Beyoncé POV
The Same Day
At The Warehouse in the Surveillance Room
"Okay, so you checked all over and didn't find anything?" I asked Megan as I rummaged through drawers looking for the password to the computer. I don't remember the computer having a password but okay.
"Nope, I checked the splatter room, all the hallways, all the exits, and the viewing rooms. Nothing." I groaned and facepalmed. This shit is getting out of line.
"Who could this be, you said it was two people, what two people would be out for us? We really haven't done anything and we don't have any known enemies." I said thinking.
Megan looked at me with a face of realization. "Remember what Lando said? He said there were two people in charge of this whole thing, how would he know it was two people if he never met them. One of the two people's workers would have came up to him and said the bosses, not the two bosses. This might be a reach but I think Lando knows more than me think."
"Okay but how do we get that information out of him? We can't kill him or else his whole crew gone come after us."
We looked at each other thinking and it's like a light bulb came on at the same time. "Tiana."
We both stood up and I unplugged the laptop out the wall and closed it grabbing it to go.
"Hey you smell something? Like smoke?" I thought about it and sniffed around and surely enough I could smell the smoke. Something was on fire and that meant someone is in the building so we gotta go now.
"Get on my back and hold on tight tight." I bent down a bit and that's when I heard the sound of heels on the ground. Megan got on my back and I shushed her as I walked in the closet.
"Whoever that it is gone try to set this room on fire, and since when did the surveillance room have a camera in it?" Megan whispered to me.
"What you mean?" I lowly whispered back. She pointed at the corner of the room that we could see through a crack in the closet door and I noticed a security camera. The red light was blinking indicating that someone was watching. So this was a set up because only Lando knew we were going to come here.
"Baby I need you to feel behind you for a latch. When you find that latch, pull it hard." I whispered up to her. She patted my head letting me know she heard me and I could feel her turn a bit. If she can find the latch then we can run down the emergency stairs since we're on the second floor only.
"I can feel it but you need to back up some." Quickly I backed up and that's when it hit me. They have a camera in the room, they saw us go in the closet.
"Quickly. They know exactly where we are." I said rushing her along. After about 10 more seconds I heard the latch drop and the door opened to the emergency stairs.
I sped down the stairs as the door emergency door closed back. After a couple more seconds I heard the door open and to my disbelief a masked man stuck his head out the door and we made eye contact since that's all I could see.
I got to the bottom of the stairs and threw Megan in the back seat and hopped in the drivers seat since the man went back in the building and I assumed he was on his way downstairs.
I sped off and as I drove past the front of the building I noticed it was in fact on fire.
"Call Di and tell her to meet us at Backstreet café." I said swerving in and out of traffic. After a second I heard Megan in the back talking to Diamanté. Once she got off the phone I spoke again. "Reach under my seat and grab the box that's under it, grab the burner out and call Julius and tell him to go to Mama's house now and get Mama, Blue, and Mariah. He knows where to take them. Then call Mama Tina and tell her not to open the door for anybody."
"I gotchu." I heard the clattering of the box and then the phone powering on. I listened as I drove hearing Megan calming down my mom and then as she spoke to Mariah and calmed her down. Times like this is when I value my babies the most.
I parked at Backstreet and grabbed my phone. Tiana had texted me earlier, so that I could lock in her number, thank God she had an iPhone so she could send us her location. I opened our text thread and texted her.
:you free?
A couple seconds later she texted back.
Tiana: Yeah he left to go do a drop so he won't be back for a nice bit
:you okay with FaceTiming us? we need your help with something so we can come get you sooner
A few minutes past and she FaceTimed me. I instantly answered and was met with her black screen and shuffling in the background.
"You good?"
She finally set the phone up against something so we could see her sitting on a bed. I felt Meg lean up behind me and I could see her frown in the camera.
"Destiny what happened to your head?"
She sniffled and wipes her remaining tears. "It's nothing, I don't wanna talk about it. You s-said I could help you?"
I took a breath and started talking. "So have you seen Lando talking to two people recently?" I asked.
"Hmm he was talking to this guy and a girl like a week ago. I was in the r-room with them and they we talking about setting up a drive by at a house in the hills..." She trailed off fidgeting with her fingers.
