Tainted

32. Kenyon

32

Kenyon

“ Y ou good?” Nolan asked as we pulled up to Sydney’s parents’ house.

The last time I saw Sydney, we damn near tore each other apart, but she sounded terrified, and I couldn’t ignore that.

“Yeah, let’s get this over with.”

We crept to the front door, and it was unlocked. My instincts flared because something didn’t feel right. I moved deeper into the house, feeling like I was wading through thick air. The place was eerily quiet until I heard a muffled sob.

I stepped into the office, my eyes scanning every corner until I found Sydney crouched in the corner, shaking. John’s body was on the floor, with blood gushing from his head. For a second, I thought it was a setup, so I had Nolan tag along, but one look at Sydney, I knew it wasn’t a trap.

“What the fuck,” Nolan mumbled.

“He lied about everything. He lied to me.” Sydney’s voice was small and broken.

“About what?”

Her eyes flicked to the lifeless body of her father, then back to me.

“You were right. He made me talk about the miscarriage to win over voters.” She choked on a sob, her words spilling out in a rush. “We were arguing, and I lost it. I didn’t mean to push him. It was an accident!”

Nolan knelt beside the body, his eyes cold and calculating. “The longer he sits, the more likely evidence will poke a hole in anything we come up with.”

Sydney looked at him, her eyes wide. “What do I do? I can’t go to jail!”

I exchanged a glance with Nolan, and he nodded.

“We make it look like a break-in. Like you walked in and found him,” I said, my voice steady despite the adrenaline kicking in.

Her breath hitched. “But they’ll trace my phone. They’ll know I called you.”

“You were scared and panicked,” Nolan interjected, standing up. “We make it look like you heard something downstairs, called Keyes out of instinct. That’s the story.”

Sydney shook her head, fear breaking through her shock. “What if it doesn’t work? What if they figure it out?”

“They won’t if we do this right,” I assured her. “We’ll make it look like someone else was here. First, we have to tear the house up so it looks like a robbery gone wrong.”

Her eyes flickered with panic, and I could tell she was close to breaking down again. “You called me for a reason. So trust me, and let us do what we do best.”

Sydney swallowed, then nodded, her shoulders slumping in defeat. “Okay. What do I do?”

Nolan and I moved quickly, creating chaos and pulling drawers open. Meanwhile, Nolan started wiping down surfaces while Sydney stood there, frozen, watching us with wide eyes.

“Wait sixty seconds and call the police,” I nodded so she would too. “And when the cops check your phone, you’ll tell them you called me when you thought something was wrong. You heard a noise, panicked, and called me. They’ll buy it.”

T he flashing lights of patrol cars quickly filled the street after Sydney called 911. Her face was flushed, and her hands clasped in her lap, answering their questions. Sydney was holding it together so far but couldn’t keep her hands out of her hair. A sign that I needed to step in.

As I walked up, one of the officers asked Syd, “Do you know him?”

“Yeah,” she said smoothly. “He’s my best friend. We grew up together.”

The officer nodded but didn’t take his eyes off Sydney. “She’s had a rough night.”

Sydney’s head shot up, relief flickering in her eyes. The officer glanced at his partner, then back at me. “We have a few more questions.”

She was trying, but I could see her falling apart at the seams.

“And how long were you in the house before you heard the noise?” the officer asked, his pen ready.

“I got here around four, I think,” Sydney replied, her voice higher than usual. Her hands started shaking, and I could tell she was on the verge of losing it.

“What did you do when you heard the noise?”

“I called out for my Dad, but he didn’t answer,” she replied.

“Then what happened?” he pressed for more details, making Syd run her fingers through her hair again.

I stepped in, placing a firm hand on her shoulder, squeezing just enough to let her know I had her back. “Officer, it’s been a long night. She’s shaken up.”

The officer paused, eyeing me for a second before nodding. “Alright. We’ll follow up if we need anything else.”

Sydney gave me a grateful look. As the officers wrapped up, one of our old neighbors, Mrs. Gray, stepped outside.

“Kenyon, is that you?” Mrs. Gray called out, squinting into the night. “I thought I recognized that car.”

