 
Secrets Untold

Derrick Thomas
Book One

Rashard was prematurely awakened by his son's knees, diving into his side.

"Ohhh," Rashard sighed.

Jordan, the energetic five-year-old had jumped onto the couch, where his father was sleeping.

"Wake up, Daddy. Momma's fixing pancakes for breakfast," Jordan said with excitement.

Rashard rubbed his side and opened his tired, bloodshot eyes. He was exhausted at eight o'clock in the morning because he had only been asleep for three hours. Club Platinum was jumping to the wee hours of the morning, and he and his crew were popping bottles all night.

"Jordan, I told you about jumping on me like that," Rashard said. "Go on in there with yo sister and play, and let me finish getting some rest."

Jordan disappointedly stepped down from the couch. He ran across the hardwood floors and headed back into his bedroom. He didn't bother taking his father's advice, because his seven-year-old sister Shantia didn't want to play with him. She had already put him out of her bedroom once that morning. She didn't mind playing with her younger brother, but at the time she was busy watching The Power Puff Girls on television.

Kanisha yelled from the kitchen to her two children, "Jordan and Tia, yall come and eat breakfast!"

The two children took off, and the quick pattering of their feet could be heard racing toward the kitchen.

"What have I told yall about running in this house?" Kanisha yelled. "Don't make me have to beat some ass this morning!"

Shantia and Jordan slowed their pace and walked the remaining ten feet to the kitchen table. Kanisha poured orange juice into the three glasses on the table. The children took their seats to a plate of pancakes, scrambled eggs, and turkey bacon. Kanisha didn't bother to wake Rashard, because she knew he hadn't had much sleep. In fact, she didn't bother to cook breakfast for him at all. His routine of late night partying and sometimes not coming home at all was predictable and tiring to her. Kanisha knew that she was still attractive at the age of twenty-six, and any man would love to have her as his lady. The fact that she and Rashard had two children made it difficult to leave him. She contemplated leaving him over and over, but who else was going to let her stay at home and not work? Rashard paid all the bills, including the note on Kanisha's new HSE Range Rover, and she always stepped out in the latest fashion. She had expensive purses and wore diamonds in her ears and on her fingers. They lived in a nice home in the suburbs, and all of Kanisha's friends and family were jealous of her life. Little did they know she had everything she needed but what she really desired most was love. Kanisha and Rashard rarely had sex because he was much too busy hustling and entertaining his other woman in his life, Tammie.

Lately Rashard was spending more time at Tammie's place than he did at home. On the nights when he did come home, Kanisha and the two children were usually in the bed together, so he would crash on the couch in the den. Kanisha knew that the love she once felt for her high school sweetheart was slowly fading away. Even though they never married, she knew Rashard had loved her for many years. But once his money got longer, things slowly began to change. When he started making more, he started entertaining other women. He eventually met Tammie, and they became inseparable. Kanisha was well aware of his affair, but their constant fighting about it only pushed him further into Tammie's arms. Rashard rationalized his actions as simply doing what he wanted to; he was paying the cost to be the boss.

Rashard woke up around two o'clock that evening and the first thing he did was check his two cell phones. One phone was for business, and the other one was for friends and family. Rashard saw an important number on his business phone: he called back his longtime homeboy Dontrel. Rashard and Dontrel were close; they grew up together, and they stacked paper in the dope game together. Rashard needed to score some work, and he was hoping Dontrel had some good news for him.

Dontrel answered his cell phone by saying, "What's up, Poncho?"

Everyone called Rashard "Poncho," because he looked like a Puerto Rican.

"Tell me something good," Rashard replied.

"Everything good on my end; you can meet me in the hood in about an hour."

"Bet that up. I'll see you in a few, one." Rashard said.

He hung up the phone and felt his energy pick up at the idea of making money. Dontrel had a Mexican connection to front him the product, and all he needed to do was pay for his portion of the birds. Rashard checked his other cell phone and saw that Tammie had called. He decided not to call her back yet, because he wanted to avoid another fight with Kanisha. The last time he called her from inside the house, they had a fierce altercation, which left a giant hole in the wall. Kanisha had overheard Rashard talking sweet to Tammie on the phone, and she confronted him.

She said, "Oh, so you just gone disrespect me and talk to that bitch in my house!"

