48 Blacktop Obsession
"Allright, now that we got that done, let's head to the house." Shayde jumped on the boat "Your money will be there in the morning." She said, wiping her hands like she was washing them of something and was done.
"Our money?" Roman's head popped up. "Whatchu mean, homegirl?" He asked.
"Yeah, your money. Unless you working for me for free?" Shayde asked, grabbing a drink as she sat down.
"Shayde!" Kaidyn waved, happy to see her from the front of the boat. Kaidyn stood up, her legs looking a little shaky.
"How you feeling, Silly girl?" She asked, relieved to see her looking happy and at the front of the boat where she would have expected her.
"Good and rested." Kaidyn walked over to her and bent down to give her a hug. She was all smiles and this made Shayde happy.
"Good deal. I was just telling the boys their money would be in their bank accounts in the morning." Shayde said with a devious smile.
"Wait, how did you get our bank accounts? Stop playing, Shayde." Roman rolled his eyes.
"I'm not playing. Who's playing?" Shayde asked, all serious.
"Oh, that was me." Kaidyn giggled. "I am a great hacker." She smiled proudly. "Except for Jesse. But don't tell him I said it." She said, her smile disappearing as she thought about him.
"You okay, Kaidyn?" Tej asked, trying to distract her.
"Yeah. I'm good." She nodded with a slight smile.
"If you want to come back up here, the captain's seat is open." Tej grinned, making her smile. He stood up to let her sit in the chair.
"Hacker, huh?" Roman asked, shaking his head, not shocked at this.
"Yup, that's why I did 6 months in Juvie." Kaidyn boasted.
"That's nothing to brag about, Kaidyn." Shayde chided, shaking her head.
"I did hard time, Shay." Kaidyn said so seriously that Brian, Tej and Roman had to fight not to laugh.
"Juvies rough. Brian would know." Roman nodded.
"Be quiet." Brian ordered.
"You're 18 now, you get caught, you can do harder time. Ask cop boy over there." Shayde motioned towards Brian.
"She's right." He gave a supportive nod.
"That's if I get caught, Shayde, if I get caught." Kaidyn shook her head, still smiling.
"I can't do this today. Need I remind you that you did get caught?" She asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh, ouch." Kaidyn pretended to be shot. "That hurt, Shayde." She said, shaking her head, feeling offended.
"Facts hurt." Shayde shrugged.
"Facts are not needed today." Kaidyn said, trying to think of a way to switch the subject.
"You woke up feisty." Roman acknowledged. "I'd be careful, Shayde's been a bit scary." Roman leaned over to whisper to her.
"Shayde's still here and can kill you. I mean, hear you." Shayde reminded, giving Roman a threatening glance.
"I'll protect you." Kaidyn promised with a grin.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" Shayde asked, looking at Kaidyn and making her laugh. "When we get home, which will be soon, I got a surprise for you." Shayde promised.
"Ohhhhhhh, I love surprises!" Kaidyn smiled, looking pretty excited.
"I know you do." Shayde nodded. "You're gonna love this one." She promised.
"Ohhh, I can't wait." Kaidun rubbed her hands together excitedly.
"I bet you can't." Shayde remarked.
"Something tells me this isn't a good surprise?" Brian asked Shayde quietly as Kaidyn and Roman were goofing around.
"It'll be a surprise for her and probably you too." Shayde said coyly.
"Sounds fun. As long as it's a good surprise." Brian laughed.
"It's beautiful out here on the water. Too bad we can't just park here." She mused quietly.
"Yeah, I'm sure Kaidyn would be watching for dolphins." Brian laughed.
"She looks for them all the time. Anything animal or sea life she loves." Shayde smiled.
"Yeah, you can tell she's an animal person." Brian nodded.
"Did Tej relay any messages to you guys?" Shayde asked, turning to look at Brian in the eyes.
"Yeah, he told us. He said Kaidyn is our main concern, about the cars and to make sure we know we are being watched all the time." Brian nodded, looking out at the water as they talked, his hands in his pockets.
"You know I'll have to act like you annoy me, right? Otherwise Carter might get some crazy stupid idea. So don't take it personally." Shayde warned.
"Yeah, it's fine. I won't." Brian nodded.
"Hope you can act because he's good at reading people." Shayde warned.
"Oh I know." Brian nodded. "I won't let you down." Brian promised.
"It's not me I'm worried about. I just want Kaidyn to be okay." Shayde advised.
"Well, well help you both." Brian promised.
