Jazmine sat at her desk the next morning, staring blankly at the papers scattered before her. She was having a hard time piecing everything together, even though she was missing a large chunk of the story. She then glanced at her cell phone, which sat on the desk. Sighing, Jazmine leaned back into her chair and stared up at the ceiling, rubbing her temples in an attempt to combat the growing headache she was feeling.

Jazmine walked in that morning and expected to have a stack of papers and reports to go over from Sammy, but gave her a thin folder that held very little inside. The symbol Riley drew for them produced very little leads, like it only just began existing. It popped up here and there, primarily in Illinois and Maryland. But there were large gaps in between findings.

Since there weren't that many to go on, neither state pieced the crimes together. There was only one relevant report that stated it was a 'gang symbol', but there was no information other than that.

"This's tough," Jazmine murmured aloud, "there's really not much to go on…it's like it barely exists…,"

There was a knock on her door, and Cindy came in, dressed casually in jeans and a red crop top, her blonde hair pulled back into a sleek ponytail, "Still workin' on it, Jaz?" she asked, placing a cup of coffee down on the table.

Jazmine nodded, "Yeah, there isn't a whole lot to go on, though. It's like this symbol is only used for very specific things." She pulled out the only article Sammy found, "This article says this symbol was found at a crime scene where a house caught fire on the outskirts of Chicago, and the police ruled it as a gang thing."

"What about the other ones?" Cindy asked.

Jazmine shrugged, "They're pretty spaced out as far as the timeline goes. That house fire happened over ten years ago. Another one in Chicago was left at a bank. The more recent ones were in Maryland…,"

"When the boys began roamin' around." Cindy guessed correctly, and Jazmine nodded, "Yeah. Looks like there were a few left here and there before it just…stopped."

"Maybe that's when they moved to New York." Cindy pointed out, "There could've been more left for them there."

"If there were, the boys had to have started getting rid of them, because we haven't found anything." Jazmine sounded defeated.

Cindy scratched her head, "Have you contacted that hitman Huey hired yet?"

Jazmine nodded, "Yes, he's flying here today to give me everything he has. Should be here by midday." she yawned.

Cindy nodded, "Maybe he has information we don't, he was studying at least one person in the group closely for a few months."

Before Jazmine could say anything, the door knocked. This time, Sammy came in, "Yes?" Jazmine arched her brow.

Sammy gulped, "Um, there's a man here saying he's looking for you...he said his name is Archie."

Jazmine recognized the name, "Yes, send him in," she instructed, and Sammy nodded. He left the room, and a few moments later, a different person emerged from the hallway, his eyes focusing on Jazmine and Cindy. He was taller than both girls, and was white, with reddish-blonde hair and green eyes. He had a large scar on his face, and he looked rugged and worn, like he was used to fighting someone every day. He eyed the two, "You're Jazmine and Cindy, right?" he asked.

Jazmine nodded, standing, "Yes, and you must be Archie, the hitman Huey hired?"

Archie nodded, "Yup, that's me. I was honestly surprised when he called me yesterday and paid for my flight here, although he didn't really go into much details…,"

"Their grandfather was kidnapped yesterday," Cindy said, answering his impending questions, "and they believe that he was kidnapped by someone you followed for them."

Archie blew out some air, "You mean Azurel," he said, and Jazmine nodded. She picked up a piece of paper that had the symbol on it from her desk and showed it to Archie, "I've been researching this symbol, but I haven't found much on it. Do you know anything?"

Archie sat down on one of the couches, leaning back, "I've only been on this case for a few months. Huey hired me to find the person that'd been terrorizing them for years and take 'em out. At first, he didn't give me a whole lot of details, but he did give me that," he pointed to the symbol on Jazmine's desk, "as a guideline. I took it and I worked my magic, did a little investigatin' on my own to see what I was dealin' with."

"What did you find?" Cindy prodded.

"See, I didn't find a whole lot. The break I caught was when I killed a guy last week. He was scopin' out Riley's place when I cornered and killed him. That's how I knew I was dealin' with more than one person." He pulled out copies of the photos he'd shown Huey and Riley back in New York and handed them to the girls. Jazmine studied them, but one photo caught her eye, "This was on him?" she asked.

"Damn, he got the symbol tattooed on him?" Cindy seemed surprised, "That's some dedication right there."

