"Where were you and why are you dressed in that." Ace questioned
It slipped my mind that I was still on the dress from earlier and Frenaldo's jacket which he forgot with me.
"Who was that guy who drove you here?" Ace added.
The kids soon were gathered, making them all gather round me.
"A friend." I muttered.
"He's the person who you spent half the day with?..Who even is he?!" Ace questioned.
"As I said before he's a friend." I bluntly replied.
"A friend who is more important than your whole family?" He tone slightly more frustrated.
"Can we talk about it another time?" I tried to walk past him but was quickly stopped when he grabbed my arm.
"We were worried that maybe on your way to school you got kidnapped... or maybe something worse happened to you. I was afraid that we had lost you, and I don't want to loose someone else who's close to me Dar..."
As the words flew out his mouth guilt struck me.
I was hurting my family, the one thing I never aimed for.
What hurt me even more was knowing that I couldn't stop doing what I know was hurting them... quitting wasn't an option, but a death wish.
The only thing I knew was still an option was to tell them the truth...
"I thought you were dead." Brittany said.
"What?! That's not a very nice thing to say." I said jokingly with a giggle.
"She's not joking. She sat on the kitchen floor for hours while pouring her eyes out... she was about to make a memorial for you but fortunately Rowan stopped her before she could." Cole interpreted in a soft tone.
"Promise you wouldn't leave us." Brittany held out a pinky, eagerly waiting for mine.
"I promise not to leave any one of you." I tried to say with a smile and pulled each of them into a hug.
"Let's have an outing tomorrow, just the six of us." I cheerfully said while drying off my eyes.
"I don't do outings." Cole hurriedly stated.
"You can bring your school supplies if you want." I suggested knowing he would agree on that.
"Deal!" He brought his palm trough for a hand shake.
"Deal." I took his hands in mine and gave him a firm shake.
"Where are we going to?" Brittany and Brynn chanted.
"It's a surprise.." I said mostly because I didn't have any where in mind.
"Aww.." they whined.
"Bed time. Everyone upstairs." Rowan said to the twins and Cole, making them groan while going up the stairs.
"I want you to be beyond truthful with me...where were you today" Ace's voice brushed at the side of my face.
"Hmm?" I asked, pretending like I didn't hear his previous question.
"I want to know everything... where you were, why you're in a silk dress and why you're also covered with someone's blazer."
The look on his face showed that he was worried and anxious, eager to know what the next words that would come out my mouth would be.
"I was with Rico." His whole expression changed within seconds.
"Why?" He interrogated.
"I work for him now..." I replied with a weak smile.
——————-
They now know everything- not quite everything, just the majorities.
I told them about how I made the deal with Rico and how we met only once since then.
I wasn't lying to them but I wasn't also telling them the entire story.
Honestly it wasn't all the stories that should be shared, some were never to be mentioned again.
"So today you went for a mission with him?"
"An occasion, that's why I'm on this dress." I answered Rowan question only to be shot by another question from Ace.
"To find the man that killed his mother?" I hummed as a reply.
"He didn't tell you to get him any drugs did he?" Ace asked curiously.
"No...Today's the first day he gave me a task." I replied.
"Thank God." He sighed in relief.
"One thing you need to have in mind is to never get him anything you know would land you in prison." Ace added.
"Like drugs and stuff?" I anxiously asked
"Exactly, shit like drugs, counterfeit... Trust me I've worked with him for several months I know how he is..." Ace alarmed
"How is he then?" I anxiously asked.
"Rico is a very manipulative person. He tells people to get him things, things he knows he could never get himself.... If your keen, you see that he mostly wears gloves when it came to touching anything that could be used as an evidence against him. Take it as drugs or any other shit that's illegal, he's never stupid when it came to covering up his steps."
"But the moment a single mistake occurs and the officials are involved, he changes everything. There wouldn't be a single trace of him, it would be like his whole existence didn't even take place. But eventually he would always come back at the most unexpected times." Ace continued.
"Damn. He's that dangerous?" Rowan ironically asked.
"That's not all. I also think he might be a mafia group called the 'Black Bloods' so that speaks for itself.." Ace added.
"Black bloods ?" Rowan asked doubtfully.
"I think this Rico conversation should end here. It's almost past twelve, aren't you guys tired?" I said, not because I was tired but because I hated listening to all the bad sides that Rico had purchased.
I was trying my best not to be scared of him, and the things he made me do. But hearing Ace describe him made me see Rico as nothing but danger and that wasn't what I tried to image him as because the more I feared him, the easier it would be for him to get under my skin.
"I guess your right, it's getting pretty late." Rowan said.
"Don't feel like you're alone in all this, we are a family and we fight our problems together." Ace said before they both walked up the stairs.
Almost immediately my phone buzzed in the blazer pocket, it was an unknown number.
It took quite a few seconds before I decided to answer the call.
"Hello?"I asked.
"Is this Darcy?" The person questioned.
"It is... would you mind telling me who this is?" I asked with a strained voice.
"Diego."
"Oh, I wasn't expecting you to be calling now.." my mind slightly calmed down a bit.
"I wanted to call earlier but I didn't know what to say." He admitted.
"A simple 'hey' would do." I said jokingly.
"And then what? We talk about politics?" He asked sarcastically.
"We could. It's actually an interesting topic you know." I said with a giggle.
"I didn't call to talk about politics." He chuckled under his breath.
"What else could be more important?" I teased.
"Are you free tomorrow?" He nervously asked.
"Ohh Mr.charming wants to take me on a date." I jokingly said.
"I wouldn't say it's a date-" He said.
"I already have plans Romeo." I interrupted him.
"That's fine, maybe some other day."
There was a hint of disappointment in his tone, but it sounded like he was trying his best not to show it.
"I'm going to the amusement park tomorrow, I would be glad if you came." I informed.
"Really?" He asked
"Yes, it would just be me and my siblings." I responded.
"Well then, I would love to join." He said
"It's settled then, it's a date." I said playfully and he replied hesitantly.
"It is?" He asked.
"Is it not?" I asked and he chuckled at my statement.
"Let's wait and see how tomorrow turns out." He said.
"See you tomorrow then." I hung up.
Thanks for reading ❤️