"You have to give her time Lourdes." Kailani shook her head and slouched down into the couch. After Dakari stormed out of the house, everybody seemed to have went their separate ways around the house. Brielle went downstairs locking herself in her room, Keria was asleep somewhere while Ash and Kai was seated in the living room.

"But Ma, that's my sister and I don't like seeing her hurt. All I did was try to help and now she's mad at me."

"Oh baby." Ashley walked to the couch and sat down pulling Kai into her chest. Ashely shook her head because she knows Kai is profoundly affected by this. See Kailani is one to never show true emotion or express how she feels. She is not an affection person at all, so for Ashley to see her this distraught, it was a little shocking to say the least.

Ashley laid back into the couch and rubbed Kai's back in a soothing manner. The moment broke apart by the sound of Kai's ringing phone. Raising up from her mother's chest, she pulled her phone from the pocket of her hoodie and looked at the caller id shaking her head. 'malik 🦍💙' was stretched across the screen.

"Is that him?" Ashley questioned as she peered over her shoulder, which caused Kai to nod her head. "Go ahead and answer. I'll leave you be."

Ashley stood up as Kailani slid the answer bar over.

"Lolo, you okay? What's going on?"

"You remember what I asked you to do for me? Well, there's a problem."

"Huh? What you mean problem? How is there a problem when I haven't done it?" Kailani drew her head back in confusion. What the fuck?

"What are you talking about Lik? His mama came by our parents' house and said his head was delivered with a note."

Malik chuckled on the other end of the phone and shook his head as if Kai could see him. "A note? That ain't even my style mama and you know that."

Kai bit her lip and shook her head. It is some funny shit going on she thought.

"And plus, that is too risky, why would I do it knowing y'all was about to go to home? Somebody else did the deed."

"Let me call you back Malik." She hung up jumping up from the couch. "Mama!"

"Upstairs!"

Kailani ran to the staircase and took two steps at a time. Finally making it to the top, she pushed opened the double doors to her parents' room.

"Ma! It's some funny shi–stuff going on."

Ashley looked at her confused. "What are you talking about Lo?"

"Malik said he didn't do it. Somebody else had to do it. He told me that leaving a note is not his style and that it would've been too risky if he did it knowing we were coming home."

Ashley sat against her headboard rubbing her stomach deep in thought. "I'm about to call your daddy. Go pack yo bags and tell your sisters. Y'all need to head back to Dallas."

Kailani instantly started pouting. "What the fu–freak man. Second day here and we got to leave already." She walked out of her parents and knocked on Keria's door pushing it open.

"Keria! Get up and pack your bags. We got to head back to the D."

Keria rose from the bead wiping her face. "Why? What's going on?"

"I'll explain once daddy get back." Kai walked to her room and began throwing the little stuff that she unpacked back into her bags. Doing a once over in her room she threw her bookbag across her back and grabbed her duffle going downstairs. Placing the bags by the staircase, she walked down into the basement to Bri's room.

Knocking on the door. "Brielle, it's me Kai."

Kai waited until she heard the door unlock. Pushing it open, Kai walked through the threshold looking around the spacious basement looking for Bri.

"Bri? Where you at?"

"The hole."

Kai shook her head walking towards the back. When Dakari renovated the basement, the carpenters made a mistake and left enough room in a wall that was able to be created into a hole. Which turned into a hiding spot for Bri growing up. It became a haven for her. The hole was big enough to fit a couple things inside, but it was also big enough for one person, if that make sense.

"Come on out. You know we both can't fit." Kai laughed as Bri crawled out of the hole. She stood up and they looked at each other.

"I'm—I'm."

Both started laughing realizing they were about to say the same thing.

"I'll go first. Im not sorry for being upset, but you should have talked to me before you made such an impulsive decision. I understand why you did it, but that was not your call." Bri bit her lip and waited on Kai's response.

"Ok. Im sorry for acting off impulse, it's just when you told us I think a switch went off in my head. I felt like I let you down. We are supposed to protect each other, and I failed. I wish Keria was done here but remember our promise?"

Bri nodded and recited the promise they made when they were kids. "I promise to protect you forever and ever. Because we are sisters, and we stick together. L O V E you and you."

It might seem childish to some, but it meant a lot to the three sisters.

