Lost.

9.

KIM.

"Why you staring at me like dat?" I asked Meq as soon as my brother nem left.

"You be thinkin' a nigga stupid, Kim. I catch on to everything." Meq responded as I rolled my eyes.

"What exactly did you catch on to?" I asked him.

Here this nigga goes, acting like he was meant to be a fbi agent on Criminal Minds. Meq doesn't even peep shit forreal—he just convinces himself that his idiotic thoughts are true and then boom, that's a confrontational disagreement.

"Yeah, aight. Stop playing wit me." He dismissively told me.

"You an asshole. I'm leaving." I said as I grabbed my purse and threw it over my shoulder.

Meq briefly looked over at me before turning and nodding his head at the same time. I walked out of the door and pulled my phone out of my back pocket to make a call as I began walking to my vehicle.

"Bryson, where's my brother?" I asked when I heard him on the other line.

"Somewhere you not, if you callin around lookin for him."

"You're so annoying." I said, rolling my eyes.

I heard a door open, which made me turn around to see Meq walking towards me. I smiled. He's getting better because usually he'll let me leave when one of us is mad or annoyed and I always hated that shit.

"You dead leavin me already?" He asked.

"Yes. Because you tryna start and I'm tired of arguin with you."

"Aight. That's my fault." Meq apologized as I realized Bryson was still on the phone. Now i'm about to hear his mouth.

"You alright. I'm still leavin doe. I have business to handle." I said before he pulled me into a hug.

"What business you got to handle? Don't be out here bein a hot head, Kim."

"None of that. I'll be back later. I love you." I said, trying to end the conversation.

If we're being honest, I scheduled a meeting with HaKeem a few days ago for today and I couldn't focus at all today because it's been on my mind heavy. Was I about to go around telling the whole world that? No. I needed everything to be confidential, if it wasn't my brother trying to find out something.

"I love yo big head ass too." Meq gave me a kiss and then walked me to my car. I plugged my phone up to the aux and drove off.

"I'm tired of arguin wit you." Bryson mocked me.

"You're an idiot." I chuckled.

"Where you fina go doe?" Bryson asked me as I began driving down the street.

I'm nervous as hell to even meet with HaKeem because I don't know if he'll trust what I have to say. I don't know if he'll trust my help either. But then again, him giving me a location to meet is basically him saying he wants to hear what I have to say.

"I have a meeting to attend." I said, beating around the bush.

"A meetin for what?" Bryson continued to press me for answers.

I sighed. "I found India's brother and that's all I'm telling you."

I looked around the neighborhood I was in and started to drive slow as I tried my hardest to look through all of the addresses.

"Where you at?" He asked me.

"Pullin up to the address he sent me, why?" I asked.

"Share yo location wit me. I'm fina be pullin up." Bryson said in a tone that suggested he wasn't asking.

"Alright."

I didn't feel like going back and forth with Bryson today, which is why I didn't even attempt to put up a fight. Plus, I kinda wanted him to come because there's no telling what could happen.

Better to have someone lurking over my shoulder than to go alone and end up getting hurt.

I turned my car off and just sat back in my seat until I seen Bryson's car pulling up behind mine. I pulled my seat up as he walked to the passenger side of my car and signaled for me to unlock the door.

"What be goin through yo mind?" Bryson asked as soon as he was settled in.

"I've been hearin that something happened to India so I needed to see what was goin down and find out if there was any way I could help." I hesitantly said.

"You be doin some dumb shit, Kim. Forreal."

"It's all set and done now. So we goin in or you just gone sit here and waste time?" I asked.

"Bring yo ass. I'ma go in first but as soon as we get in, get in front of me and stay there." Bryson told me before he got out of the car.

"Ain't it supposed to be I stay behind you in case anything happens?" I asked.

"Nah. It's you stay yo ass in front of me where I can see you, in case some shit pop off. What i'ma do wit you behind me? I can't see back there. Come on, dats common sense." Bryson said as we approached the house.

Bryson is always getting defensive over little shit and it's hilarious but annoying at the same time. It's crazy because he reminds me of India's brother, HaKeem, so much.

"You didn't have to get in mode about it." I said, turning my face up at him.

"I'm relaxin. I just needed you to know dat you be askin dumb shit." Bryson said, flicking my bottom lip.

He knocked on the door and we stood back as we waited for some type of response.

"Look in the camera," A guy said through a speaker.

I looked around, searching for the camera that Bryson was already staring at.

"State your name and what y'all doin here." The man spoke again.

"Ant and Kim. We here to chat wit Keem." Bryson broke it down in simple terms. I nodded my head in agreement as the door opened.

"Come in." The same man said as we walked inside. HaKeem came somewhere from the back of the house and signaled for us to follow him.

"They straight." Keem told his guys as they backed off.

We followed him into a room that was kind of ducked off and we all sat down. I sat in a chair that was closest to the door and Bryson sat next to me. HaKeem sat across from us.

"Where's India?" I bluntly asked.

"Some nigga snatched her up from da crib." HaKeem returned my energy.

"What can I do to help?" I asked.

"You can stay yo ass out of it." Bryson jumped into the conversation.

HaKeem looked at Bryson and then back at me before speaking again. "I ain't finna sit here and act like a nigga ain't gone need a lil help. I'on know what my brother nem up to but I can't sit around waitin all day. I need some to shake."

"She out of sight." Bryson stated.

"Aight, fasho. I'ma need her to be the one to get India—if we don't first. We gone make sure the house clear and shit, then and only then, will Kim start to look around for her. After we clear the flat out, we all meetin' by the front door to transition onto the next part of the plan." HaKeem said, pointing to different sections of a house on a blueprint.

"We bein you and Bryson, right?" I asked HaKeem as he nodded.

"We slidin tonight or tomorrow mornin. Whichever one more convenient for y'all. I'm ready whenever." HaKeem said.

Bryson looked at me and then at HaKeem before making his mind up.

"Aight. We slidin tonight." Bryson said as he stood up to shake HaKeem's hand.

"Good looks." HaKeem said to me. I nodded before Bryson and I walked out of the house.