"Just remember to watch yourself and no crazy acting on impulses, Mr. Drive a car into my boat." Shayde warned.
"Yeah, that was pretty crazy, huh?" He asked with a grin.
"It was crazy alright. Not because of what you did but who you did it for." Shayde chided.
"Well, to be fair, I didn't know she was an evil raging bitch at the time." Brian laughed.
"I guess I can give you a reprieve based on that." Shayde reasoned.
"I appreciate that." Brian laughed. "Everything's gonna work out. I just hope you'll be safe." Brian said, his voice low.
"Don't worry about me, I appreciate it, but I can handle Carter. Just please help me make sure Kaidyn is good and safe. I have to be honest, it's been eight years and I don't know if I trust him. He was good to her and I have no reason to think otherwise but just in case, I want to make sure she's protected at all costs." Shayde said as she used her scrambler in case the boat was being bugged. She didn't want her dad or Carter to hear any of this.
"He had better be good to you both." Brian said, his voice a growl.
"No, none of that. Do not try to play hero or I'll dump you in the water right this very minute." Shayde warned. "I can handle Carter. Whatever he does, he says, you see or hear, you keep a game face on and ignore. I can handle myself. Just keep Kaidyn distracted and safe." Shayde said fiercely.
"Okay, okay, I got it." Brian said, knowing she meant business.
"Don't get yourself killed over acting like you want to save me. It won't end up well for you. You know Carter. He's ruthless. Only do this if you can act and play the game. Or go home." She said, watching Kaidyn and Tej talk and laugh while they talked.
"Well, I'm not going home so I am entering the game." Brian grinned.
"You were warned. If something happens, I am not responsible." Shayde shook her head.
"Yeah, I know." Brian grinned.
"Stop grinning. And you are to blame if those boys get hurt too. Not my fault." She shook her head, hoping to talk him out of this once more.
"I know. It's fine, we got this." Brian laughed.
"You're stubborn, you know that?" Shayde asked, leaning on the boat rail and folding her arms.
"Not the first time I've heard that." Brian shook his head.
"Yeah, I bet not." She agreed.
"Looks like they are having a good time." Brian laughed, watching Roman chase Kaidyn around and making her giggle.
"Yeah, we should probably not be alone anymore." Shayde nodded, getting up to go join Tej, Kaidyn and Roman.
"Yeah, sounds like a good idea." Brian nodded in agreement.
"You want me to drive Tej?" Shayde asked, walking up to the wheel.
"It's up to you, Shay. I am good either way." he shrugged.
"We're here." Shayde said a bit later, elbowing Brian. "Game faces everyone." She smiled. They pulled the boat into a covered boat dock and she jumped out to close the dock, shutting it off from the ocean.
"Go time, let's go." Roman nodded in a hyper voice. He was ready to be off the boat.
"This will be fun." She promised with a devilish smile.
"It's dark in here." Kaidyn shuddered, looking around.
"Not for long, lil one. I'm just locking up the boat and we'll be out of here." Shayde promised as Roman playfully made ghost noises, earning a slap from Kaidyn.
"You're not funny." Kaidyn hit him again.
"Owww, rude." Roman held his arm. He acted like he was going to push her off the dock, making her grab Tej.
"I got you, no worries." He promised.
"So where's this new house at? Is it as dark as this? I feel like it has a dark presence already." Kaidyn commented, making Shayde look at her.
"Are you for real right now? You've not even seen it yet." She rolled her eyes.
"Bad vibes is what I'm getting." Kaidyn warned.
"Oh honey, you haven't even seen the house yet." Shayde put an arm around her. She couldn't tell if Kaidyn was being serious or not because it was too dark to see her expression. She hoped Kaidyn was just being Kaidyn and being dramatic.
"I don't know about this, Shay." Kaidyn said, shaking her head, not moving as Shayde was trying to get her to walk out of the boathouse dock.
"The house is a few miles up the road." She promised.
"You got us, everything's gonna be fine." Brian added. They walked out of the covered dock and Kaidyn looked around.
"This is really a big place, Shayde. Should I remember this place?" Kaidyn asked, looking around, looking unsure of it all. Her whole demeanor had changed now.
"No, honey, this is a new house we had built. Isn't it pretty? Lots of surprises here and we are safe here." Shayde said, putting her arm around her as they walked to a black Suburban with tinted windows.
