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Every single time they try to find employment in attempts to line their coffers with some sort of income, I put an end to it before they can finish filling out their employment application. Dirty? Absolutely, but it’s no less than what they’ve done to their children. Berlynn’s managed to get a job at a gym where Dad and I have become their biggest investors. Silent, but we’re doing what we can to help them out without them being burdened with awareness we’ve had a hand in it. Berkley’s a different story altogether. From what we’ve been able to uncover, health-wise, he’s accomplished a lot, but he’s still unable to live independently and hold down a job for himself. My hope is that one day that’ll change and he can find his place and put his mark on the world. I miss my best friend and rue the day we ever went to that party, because it destroyed all of us, some more than others as is the case with Berkley.
As I make it to the mouth of the hallway that leads to Kayman’s room, my heart stalls when a familiar voice pierces the air. “She’ll be alright. She’s a fighter, I can see it,” Berkley says. Hisvoice drags more than it used to but it’s him, I’d recognize his timbre anywhere.
For the first time, I’m immobilized, unsure of if I should make my presence known, or hide out in the shadows of the corridor. I’m frightened of how making myself known will affect him. I can’t be the one who gives him a mental setback. But fuck, I miss the hell out of him.
Deciding to keep myself hidden, I step back and walk down to the cafeteria, giving him enough time to visit with the family before I begin laying out the research and case we’ve written up to the Dyers.
Another day I’ll be tenacious and approach him, but I won’t do that until I know he’s in a stable place where he’s strong enough to handle the shock of seeing me.
CHAPTER
THREE
BERLYNN
SIX DAYS LATER
“She’s goingto be a top contender for the U.S. team,” Coach DeMarius Bernard says as we watch Krista on the floor. She performed a double twist, flying through the air as if she’s been doing that series of flips from the womb.
“She defies gravity, doesn’t she?” I ask, amazed by the natural talent she has. In all of my years in this competitive industry, I’ve never personally witnessed someone who soars through routines the way she does. She only has to see it once to have it down.
Miranda comes scurrying down the path leading to me. She looks flustered and appears to be out of breath as she reaches us. “Berlynn, you have visitors. I don’t know who they are, but they're in business attire and have mean mugs on their faces. When I told them you weren’t able to leave the floor, they started spewing some legal mumbo-jumbo at me. I don’t know if they have any power here, but even the threat of calling the cops didn’t deter them, their looks got fiercer and more determined.I wouldn’t normally break your practice, but honestly, they’re freaking me out.”
Narrowing my eyes toward the office, I notice that the‘visitors’backs are turned facing the other way so I can’t see who they are. But one of the men, I’d recognize their stance anywhere. One is Marcus McKinny, my father, but I have no idea who the other man is that’s accompanying him.
The gall of him showing up to my place of employment! Who the hell does he think he is? I look over at DeMarius, and by the ashen look on his face, he realizes how dynamic this confrontation is about to be. “Escort those gentlemen to the conference room and let them know Berlynn will be with them as soon as she can,” he instructs Miranda.
“DeMarius, these men are not going to listen to me,” she whispers, fear laced in her tone.
DeMarius, seeing Miranda’s flight instincts kick into high gear, whistles Jase over. Jase, who acts as our pseudo bodyguard when we’re on the road, leaves what he’s working on and heads our way. He’s our muscle for the team and protects our ladies from their outlandish, obsessed fans. Other than that, he does all of our maintenance work and has sometimes been a shoulder to cry on as he always has an ear to listen when they’re feeling the stress piled on them.
“What’s up?” Jase asks when he makes it to where the three of us are huddled.
“We have some unwelcome visitors in the office that are persistent in talking to Berlynn.” Jase turns his head toward where DeMarius indicated, scanning the area where my dad and his “associate” are standing, posturing. Even though I can’tsee Dad’s expression, I know from prior experience that he’s wearing a satisfied smirk, believing he’s won this round.
“What would you like me to do? Escort them off the property?” Jase asks, crossing his beefy arms across his chest with a scowl marring his face. “I’d be more than happy to help them leave the premises.”
“Up to you, Berlynn,” DeMarius tells me. I chew on my bottom lip, contemplating what I think is the best outcome. The realization hits that if I force them to leave, they’d just follow me home and I can’t let Berkley witness that encounter. He’s been doing so well since he began his volunteer work at the hospital. He has a purpose now and I refuse to let him have any sort of setback.
“It’s better if I speak with them here,” I share. “If I don’t, they’ll just find me somewhere else where I don’t have anyone to help me if it gets out of hand.”
“Help you how?” Jase asks, peering down at me, his frown deepening.
Embarrassed, I lower my head to the ground in order to hide my shame and admit, “One of those men is my father. He’s not a nice person. If he’s here, and adamant to see me, he wants something and he’s been known to get… physical. He won’t be swayed by threats either. In a past life, before shit hit the fan and he lost his career due to his ego, he was a lawyer. A skeevy one, but he was damn good at it.”
DeMarius grits his teeth, anger radiating out from his pores. A few moments later, he tosses out orders as his hands clench into fists. “I’ll make a phone call. Don’t move until I get back, Berlynn. Jase, please show our guests to the conference center.Let them know she’s not available yet, but as soon as she wraps things up, she’ll be up to speak with them. Miranda, once the office has been cleared out, start calling guardians to come and pick up their girls, then head on home. We’re closing the gym early.” He stomps away, not waiting to see if we’re going to do as he said. He knows we will, we know better than to question him—after all, he’s the one who signs our paychecks.
What feels like hours later, the gym has been cleared out of students, and DeMarius comes storming back over to me. “Our counsel will be here shortly. They advised me to record the meeting until they show up. Jase informed me they’re getting impatient and tossing out threats, we can’t put this off and wait for backup to arrive. I was instructed to not respond to any of their taunts and try to be as compliant as possible without egging them on. We’re to simply hear them out and keep our traps shut until the cavalry arrives. Can you do that?”
“I’ll give it the old college try,” I promise as I shuffle my feet with nervous energy strumming through me. “I have a feeling my dad’s going to try and bait me by using my devotion to my brother against me.”
“Jase and I will be with you every step of the way. You don’t have to face them alone,” DeMarius vows.
“Then what are we waiting for? Lead the way,” I reply, tossing my hand out before me.
“Make sure you’re biting your tongue until our lawyers arrive to guide the meeting, Berlynn. Because if the jackass makes any threats or moves toward you, I can’t promise that the day won’tend with both me and Jase looking out at the world from a barred cell. And Berlynn, orange is not my color, it washes me out,” DeMarius teases me.
“No orange, got it,” I respond, determined to sit back and not get anyone in trouble because my family was founded by spiteful, vindictive, and catty parents. While all of those defined words have close to the same meaning in the English dictionary, there are circumstances from my childhood where they can be separated into different variables.
