“He’s a grown man!” My mother breaks the angry gaze aimed at my father and turns it back on me.
“And while neither of you may believe it… I’m a grown woman!” I snap back at her. “I don’t care if you think I’m a disappointment anymore. I know what I want, and I’m not going to lose it because you still want to treat me like a little girl. Bram is a good man. He’s not the monster you want to make him out to be.”
“Kiana, you don’t know what you’re saying…” My mother shakes her head.
I’ve said all I can say. My parents want to continue the conversation, but I don’t. There’s a good chance this will be the last time I see either of them. Once they fully process everything, they’ll do what they always do—deflect blame, shift it, and put it on someone else. They can lay it all on my shoulders if they want to.
I’m strong enough to carry it now.
They can deal with their personal fallout. I’ve got other things to deal with.
I leave their house with my head held high. The first thing I do is request an Uber, and then I hit the button to dial Bram’s number.
I need to hear his voice. I need to hear him say that what we shared meant as much to him as it did to me.
Instead, I’m greeted with a few rings and his voicemail.
I won’t be deterred. If he’s not picking up his phone, I’ll find him. The Uber arrives and I ask the driver to take me to my apartment. I’m still wearing the same clothes from yesterday—the clothes I slept in. I just need to go home long enough to shower and get a cup of coffee.
I dial Bram’s number a couple of more times before the Uber arrives at my apartment building. Despite not being able to reach him, I feel better about the entire situation. It could be misplaced, and I may very well find out that Bram was trying to reach me to say all the things I’m scared of hearing, but I choose to believe otherwise.
I’ve finally stood up to my parents. That’s a major step for me. The biggest one I’ve ever taken with them. If they hate me, so be it, but if we’re ever going to have a relationship again, it has to be on my terms. I refuse to be mistreated by them again.
“We’re here.” The driver turns toward me and smiles after he stops in front of my apartment building.
“Thank you.” I snap out of my daze and give him a tip via the app before stepping out of the car.
I pause to try Bram one more time, and when I hear his voicemail again, I can’t help but assume he’s at work. God knows there is a lot to sort out there after what my father did.
Suddenly, there is a screech behind me. It’s so close and immediate that I spin around to find the origin.
“What the hell?” A black van has come to a stop by the curb, even closer than my Uber driver was when he dropped me off.
The door opens and I see two men wearing black ski-masks. Adrenaline surges through my body as the danger registers. I turn toward my apartment building and try to run, but hands grab me. I try to scream, but a hand goes over my mouth. I’m lifted off my feet in an instant, and then I land hard against a surface that I can only assume is the floor of the van.
“Mr. Diaz wants to have a talk…” I don’t recognize the voice, but I recognize the name.
I try to sit up. I feel like I can explain that there is a mistake if they’ll just let me talk. My debt with Mr. Diaz is cleared. Bram handled it. Didn’t he?
“Don’t move.” The same voice is followed by a hard blow that hits the side of my head.
I slump back against the floor, and both hands are pulled behind my back. I struggle and fight, then get hit in the head for the second time. This hit is harder. It makes me see stars, and I feel like I’m too dizzy to move. My hands are finally secured behind my back by something that hurts my wrists.
Losing Bram may be the least of my worries right now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Bram
I wake up where I fell, on the pavement, but I’m not alone. Joanna is kneeling beside me with her phone to her ear.
“Hello? 911? Yes, I have an emergency!” Her voice is rattled and panicked.
“No…” I reach out to her. “Don’t call anyone. I’m fine.”
“Don’t move!” She puts a hand on my shoulder. “I don’t know exactly what you did to Mr. Brooks, but he needs to be in jail, and you need to go to the hospital!”
“It…” I push her hand away. “It wasn’t him.”
It takes me a moment to get my composure, and Joanna is able to give an address before I can stop her. Whether I like it or not, the cops and paramedics are on their way. I’m groggy. My head is throbbing. I have at least one broken rib, maybe two. Diaz made sure his message was delivered, but I went down fighting. I hope I can find a little solace in that while I’m hating my life for the next couple of days.
“You have to be fucking kidding me.” I retrieve my phone from my pocket and am greeted with a shattered screen.
Two days. Two beatings. Two broken phones. That’s enough to piss me off more than the pain.
“Don’t talk. You don’t need to move at all.” Joanna slides closer.
She’s got my best interests at heart. I know that. I just don’t give a damn about myself right now. I got Diaz’s message loud and clear. He doesn’t
