"No!" Was the first thing Zadia shouted, while she jolted awake from her nightmare, breathing heavily. She was sweating intensely, her heart beating faster than normal. Zadia sat up and pushed her body to the headboard, wiping at her face. Her eyes glanced at the ceiling, as she tried to calm herself. Her nightmare... it was something she never imagined and it left her unsettled. She could feel her skin crawling, remembering certain parts. The dream felt so real... so genuine and yet she could barely wrap her head around what happened.

Zadia squinted her eyes, recalling seeing her grandmother in this dream.

She felt a chill run down her spine.

Her grandmother was in Haiti... buried in a coffin six feet underground. Zadia knew this because although she was young, she attended the funeral. In this dream that felt so real, Zadia could see her grandmother... touch her even. She looked down at her hand, and could still feel the warmth of another person's touch. The hairs on her body, heightened. "What the hell," Zadia whispered and pressed her eyes shut, breathing hard. Her grandmother had warned her... warned her that trouble was coming her way, but Zadia... she couldn't grasp it.

There wasn't much to go off with this warning.

There wasn't much for her to do about it.

"It's just a dream." She breathed, coming back to reality. "It wasn't real." She shut her eyes and let the world pause around her. The only thing she could hear was the ac firing up and Tino throwing the small blanket in his crib around. This of course was amusing to him, he was absorbed in his own little world. Zadia opened her eyes and noticed him finally. She smiled small watching him, wondering why he was so quiet. He'd been like this ever since she got back three days ago.

The both of them missed one another.

"Hey, little dude." She said to him and he turned to look at her, using the bars on his crib to stand up. He outstretched his hands, signaling to be picked up. Zadia looked down at her ankle that was propped up on two pillows. It had now been properly wrapped into a cast by a doctor who stayed in the house for two days straight, getting Roman and her back into shape... mainly her. "Can't pick you up yet buddy, only six more weeks to go." She picked up her leg carefully and turned her body, feet dangling on the ground.

Reaching forward, her hand wrapped themselves around the metal crutches and she put her body weight on them to stand. She hated these things. It required too much multitasking to get her moving and they hurt like hell. Walking with them was always an adjustment, and so was getting down the stairs. "You look so big." She cooed at Tino, walking to the front of his crib. He looked so different from the last time she saw him. Zadia let him grab her finger, and on the other hand, his blanket was tightly in its grasp. He'd grown attached to the fuzzy thing. His uncle had given it to him, just several weeks before Zadia and he was stranded.

"You miss him. I know." She whispered, planting a soft kiss on top of the baby's forehead. Roman didn't wait for a full recovery, he was out of the house the second he could breathe on his own. Like always, he left around the night, not bothering to explain to anyone where he was going or when he'd be back. When she asked Lynn about his whereabouts, Lynn replied with, "Mind your fucking business." Followed by a middle finger before strolling away.

Roman and she barely talked or saw each other after they got home. Neither of them said a thing on the helicopter that escorted them to a safe place to land, nor on the car ride home. They held onto each other's hands the entire ride until Roman finally passed out from heat exhaustion minutes later and Adam's eyes began to pry.

"I thought you were taking a nap," Abel said as he opened the door to their room, eyes quickly landing on Zadia and Tino. He was stressed out when Zadia was gone and even more stressed out when she got back. Getting her to listen to him was harder than it seemed. She could be so stubborn when she was sick. "We've already spoken about this Zadia, you're supposed to be in bed." It was the doctor's order.

Zadia sighed, shoulders slumping as she'd been caught red-handed. "Abel." She practically groaned, her head tilting back. He'd become so protective these few days, that he was becoming insufferable. "I can't keep laying in bed, my body hurts. I just wanna move around. You know, stretch my leg as normal people do."

"There will be plenty of time for that when you're straight. That doctor said to rest and not to push yourself." He started walking into the room. Tino's eyes brighten seeing him. The two of them were thick as thieves. "Bed." He said, putting his hand on her shoulders to guide her back to her spot. "Normal people know when to sit down and let their body rest."