"Or coercion," Jazmine added, "he could've been forced to."

"Either way, that's how I knew he was one of 'em. I knew I was dealin' with more than one person 'cause this guy was too easy to catch. He must've been new or somethin', 'cause the other guy that I'd been trailin' was a lot more careful."

"What do you mean?" Jazmine asked.

"This guy just made mistakes." Archie shrugged, "When I found him, he was squattin' in an abandoned building across from Riley's place scribblin' that damn symbol on paper, like he was practicin'. I knew to go there because there were reports from people complainin' about a guy livin' in that building, but that he looked too clean to be homeless. The other guy was like a ghost; you couldn't see him anywhere."

He pulled out some more photos from his jacket pocket and tossed them onto Jazmine's desk. She studied them, "I've never seen these before."

"'Course, 'cause Huey started cleanin' up." Archie explained, "From what Riley tells me, Huey got…a little paranoid as the years went on. He documented everything, but he started gettin' rid of the evidence so cops wouldn't start pryin'."

"Why?" Cindy questioned, "Why wouldn't he want cops to help?"

"What are cops gonna do?" Archie snorted, "Huey's smart, he knows that cops don't all come clean and sparkly. He suspected that cops were hidin' evidence in Chicago about the symbol and what it means, so he just didn't trust any of 'em."

That did sound like Huey, and it made Jazmine crack a faint smile, "Did he ever try to go back to Chicago?"

Archie shook his head, "Nah, that made him paranoid, too. He knows this symbol comes from there, he knows it belongs to Azurel, but he can't find him or anyone else that can lead him to this guy. That's why he hired me."

"But you killed the guy you found." Cindy pointed out.

Archie seemed flustered by her statement, "Yeah, well, he was supposed to have more information on him than what he had! I was supposed to kill him and take his shit, but this dude had nothin' but those damn drawings!"

"Did he tell you why they left?" Jazmine asked, changing the subject to avoid a confrontation.

Archie nodded, "Yeah, Huey said they left Woodcrest 'cause this guy took a hit out on a bunch of people they cared about. Friends, family, and their old girlfriends." He eyed the two, noticing their expressions faltering at his words, "I take it you two were their old girlfriends?"

The air grew rigid as Cindy nodded, shifting around slightly, "Yeah," she said, her voice cracking slightly, "we were."

"Well, at the time Huey felt like that was the best option to take, I guess. It was a rushed thing, he was eighteen at the time." Archie was trying to be sympathetic, but he could feel the iciness from the girls where he sat.

The girls were silent for a moment, "What did they do to deserve all this?" Cindy prodded.

Archie sighed, "I'm sure they can explain it better than I can, but all I can say is that Huey went looking into something he shouldn't have."

"Huey? What about Riley?" Jazmine questioned.

Archie chuckled softly, "Riley? Nah, Riley wasn't interested in anything other than himself and his life, as far as I know. It was Huey that liked to dig, and apparently it was Huey that attracted the eyes of Azurel in the first place."

Jazmine and Cindy were silent for a moment, processing the information, "Anything else?" Jazmine asked in a hushed voice.

Archie shook his head, "This's some next level shit is all I can say. When I accepted this job, I thought it'd be a quick buck. I wasn't expecting it to be so…complicated."

Jazmine nodded, standing, "Thank you for speaking with us." This prompted Cindy and Archie to stand, and Archie nodded as he took her hand in a firm handshake, "Of course, y'know where Huey's staying? He didn't tell me."

Cindy nodded, "They're staying at one of the hotels on our roster. We'll have someone take you there." She sauntered over to the phone on Jazmine's desk, picking up the earpiece and pressing a button. She said something into the phone, and hung up.

Jazmine showed Archie to the door, opening it for him as he stepped into the hallway, "I know you both probably hate them," Archie said suddenly, stopping in his tracks. He turned around to give Jazmine a glance, "but if I've ever seen love, it's the kind they have for you both." Jazmine didn't say anything; she merely sucked in a breath, but she nodded.

She closed the door and turned to Cindy, who now stood a few feet behind her, brow raised, "He serious?" she scoffed.

Jazmine shrugged, "Let's just keep going with this."

