"On that night at the club with Barlow. He had to spill the beans when he saw me heading out."

Rosalynn paused, then continued, "Aldrich cooked up this scheme and got Jenifer to rope me into the club, all to cozy up to Barlow. And that's when it hit me what Barlow was dealing with."

Brian pondered, and a lightbulb flicked on.

"So, Barlow sticking to you Like glue when he got to Wragos was all part of his plan to hoodwink Aldrich?" he queried.

"Exactly."

"He was playing guard dog all night, fearing Aldrich would smell a rat if you split?"

"Spot on."

Brian held Rosalynn's hand, absorbing it all.

"My family was heavily in debt to him," Brian said with a sigh.

Rosalynn nodded knowingly. “Barlow saw you like a big brother. He took hits to shield you and your family, swallowing the crap silently. He was a good man."

She'd hit the nail on the head. Barlow, his blood, was a real gem.

He had not only swooped in to save Rosalynn but also shielded her when it mattered most. Brian couldn't ever square that debt.

Gazing at the sunny scene outside, picturing Barlow's face, Brian felt a pang.

“How are you holding up, Barlow?" he mused.

In Wragos, after a hectic day, Karina returned to Haleigh's pad at Beauty Apartments.

With Barlow out of the picture, Karina took the reins in looking out for Haleigh.

Even though Haleigh insisted she could handle things solo, she treated Karina like kin.

So, she handed Karina her apartment key and Karina often crashed there to watch over Haleigh.

As Karina swung open the door, ready to say hi to Haleigh, her eyes snagged on a pair of men's black gloves on the shoe rack.

She froze, alarm bells ringing. She stayed as quiet as a mouse.