49

Double Update since I feel shitty for keeping you guys waiting this long. 💛

Kyrin

I stood outside of my mothers house with Janet, Joey, and Sarah behind me. It didn't look the same. It no longer looked like home to me and that scared the living day lights out of me. It was finally hitting me that this was actually real.

"You okay sis?" Sarah asked me suddenly.

"Ya." I replied shortly.

Janet sighed as she put her hand on my shoulder. "You got this. I know you haven't been back since all of it hit the fan but we are all right here baby."

She was right. I had to go in there. As I walked to the door a car pulled up in front of the house quickly. Someone got out and yelled. "Kyrin!"

Joey immediately got in front of Janet and I turned around on my porch. My face furrowed at his appearance. He was beat up badly. "Nasir?" He tried to walk past Joey but Joey wasn't allowing it. "No Joey, it's okay. Let him pass. That's my brother."

Nasir was allowed past and limped up to me. I grabbed him to help him up the steps as he began taking his backpack off. "Kyrin. Here."

He held it towards me but I didn't take it, instead I asked. "What happened to you?"

Nasir looked around frantically before pointing inside. "I- I have to go back soon. If we talk we have to talk inside."

Nodding, I quickly grabbed my keys out my purse and unlocked the door. He walked in quickly followed by everyone else and when Joey went to enter I stopped him and pointed at the vehicle my brother had left running. "Move Nasir's car into the garage."

Joey nodded. "Alright."

I walked over and pushed the button that opened the empty garage door and watched Joey pull it in. Afterwards, he got out and I closed it. Strolling to the living room, I saw Nasir was pulling the things out of the backpack.

He looked up at me with tears in his eyes. "She's gonna look for me soon and when she does, she'll probably beat me some more but I can't keep doing this."

"Doing what?" Janet asked him as Joey handed me Nasir's car keys.

Nasir kept pulling things out before he replied. "Lying. I can't keep lying!"

"Alright Nasir. Just calm down. Tell me what all of this is." I spoke to him calmly as I went and sat next to him on the couch.

He motioned to the things on the coffee table. "She set your mom up. My moms sleeping with the captain at the police station and he made it look like our dad died of poisoning. I was going through her things today looking for my phone because I'm on punishment. Instead of finding my phone I found this. All of this. All of the evidence of what she did."

I picked up a folder and opened it. My breathing hitched when I saw it was pictures of my sisters and I. Some of them were pictures that were in our home presently, which meant she had been inside before. "Wait. This doesn't— Are you saying my mom didn't kill our father?"

"Now if she made him have a heart attack, then yes but as far as poisoning goes... no." He rambled as he pulled out a tape recorder. "This was from earlier today. She caught me snooping but I had been playing with this thing before she came in and accidentally hit record. It's the whole argument. She admitted to doing it. She ruined a woman's life for a man who didn't even have the decency to half way raise me."

Sarah mumbled as she looked through a file. "Jesus... The address to the house is on here. The information on who your parents brought it from. Tax claims. It's stuff in here that not an average citizen should be having ahold of."

"Which address?" I asked.

"This one." She replied as she motioned around. "And one in LA? Do you live on Rose Circle?"

I shook my head. "Not anymore. That's my old house though. She's been following me?"

"I don't know baby, but I'm getting a weird vibe." Janet commented.

"Play the tape Nasir." I told him as I pointed to it. He played the tape and we all listened to every piece of it but when we heard Laurene slap him, I stopped it. Everyone looked at me as I stood up.

Janet asked. "What now?"

"We get her out of jail. That's what." Sarah answered her as I began pacing and my fingers edged along my engagement ring in anxiousness.

"Okay." I stopped pacing as I put together my plan. "We call Langston..."

"I don't trust him Kyrin." Janet commented suddenly. "He— his timing is always off. He pops up at weird places and during weird times and he knows too much. We don't want this in the wrong hands."

"Langston's not like that. Trust me. It's his father I'm more worried about." I mumbled truthfully as I looked up from the files. "She's sleeping with Langston's father. He's the one signing all these files and he's the captain."

"You don't think Langston knows that?" Sarah asked me softly.

I shook my head firmly. "He doesn't know. Langston wouldn't do this to me."

"Kyrin... you never know." Joey sent my way.

"But I do know that. He wouldn't do that to me." Them saying that only lit my fire on the inside up more so I needed them to stop. I had to trust Langston on this and we both knew it would happen eventually. "Look, Langston's on our side... If you think I hate his father, you'd be surprised at his hatred. So he needs this and he needs it quickly."

Grabbing my phone, I called him. He answered quickly.

"I'm 5 minutes out from your house. Don't rush me Kyrin."

"This needs the rush. We got him Langston. We finally got him."

He took a pause. "When you say him, please tell me you're talking about my father."

"I'm holding everything you need right here. You just need to get here." He didn't reply but instead hung up in my face. I looked at my phone in shock before putting my phone back in my pocket. "Put everything back in the backpack. Move the suitcases out the truck if you don't mind Joey. I'll be right back."

Rushing up the steps, I went into my sisters and I restroom in search for my secret stash. I opened the cabinet and moved stuff out and around. Something fell over on me and I caught it. Looking over it, I saw that it was medicine which was weird because we had a medicine cabinet. It wasn't the prescription that my mother had for my father— but one that belonged to Ember.

My eyes swept over the prescription before I put it back and kept digging. Finally I pulled the ziplock bag full of cash out. Taking it out, I counted it and pocketed all of it. Pushing stuff back where it was, I closed the door and tried to leave the restroom but got the shit scared out of me by Janet.

My hands went to my chest as I screamed. "Shit J! Why are you just standing there?"