Meanwhile, twenty minutes later, Archie pulled up to a nice hotel, nicer than some of the other ones they'd passed by. Huey told him that Woodcrest fell into crime, but he didn't think it was this bad. They witnessed three fights, a house robbery, and part of a shooting before making it to the hotel. His driver, an Asian young man with black eyes, olive colored skin, and jet black hair, drove along idly, never once glancing around at the chaos that they were engulfed by.

"You from here?" Archie asked the boy as they entered the hotel premises. The young man nodded, "Yes, I come from North Woodcrest," he explained; he had a slight accent, "I moved to the east side when I was a teenager."

Archie cocked his head to the side, "You wouldn't happen to know Miss Jazmine and Miss Cindy, would ya?"

The Asian boy curled up a brow, but he nodded hesitantly, "Yes. We went to high school together back in the day." He pulled up to the front of the hotel, "Is it true?" He quietly asked as Archie began to unbuckle himself.

Archie turned to face him, "What's true?"

The Asian young man looked at him for the first time during their whole drive together, "That they're there," he gestured to the hotel, and Archie realized that he was referring to Huey and Riley, "Uh, yeah, why?" He raised a brow.

The young Asian boy cracked a small smile, "Tell Huey that Hiro said hello, and that...it's been a long time." Archie nodded stiffly as he exited the car, closing the door. As soon as he'd stepped away, the driver, whom Archie presumed to be Hiro, sped off, never once stopping.

Hiro Otomo released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. He wanted to see him, his best friend: Huey, but he was too afraid to.

He sped through the area, not once stopping to help the bystanders and victims around him. He didn't care about anyone else there for the moment, he was only focused on returning back to the office to await further instructions from Jazmine and Cindy. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he thought about them...and how much had changed since they were teenagers.

He pulled into the parking garage connected to the girls' building, parking promptly and swiftly. However, despite turning off the engine, he remained in the driver's seat for a few moments longer, staring at the wheel, and then up at the rather vacant parking area. Gingerly, without looking down, he reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a black wallet. He pried it open and held it out in front of him, and finally averted his gaze to stare at the black leather.

As soon as he opened his wallet, he spotted a picture, encased behind a plastic cover meant to protect it from being stained or ruined. Carefully, he pulled the picture out of the wallet and proceeded to handle it with care: he refused to damage this picture, it was an original.

In the picture were two people: a young woman around his age with long, jet black hair, piercing black eyes, and skin almost the same hue as his own. She wore a long red dress that had thin straps and a pair of sandals, a yellow hat atop her head, shielding her eyes from the sun. She was sitting underneath a large willow tree that was swaying with a breeze, perched atop a concrete bench. Sitting in her lap was a small child; a young boy, with black hair and black eyes. He resembled his mother in many ways, and he wore a blue outfit with a pair of small sneakers on his feet. He was laughing at something, and had a hand in his mouth as he stared up at whoever was taking the photo.

Hiro gripped the photo a little tighter, staring at the young woman and the child; his woman, and his child. His family.

He would do anything for them, he had been doing everything he could for them for the past two years, and he would continue to do everything he could possibly do for them to make sure that they were safe and provided for. He loved them. He would die for them.

Which was also why it was hard for him to look upon his wife and child, because when he did, the words of a particularly angry Jazmine Dubois rang through his ears, and reminded him of his duties and his loyalties, along with his burdens.

After all of this is over, you are going to help me kill Huey Freeman.


Huey and Riley greeted Archie with relief as he entered their hotel room. Archie was relieved to have made it there without getting robbed or attacked. When he saw them, he knew they'd seen better days: it looked like neither of them had slept the whole night, and they looked like they hadn't eaten anything yet, either.

"We'll find him." Archie assured the two, and Huey nodded, "Yeah…but how long will that take? Who knows what they're...doing to him right now." Huey couldn't think of the possible setting that his grandfather was placed in, it only worried him more. Riley cringed at the statement.

"I spoke with your ex girlfriends," Archie announced casually.

At this, both boys cringed, "What did they say? They got anythin' else now?" Riley sounded hopeful.

Archie shook his head, "They're still missing...the story," he eyed Huey, "the truth."

Huey groaned inwardly, "Yeah, I know, I told Jazmine I'd tell her today, whenever she's available." Riley arched a brow, "And what am I supposed to do? I'm not goin' anywhere near Jazmine."

Huey smirked, "No, you'll be with Cindy while I'm gone."

