"Kyra," I said.
She and Josh stopped descending the stairs to face me.
"What's up?" Kyra asked.
"Don't you think you acted recklessly?"
"I'm sorry, but I didn't kill anyone."
"You know what dad wo—"
"Shut up!" Josh stepped closer, jaw tightening. "I'm sick of you. She saved us from Leroy. Instead of complaining, show her appreciation."
Kyra held up her hand to stop him.
"He's right. I lost my cool. And I'm sorry." She pursed her lips. "And honestly, it hurts me to see you restrain yourself for that man. Don't you understand that he's not worth it? "
Kyra resented my father more than anything. Of course she'd question my loyalty to him, but it wasn't loyalty. He had more power, and I had to respect that. Other than that, I didn't care about him.
"I know what he's capable of. So I prefer staying out of trouble."
"You don't understand what he's taken from you," she shot back.
"I have an idea. But your resentment comes with fear, doesn't it?"
Just then, Josh grabbed me by the collar. "Apologize!"
She started to speak, then stopped herself. I wasn't getting anything about what was taken. So I said, "I'm sorry," just to get Josh off my back.
He released me and I began walking away.
We left the building in silence. Outside, two shadowy figures stood beside Kyra's car; they didn't look right.
Kyra's expression quickly changed—she loathed other people more than my father.
"Get away from my car!" she shouted.
"Miss, are you sure this is your vehicle?" asked one of them.
"Are you deaf or what?!"
They came into view as they closed the distance. Powder blue shirts and five-point star badges.
Police officers.
"You're under arrest," the officer said.
"On what charges?!" she barked defiantly.
Her reckless attitude would only make it worse. So I told her, "Kyra, let's not do anything drastic."
"Listen to the boy and comply," one of the officers said.
"First, answer my question!"
The answer was clear—a seventeen-year-old black girl with a nice car outside a gunfire incident site was enough to raise their suspicions.
The officer on her left closed in on her, cuffs in hand. Before he could restrain her, she stomped hard on his foot. That was going to cost us later. He stumbled back, grunting in pain. Then he ground his teeth, growling as he charged and grabbed hold of her hands.
Kyra struggled for a while, trying to break free.
"I'm going to hit you, you stupid negro," the officer said.
"Leave her alone!" Josh shouted.
I turned to see him charging at the officer, face twisted in frustration. The fool was about to get hurt.
Kyra stopped shaking and said, "Stay back," in a low voice.
"But Kyra…" Josh started.
"I said stay back!"
Josh stopped dead in his tracks, unable to comprehend her actions. Neither could I. I was just glad that she did.
The officer cuffed her quickly.
Just then, his partner walked past me. My eyes widened; he was headed for Leroy's house to inspect it.
My gaze shifted to Kyra, who kept her head down. I didn't know if we shared the same thought or she was lost somewhere else. Josh, on the other hand, remained frozen where he stood, too fixated on Kyra to notice.
The officer returned moments later, a cuffed and silent Leroy in front of him.
"I found traces of heroin on this boy, a gun, as well as an unconscious body. He claims the girl is responsible for the body," the officer said to his partner.
"Good job. Let's take the boys with us," the officer with Kyra responded, looking at us.
"Shouldn't we just leave them here?"
"No, they could be involved in this. We can't leave potential suspects."
His partner nodded in agreement. I couldn't blame his judgment—not even I could trust the seven-year-old girl at home.
We left the scene afterwards and were shoved in the back seat of a panda car. It rolled away from the curb as Kyra's Camaro roared behind it. She'd given one of the officers her keys, reluctant, but not really bothered by it.
I was more worried about our destination. Father wasn't going to be pleased with how today's events unfolded.