She attacked Rashard while he was sitting on the couch. She scratched his face so hard and fiercely that he had to shove her with all his strength to get her off of him. Kanisha staggeringly landed against the wall and damn near went through to the other side, at the hands of Rashard's might. It took nearly a month for the scratches on his face to disappear, but he never forgot how they were put there. He walked into the bedroom, where Kanisha was talking on her cell phone.

He said, "I gotta make a run. Can you fix me something to eat while I jump into the shower?"

"Hold on girl," she said, speaking into the phone. "Poncho, me and the kids ate lunch after Jordan's basketball game. If you want something to eat, you can go into the kitchen and fix yourself a sandwich."

Rashard's eyebrows met in the middle of his forehead. "Why can't you go in the kitchen and fix me a sandwich?" he asked.

Kanisha took a deep breath and said, "Because I'm on the phone." He stared at her as she resumed talking on the phone.

He said, "That's what's up. Make sure you remember that!"

"I sure will," Kanisha said.

He walked into the bathroom and slammed the door shut.

Kanisha said, "Girl, that muthafucka think I'm his slave. He better ask that bitch Tammie to feed his dog ass."

Rashard showered and got dressed. He chose to wear his denim True Religion jeans because they went well with his burgundy and white high-top Adidas. He fastened his gold rope necklace with a crucifix of Jesus around his neck, and let it rest on top of his white t-shirt. He put on his ten-carat diamond watch to add the finishing touch to his attire and then grabbed his duffle bag, which was filled with money, from underneath the bed. He usually kept his money in a combination safe at Tammie's home, but he had been carrying the money around for a couple of days because he was anticipating some work coming through from Dontrel's connect. He also grabbed his 9mm pistol from under the mattress, tucking it inside his waistband. As he walked through the house on the way to the garage, Jordan paused his Xbox game and said, "Dad, can I go with you?"

Rashard didn't want to disappoint his son, but he had business to attend to.

He said, "Next Saturday after your basketball game, I'mma take you and your sister to PlayLand for pizza and games. I promise."

Jordan smiled and said, "Okay."

He slapped his father's hand that was extended to him and ran back into his bedroom. Rashard had missed his son's basketball game that morning, but he sincerely planned to make it up to his son. He had grown up without a father in his life, and he didn't want his children to experience that same void. In fact, if it wasn't for the children, Rashard thought he would've left Kanisha for Tammie long ago. The children were the glue that held them together.

Rashard placed his duffle bag in the trunk of Tammie's Nissan Altima. He chose to drive the Altima because he needed to roll low key if he was going to have drugs in the car. He crunk up Rick Ross's "Maybach Music" on the Kenwood radio and headed to the highway, reaching the east side of Birmingham in no time. He pulled into the driveway and parked next to Dontrel's Tahoe. Rashard and Dontrel had purchased the foreclosed house sitting on the corner in the hood, and turned it into a comfortable place to conduct business. Rashard grabbed his duffle bag and went in the front door. Dontrel was sitting on the leather couch, smoking a blunt and watching Training Day on the big screen television.

"What up, brah?" Rashard said.

"What up, Poncho? How you living homeboy?" Dontrel replied.

"Everything good with me," Rashard said. "I'm Gucci, now dat the work back on deck."

Rashard walked into the kitchen and grabbed a cold beer from the refrigerator.

"What the yoda looking like?" he asked as he returned to the living room.

Dontrel blew smoke into the air and said, "It's that good. Straight Peruvian snowflake."

Rashard took the blunt from Dontrel's hand, hit it a few times, and then passed it back. He unzipped the duffle bag, revealing stacks of money wrapped in rubber bands. He began to count out the money he owed Dontrel for his half of the high quality cocaine that they referred to as flake. Dontrel opened his own duffle bag and removed three bricks of flake. He cut one open with a pocket knife and passed it to Rashard. Rashard placed a small portion on his tongue, to test the product. He immediately felt numbness.

"Yeah, that's it right there. Good flake!" Rashard said.

"The hood gone love it," Dontrel said. "It's good enough to stretch these three, and bring back a baby. We'll have two birds apiece when I'm done."

"Let's make it happen," Rashard said. "You know the hood been waiting for us to touch down with this work."