"Are y'all the people they did a drive by on?" She asked softly. I nodded. "Well they were talking about this whole plan but," she looked up at something behind the phone and then looked around her bed. "I don't feel safe t-talking about it here."
I nodded. "Can you pack your stuff? We coming to get you today."
She nodded. "I don't have much. I'm sorry." I frowned. I don't know why but I feel an emotion attachment to her like I do with Mariah and that's scaring me.
"Don't be sorry little bit. We gone get you all set up and talk to you when we come get you." Megan said softly.
She nodded with her head down.
"One of the girls is coming I- I have to go." Before we could say anything else she hung up.
I sighed and Meg let out a breath. She kissed my cheek. "It's gone be okay baby."
"I feel...connected to her. I don't know why but I do." She nodded. "I do too. I wanna raise her as our own."
I smiled. "I do too. But does she really want that?"
Meg sighed and laid her head on my shoulder. "I hope so."
After a few moments of sitting in a comfortable silence I head shuffling and Di's voice.
"Here's your food, and here's your money." She handed me the duffel bag and Megan the Little Caesars boxes, along with a CVS bag.
"Thank you Monté." She smiled.
"Welcome Ju." I chuckled as she walked back to her car.
"You ready to go get Ti..." I stopped talking when I seen that Megan was really dunking her brookie in the marinara sauce.
"You're definitely pregnant." She laughed and handed my my box of Italian Cheese Bread.
"You okay with having another kid right now?" I asked since I remembered she said she didn't wanna have another kid until Mariah was at least 5. She's 3 right now so having a kid now would definitely cancel all plans she had. I'm fine with many ever kids whenever. Plus we always said at a point we wanted to adopt at least one kid.
"Yeah. I really want another baby cause Mariah growing up too fast." She pouted making me chuckle and poke her dimple.
"You're so cute." I said kissing her cheek.
"I love you, now let's go get my soon to be daughter." I smiled big and drove off.
15 minutes later we got to Lando's trap house where Tiana lives. Immediately I wanted to turn around and go back home. There was two workers sitting butt ass naked on the porch making googly eyes at me when I got out the car.
"I'll kill all these bitches." Megan huffed. "And I'll let you." I grabbed my duffel bag out the back and we walked up to the door.
One of the women on the porch came up to us. "What y'all need?" She asked licking her lips looking at me.
"Tell Lando we wanna talk to him." Megan said sizing her up. One thing about Meg, she gone fight over me.
"Fucking stank." I heard Megan mumble when the bitch went in the house.
"Be calm baby. You know her weak ass advances not gone get to me."
She smiled and pecked my lips then turned right back around when Lando came out.
"How much is Tiana's takeout fee?" I said before he could say anything else. I guess he wasn't expecting me to ask that since he choked on his words.
"The little whore not for sale." He said with an attitude.
"Look bi-" I covered Megan's mouth and spoke. "I'll pay you double."
He thought about it for a second and mugged us. "Follow me."
We walked in the house and surprisingly it was nice and up kept, at least he didn't have them living in filth.
Of course Megan was gone say something. "It don't smell like roaches in her or nothing." She said shocked. I had to hold in my laugh as I thumped her arm for her to be quiet.
"Lemme see the cash." He demanded once we stopped in front of a room. I opened the duffel bag and tossed it to him.
"Mmmhm." He knocked on the door twice and Tiana opened it scared and shaking.
"You free to go." He said walking away. She looked up at us quickly with tears in her eyes and hugged us tight. "Thank you so much." She said softly I smiled and patted her back.
"We have a lot to discuss." I said as we walked out.
There were snickers and giggles and whispers aimed at us as we walked out the house and we just ignored them. We got to the car and when I turned back around Meg and Tiana, well Destiny, we're hugging. I smiled and took a picture before either one of them could notice.
"Y'all hungry?" I asked as they got in the car.
"Yes." They both answered, Destiny's answer almost completely overshadowed because of her low volume. I laughed and Destiny looked shocked. "Y-You laugh?"
