Deep Waters

Chapter Fifty-Four

A long chapter for you:)

That morning I woke up to an empty bed. I didn't like it. Just a few days waking up next to Kason had me ready for the lifetime ahead of us that I could be doing just that. After cleaning up and getting dressed, I found everyone else in the house already awake. On my way to the kitchen, I saw Kason and Jay sitting in the living room, playing some type of video game where they were fighting off zombies together. There were smiles on both of their faces and occasional battle cries escaping their lips.

Playing my own smiles, I walked into the kitchen where Andre and Shanice were chatting amongst themselves while Andre skimmed through the newspaper and Shanice cleaned up the counters. "It looks like the boys are getting along nicely," I commented, announcing my entrance.

Shanice greeted me with a bright smile, her dark complexion dewy and glowing. "They are adorable, aren't they?"

I nodded, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge before stealing the seat across from Andre. "Kason usually gives people the cold shoulder when he first meets them so I'm quite surprised." I took a drink while another thought occurred to me. "Though, knowing him, he probably already figured out everything he wanted to know about Jay before he came up here."

My words resulted in a chuckle expelling from Andre's throat. "He usually protective of you?"

Smiling shyly, I nodded. "Especially since he found out the truth about our life with Charles."

Shanice's grin never dimmed as she finished wiping off the counter. "You know, earlier this morning Jay mentioned to Kason that you had stolen the car out front." She laughed, opening the dishwasher to place the dirty dishes inside. "Kason's face was priceless. He definitely hadn't expected that from you."

I shrugged. "Desperate times call for desperate measures."

"For a second there, I thought he was going to punch my son for being a bad influence," Andre added.

"Please, if either one of us is a bad influence, it's me," I laughed. "But Kason—he's gotten better at self-control," I assured them. "He's never had anger issues or anything like that, but he did use to be a fighter, so he did once have a bad habit of physical violence."

"Oh really?" Andre perked up, folding and setting down the newspaper in his hands. He grabbed his mug of steaming coffee instead. "What company did he fight for?"

Chuckling awkwardly, I scratched the back of my head. "He actually wasn't a legally paid fighter for a company or anything like that..." I had to admit to them. "He fought illegally. He was an undefeated streetfighter."

"Ah," Andre sounded. "That's interesting."

"But he doesn't anymore," I quickly added. "And his dad found out and all that stuff...so, yeah, it's in the past."

He raised his mug before taking a sip and setting it back down in front of him. "Better keep an eye on him. It's easy to fall back into old habits."

I just nodded at his words, not knowing how to reply at first. I trusted Kason. "Don't worry, I think his dad scared him away by threatening jail time." My own words raised a thought. Jail. Where people are locked up to protect the city around them. Could people be locked up to protect themselves from the city around them? "Hey, Andre?"

The father looked up at me, with a more serious expression on his face. He had probably caught notice of my change in tone. "Yes, Delilah?"

"Do you think I'd be better off if I was in jail?" I asked. Andre and Shanice both just furrowed their eyebrows at my words, so I clarified. "Do you think I'd be safer in jail?"