin and a Shame
“Riveting, emotionally charged, and spiritually deep . . . What is admirable is the author’s ability to hold the reader in suspense until the very last paragraph of the novel! A Sin and A Shame is a must read. . . . Truly a story to be enjoyed and pondered upon!”
—RomanceInColor.com
“A Sin and a Shame is Victoria Christopher Murray at her best. . . . A page-turner that I couldn’t put down as I was too eager to see what scandalous thing Jasmine would do next. And to watch Jasmine’s spiritual growth was a testament to Victoria’s talents. An engrossing tale of how God’s grace covers us all. I absolutely loved this book!”
—ReShonda Tate Billingsley,
Essence bestselling author of I Know I’ve Been Changed
ALSO BY VICTORIA CHRISTOPHER MURRAY
Sinners & Saints (with ReShonda Tate Billingsley)
The Deal, the Dance, and the Devil
Sins of the Mother
Lady Jasmine
Too Little, Too Late
The Ex Files
A Sin and a Shame
Grown Folks Business
Truth Be Told
Blessed Assurance (contributor)
Joy
Temptation
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This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2012 by Victoria Christopher Murray
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information address Touchstone Subsidiary Rights Department, 1230 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10020.
First Touchstone trade paperback edition June 2012
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Designed by Akasha Archer
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Murray, Victoria Christopher.
Destiny’s Divas / Victoria Christopher Murray.—1st Touchstone trade paperback ed.
p. cm.
1. African American gospel singers—Fiction. 2. Christian women—Fiction. I. Title.
PS3563.U795D47 2012
813’.54—dc23
2012011869
ISBN 978-1-4516-5046-4
ISBN 978-1-4516-5047-1 (ebook)
Contents
Prologue
Chapter 1: Sierra
Chapter 2: Raine
Chapter 3: Liza
Chapter 4: Raine
Chapter 5: Raine
Chapter 6: Sierra
Chapter 7: Liza
Chapter 8: Raine
Chapter 9: Sierra
Chapter 10: Liza
Chapter 11: Sierra
Chapter 12: Raine
Chapter 13: Liza
Chapter 14: Sierra
Chapter 15: Raine
Chapter 16: Liza
Chapter 17: Sierra
Chapter 18: Liza
Chapter 19: Sierra
Chapter 20: Raine
Chapter 21: Destiny’s Divas
Chapter 22: Sierra
Chapter 23: Raine
Chapter 24: Sierra
Chapter 25: Liza
Chapter 26: Sierra
Chapter 27: Raine
Chapter 28: Liza
Chapter 29: Sierra
Chapter 30: Raine
Chapter 31: Liza
Chapter 32: Raine
Chapter 33: Sierra
Chapter 34: Liza
Chapter 35: Destiny’s Divas
Chapter 36: Sierra
Chapter 37: Destiny’s Divas
Chapter 38: Liza
Chapter 39: Sierra
Chapter 40: Raine
Chapter 41: Destiny’s Divas
Chapter 42: Liza
Chapter 43: Sierra
Chapter 44: Raine
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
Reading Group Guide
Forever an Ex Excerpt
Destiny’s Divas
Prologue
TOYOTA CENTER, HOUSTON, TEXAS
APRIL 1, 2011
The Toyota Center rocked
As the deafening ovation continued, the three singing evangelists peered into the darkened arena, seeing no one. But, of course, they were there—twenty thousand Texans had come to worship, praise, and celebrate with Destiny’s Divas.
With a concerted, majestic raise of their hands, the Divas quieted the capacity crowd and the air thickened with anticipation.
Three chords on the keyboard, and then the first three notes of their signature song. . . .
“Love the Lord . . .”
That was all their fans needed. The men and the women who’d paid fifty, one hundred, up to two hundred dollars for a ticket rose to their feet and roared their approval. The audience sang and swayed with the melody of the song that had stayed at the top of the gospel and R & B charts for five weeks.
After the first stanza, Raine and Liza pivoted, and with their sequined gowns flowing behind them they sashayed to the center, joining Sierra.
The people stayed with them, all those thousands of backup singers, worshipping and praising with one accord. At the end of the song, the lights on the stage slowly dimmed and the three posed, creating a Charlie’s Angels–esque silhouette as they held that last note for seconds that nearly turned into a minute.
The thunderous cheering returned, vibrating the walls. The audience clapped, they stomped, they cheered. As the lights came up once again, Sierra, Raine, and Liza bowed to the ovation, soaking in the adoration that came to them from this: their first night, in their first city of their first tour. For minutes, they let the crowd adore them, then Raine and Liza eased back and rested on the high stools behind them on the stage.
“All right, Houston,” Sierra said. “How’s everyone tonight?” Her tenor tone reverberated through the arena.
“Great,” “Wonderful,” “Terrific,” blended together and floated back to the stage, sounding like a new song.
“It is so good to be here, deep in the heart of Texas!” Sierra shouted as she sashayed to the left.
More applause.
