Janay
Well that was easy. Almost too easy.
See I've been keeping tabs on the Neversons for a while now. Ever since that day last January when I last talked to Myra and never heard from her again, I just knew something wasn't right. Her sudden disappearance from her house confirmed that for me. It's obvious that Kelly and Trey had something to do with it, I am not stupid.
You mean to tell me the same weekend they were in Virginia was the same weekend my friend, their sworn enemy, goes missing and I'm supposed to believe they didn't harm her? I'm certain she's dead, and although I can't prove it I know they killed her.
So now I'm looking to settle this once and for all. I've been laying low but watching their every move for the past year while figuring out what exactly I wanted to achieve. I knew she was having a party today so I figured it was the perfect opportunity to come scope out the house. A lot of people equals a lot of distractions.
Seeing Kiara all by herself gave me an opportunity I didn't even know I was gonna have. It also made it clear what I wanted: money.
Naomi and Kiara being best friends made it easy to convince Kiara to come with me, on top of Kelly and Trey's negligence. They're so self centered that they didn't even realize their child was hurting on the inside. Now they're about to be in for a rude awakening.
The only way they'll get their daughter back is if they give me five million dollars. That would be more than enough for me to be set for life. As long as I can move to some form of paradise far away where I'll never have to worry about my troubles ever again, I'll be straight. I'm willing to permanently let bygones be bygones with them if they give me the money.
Parents usually can't put a price on their child, because that's how special they're supposed to be, so that amount of money should be nothing. And I'm sure Kelly and Trey wouldn't want the world to know them as being careless and terrible parents, so I'm sure they won't hesitate to give me what I want.
Ideally, this is supposed to be a simple exchange that should go smoothly. If they decide to make things difficult then I will act accordingly. And the fact that Kelly is heavily pregnant gives me an advantage over her; she finally can't fight back.
Anywho, the girls and I had just got back from shopping. Since I wasn't able to get back the house I lived in when I used to live here, Naomi and I have been living in this dilapidated house that Myra used to live in. It may be torn up and run down but it gave us a roof over our head so it was decent enough.
"Dang, y'all really live like this?" Kiara said as soon as we walked in.
"Not everyone has the fame and fortune to be able to afford mansions." I said through my teeth. Little girl has a mouth on her just like her mother it seems like.
"Sorry if that sounded rude. I just don't think anyone deserves to be in a home like this."
"I certainly agree..."
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Go ahead."
"When you and Naomi first lived here, y'all were in a house almost as messed up as this one because you didn't have much money, then you moved away to find something better, right?"
"Yes, that sounds about right. Is that your question?"
"No, my question is why would you come back? What else is here for you?"
I held in my laugh as I tried to come up with a lie.
"I did it for Naomi. I realized she was much happier here than she had ever been."
That actually wasn't a lie at all, it was 100 percent facts. So factual that I've been strongly considering leaving Naomi here while I go live my life elsewhere. But that's only if I actually get my money.
"What made her so happy?" she asked.
"Well Kiara, you did." I answered honestly. "You were her first and only best friend. Y'all were like sisters, shared a bond so deep that it didn't feel right to keep y'all separated any longer. She loves you, girl."
"Wow," she smiled as she looked at Naomi, "at least someone does."
"Do you really feel like your parents don't?"
"Yes... No... I don't know." she mumbled. "At least not like they used to. They never listen to me anymore and the only attention they give me is taking me to and from school and making sure I eat, shower, and sleep on time."
"It must be hard with all this change when you were once used to being an only child."
"It's not that I think having siblings is bad, I just wish my parents could spread their love equally. They don't have a problem doing it when it comes to TJ, so why can't they do it with me?" I could hear her voice crack as if she was going to cry.
"Look Kiara. I'm sure your parents have unconditional love for you, but right now they're just distracted. What they need is something or someone who can snap them back into reality."
"And what would that be?"
"I can't exactly say... but I have a feeling they'll find out real soon." I said with a mischievous grin on my face. "Do me a favor Naomi, get Kiara some snacks to eat and y'all just chill. I'll be right back."
It was time for me to make a phone call.