At this, Riley grimaced, "Uh, I don't think I'm her favorite person right now," he rolled his eyes, "in case ya forgot, we kinda cornered them yesterday."

Archie chuckled, "Cornered them? How?"

Riley rolled his eyes, "Huey's dumbass over here had Jazmine by the throat, and I couldn't just not do somethin', 'specially when I saw Cindy tryna get at him. She was only tryna defend Jazmine, but I gotta defend my brother," he glared at Huey, "no matter how stupid he is."

Huey smirked, "He's right, though. They'll probably be on edge now, waiting for us to make a move again."

Archie nodded, "You know when you'll be seeing her?"

Before Huey could reply, there was a knock at the door. Riley answered it, and the moment he did, Huey heard him gasp, "Whoa, no way, you're still here?" He heard his brother ask. Curious, Huey met Riley at the door, and found himself staring at a young man.

He was probably Riley's age, and had dark skin, like them. He had his hair cropped short, brown eyes, and a playful smirk on his face. He wore a pair of spotless Jordan's, dark denim jeans, and a black hoodie over a red shirt that was barely visible by his collarbone. The young man arched a brow, "So it is true...Riley Freeman, in the flesh." His smirk only widened, "You still go by Young Reezy, man?"

Riley grinned sheepishly, "Sometimes," he shook off the blush from his cheeks, "what're you doin' here, Tyrone?" Huey instantly recognized the name, and he realized who this was.

Twenty-three year old Tyrone Banks shrugged, "Came here to relay some information," he gestured to both boys, "straight from the boss's."

Huey arched a brow, "You work for Jazmine and Cindy, too?"

Tyrone nodded, "Yeah, my family got robbed after the second crime wave, I needed to make some extra cash," he shrugged, "been here ever since. I go by T-ba now." he smirked, "It's a...code name."

The longer Huey stared at Tyrone, or T-ba, he began to piece some things together in his head. It was then that he realized this was the man that he'd seen with Jazmine and Cindy at the Underworld. He glanced at Riley, who didn't seem to make a connection; he was too busy talking a mile a minute.

"Well, what did you want to tell us?" Huey asked, interrupting whatever Riley had been saying.

Tyrone's face grew slightly grim, "Jazmine wants to discuss y'alls...business over...dinner," he seemed reluctant to say it, and it made Huey arch a brow questioningly, "Dinner? When?" He was genuinely surprised by the statement.

"Tonight, six-thirty." Tyrone replied blankly, his eyes narrowed.

Riley sensed the tension coming from Tyrone, "You good?" he asked, and Tyrone only nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine," he replied a little too quickly, "Jazmine's gonna have someone come pick you up at six; y'all are goin' to Denzi."

The name sounded unfamiliar to Huey, "Denzi? What's that?"

Tyrone crossed his arms over his chest loosely, "It's this fancy restaurant here in the downtown area. Very exclusive. The girls get in whenever they want because they destroyed a competing restaurant for Denzi, and the place also pays them tribute every other month or so to remain open. Wear somethin' nice." He said to Huey, although it sounded like a teasing taunt.

It was then that Huey realized Tyrone had been eyeing him practically the whole conversation, as if sizing him up. Huey hadn't seen Tyrone in years, and they were never friends, so why was there such animosity dripping out of Tyrone directed at him? There was only one idea that made sense to Huey, although he grimaced slightly at the notion.

He must have something with Jazmine.

He turned to Riley, fist bumping him, "See ya later, man."

Riley nodded, "Yeah, we gotta meet up sometime," Tyrone nodded, and he turned around and sauntered down the hallway. Huey and Riley stood at the door, watching him leave.

As soon as he'd disappeared into an elevator, Huey pulled Riley back into the room, closing the door behind him, "I don't like him," he announced firmly. Riley scoffed, "Why not? 'Cause he not one of your original homies?"

Huey rolled his eyes, "No, did you see the way he was acting?"

"Like how?" Riley arched a brow, and Huey pinched the bridge of his nose, still amazed by how naïve and oblivious Riley could be, "The way he was talking to me when he brought up Jazmine…,"

After a moment's pause, Riley's jaw dropped, "You think they fuckin'?"

Huey felt his face turn a shade of red, although he tried to hide it by turning away, "I don't know," he answered quickly.

