Never Been Kissed

Chapter 28

The night I had come home from taking the passport pictures, Aiden hadn't actually found out what happened but he seemed to me like he had an idea that I wasn't telling the whole truth. After my quick bath, I had cleaned up my cut the fence had given me and gone down to eat with Aiden. He had ordered Thai food and it was delicious.

Later that night I got an unexpected visitor.

I was well into my REM sleep when I felt like something was trailing up my leg. I tried to shake it until I woke up and checked. The house was dark because it was about two in the morning so I could barely see but I could make out the shadow in the window. It's amazing how quick you could wake up when you're scared.

I pulled off the covers and looked out the window. Devon was sitting on the ledge tapping.

He waved.

"What are you doing here?" I asked sleepily after opening the window and letting him in.

"Morning to you too." He smiled. He had a folder in his hand that even in the dark I could see was orange like the orange folders used for mailing important documents.

I shrugged and wiped away at nothing in particular in my eyes. Devon made himself comfortable in my bed and patted the bedside next to him.

"Aren't you going to ask me why I'm here?" He grinned. His teeth shined in the dark from the reflection of the moon through the window.

I made my way to hit the lights but Devon's whisper yell stopped me.

"Don't hit the lights!" He dropped the folder he was holding. I jumped when I heard him say not to.

"Why? What's wrong with the lights?" I asked walking back to the bed and sitting next to him.

"I came on foot and I feel like Nelson and his guys are keeping quiet. Somethings not right and as soon as we get out of here the better." He opened the folder and pulled out the contents inside. I could make out two papers and squinted in the dark.

"Are those the tickets?" I asked hopefully, feeling wide awake.

Devon nodded putting them back into the folder and handing it to me.

"Hold onto them. If something happens to me you'll have the tickets. I put the number of one of my friends in there. If anything were to happen to me I want you to at least have someone to go with you. Nelson needs to stop and if you get to clear everything up that will be a bonus for you."

I smiled thankfully but felt my smile look fake.

Devon noticed.

"I'm not saying something will definitely happen, but you never know." He pulled me into an awkward hug. "I mean Grayer didn't expect a bullet on his date. It was a shock to everyone."

I shivered when i remembered Grayer was in the hospital.

"By the way I made a visit to him while his girlfriend was out to the hotel of the hospital. He's doing a lot better and he said he'd be getting out tomorrow."

I looked up at him. "Really?"

"Yea."

"But tomorrow as in tomorrow the day after these twenty four hours are up or tomorrow as in once this night, technically morning, is over tomorrow?" I asked.

Devon laughed lightly."Tomorrow as in a few hours later today. I forgot it was already morning."

My heart swelled at the news. My brother was okay and coming back home.

"I'm going to get going. I need to pack and let my friends know what we are doing." Devon said pushing up off the bed. His weight left the bed feeling light and empty. I remembered the time in Miami when I had a fever and Devon slept by my side to keep me company.

I looked up at Devon with a question. "When exactly are we leaving?"

He turned to me. I could only see his profile in the dark. He let out a breath."I bought the tickets with an open date. Its round trip but we can leave or come back when ever we want. I was hoping to make it tonight. But you probably want to see Grayer and spend some time with him. But the quicker we get to Miami, the quicker we can get to Kinley and Xavier." He raised a hand to the back of his neck.

"With a guy like Nelsson, I wouldn't give him time. Kinley suffered a lot and Nelsson can do a lot in a night." Devon's eyes sparkled in the dark when he turned to the window.

I let out a shaky breath not trusting myself to answer.

"What would I bring?" I asked tracing the folder with the tickets with my fingers. I followed the edge and got a paper cut but my mind was thinking of all the possibilities that could happen in Miami to even think about the burn.

Walking back from the window Devon replied, "Not too much. You don't want to look like you are moving. We will probably be moving from hotel to hotel so you don't want to bring too much to carry. If we move in and case wherever Nelsson is hiding it will be at night and we won't be leaving what we bring. So bring enough for mayber two nights and maybe what you are wearing." I looked around the room then said, "Bring the passports and I.D's. Remember your signature and I can bring the rest." His hands went into his pockets s he leaned against my bed post.

I looked down at my finger then to Devon. "What if something goes wrong?" My legs went numb. "What if we get caught too?" My breath hitched at the thoughts that flooded my mind. I imagined being pinned down under some stranger and living Kinley's nightmare. Lying on sheets almost bleeding to death with bruises and aches everywhere. I imagined Xavier screaming out to his sister as he could hear her from another room screaming and crying out because of the terrible things I had brought back.

It was when Devon sat next to me and I felt the bed cave in under his weight, that I noticed I was hyperventilating.

"Shh." Devon made circles on my back and rocked my back and forth.

"You have no idea how bad I feel for everything. I feel like we wouldn't be in this situation if I hadn't been looking into my father." I trembled as I spoke.

"I told you it wasn't your fault. And I already have eyes and ears on Nelson's place. We won't be going in blind." He soothed my cries. "And you're not going in alone. We both have ends to tie."

I shook and wanted to catch my breath but I couldn't. I'm not sure what made me say the next things but I felt better after saying them.

"Let's leave tomorrow morning."

....................................................................................................................................................................................

Grayer came home that evening in a wheel chair. I had gotten home moments before and was there to welcome him and my mother. Hailey was also there pushing Grayer into the house after pulling him up the stairs.