Once Dontrel was done stretching the coke to four kilos, Rashard spent the whole day hustling his product. His pockets quickly reached capacity and overflowed with notes from hustla's and dope fiends. When he was finally done for the night, he drove to Tammie's home. He pulled the Altima up to her townhouse's garage and hit the door opener. His 550 Benz was already inside, which meant Tammie was home. He parked the Altima outside and walked to the door but didn't have to use his key. Tammie greeted Rashard at the front door once she heard the car door slam shut.

"Hey baby," she said with a smile.

She threw her arms around Rashard's neck and gave him a passionate kiss. Rashard enjoyed the way Tammie made him feel. Her twenty-three-year-old body felt soft to the touch, and her ass looked so phat on her 145 pound frame.

Rashard stared into Tammie's beautiful brown eyes and said, "You know I love yo fine red ass, don't chew?"

She smiled and said, "I know baby. I love you too. Let me sit your bag down, so you can make yourself at home. Are you hungry?"

Rashard relaxed as his lady catered to him. Tammie made him feel like a king, and it didn't hurt that she was beautiful also.

"I grabbed something to eat while I was in the streets," he said, "but I want to snack on yo sexy ass after I take a quick shower."

Tammie smiled and said, "So I guess I'll be your desert tonight."

Rashard smacked her on the ass and headed for the shower. As he disappeared into the bathroom, she went to the bedroom and stripped down to her panties and bra. She reached into her nightstand and pulled out a lighter, which she used to light some strategically placed candles. The scented candles began to release the aroma of cinnamon into the bedroom. She turned off the lights and climbed into her queen size bed, anticipating Rashard coming out of the shower.

When he was done in the shower, he stepped out to dry his body. He absorbed the beads of water on his light skinned, five foot eight frame with a towel and wiped the steam from the mirror. He looked at his image and admired his own good looks. His mustache and beard were freshly trimmed, and his Caesar haircut had a razor straight lineup. He flexed the muscles in his arms, as if he was a bodybuilder. He also noticed that he needed to hit the gym, because all the beer he drank was contributing to his weight gain. Rashard had gone from 175 pounds to 190, and his stomach was bulging.

He left the bathroom in just his boxers. He climbed into bed with Tammie, and she positioned herself on his chest.

"I thought about you all day, baby," she purred. "I couldn't wait to see you."

"So you missed me?" Rashard asked.

Tammie smiled and said, "Yes baby. Let me show you how much."

She kissed Rashard's lips and slowly began to make her way down his body. Planting soft wet kisses on her man's chest and stomach, she reached his penis and began to massage it until Rashard's manhood was nice and stiff. She freed his swollen member from his boxers and placed it in her warm mouth. Rashard let out a low pitched moan as she began guiding him in and out her mouth. Tammie showed off her skills, making Rashard's hard wood slowly disappear into the back of her throat.

"Damn, that feels good," Rashard sighed.

Tammie worked her mouth up and down his shaft, teasing the head with the tip of her tongue.

"Hold on baby," Rashard said. "I want to taste you. Let's get in the 69."

Tammie paused long enough to work her panties down her thick thighs. She tossed them to the side and then removed her bra. She straddled her body across Rashard's and lowered her shaved pussy onto his face. Rashard palmed Tammie's phat red ass and ran his tongue over her clitoris. He drove her crazy as he licked and sucked her. She moaned and gripped the sheets, as she felt her body filling with ecstasy. Rocking her hips back and forth while slurping on her man's rod, Tammie became more and more excited. Rashard held on tight as she moved her hips faster. He gripped her ass and tongued her fiercely, helping her achieve an orgasm and Tammie roared with satisfaction.

She collapsed on his side and said, "Thank you baby, I needed that."

He climbed on top of her and said, "It's time for me to get mine now."

The two of them continued going at it until Rashard shot his load in her and they both lay back and fell asleep for the rest of the night.

The next morning, Tammie woke up and began cooking breakfast. She fried whiting fish and made grits and eggs. Rashard normally liked to sleep in on Sunday mornings, but the smell of breakfast made him sit up in bed.

Tammie brought a tray of food into the bedroom, and said, "Good morning baby."

She set the tray on Rashard's lap so they could have breakfast in bed. Tammie learned how to keep a man happy by watching and taking notes from her mother. Tammie's parents had been married twenty-five years, and her father still told her mother that he loved her often. The only problem with Tammie's love life was the fact that she was sharing her man with another woman.

