“I’m sorry for not keeping you both in the loop.” 

Nichole gives Bonnie and Alicia an apologetic look after she is done telling them the story of how Kade has pranced his way back into her life, intent on destroying everything and anyone that dares to get in his way. She even told her friends about the sex tape, and how Kade has been threatening her about leaking it unless she pays up the $25k he’d asked for.

“I’m already burdening Mari and Tae with my drama, and I didn’t want to put that stress on you two as well.” Nichole sighs, staring down at the ground. “But I... I finally realize that I can't get rid of Kade on my own. I need help.”

Bonnie and Alicia exchange a look with each other before leaving their seats to sit next to Nichole on the couch, one woman on each side. They hug Nichole tightly and whisper encouraging words to her, letting her know they’re willing to ride for her no matter what.

“Sis, just say the word and I can get you a gat delivered here within the next hour," Bonnie says. "And then the three of us can roll up on that motherfucker Kade and air his ass out."

“I know where Anthony keeps his pistol,” Alicia says. “I’m 100% down for murdering your ex.”

The imagery of Bonnie and Alicia partaking in a shoot-out makes Nichole want to chuckle because they don’t have a violent bone in their bodies…. or at least that’s what Nichole had thought before today. She looks up and makes eye contact with her two best friends, neither of them on the edge of cracking a smile. They’re dead serious about what they said. They’re dead serious about going to war against Kade, if only that’s something Nichole is ready for.

“Oh damn,” Nichole whispers, partly in shock. “You two aren’t joking, are you?”

“I don’t joke about shit like this when it comes to family,” Bonnie answers. “I wish I could go back in time and prevent you from ever getting with Kade’s shady ass. I never liked him from the jump. Always felt like something was off with him, but I could never pinpoint what.”

“He eventually showed his true colors,” Alicia adds. “All men do after a while.”

“Still, I never would have thought he’d stoop this low,” Nichole says. “Part of me feels like I should have seen it coming. I should have—”

“Girl, you can go ahead and shut that down right now,” Bonnie interjects. “I will not sit here and let you play the shoulda-coulda-woulda game with yourself while in my presence. You are not at fault for making that white boy lose his mind, nor is it your job to help him find it. Fuck Kade Lowrey! What we need to do is plot, plan, and perform. We need to send him a message and remind him that he fucked with the wrong bitch.”

“Again, I’m with Bonnie,” Alicia says. “Do you know where this asshole stays?”

“That’s the biggest problem,” Nichole replies. “As good as it’d feel to run up on him and give him a taste of his own medicine, I can’t because I have no idea where he’s staying. I’ve tried tracking him down on my own and got nowhere. His parole officer is completely useless because they’re apparently fucking, so I doubt she’d be of any help. My last hope is that Caty pulls through and uses her family’s connections to find out where he’s been holed up.”

“Don’t worry. We’ll figure something out,” Bonnie smiles, patting Nichole’s leg. “You’re not alone anymore. Four brains are better than one!”

“No, honey. That’ll be six brains, not four.” Alicia laughs. “Can’t forget about her two boyfriends. They’re part of the team, too.”

“Right. How could I forget about Handsome Dick 1 and Handsome Dick 2?” Bonnie teases, trying to join Alicia in lightening the mood. “So, after we find out where Kade staying, then what?”

“Well, then I get him to hand over the sex tape and any other copies that he probably made,” Nichole pauses, thinking. “His blackmail card will officially be off the table, and he won’t have anything else to hold against me. Yeah. First, we get the sex tape back, then we can work on sending him back to jail and making sure his ass stays there for good.”

“In the meantime, I can talk to Anthony and get you in touch with a good lawyer just in case the shit does eventually hit the fan,” Alicia says. “I’ll also see if he can dig up anything valuable regarding Kade’s case.”

“I won’t try to talk you out of it, but please tell Anthony to be careful,” Nichole says. “I’ll feel absolutely terrible if he gets into trouble trying to snoop around for me.”

“Don’t even sweat it,” Alicia replies. “You’re like a sister to him. He’ll be more than happy to get his hands dirty for you. Family rides for family, remember?”

Nichole nods, smiling. “Thanks, y’all. I’d be so lost without all of you.”

“Same goes for us.” Bonnie smiles back. “Oh! And I just thought of something else we can do after we find Kade's address.”

“I’m almost afraid to ask,” Nichole laughs. “But go ahead. What’s up?”

“How about instead of randomly running up on Kade, we get him to incriminate himself by setting a trap instead?” Bonnie suggests. “For the right amount and no questions asked, I know some dudes that’ll scare his ass straight to where he’ll never even dream about trying to come after you again.”

“Jesus. You and Ademar have basically suggested the same thing,” Nichole says. “In the beginning, when all this started to go down, Ademar said we shouldn’t play nice. He wanted to match Kade's energy and play dirty. Maybe he’s right.”

“Damn right he’s right!” Bonnie exclaims in agreement. “Speaking of which, when the hell are you going to introduce your boyfriends to your best friends? I can’t properly assess them over the gram. Better if it’s done in person. Gotta make sure they pass the vibe check.”

“After all this shit with Kade blows over, we can try to set something up then,” Nichole smiles, suddenly looking bashful. “I really think you both will love them. Mari and Tae, they’re crazy about me and I’m even crazier about them. They’re special and… I really, really like them a lot.”

“After putting up with Kade’s bullshit, you totally deserve double the love and happiness that he failed to give you,” Alicia says. “Could never be me, though. I literally can’t imagine what it’d be like being with two Anthony’s… that’s more dick than I’d know what to do with.”

“God gave us three holes and two hands for a reason, baby girl. Don’t be afraid to utilize them hoes,” Bonnie teases. Alicia playfully rolls her eyes while Nichole laughs. “What? I’m just saying!”

As if somehow knowing that they’re being talked about, Ademar and Taehyun both text the group chat at the same time, asking where Nichole is and wanting to know what’s taking her so long to come home. She shoots them a quick reply that she’s hanging out with her friends, later sending them a selfie for proof to calm their nerves, and assures them she’ll be home soon.

“I’m going to tell them the plan when I see them later,” Nichole says. “Taehyun probably won’t like it, but I’m sure he’ll come around.”

“He has no other choice but to,” Bonnie says. “Because it’s time to fight fire with fire.”

"You're right." Nichole nods in agreement. "It's time for Kade Lowrey to burn."