Riley chuckled, "I mean, it would make sense if you so sure of how he was actin'...,"

Huey turned around and shot Riley a glare, "In that case, he's probably sleeping with Cindy, too. You do realize that he was the one talking to both of them when we saw them in the Underworld, right?" Riley opened his mouth to combat his statement, but it closed. He furrowed a brow, trying to think, "...You sure that was him?"

Huey nodded, "I'm ninety-nine percent sure."

Riley rolled his eyes and stomped away into his conjoined bedroom, "Whatever nigga," he mumbled under his breath.

Huey turned back to Archie, who was on the hotel phone, and was just hanging up when Huey caught him, "What're you doing?" Huey asked pointedly.

Archie gave a sheepish grin, "...just ordering some room service." he replied innocently. Huey groaned inwardly, "You know I'll have to pay for that, right?"

Archie feigned ignorance, "Really? I had no idea, I thought the girls' would pick it up." The words flowed out of his mouth easily, and Huey rolled his eyes, "I hope you ordered something for me, too, cause dinner's in six hours."

"I heard y'all orderin' food!" Riley yelled from his bedroom. The door that separated the two rooms opened slightly, and his head poked out, eyes furrowed, "Whatever y'all get, gimme it too."

Archie shot him a wink and a thumbs up, "You got it." Riley grinned and disappeared back into his room, while Huey only groaned aloud. "Why do you validate him?" he questioned, and Archie shrugged, "He's a funny dude." He scratched his head as he began to try and figure out how to order more food, but he stopped for a moment, "Oh, and Huey?"

"Hmm?" Huey mumbled, having slouched onto his bed. Archie smirked, "Well, the driver that brought me here asked me to tell you hello, and that it's been a long time."

Huey quirked up a brow, "The driver? Who was he?"

Archie shrugged, "Uh, he said his name...somethin' like...I dunno," he racked his brain, trying to remember what that Asian guy had said his name was, "Began with an H, I think,"

Huey sat up from his bed slightly, "H? What was his race?"

Archie shrugged again, "Asian guy, black hair, black eyes, didn't really say much other than that the whole ride here." However, Huey's eyes widened, and he couldn't suppress a small smile from escaping his lips, "Hiro," he said, and Archie's eyes lit up at the name, "Yeah! That was his name, you knew him or somethin'?"

Huey nodded, "We were friends in high school…," he trailed off, turning his head to stare at the floor. Archie noticed his state of contemplation and wheeled his chair over to where Huey was on his bed, "Somethin' wrong?" he asked him.

Huey sighed, "Everyone works for them, I guess."

Archie shrugged, "I dunno how you remember those two, but they seem like some badass women."

Huey smirked, "You wouldn't believe it, but Jazmine used to actually be nice," he said the word like it was foreign on his tongue, "Cindy was Riley's girlfriend, they were the badasses when we were younger." His smirk widened slightly at the memories, "But Jazmine...Jazmine used to be the sweetest girl you'd ever met. Always laughing and smiling and having fun. I never saw her angry when we were younger, she got over things quickly."

From his bedroom, Riley stood by the door, listening in on his brother's conversation with Archie. Huey hadn't talked about Jazmine like that in years, not in that much detail, anyways. It was strange for him to hear his brother talk about the woman of his dreams with so much love in his voice, so much passion.

It sucked to know that she didn't love him back.


Huey stepped out of a sleek, black corvette. The sun had just begun to set in the distance, casting shadows over Woodcrest. His driver, a nameless African American male with cornrows like Riley and dark brown eyes, instructed Huey that Jazmine was already inside the restaurant, known as Denzi's or Denzi. Huey looked it up as he was getting ready back in his hotel room; it was a popular, expensive restaurant located near the heart of Woodcrest and was frequented by the wealthier members of Woodcrest society. The building looked fancy on the outside; it was rather large, with a valet system outside, large, crystal clear windows, and clean, polished walls.

Huey wore a simple black suit and a pair of black, shiny dress shoes with a maroon silk shirt. On one wrist he wore a silver, expensive watch he'd gotten a year previous. On his left side, hidden underneath his jacket, was his handgun, tucked safely away...just in case. He'd picked up his hair slightly, trying to shape it into a nicer form, and shaved for the first time in days. When he smiled, which was rare, his teeth were so white that they could reflect light.

He calmly walked into the restaurant, which was pretty full. The tables were generously spaced out, giving the customers enough room to move around and lounge freely. As he waited at the front to be seated, he eyed the members of the room, and had to stop himself from making a face.