As they began to eat breakfast, she said, "Poncho, when am I going to get my engagement ring?"

Rashard put a fork full of grits and fish into his mouth. He regretted telling Tammie that he would marry her someday, and now he felt pressured to make it happen.

Here we go again, he thought. "I told you that once Kanisha finds a job, we can talk about getting married. I can't leave my children with nowhere to live."

Tammie didn't think that Kanisha would ever get a job. She hadn't worked in years, and Rashard was the main reason why.

Tammie said, "If you stopped giving Kanisha everything she wants, then maybe she'll get off her ass and get a damn job."

Rashard began to feel annoyed. He set his fork down on his plate, looked Tammie in the eyes, and said, "I told you about trying to run my business! "Everything is going happen when it needs to happen," he continued. "You just gotta exercise some patients." He paused for a moment. "I don't understand what the rush is anyway. We spend a lot of time together, and I sleep here damn near every night."

Tammie didn't like when Rashard snapped at her, but she wasn't going to back down today.

"The problem is you say that you don't love her anymore, but you still taking care of her. I don't know what goes on in that house when you go home to her. I'm giving you the best years of my life, but you can't give me your all."

Rashard knew Tammie had a point, but he wasn't about to make any changes anytime soon. He just wanted to enjoy his breakfast and let it go.

"I love you Tammie, and I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you happy. I just don't want you to pressure me into making a decision right now, okay?"

Tammie reluctantly agreed and decided to back off for now, but she intended to be persistent about marrying Rashard until she got what she wanted.

That same morning, Kanisha woke up in her king sized bed alone. She had dropped the children off at her mother's house the night before, so they could go to church with her. She reached for her cell phone on the nightstand and began writing a text message.

Kanisha: Good morning. How did you sleep, last night?

Angie: I slept ok. I might've slept better if you stayed with me last night.

Kanisha: I enjoyed spending time with you last night, but I didn't want things to go too far. I'm not ready for anything more than kissing.

Angie: I understand. I just hope you don't back away from me, now that I finally got this close to you.

Kanisha: I can't make any promises.

Angie: I want to see yo again.

Kanisha: I might be able to get away later on this evening. I just have to make sure Poncho isn't coming home today.

Angie: Ok sexy, well, handle that, I hope to see you soon.

Kanisha: ok, ttyl.

Kanisha placed her cell phone on the nightstand and pulled the covers back over her body. She reveled in the idea of someone pursuing her and wanting to spend time with her. The mere thought began to turn her on, and she started touching herself. She touched herself the way she longed to be touched. She softly squeezed her breasts, closed her eyes, and began to fantasize. She missed those nights of making love until she was exhausted. She wanted someone to make her feel like giving them her all. She spread her thighs and slid her hand into her panties. She bit down on her bottom lip as she rubbed her clitoris, making her juices flow. She visualized her secret admirer as she eased a finger inside of herself. She began working her finger in and out of her wetness, as she licked her own lips and imagined tasting her lover's tongue. She pushed two fingers deep inside of herself and began to move her hand more aggressively. She felt herself about to cum right away, as her deprived chocolate body began to shake uncontrollably. She let out a sigh of relief, as she felt her body release the orgasm she barely had to work for. She didn't mind using her fingers as a substitute, but she looked forward to the real thing and hoped that she'd get it later that day.

That evening, Rashard drove home to spend some time with Kanisha and the kids. When he opened the front door, the house was filled with music. Mary J. Blige's "Don't Mind" was playing throughout the house. Rashard checked the kids' rooms, but they were empty. He went into the master bedroom, but no one was there either. Investigating a little further, he heard Kanisha singing in the bathroom as she was putting on her makeup.

"And that's why I, don't mind, saying I, love you. And that's why I...." Kanisha stopped singing when she saw Rashard standing in the doorway. "Oh shit Poncho! You scared me!" she said as she turned around. "I didn't hear the garage door open up."

Rashard looked Kanisha over with a frown on his face. She had joined a gym about four months ago, and her body was definitely showing good results. Her tight black dress hugged her curves and made her nicely shaped ass stand out even more. Her well-toned, five foot four frame looked so good standing on her four-inch heels. She went to the hairdresser every week, so her hair also looked great as usual.

