Page 3 of Tainted

“You see what I mean. He’s a fuckin’ child,” Kross complained.

I should’ve checked in on Mom first, but I needed space to breathe, so I slipped upstairs to my childhood bedroom. The bed was smaller than I remembered, and the walls were bare except for the old posters of cars I used to dream about owning. Back then, those dreams were enough, but now it felt like the walls were closing in.

Kross wanted this. He thrived in it. The pressure, the deals, the power—it fueled him. But I never wanted any of this. The problem was, I wasn’t sure what I wanted.

“Keyes!” Sydney’s voice was usually soft like velvet, but she was worried. I didn’t need to see her face to know it, as she mumbled, “I swear if he left again,” she complained, moving around the hallway, trying to locate my whereabouts.

I didn’t have the strength to reply. I had used it all to get through the last seven days and currently I was tapped the fuck out. Sydney yanked the door open and her features softened, looking at me sitting on the bed.

“Aunt Lisa has been looking for you.”

She was in town to support her baby sister, losing her husband, and serving as backup in case Pop’s siblings got out of line.

When I didn’t reply or deliver a dismissive gesture, Sydney suggested, “Let’s go back downstairs and get you some food. I’m sure your Mom is looking for you,” because following the rules was always at the forefront of her brain, even at her own expense.

That’s where we differed because I didn’t give a fuck about what I was supposed to be doing. I was tired of people hugging me and telling me sorry for my loss. I didn’t even remember most of them. I wasn’t sure Pops would either if he was here.

“I know it hurts, but you’re not alone. You’re never alone,” she muttered, resting her chin on my freshly retwisted locs that Pop hated so much.

“Did you eat?” She asked.

“I’m not hungry.”

“You said that at breakfast. Drinking on an empty stomach is going to make you sick.”

“Not right now, Syd,” I begged, laying back on my bed.

“I’m going to check on Kross. Meet me downstairs to put something on your stomach.”

In time, I’d appreciate Sydney’s support during this pivotal moment, but the rage in my veins was much stronger, staring at the poster on my closet door. It was more like a blueprint of a car engine I’d sketched, but that future felt far away now, like another life.

I pushed the door open and jogged down the stairs, back to the life I'd chosen. Jogging down the stairs, I was met by my father’s sister. The fact that she wasn’tAunt Deloressaid everything about their relationship and mine, too.

“Oh baby, I’m so sorry for your loss,” she sobbed, drenching my shirt in her tears. “I just. I don’t understand it. I don’t know what I’m going to do without my baby brother.”

“The same thing you’ve been doing,” I mumbled, removing her arms from my waist, I slid through the living room to Dad’s office.

It was the only place Kross could be since I didn’t see him. When I reached the door, I heard multiple voices on the other side, which made me pause.

“This is what he would’ve wanted,” Uncle Leonne said.

Finally, Kross sighed, “I know.”

“I meant everything I said. Whether you realize it or not, you have been preparing for this your entire life.” Kross chuckled, not because he thought Unc’s statement was funny. It was a nervous habit. “You and Keyes are the best of him. Together, you two will be fine.”

“Together.” I imagined Kross taking another sip of his drink. He was rarely without one lately. Two back-to-back losses tormented him far worse than me, which was saying a lot. “We both know Keyes doesn’t want this.”

“Maybe not, but it doesn’t matter now. He made his decision.”

I pushed through the door, putting Kross out of his misery.

“Nephew. We were just talking about you,” Uncle Leonne boasted.

“That explains why my ears are burning.”

“How are you?”

“I’m straight.”

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