Blend

11:00 | out of options

"I TOLD those cops nuthin'." This is the first thing Uncle Maurio says as he walks through the door. The second thing he says is, "But I have a feeling they'll be back."

"Why were they even here?"

Kaycee slams the front door shut. "Daddy, you sure they left?"

Uncle cocks his head at her. "Girl, would I risk being here if I wasn't?"

My cousin pushes her lips out. "How'd you keep 'em from searching the whole complex?"

Uncle sets down his mop and bucket. "They claimed it was just a routine check, but I think they were testin' me. I think they wanted to see how I'd react."

"And you played it cool?" Kaycee asks for reassurance.

"As a cucumber, daughter, c'mon now. This ain't my first rodeo."

She scoffs. "I can't believe they didn't search any other apartments."

"Well," Unc says, smiling all proud. "I reminded them that my tenants have nothing to do with my nephew and they'd need warrants if they wanted to search other units. Bad for business and all."

"Good job, Daddy!" Kaycee beams, hugging her father. "You didn't need me after all."

"Nope. 'Sho didn't." He fixes me a stare. "However, I don't think it'll take long for them to return with a warrant and check my other units, nephew. I'd say we have a couple of days—at most."

I sink back into the couch. "Yeah, sounds about right. Penelope's dad put a fucking bounty on my head. These cops are getting more desperate to find me."

Both Unc and Kaycee stay silent. I rub my head vigorously.

"What about your investigator friend?" Uncle asks. "She find anything yet? Any leads?"

Kaycee clears her throat, shooting me a look. It's a warning not to repeat the truth to Uncle. She doesn't think he can handle it and that's fine by me. I have no intentions of exposing Devyn's secret any more than I have. Especially after the way Kaycee reacted. She still hardly believes me.

"Nah, not much," I reply, keeping vague on purpose.

"Damn," Uncle says.

"Listen. Kaycee told me Ben Crump's people are willing to take on my case. But they also think it's in my best interest to turn myself in."

Uncle breathes through his teeth. "I don't know 'bout that."

Kaycee shrugs. "Dad, sometimes the fight has to be fought from the inside out. We're doing Ace a disservice by keeping him here just so he can get caught two days later."

"I won't put my brother's son back in that jail," Uncle growls.

"Daddy," Kaycee tries to reason, "we're out of options. And I don't want you going to jail with him."

"Ace ain't goin' nowhere and neither am I. We'll find him another hideout."

I look down. Sigh. "I'm giving my friend the rest of the day, Unc. And if there's still no lead then we need to trust the Crump legal team to do their thing and help me outta this."

Uncle Maurio breathes heavy, his shoulders caving in.

"It's for the best, Daddy," Kaycee reinforces.

"I need a fuckin' drink," Unc says. "Especially before your sister's volleyball game." He comes around and pats my back. "If that's what you feel is the best decision, nephew, then I'll support you."

"Thanks, man."

He gestures to the bucket on the ground. "Got you a couple more supplies. I think you'll want to take a look."

Something about the way he says this is weird, but I shake it off. "Okay...will do."

"Shit. Kaliya's volleyball tournament is in an hour and I promised her I'd do her hair. We got to go, Dad. Stay safe and stay alert, Wally." Kaycee lends me a sympathetic look before exiting out the door.

Uncle trails after her with caution. "I better get going too. I don't want Bethel suspecting anything, getting all caught up in this. Hell, she might be pregnant."

"For real? Congratulations, Uncle."

"Yeah, I don't know about that but don't mention anything to Kaycee yet. She had a hard time adjusting to Kaliya when she was born and Bethel and her still have a rocky relationship."

"I won't say anything, but I'm sure she'd handle things better now. She's grown."

Uncle laughs. "Yeah, you'd think. But Kaycee is still a stubborn hothead sometimes."

I laugh with him, remembering her reaction to Devyn. "She definitely lets her opinion be known."

He opens the door. "Text if you need anything."

"I will."

I give my uncle a gentle nod before locking the door after him. Knowing that he has even more on the line now that his girlfriend could be pregnant, solidifies my decision that much more.

The rest of the day. That's all I'm giving myself before I turn myself back in.

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