10 years ago

  "I want you to know that I will never do this for you again idiot."

     "He's just a kid Khai, a little stupid on making the right decisions. But he's a good kid, at heart at least."

    "Yeah, well that good kid shot my window out with a slingshot, that's going to cost at least $400 to replace. What he needs is an ass whooping, I can give him that, go soak this leather belt in some hot water." Motioning to the kitchen while he loosened his belt we both laughed.

     "You think I'm playing! I'm not Mason, I'm going to beat this kid."

    "I'm going to get some ice, I called his mom she'll be here soon." I called out, as I entered the spacious dining room, and towards the freezer.

      "How old is he anyway?"

"He's 12, 13 in 5 months." I shouted, multitasking while holding the bag, and the freezer door. Khai was being a hard ass, but he kind of liked the kid. I could see it in his eyes.

  "If Tailer and Rylainah ever were this bad, I'd ship them off to Africa."

    "Would you care to explain to me why exactly Africa? All of the places in the damn world, and you choose....Africa, is there some kind of subliminal joke hidden underneath all of that stupidity Khai, come on you gotta let me know."

    Laughing, those light brown eyes of his glowed with the setting suns' rays. "You know what, forget it. Just give me the damn ice. Hey Klein, wake up buddy, wake up."

Present day: 3 months later

  "Wake up." Reflexively jumping up, I hit my knee on my desk.

    "Shit,"

    "Come on, we have to meet Mike at the prison. Klein's getting transferred."

     Squeezing my eyes shut, I lapped at my dry lips, and laid a hand across my beard. "How long was I out?"

     "All day. Literally you walked in, slammed the door, and collapsed on your couch. I'm not complaining though, I didn't have to work with you and that pissy attitude. Now come on. We've got a whole lot of important people already there waiting on us. And we have a 3 hour drive all the way out in the got damn country. I can't stand all of those woods and shit, you're driving." Abriel raised a questioning brow.

  Rolling my eyes, I swiped away my tiredness and stood up. "Alright fine, give me the keys. We're stopping by the hospital, there's an organized order in how we're getting him there safely. Let's go." Grabbing my suit jacket, I jogged to the parking lot, Abriel trailed lazily behind me.

     Transfers were always risky, more dangerous for us than the inmate. There's always attempted breaches and often times they're more fatal than any other. With various rumors of Klein choosing the time to break free I ignored them. Because the kid isn't that stupid, Klein has something else planned.

   He's too gotdamn calm.

Finally fully recovering from being paralyzed he could walk, jump, run. He was boasting in this leniency, plotting. Against me, the government and Vindango himself.

    Klein is never caught off guard, you catch him when he wants you to. Like now, he was stringing everyone along, closely. Just waiting for the right time to cut us all off like drug addicts. And watch everyone lose their mind, while he kept his.

     Filling the barrel to my firearms, I stuffed my holsters. I never just held one gun, I always keep three on me. Nobody will ever get me how those goons got me and Khai, never again. Klein was getting to that jail safely, so was Abriel, and Mike.

    And I was willing to take down a multitude to ensure that. 

     The hospital was on maximum lock down, officers, and SWAT surrounded the outside perimeter and even more flooded the inside. It was a closed operation, the route was closed, and blocked off. No civilian vehicles were allowed.

     If there were any complications, there's an inside man, that's how it always goes. And it didn't fail to cross my mind that something was going down at 6:30 today. Somebody was going to either try to assassinate Klein, or exonerate him.

     Pulling in quickly, I jumped out. Already being bombarded with information I listened forcefully to my boss. "You cuff him, you bring him out, in and out Mason, the accurately we get him booked and escorted the accurately we get this done and over with. I don't want any fuck ups. Do you understand me? Something seems off I want you to trust your instincts, and make the right decision. It's 3:15, LET'S MOVE, POSITIONS!"

     Taking the designated entrance, Mike and Abriel gathered by my sides. "They dose him up?"

     Squinting at the brightness of the sun, Mike confirmed sternly. "No. He's our boy, to the fullest. He's not going to try anything Mason."

    "I already knew that. Watch everyone closely, some of them could work for Vindango."

      "Already on it."

"Alright Abe, let's do this." Picking up speed we entered, a whole line of snipers just outside of his door. "What the fuck is this? Put your guns down." Hesitating on taking my order, I became a bully. Forcefully slapping the guns down, and jabbing my fist into a couple of faces.

