Beyond The Broken Glass3: Finally Mended [complete]

37.) Lost One...Won't Lose Another

The sense of powerless I felt made me nauseated. The overwhelming feeling of being out of touch with my own body left me lightheaded. My very own movements were foreign to me. While everyone else was moving normally, I was the only one staggering in slow motion.

Brandon stayed close to me as I absentmindedly stared at the door. The numbness had me in such a chokehold that I didn't realize Taylor was rubbing her thumb over my hand as she held it. It had been two long exhausting hours and still, we had nothing. Brandon, Drew, and Miranda returned to the mall.

Meanwhile, Ralph had called Ammon and asked him to hack the cameras inside the mall. Which he was surprisingly easily able and ready to do. He mirrored his view to our own computer and together we searched for each view that was available, unfortunately, there was no luck.

The toy store was located in a blind spot. My heart sank deeper into my stomach as the feeling of dread settled in. I'll never see my daughter again. I just wanted to strangle Miranda. This was her fault, or maybe it was my fault. I should have never let her take her to the restroom. I would have been much more mindful because I knew the depths of our lives.

The sound of the front door being tampered with seized all of our attention. We all threw our eyes toward the door as it went flying open. Once more my heart finally began to beat again as she ran into the den, Herb trailing quietly behind her. She had a smile on her face and the frozen doll tucked away in her arms.

"Mommy—Mimi home!" She yelled but it was like a kiss to my ear. The extra weight I Carried on my shoulders melted away. All I could do was smile as she rushed over, throwing her body into my arms as showed me her doll. It felt like the million pieces I broke into reconnected like magnets.

"Her lil ass threw a fit and she can fight—she wouldn't move her feet until I bought her that dumb ass doll," He said with that goofy grin of his on his face.

"How did you find her?"

He plopped down on the sofa as he explained to me that after him, Brandon and Drew got into an argument he came to the mall to ask me some questions because he felt like Brandon was lying.

The  he told me he saw a man walking with Mimi and that she looked scared. He said he followed them all the way out of the mall and that he immediately called Bradon and made a move. He said he was in the moment of bringing her to the bridal shop until they passed the toy store.

"Where are Brandon and the others?"

"They pressing dude."

I didn't need him to further explain. The less I knew the better. I didn't need any details about the crimes he was going to commit against that man. I just didn't need to know. I squeezed her lightly in my arms as I trailed kisses along her cheek. Thank God for Herb I swear, there's no telling what could have happened if he didn't intercept.

Well into the night they still hadn't returned. I didn't panic though, I was just relieved that my daughter was home and she was safe. She slept in my arms alongside Kyson who had thrown his arm over her as well. We remained in the living room. I didn't want to sleep until he was home and they didn't want to sleep without either of us.

Around 11 o'clock the alarm buzzed and the door opened. My eyes shot open as they adjusted to the limited light. He hovered over me as he kissed me on the lips. He repeatedly kissed the top of her head causing her to stir lightly in my arms.

"She okay?"

"She was just fine. Herb bought her a singing doll and ice cream." I chuckled as I stretched under them.

"Put them to bed. I need to talk to you," He commanded as he took Mimi from my arms, seeing as she was the longest and the heaviest it only made sense that he carried her. I took Kyson and carried him to his own bedroom and then we met in our own room. He was already getting undressed in the bathroom that's when I saw the small spots of blood on his clothing. I was going to have to burn those like I did all the others. He jumped into the shower, turning the water all the way on hot.

I removed my own clothing and got in with him. He stood just in front of me and just a little under the showerhead.

"What happened?"

"He was hired." He spoke as he cleaned himself off with body wash and some other weird chemical. I guess it washed away any residue. But never mind that. I searched his eyes thinking he would continue on with the information. But he didn't so I had to prompt him.

"By who and what for?"

He told me that the man was a C.I. turned private investigator. He told me that he was hired by an older woman to take Mimi to an airport and give her to a woman named Helen. He explained to me vaguely about his encounter with the man and even fewer details about how he got all those answers out of him. He said that he was hired by Delores and that he'd been tracking Mimi for years but it was hard to find her until now.

"I can't give her back," I spoke as the panic began to rise.I latched onto his arms as I searched his eyes for some affirmation.

"We not going to. I will burn this entire planet down before I give her back." He said as he pulled me into his body. "We lost one I'll be damned before I lose another one."

My head rested on his chest as the tears soaked my already wet face. The water cascaded over our bodies making the bathroom steamy. I don't know what this means or what's going to happen next but I'll kill anyone before I lose my daughter.

That night we lay in bed, I laid in his arms, listening to him snoring. I stared at the ceiling willing the horrible feeling away. She found us and if her p.i. found us who knows what information he relayed to her before Brandon caught up to him.

"I can hear the thoughts racing through yo brain. Go yo ass to sleep." He mumbled as he tossed over to his back.

"I'm concerned now. What are we gonna do? Take them out of school? Move—again?"

"Buddy won't be a problem to us no more, and if she—herself decided she wants to come to take her—she can get the same special treatment that buddy did."

"What did he get?" I stupidly asked. knowing damn well, I didn't want to know the answer. I wanted us to evolve from what we had to do to survive.

We wreaked [unimaginable]havoc but I didn't want to remember any of it. I didn't want it to rest on my conscience any longer than it did. I was a monster then, and now I'm trying my hardest to be softer. To be more delicate and dainty.

"Nothing that should concern you,"

I'm so glad he still has a secretive side to him. If he told me of all the shit he has done or is currently doing I'd lose it. To think that there is always a possibility that someone can come and snatch the cover off of all of our transgressions scared me. but what can I do about it now, but try and be rebuilt as a better, more wholesome human being?

"And I thought you liked it here?"

"I love it here but I'd rather not have people chasing after my kids."

In New York everything was simple, but in New York, we weren't ourselves. We hated each other and argued constantly. That was the place that made us not want each other. I found myself trying to leave him every chance I got and him trying to do the same, but our circumstances kept us bound together.

We realized it wasn't each other that we didn't want it was the drama that came with having each other. That was the reason I went to Miami with him. So we could start again and take a different approach to loving each other.