ASHLEY

48

Kenneth POV

   I sink to my knees and rest my head on my thighs. I fight back my emotion as I run through every possible scenario:

   1. She could have just gotten into an argument with her aunt and, in a fit of rage, destroyed the house.

   2. There was some trype of bug in here that she tried to kill.

   3. Her and Angela got into a huge fight.

   By the third scenario I'm running out of options. None of them make sense enough to put me at ease. Something terrible happened here. That part is obvious. This is all my fault. I ignored her calls and text. I wasn't there when she needed me the most and now she's gone.

   If someone came through looking for her that could only mean one thing: they were looking for me first. I squeeze my eyes shut as I come to the realization. I messed up bad this time.

   "Ahhh!"

   My head snap up at the hearing of that feminine scream. I stand to my feet and run to the source of the noise. Omar is crouched in a corner talking in a soothing voice. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you-"

   "Bria?"

   Curls fall over her tear-streaked face and snot down her nose. She hugs her legs to her chest and run her manicured fingers over the rose tattoo on her forearm. She visibly relax when she see me. "Kenneth," she says and runs to my arms. Short arms wrap around me tightly as if to make sure I were real. "I was so scared. They came here looking for you and I tried to call but you didn't pick up. You didn't answer my calls. I was so scared," she says all in one breath.

   I hug her back just as tightly. "I know. I'm sorry-"

   "Why were you ignoring me?"

   "I-I-" I don't know what to tell her because the truth is I was intentionally ignoring her. Of course there was no way to know she was in danger. I thought she was still angry about me leaving. I'm so stupid. I should have known.

   "They were looking for you," Bria mumbles, confirming what I already knew.

   "I'm going to go make some calls to get this handled. I bet it was those guys Darius was talking about. I'll let you know if something comes up," Omar says. He gives me a light tap on the shoulder before exiting Angela's room.

   Bria follows me to the bed. It looks untouched as well as the rest of the room. Nothing in this room has been touched? "You picked a great hiding place," I admit.

   Bria pulls away from me with a glare. Her fist are pounding at my chest. "This is your fault! This is your fault!" Fresh tears wash down her face.

   "I'm sorry. I'm sorry," I repeat louder. I grab her wrist but she struggles under my grasp trying to wiggle free.

   "This is all your fault!" She chants.

   I'm finally able to get a good hold on her and pin her to the bed. Our breathing becomes ragged. She stares up at me with trusting eyes. I stare back at her with guilt in mine. She trust me and all I'm doing is letting her down. Taking advantage of her vulnerability. Her love for me. My lips twitch as I refrain from talking. My thumb caress her cheeks, wiping away her tears.

   Bria place her hand over mine. She takes it in her hands and plant soft kisses. My hands tremble but only slightly. Not sure if she noticed.

   She stares at me with wanting big brown eyes. Her mouth hangs open and I can feel the difference in her breathing. She wants me. She needs me. Still, I wait for her to make the first move. If she wants me I need her to show me. And she does. Her soft pearlique lips crash against my thick ones. Our tongues dance passionately. My hands travel down to her wide hips and around to cup her sex. Earning a soft moan.

   After a while she pulls away from the kiss. Her breathing is heavy and her eyes are still closed. "I'm still mad at you," her voice is soft and unlike her own. I really messed up this time. I have to make this right. Those guys that came in here will not get away with this. I'm out for blood and I won't stop until I get it.

   Bria moves to sit up and I get off of her to give her her space. Her thighs and ass look amazing in those shorts. Her not so large breast sit perfectly in her tee shirt.

   I need to stop while I'm ahead.

   I clear my suddenly dry throat before speaking. "I'm going to find those guys that did this to you. Don't worry everything is going to be okay."

   "What are you going to do?"

   "I don't know yet," and I really don't. "How about you get some rest. You've had a long day."

   "Only if you stay here with me. I can't just call asleep after something like that and besides, this mess needs to be cleaned up before my sister and aunt Jackie get home. I don't want them to know what happened. I don't want them to worry," she pleads.

   I nod solemnly. "Of course." After helping her clean up and get everything back in order I lead her to her room where I crawl into bed with her and rub circles on her back until she falls in a deep sleep in my arms. She looks so peaceful when she's sleeping. I reluctantly slip out of the death grip she has on me and then quietly out the house. I dial Omar's number and wait for him to pick up. He picks up quickly which lets me know he was waiting for me to call.

   "You got something?" I ask him. My voice low and dropping danger.

   "Yeah. Meet me at the trap in twenty."

   "Omar-"

   "Better if you meet me at the trap, Kenneth."

   As soon as I end the call I seek shelter from the biting cold and drive off towards the familiar run down building. Omar is standing outside smoking a joint. He leads me inside the house as if I actually needed the assistance. We stop in front of one of the three bedrooms. The wooden chair in the middle of the room seems to be occupied by a man. His head resting uncomfortably on the back of the chair and a white sock stuck in his mouth.

   Without another word Omar hands me a simple .45 which I accept.

   "He's one of the dudes that attacked Bria."

   "How did you find him so quickly?" Not that it matters to me at the moment.

   "I been making calls all day. Your man is messy, not to good at covering up his trail. He's all yours," Omar says, giving me the okay.

   Looking at the tied up man just makes my blood boil all over again. I'm about to get some answers first, though. It shouldn't take long. If he's as much of an idiot as I think then he'll surely spill everything.

   I owe this to Bria. She was only out in that situation because of me. I'm going to make it up to her this way. I have to, even if she can never find out.