Page 62 of Kid
Kid
Jade was arrested and charged. The day she was, I drove Nella over to her house and she leaned heavily into my side watching as her mother was taken away in chains. I may not like Jade, but it was hard for even me to see a woman her age in cuffs.
I could only imagine my mother being handled like that.
Jade said nothing.
She walked by us, by Nella without saying a word—but her stare said a million different things, all of them bad.
But it seemed Jade’s defiant anger was only meant for Nella, someone she figured wouldn’t fight back. When it came to others, she couldn’t seem to hold her own.
According to Malik, the moment the cops got her into interrogation she told them everything.
The full story was worse than anything Emmitt had told us. I stood back, listening to the recording, Nella sat alone at the table, stoic, cold—I dare say, numb.
When they’d gone to speak with Emmitt, he asked for a lawyer. Of course, it was the best money could buy.
I wasn’t sure why this lawyer took the job—there was no way Emmitt could wiggle himself from under this one.
Maybe it was because once the case hit the news, the publicity would be none-stop.
While Emmitt had money to pay for his high-priced attorney, Jade didn’t.
I felt no sympathy for her.
I thought for sure Nella would help. After all, the cycle was, Jade did something messy and Nella would waltz in and clean it up.
Nella wasn’t inclined to.
“But I’m your mother!” Jade flung at her through the speakers in the visitor’s center. “It is your duty to help me.”
Nella frowned, rose and reached for my hand.
“I owe you nothing.” Nella explained, coldly. “My duty to you ended when you decided to break me. And even so, you giving birth to me doesn’t mean I have to pay for that with my happiness.”
“Your father didn’t want you!” Jade barked. “I sacrificed everything.”
I moved toward the glass, my anger ebbing through me.
Nella rested a hand on my shoulder, and I turned to look at her.
She winked at me.
“You chose him.” I told her. “The fact he left is on you.”
“He’s going to do the same to you, you know?” Jade tipped her chin up at Kid. “He’s going to break you too and when he does, don’t come crying to me.”
Nella smiled, patted the center of my chest and nodded to me.
I escorted her from the prison and out into the sunlight. We’d had to park about a block away from the prison due to construction around it. With our fingers laced, we made our way off the property and turned east toward the water.
Once we were seated on a park bench by the water, I exhaled and allowed my exhaustion to pulse against my lower back.
“Protecting my mother always comes back to haunt me.” Nella explained. “I will not reward her for breaking my heart. I will not reward her for trying to hurt my nephew.”
I didn’t push the issue.
Nella spent the night at my place with Jeremy. She didn’t want to go home yet, and I would feel better with her close anyway. I ensured they had all they need then left them together. The next day, I made them breakfast and they retreated to the bedroom to watch cartoons. I left for work since I was under contract but didn’t stay out of town like I had planned.