   A part of my rage was built up anger, and the rest, well I just wanted to be a dick. "Mason stop being an ass and let's get this done, we're on the clock. Being a minute late can compromise this entire thing and blow. Get the cuffs."

    Laughing at their disgusted faces I obliged, "Here."

     Knocking on the door, it opened instantly. My face falling dead flat in her wake, I shifted my stance. "Detectives." Snooting her nose at me as if I were some unworthy stranger, she took her petty ass across the hospital room.

     "Um Ms.Winters and Mr. Schworskey." Abriel started, but was cut off abruptly by none other than Kassaundra.

   "We were just leaving, Klein we will meet you there." Smiling faintly, Kassaundra laid a loving hand on his shoulder. Peering up through those evil green eyes of his, he smirked. He's got her. Like he gets everyone he intends to use.

   Kamden grinning his spiteful grin, attempted to shove passed me and Abriel. Kass following along. She's still mad at me, three months I thought it'd pass after the first week. But it hasn't, she was dragging this one out until I fell to my knees. I loved the woman, whatever she tied herself into with Klein, wasn't for her best. I just hoped I can get her out of it before it was too late.

   She was a new woman, new clothes new shoes, the way she walked was new, the way she smelled was even different. She was going all out on this case, but she deserves to live in luxury. Just not at Klein's expense.

  Khai would kill me, Khai wouldn't have even let her near Klein even with a ten foot pole. Khai could've talked Kass out of this, but me...I don't even know where to start. She fucking hates me. Irritated I threw my shoulder hard into Kamden, knocking him backwards into Kassie. "You rich little lawyer bitches are too good to say excuse me?" Dusting himself off Kamdens' smirk left him, that's what I thought.

      "You clearly have eyes, and I can assume you have common sense right? You see people trying to get through, what should you do, get out of the way right? Let me walk you through this very quickly. I am exiting, you are entering, move." Slamming her hand into my face Kassaundra shoved me out of the door. Smiling proudly she chimed happily, "Excuse me."

   I could hear their laughs, Klein just stared clearly amused. And next to me with eyes stoned over, was Abriel. "Common sense Kassaundra, I suggest you start using it. I can arrest you for assaulting a federal officer. But I'm sure you're smart enough to put two and two together. Now if you and Mason are done with your little love fight I'd like if you two would get your asses out of my way. So I can get this shit done."

   Unbothered, Kass just shrugged. "Have a good one ladies."

   This Kassie I've seen before. When she thought she was cool hanging out with the popular girls in middle school. Me and Khai got rid of that fake Kass, and I'm not letting this slide. Klein won this round, I give him his props of pinning Kassaundra against me now that he's about to go to jail, and on trial. Things were escalating, but slowly, and he likes to pretend to be behind, when he's already 100 steps ahead.

    "Where's his protection?" I asked, as I felt Mike's presence.

     "Velez says he doesn't need any."

     "Velez says he doesn't need any? Since when did the pot bellied otter looking son of a bitch start cashing in orders? Get me a vest, and a helmet."

   "Since Velez became head of this op," His nasally voice had me cringe at every syllable. "No helmet, no vest. The hospital is on lock down, nobody has gotten in or out. We have a tight lock and key on this. The inmate is safe, no special treatment detective just because you and Khai used to babysit the little monster. Because that he is."

  Waltzing in front of Klein, Velez put out his fat hand. Attempting to lay it on his shoulder. Klein's eyes remained on mine, signaling if I didn't get him away before he touched him, he was going to probably kill the man. But I didn't care, Velez would be one less jackass in the field.

    Velez and his partner, Karmer arrested Dayton a few years back, he came home to visit his parents. And just to be assholes they antagonized him. Pulled him over for a broken taillight, that they busted out in front him. When Dayton got upset Karmer hit him with the taser.

    And Velez allowed him to beat up the kid just for the hell of it, no one investigated, and Dayton being the kid that he was he let it go. He just let it go, there was always something about those sadistic bastards. That always left me with tormenting feelings of their integrity. Velez especially.

     He thought he would just come in here and expect me to back down. "It isn't your case, this isn't your perp, I say he gets a vest and a helmet. Now Velez if you have any other concerns please do us all a favor and take them, and shove them right up your uptight ass." His hand inching closer, Klein bit at him, startled he jumped back.