Most of the people there were gluttonous, and didn't even try to hide it. There were one too many men stuffing large quantities of food down their throats and taking large, long sips of alcohol from their fancy glasses. They wore their best outfits, carefully selected for the evening, and were decked out in rings and chains that glinted underneath the dim lights up above. The women wore all too revealing dresses as they stuffed equal amounts of food down their throats and laughed with their parties, making sure to show off the extravagant rings, bracelets, necklaces, and earrings they wore.

Huey never liked mingling with the wealthy or elite; in New York, it was pretty much the same. Rich people would always be the same.

"Party for two?" A waiter asked Huey, snapping him out of his thoughts.

Huey nodded, "I'm here for-," but he was cut off, "Yes, Miss Dubois has already arrived, please follow me." The waiter grabbed a menu and began to walk away, forcing Huey to follow him. They weaved through the room and headed towards the back, where they went up a flight of stairs that led to private booths on the second floor, shielded from the rest of the restaurant by curtains.

The waiter stopped at one table that had a good view of the entire restaurant and pulled back the curtains, and Huey found his voice caught in his throat as he entered and sat across from Jazmine. The waiter placed the menu down in front of him and excused himself.

Jazmine looked exquisite; she wore a dark red jumpsuit that had long sleeves and a large dip in the front, with one side of the jumpsuit overlapping the other. She wore black Louis Vuitton heels with the unmistakable red bottoms, and wore a few rings and some simple diamond earrings. Her hair was puffed up into its natural state and held back by a signature headband, this one a matching dark red. The ends of the headband trailed down her back, stopping below her shoulders. Her makeup was subtle, but the red lipstick on her full lips made a bold statement.

"Glad to see you've arrived," she commented, taking a sip of wine in her tall glass. Another server came by to pour Huey his own, and Huey thanked him. "I don't think I would've been able to miss this, anyways." he replied evenly, taking a sip.

"Do you have any updates on my grandfather?" he asked.

Jazmine frowned sadly and shook her head, "Not yet, but that is one reason why I wanted to meet with you here," she crossed her arms in front of her, leaning on the table slightly, "there's still a part of the story you haven't told me."

"You mean why we left," Huey corrected, and Jazmine nodded, "I spoke with Archie, but not even he would tell me anything."

Huey smirked, "I don't doubt it, he doesn't know everything, either, just the important stuff."

"Then what is everything?" Jazmine pressed, eyeing him with her big, emerald eyes. Huey stared into hers with his wine orbs, and they were silent for a moment, just staring at each other.

Finally, Huey broke eye contact, leaning back slightly and glancing towards the curtains, "You remember why I came to Woodcrest, right?"

Jazmine arched her brow, but she nodded, "Yes, your grandfather moved you and Riley here because...your parents died."

Huey nodded solemnly, "Yes, they died in a house fire, caused by an electrical shortage that practically exploded." Jazmine sighed; she'd heard this story before, he told her when they were dating. "Why is this important?" she demanded.

Huey smirked, but it was a sad smirk, full of pain, "Because...they weren't killed in the fire."

Jazmine clenched her jaw, "Why do you believe that? What evidence do you have to support it?"

Huey shook his head, "I don't have anything solid to prove it, I just know it."

Jazmine scoffed, shaking her head in annoyance, "This is the reason you left, isn't it?" She crossed her arms over her chest, "You left because you believed your parents were murdered."

Huey frowned, "I know they were murdered, Jazmine." He propped himself up with his elbows, resting them on the table, "If they hadn't been murdered, then I wouldn't have needed to skip town because Azurel wouldn't have come after us."

Jazmine sucked in a breath, "You said you didn't find any evidence that linked Azurel to the death of your parents, though. Why would he bother if you hadn't found anything?"

"I said I don't have anything solid," Huey corrected her, "but I was developing a pattern the more I researched." He inhaled sharply, "When I was a kid, I knew my parents got involved with a gang, I just never knew who ran it. My father always said he 'owed' someone, and that he was 'paying for his father's sins'."

"You mean…your grandfather's?" Jazmine cocked up a brow.

