Mikaela
I swung at the punching bag as my fist connected with it. I felt nothing, as I increased my speed with my right knuckle.
My mind began wandering to whoever the son of a Bitch who kidnapped Brie was. I swung a bit more forcefully as I imagined them standing in front of me. Left, right, left...each swing quicker than the last.
I didn't know how many times I hit the punching bag, as my mind got swept away by all the pure anger I had within me.
"Kaela." I heard August's voice call to me as I snapped out of the trance like state I was in, and noticed him standing right next to me.
"Babeh, I been callin' ya from da doorway," he said as he came even closer.
"Oh I'm sorry babe, I got lost in my thoughts for a minute," I said as he placed his arms around my shoulders.
"Ion blame ya. I took ma frustration out on da carrots last night," he said causing me to crack a smile. He'd chopped those carrots so small while we made dinner last night...
It was the first time he'd made any thing resembling a joke in forever.
"I came ta let ya know that Officer Daniels is on his way over hea ta discuss sum'n with us," he told me as I took off my protective wrist wraps.
"Oh? Okay. Well let me go take a bath, and give Brie one as well before he gets here." I responded as he nodded in agreement before we left the gym.
***********
August
About 15 mins later, Officer Daniels sat 'cross from us in da livin room as Brie played on da sofa nearby.
"Thanks for seeing me on such short notice. But I came up with a plan to not let Brie's kidnapper know that we're closer onto them than they might think." He said as he leaned in closely as to not let Abrianna ova hea much of his words.
"Aight. We listenin' " I said, adjustin' ma self on da sofa to get da details.
"Alright. So because of your outburst- which I'm not saying isn't justifiable of course- I was thinking...you two should invite over your friends aka the suspects one by one." He explained
I frowned and noticed Mikaela was also confused.
"How will letting them near Brie help us in finding out who exactly it is?" She questioned him
"Basically, August will need to pretend like the outburst was due to all the stress of the situation over the last couple months, and express his frustrations in not knowing who could've done this." He went on
"It's been shown that most criminals who commit crimes towards people they know are fueled by this sense of being so close to the victim without them having a clue. It's a sick and twisted thing of them feeling like their getting away with the crime when they're right underneath the victim and family's nose,"
Mikaela nodded slowly, " I get what you're saying. So you don't want them to think we know it's them and have em tie whatever lose ends that still may be hanging around for us to find."
"Exactly," Officer Daniels concluded.
"I get yall. But we can't let none of em actually go near Brie...fa her own safety and dey life," I said strictly.
"I could stay with her in another room. Just tell them a side effect of the poisoning was a weakened immune system...so we can't let her near anybody in case of infections and that's why you went ape shit the other day," Kaela looked to me sayin
I gave ha a small smile. She really was lowkey a genius.
"Aight. So let's get to it," I said standin up ready ta do it.
***************
"Oh I'm so re-leafed! We were starting to think you two hated us for hiring a-noder person as the wedding planner," Alejandro said as he placed a hand on his chest.
"Nah, Ale...you and Lonnie are like our family. And Kaela understands that yall ain't want ta burden her wit planning yall wedding when we goin through all this shit," I reassured him as genuinely as I could.
I ain't want ta think of who was da kidnapper in case it caused me ta steer off da plan of pretendin everything was all rainbows and fuckin sunshine between our friends and us.
"Well thanks for calling me ohber to apologize in person Augusto," he said wit a wide smile which I returned ta him.
After Alejandro left, I saw I had 20 minutes befo Noelle came, followed by Dawn 15 minutes after dat. I decided ta pop in wit Kaela and Brie babeh in ha room.
************
Mikaela
"& the monkey says Ooo Ooo Aah Aah! Daddy," Brie pointed at her story book sayin, causin me and Aug to smile at her antics.
She was slowly gaining her strength and her lively personality back as well.
"Aight Brie babeh, Daddy gots ta go check on sum'n. You gon tell me what da elephant sound like later?" August asked as she gave him a big nod and smile.
"Alright, be sure to tell Noelle I said hello...and Dawn will be the toughest as to why she can't speak to me too so tell her I'm asleep next to Brie when it's her turn?" I said to him as he nodded and gave me a lingering kiss on the side of my head.
I watched August leave out, as Brie flipped the pages to show me.
"And this is the kangawoo," she said as I heard light footsteps in the hallway.
I paused and looked up to check that Aug wasn't walking back here. But to my complete surprise it was someone else.
"What are you doing here Dad??!" I semi shouted since I didn't want August interrupted and coming in here to have another outburst.
