"Hey, dinner's ready, I'll go lay her down and make you a plate okay?"
She hesitates for a moment, probably waiting for me to respond but I have nothing to say to her. From the corner of my eye I can see her walk away with a frown on her face. I don't understand how she can be so unfazed by everything that's happened. Why wasn't she as pissed off as me? Why didn't she cry when we had to bury her? It doesn't make any sense to me, something about this whole situation is just off.
"Bubba? It's been a few weeks now, I think Kenya and I will be fine if you start going back to work."
I hit the arm of the chair I'm sitting on. "No. I'm staying here with the both of you. You two need me. The twins are in school and mama's gone. You need me here to keep you safe."
She walks over towards me and wipes her hands on her apon before grabbing my own, then kneels down next to me. "Yoyo, Kenya and I are fine. I really do appreciate you being here for so long but look at what this doing to you. All you do is run your product out of the house and I don't want that around my daughter." She closes her eyes as the begin to glass over, "We both know that's how she lost her father and the last thing she needs right now is her uncle getting himself hurt, or worse."
Before I can respond, my phone starts to buzz in my pocket. She stands and heads back to the kitchen, "I'll leave your food in the fridge."
I pull my phone from my pant pocket and lower my brows at the unknown number flashing across the screen. "Hello?"
"Yoyo? What the hell man? I've been trying to call you for weeks now! Whatever woman you're doing right now, kick her out and get over to the mansion. We've found her."
"What? Who the fuck is this and how'd you get this number?"
"Oh Dios mío, I don't have a lot of time to talk so just do as I say! She'll be in the mansion with Lina. Just tell the guards at the front gate that I called you. They should know what you look like since you were a frequent guest."
"Carlos? What the fu-" There's a click on the other end of the phone, soon followed by dial tone.
"Yoyo are you okay?" Riyah walks over to me and put her hand on my shoulder. I nudge her hand away and stand up.
"I'm stepping out for a bit. Lock up the house and don't answer the door for anyone but me." I make sure my gun is tucked in my waistband then shove my phone into my pocket. "If I'm not back in by tomorrow, take Keke and go to the place we talked about."
Without another word, I grab my keys from the kitchen counter and leave the house. I can hear her faint footsteps following behind me but I know if I turn around I won't be able to leave. "Yoyo! Where are you going?" The panic in her voice makes me hesitate for a moment.
"Just seconds you wanted me out the house. I'm going and now you're worried?" I speak without turning around. What the hell changed all of a sudden?
"I saw you get your gun! Nothing good ever comes from using that damn thing!"
"Get back in the house, Riyah. It's cold out and you have no shoes on, you'll catch a cold."
I open the door to my car and get inside. I shove the key in the ignition and shift it into drive. My foot slams on the gas and in the overhead mirror I watch as her crying face becomes smaller and smaller until it completely disappears.
"Everything I do is for the greater good of my sisters...They need me. They need their big brother to protect them and damnit that's what I'll do."
The gates to his mansion appear in front of my car sooner than I thought expected. I guess I hadn't realized how fast I was going. A burly looking man with a scar on his eye taps on my window and I roll it down.
"Oye, haven't seen you round here in a while. You back for the girl?"
I give him a fake smile. "Seems like you've already gotten word of my arrival. Mind if I get in?"
He turns to the men at the gate entrance and nods, signaling to them to open them up and let me though. "It's good to have you back but you should probably hurry, he's back too and we have his girl. We all saw what he did to the ones that were responsible for her abduction last time."
"She not "his girl" and we didn't abduct her. She's my little sister and right now she needs her big brother." I rush to the front of the house and hurry up the stairs. I don't ring the doorbell, I just burst through the large doors and hurry inside. "Kazmaria?! Kaz, you here?!" I hurry deeper into the house until I freeze dead in my tracks.
"Yoyo. You shaved your beard off? It looks nice."
I want to run over to her and hold her in my arms but my body won't move. I stare at her swollen stomach in shock. Look at what that bastard has done to my precious baby sister. I'll kill him. As God as my witness, I will kill him with my bare hands.
"Yoyo?" I snap out of my head and when she calls my name. "Are you feeling okay?"
"I er- I'm fine, I think." She walks closer to me and I can feel my heart beat against my chest. She looks so beautiful in her long dress that sweeps just barely past her feet. Her stomach has grown so much, I wonder if it's a boy...
"Yoyo, would you like to feel them kick?"
"Th- Them?"
A gentle smile spreads across her face as she nods. "Twins. I'm having twins."
She takes slow steps towards me with her hand going in circulation motions around her stomach. I stand upright and gulp, my hands tremble as she stands in front of me. She notices and grabs my wrists.
"Yoyo, it's okay. Everything is okay...I'm fine now so please try not to worry too much." She puts my hand on her stomach and my eyes grow wide and I quickly snatch my hand away.
"No. This is not okay, none of this is!" At this point I'm pissed. How long does she have to keep lying to herself for the sake of that jackass? "But everything will be fine soon. Once I have his fucking head then...Then we'll be fine."