I ran to grayer and all but jumped into his arms and onto his lap. I couldn't stop the tears from spilling.

"I'm so glad you're home." I sobbed quietly into his arms. "I'm sorry." I said.


I could feel Grayer smile as he kissed my forehead. "What are you sorry for? It wasn't your fault."

My lips trembled as I looked back at my twin. "Still. I'm sorry." I hugged him even harder.

"Honey be careful." My mother laughed softly as she pulled me off of Grayer. "He had surgery and still has the stitches. You don't want to pull them out."

I smiled at her and pulled her into a hug. "I'm glad you're back too. I haven't had a homemade meal in a while." I teased.

We all laughed knowing that Aiden knew how to cook and wouldn't ever let anyone go hungry.

I helped Hailey with bringing Grayer up the stairs and to his room. Once Grayer was settled in his bed Hailey folded the wheelchair and put it away in the closet.

We sat around Grayer, Hailey leaning against his shoulder and I sat at the foot of his bed.

"So when did the doctors say you could walk on your own?" I asked leaning back on the railing of the foot board.

Grayer shifted in his bed a little and winced. "Maybe another two days." He pulled his shirt up and showed us the bullet wounds. My heart sunk as I looked where the bullets pierced my brothers skin and almost killed him. I reached out and pulled his hand back down with his shirt. I was never a person who could see fresh wounds, blood or scars. The wounds still had the stitches and seemed fresh. I couldn't even fathom how painful it must have been for Grayer to receive the bullets and how Hailey must have felt she saw Grayer collapse. I shook my head trying to not think about it.

"So we won't have to carry up your heavy self up the stairs anymore in a few days." I faked a sigh of relief. "Good."

Grayer smirked and Hailey laughed lightly.

"But until then I need to stay in bed and help into the bathtub." He raised his eyebrows at Hailey and she smiled understanding what he meant.

I coughed and gaged. "Oh come on. You just got out of the hospital. At least wait until I leave."

They both laughed out. "It was a joke." Hailey answered. "Don't worry. You won't be an aunt for a long time."

I smiled and got off the bed. "Well you two are okay. I'm going to my room." I walked out of the room quickly and locked my bedroom door. My backpack was still not packed and it was already five in the afternoon. I was going to be leaving in about seven hours and I still had no idea what to bring.

I opened my drawers and pulled out some clothes. A pair of leggings, a black t-shirt, my jacket, a thin hoodie, sneakers, two pairs of socks, hair ties, and the obvious toothbrush and toothpaste. At the back of my drawer my hand touched something cold and smooth. I pulled out a metal box that my father had left for me before he died. I never opened it before and felt it was the perfect time to open it.

I sat down in front of the dresser with the box in my lap. My hand found the latch on the box and pulled it up. Inside there was a dark blue velvet liner with a metal tool inside. On the top of the box was a small note. I peeled it off of the velvet and opened it. The paper crinkled a little as I unfolded it.

"I hope you never have to use it. But if you do make it worth it."

My father's handwriting seemed familiar but distant at the same time. I picked up the small tool and pushed on the button. A small blade popped out making me jump a little. My father had left me a switch blade.

Which made me wonder, did he know I was going to use it? Did he know I would find out about his secret?

I pocketed the knife and continued pulling out clothes and picking out what I could use to go to Miami. Most of the clothes I picked out were dark colors because as Devon had told me, we were there to take down Nelson not to get attention. I pulled out my backpack and a duffle bag from under my bed and began packing things into it. My duffle bag had a liner all the way around it from the inside which is where I stashed some plastic ties, some metal wire, a couple feet of rope, some black cloth, and the switch blade knife. I closed the liner back by sewing it which took longer than I had wanted to. But once I was done you could barely tell that there was anything in the lining.

I put in the leggings, and dark shirts, a few pairs of underwear and bras, hair ties, a bag of makeup, and the other things I had set aside. Once everything was packed in the duffle bag I began packing my backpack. I put my laptop in the case inside the bag with its charger, my phone charger, my tablet and a few little gadget looking things Devon had left the night before. My backpack was pretty packed when I had finished so I decided to go downstairs. Conveniently Aiden called from downstairs saying dinner was ready.

I walked out of my room shutting the door behind me hoping quietly that no one would go into my room and see the bags. The best excuse I had to cover was that I would be heading to the gym in the morning. A Saturday morning. At about two a.m.

"Hey Mi. Can you help get Grayer?" Hailey poked her head out of Grayer's room asking me. I nodded. The trip back down wasn't as difficult as it was on the way up. We almost slid Grayer down the stairs in his chair but he didn't get anymore injured than the bullets.

"What's for dinner?" My mother asked coming out of her room. Her eyes closed taking in the mouthwatering aroma of whatever Aiden had cooked in the Kitchen.

Aiden smiled. "We'll I hope you all like Italian. There's pesto sauce on pasta, prosciutto bread fresh baked, and a green salad."

The table looked amazing and the food smelled even better than it looked. My mother moved a seat out of the way to roll Grayer in, Hailey took her seat next to him, Aiden pulled out a chair for my mother next to him, and I just took the seat at the head of the table because all the other seats were taken. We hadn't sat in out dining room table in a while since my father died, but at the time it was an occasion of celebration: Grayer had survived and our family was kind of together again for that time being.