A Family Hustle: Part 6

Chapter 20

[KAIDENCE POV]

This Morning:

After I Dropped The Kids Off At School, I Made A Stop At The Gas Station To Pick Me Up Some Asprins And A Big Bottled Water. Once I Left The Gas Station, I Was Running Late, And I Had To Make It To Work Before My Boss Finds Out. I Pulled Into The Parking Garage, And Parked In My Usual Spot. I Grabbed My Bag, Got Out Of The Car, And Headed Towards The Entrance. My Alarm Then Started Going Off. I Scrambled To Find My Keys And When I Found Them, I Hit The Button. I Sighed And Before I Could Turn Around, I Was Grabbed From Behind. I Tried To Scream, But My Mouth And Nose Was Covered By A Paper Towel. Before I Knew It...I Blacked Out.

        *********************

Hours Later...

I Slowly Opened My Eyes To Pure Darkness. Where Am I?

"Hello?" I Called Out. No Response. I Was Tied Tightly To A Chair And I Couldn't Get Out.

"Hello!" I Screamed. I Then Heard Some Coughing And Movement.

"Who's There? Hello!" I Said.

"Hmm." I Heard A Voice Say.

"Who Are You?" I Asked.

"Mom?" I Heard My Son Say.

"Kaiden? Oh My God! Are You Okay?" I Said.

"Mom? Mom! What's Going On? Where Are We?" He Said.

"I Don't Know! I'm Tied To A Chair!" I Said.

"Me Too!" He Said. He Was Really Freaking Out.

"Kaiden...I Need You To Calm Down Sweetie. Just Relax. We Are In A Scary Situation And I Need You To Just Relax." I Said Calmly.

"Okay. Okay." He Said.

"Kaiden?" I Heard Another Voice Say.

"Mia? Baby You Okay?" He Asked.

"Why Is It So Dark? Where Are We? Why Am I Tied Up!" She Said.

"Baby Calm Down. We're All In The Same Situation." I Said.

"We All? Who Else Is Here?" She Asked.

"My Mom Is Here." He Said.

"Oh My God!" She Cried.

"Mia...Honey....Like I Just Told Kaiden....I Need You To Calm Down." I Said. She Took A Few Deep Breaths.

"Okay...I'm Sorry." She Said.

"You're Fine. Now...Do Either Of Y'all Remember How You Got Here?" I Asked.

"The Last Thing I Remember Was Getting Attacked And Then I Blacked Out." Kaiden Said.

"Me Too. Two Men Grabbed Us And The Next Thing I Know I'm....Here!" Mia Said. I Sighed.

"I Think I Can Get Out Of These Knots." Kaiden Said.

"They're Too Tight!" Mia Said.

"They Really Are." I Said.

"Yeah They Are, But I Know I Can Get Out Of These." He Said.

"What Makes You So Sure?" I Asked.

"Well...Mom...Don't Freak Out, But.....Dad's Been Teaching Us Techniques That'll Help Us If We Were To Ever Be In A Crazy Situations." He Said. What The Hell?

"And By Us You Mean??" I Said.

"Me, The Twins, And MJ." He Said.

"Are You Serious?!" I Snapped.

"Wait! Calm Down. He Taught Me Way More Things Than Them. He Taught Them Just How To Get Themselves Untied, And What To Do In Case Of An Emergency. Me On The Other Hand....He Taught Me More Advanced Things." He Said. Though I Should Be Pissed, There Was No Time For All That.

"Well....Get Yourself Untied And Then Untie Us." I Said. As Soon As I Finished My Sentence, The Lights Came On. I Squinted My Eyes As I Looked Around.

"Really? My Daughter?" I Heard A Voice Say.

"Mom? Mom!" Mia Screamed. I Looked Up And Saw April.

"I Am So Sorry Honey." She Said.

"Untie Us Mom!" She Said.

"I Can Only Untie You Mia." She Said.

"What About Kaiden? What About His Mom?" She Said.

"They Are Here For A Reason." She Said Eyeing Me.

"Hey Kaidence." She Said.

"What Is Your Purpose In Life? Kidnapping Me, My Son, And Your Own Daughter? What Is Wrong With You?" I Snapped. She Walked Up To Me And Slapped Me Across The Face.

"Mom!" Kaiden Said.

"I'm Fine Kaiden." I Said.

"Sure Is." I Heard A Male Voice Say. I Looked Over And Saw Victor.

"What's Up Kaidence. It's Been Awhile." He Said. I Rolled My Eyes.

"And Look At Kaiden. I Ain't Seen You Since You Was A Baby." He Said.

"Who Are You?" Kaiden Said.

"I'm Your Uncle Vic." He Said.

"No He Isn't! He Was Your Daddy's Friend." I Snapped. Vic Walked Over To Me And Grabbed My Neck.

"So Tell Me This Kaidence.....Did You Kill Preston?" He Asked.

"You Know I Didn't Kill Him!" I Said. He Slapped Me Across The Face.

"Stop! Leave Her Alone!" Kaiden Said.

"Mom! Make Him Stop!" Mia Said.

"Stay Out Of This Mia!" April Snapped.

"So Did Marvin Kill Him?" He Asked.

"No!" I Snapped. He Slapped Me Again.

"You're Lying!" He Said. He Then Pulled A Knife Out And And Cut The Rope Off  Of Me. He Yanked Me Up Out Of The Chair And Pulled My Face Close To His.

"We Can Do This The Easy Way, Or The Hard Way. Your Choice." He Said.

"Either Way....I Still Don't Know Who Killed Preston." I Said. He Laughed And Shook His Head.

"I Think You Do." He Said. He Then Reached Back And Punched Me Hard In My Face.

"Mom!" Kaiden Cried.

"And Until You Tell Me Who Killed Him, You'll Be Suffering The Consequences!" He Said. He Punched Me Again, And Again. Each Punch Brought Back Memories. The Memories Of....Preston.

(Vic In MM.)