She pouted. "Please!" Zadia begged. "If I stay here any longer, I'm gonna go crazy." She batted her eyelashes at him and smiled. "You wouldn't want me to go crazy in here, right?"

Abel gave her a look. "You're already crazy, and being up right now proves it. Now bed."

"Bu—." She started to say.

"No buts, only rest."

"Please Abel." She said, pouting some more. "I just need a different scenery. Preferably, one that doesn't involve these particular walls and bed." She explained. "I wanna go downstairs and watch some tv and hang out with you guys. It sounds like you're having a party down there."

Abel scrunched up his face. "We're just playing dominos. Lynn and I are teaching Adam since he's not as hip as us. You're not missing out on anything, Zee. I promise."

"Oh come on, that sounds fun." She insisted. "Pleaseeeee." She trailed on, making Tino giggle. "I wanna see Adam get confused about the entire thing."

Abel sighed, disapprovingly. "Okay... fine. You can come, but if you fall down the stairs, I'm locking you in here."

"Yeah, yeah. I know." She muttered as he let her pass.

He walked over to the crib and picked up Tino. "You know I'm only being this annoying, so you can get better right?" Abel questioned, guiding them through the hallway. "I don't want you getting hurt again."

"I get that." Zadia huffed, taking shaky steps with her crutches. "I'd be acting the same way if I were you, but you have to believe me when I say that I'm fine and I won't get hurt again... especially not here. This is called a safe house for a reason."

"Just because it has safe in its name, doesn't mean it's actually safe. It's still just a house." He resorted, carefully helping her down the stairs with Tino in hand. "Shit happens." He said as they reached the bottom.

"Language." Zadia scolded.

He gave her an accusing look. "You cursed in front of Tino last night." He pointed out.

"Hey, that was an accident. My painkillers hadn't kicked in yet. Everything was hurting." Her eyes looked around. It seemed like they moved some things around and added some more stuff. "You guys redecorated while I was gone?"

"It was my idea," Adam stated as they walked into the living room. "I thought it would be good to give the house a new look. Make you guys more comfortable." His eyebrows raised and he looked down at his black watch. "You're up already? You barely slept."

Zadia tried her best to shrug. "Couldn't sleep. My mind is all jumbled up." She walked over to the sofa and sat down, placing her crutches to the side. Abel placed Tino in her arms. "I heard they were teaching you how to play dominoes, thought I'd come see for myself." She squinted. "Where is she who may not be named?"

"Minding my business, unlike you," Lynn announced, walking back into the living room with her phone pressed to her ears. She went straight to the laptop on the desk, typing away. "Sorry about that Roman. You're gonna take a left, and it should be three doors down from where you are." She spoke. Zadia's ear perked up upon hearing his name and she tried her best to ignore the feelings in her stomach. "Yeah, no... I don't know Roman, just don't take it that way. Roman, seriously I don't recommend that way." As Roman replied, she moved the phone from her ears and looked Adams' way. "Adam, what're the chances of survival jumping off a four-story building?"

Adam frowned, quickly thinking. "I don't recommend that. That's got to be about a fifty percent chance of survival. Tell him to just listen to your directions."

Lynn pressed the phone back to her ears. "Fifty percent and a lot of broken bones, therefore go left, Roman." She paused, hearing him speak. "Would you just listen for once?" He spoke some more as she typed away on the computer. "Where'd you even get these blueprints from?" Pause. "... Okay I get that, but what building are they for... Roman, don't hang up. Roman, I'm ser—" Lynn stopped midway in her sentence and slammed her phone down on the desk. "He never listens!"

"Don't mind him, he'll be alright," Adam assured her. Zadia noticed how he did this on several occasions. He always kept his composure when shit happened. It was one of the many reasons why she admired him. Adam had a way of making people feel calm in the craziest conditions.

"Did he tell you what he's up to?"

Adam coughed and shook his head. "No... he didn't." He uttered, but it was clear that it was a lie. He wasn't the best liar, and he didn't like to lie or be lied to.

Lynn eyed him for a long second, before casting her gaze to Abel. "What about you?"

Abel looked taken back, eyes dotting everywhere. "Me? The guy barely talks to me. Last time he was here, he thanked me for watching Tino and left."

