Jessica, Ellie, Shereen, and Yolanda were the brightest stars of the Theta Phi Kappa Sorority at Howard University. Now, ten years later, they seem to have it all. Jessica is in the limelight, a TV personality whose star is on the rise. Ellie is an optimist, happily engaged in the quest for love. Shereen is a stunning and powerful executive, and Yolanda, the strong-willed leader of the group, has defied her roots to capture her vision of the American dream. But years before, these four women banded together to keep a devastating secret-and now, ten years later, someone will do anything to see the secret brought to light. None of them anticipated the consequences of keeping the secret-and now, someone is trying to shatter all their lives. Intense, powerful, page-turning, and emotional, The Sisters of Theta Phi Kappa will keep you guessing and will make you think about the depths of friendship, the price of loyalty, and the bonds of sisterhood. “...a delicious cocktail with a lot of zing...secrets, lies and alibis.” ― Essence Kayla Perrin is Essence bestselling author of more than twenty-five novels including The Delta Sisters , We'll Never Tell , and What's Done in Darkness . She was featured in the documentary Who's Afraid of Happy Endings . She lives in Toronto, Canada. The Sisters of Theta Phi Kappa By Kayla Perrin St. Martin's Press Copyright © 2001 Kayla Perrin All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-312-30521-5 CHAPTER 1 IT CREEPS LIKE A PREDATOR in the night, lurking in the shadows, waiting. It deceives like a con artist, making you believe it's dead and buried, when it's really alive, watching your every move. It bides its time like your opponent, deftly calculating its strategy, waiting for the best time to strike. The Past. It struck Jessica Bedford on a cool but bright day in early February, a day that held the promise of spring. There was nothing different about the day it returned with a vengeance, not a different feel in her bones, a different scent in the air, a different energy around her. Nothing at all that would have prepared her for its arrival. So when the couriered letter arrived, the one marked PERSONAL AND CONFIDENTIAL in big, bold letters on both sides, Jessica had no reason to suspect that she was about to open a bomb. "What's this?" she asked Julie, the blond-haired production assistant who'd handed her the package. "I don't know." Jessica flipped it over and reached for the tab. "But," Julie interjected quickly, and Jessica's hand stilled. "It will still be here at the end of the day. Right now, we need to get you to hair and makeup ASAP." Jessica's hand lingered over the tab, but she finally pulled it back. "All right. Just let me get rid of my stuff, grab a coffee, and I'll head straight to Redmond after that." "Oh, I can take your coat for you," Julie offered. "Even bring you a coffee." Her smile was sweet and she sounded genuine, but that was her job — to get Jessica ready for the show as quickly as possible. But Jessica wasn't about to be pressured out of the few minutes of solitude she so cherished each morning. "That's okay. I do like seeing my dressing room on occasion." Julie flicked her wrist forward and looked at her watch. "Okay. But please hurry. We're on a tight schedule." When weren't they? Life at the network was always hectic. "I will." The letter was too big to stuff into her purse, so Jessica slipped it beneath her arm as she continued down the brightly lit hallway. She hoped it wasn't another bizarre letter from some loser declaring his undying love for her. "For crying out loud!" That was Redmond's desperate bellow. "Where's the coffee?" Damn, there was no coffee. And she needed some badly, like an addict needing an injection of heroin. Her morning jog had failed to give her the daily boost it usually did. She was just plain exhausted this morning, but at least she was smiling. Douglas, her husband of eighteen months and a producer at the network, had kept her up most of the night with the hottest sex they'd had in weeks. She hadn't minded, but had known she would pay the price in the morning. "Hey, sweetie," Jessica said to Redmond as she rounded the corner and peered into the small kitchen. He was dressed in all black, except for his beret, which was a myriad of colors. Despite his dark complexion, he could wear black well. At the sight of her, his scowl turned into a smile. "Hey, baby." He opened his arms to her, and she walked into his embrace. He squeezed her hard, as he did every morning, then pulled away. "Mmm. Do you ever smell good. But that head of yours, we have to do something about it." "I know." Suddenly self-conscious, Jessica ran a hand through her thick, tightly curled hair. It was always frizzy after she washed it. "You think you can do me something soft and nice, maybe some drop curls? It looked so flat yesterday." "Girl, you know I can do anything." The scowl returned. "As long as I have me some coffee. I'm gonna try the n