After the breakup, Nichole never thought she'd reunite with anyone from Kade's estranged family.

And yet, here she sits in the corner of a small café, nervously sipping on a cup of hot chocolate while waiting for Caty to show up. It shocked Nichole that the woman had agreed to meet with her today, given how vague Nichole had been in their DM's on Facebook.

Nichole didn't tell Caty much about why she needed to meet with her face to face, just that it was an 'urgent situation' which involved her brother. Caty will never know it, but she's actually Nichole's last hope. If Caty can't reel her brother in, and with it being useless for Nichole to go to the police for help, there aren't other options left for her to choose from.

Well, Ademar has one. But Nichole can't risk getting him or Taehyun further involved in all this madness because Kade isn't joking around. He's as serious as he's ever been and if Nichole can't protect herself, the least she can do is protect her boys.

Halfway done with her drink, Caty finally arrives. She's as pretty as Nichole last remembered her to be; long wavy brown hair, light blue eyes, a warm smile. She probably could've been a model if she weren't so damn short.

"Long time, no see." Nichole stands to greet her. "Thank you for coming."

"Sure thing." Caty smiles, though Nichole can see it in her eyes that she'd rather be anywhere but here. "I'll be honest, I almost didn't reply back to your message after it got to the part about my brother. Just like you, the family and I wrote him off years ago."

"Understandable," Nichole says. "He played us all for fools."

"And I've yet to forgive him for that," Caty says before jumping straight to the point. The less she has to deal with her brother, the better. "So what's the deal with him this time? Is he sending you letters from jail or something? Harassing you?"

"Yes and no." Nichole sighs, gripping her drink a little tighter. "I'm guessing you haven't heard the news yet, but your brother is no longer in jail. He got out due to good behavior, or so he said."

Caty's face goes through multiple expressions, shock being the most prominent one. "That crazy bastard was supposed to be in there for at least seven more years! How did this happen?"

"No idea, but he's back. He dropped by my bakery one night to basically taunt me and brag about being released early. Not long after that is when he threatened me for money, demanding I hand over 25k or else..." Nichole pauses, not wanting to go into too much detail regarding the sex tape. "Anyway, he's a problem. Again. I won't be surprised if he comes to you or your parents next demanding money. He has nothing to his name, so he's desperate and willing to do anything to get his hands on some cash."

"One of the most dangerous types of men is one who has nothing to lose," Caty mumbles, shaking her head in disbelief. "This is insane. My parents aren't going to be happy about this at all."

The plan forms in Nichole's mind so quickly that she doesn't even get the chance to have second thoughts about it before she goes to enacting it.

"Yeah, it won't look good to have your deranged brother out here raising hell as your father's campaign for mayor is set to launch in a few weeks," Nichole says. "Congrats on that, by the way."

If Nichole can turn the tables and make it look like Caty and her parent's lives and reputations are at stake instead of her own, then it'll be that much easier to get them to use their power and other resources to track down Kade and get him off the streets for good. 

The Lowrey's can't stand Kade. They did everything to distance themselves from him after he got locked up, cut all ties with him in order to uphold a clean image with their community. They took the easy way out and blamed his downfall on 'mental issues' which was the biggest lie, but it ended up gaining them sympathy points instead of doing any damage.

But now Kade is back, and the question remains: how far are they willing to go to keep him in check this time? And for Nichole, will it be enough to get him off her back once and for all?

"Thanks. My dad worked really hard on this campaign," Caty says. "Both my parents will blow a fucking gasket if Kade comes around trying to ruin shit. He can be a dumbass sometimes, but I don't think he's stupid enough to directly come after my parents. They'll squash him like a bug before he gets the chance to open his mouth to speak."

"Still you should warn them," Nichole coaxes the woman. "Better to get ahead of this now before he starts running his mouth and saying things about your parents that aren't true, selling lies to the media and all that. The way he threatened me when he asked me for all that money... trust me when I say he's out for blood. Maybe even that of his own family."