Now it was Megan's turn to bust out laughing. "Yeah I know it's shocking cause she's a hardass but she's actually a very loving woman." Megan said looking me in my eyes.
"That's cute." Destiny spoke lowly and softly, she smiled a bit. I smiled happy she was coming out her shell a little. I can tell it's going to take her some time to get used to me since I do have more of a nigga demeanor.
"What y'all want to eat?"
"Red Lobster." They said at the same time. Oh God. They finna be double trouble together.
Megan POV
At Red Lobster
Bey pulled up and parked in the Red Lobster. I looked in the back and Destiny was cuddled up sleeping in her seat. I smiled and gently tapped her leg and she woke up almost immediately.
"I-I'm sorry." She said sitting up straight immediately. I pouted. "It's okay love bug, we just wanted to know what you wanted from here."
She made a thinking face. "Um it doesn't really matter to me. I'll be fine with water."
I frowned more. "No, you're basically family now and money isn't a problem for us. So you're going to get a meal." Bey said with bass in her voice. I can tell it scared Destiny because she winced a little bit.
"Dial it back a little bit baby." I patted her cheek and turned back to Destiny who had tears in her eyes. "She can be a little harsh sometimes but she's right. You can have whatever you want. We're here for you."
She wipes her tears and sniffled. "Can I have chicken tenders and broccoli with a slice of lemon."
"That's it?" I asked as I put her order in my notes. She nodded and went back to looking out the window. I looked at Bey and nodded for her to go inside. We're getting takeout since we have a lot to do today. We're putting everything on the back burner with the whole Lando situation.
Bey got up and closed the door and I noticed Destiny jump a little.
I got out and gently closed the door and got in the back seat with Destiny. I looked at her and she timidly looked at me. "You okay pumpkin?" She nodded softly and laid her head on my shoulder.
"M-Megan, can I ask you a question?" I loved how soft spoken she was about everything. I nodded and brushed her silk press out her face. I was in love with how cute her natural baby hairs sat on her beautiful chocolate skin.
"Why did y'all decide to get me? I mean all those other girls in there and y'all chose me."
"As cliché as it may sound, when I first met you I felt a strong connection to you. I seen that you were in desperate need of a family and we wanna give that to you if you'll let- No, I'm sorry why are you crying." I said stopping my previous thoughts when I heard Destiny's sniffles.
"N-nothing, it's just nobody has really ever cared about me this much. I-I always knew that if I did get taken out of there that I would have to go to an adoption center and I know how t-they treat girls there and I don't wanna do that. All I've ever wanted was a family to love me." She broke down crying and I pulled her on my lap and she immediately clung to me.
"It's okay baby. We'll be that family to love you. I promise."
She looked up at me with her big cute teary puppy dog eyes. "Pinky promise?"
I smiled and held up my pinky. "Pinky promise." She wrapped hers around mine and we both kissed our thumbs sealing the pact.
"C-Can you tell me about what y'all plan to do with me?" She said still holding onto my arm like her life depended on it.
"Well how do you wanna do school?" I asked.
"C-Can I do the zoom thing? I had tutors while I was with Lando and they kind got me up to speed. I know basic algebra and how to read real good." I smiled, thankful Lando didn't let this beautiful brain go to waste.
"Of course, I'll talk it over with the principal that owns my daughter's day care and have her work one on one with you to get you back up to speed."
"You have a daughter?" She asked confused. I smiled big thinking about Mariah.
"Yeah, a beautiful three year old. She's super smart for her age. Me and Bey were thinking we could hire you as like a personal family assistant. Like you help out with Mariah when one of us has to go off for work or you would help Bey's mom with Mariah if she needed the help."
"Is s-she...a-adopted?" I thought about it for a second before it hit me why she said that and I had to hold in my laugh.
"Oh baby no, Bey has a-"
"Bet has a what?" Bey said popping her big forehead in the window next to me making me and Destiny giggle like little kids.
"Bey has a long neck." I laughed. I mean that in several ways.
"Mhm and I also got a long d-"
I scrunched my face up stopping her. "BEY! Have some decorum."
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It's been a while since I talked to y'all... it's finna be another while, BYE