This was news to Zadia. She hadn't known that. It seemed Roman had spoken to nearly everyone in the house, but her before he left.

Was he avoiding her?

Lynn rolled her eyes, deciding to just forget about it, although it bugged her. She hated when Roman did shit like this. "Let's just get back to the game." She insisted, sitting on the sofa with Adam but keeping her distance. The three of them picked up their pieces. "Adam, it's easy. The player who drew the highest double plays first, and that's Abel." Lynn continued to list the basics of the game, while Zadia sat silently across from them, thinking.

"Why would he be avoiding me?" She questioned herself in her mind, letting Tino tug at her hands. "Why do I even want to know?" Her lips slightly parted.

She didn't care.

There was no reason for her to care at all.

Roman was rude, obnoxious, petty, and... and she could go on and on about everything he was. The point of the matter was, she shouldn't care about if he was avoiding her or not. None of that was important. "I don't care." She mumbled to herself. "Right?" She was slightly confused, it felt like she was trying to convince herself that she didn't. "I don't care." She said, more firmly.

Lynn sucked her teeth, glaring at her. "Weirdo, you're ruining the vibe." She voiced. Zadia blinked, not realizing she said that last part out loud. "Stop talking to yourself out loud, go be crazy somewhere else."

Adam was quick to Zadia's rescue. "Let her be, Lynn."

"Yeah, let me be," Zadia said, rolling her eyes. It was like ever since she got back, Lynn had been up her ass about the littlest shit. Zadia had a feeling that the reason behind this was because of the hand holding Roman and she had indulged in. Lynn had also been in the rescue helicopter, but unlike Adam, her eyes didn't pry. She took one glance at their entwined hand and turned to face the open door with her long sniper in hand.

Zadia wanted to clear the air between the two of them. She wanted to tell Lynn that the hand-holding was nothing to be taken seriously. That it was a thing Roman and her did as a way to assure each other comfort because they thought they'd reached the end of their existence.

"Six weeks till your ankle heals, Zadia. It would be a shame if it turned into a permanent issue." Lynn threatened while arranging her dominoes since it was her turn.

"Hey, not cool," Abel said to Lynn. He understand get why the two of them couldn't get along. They were both nice individuals, who he believed had much in common. He didn't tell them that though, he wasn't about to get cursed out by the both of them.

"The day you cause me any harm, Lynn. Is the same day you'll meet your maker." Zadia threatened back. Lynn didn't scare her, not one bit, and vice versus.

"Zadia." Abel pleaded as the two women in the room glared daggers at each other. He looked to Adam for help and Adam sighed.

"As much as I like watching you two go at it, I'm afraid now's not the time." He stated, not wanting for there to be another fight between them. He just wanted everyone to relax. "There's a baby in proximity and splitting you two up is something I don't think I'll be capable of." He looked at them both as he spoke. "Now, can we please just play the game and watch me embarrass myself."

Lynn's heated eyes averted from Zadia, focusing back on the game. "Whatever." She grumbled, not wanting to upset Adam. Much like her, he had been working hard this entire week. Between getting Roman back, keeping eyes on Cortez, and finding Eliśa, today was the only day they got a break. Contrary to what some people believed, Lynn cared. Though she didn't show it much... she did. "Abel, it's your turn."

While Abel thought about which domino to put down, Zadia exhaled. Tino babbled while in her arms, using her hands to stand and jump, then fall on his butt. Zadia gripped his hands to keep him from falling back, smiling at the weird faces he made. She was fascinated by the littlest things he did, often wanting to view the world through his eyes. Tino brought her joy in unexpected ways, making her heart feel like jell-O.

She wondered if this was what it felt like to be a parent.

Or if her parents had experienced the same feelings long ago when she was Tino's age.

They never really talked about her baby years. Zadia thought the reason for this was because her parents had gone through a rough patch in their marriage around those times. She only knew this, because she overheard some relatives speaking about it at a family reunion long ago.

When she brought it up to her parents, they waved her off and she never mentioned it again. That's how most things worked in the Hamilton household.