She shrugged. "You were taking a minute. Hey, what did you mean downstairs when you said that you and Langston had gotten him?"

"Long story baby, I'll explain later. I promise." I mumbled as I grabbed a suitcase from Phoebes room. I began walking down the hall and throwing our pictures in it. These heffas better be grateful that they are getting this.

"Kyrin!" Langston's voice carried through the house.

"Come on." I spoke to J as I grabbed her hand and pulled her and the suitcase down the steps.

When we made it Langston pointed at Nasir as I noticed Janet and I's suitcases at the door and added the one with the pictures. "We gotta get him out of here. My father has units looking for him now as we speak. He's telling the squads to bring him in."

I questioned him in disbelief. "Under what grounds?"

"Theft and fraud. He stole from the wrong woman. I called Jeff, he is the head of the Federal Bureau of Investigations and he's meeting me in 10 at the factory down the road." Langston mumbled. "Meanwhile, we have to get him safe. No telling what they gone do to this poor boy if they get him in custody."

"Alright." Sarah stood causing everyone to look at her. "Let's think this through, if we are going to get anywhere, we need to get there quickly."

"Langston. Go now." I pointed at the door. "Call me or text me when you can." He nodded as he grabbed the backpack and headed towards the door. "Langston!"

He turned back as he opened the door. "Yeah?"

"Be careful. Please." I spoke to him.

Langston nodded. "I will. I will. I'm always careful." He left and something inside me told me he wasn't coming back to me.

I ran outside after him. "You're my best friend Langston. Don't die. Do you hear me? Do not die. Promise me."

"I won't Kyrin, I promise. I love you kid. Stay safe until I call. Alright?"

Nodding back, I replied. "I will. I love you too." Walking back inside the house, I wanted to sit and wait but my brother was my main priority. So I immediately went into game plan mode. "Nasir, how old are you?"

"18." He answered me shakily.

"Are you a good driver?" I questioned because he pulled up a little recklessly.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Good." Going to the key holder, I grabbed the keys to the Mustang. "Take Joeys truck."

Joey handed him the keys to the truck before asking me. "Kyrin, what you doing?"

We needed to switch cars. If they were looking for Nasir's car, they will pull me over and be surprised when they see it isn't him.

"He's going to take the truck with Sarah. Sarah doesn't believe in speeding, but if my brother really has Broussard blood in his system, he won't have a problem with it at all. You're going to Dallas for a while Nasir. Leave your phone here. When it's clear I'll fly you to LA and we will figure it out then." I mumbled. "Baby, our flights still flying out for tonight right?"

She nodded. "Yeah it is."

"You still remember how I taught you to drive a stick?"

Janet replied slowly. "I'm pretty sure I caught on to it."

Tossing her the keys to the Mustang she caught them. "Joey, Janet's going to drive you to the airport and I need you two to get on that plane weather I'm there or not."

My fiancé shook her head. "Not happening. Where are you going?"

"I'm going to be behind you two, but if I get pulled over, I need you two to keep going. I will catch up." I promised her even thought I wasn't really sure. "Sarah. Nasir. Go. Now."

They began to leave but Nasir stopped and came and hugged me. I realized he was crying. "I might not be close to you, but thank you Kyrin. I don't want anything to happen to you. You've done so much for me and I wanna repay—."

"Hey, wipe those tears boy. You can repay me when you're safe." Digging in my pocket, I handed them the cash as we let the hug go. "There's cash. If you need more, Sarah has my number. Cool?"

"Yeah. Yeah. I got it." He wiped his face and walked out.

Sarah smiled at me softly. "You're doing the right thing. You'll be fine. It's gone be alright. God told me so."

Smiling back, I motioned outside. "Well, that makes me feel a little bit better. Please call me when you guys make it."

"I will. I will." She replied as she walked out.

Turning to Joey and Janet, I let out the last of my plan. "Grab the suitcases and head to the garage, I'll close it and be right behind you."

"Kyrin Paige, promise me you're going to be behind me."

"I'll be right behind you." I quickly dismissed the promise.

She nodded as she walked out the door and Joey followed with our clothes and belongings after saying. "Be safe Kyrin."

I stopped him. "I'm not coming."

He looked at me as if I had two heads. "Where the hell are you going?"

"I'm going help Langston. I'll be okay. Just tell Janet that I'm not coming when the planes taking off. Tell her the truth when it's in the air not before. Promise me Joey."

Joey glared. "No. Hell no. Look, I'm sorry but you are getting your ass in that car and following us and if you steer from path then I'll alert Janet and we will follow you. It's not just you for yourself anymore. You've got a family now. Eissa can't lose a mother and you know Janet can't lose her soulmate. Put your head on straight and let's go."

My family? Langston is family. Maybe not to Joey but to me. He was all I depended on at one point in my life. I'd always owe him a debt, but I didn't owe him my life. Joey was right. I couldn't risk this one.

He began walking and I didn't, making him turn around and raise his voice. "Move it Kyrin!"

I nodded as he walked out the front door. Grabbing Nasir's phone and my own things, I opened the garage with the button in the house and heard the Mustang roar. Closing my front door, I locked it and cut all the lights off. Going through the door of the garage, I unlocked Nasir's car. Throwing my things in it, Janet pulled off as I was backing out. Using the garage opener to close the garage, I drove off and caught up with J.

A prayer began circulating in my head.

God, please let him be okay. Let my brother and Sarah make it. Let Janet and Joey make it. If everything fails, take me instead God. My hearts already harboring enough, I'm just not sure how much I can take. So God, please, I'm begging you... let them be alright. In Jesus name I pray, amen.