Trey
We've called literally every single person who attended our party today and no one has seen Kiara. We were hoping the worst case scenario would be that she left with someone without telling us, but we didn't have any luck so far. I was trying to keep cool so Kelly wouldn't freak out even more than she already has but at this point I was worried sick. I'm not even exaggerating when I say I've never been this scared in my entire life.
"Okay how bout we try retracing our steps?" Bey spoke as calmly as she could. "Blue, can you tell us about the last time you saw Kiara?"
"So, I was looking after the twins while they were playing with her Switch. She was walking past us and I could kinda tell she was upset but I wasn't sure. Ru called her name to show her what she was playing, and she just snatched it out of her hands. I was surprised cause I've never seen her act mean like that. I told her how rude she was being and she just gave me an attitude and walked away."
"Which direction did she go?" I asked.
"I... I don't really know. After she did that I was just focused on getting the twins to stop crying." she replied quietly and we all sighed.
"Can we go outside so I can try to act it out? Maybe I just need to visualize it."
We all agreed and made our way to the backyard. We would've had to come here sooner or later to look for clues anyway.
She stood in one spot as she started going through everything. "Okay so she came from over there. The twins and I were right here. After I tried talking to her she pushed me and went..." She paused and pointed far off to her right, "That way! I think she went towards the gate."
Relieved that we were getting somewhere, we followed Blue to the gate and walked around looking for clues. When we got to the corner Blue stopped us.
"Look y'all, see?! I knew it!" she shouted as she picked up Kiara's Switch and a canvas.
"So she was here..." I silently cursed myself because this was the one area of the entire house our cameras didn't cover. We had no way of seeing where she went after this point.
"Wow... guys look at this... it's beautiful." Blue brought the canvas to me and Kelly and what I saw was honestly breathtaking. It was a painting of all of us as a family standing in front of our house. She even included the twins in a stroller. It looked so realistic that it was almost as if a professional had done it.
"How amazing is this. I didn't even know Kiara could paint like that." Bey whispered.
"Neither did we." I mumbled and I held Kelly as she started sobbing. "Baby it's okay."
"No it's not okay, I'm fucking terrible! This is the best gift we could've ever gotten and instead of telling her that and uplifting her, I completely ignored her. Now she's gone..."
"Kelz, I did the same thing. We've both been getting way too sidetracked lately and she probably feels forgotten. I think it's my fault more than anything because I treated her like this when TJ first got here and I should've known better than to let it happen again."
"We failed her." Kelly cried.
"Listen to me." Bey took Kelly from my arms and hugged her, "It's true that as parents our priorities can get a little shifted when other things are going on and a lot of times we don't even realize it. You didn't do this on purpose. This is an unfortunate situation but please don't be so hard on yourself."
"And auntie how can you say y'all failed her when she's one of the nicest and smartest kids I've ever known? You taught her how to be like that. If it wasn't for her confidence she would've never tapped into painting in the first place. A few little mistakes doesn't make y'all bad parents. Just have faith. We're going to find her and she's going to be okay." Blue said, giving me a hug and squeezing Kelly's hand while Bey was holding her. I gotta say that encouraged me to start thinking positively.
"So what are we thinking, she ran away?" Bey asked.
"That's what it's looking like." I replied.
"The way I see it, y'all are in a gated community which reduces the chances of her being out in some random street. If anything one of your neighbors will see her and let you know."
I nodded, "Yeah."
"NO!" Kelly shouted all of a sudden. "No no no, Bey it's been hours! It wouldn't have taken this long, someone would've contacted me by now!"
"Fuck."
"We need to get the police involved." Bey said quickly.
"They not gon do shit."
"This is considered a high risk case. They better do their fucking job or else their fate will be in our hands, I can guarantee that."
"Nah fuck them pigs."
Bey sighed deeply, "Kelly what do you think?"
"I just want my baby. I don't care about anything else, I just need her to be safe..." Bey and Blue guided her to sit down as she started breaking down again. While that was happening my phone went off indicating an incoming call from an unknown number. I usually don't answer these but something was telling me I had to.
"Hello...?"
"Looking for something?" the person said on the other line. I couldn't recognize the voice because it was distorted.
"Who the fuck is this?"
"How much do you value your daughter?"