Tino hiccuped and her lips spread into a grin. Abel stood up and passed her one of Tino's water bottles. To her surprise, Tino took the bottle from her and began drinking it on his own. "They grow up so fast." She commented and watched the game. Between Lynn and Abel, it was hard to determine who would win. "Abel, you better win!"

"Trying too." He groaned, waiting for Lynn to put down her next piece.

"He doesn't stand a chance," Lynn muttered, cockily. She'd been playing this game since she was a kid. She'd be damned if she lost to Abel.

"I'm still the only one who's confused by this whole game." Said Adam.

Everyone laughed at him. "Just follow their lead," Zadia suggested.

The sound of Lynn's phone vibrating against the desk, caused everyone's eyes to snap in the direction of it. Lynn sighed heavily, placing her dominoes face down on the coffee table before standing up to answer it. "It's me." She answered as she pressed it to her ears. "How do you know?" She whispered to the other person at the end of the line, avoiding everyone's questionable gaze. "Hold on, let me check on my end." Lynn pointed at Adam. "Type in Figueroa Investment Group into your phone."

"How come?" Adam asked, pulling out his phone.

"It blew up." She answered. "It's trending."

Zadia's eyes widened and her eyes connected with Abel. They were both shocked. Figueroa Investment Group belonged to Cortez. It was his most known building the last time she checked.

"Thanks for letting me know, send me everything you got on the situation. I'll make it up to you later." Lynn said, before hanging up the phone. "That fucking Roman!" She shouted, making everyone jump. She dialed his number, but it went straight to voicemail. "Gotdamn him!"

Adam blinked, running a hand through his hair. "He didn't tell me, this was what he was going to do."

"So he did tell you?!" Lynn shouted, redialing Roman's number.

"No... not exactly. All he said was that he was going to the building to meet with someone. He didn't emphasize who he was meeting or what he was going to do there."

"He's fucked us! We're fucked!" She cursed, pacing around the living room. "If this gets out that it was him, or if the organization catches wind that he was up to this, we're through. They're gonna come after us with everything they've got! It'll be London all over again!"

"Lynn, breathe. It won't be London all over again." He tried to calm her. "We're jumping to conclusions. We don't even know if it was him."

Lynn glared at him. "Of course it was him." She pointed at the computer. "The fucking blueprints belong to the building, and if it's not him, any surveillance that puts him there automatically makes him a suspect. The organization told him to stay away! As in no contact with Cortez, until after they investigated the whole forest incident. This is going to bite us back in the ass!"

Zadia was slightly panicked. If this was Roman doing, then he must've done it because he was taking her advice about getting back at Cortez while he was dealing with the media backlash. She didn't think he'd do it, hell he rarely listened to her.

"He won't pick up." Said Lynn. She took the scrunchie on her wrist and put her hair into a ponytail. "Were there any casualties reported?"

Adam shook his head while looking at his phone. "News isn't saying much, it seems like firefighters are trying to put the fire out. That's all they're saying. They don't know how it started."

Abel cleared his throat. "What if it was an ambush?" He spoke.

"Yeah, Roman could've gone there expecting to talk to Cortez, and things could've gone sideways," Zadia said. If Roman did take her advice, he would've thought it through to the end. This incident was way too sloppy and from what she knew... Roman didn't do sloppy.

Lynn shook her head. "It's still not adding up. Why would he go there when he knows he's not supposed to be near Cortez."

Adam sighed. "Look, we're not going to know the specifics unless Roman explains it to us, but currently what we do know is that nothing is making sense. We'll get the details later, but for now, we treat this as a rescue mission. Our top priority is finding Roman... again. I'll check the tracker and Lynn, you know who to call.

Lynn took a deep breath and grabbed a lighter from her back pocket. "I'll be outside." She told them before she made her exit.

Everyone else got to work.

———

"So let me get this straight," Zadia spoke, while she watched the news on the television. The volume was low because Tino was slowly falling asleep on her chest. "The reason you guys found Roman last time was because he has a tracker in him?"