"You sure we're safe here?" Kaidyn asked in doubt, her face worried Shayde that she was going to go into an episode or a panic attack. They walked towards the SUV. The guys followed behind, quiet and taking in the property that was only a few miles from the ocean shoreline. Off in the distance was a huge house and a straight road that led to the house. It looked like a guarded compound but not.
"Yes. What do you think of the layout?" Shayde asked.
"It's really pretty." Kaidyn said quietly. She stopped in the sand to look at a crab.
"That thing will bite you." Roman warned as Kaidyn picked it up.
"Awe, no it won't. You just have to know how to pick them up and not scare them." Kaidyn smiled at the crab as she looked at it.
"Of course she'd find a crab." Shayde remarked to the boys.
"Let's eat him for dinner." Roman suggested, rubbing his stomach.
"Um, no. You should be ashamed of yourself. He probably has a family." Kaidyn shook her head, putting it down to let it go.
"Crabs are a good food source." Roman started to say.
"You will not be eating any of these crabs. They are not the kind you eat." Kaidyn scolded. Roman looked at Kaidyn, his mouth dropping open, confused as to how these crabs were not food.
"How are these not food?" Roman asked.
"These are pets, not food. But they prefer to be set free." Kaidyn explained.
"You just got here, how do you know this?" Roman asked, looking at Shayde.
"She loves ocean life, just let it go, Roman." Shayde shook her head, knowing he'd never win that battle with Kaidyn. She'd argue to the death about it with the mood she was in.
"Hey strangers. You guys need a ride?" Han asked, leaning on the car and eating a bag of chips.
"Oh no, this better not be my surprise. This is not a good surprise at all." Kaidyn shook her head, stopping and not moving.
"Surprise." Han grinned, holding out his arms to her and grinning.
"Why the hell are you here?" Kaidyn asked, clearly annoyed now. Brian, Roman and Tej looked at each other, shocked.
"You know why he's here, You got six more months of school." Shayde said. "And you know he is family." She ruffled Kaidyn's hair, reminding her.
"He's her teacher? What?" Brian asked, his mouth dropping open.
"Well, someone should not have invited him here." Kaidyn growled. "I'm still on break." Kaidyn folded her arms.
"The joys of homeschooling. We take it with us. You know this." Shayde said with a smile, happy to see Han as she gave him a hug.
"Well, someone, meaning you, should have taken the work seriously in Juvie and you woulda been done." Han shot back, winking at her with a smile, knowing it was going to get under her skin.
"It was just busy work. It wasn't even worth the effort. It was just stupid." Kaidyn scoffed.
"Well, now you will be busy studying with me, Princess Kadence." Han shrugged.
"Go back to bartending school, Jeeves." Kaidyn said, rolling her eyes.
"I already graduated, but thanks. That's the joy and reward in doing the work." He grinned, coming over and grabbing her, giving her a big hug. She tried her best to wiggle away from him.
"I told you this would be entertaining." Shayde laughed as the boys laughed.
"Let me go, Han." Kaidyn said, getting loose of his grip.
"I missed you too, Princess Kadence." Han said, walking to the car with Shayde, letting Kaidyn stay with Brian, Roman and Tej.
"I didn't miss you." She called after him. She had a smile and she was clearly happy to see him.
"Princess Kadence?" Roman asked, clearly confused.
"He does that just to annoy me to no end. So now I call him Jeeves since he's practically my babysitter, wanna be teacher. Something like that. He's ridiculous." Kaidyn shook her head.
"He's not all that bad, is he? We may or may not know him." Brian laughed.
"Hold on! There's more crabs!" Kaidyn cried excitedly, making Tej, Roman and Brian stop. This gave Shayde time to talk with Han so Shayde was happy.
"Riding shotgun with me? Please don't make me sit by her, she's already being mean." Han laughed, opening the door for Shayde.
"Yeah, I am riding up here with you." She laughed.
"I missed you." Han admitted, holding up his phone, showing her he was scrambling things. She nodded and hugged him again. "I missed you too. Kaidyn missed ya too." Shayde admitted.
"Sure she did." Han laughed. "Not so sure about that." Han laughed, watching Kaidyn play on the beach with the crabs. She held one up to Roman's face, no doubt showing him how cute she thought they were.
"So you think they kept their secrets well or no?" Shayde asked, watching them play with Kaidyn on the beach.
"Our trusty guru said those mouths are sealed. But I coulda told you that, those are my homeboys." Han grinned.
"References never hurt." Shayde smiled.
"Neither does surveillance." Han grinned.
"Hmm, I've missed you." Shayde admitted.