"Where you think you going?" Rashard said. "And where my kids at?"

Kanisha immediately began to worry that her plans for the night were ruined. She said, "I'm going out with a few girlfriends to have drinks; the kids are over my mother's house."

"Well, call your friends and tell them you can't make it tonight. The kids got school tomorrow, so gone and pick them up."

Kanisha didn't argue, she just walked into the living room and turned the stereo off. Rashard walked to the living room behind her.

Kanisha picked up her purse and said, "I'll be back later."

"Where you going, Nisha?"

She turned around and said, "You told me to go and pick the kids up, where do you think I'm going?"

"Wait a minute before you leave." He walked over to her and placed his hands on her hips. He said, "You looking good tonight," and then he kissed her cheek.

Rashard was becoming aroused by Kanisha. She was looking good and smelled seductively sweet. He kissed her on the neck and gripped her hips a little tighter. Kanisha gave a light-hearted attempt at pushing him away.

"What are you doing, Poncho?" She asked in mid shove. "I need to go and get the kids."

Rashard felt his manhood rising as she resisted him. He said, "The kids can wait a little while longer."

He wrapped his arms tightly around Kanisha's waist, and his strong grip turned her on. He began licking and sucking her neck because he knew that was her favorite spot. He wasn't about to turn her loose until he satisfied his sudden urge for her.

Kanisha moaned and said, "Stop now Poncho; yo little girlfriend probably waiting at home for you."

Discussing Tammie usually started an argument between the two, but Rashard completely ignored her comment. He palmed her phat ass with both hands and held her firmly against his erect penis. Kanisha could feel her panties moisten while aggressively being held against Rashard's stiff member. Her mind urged her to fight against his will but the desire to make love was much too strong. Kanisha placed her arms around him and ran her hands softly up and down his back as they kissed passionately. She no longer resisted the only man she had ever loved and gave in to his touch. Rashard rubbed and gripped Kanisha's ass with hunger, stopping briefly to remove her panties. Kanisha to her man by the hand and led him into the bedroom. It had been a long time since they had made love, and her screams of satisfaction echoed throughout the house. Once they were done, she lay on the bed, feeling completely drained.

Rashard had to admit to himself that he still loved Kanisha. He wasn't going to let her go. How could he? He couldn't imagine anyone else touching her the way he did and found himself growing angry at the thought. When he walked into the bathroom to relieve his bladder, he noticed her cell phone on the counter. He closed the door and began going through her call log, but didn't see anything suspicious. He strolled through her text messages and saw an unfamiliar name. He opened the message to Angie and read:

Kanisha: Be there in an hour, can't wait to see you!

Angie: ok cool. I'm in room 223 at the Marriott.

Luckily, Kanisha had erased all her other messages. Rashard finished up in the bathroom and washed his hands. When he returned to the bedroom, Kanisha was getting dressed.

"Why the fuck you meeting some bitch named Angie at the Marriott?" he fumed.

Caught off guard, Kanisha had to think fast, as she realized Rashard had read the text message on her cell phone. She had always taught her children to tell the truth, but she had to come up with a good lie.

"I was supposed to pick her up at the Marriott so she could join me and the girls for drinks," she said.

Rashard wasn't buying her story. He walked over and said, "Why she need you to pick her up at a hotel?"

"She staying in that hotel because her house is being fumigated for bugs," Kanisha said.

"That shit don't sound right!" Rashard said. "Answer this, why you say dat you can't wait to see her? Are you licking pussy now?"

Kanisha frowned and said, "Hell naw, she just my friend. I said I couldn't wait to see her because she told me about this new dress she wearing tonight. This was going to be her first time hanging out with me, so I was anxious to see her."

Rashard was still suspicious, but he accepted her excuse. He said, "Don't let me find out that you out there fucking off. Gone and carry yo black ass over yo momma's house and pick up my children."

Kanisha stepped into her heels and said, "Can I have my cell phone, please?"

Rashard tossed her cell phone on the bed; Kanisha picked it up and left the bedroom. She went to the garage, got into her Range Rover, and began writing a text message:

Kanisha: I'm not going to make it tonight, Poncho came home.

Angie: Damn! Ok sexy. Some other time I guess.