"Correct," Adam answered, typing on his keyboard. "Lynn and I have one installed too, but we remove them every three months so our location won't be compromised. If data like that got into the wrong hands, the world would have a fit." He explained. "It would tie people like us to a bunch of things."

"Do we have one?" Abel asked. You could hear the boredom seeping through his voice. They've been watching the news for a while now and there still weren't any updates. The news kept repeating the same thing.

"No, but Roman has thought about it. I told him it would be best to ask you both."

Zadia turned to look at him, watching him sit still for a few. "Any luck?"

He shook his head. "Trackers are tricky. They don't give you the exact location of the person, just the proximity. It's up to me to do all that. Thankfully, this time around he isn't in the woods. He's around signal towers so it won't be long till I get his location."

Abel stood up and stretched. "I need a nap." He uttered tiredly, walking to Zadia's side. Abel being the teenager that he was, was always sleepy. So for the past few days, he'd take a nap once Tino did so he could energize himself. "I'll put him in the crib." He gestured for Tino and she lifted his small body so he could take it.

"Thanks."

"No problem. You rest down here and I'll come get you once I'm up. Don't overwork yourself." He instructed, walking away. The sound of his footsteps trailed up the stairs until they disappeared completely.

"He's such a good kid." Said, Adam. "He cares about you... seems like you have that effect on people."

Zadia raised her eyebrows. "I do?"

He smirked. "Apparently. You know, you've been home for about three days, and not once have you mentioned anything that took place in that forest. Makes me wonder..." he trailed on.

"Makes you wonder what?" Zadia was quick to ask, sitting up on the sofa.

"Nothing, nothing. Just curious."

Zadia shrugged, face heated. "We starved, we argued, and we made jokes occasionally. That's it, that's all that happened."

"You forgot about the hand holding." He pointed out, smirking.

"Strictly out of comfort." She defended. "Now get back to tracking, mister nosy." She mocked his British accent.

Adam laughed. "That was pretty good. Almost have the accent down packed." He scratched the back of his neck. "Lynn is going to lose her mind if he doesn't call soon. I don't think I'll be able to stop her from storming out of here." He smiled a bit. "Do me a favor, go talk to her."

Zadia's face scrunched up. "Excuse me?" She said, trying to figure out if she heard him correctly. "You want me to do what?"

"Just talk to her."

"You talk to her." She insisted. "She's your friend and she can't stand me, just like how I can't stand her."

"Although your points are valid, it is a proven fact that women... understand other women far more than men do." He gave her a hopeful look. "Please...just go talk to her." He crossed his two fingers together and raised them. "I'll owe you after this, I promise."

Zadia playfully rubbed her chin. He had her at please, but since he was offering her something, she'd take him up on his offer. "Hmmm." She thought out loud. "I haven't had any red wine in forever."

Adam chuckled. "Red wine it is then. I promise to get a supply that lasts you a long while."

"Don't bother, I'm diabetic remember. I can't overdo it. Two bottles are fine."

"Right, right." He said, suddenly remembering. "I'll make it worth your wild the ." Zadia looked at him curiously, the tone in his voice sounded like he was flirting. "I... I mean, we have a deal." He stuttered, then looked back at the computer. "Thanks again."

She stared at him for a second longer, then proceeded to grab her crutches. "No problem." She braced herself and stood up, moving along the house, looking for Lynn. When she made it to the kitchen and saw that Lynn wasn't there, she looked out the kitchen's back door and saw her outback. "Lord, give me strength," Zadia mumbled, before walking out outside.

The weather was chilly out, but it didn't bother Zadia since it felt too hot in the house these past days. Shutting the door behind her, she looked ahead and continued towards Lynn who seemed to be smoking. Zadia sniffed the air, recognizing the smell of weed. "What do you want?" Lynn asked, glancing at her.

"Oh, nothing, just some fresh air," Zadia replied, then lowered herself onto one of the chairs they had out there. She laid her crutches down on the ground and sat back, looking to the cloudy. "It's clear that you're upset about this Roman thing... wanna talk about it?"

Lynn rolled her eyes. "Jesus, you're a therapist too now. You rich folks really know how to gamble with professions."