"Shay, there's enough weapons on me and you, we could leave right now." Han said, looking back at the house.
"Han, you're making me nervous. Kaidyn already had an episode when we hit the Florida line and in the boat. She didn't want to leave that boathouse and she's stalling now." Shayde said.
"I'm only saying this because I've seen some red flags. I'm worried for you." Han admitted.
"Well, it's this or as soon as we leave here we get collected by Dante, which means all of you die but Kaidyn and I." Shayde informed him.
"Why do you say that?" Han asked, looking at Shayde intensely.
"Because he called before I got on the boat. He had his men ready. He's ready for me to rule beside him and …." Shayde took a deep breath.
"This isn't gonna be good." Han knew already.
"He's ready to start training Kaidyn. He's giving me six months, Han." Shayde sighed, looking down.
"Damn, so it's one psychopath for another." Han shook his head.
"Yeah and they both miss me. I'd rather go with this one I guess." She admitted.
"We just gotta get them to take out each other." Han sighed, knowing they were up for a challenge.
"That's what my goal is. Shadow's working that angle from his end too. I just want to be free." Shayde advised.
"Let the battle begin. We need to thin his people out. I'll try to help give you reasons." Han promised.
"Oh I have many reasons. I'm bout to get gun happy." She promised. They were quiet, watching Kaidyn play with the guys on the beach. "He's gonna need help controlling me. I wonder who will get sent for that?" She grinned mischievously.
"And in will enter our wild card." Han laughed. "I love a good plan, Shay." He smiled.
"Same. I know she's stalling playing on the beach but he's here huh? I'm sure he's waiting." Shayde sighed, herself not wanting to go to the house.
"Yeah, your other plans got cancelled. He's already up in your room." Han advised. "He's not happy with me right now." Han admitted.
"Why not?" Shayde asked.
"You know her shelf we keep for her in the fridge for her to eat?" Han asked, getting a nod from Shayde. "He doesn't like that it had stuff he didn't approve of. Guess he wants her to not eat? I don't know. He wasn't for all the different things. Something about she needs to watch her weight." Han frowned.
"That's him from those pageant days and him forcing her to do that. She's already a damn stick." Shayde sat up, angry. Kaidyn had done pageants in her younger years due to Carter wanting her to maintain an imagine for the family and she had been on track to go national, something he had really wanted her to do before she had gotten shot.
"Well, I know he was good to her before but I gotta tell ya I'm worried. All I heard was why do we have to do this and why that and lots of him being upset. He's worried you are spoiling her. I'm worried he's not going to be happy with how she is." Han admitted.
"Worst case you guys can take her and run. I mean it. I want you all safe." Shayde said, her lips pursed.
"No one's leaving you behind. We're gonna get us all out together or nothing." Han promised her, refusing to agree to run.
"Why do you always do this? There's no hope for me. I'm always gonna be someone's property." Shayde rolled her eyes. "There's enough money to set you all up for life." Shayde advised, knowing he knew this.
"I'm gonna make a phone call if you keep talking about that. We have a plan, we stick to it. Come hell or high water." Han said, not taking no for an answer as he looked at his phone.
"Let me guess, it's him?" Shayde asked. Han nodded.
"Be careful. I'm worried for you. His lock on the door to your room is no joke. He's calling to check in somewhere three or four times a day. Randomly. Not sure what it's about but there's some things that got me concerned." Han said as his phone rang. "Hello." Han answered it.
"Where's My Shayde?" Carter asked.
"She's here, she's letting them enjoy the beach and the view. They need to take in the view." Han laughed. "We'll be on our way soon." He promised.
"She's enjoying it? Good." Carter smiled.
"Yes, she thinks it's beautiful." Han nodded, rolling his eyes as he talked to him.
"Good, it's starting to get dark. Please not too much longer." He requested.
"You got it." Han nodded.
"See you soon." Carter hung up.
"Kaidyn, it's getting dark. Sand flies are gonna come out and then you'll get itchy." Shayde called, loving how the sun looked on the beach.
"Not if I get in the water." Kaidyn shook her head, threatening to put her toe on the water, just holding it barely above the water with a smile. She laughed when the wave got her other foot.
"She looks pretty beat up, she okay?" Han asked, being serious for a moment.
"It made things worse for her, that's for sure. Flashbacks, watch out for the damn flashbacks." Shayde said slightly under her breath as the group got closer to them.