“Yeah, it’s me,” I said, offering a quick wave. “Just here for Syd.”

Mrs. Gray shook her head, walking up to us. “I can’t believe all this. I’m so sorry for your loss, baby!” Sydney couldn’t muster a response, so she just smiled instead. “You make sure she’s alright now, you hear?”

“I will,” I promised, giving her a polite smile before turning back to Sydney. “Come on, let’s get you out of here.”

I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, and Sydney leaned into me, her body trembling with the weight of what had just happened. Helping her into the car, I glanced back at the house and circled to the driver’s side. It wasn’t over yet, but for now, we had pulled this off. To keep it that way, I needed to keep an eye on her. Sydney was fragile right now, and any crack in the story was a risk I couldn’t take.

We pulled into the driveway, and Nolan promptly chuckled and hopped out, knowing shit could potentially hit the fan.

“Zara’s inside. I’m not going to have any problems tonight, will I?”

Sydney rolled her eyes while wisps of hair framed her face, telling me how she felt about that.

“As if this night couldn’t get any worse,” she retorted coldly.

“What’s your beef with my girlfriend?”

“ Girlfriend ?” Sydney doubled over, laughing. “Slow down, Keyes.”

“Why is that so fuckin’ funny?”

“I know you think you’re the holy grail of men, but you’re not really boyfriend material.”

I raised an eyebrow, leaning back against the seat. "You never really know what you’re made of until somebody gives you a chance to prove it.”

Her smirk faded, pushing the door open, “Let’s get this over with.”

“It’s the price you pay for my help. I could’ve left you stranded after that little speech you gave me last time we talked.”

Sydney waited until I climbed out of the car and was close enough to hear her words. “I’m sorry about that,” she masked her inner turmoil, clearing her throat. “I wanted it to be true so bad, you know. I was stupid to think this time would be any different.”

“Definitely stupid, but I know how bad you wanted that.” Sydney scoffed at my blunt rebuttal to keep her tears at bay, “Sometimes people just aren’t capable of being what you want or need them to be.”

“You’ve always been that and more. Even tonight, you didn’t have to come through for me, but you did. Thanks, Keyes.”

“You’re welcome. Now repay me and act like you have some sense. I’m tired as fuck and would like to go to sleep without a long-drawn-out talk .”

While I appreciated Banana Girl’s house, there was no place like home. Opening the door to mine, Zara was still awake, sitting in the living room. She smiled as I rounded the corner until she saw Sydney behind me.

“How did she do?” I asked Shaudi.

“She didn’t eat much, but she was chilling.”

“You snitch!” Zara complained, shoving his arm while I shook my head.

“Syd is staying in the guest room tonight. You’re upstairs with me.” I pointed at Zara, then the stairs.

Neither Syd nor Zara said a word to each other, but I wasn’t complaining. That was better than being stuck in the middle of them. Zara disappeared while I thanked Nolan and Shaudi for their help. After they left and Syd settled in the guest room, I walked into my own, and Zara sat in the middle.

“What is she doing here?”

“Her dad died, and her mom is out of town. It’s just for a night or two.”

Zara watched me move around the room, undressing while trying to manage a response that didn’t showcase her anxiety. She knew there was more to it than that.

“If anybody should have an attitude, it’s me. You didn’t feed my baby,” I complained.

Zara let out a hysterical laugh.

“You are insane if you think that trumps your ex-situationship staying for a sleepover.”

“My baby trumps everything if you didn’t know, so I’m going to shower to fix my attitude while you fix yours.”

Strolling over to her, she tried to turn her head to resist my kiss. I almost forgot she was pregnant and collapsed on top of Zara to remind her who’s boss, but my hand took her face, bringing it closer.

“Is this what I have to look forward to for the next nine months?” she asked, kneading her face into my kisses.

“Try the rest of your life. Have those toes ready for me.”

“I hope you plan on rubbing them.”

“Fix your attitude, and I might.”

I stood under the showerhead until the water finally ran cold. Stepping out of the bathroom, remnants of Zara’s attitude filled the room, but a foot rub and shooting down every baby name I came up with lightened the mood. The room was quiet except for the soft rise and fall of her breathing until exhaustion pulled me under.