“So, y’all ready for some real talk?” she asked, this time swinging to her right.
Laughter mixed with their applause—the crowd loved to hear the Divas sing, but they’d also come to hear their motivating testimonies. This was the first time the Divas were speaking in person and this crowd couldn’t wait.
Sierra strolled past the stool that had been placed in the center of the stage for her, but she never planned to sit. She would strut through her ten-minute testimony, hoping that would make her a little less nervous.
“Let’s get down to it, right now,” Sierra said. She paused, and even though just about everyone in the arena knew what she was going to say, they leaned forward with expectancy. “I’m saved . . . I’m single . . . and I’m celibate!”
“And you’re fine,” a guy yelled out from one of the front rows.
Laughter rose from those who were close enough to hear.
Sierra laughed, too; she was used to the compliments. “Thank you,” she said. “But, I’m not here to talk about how I look on the outside; I’m here to talk about who’s living with me on the inside. And inside of me, right here”—she pressed her index finger on her chest, then raised her hand in the air—“is Jesus!”
The audience was on their feet once again, and behind Sierra, the other two in the trio applauded as well. As the crowd quieted, Raine reached for Liza’s hand. This was the beginning of their twenty-city tour, and they were all fueled by the adrenaline that came with success. Two number one singles, their first CD that had just dropped today, and now this. Did it get any better?
“Let me tell you how Jesus saved me,” Sierra began as Raine and Liza settled back, both waiting for their turn to share.
And they would share, but not one of them would have any clue that their testimonies would end tonight. No one in the arena would have been able to predict that this would be the first and final show. Because in just hours, every lie they’d ever spoken would be revealed, every secret they ever held would be exposed, and every one of their lives would be changed.
After all, that’s what happens with murder—it changes everything.
FEBRUARY 2011
CHAPTER 1
Sierra
Five had become her lucky number!
That was Sierra’s thought as she climbed into the back of the taxi. She slammed the door shut before she said, “One Hundred Twenty-third and Morningside.”
The turbaned gentleman gave her a cautious glance, and Sierra knew what he was thinking—she hadn’t given an address and she was going up to Harlem, so she must be a jumper. Just because she was young and she was black, he thought she was gonna jump out without paying.
She wanted to roll her eyes when his glance stayed on her through the rearview mirror, but she smiled instead. He sighed as if it was too late to get rid of her, and edged the car away from the curb in front of Madison Square Garden where she’d just had lunch at The Afternoon Martini.
From the way the man mumbled, Sierra wondered if he was praying or if he was cursing her out. Well, he didn’t have to worry about her jumping; she had way too much class and she was in a spectacular mood.
It was the number five that had her feeling this way.
“You ladies are still at the top of the gospel charts,” Yvonne, Destiny’s Divas’ manager, had told her, Raine, and Liza over a celebratory lunch. “ ‘Love Unlimited’ is hanging tough. Still number one.”
“That’s five weeks now, right?” Raine had asked.
“Yup,” Yvonne had nodded and then raised her martini glass in a toast to the women. “And I’ve just confirmed your tour schedule. Another city was added—Winston-Salem—so twenty cities, five weeks. We’ll start in Houston and end it right here in the Garden.”
For Sierra, that part was both exciting and disconcerting. She was looking forward to the pampering that came with staying in upscale hotels and being whisked from one place to the next in limousines. But on the downside, she would be away from Andre for a long time.
As the cab rolled up Eighth Avenue, Sierra pulled out her phone to check to see if she had any messages from him. Nothing, so she clicked over to her Twitter timeline. But as she scrolled through the updates that she’d missed in the last ten minutes, her mind was on the love of her life.
This wasn’t the best time to be leaving. Not with her birthday coming up in a week. She was going to be twenty-five five days after Valentine’s Day and Andre was about to propose to her, though Sierra wasn’t sure if he was going to do it on Valentine’s Day or wait for her actual birthday. He hadn’t exactly shared his plans, but he had given her a boatload of clues letting her know what was coming.
Like the hint he gave her a few weeks back. The two of them were bumping arms and shoulders and legs while they jockeyed for position inside her bathroom, which had only enough square footage for one and a half people at a time.
“Baby, we need a house!” he’d said as he smiled at her through the cracked vanity mirror.
“Really? We?” she’d repeated, wanting to make sure she’d heard him right.
He nodded. “Uh-huh. With lots of bedrooms and bathrooms.” He laughed.
Sierra’s heart had almost stopped beating. The only time a man talked about a house was when he was ready for a wife—that’s what her mother had told her.
Hint number two came a couple of days later when she was at his apartment and she’d noticed that the pictures were down. Finally! The pictures that had been the bane of their relationship. The pictures of his ex-fiancée who’d broken off their engagement just a few days before Sierra and Andre had met.
How many fights had they had about the photographs that Andre still had on the living room mantel? Whatever the number, the conversation was always the same.
“Why do you still have pictures of her?” Sierra would ask.
“I already told you; I’m not taking down pictures of my mother.”