My blood instantly boiled at the mention of Kiara. It was then that I knew exactly what this was.
"You playing with the wrong muthafuckas. I don't know who you are and what you got going on, but if you value your life you'd let my daughter go."
The person started laughing, "That's what's funny, Trey, you do know who I am. And if I were to make it clear to you, you'd know that we have unfinished business. Your daughter is staying right here. But if she means that much to you then I'm sure you'll accept my proposition without hesitation."
"The fuck are you talking about?"
"I want five million dollars, cash."
"You must be out yo goddamn-" I paused and closed my eyes trying to center my breathing. I don't know who this person could be and what beef they have with either me or Kelly where they would ask for this much money, but at this point I'd do anything to get Kiara back.
"How soon do you need it?" I asked lowly.
"How soon do you want Kiara back?" they replied slyly.
I blew my breath out, "I have it. I can get it to you as soon as possible just bring me my fucking child."
"Oh, perfect! I didn't expect for it to be this easy. I was gonna give you a few hours but since you ballin like that, I'll call you back in about 10 minutes with the location."
"Wait-"
"Bye bye now." They hung up quickly and I ran my hand down my face before coming towards Kelly, Bey and Blue.
"Who was that?" Kelly asked cautiously.
"Kiara didn't run away."
"What do you mean..."
"Someone has her."
"Tremaine now is not the time for games-"
"You really think I'm fucking joking right now, Kelendria? Someone has her!" I repeated raising my voice.
"Who?!"
"I don't know, they purposely had their voice altered. This was intentional."
"But why? How? She hasn't done anything! She was here this whole time, how could someone have kidnapped her without anyone noticing? She would've yelled, screamed, something!"
"Kelly I really wish I had the answers for you but I'm just as clueless as you are. All I know is they want five million dollars."
"They're not getting a fucking dime. I'm calling the police and they are going to find my daughter and throw this bastard under the prison."
"Baby I understand how you feel but I don't think it's a smart idea to get the police involved in this. With police comes publicity. Plus they're well known for doing more harm then good so why bring them into it if there's a way for us to handle it ourselves? I think we should cooperate."
"Cooperate?! So we're supposed to give them a fucking reward for taking our child?! Do you hear how stupid that sounds?!"
"Five million dollars is nothing compared to Kiara's life."
"It's worth enough to not give away to a fucking criminal! We shouldn't have to give them what they want just to get Kiara back, they don't deserve it! WE DESERVE OUR CHILD! Bey call the cops, fuck this."
"No, Kelly I actually agree with Trey."
"What?! Weren't you the one just talking about getting the police involved?"
"That was before we found out she was kidnapped. This changes things. You shouldn't make it complicated if it can be simple. Y'all can get that five million back in less than a year, could you get Kiara back if God forbid they do something to her?"
Silence filled the air as we let that last sentence marinate. I rubbed my arms that currently had goosebumps and Kelly just shook her head while staring blankly into the distance.
"Well we have it in the safe don't we? Why don't you go get it." she said emotionlessly.
"If you really need me to, I can run by the house and put together some cash myself-"
"We could never ask that of you, Bey." I interrupted.
"Trey that is my niece. It's nothing."
"I know but they're only giving us 10 minutes anyway. We gotta hurry."
"Guys wait..." Blue said as I was about to head towards the house.
"What's up Blue?"
"...I don't think the kidnapping was actually meant to be a kidnapping." She walked closer to us holding up Kiara's Switch, "There's something you need to see."
Kiara
"Sorry about my mom by the way. She likes to say and do a lot of weird stuff." Naomi said after coming back from getting us some snacks.
"No I think she's nice. I'm used to weirdness anyway, my mom can be weird sometimes too."
"Really? She seems so cool. Like one of those moms who means business but also knows how to have fun."
"That's actually exactly how she is. She just has her corny moments." I laughed.
"I think all grown-ups do." she joked then stopped laughing when she saw my laughs dying down. "I didn't know you were going through those things that you told my mom. You guys always seem like such a happy family, always doing stuff together and so loving. I had no idea you felt so invisible."