"I'm sorry Mikaela. I just wanted to come see how she was doing. I haven't seen her since after she got out the hospital from being kidnapped over a month ago. And I just needed to see with my own eyes that she was fine." He said frantically as he looked towards Abrianna
"Pawpaw?" She said as she scooted to her feet, but I held her hand before she could run over to him.
"Dad you're really pushing it! I already lied to August about you coming here once and I won't do it again! Now go before-"
********
AUGUST
"I just need ta apologize ta you Noe. I mean you ain't did nothin but be supportive for these last months." I continued ma Leonardo Dicaprio actin'.
"I never held it against you or Miky for a second August. Nobody can imagine how difficult it's been for you two-" Noelle was sayin when I heard muffled voices from da hallway.
She noticed da frown on ma face and stopped talkin mid-sentence.
I could hea two distinct adult voices tho I ain't understood what was bein said.
"Excuse me fa a minute," was all I said as I left Noelle sitting in Mikaela's office clueless.
"Now go before-" was all I heard clearly out Mikaela's mouth as she froze seein me appear in da doorway.
Her dad followed ha gaze and saw me glarin back at him.
"What on God's green earth you doin in ma house." I said lowly, as anger erupted within me
"I had to see her," was all he said.
Mikaela slowly walked over, standin' inbetween da path of me and ha pops. Most likely terrified at what I would do next.
"Babe," she said placing ha hands on ma chest slowly, tryna keep me calm but I was no whea near dat at da moment.
"Pawpaw I drews this for you!" Brie said as she pulled some scribbles on a sheet of paper out from underneath one of ha teddy bears.
"It's red," she beamed at him and pointed out.
Obviously he ain't approach ha, still eyein me.
"Thank you angel," he said as he briefly looked from ha back ta me.
"Wait a second," Mikaela interrupted wit a look of confusion on ha face.
"Pumpkin you know your colors?" She said as I then realised da drawing she made was in fact red.
"You guys ever taught her any more after I stopped?" Mr Montgomery asked.
"Of course fuckin not! She was kidnapped right afta dat!!" I yelled growin angrier at da stupid ass question he was askin while standin in ma muufuckin house uninvited.
"So she did learn a few with you?" Mikaela asked him, and I wondered why she was so interested at dat moment in da matter.
"Yea. I taught her 5 of them. Green yellow red blue, and black since well...we're black folk." He shrugged.
"Oh my god. August...." Mikaela stood next to Brie sayin.
"She kept drawing 3 colors over and over for the forensic psychologist. Something to do with what her kidnapper wore." Mikaela reminded me.
And just like dat....it hit me.
Red yellow and black.
"Yall stay hea....," I told em as I spedwalked down ta da spare room whea I kept ma gun.
"Oh, I'm sorry Aug...I went to use da bathroom while you were gone. Everything okay?" She asked with a small smile as we stood outside in da hallway.
"Yea. I just needed ta check on Brie." I said
"Is she okay??" She asked as I stepped into da room
"Yeah. Fine,"
"Oh thank God. But if that's everything I think Imma hit the road. I still need to organize your upcoming press conference outfit details.," she said sendin me another smile.
And thea' I saw it again. Da smile which now ain't even seem like dat...but instead, it was a smug ass look. Then da little necklace which I ain't even remember seein ha wearin fa almost 6 months.
She stood thea wit dat smile, fiddling wit da pendant on da end of da necklace...a picture of da German flag colors since she was born thea. Da colours Brie had drawn.... Red. Yellow & black.
She must've seen ma eyes fix on ha necklace. Or prolly da look of confirmation dat I knew gave me away, cause da next thing I knew she was runnin to da closet dat held ma .45.
she was quick but I was taller as I snatched it just out ha reach. But just as quickly she ran right into me, sendin us both to da floor.
We scrambled ta get a hold of ma handgun. Lungin' at it where it now lay in da corner of da room.
I got hold of an end, as she placed both hands around its neck, still fightin ta get a hold of it. Then in all of da grabbin and pullin, one of our hands must've turned off da safety, as one deafening shot fired off......
******************
Alright. Soooo guys,
The kidnapper has been Noelle (August's stylist) all along!!!!
But the big question remains tho, WHY?
& did someone get shot in all of the struggling for the gun?? If so, who do ya think???
A picture of the pendant in the mm. Remember they saw it on surveillance tape around the kidnappers neck some chapters ago? But it was in black and white.
anyways vote and comment, and I've been thinking of doing a third book following this one. But I'm not feeling so inspired to write it. Idk...yall let me know though