"I'm not rich and I'm sure as hell, not a therapist." Zadia clarified for the thousandth time. "How come you always wanna bite my head off? You're always nitpicking with me."

"You're a bitch." Lynn answered, putting the blunt between her lips and inhaling. She blew the smoke in Zadia's face on purpose, causing her to cough. "It wasn't even that much, calm down."

Zadia flicked the middle finger at her. "Seems like we've got something in common, because from what I know you're a bitch too." She shrugged. "That doesn't explain why you've got a problem with me."

"Who's up who's ass now?" Lynn questioned, annoyed.

"Just answer the question."

"Here, this is the only way I'll tell you." Lynn moved the blunt her way, offering her a smoke. "Don't tell me you've never done this before." She said, eyebrows raised.

Zadia stared at it, before carefully taking it from her. "I've only tried it a few times as a teen. Once I got caught, I stopped." She placed it between her lips and slowly inhaled, holding it in till she exhaled. She coughed, her chest rumbling. "That's strong as hell." She croaked, her throat dry.

Lynn shook her head. "No, it's not." She said, taking it from her. "I don't like you, because you act all innocent all the damn time. It's annoying, you're annoying." Although what she was saying was bothersome, she said it so nonchalantly. "It's always been the three of us but now it's you and the kids. I can deal with the kids, but with you being here... it feels like I've got to fight for my spot, and out of all the things I've fought to earn, my spot here shouldn't be one of them."

"So you're territorial." Zadia summed up as she took the blunt again. "You don't have to be. Truthfully, I'm only here temporarily... and besides that, there's no way I'm taking your spot... I don't even want it." She took a few more puffs, before passing it back. "I couldn't even if I tried." She said, handing her back the blunt. "This is your crew, always will be."

Lynn stared at her, this time with no glare or annoyance. "I hate your kindness and shitty comebacks."

Zadia scoffed. "My kindness? Now you're just saying things for the fun of it. Admit it. You like my shitty comebacks, they keep you on your toes."

"They don't." She said, flatly. She put out the blunt with her fingers, causing Zadia to look at her worriedly. It didn't seem like it hurt her. Lynn looked away from her, jaws clenched. "Roman has been acting differently and I'm not sure I can keep up with him anymore." She swallowed. "He's my best friend, and I guess I just... don't want to lose him."

Zadia clasped her hands together and nodded. "Maybe you should express that to him. Part of being best friends is being able to talk about stuff like this. It's normal for friends to change over time and have their differences, it just takes some getting used to."

"That's not all. I think he... I think he may care for y— "

"His car just pulled up!" Adam shouted, interrupting what she was going to say.

"Would you look at that, perfect timing?" Said Zadia, fingers tingling. "What were you saying about Roman?"

Lynn sighed, shaking her head. "Forget it." She mumbled, standing tall. "I still don't fuck with you, don't let this little talk thing get to your head."

"Trust me, it won't." It definitely wouldn't.

"Whatever." Lynn huffed, walking away. It was crazy how much she and Roman were so much alike.

Zadia waited till she was out of sight so she could breathe. She didn't know how much longer she could pretend not to feel the effects of the weed creeping up on her. She stifled a laugh, taking several more breaths. She felt jittery, and chill. Too chill for her liking. This was part of the reason why she didn't smoke often. She always got high quickly. "Oh shit, Roman's home." She said in realization. Standing up with her crutches, she began walking back inside.

Her hand gripped the doorknob and she pulled it open, walking inside. Zadia blinked, then frowned hearing several people shouting in the living room.

"And you thought it would be good to bring her here, of all places?!" Lynn shouted furiously. "Like we don't have enough problems!"

Her?

Her who?

Eliśa?

"I didn't have a choice, it was either here or Chavez's place. You know how he gets when we go there unexpectedly." Zadia heard Roman shout back. "First thing in the morning she's gone."

Zadia quietly moved into the living room, watching them go back and forth. Her eyes lingered on Roman, watching him tense as he paced around. The scars from days prior barely healed, yet he already had new ones on his face. His eye was bruised, cheek smeared with blood.