Kanisha: Yes. I will let you know when.

Angie: Ok.

Kanisha knew that she had disappointed her new lover, but she had to put Rashard's needs first. Her family would completely fall apart if Rashard caught her with someone else. There was no way she was going to lose her position as number one in his life. Telling herself that Tammie was just the flavor of the month, she backed out of the garage and headed to her mother's house.

The next weekend, Rashard sat beside Kanisha and watched their five-year-old son dribble the basketball up the court.

"There you go, Jordan!" Rashard yelled. "Push that rock up the court."

While Jordan was playing basketball, Shantia was spending time with her father in her own way. She sat in his lap and placed her arm around his shoulder. She loved her father very much, and he made her feel like a princess whenever he spent time with her. When the basketball game ended; Jordan's team won, and he had scored six points. His father had put a basket up in the yard, which helped Jordan get better, but he wished that his dad had more time to play with him.

Rashard gathered the kids in his Benz and drove to PlayLand. Once inside, they ordered a large cheese pizza, and Rashard gave the kids money to play games. Kanisha loved how he treated the children, and she wished it was like this all the time.

Rashard, on the other hand, couldn't wait to drop the kids off and get back in the streets. His cell phones had a lot of missed calls on them, which meant there was money to be made. It also meant that he'd be spending some time with Tammie later. He hadn't been over to Tammie's place all week. Reconnecting with Kanisha made him want to hang out at home with her and the kids. But when she started asking him for more money, he began to feel burdened all over again. Kanisha relied on Rashard for her every financial need, and that caused a lot of tension in their relationship. She didn't just need money to pay the bills, she constantly wanted to go shopping. She had replaced the lack of affection at home with a love for designer handbags and fancy clothes. Rashard felt like he was her personal ATM.

He recently said to her, "Have you been looking for a job because you need to start paying for some of these shopping sprees ya damn self!"

Kanisha always replied the same way: "I have a job, I'm a full-time mother. You complaining about me spending money, but you want me to keep putting up with your cheating ass!"

After they left PlayLand, he dropped everyone off at home.

"Are you coming home tonight?" Kanisha asked.

Rashard didn't want to fight in front of the kids. He said, "I'll call you later and let you know. Right now I got some business to handle."

Kanisha knew Rashard was avoiding giving her a direct answer, which meant he was more than likely going to his mistress's house. She stepped out of the car and helped the kids into the house. She didn't want to vent her frustration toward Rashard after having such a nice outing with her family, so she let Rashard go on his way.

Inside the house, Kanisha sat down on the couch and began to think about her life. She started feeling low. Maybe I should look for a job and put my degree in business management to good use. I can't continue to stand by and watch while Rashard does whatever he wants to and disregard my feelings. Kanisha also thought about all the excuses she made up to the children, whenever Rashard didn't come home. She was already living a lie, and Rashard was the only person benefiting from her lies. She pulled her cell phone from her purse and called someone who wanted to spend time with her.

Dontrel was making a drop to one of his homeboys when one of his cell phones rang. He knew that it was his personal phone by the distinctive ringtone. He looked at the number and beamed with anticipation when he saw who the caller was.

"Hello?"

"Hey Dontrel, are you busy?"

He looked over at Danny Boy, who was sitting next to him in his ride. "I'm just wrapping up a little business," he said. "What's on your mind, sexy?"

Danny Boy gave Dontrel some dap and said, "We done here, so I'll get at chew later."

"Okay brah," Dontrel replied. "I'll still be working by the time you done with that. Just hit me up."

"Bet that up, homeboy," Danny Boy said, stepping out of the car so Dontrel could finish his call in private.

Dontrel turned his attention back to his cell phone.

"Go ahead sexy, you have my undivided attention now."

"I want to see you today, if you have the time," she said.

"I make time for what I want, and you know I want you," Dontrel said. "I'll be free in about an hour, if that works for you."

"Okay, I need to drop the kids off. I'll call you when I done."

"That sounds like a plan. I'll see you soon."

"Okay, bye."