    "Didn't your mother warn you not to play with the monsters under your bed Davey? We wouldn't want that hand of yours to get ripped off now would we?" I wanted to laugh at the frightened expression laced on Velez's face. But Abriel was an impatient man. Coming back with a full on bullet proof vest and a helmet. He threw them on Klein, cuffing him up hands and ankles we pulled him out of the hospital.

       "I want to say goodbye to someone."

     "We don't have time for that Klein."

     Stopping angrily his eyes fluttered roughly, "I like her. I want to say bye Mason." Abriel shrugging he called into the walkie.

    "Bring in the nurse. It's a request I'm honoring it."

      It didn't take long for a few uniforms to bring her up, she was waiting just like everybody else in the hospital for this all to just be done and over with.

     Confused on what was going on she scanned the packed hallway, intimidated by the guns she paused. "They're not going to shoot you Stazey they're here for me." Klein shouted with a smile. He did in fact like her, I guess she's been the only person there for him as he mourns Dayton, since I been too busy working against him on this case.

      "They're taking you away for good huh?" She sighed into Klein as she hugged him.

    "Nothing is ever for good. Only temporary. I want you to take good care of yourself, and thank you. Because I appreciate your existence."

     "Alright Klein, times up." Stazey still clinging on to him as if he were her child, she sniffled. I guess three months was enough to get attached. But Klein alone had that effect on women, he's so terrible in his ways, but at the same exact time nobody seems to care about that.

  Because despite the criminal side of him, Klein is a good man. Through his tragedies, he's triumphed because of the never dying love, and hate he has towards people. Complexed all around, even after all of these years I can never figure out Klein. But neither did I want to, what I knew was just enough. And hell I'd be damned if Klein even had himself figured out.

    10 years ago

Just a random gif of Michael B Jordan, so you can get an image of Khai.(:

    "How ya feeling?" Struggling to lift his battered head off of the pillow, Klein froze in agony.

   Fighting his rage, because crying is a last resort when he's in pain, he rolled his eyes, and clenched his jaw. "I-I'm fine." Looking around, he finally noticed my stare. "What are you fucking looking at?"

   "Hey! Watch your mouth, I got toddlers running round here, and they don't need your bad influences. You like lasagna?" Khai managed to ask through his chewing.

     "If it's that frozen stouffer's shit hell no."

     "Nah asshole I shipped it all of the way from Italy."

"Khai, man he's a kid." Cutting me a fierce look of 'I don't really give a damn' he continued.

     "His ass acts and talks like a grown man, he can get called an asshole like a grown ass man. Now do you want something to eat or not? I literally made this with my own hands. It's homemotherfucking made, just for you."

    "I thought you didn't want any cussing?" Klein argued.

"Yeah well no not from you."

"Makes no sense."

    "It doesn't have to. Come eat.

Tai, and Rylie. Dinner is ready babies, come before it gets even colder. Like Antarctica." Khai always referred to something with some sort of geographical metaphor.

  He just thought it made him sound smarter.

   Laughing at his stupidity, Klein managed a smile. "What's his name?" He asked without looking away from Khai, his gaze admirable. As he watched him sit up Rylainah and Tailer in their chairs.

   "That? Well that's Khai. And those are his two daughters Rylainah, and Tailer."

    "Where's their mom." More of a statement rather than asking, he finally turned to me. His eyes dark and swollen, damn near shut. His lip was beginning to gush of blood again, and as he felt it drip, he swiped a shirt sleeve against it.

     Furrowing once he realized that she wasn't in the picture, he softened his hard glare. "I get it."

   "Well they seem to be doing pretty well, you two look like good mom's to them." Roughing up his spiked up hair, I helped him off of the couch. Cringing at the weight of himself on his leg, he wrapped his arms around my neck.

    "You have to stay out of these fights Klein. You're going to get yourself in some serious trouble and worse off danger. You could be dead."

      "That was my goal."
Pushing off of me, as he gaged the distance that he could collapse against the chair. Irritated with my comments, he did just that. Falling courageously he nailed his landing, right next to Khai and Tailer.

       Tailer's brown eyes lit up when she saw him. Smiling a cheesy half toothy smile, she handed out her spoon. "Hiiiiiiiiii." Laughing at her exaggerated hi, Khai handed Klein a plate, and a cup of water.

     "You don't have soda?"

"We like our skin clear, so we don't drink soda sir. Water is pure and it is good, you need some ice to brighten it up? We have lemon, maybe lime?"

