Trouble

Problems

"Well, sweet cheeks, I'm Emmy, but you can call me Papi." The one on the Lazy-boy teased.

"Three pictures are missing from this dresser, where are they?" I asked looking at Devin.

"How the fuck should I know?" He shrugged in annoyance.

"My name is Carlos, what's yours?" The one that sat on the floor had approached me and stood blocking my view of Devin.

"Satan." I smirked just as I heard keys rustling, "Oh goodie, she's back."

They all looked around in confusion before the door opened and my cousin called out that she was back. They all gave me a look of disbelief before Devin rushed out of the living room. I quickly dashed after him, pushing him out of the way as I passed him to stand before my cousin. I grabbed her arms and turned her so her back was to Devin.

"Marina, what are you doing here?" She said smiling nervously shaking as she turned to look at Devin.

Before she could look at him I snapped my fingers in her face causing her to jump a little at the unexpected movement.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, why are you worried about him?" I asked raising an annoyed eyebrow.

"No, I was just looking, because I got the stuff he wanted at the store and you turned me so quickly...." She rambled in nervously.

Devin looked on in a rage. His hands clenched in fists and the veins in his neck were now visible. I glared at him after I noticed a few almost healed bruises along her neck, yellowish green and blue in color.

"I came because we are family, and we haven't seen or spoken to you in a few days now, any reason why that may be?" I asked

"Um, I've just been busy working and looking for new interests you know trying to find a new me, I don't want be a burden to you guys so I thought I'd just do my own thing, you know." She answered still fidgeting slightly.

"My brother is in the marines, doing his own thing, but we get a call from him almost every day, if not every other. I'm doing my own thing, but I take the time to come and check on mama and everyone. Everyone is doing their own thing, Stella, and at the end of the day we find time to call each other, to know we are still alive and well, so tell me Stella, are you alive and well?" I tilted my head slightly as I looked at her.

"Yes I am, you're looking right me." Another nervous laugh escaped her as she looked at me as if I was going crazy.

"I am looking at you, and just because I'm looking at you, doesn't mean I see you." I looked over her features as she looked everywhere but at me.

"What the hell is that suppose to mean?" Devin shouted causing Stella to jump in fright.

"It means you need to mind your fucking business, nosey ass," I shouted back holding on to Stella making sure she wouldn't look at him. "Anyway like I was saying, I need to talk to you about one of many things."

I led Stella to the living room where the guys where still wondering about me. I brought her in front of the dresser and gestured to the images almost like a show girl. looked at me then back at the set of images.

"Do you see what I see?" I asked as if I were talking to a child.

"The pictures on the dresser, but what's wrong I never touched them." She looked to the left before looking at me.

"No, see this is where you are wrong, three pictures have been moved from this set and they have also been rearranged, that is a problem to me and you know it." I looked at her.

"I was cleaning everything off and I just ended up putting them in different places." She shrugged innocently.

"You just said you never touched it." I looked at her hard.

"I know but I still had to clean it" She defended.

"Where are the three pictures that are missing then?" I asked still looking at her.

"What three picture, Rina?" She asked fidgeting again.

"Stella, I set up this dresser two years ago, we had a deal when I let you live in this house that you would never touch this dresser ever, nothing would be changed nothing would be removed, it stays in this exact spot, remember?" She looked at me confused again.

"Yes, but it gets dusty and.." She rambled again.

"Why are you so upset about this old thing anyway?" The one on the couch asked.

"You've been looking at this dresser for over two years now, you know every single picture that sits here, and you mean to tell me you have no idea what three pictures are missing from this?" I once again ignored the men.

"I really don't remember." She said desperately, pleading with me with her eyes.

"Okay, I'll tell you, what's missing from this dresser." I smiled, "The picture with you and my brother at my birthday party when we were kids. The picture of you and your brother at the park, the picture of you and your father at his barbecue. The three men we grew up with are missing, how can this be?"

"I don't know what happened to them." She quickly answered.

"Okay." She looked surprised at my answer.

"Okay?" She asked.

"Yea, Okay." I said as if there was nothing wrong and took a seat on the now vacant Lazy-boy chair, putting my feet up on the coffee table and munching on some popcorn.

"What are you doing?" Devin asked cautiously.

"The same thing that you wish you were." I retorted looking at him over the rim of my glasses. "So, who are we watching the giants, the jets?" I asked looking around at the three guys.

"Oh I like her," Carlos grinned as he sat on the couch with the guys.

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Okay so that's the first part I had to split them in half because I wrote such long chapters. This has been keeping me from  updating the other two stories TTAM and TMBD. Let me know how you like it so far! :)