This time when Sid walked into the chicken joint, Ahmed saw her and immediately went to the back to get Ahsan. Sid found it funny that Ahmed wanted no parts of her. It was like he saw a black churning cloud swirling above her head. Sid couldn't blame him. The uncertainty of someone living on the edge and testing their luck had to be something that other people could sense. We were creatures whose instincts were to survive, right? Sid wasn't sure whether she was trying to survive the present but she was certainly hoping to kill her past. Ahmed and Ahsan, he'd only ever seen her when she was carrying a heavy load but today she hoped to bring something to him that would lift the burden from all of them and free him for the rest of his life. She'd gotten a taste of what untangling webs could do and now she wanted to tackle the biggest one of them all.

"Hey, Sid." Even Ahsan's voice was laced with trepidation. She saw his eyes skim the leather backpack she wore. The same one that she wore when she came to drop off dirty money for them to launder. Not today, Sid thought. Today she was bringing a new beginning. If only they'd take it.

"Hi, Ahsan."

"There's a drop today?"

"Nah. I was hoping we could talk." Sid looked around the empty restaurant, and out through the thick clouded plexiglass to the street. Someone would be walking in any minute. The place stayed busy because no matter how much the neighborhood changed, everyone loved fresh fried chicken.

"Yeah. For sure." Ahsan called out to the back and his father appeared instantly. They exchanged a few quick words in Arabic before he took Ahsan's place at the register. He kept a keen eye on Sid as she stepped through the door Ahsan unlocked and follow him behind the counter and down a short hallway before they reached a plain wooden door. It was quiet back there. She could only hear the sound of her breathing and the jingling of Ahsan's keys as he tried to find the right one to unlock the door.

Once inside he motioned for Sid to sit on a beige Ikea couch that was shoved into one corner and covered with vibrant fabrics. It reminded Sidney of the beautiful folded, draped, and tied dresses women adorned at huge middle eastern weddings. The office was neat and tidy, much like both Ahsan and Ahmed. A few family photos hung in a straight line on the wall. Two women's soft brown faces smiled down at her while father and son flanked then proudly. Sid sat and felt something rise up through her and straighten her back a little. This is why she was doing all this. To restore families. Those already broken and those still in the grip of control.

Ahsan pulled a rolling chair from its place in front of the desk on the other wall and sat directly across from her. He leaned in and place his elbows, one on each knee, and gave her his undivided attention. She swallowed and started.

"You said you remembered me coming here a lot when we were younger. I liked this spot. It was great because if you sit at a table, from here you can see for blocks. Every corner. Every person has to pass here wherever they are going. It was great because I was looking for someone." Sid's hands were clasped in her lap and she wasn't looking at Ahsan as much as she was looking past him. Some void right over his shoulder where she could see herself. Angry—so angry— and falling apart and watching every face who passed on the sidewalk like her life depended on it. It broke her heart all over again to think of that girl.

"Just a couple of blocks from here, my father was pushed in front of a train and I saw the whole thing. Including the person who did it. So, I sat here every day after that hoping to see that man again and I didn't see him until a few weeks ago in front of my building. Kru. He killed my dad. Over a sour business deal. Because he couldn't control my father's dreams. The way he's controlling your father." Ahsan pulled back until he was upright and his spine was curving over the back of the chair. Like he was trying to put as much distance between him and Sidney's words as possible. But she pushed on.

"My father wanted to open a restaurant. He would have been amazing at it too. But Kru wanted to have his hands all in it. Make it into something dirty and if he couldn't have that...he'd rather see my father dead than have a dream that was free of his poison. When I see your dad out there I can't help but think of my father and how his life would have been if he'd just let things be. Let Kru have his way." Sid sucked in a breathe and continued. "But I know my dad would have been miserable. Is your dad? Is he miserable Ahsan?" One of Ahsan's thin hands rested in the other. His right thumb rubbing circles into his left palm over and over.

"He just wants what's best for us. It eats at him though. This is not the way he wanted it." Ahsan caught Sid's eye for a moment and she held his glossy gaze. She nodded because she deeply understood having a life not play out the way you wanted. Being the very last option you would have chosen if given any choice at all.

"I want to give him this," Sid gestured to the walls around her, "the way that he wants it. The way he deserves it. The way my father deserved it."

"Kru will never walk away from this." Ahsan deflated as the words left his mouth.

"I'm not giving him a choice to walk away." Sid was trepid about saying the next part but the train had left the station already. She was already in this. The plan was already in motion. "He needs to leave the only way he sees fit for others to leave." Her lips barely moved as she tried to control the emotions that were flowing through her. She steadied her hand and reached behind her to gather her bookbag. She unzipped the bag.

"I'm sure you and your family haven't had a vacation for a while. What would you say if I tell you to leave the business to me temporarily? Take your family and see the world for a month and when you come back this business will be fully your father's. Free of Kru." Ahsan's eyes were locked in on the stack of cash and paperwork she held in her hand.

"We don't have money for a vacation. We don't have—"

"This is not a loan. You're helping me do something I've been wanting to do for a long time." She held the cash out to him but he didn't take it. He shook his head and chewed on his lip.

"What if this doesn't work? Kru has people. Even if you," Ahsan looked around like he was paranoid that this whole thing was a setup, "kill him. His people will come after us."

"No one's going to do anything. His people are scared and they're helping me." If there's one this Sid learned is that you don't lead a team by fear. They need to respect and admire you. Kru's team followed him because they were blackmailed, strong-armed, or hopeless. Once he was gone they'll move on to another meal ticket. If they were smart they'd try to go legit.

"Just let me handle things. One month. Please?" Sid held out the cash. Ahsan looked at her long and hard. She could see in his eyes that the risk may too great. But she kept a confident face. He reached forward and took the money from her. He flicked through it, quickly getting an estimate of how much he was holding.

"You're insane. But okay. I'll get Pop on board."

"Not just your father. All of you. I don't want Kru to be able to get to any of you."

"I'm taking a summer course to graduate early. I can't just leave halfway through."

"Yes, you can. Just skip it. Tell them you had a family emergency. Please?"

He paused for a beat before nodding his head in agreement.

"Thank you." Sid wanted to hug him but she refrained. She had a couple more of these conversations to have and with Kru out of town, she had to work quickly. "Close up shop by close of business tomorrow. What's your number?" Ahsan told her and she punched the number into her phone and then called him from the burner phone she picked up yesterday.

"That's my number. Call me if you need but I'll reach out when everything's handled." She was just about to leave when she felt Ahsan's hand on her shoulder.

"Thank you and...please just don't...you'll answer when we call, right?" Sid placed her hand on top of his. No matter the uncertainty she knew one thing for sure. She may not come out of this but neither was Kru. If she was going out she was going to make sure to take him with her too.

"I promise."

So...do we think Kru's going to take kindly to Sid taking over 'his' businesses? She setting herself up for an explosion and we don't know which one of them is going to make it out. 😢