"Now come here and stop crying." Kai wiped Bri's face and pulled her into a hug. They hugged for about two minutes before Kai pushed Bri away. "Okay enough of this mushy shit. Get off me."

Bri let out a loud laugh because she knew it was coming soon or later. She shook her head and watched Kai run back up the stairs. Grabbing her phone, Bri followed suit taking two steps at a time. Making it upstairs, Bri made her way to the living room and scanned the room until her eyes landed on her daddy. She bit her lip and looked down.

"Come here Alaya."

Bri did not budge, it was like her feet would not let her move.

"Cc-come on Muffin. Do not make me beg."

Brielle's heart broke at the sound of her daddy's voice breaking. She felt tears forming in her eyes, which caused her to run across the room jumping in his lap. He caught her and wrapped his arms around her torso.

"I'm so sorry baby. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. Daddy is sorry." He cried into her hair. Bri knew why he was apologizing but it was not his fault. It was nobody fault but Tylan's, the boy that did it.

Dakari pulled Bri back and looked in her face with a harden expression. "Don't ever, and I mean ever keep nothing else like this for me! You hear me?"

Bri nodded her head and wiped her face. Dakari looked away from Bri and pointed his finger. "That goes for you two, too. I'm y'all daddy and it is my job to protect you guys. I have already failed once, and I refused to do it again."

Kai and Keria got up running towards their father and jumped on Bri adding weight to him.

"Ughh! What y'all been eating?" He busted out laughing at their offended expression. "But no seriously, I love you guys and that's on my soul."

"We love you too daddy." The girls spoke simultaneously.

"Alright now y'all got to get up. Even though I am retired, I would still like to be able to shoot around."

Each Jones girl smacked their lips and stood up.

"Bri I don't know if you know but y'all got to head back to Dallas?"

She looked around. "What? Why?"

"Kai's friend said he didn't kill Tylan, somebody else did. It's some weird shit going on, so I need y'all away until I figure this shit out. I thought I left the streets go a long time ago but no muthafuckas gotta fuck with my daughta and shit."

Ashley popped her eyes open due to Dakari's accent coming out. "Snap out of it Dakari!"

"So, we got to leave today?" Bri asked with a pout. Each daughter has come to realization on how much they have missed their parents. Making a mental note to come home often.

Dakari sighed. "Yes. I need y'all away until I found out what's going on."

"Welp let me go pack." Bri turned to go towards the staircase but her mother's voice stopped her.

"There's no need, I packed your stuff while you were in the basement. And your daddy packed the truck."

"Truck?"

Dakari scratched his neck. "Yea about that. You got to leave the cat here."

He pulled his keys from his pocket and dropped them in her hand. Bri gasped. "The JAG? Stop playing."

"Yea, I'm going to park your cat at the garage. I don't need nobody following y'all when y'all leave, which is now. Give me love."

Dakari and his daughters stood in the middle of the living room and hugged for about three minutes. Savoring the moment. The girls broke apart and hugged their mama rubbing her stomach in the process.

"Alright y'all. Bri the truck is gassed up and y'all stuff is in the back. Check y'all cashapp once ya get in the inside."

They slipped on their shoes and walked towards the garage door pushing it open. An all-white Jaguar F-Pace came into view and the girls shook their heads because Dakari does not let anybody drive this truck. Not even Ash. Bri hit the garage door opener along with the keypad to truck.

Bri slid in and instantly began adjusting her seat. Pulling her seatbelt across, she pushed the start button and the engine roared to life. Pulling her phone out of her pocket, Bri shook her head and laughed.

Payment From $daddyjones

$300,000

For buy something else without consulting me. ❤️3:30pm

"Y'all daddy a joke. How much he send y'all?" Bri pulled out of the garage and hit the horn twice. Pulling down to the driveway to the gate, she punched in the code and pulled out.

"What he do? Twenty-five thouwow." Keria grabbed Bri's phone out of her lap and connected it.

"Same and I bet he sent whatever she paid for the house."

"And did! He sent me half of what I paid. Y'all hungry?"

After hearing a bunch of exaggerated answers, Bri decided on stopping at a Whataburger. Spending a cool twenty minutes in the drive thru, they eventually received their food and pulled off. As the girls made their way back to Dallas, they each had the same questions in mind.

Who killed Tylan?

☺️

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