Page 3 of Kael

Maya had told me they’d tried everything to keep her clean. They hadn’t tried my way. I was letting them know I had her so when she disappeared for a while, they wouldn’t assume the worst.

I stepped out, closed the door softly, and walked up the driveway. My boots made no sound on the concrete. I knocked.

The door opened after a minute. A tired-looking Black woman in her early fifties frowned when she saw me.

“Can I help you?” she asked, voice cautious.

Behind her, a man appeared, wiping his hands on a dish towel.

“I came to introduce myself. My name is Kael Voss,” I said evenly. “You’ve probably heard of me. Or my mother’s family—the Merciers. Maybe seen us on the news. Maybe you’ve heard the rumors.”

Mrs. Ellis sucked in a sharp breath. Her hand started to shake.

“Tonight your daughter tried to steal from one of my warehouses. I don’t usually let people live when they cross me. But for her, I’ll always make exceptions.”

I watched their faces. They hadn’t processed it yet, but I continued.

“She’s alive. She’s unharmed. But she won’t stay that way if things keep going the way they have.”

Mr. Ellis stepped forward, shoulders squaring. “What the hell did you just say?”

I sighed and laid it out plainly. “Bria brought two men to my warehouse tonight to rob me. I took her instead of killing her. This is the fourth time. She was also responsible for my cousin being shot. If she was anyone else, she’d be dead.”

Mrs. Ellis’s hand flew to her mouth. Her husband looked like he wanted to swing on me, but something in my eyes made him hesitate.

“I’m here because I’ve watched her dig herself closer to hell for years. I’ve pulled her out before. Let her stay at my place. Fed her. Cleaned her up when she was shaking so bad she couldn’t stand. I never asked for anything in return. Tonight she repaid that by trying to steal from me.”

I let that settle.

“I’m keeping her,” I said simply. “No more running back to the streets. No more Darius. No more poison in her veins. She stays with me until she stops trying to kill herself.”

Mr. Ellis’s jaw clenched. “You expect us to just hand our daughter over to a stranger who just admitted to kidnappingher?” He stepped fully onto the porch. “Are you out of your damn mind?”

“I expect you to be honest with yourselves,” I replied, meeting his stare. “How many times has she overdosed? How many ER visits? How many times has she stolen from you? Lied to you? Disappeared for weeks or months? You trust Maya. Raziel is my cousin too. I won’t hurt her.”

“The police—” Mr. Ellis started, pulling his phone from his pocket. “I should call the fucking police right now.”

Mrs. Ellis grabbed his wrist. “Marcus…”

“No,” he barked, eyes still locked on me. “This man just came to our house talking about keeping our daughter like she’s an object he found on the street.”

I didn’t raise my voice.

“You can call them,” I said calmly. “I might get arrested if they believe your story. Then I show them the tapes of her breaking into my warehouse. Bria goes into withdrawal in a county holding cell. Darius hears she’s back on the streets. The people she owes money to are still looking for her. Or none of that happens, and she overdoses in some motel bathroom next week.”

Silence stretched. Mrs. Ellis’s breathing turned shaky.

I kept my voice low. “You might as well let me have her. She’ll be safe. She’ll be fed. You can visit—under my rules, when she’s better. No phones. No sneaking her drugs out of pity. When she’s clean… we’ll see where we stand.”

Mr. Ellis looked angry. Mostly he looked tired.

“You think you know my daughter better than we do?” he asked bitterly.

“No. You know her better, and you still failed her.”

His face fell. Mrs. Ellis started crying because she knew it was true.

“She’s been on that shit since she was sixteen,” she whispered. “We’ve tried everything. Rehab. Interventions. Locking her out. Nothing works. She always goes back.”