   Khai motioned to the fridge sarcastically. Smart ass. Just observing I took my place by Rylie, struggling to get more food I helped her. "Nah I'm fine. Thank you, you know." Klein responded amused.

     "This still doesn't mean you're not paying me back for my window."

      "Well my grandparents are rich, I'll have them write you a check. Sorry about that, Reeko dared me. And I never let things go, just my thing."

    "Never letting things go?" Khai questioned, his eyes sparkling with intricacy as he swallowed.

    "Means you're weak if you let things go. I'm not weak. So I fight, because nobody else will, not for what I want, or what I believe, what I love. Letting things go means that I don't care, but I care. So I never let things go, ever."

     "It doesn't make you weak Klein, sometimes it makes you the better person. Well at least most of the time. Some things are meant for you to let go."

     "You haven't let go of their mother. When are you going to be the bigger person and finally let it pass you through like the lingering spirit that she now is to them?" Khai just dropped his empty cup onto the table and stared. My eyes widened, mainly because I had this unbearable urge to jump across the table and pin down my best friend from killing Klein.

  But oddly Klein had a way of making me understand what he meant by not letting things go.

    On the contrary his words stung Khai deep into his mending heart, he wasn't prepared for the emotional knock on his ass, hell I wasn't. But Klein didn't care that he got under Khai's skin in the worst way possible. He wanted him to understand what he meant by his values, never letting things go.

   Because in all honesty as a human being, I don't always let everything go.

      "That saying you forgive but you don't forget. Are you truly letting it go? You forgive her for leaving don't you? I'm sure you would like to know why, because either way when you wake up without her by your side your mind gets to thinking. There's something in you forcing you not to let the thought of her go. Deep down, you can't. And my anger drives me, it forces me not to let things go, if anything ever happened to you or Mason, my heart will crash into the growing ditch inside of my stomach. I wouldn't be able to sleep because I would have to find out why, when, what, how, who, and I won't rest until I get every single answer and even then that will never be enough. Do you understand why I never let things go? Because my heart, my mind, my feelings won't allow me to do so."

   Their eyes were so far into one another's, and mine pinned to their deep expressions. The constant knocking and ringing of the doorbell didn't even grasp our attention. "Daddy, we have someone here. Can I say hiiiii?"

     "Daddy!"

"Daaaadd!"

        "I'll get it. Alright I got it finish eating." Still giving a once over of Khai and klein, I headed to the front door. "Who is it?"

   "Keith Masthers. I'm here for my son Klein. Is he here? I know you were expecting his mother, Mai Ling. But she is with my other son Dayton." Opening the door immediately, I welcomed him in.

    "Keith! I'm Mason Carter, my friend Khai and I kept a good eye on him." With a slight scowl, he flashed an unimpressed smile, and walked inside.

     "Where is he?"

"Uh, well he's eating."

    Laughing a loud laugh, he swatted in approval. "That's fine, he'll eat your whole house if you let him. I don't know if it's the weed, or puberty but that boy sure does have an appetite." Nervously rubbing my shoulder, I took a seat across from Klein's father.

    He wasn't Asian like his mother, he was a blank slate of unknown, pale and tanned. He was tall, and carried heaps of muscle, green eyes, and a stern stare just like Klein.

    He held that intimidating searching of the eyes, I see where Klein gets his stellar observational skills from. Because as I sat before him. I felt my whole entire life, my emotions, my thoughts, get pulled right out of me and scattered abroad the brand new coffee table.

   The silence grew louder, and my anxiety more stronger. "He talks a lot about you and your friend. Well not to me anyway, my boy hates me. I see why, I'm just an older him. He rebels because he's afraid he'll become exactly like me. His mother believes it's just a phase, but I know better. She knows better. Klein is going down a path he won't ever return from, and you see it just like everyone else does.

      I advise you and your friend in there to let him go. Klein leaves a line of pain, he won't see it until it's too late. I love my boy, and I want to him see him actually do good for once. But all he wants to do is smoke weed with that no good of a cousin of his, Ronn. Get into fights, sell drugs, steal, be a criminal. He's got nothing going for him in life besides his young death.

   And it's a shame really, when you have to let your own child go. Just cut them off, because there's not much more you can do for them as a parent."

   Mentally cringing I sighed, everyone saw all of this bad in one kid. And for some reason I couldn't, maybe I wasn't opening my eyes wide enough, or I was just blind, I honestly just think I don't want to see it. Distantly, my mind fought its way back to the image of Khai and Klein. I couldn't hear anything, were they still mentally battling one another?

