Love or Loyalty

Chapter 1

"Dad, dinner is ready!!" Noelle yelled to her father upstairs. She prepared lasagna with garlic bread and a salad. For the past 3 years, her duties were to be the woman of the house and fill the void of her mother. "Ill be down in a sec." She could hear him respond. "Hello?" She answered her phone. "Hey girl!" Noelle laughed. It was Kaila. Her best friend. "Whats up girl. U always call at dinner time. There is no food left!" "Lies! I know its something left. I always come have dinner with yall. Stop fronting and get with the program!" They both shared a laugh. Before Noelle's mother was murdered, she always invited Kaila for dinner. This was something Noelle did her best to keep up. "Girl hurry up before my brother gets here. You know he don't play" she hung up smiling. Preparing the dinner table, Noelle could hear something hit the wall upstairs. She dashed up to her dads office.
"Its not adding up, Fuck!" Henry threw his binder filled with clues to his wife's murder at the wall. He loved Erica with all his heart. She had given him 2 beautiful children, had been with him sense high school and had been married for 27 years before this sad situation. He began to feel his face tighten and eyes protrude. He covered his face. He will never forget hearing the news. His wife's lifeless body found in a dumpster. They left her body for him to find and he was sure of it. His wife was grocery shopping and was running a bit late from work. She worked as a social service nurse at a hospital and was loved by many. He had no idea who would do something so cold and hateful to a woman so sweet and loving.
"Dad......" Noelle walked in seeing her dad sitting on the floor. "Im so close. I just need -" "Stop it.....please. I know its probably driving you crazy but you have to let it go. Do you think mom would want you living like this?" She wiped her fathers tears feeling a knot in her chest. It hurt her to see such a loving man in so much pain. Her mother was her father world and it all ended. She knew this broke him and as a man, he felt helpless with out his back bone. "Hey!" Noelle looked over her shoulder. "Sounds like he made it before Kaila. Come on, lets eat before there is nothing left. No young man wants to see his father hurt" Henry nodded, wiped his face and followed his daughter to greet his son. "Pops! Whats up." Bryan greeted Henry with a hug "Hey boy, how you been? Just done forgot about your old man huh?" He forced a chuckle. "Aww, nah dad. Been busy, football season is fast approaching. You know ya boy gotta get ready." Noelle rolled her eyes. Her brother was such a show off. "Yeah, u gotta look good in that clean ass jersey" she mumbled to him. "Oh, thats how you feel huh? How many people you kill this week Nurse Nosey?" She giggled " Im not nosey and u know Im not a nurse yet. Still in my clinical semesters but thanks for asking." She nudged his arm and went to the front door. "Girl, you got here just in time." Kaila smiled "I know, Bryan so damn greedy. I was on the way when I called."Kaila said as she held her arms out to hug Henry. "Hey girl." He said as he embraced her, smiling. "You and Elle are such great daughters. I don't know what I would do with out you two." Kaila smiled and grabbed a plate.
Before long, everyone was asleep except Kaila and Bryan. "How long we gone keep this a secret?" Bryan asked looking deep in Kaila's green eyes. "Your sister is my best friend. You father looks at me like Im his daughter. And far as Im concerned, I only want to call one of you daddy" she smirked and locked the door behind her.