"Worse now, huh? Not good." Han sighed, starting up the car. "I hope we don't lose her in this house, there's lots of spaces to hide." He fretted. They had known each other for years and were more like family than friends. Han always had her back.
"Can you tell me a space I can hide? You know how she hates new things and big spaces. Please keep her distracted as much as you can." Shayde requested under her breath as they got in the car.
"Oh, I got this." Han laughed, throwing a chip in his mouth. He looked at Kaidyn. "So girl, I got a whole fun night planned ahead for you. We got math, science, English." Han offered.
"None, none and none." Kaidyn replied.
"Well, I am feeling generous so I will let you pick which one you want to start with." Han promised, looking in the rearview mirror at her with a smile.
"I just got here. I am not doing homework!" She said indignantly, crossing her arms.
"We will see what the all mighty Hector has to say about that." Han said, shaking his head.
"He's cooler than you are." Kaidyn shot back, looking outside. She could feel her palms getting a bit sweaty.
"Ouch, that hurts my feelings." Han admitted.
"Hey, you okay?" Tej leaned over, whispering in her ear. He could tell she was anxious. She nodded, looking down, not sure if she really wanted to tell anyone how she was feeling right now. She rubbed her palms on her jeans, rubbing the outline of the flames on the jean legs, giving her something to focus on. He grabbed her hand and held it, giving her a slight smile. "It's okay, Babygirl." He promised, putting an arm around her.
"You guys been doing good?" Han asked the boys.
"Been wondering where you ass was." Tej laughed.
"I've been around. I told ya I had a life before all that stuff we did." Han grinned.
"That you did. We missed ya " Brian admitted.
"Good to see you guys for sure." Han nodded.
"I didn't miss you." Kaidyn shook her head, although she was really playing.
"That hurts my teacher heart. I put in all the time to make sure you can go do things and make sure you get stuff done and Hector, he gets to have all the fun. Not fair." Han said, both he and Shayde exchanged glances, noticing how anxious she seemed.
"She's anxious. Not making me feel good." Shayde admitted in a whisper to Han.
"She's very unsure. You think she's okay?" He asked under his breath. Shayde nodded.
"Hoping so." She replied.
"Haha you're funny. Hector says the same about you, Han." Kaidyn said, rolling her eyes and laying her head on Tej's shoulder. "I don't want to do school and I don't want to be here." She complained.
"Hey, me and Rome are here with you." Tej elbowed her gently and playfully.
"Hey, you can't just leave me out. I'm here too. Damn, cuz." Brian laughed, punching Tej playfully.
"My bad, Dawg. Yeah, he's here too." Tej added, making Kaidyn smile. "We'll have fun. It'll be okay." he promised, holding her hand. She nodded.
"So what's up with that back there." Han asked quietly, nodding to Tej and Kaidyn.
"Something I think may be a good thing but nothing official." Shayde smiled. "I would definitely approve if it was." She said, making Han look shocked.
"Interesting." Han said, pulling up to the house.
"Interesting is what it's all about to be with this house." Shayde sighed, not wanting to get out. At least she knew they were safe from her dad and his men trying to kidnap them on this property.
"Wow, this house is fire." Roman whistled, impressed.
"It's dark and depressing." Kaidyn grumbled, not looking impressed. She looked scared to enter the house.
"Come on, girl, it's okay." Han promised.
"Doesn't feel okay at all, Han." Kaidyn said in a serious tone. Han knew she was scared because she used his actual name.
"It is. Hector is inside and can show you around and then we're gonna get to work. But first he said you had to find him and Sprinkles." Han tapped Kaidyn on the shoulder, not giving her time to really look at the house.
"Hector!" Kaidyn ran in the house, ready to find him. "Come on Rome, Tej, come help me!" She yelled, sticking her head back out the door.
"We're coming. We want to see this house, Homie." Roman nodded, taking off after Kaidyn.
"Han, I am sad there's no car here for me." Shayde admitted.
"Yeah, sorry girl, I have a message for you." Han said, looking nervous to tell her.
"Oh yeah?" She asked, dreading to hear this. Han nodded.
"I will tell you later. Someone else had other plans." Han said, not wanting to look her in the eyes, knowing she was disappointed.
"It's been a long day. I need a shower." She admitted, fighting her disappointed tears from welling up in her eyes. "It's cool, I am tired anyways. You sure you guys got her?" She asked heading inside the door.
"Yup, you just go get some rest. I am sure you have plenty on your mind. We can keep her busy." He promised, feeling bad for her having to go deal with Carter.