Chapter 4
The kitchen no longer felt safe.
Marcus closed every blind.
Then he locked the front door.
I watched him move around the house while Jayden sat at the island with his head lowered.
"Tell me everything you know about Darius," I said.
Jayden shook his head.
"Not much."
"Then start with how you met him."
"Kiara introduced us."
"When?"
"Six months ago."
Marcus stopped near the hallway.
"You met him in person?"
"Twice."
"Where?"
"A restaurant downtown. Then his office."
Marcus gave a humorless laugh.
"He doesn't have an office."
"It looked like one."
"What address?"
Jayden told him.
Marcus grabbed his phone.
I could tell from his expression that the location meant something.
"What?"
"That's a coworking building."
"So?"
"So anyone can rent a room for an hour and pretend they run a company."
Jayden rubbed his forehead.
"I didn't know."
Marcus looked at him.
"You never asked."
Jayden stayed silent.
That was when Lily came downstairs.
She carried her stuffed rabbit under one arm.
"Mommy?"
I immediately softened.
"What is it, baby?"
"Grandma's outside."
All three men—Marcus, Jayden, and the voice of Terrence still coming through Marcus's speakerphone—went silent.
I looked through the front window.
Evelyn was walking toward the door.
"Oh no."
Jayden stood quickly.
"I can't."
Marcus blocked the hallway.
"Don't run."
"I'm not talking to her."
"She deserves—"
"Marcus."
I stepped between them.
"Let me talk to her first."
But Evelyn was already knocking.
Lily opened the door before I could stop her.
"Grandma!"
Evelyn hugged her.
Then she entered the kitchen.
Her eyes moved to my wet braids.
My soaked shirt.
The empty glass.
Jayden.
"What happened?"
Nobody spoke.
She looked at Marcus.
"Why did you tell me to stay home?"
"Mom—"
"What happened to Denise?"
Lily answered.
"Jayden threw water on her."
Evelyn turned toward her grandson.
Her face changed.
"You did what?"
Jayden looked away.
"Grandma, I—"
She stepped closer.
"Look at me."
He did.
Evelyn had always adored Jayden.
He was her first grandchild.
When he was born, she slept on our couch for three weeks because I was recovering from an emergency C-section.
She taught him to ride a bicycle.
She bought his first laptop.
She never missed a basketball game.
And now she looked at him like she didn't know who he was.
"Did you throw something at your mother?"
"Water."
"That wasn't my question."
"Yes."
Evelyn closed her eyes.
When she opened them, tears were already there.
"Why?"
Jayden sat down again.
"I was angry."
"At Denise?"
He shook his head.
"At myself."
Evelyn looked confused.
I took her hand.
"Sit down."
"No."
"Evelyn."
"What aren't you telling me?"
Jayden suddenly stood.
"I took the money."
The entire room froze.
Evelyn stared at him.
"What money?"
"The money missing from your account."
Her hand slipped out of mine.
Jayden kept talking because stopping would have been harder.
"I took some of it."
Evelyn's face emptied.
"How much?"
"Twenty-eight thousand."
Her knees buckled.
Marcus caught her.
"Mom."
She pushed him away.
"No."
Jayden stepped toward her.
"Grandma—"
"Don't."
He stopped.
Evelyn's lips trembled.
"I trusted you."
"I know."
"You helped me set up that account."
"I know."
"You sat in my living room and told me you'd make sure nobody could ever scam me."
Jayden started crying.
"I know."
She slapped her hand over her mouth.
Then something worse than anger appeared on her face.
Shame.
"I thought I was losing my mind."
My chest tightened.
Evelyn stared at the floor.
"I kept checking those statements. I thought maybe I spent it. Maybe I forgot."
"Grandma, I'm sorry."
"I went to the doctor."
Jayden froze.
"What?"
"I asked him whether memory loss could start suddenly."
Marcus whispered, "Mom."
She looked at him.
"I thought I was getting dementia."
Nobody moved.
My eyes burned.
Evelyn looked back at Jayden.
"You let me believe that."
Jayden collapsed into the chair.
"I didn't know."
"How could you not know?"
She finally shouted.
Lily flinched.
I immediately led her toward the hallway.
"Come on, baby."
Before we reached the stairs, someone knocked at the front door.
Three sharp knocks.
Marcus looked through the side window.
His face changed.
"Nobody open that door."
Jayden stood.
"Is it Darius?"
"I don't know."
The knock came again.
Then a voice.
"Jayden."
Jayden went pale.
Kiara.
He started toward the door.
Marcus grabbed his shoulder.
"No."
"She's my girlfriend."
"She threatened you."
"I need to talk to her."
"No."
Kiara knocked again.
"Jayden, I know you're in there."
Evelyn stared at the door.
"That's her?"
Jayden didn't answer.
Kiara raised her voice.
"We need to fix this before Darius finds out."
Marcus looked at me.
That was all the confirmation we needed.
He picked up his phone.
"I'm calling the police."
Jayden panicked.
"Dad, don't."
"Why?"
"If Darius finds out—"
A loud crash came from the side of the house.
Lily screamed.
Marcus ran toward the hallway.
I pulled Lily behind me.
Another crash.
The kitchen window shattered inward.
Not completely.
A brick had struck the outer pane and cracked the glass.
Something was wrapped around it.
A sheet of paper.
Marcus stared through the broken window.
Kiara was gone.
He carefully pulled the paper free.
There were six words printed across it.
PAY BACK WHAT YOU TOOK. TONIGHT.
Jayden read it over his shoulder.
His face went white.
"Dad."
Marcus looked at him.
"What?"
May you like
Jayden swallowed.
"Darius thinks I stole from him."