"A lot of times what you see on the outside isn't how things are for real. I didn't always feel like this. It first started when my brother was born but I finally said something about it and it stopped. But now that there's two more babies, on top of my brother who's still a baby, everything is moving so fast. I'm not the first person on their mind anymore and I'll probably never be again."
"But that doesn't mean they don't love you. Why don't you tell them how you feel just like you did last time? Maybe this time it'll stick."
"Because I don't wanna be selfish or a brat. My mom will just call me a diva and my dad won't take me seriously. There's no point."
"I'm so sorry." she frowned. "If it makes you feel any better, your life is still a lot better than mine. I've always wanted a sibling."
That reminded me.
"Is it true what your mom said? About me being your best friend and like your sister?"
She smiled, "Of course. You're so much fun and so nice to me! Even though your parents have a lot of money and my mom doesn't, you still accepted me and was the only person that talked to me at school. We come from different places but we're still the same. We both like gymnastics, dancing, the same shows, we wear the same clothes, even eat the same snacks!"
"Do you like to paint?"
"I draw sometimes... Painting has been something I've wanted to try but my mom never wants to buy the supplies for me. She says it's too expensive and not important enough for her to waste money on."
"Don't worry, I can teach you."
"Really? Are you sure?"
"Of course I'm sure. What are sisters for?"
"Wow... Thank you so much sissy. You're the best!"
We did our special handshake that we created a long time ago before she moved away. I was surprised she still remembered it.
All of a sudden her mom bursted into the room and the way she looked was way different than the nice lady she was all day. The look on her face was scary, and the way she was walking towards us was scary too.
"Mom are you ok-"
"Get up, now. Both of you."
She grabbed us both by the arm and dragged us out the room towards a door. I'm guessing it was to the basement cause it was dark and there were stairs going down.
"Mommy what's wrong?!"
"Shut up. Stay in here and shut the hell up."
Kelly
A few minutes earlier
Fucking Janay. I should've fucking known it would be her. I can't believe I've been so stupid and naive to give this bitch the benefit of the doubt and let Trey convince me not to deal with her when I had the chance. My dumb ass left her untouched and free when I could've offed her just like I did her friend. I haven't been this livid since the day I killed Myra, actually.
I'm so thankful that Kiara was making a video on her Switch and happened to forget to press pause when Janay and Naomi showed up.
{A/N: I know the Switches don't actually have cameras but just pretend they do in this story pls 😭}
Their faces may not have been shown but I recognize that bitch's voice from anywhere and that's all I needed to know.
Just like I said from jump, we're not giving that bitch a dime and now that I know it's her I happily stand by that statement. Trey and I gladly give away money every chance we get but only to the truly deserving. That delusional, evil, conniving, snake ass hoe ass bitch is nothing of the sort.
Trey's phone finally went off again, exactly what I was waiting for. Apparently the plan was for him to act like she would still be getting the money, get her to tell us the location and we go from there. However, my patience was wearing very thin.
"Yo." he answered. The phone was on speaker.
"You have my money?"
"Where are you and where's Kiara? Give me the location like you said you would."
"Feisty aren't we. Pull up to the alleyway across the street from Beverly Gardens Park with the money in the trunk. Then-"
"The what?! No." I snatched the phone from Trey and put it to my mouth.
"Alright bitch, you know who this is. And we know who you are so cut the foolery. Now you listen here and listen good. You can mess around with me and my husband all you want but my kids is where you cross the fucking line. I don't know why you keep tryna play with me as if you're gonna win but it stops now. I'm on yo muthafuckin ass. You really are as crazy as I thought if you expected to get away with this that easily."
"Oh Kelly. Kelly Kelly Kelly. You obviously haven't changed a bit judging by the garbage spewing out of your mouth."
"I swear to God when I get my hands on you it's a fucking wrap." I growled.
"Like what you did to Myra right? And probably Casandra too?" she chuckled coldly. "At this point I think you should be more worried about me putting my hands on your daughter."
"Bitch-"
"Congratulations, I'm officially done playing fair. Meet me in the alleyway like I said with my money and don't pull any fuck shit. You better hope Kiara is still alive by the time you get there."
She hung up before I could say anything else.