I opened my eyes the next morning to the sun filtering through the blinds. Patting around the bed, Zara was nowhere to be found. Knowing Syd was still here made me yank the comforter back and jog downstairs.

She was standing in the kitchen focused on the iPad, so I parked behind her to look for myself.

“What are you doing?”

“Since we’re keeping the baby, I need to find a doctor,” I nodded, resting my hands on her stomach. The more we talked about it, the more real it felt, like the future was slowly taking shape.

"I’m thinking about Dr. Allen," she said, her voice light but careful. "She’s got great reviews and a high success rate in deliveries without complications.”

Sydney walked in, her eyes narrowing as she moved between us. The tension was initially subtle, but I felt it when her gaze shifted to Zara’s stomach. Her expression turned cold, the kind that sent a chill down my spine.

"You're pregnant?" She cut me off, her voice laced with disbelief.

“Yeah, I am,” Zara confirmed.

"So, that’s it?”

“Should it be something else?” Zara asked, dropping her iPad on the counter and giving Sydney her undivided attention.

“I’m not talking to you,” Sydney quipped.

“You’re not talking to him either. Not when it concerns me, so since we’re all here. What’s the fuckin’ problem?”

“Aye, chill," I warned because by now, Zara had moved my arm and inched to the edge of the kitchen.

“We can go there! The problem is I don’t recognize my best friend anymore. Like what we went through. What I went through means nothing now that you’ve got your new little life planned out with her?" She shot Zara a glare that could cut through glass.

“Look a little harder. He’s the same man he’s always been. He wouldn’t have run out of here last night to help you if he wasn't. You just don’t like it because it doesn’t benefit you how it used to.”

This wasn’t how I wanted her to find out, but I refused to apologize.

The knock at the door came amid Zara standing her ground and Sydney’s nostrils flaring like a bull ready for destruction. Two detectives stood there when I opened the door.

“Good Morning. Miss Jackson told us we could find her here. We have a few more questions.” One of them said, his eyes sweeping from me to Sydney.

Opening the door wider, the two officers stepped inside, and Sydney walked to the living room. Zara was still standing in the kitchen like a teacher monitoring her class.

“There are some gaps in the timeline, specifically when you called Kenyon and when the police were notified.”

Sydney’s face paled because she wasn’t built for this, and with the added pressure of finding out about Zara's pregnancy, she was on the verge of breaking down.

“I called him for something else, but then I heard a noise,” Sydney stammered, eyes wide.

The detectives exchanged a glance.

“Then what happened?”

“Nothing, I thought I was hearing things then it got louder.”

I could see Sydney unraveling in real-time. I started to intervene, but Zara beat me to it.

“It seems like it took you a while to arrive, Mr. Keyes,” the officer stated, shifting his focus to me.

I stared, refusing to answer a question that wasn’t asked. I knew how this went, and the more I talked, the easier it was for them to poke holes in our story.

“Is there a reason it took you a while to arrive after Miss Jackson called?” The detective narrowed his eyes, digging deeper.

“It was my fault,” Zara said, her voice clear and calm as she turned to face them. “We just found out I was pregnant and went to the boardwalk. The candy apple made me sick, so he dropped me off first before leaving. He still got there as fast as he could, but I was the reason for the hold-up.”

Sydney shot Zara a look between shock and relief when the detectives turned to me.

“Did she call the police first or you?” The detective pressed.

“How the fuck should I know? I wasn’t there yet,” I groaned, irritated with his tone.

It was a gamble, but Zara’s timely intervention about the pregnancy had shifted their focus, even if just a little.

The shorter one nodded, closing his notebook. “Alright, that fills in some of the blanks. We may have more follow-up questions later.”

I nodded, not giving them more than necessary, while Sydney stirred uneasily in the chair. Once the door shut behind the detectives, I let out a breath.

“Thanks for that,” I said, keeping my voice low.

“I didn’t do it for you or her. I did it for my baby,” Zara groaned, shuffling toward the stairs.