CHAPTER 25
Silence.
Kora was with our enemy.
The realization sat heavy in my chest like poison.
That man had used her. Manipulated her. Every smile, every excuse, every secret meeting—it had all been to gain access to our home.
We sat around the dining table, eating in uneasy silence, discussing what to do next when suddenly—
The gate creaked open.
Every muscle in my body tightened.
Quietly and quickly, we reached for our guns.
Metal clicked.
Safety catches slid off.
Our weapons pointed toward the front door.
No one said a word.
After the last attack, paranoia had become survival. We carried guns everywhere now—even inside the house. Any intruder foolish enough to walk through that door would leave in pieces.
The doorknob turned slowly.
The door creaked open.
Then—
"It's me."
Kora's voice.
We lowered our weapons.
She stepped inside.
My breath caught.
Her eyes were swollen and bloodshot, her eyeliner smeared beneath trembling lashes. Tear stains streaked her face, and her shoulders sagged as though the weight of the world sat on them.
She looked broken.
I was still trying to understand why she had returned when she suddenly threw her arms around me.
"I should've listened to you," she sobbed. "That man is a liar!"
Her body shook violently.
Despite everything, I couldn't push her away.
She was still my sister.
I hugged her back.
Gently, I led her to the sofa.
"What happened?" Lupita asked immediately, leaning forward. "Did he lay his hands on you?"
Kora shook her head quickly.
"No… no, he didn't." She sniffled, wiping her nose. "I confronted him about everything you said."
Her voice cracked.
"He admitted it. He said he followed you all, but swore he never broke into the house." She paused, breathing shakily. "And… he told me he's the Don's nephew."
No one reacted.
We already knew.
"It's okay," Indira said softly, brushing hair from her face. "You made the right decision by leaving him."
Kora turned to me, guilt clouding her expression.
"I'm sorry, Brandi," she whispered. "I should've believed you. I'm sorry for calling you bad luck. I sincerely apologize."
Her voice trembled.
At that stage of my life, grudges exhausted me. Unless something cut deeply personal, I preferred peace over bitterness.
"It's okay," I said, offering a small smile. "That's in the past."
I wrinkled my nose dramatically.
"Now go shower. You look like life beat you up."
A weak laugh escaped her lips.
She stood and disappeared toward her room.
Our sister was back.
Or so we believed.
---
The next few days passed quietly.
Too quietly.
We stayed alert, expecting the goons to return at any moment.
But they never did.
Days stretched into uneasy calm.
Slowly, we relaxed.
The tension in our shoulders faded.
The guns stopped feeling glued to our hands.
For the first time in weeks, breathing felt easier.
One afternoon, we lounged beside the pool, sunlight dancing across the water, when Kora suddenly spoke.
"So, Indira…"
She removed her sunglasses.
"What are we going to do about the map?"
Something about the question made my stomach tighten.
"Nothing," Indira replied flatly.
Marissa barely looked up.
"Why are you asking? It's been with us this long, and it'll stay with us."
Conversation over.
But unease curled in my chest.
Kora had never cared about the map.
Never asked.
Never showed interest.
So why now?
I forced myself to ignore the feeling.
Maybe she was worried after everything that happened.
Maybe I was overthinking.
Life slowly regained rhythm.
I spoke to Jordan every day.
His laughter over the phone softened the darkness.
Violet was taking good care of him.
Still…
Something didn't feel right.
One afternoon, I accidentally overheard Kora on the phone.
I hadn't meant to listen.
I was passing by when her voice stopped me cold.
"Yes," she said quietly.
Then she laughed.
"Keep your friends close…"
A pause.
"But keep your enemies even closer."
A chill crawled up my spine.
I stood frozen.
Who was she talking to?
And why did those words feel like a warning?
I said nothing.
Told myself I was imagining things.
But stranger things began happening.
Rooms were mysteriously turned upside down.
Closets ransacked.
Drawers hanging open.
Sometimes the study looked like a tornado had ripped through it.
Nothing valuable ever disappeared.
Just mess.
Disruption.
Violation.
We blamed the goons.
Who else could it be?
Then came Tuesday.
A day that shattered everything.
We all decided to go to the salon.
Nothing major.
Just hair, nails, self-care.
A break from fear.
Indira sat getting her hair detoxed while we chatted nearby.
Kora suddenly stood.
"I usually don't come here," she said casually. "I'll go somewhere they actually know how to take care of my scalp."
Without waiting for a response, she grabbed her bag and walked out.
Something about the speed of it felt strange.
Still, none of us questioned it.
A little while later, Marissa frowned.
"Damn. I forgot something at home."
She grabbed the car keys.
"I'll be back."
Then she left.
Indira wrapped a towel around her damp hair.
"I've actually been thinking of locking my hair," she said excitedly.
"Locking?" I frowned.
"Yeah! Like Chloë Bailey and Halle." She grinned. "Those sisters wear their locs so beautifully."
For a moment—
Normalcy.
Laughter.
Peace.
Then Marissa called.
Her voice nearly made my blood freeze.
"Come home," she whispered shakily.
Immediately.
Something happened."
My stomach dropped.
"What happened?" I demanded.
But she said nothing else.
The line disconnected.
The drive home felt endless.
When we arrived, Marissa sat on the porch.
Still.
Pale.
Disturbed.
Her hands trembled.
"What happened?" I asked quickly.
"You sounded terrified," Indira added.
Marissa looked at all of us.
Her expression alone made my heart sink.
"Sit down."
We obeyed.
She inhaled sharply.
Then said words I would never forget.
"Brace yourselves."
Her voice cracked.
"Because what I'm about to tell you is going to hurt."
Silence swallowed us whole.
"When I said I forgot something…" she began slowly, "I lied."
Her eyes shifted nervously.
"I had forgotten the money we were supposed to use."
She swallowed hard.
"I came back home and noticed the front door was open."
Her breathing grew uneven.
"I walked inside quietly."
No one moved.
No one breathed.
"Then I heard a voice upstairs."
Her jaw tightened.
"Kora's voice."
My stomach twisted violently.
"I followed the sound to Indira's room…"
Marissa looked directly at her.
"And before I walked in…"
She paused.
"I heard a man's voice."
The air turned cold.
"She was on speakerphone."
Marissa's voice dropped to barely a whisper.
"So I listened."
Her face hardened.
"I looked through the door…"
She inhaled shakily.
"And Kora…"
Her eyes darkened.
"…was going through your things."