Chapter 18
Killian
I sat at my desk looking over this mountain of a file for an upcoming court case.
I’d been swamped for days now. It seemed like the peaceful weekend I had was nothing more than a setup.
Just when I thought the week might be smooth sailing, I thought wrong.
I’d been buried in paperwork since I’d gotten here this morning.
I hadn’t had time to eat or go to the bathroom yet because I was so swamped.
With the way things were looking, I wouldn’t be eating lunch either.
The sound of knocking on my door didn’t bother me as much as I thought it would. I set my pen down, welcoming the reprieve.
“Come in.”
Leaning back in my chair, I waited to see who would walk in.
Much to my surprise, it was Alayah. I wasn’t expecting her.
She had grown slightly cold over the last couple of days.
I felt like something had happened and she wasn’t telling me what it was.
Every time I saw her face, she looked so sad and withdrawn. Today was no different.
I stood from my seat and went to greet her.
“Hey, Layah,” I said, reaching for her.
She pulled away slightly. “Hey, Killian.”
“What are you doing here?”
“I need your help.”
I nodded and led her over to a chair. She took a seat, and I reclaimed mine.
“What’s wrong?”
Digging in her purse, she pulled out a folded piece of paper and handed it to me. My brows furrowed as I took and read it.
“A restraining order?”
“Apparently, I’m not safe for my sisters to be around, and I’m a bad influence. She’ll stop at nothing to keep me away from them, Killian.”
“What brought this about?”
She sighed. “The girls came to see me over the weekend. I didn’t ask them to.
They decided to surprise me, and there was no way I was going to tell them they had to leave.
Adrienne said Kennedy was out with her boyfriend, but somehow, she tracked them to the house.
She showed up and showed her ass with all that yelling and cursing.
She threatened my sisters, slapped me, and when she slapped my uncle, I lost it and slapped her back. ”
“Shit.”
“I need my sisters out of that house. I haven’t heard from them in days, Killian. I know if I go over there, it’s going to be a brawl, and I can’t go back to jail. They need me.”
She dropped her head in her hands and began to cry.
I stood from my seat and went around to comfort her.
I hated that she was going through this.
All she wanted was a relationship with her sisters, and their mother was making it difficult at every turn.
If it had been noted in the conditions of her parole, that would have been different.
Alayah wasn’t a danger to Adrienne, Amiyah, or anyone else for that matter.
“What am I gonna do, Killian? What if the judge sides with her?”
“Well, more than likely, this will be a family-court issue. We’re gonna need a list of solid character witnesses. It would also be helpful if we had someone who can attest to how she treats the girls—like a neighbor or someone who’s seen it first-hand.”
“I’m sure someone in that neighborhood has heard or seen something.”
“I think Erica would be a great help on this. I can help in the background, but I’d better serve you as a character witness.”
She sniffled and nodded. “Is she here?”
“Let me call her.”
I turned my desk phone around and called down to Erica’s office.
She answered on the second ring, and I asked her to come down the hall.
She agreed, asking me to give her a few minutes.
While we waited, I grabbed some tissue to wipe the tears from Alayah’s face and a bottle of water for her to drink.
Her hands were trembling as she twisted the top off and took a sip.
“We’re gonna figure this out,” I assured her.
There was a knock on my door before it opened and Erica walked in.
“Alayah? What are you doing here?”
I handed her the petition for the restraining order, and she read over it as I explained what led to the motion being filed.
“I figured this was gonna happen.” Erica sighed as she took a seat next to Alayah. “We—”
“I want guardianship of my sisters—at least until both of them reach eighteen. That’s only a few months for Adrienne, and she’ll be off to college. Miyah still has two years before she graduates, but I can do this.”
“Alayah, you’re on parole. You’re still trying to get yourself together.
Are you sure you want to add on taking in two teenagers?
You’d have to get your own place, a license, and transportation.
If this becomes permanent, they have to have health care, food, clothes, insurance…
There’s a lot you have to prepare for, honey. ”
“I can do it. I’ve been learning to drive, and I’m getting better at it.
I’ll get a car. I’ll take on a second job if I have to.
Please, Erica. I don’t feel like they are safe with Kennedy.
I haven’t heard from them in a week, and I can’t go over there.
She isn’t going to let my aunt or uncle in.
Please! You have to do something; you have to help me. ”
There was desperation in her voice. Erica looked from Alayah to me then sighed.
“Okay. We can start with a wellness check. My husband is an officer. I can get him to do it. Once we see what he finds, we can move from there. We’re gonna have to get on this quickly before the hearing.
The more we get to prove her unfit the better.
This can get very ugly, Alayah. Your past is gonna come up, and you may have to relive that trauma again in the public eye. Are you prepared for that?”
Alayah nodded. “For my sisters, I have to be ready.”
“Should your request be declined, are your aunt and uncle prepared to step up?”
“Without a doubt.”
Erica gave her a tight-lipped smile. “I’ll make the call.”
She stood and walked to the door.
“Wait,” Alayah called. “I need to know how much this is going to cost me.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
“Erica, I have to pay you.”
“I believe in you, and because I believe in you, I’m not worried about you paying me. There are too many red flags when it comes to your mother, Alayah. Somebody has to knock her down a few notches. I’ll be in touch.”
She left us with a smile as she walked out of the office. Alayah buried her head in her hands and sighed heavily.
“Jesus be a fence,” she muttered.
I pulled her to her feet and wrapped my arms around her in a warm embrace. For the longest time, we stood there with me rocking her from side to side in a soothing manner. Silence stood between us, but the surrounding emotion was so loud. She expelled a deep breath.
“I’m sorry for just popping up like this. I didn’t know who else to turn to for something like this.”
“It’s not a problem. I can see how much strife this is causing you.”
She peered up at me. “It’s more depressing than being in prison. I couldn’t do anything behind bars, and now it feels like I can’t do anything on the outside. I feel like I’ve failed them all over again.”
I cupped her face. “You didn’t fail them, baby. You did the most selfless thing you could have done. You sacrificed your freedom. If that ain’t an act of love, I don’t know what is. Things will work out the way they’re supposed to.”
“I really hope so, Killian.”
“Believe that.” I kissed her forehead and wiped the tears from her cheeks. “Dry your eyes. You’re getting these freckers all wet,” I said, mimicking Ellie.
A faint smile appeared on her lips. For a moment, we stared into each other’s eyes.
Her piercing brown orbs were filled with a mixture of pain and hope.
Then she did something I wasn’t expecting.
She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to mine.
For a second, I pulled back, searching her face.
There was no sign that she regretted the brief action.
Again, she stood on her toes and kissed me softly.
The gentle pecks soon turned to her sucking on my bottom lip before migrating into her tongue caressing mine.
She wrapped her arms around my neck and deepened the kiss.
My arms enclosed her, holding her as close to my body as I possibly could.
Moments passed, and we were still caught up in the intense lip lock.
Kissing her was everything I imagined it would be. Her lips were soft and juicy. Her breath was minty fresh, and the feeling of her body against me filled my core with every ounce of attraction I’d tried to suppress. The moment she pulled away, I instantly missed her.
“I have to get back to work,” she said faintly.
I nodded. “Do you need a ride?”
“No. Londyn is waiting downstairs.”
“Okay. Call me later?”
“I will.”
She grabbed her things before leaving my office. I stared after her long after she was gone. One of these days, when this was all over, she was going to be mine.