"Roman, this jeopardizes everything," Adam said calmly. "If the organization caught wind she's here, we're all going down for this. I can't go back to London, not after what happened."

"You won't have to... I'll clean all this up. It won't fall back on any of us."

Lynn curled her lips. "You better hope it doesn't!" She balled up her fist. "Because if it does, I won't forgive you for it! I swear I won't! Why couldn't you just tell us, tell me?! Why have you been so secretive?!"

"Because of this!" He pointed at her. "Because I knew you'd react like this. I'm not a fucking child, I know what I'm doing!"

"You fucking don't!" Lynn protested. "We need help! You're too fucking stubborn to admit it, but I'm not. This whole thing is getting out of hand!"

"We can handle it!"

"No, we can't!"

Seeing the two of them argue, felt like she was watching two parents bicker. Zadia held onto her crutches tightly, not wanting to laugh. This wasn't a laughing situation.

Roman had this look on his face while he glared at Lynn. Like he was sorta hurt. He directed his finger to his chest. "I make the shots around, just like I've been doing for years because you both voted me leader. Where's all this doubt coming from all of the sudden?"

The room fell silent, Lynn and Adam looking at one another.

Someone cleared their throat, halting their intense argument. Zadia was slightly taken back, just now noticing the bleeding woman on the sofa. "Is everyone just gonna keep ignoring me and the fact that I'm bleeding to death?"

"Shut up!" Both Lynn and Roman said at the same time.

The bleeding woman winced, raising her hands in surrender. "Okay, okay but are we going to at least acknowledge the girl who's clearly high as a kite." She pointed in Zadia's direction.

Roman's eyes finally snapped to Zadia's, noticing her. He squinted, taking in her presence. Smiling stupidly, Zadia cleared her throat. "I know what everyone's thinking, especially you." She directed at Roman. "But no, I'm not high." She tried to convince them. "I don't even smoke."

Roman turned, glaring at Lynn. "I thought you said you quit."

She shrugged. "I did, but dealing with your bullshit has us all going back to old habits."

"You wouldn't happen to have anymore, would you cousin?" The bleeding woman asked Lynn.

Zadia looked back and forth at the two, slightly noticing the similarities in their faces. This must've been Draya. The cousin that was traveling with Eliśa. The one who Roman said was bad news and a lunatic. "You're the crazy one, right?" Zadia asked and Draya smiled.

"I'd like to think so." She said, mischievously. Though she and Lynn had the same light skin, she was a tad bit lighter, her pink dyed hair the length of a buzz cut.

Roman leaned down, pressing his fingers to her bleeding arm. Blood instantly squirted from the wound and Draya screamed, legs kicking. "Fuck! Okay, okay! I'll shut up!"

"I've erased the security footage and anything else that could put Roman at the scene. As long as we get Draya out of here, the organization has no reason to suspect we're involved." Adam intervened. "Roman, I don't doubt you but I do wish you would've filled me in more, so I could better prepare. This entire situation is a conflict, but I'm still on your side like I've always been."

Adam and Roman looked at Lynn. "Does Adam speak for the both of you?" He questioned her.

Lynn rolled her eyes but nodded eventually. "He does."

He nodded. "It won't happen again then, I'll make sure to fill you both in. Now, the only thing left to do is get rid of Draya." He pulled out his phone. "I'll text Chavez now, see if he can get here later tonight."

"Seriously, that's it?" Zadia asked, moving to take a seat on the sofa. "None of you apologized to one another, you all just brushed it off and started a new conversation."

"High as a kite girl has a point. I didn't hear an apology." Draya said. Lynn gave her a warning stare and she shut up.

"Aren't you supposed to be resting?" Roman asked her. It was the first thing he said to her since being here.

Zadia shut her eyes and pouted at the sound of his question. "Oh God, not you too. I've already heard enough of it from Abel."

"Great, even the teenager has more sense than you." He insulted her. Zadia stuck the middle finger at him, thinking of a response. When she couldn't think of one she chuckled, ignoring him. Roman's phone lit up and he read the new message. "Chavez is flying in from another city, but he says he can pick her up around the night."

Draya groaned, clutching her arm. "Seriously, I'd rather go with anyone but him. That man is scary as shit."