    Closing my eyes, I gained the courage to reopen them, and stare directly into those cold green eyes. This time I didn't see Klein in them, Klein's were genuine eyes, a color of brightness, and relief from Keith's stoned dark irises.

     "With all do respect, Klein got into a fight because he was standing up for a gay boy and his boyfriend that were being wrongfully beaten. If he were nothing but a criminal he would have walked away. Instead he threw himself in their crossfire and though he lost pretty badly 8 to 1. Those boys are still alive because of him, today he is the hero not the villain. I think that instead of cutting him off because of your failure to acknowledge him as a boy that is growing. You need to get to know him, talk to him. You don't love him enough, and you're proving that by letting him go. You never let things go unless you don't genuinely care.

    And I won't ever stop being there for your son, because it's obvious to me that your someone he calls on but in your negligence you ignore him. He needs someone, he needs a man, to show him how to be a man. And I see why he hasn't gotten the memo because his own father still hasn't grown to become one.

   I understand why he's afraid of becoming you, he's afraid of being weak. He's doing these things, he's getting into all of these fights, drugs theft. Because he's preparing himself, he's trying to show you how to be a man. Klein knows he's better, and he hates you because you're jealous of that."

    Catching myself as I fell back into the recliner I blinked shockingly. I was in disbelief of what I figured out just by listening to this man.

    Shrugging he didn't bother retaliating, instead he stood up, adjusted his hat and smiled. "You ready to go boy? Your mother is waiting for ya." He didn't ask if he was ok, but I didn't expect him to.

    Leaning on Khai, Klein's face was shielded of emotion, but I felt his disappointment. And from the looks of it, so did Khai. "I broke his window with my slingshot."

   "How much does he need Klein? How many times have I told you to stop breaking shit that doesn't belong to you. You want to break people's shit then you better get a job and start working, so you can pay for your stupidity. But of course you probably wouldn't get considered for a gotdamn job, because you have the criminal background of an eighty year old felon. I'll write a check and have your mom drop it off. Let's go."

   Hiding his pain Klein just remained quiet, and Khai began to help him to the door.

     "Let him go. He's fully capable of walking, if he is fully capable of being a jackass and get into a fight that wasn't his to get involved in. Hurry up."

    Reluctantly letting up of klein, Khai eyed me with anger. And I knew exactly how he felt. "His leg is broken, his knees were dislocated. He refused a wheelchair he can hardly walk." Khai protested harshly.

    Rolling his eyes, Keith huffed a breath of finality, shoving Klein to the floor, he brushed it off as if he were forced to do so. "Klein get off of the floor. Now." He didn't cry, he didn't wince, he showed no sign of his excruciating pain.

     Balling a fist Khai charged after Keith, wanting to just let him pound his smug face in. I snatched him by his neck and held him down." We can't do anything Khai. Stop it." Fighting in my grasp, I glared at Keith.

    "Daddy says if we see someone down to help them back up again. Come on Rylie. We have to help him." Their little arms weren't much of help to Klein. But he stared at Tailer like she were his guardian angel.

     Smiling, "Your dad is a pretty nice guy, I wish I had a dad. I wish I had one like yours." Finally with a strong giddy up, Klein stood up. Bent out of shape, he quickly fixed it, he refused to let Keith see him stay down. "Thank you for your hospitality. I'll see you around maybe?" Klein expressed through an exasperated voice, bleeding heavily. He still smiled, and through his agony, he stood straight, walked strong, and with his head held high.

Present day

  The trucks were getting packed with SWAT and officers, impatiently waiting Klein began to sing.

      "Cut it out. No one wants to hear that Klein it's awful."

"What's awful is you failing to brush your teeth this morning, and having the audacity to come at my neck for my failure to sing a melody flawlessly. No one is perfect officer Velez, not you or me."

Killing himself with laughter Mike shut the door behind him as he scooted next to me. "Alright let's do this! We are signed, sealed, and now all that is left is to deliver. Let us make this a smooth ride gentleman, ride out!" Abriel encouraged into the walkie.

     Nodding I looked at Klein, and not to much of my surprise he was looking. Right back at me, completely serious he wiggled his nose as he swished his lips side to side he cautiously blinked.

   Resting my hand on the gun on my hip, his eyes flashed to Velez and back to me.

Realizing he was signaling to something I popped off my safety.