"God, this is such a mess." Caty crosses her arms and sits back in her chair, turning to stare out of the window of the café. "Am I a bitch for wishing he'd never been born? Be honest. Does that make me a bad person? Because ever since he took his first breath, that boy has been nothing but trouble."

"I honestly can't judge you because I feel the exact same way. Had he never been born, we would have never gotten together and I wouldn't be going through what I'm going through right now," Nichole says. "He hurt us both, hurt so many people without any remorse. I say we have every right to despise his trifling ass."

Nichole wished her boys were here so they could see just how amazing she is at acting. Though for the most part, everything that she's saying about Kade is true. His mother should have swallowed him. Had she done so, Nichole would be able to better focus on her relationship with Taehyun and Ademar rather than worry about what Kade's next move might be.

"I can't keep this from my parents," Caty says. "Like you said, it's better if we get ahead of this to try and stop him before he can even think about crossing us. Won't be surprised if he's already tried."

"Whatever plan you guys come up with, do you mind keeping me in the loop? We should work together to track him down and scare him straight," Nichole says. "I've tried on my own but haven't had any luck. I had planned to go to his parole officer, but apparently, she's fucking him – his words, not mine – so she'll be of no help."

"Of course, he's sleeping with his parole officer." Caty laughs, rolling her eyes in disgust. "God, he's such a sneaky and malicious little prick."

Caty and Nichole exchange phone numbers to keep in touch. She and her parents will take all the help they can get to sweep Kade off the streets for good. The sooner the better.

Nichole has an extra spring in her step as she gets up to use the bathroom before calling for an Uber. She can't wait to get her car back. She hadn't realized just how valuable it'd been until she lost it, temporarily, thanks to hitting that damn deer. She knows Taehyun and Ademar will never complain about having to drive her around or even letting her borrow one of their cars. Still, she can't help but feel like a burden sometimes.

"Excuse me, miss!"

After leaving the bathroom, Nichole was on her way out the door but she's stopped by a worker who calls on her.

"Yes?"

"I have a package for you," the woman says. She comes from around the counter to pass Nichole a large manila envelope. "After you left your table, some man came in and said to give this to you. I asked him why he couldn't do it himself, but he acted like he couldn't hear me. Just shoved the envelope at me and left. He was kinda creepy."

Nichole's stomach immediately drops.

She knows exactly who the man had been, and she has a hint of what might be inside the envelope. She thanks the worker and hurriedly leaves the café. 

Nichole looks around outside but doesn't see anything or anyone out of the ordinary. Kade must be long gone by now. It's clear that he is—has been—following her for God knows how long. And now he knows about Nichole's no-longer-a-secret meeting with his big sister. Nichole assumes Kade is already jumping to conclusions, bad ones, wherever the hell he is.

Nichole gets into her Uber, takes a deep breath in, and then exhales before opening the envelope.

Inside are photos that she never wanted to see. All of which are graphic screenshots from the sex tape she recklessly made with Kade. He's sending another threat. Letting her know he hasn't forgotten about the proposal he presented to her. Letting her know it's best if she gives him what he wants the next time he's to come around. Letting her know he has collateral, and that one wrong move on her part will end up putting everything she holds dear at risk.

The threat is loud and clear.

But instead of letting it get to her, Nichole swallows her sadness and fear this time, turns it into motivation and fury.

She takes the rest of the photos out of the envelope and begins ripping them into tiny little pieces. Fuck being scared. She's not going to play by Kade's rules any longer. She refuses to let him have control over her for another second. She refuses to let any man have control over her. Ever. Nichole is done playing nice. It's time to think like Ademar.

It's time she starts playing dirty too.

. . .

(Nichole texts Bonnie)

. . .

Nichole has a smile on her face as she slips her phone back into her purse.

Though they're not related by blood, Bonnie and Alicia are still Nichole's sisters. When no one else steps forward to have her back, Nichole knows she can depend on them no matter what. They're ride or die. Fearless. Ready to take on whatever and whoever.

It's time for Kade to start watching his back because the tables have turned.

The prey has now become the hunter.