"Kelendria what the fuck!" Trey yelled, quickly standing up and leaving the room. I followed him all the way up the stairs and into our bedroom. I lingered behind him as I watched him access the hidden safe in the wall and put in the code.
"What are you about to do?" I asked.
"The fuck do you think?"
I was surprised when I saw him pull out a glock instead of gathering up cash to put in some briefcases like I thought he was gonna do.
I sighed in relief, "There's the sense I knew you had. Let's go."
"You not going anywhere. I'm handling this."
"Excuse me? Tremaine that is my fucking child."
"Our child. And you are eight months pregnant with two more of them, did you forget that? There's no way I'm letting you come with me."
"Trey you're not going by yourself! I have to save her!"
He stood in front of me and put his hands on my shoulders. "Do you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you." I whispered.
"So you should know I'm going to bring her home. I won't let this go bad."
"It's way past bad at this point Trey..."
"And we're gonna fix it. I'm gonna fix it. I just need you to stay here and try to relax for me."
"You think that's about to be easy? If I lose one of you... or both... I just..." My voice cracked and tears proceeded to fall down my face.
"Kelly I'm not going anywhere, don't I always tell you that? Ain't nobody doing shit to me without a fight. Everything will be fine. We'll get Kiara back and we'll get through whatever happens afterwards."
"Easier said than done." I mumbled.
"I thought you said you trusted me."
"I do! But damn it can you blame me for being scared?"
"No I can't, but even with all that, just know that I gotchu." He leaned forward and kissed me softly then held me. "I love you so much."
"I love you too baby. Please be safe." I said into his chest.
After he walked out I was thinking of actually doing what I was told, but the more these thoughts raced through my head, the more I just couldn't. I can't just sit here while Kiara is out there. I know Trey is perfectly capable of handling things on his own but I have to be there too, it's just in my nature. I haven't been there for her enough as is which is what got us in this situation to begin with.
This may not be smart nor healthy for me to do for obvious reasons but all my rational thinking has gone out the window by now, and rightfully so.
I grabbed an extra pistol out of the safe and made my way out into the hallway trying to figure how to sneak out of this house without Bey noticing, because I already know she would send me back with the quickness.
As I was about to make my next move I was stopped by Mama A.
"Kelly..."
"I can't talk right now, Kiara's missing, I have to go." I quickly blurted out.
"I know. I overheard enough of you and Trey's conversation to piece together what's going on. God I wish I knew sooner, I was with the baby and Blue came into the nursery looking for her but I didn't think it was this serious."
"Well it is."
I turned my back to her about to leave but she ran to stand in front of me.
"Wait! ...There's something you should know."
"I don't have time-" My entire body froze. "Don't tell me you're a part of this."
"What? Kelly no not at all, I just-"
"After all this time? All these years of trying to convince us you were a changed woman? I begged everyone around me to accept you while they kept telling me I shouldn't have forgave you. I even made my damn mother forgive you for almost having me killed! I brought you into my fucking house!!!"
Rage took over every sense in my body and next thing I knew I cocked the gun and put it to her head.
"P-please Kelly n-no, just listen to me!"
"This has gone too far. None of this would be happening if it wasn't for you. These people have been trying to actively destroy me and your own fucking son for years, all because you wanted to be in your feelings about something so fucking small. My daughter being in danger is the last straw."
"I KNOW! I know it's all my fault and I'll never fully forgive myself for it! But please understand me when I say I am not involved in whatever is currently going on! I'm trying to tell you that I know where she might've taken Kiara!"
"How would you know that if you're not involved?"
"Just put the gun down and-"
I pressed it directly in the middle of her forehead and she closed her eyes tight and started shaking.
"Okay! Back when I was a part of Myra and Derek's schemes, I remember there was a house out here where Myra used to stay at. Assuming Janay doesn't have a place to live since she lost her house after she moved, I think she's been staying there. There's a pretty good chance that's where Kiara is."
I slowly lowered the gun while glaring at her.
"I'm so sorry that this is what it has come to. I really wish I could've done everything in my power to stop them for good but they have a mind of their own. Please let me prove it to you that those days are far behind me, any way that I can." she cried.
"Oh you want something to prove? Put your shoes on and come on. I'm going over there right now, and you're gonna take me."