Huey nodded, "Granddad's never admitted it, I've never been able to get him to tell me more, but he got involved with something at some point, and that debt fell onto my dad's shoulders when he got too old. It was a sudden thing, I just remember one day it started happening, the harassment." He had a grim look on his face as he spoke, "My parents always argued about it, too. My mother hated what was going on, she was afraid for me and Riley."

"What pattern did you find?" she asked after a moment of silence.

"It was a pattern with the fires," Huey explained, "I found out about other fires that happened in Chicago after we left, and they all had the same outcome: the death of the parents, but the children would survive." He lowered his arms and clenched his fists, "The more I started looking into it…the more it started making me relive what happened."

"You…remember being in the fire?" Jazmine sounded intrigued, and she couldn't say that she wasn't. She knew how Huey's parents died, but she'd never heard him talk about the actual fire before, not in detail. He would always become upset when the ordeal was mentioned, and Jazmine eventually learned to not bring it up.

"I remember it," he said, "and I remember what happened before the fire."


"Can I please go to the bathroom?" Robert asked as politely as he could. He squirmed around on the mattress he laid on, unable to hold it in anymore. He heard a sigh, "Alright."

James hadn't left his side at all, at least not that Robert could remember. Maybe he had at one point when he was asleep to eat or use the bathroom, but Robert couldn't remember anything like that. All Robert could focus on in that moment was using the restroom for the first time in what felt like forever.

James came over and helped Robert stand, although Robert's legs shook slightly as he did so. James then helped Robert wobble over to the office area of wherever he was being held, and he opened the door for him, allowing Robert to step inside. The office area was bleak and abandoned, with no lights on. But, Robert spotted a door that had a bathroom sign on it in the back, and he made a shaky beeline for the door.

James approached the door and opened it for Robert. He then switched on the lights, which only amounted to one bulb flickering on weakly. Robert hurried in, but before he could try and close the door behind him, James stopped him.

Without saying anything, James reached over with a knife in his hand. Robert flinched, suddenly afraid, but when he felt the knife cut at his bondings behind his back and allow him to move his hands for the first time, he was in shock. He arched a brow, "Why'd you do that?" he asked.

James shrugged, "I know you can't do anything right now, you're too tired," he smirked, "I've heard about you and what you can do, along with your grandsons." Robert furrowed his brow slightly, but James was right; in his current state, he couldn't do anything.

Robert finally nodded and allowed James to close the door. He turned back around to face the restroom, which had only a sink, toilet, and empty trash can. There was a roll of toilet paper on the sink, which he grabbed.

As he did his business, Robert began thinking. Was there anything in this restroom that could help him get out of there? But he found nothing other than the toilet paper, and that had little use for anything else other than its intentional purpose.

Robert waited to flush, and silently began tip toeing around the restroom, glancing around the walls. Could there maybe be a crack in a wall that could allow him to scream to the other side? As he thought about that, he shook his head, if I scream, James will hear me and probably come in to kill me. He glanced back at the sink, maybe I can trick James to come in here and slam his head against that. But how would he be able to? James was taller and stronger than him, plus he seemed rather smart, so he'd probably figure it out before Robert could even do anything.

"You almost done in there?" James asked loudly, his voice startling Robert, "Uh, y-yes, almost done!" Robert called back, rushing over to the toilet. He flushed and made his way over to the sink, where he hastily washed his hands. Just as he was, the door opened, and James stood there, his eyes trained on Robert. He watched as Robert finished cleaning his hands and wiped them on his pants.

Robert stepped back to the door, and James allowed him to pass by. However, he was stopped, and James grabbed a hold of his arms. In one swift motion, he re-tied Robert's arms together behind his back, and Robert groaned inwardly. James smirked at his discomfort, "Sorry old man, but orders are orders."

"Mmm-hmm," Robert muttered. James escorted him back out of the office, and allowed him to sit up on the mattress this time. He produced a bowl of some kind of soup, probably chicken noodle, but Robert didn't care what it was; he was hungry.

Against his inner thoughts, Robert allowed James to carefully spoon feed him the chicken noodle soup, savoring the taste, "Where did you get this?" He asked as he ate.

James shrugged, "While you slept some guys came by to hand off supplies. There's a microwave in the office." Robert nodded, continuing to gulp down the soup until there was nothing left.

He was given another couple sips of water, and then yawned. Gently, he leaned back until his head hit the pillow. He told himself he wouldn't fall asleep, but as soon as he'd laid back down, he was out.


xoxo, queen