Born Mine
Chapter 87

I thought I read wrong the first time so I read it over again but nothing changed. It was still the same message and I refused to believe it. I had to place my phone on the bedside table because simply holding it felt like a grave offense. I was tempted to respond to it but I knew I couldn't. I couldn't go behind Darius' back like that but I could practically already hear his response if I brought it over to him.

He would tell me that Brandon was bluffing and that I should ignore it. I had thought of the possibility that Brandon was bluffing but what if he was not? What if he was telling the truth and there was a piece of information I could glean from him?

I decided to sleep it off hoping that a clear mind would make it easier for me to make a decision but sleep avoided me. I tossed and turned in bed for almost half an hour before I was able to drift into a fitful and uneasy sleep. I hadn't had a nightmare since Liam was around, but I had one.

It was of that day- the day my parents died. I watched as we packed up the things for packing while Chris begged us to let him come with us. I had rubbed it in his face how I was the oldest and I was going instead of him. Mum chided me to be nice and promised Chris that they would go together next time. I never would have assumed my parents were hiding a secret so big at that time. They were the kindest and most honest people that I knew.

The drive started as normal as ever. My dad played his music via aux much to Mum and I's annoyance. She was telling me about the spots we were going to once we went camping and suddenly, her experience went serious.

"I love you, Leindra, do you know that?" she asked me and I remembered feeling so confused because of her change in subject.

"Of course I do," I laughed trying to ease the tension. "But why are you saying that? Is something wrong? Are you guys getting a divorce?"

She laughed and reached back to stroke my cheek. "Of course not, I just wanted you to remember that. No matter what happens, we love you and your brother and we have done everything for both of you."

She wanted to say more but before she could, a car rammed into us from the side. Dad fought to keep the car on the road but he couldn't and it somersaulted. I remembered screaming and glass shattering on my skin. I shielded my face and by the time I opened my eyes, my mother's neck was at an awkward angle. I knew she was dead but I couldn't believe it.

The car had somehow landed on its feet but she was gone. I tried to shake her awake but my dad's hand grabbed mine. There was a glass shard in his neck and in a few seconds, he would bleed out too.

"Get out," he managed out despite the blood pouring from his mouth. "Now."

I quickly undid the seatbelt knowing that I was leaving them behind and I crawled over my mother's dead body to get out using her window. I felt like a failure and a coward.

If I had stayed back to help my father, he might have lived but I ran.

I woke with a gasp and hands were on me in an instant- Darius.

I didn't even realize I was crying until he used his thumb to wipe my tears away. He didn't force me to speak, just pulled me into the warmth of his hold and stroked my back softly. I allowed the sobs to flow freely through me. It had been so long since I dreamt of my parents and what happened to them. Every day after the accident, I would wake up with nightmares. No one understood what happened because I wouldn't tell them but they got the main gist from the coroners and the morgue. "Do you want to talk about it?" Darius' voice was calm and soothing. "I replace that talking about nightmares sometimes can be relieving."

"It wasn't a nightmare, it was a memory."

I spoke so softly that I didn't think he heard me but he suddenly maneuvered us so he was sitting up against the headboard and I was draped over his body. He cradled me like a baby and I realized that he was the first person excluding my parents who held me this way. It reminded me of them so much that the tears started falling again.

"It was about my parents," I told him the dream and he listened intently. "I should have never left them there. I just stood outside the car staring at it. I didn't even call the police. It was a stranger who was passing that saw it and called the police. By then, my father was long dead."

"You were a child and you were in shock."

"I was not a child," I shot back immediately. "I was eighteen years old. I should have known better."

"You cannot dictate what shock does to you, Leindra. Your father wanted you to be safe. He knew he wasn't going to make it but he wanted to make sure that you did."

I shook my head. "I was covered in glass shards and I was concussed. I don't know how I was in the same car but I got out with barely any scratches while they had to die. It makes no sense."

"Life doesn't always have to make sense. We just have to deal with what it gives us. You're alive and that is what matters."

"I wish they were too."

"I know."

Darius sighed and stood to his feet with me. He placed me on the ground and held out his hand for me. I didn't know where he was taking me but I decided to go with him. He led me down the stairs and towards the kitchen then lifted me by my waist and placed me on the counter. I watched as he turned on the coffee pot then took out microwaveable popcorn from the cupboard and tossed it in.

"What time is it?" I asked finally and he spoke without looking at me.

"Early enough to be considered morning and late enough to be late, I know you're not going back to sleep so what do you think of popcorn and a movie?"

I nodded and he smiled. I watched as he prepared hot chocolate for me and coffee for himself then once the popcorn was done, he poured it into a bowl. He handed the bowl to me and held the two mugs himself then we made our way back upstairs. It was on the way back that I realized that he didn't need my presence, he just didn't want me to be alone.

I was barely paying attention to what movie he put on. We were seated on the couch and his arms were wrapped around my shoulders.

"Have you found anything?" I asked suddenly making him turn to me. "You said you were investigating whether the accident was really an accident. Have you found anything yet?"

"Leindra, you shouldn't worry about these things."

"Please, Darius."

"We can't replace anything about the car that hit your parents. It is almost like it never existed. Until we replace it, we cannot say anything for sure."

I looked up at him and I knew that there was something he wasn't telling me. It was etched in the stiffness of his shoulders and the way he wouldn't meet my eye. "What is it? What do you know?"

He hesitated before speaking. "If that car hadn't killed your parents something else would have because the brakes weren't working."

My head was spinning on its axis as those words settled. All sound was blocked out and those words repeated themselves over and over in my brain. I couldn't believe it. I refused to believe it. Someone had tried to kill them. Grandma was right which meant I needed to talk to her. I needed to know who had a vendetta against them.

I felt hands on my shoulders and Darius turned me to face him. His face was dead serious as he stared deep into me and I knew that whatever he was going to say, I wasn't going to like it.

"You need to stay out of this. Let me handle everything," I opened my mouth to protest but he cut me off. "You don't realize how serious this is. You were in that car too. You could have been a target. Just let me figure this one out."

"Okay," he let out a sigh of relief.

"I'll keep you in the loop as much as I can."

"Thank you."

We went back to the movie but my mind was everywhere but the television. I could not believe that someone tried to assassinate my parents and me. I didn't care what Darius said, I knew I wasn't the victim. No one even knew who I was.

Sometime during the movie, Darius went to the bathroom and I grabbed my phone. I saw Brandon's unanswered message and I glanced at the bathroom door. Seeing it today, it suddenly made more sense and I wanted answers.

Brandon: I know something about your parent's death.

I knew I shouldn't. I had promised Darius I was going to stay out of it but I just couldn't. They were my parents. They were my family. I couldn't just sit by and let whoever tried to kill them get away with it.

Me: It has to be quick. Where do we meet?