"Should've corroborated before I shot you."

"Am I missing something here?" Zadia asked. "If she's here, then where's Eliśa? I thought they were traveling together."

"We were," Draya answered. "But we had to split up because somehow Cortez found us while we were boarding our flight. That bastard was so close to getting on the plane, I had to get off and cause a distraction. I was on my own from there, then I saw that damn article about him and I knew I had to go after him. So, I blew up that son of a bitches building, then got caught by this dick head." She referred to Roman.

Zadia crossed her arms. "So, where's Eliśa now?"

Draya raised an eyebrow at her, before looking at her cousin. "Does she always ask this many questions?"

"Sadly," Lynn answered, with a first aid kit in tow. She sat down near her cousin, checking her arm out.

"She's in Boston, but since we didn't plan on splitting up, I'm not sure where exactly in Boston she's at. The plan was for us to hide out at my place there, but I'm not sure she knows how to get there."

"What's the address?" Roman asked. "I'll get someone over there now.

"No." Said, Draya.

"No?" Everyone questioned looking at her. "She's my sister Draya, I've got to bring her home so she can see her kid."

Draya shook her head. "She doesn't want that Roman." She finally told him. "She doesn't want to come home and she doesn't want to be around Santino. At least not now."

"You're lying!" Roman accused.

"I'm not." Draya insisted. "You weren't there... you didn't see her. She's not the same."

"She needs to see her son."

"She can't and she doesn't want to."

"Why the hell not?!" Roman questioned angrily.

"Postpartum depression," Draya whispered, as Lynn began cleaning her wound. "That's part of the reason why she left him behind... it was getting worse by the days and with her dealing with Cortez's shenanigans, it got too hard." She sighed. "She needs to heal Roman."

Roman pinched the bridge of his nose. "Is that why she killed that Tim guy?"

"No. Tim bit more than he could chew and wanted to backtrack. Eliśa handled it before it could go any further."

"Does she know that I'm alive?"

"Of course not... none of us did."

Roman turned away, struggling to understand this new information about his sister. Everyone watched him, waiting to see what he was going to say. From his body language, Zadia could recognize that he was stuck, not knowing what to do. Daringly, she spoke for him. "How about this, you give us the address to your place so we can keep an eye out for her if she goes there. We won't bother her, just watch out for her." Draya looked unconvinced. "They give you their word, right guys?"

"Right." Adam, Lynn, and Roman mumbled along.

It took a minute, but Draya nodded. "The address is 4274 Stanton Hollow Road, zip code 02210," she informed them and Adam began typing it into his computer. "I don't believe I've gotten your name."

"That's because she didn't give it to you." Said Roman, with his arms, crossed together, leaning against the wall. "And she's not gonna. We don't need you telling your crazy-ass father."

Draya smirked. "Oh, so she's someone's pet?"

Zadia laughed. "A pet? I'm a whole human."

Draya's smirk widened. "Not that kind of pet."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Shut up Draya, or I'm shooting you again. Lynn takes her up to your room."

"I'm on it," Lynn said, standing up and grabbing her cousin. As she led her upstairs, Draya wiggled her eyebrows at Zadia before disappearing.

"Christ, I don't remember her being so talkative." Said Adam as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I had to stuff a shirt in her mouth to shut her up," Roman explained, while his eyes remained on Zadia. She watched him, quietly analyzing. "I'm gonna step out for a while, I'll be back before nightfall." He finally looked away, grabbing his keys. "Let me know if Eliśa pops up at that address."

"Sure thing, be safe out there," Adam told him as Roman began walking away.

Zadia listened as the door to the garage open and shut. She bit her lips, disappointed by his abrupt departure. Smashing the throw pillow against her face, she shut her eyes doing a play-by-play of their staredown. If there was one thing she was sure about, it was not knowing what the fuck was going on with that star down.

I know it's been a while but...

Real Zadia has a job now and I'm dealing with my college classes. I'm trying my best to get back to my regular schedule.

Use chapter 7 part two as a reference if needed.

Sorry for any errors, don't be afraid to point them out.