Dontrel hung up his phone and began driving to his two-bedroom loft in downtown Birmingham. Once he arrived, he pulled around the back of the building and entered his garage. He parked next to his 750 Li BMW and stepped out of his ride. He went inside and decided to shower before his female companion came over. After finishing in the shower, he stepped inside his large walk-in closet. He took a pair of boxers and a wife beater from the dresser drawers and studied the array of clothes hanging in front of him. He removed an Akoo outfit that still had the price tags on. The jeans fit Dontrel just the way he liked them, not too baggie and not too tight. He tore the tags from the clothes and buttoned the shirt. He reached for the uniquely shaped bottle of Unforgivable by Sean John and began to spray the fragrance on. He planned to make it hard for his new woman to resist him. He stepped into a clean pair of all white number four Air Jordan's and walked into his living space. He turned on the flat screen television and put on SportsCenter, and then he removed some weed from the small wooden box on the coffee table. Dontrel rolled a blunt and began waiting for his cell phone to ring. By the time he was halfway done smoking on the purp, it rang.

"What up, sexy?"

"Hey Dontrel, where are you?"

"I'm at home. Come hang out with me at my crib."

She said, "Are you sure? I don't want to get caught up at your place if the wrong person finds out I was there.

Dontrel reassured her that everything was going to be just fine. He said, "You can park inside my garage, its big enough to hold another car."

"Okay, I should be there in about ten minutes."

Dontrel hung up his cell phone and walked inside his bathroom. He took a bottle of mouthwash from the cabinet and freshened up his breath. He tied his dreadlocks back, revealing the two-carat diamond earring in each ear. After about ten minutes, he went down to the garage door and opened it.

Kanisha drove her Range Rover inside and parked. As she stepped out of the SUV, Dontrel couldn't believe how gorgeous she looked. She was wearing a pair of ripped blue jeans that hugged her hips and a grey tank top. It was simple, but she looked well taken care of. She walked over to Dontrel in her heels and gave him a hug. He leaned down to give her a kiss. This was her second time kissing Dontrel, but she still felt butterflies in her stomach from his touch.

"Make yourself comfortable," he said. "I have a bottle of Moscato I can open, if you want a glass of wine."

"Yes please," Kanisha replied. "Maybe it will help me feel less nervous."

Dontrel walked into the kitchen and opened the wine. He filled two glasses and took strawberries out of the refrigerator, dropping one into each glass. He handed Kanisha her glass as he sat beside her.

"Why are you nervous?" Dontrel asked. "It ain't like this is our first time hanging out alone."

"Yeah I know, but Poncho went through my cell phone last weekend. He saw the text message you sent me about meeting at the Marriott."

He gave Kanisha a confused look and said, "If he found out I tried to meet you at a hotel, why he ain't said nothing to me?"

"I disguised your name in my cell phone as Angie. He thinks I like girls now."

Dontrel began laughing uncontrollably.

Kanisha said, "It's not funny. It's all your fault, Dontrel."

He slowed his laughter and regained his composure. He took a sip of wine and said, "That's not such a bad thing though. I like a little girl-on-girl action."

Kanisha rolled her eyes and said, "I'm sure you do!" Her stomach began to rumble, and it wasn't the butterflies anymore. She said, "I'm hungry. What do you have in here to eat?"

"I can order some Chinese takeout if you like. There's a place close by that delivers."

"That sounds good to me," Kanisha said.

After the order was placed, the food arrived shortly after. They sat on the couch, listening to soft music while eating their meals. They laughed as they reminisced back to when they first met.

Kanisha said, "When I first saw you in high school, I thought you were a gangster because of your corn row braids. You were walking beside Poncho, and he was looking like Al B. Sure."

Dontrel laughed and said, "Yeah, I was on my gangsta pretty hard back then. When I saw you for the first time, I thought you were so pretty, even with your ponytail weave."

Kanisha pulled her chopsticks from her mouth and laughed.

"Hey, don't talk about my weave," she said. "You know sisters don't play about our hair."

Kanisha looked into Dontrel's brown eyes and thought to herself how handsome he is; his six-foot frame was well toned, and he always dressed fly. Her body began to tingle, as the ambiance of music and wine completely relaxed her.

She said, "If you thought I was so pretty in high school, why didn't you try and talk to me back then?"

Dontrel picked at his meal with his chopsticks. This was his moment to let her know how he really felt.

He said, "Poncho told me he knew he had to have you. I didn't want to compete with my homeboy for the same girl. Besides, all the girls liked Poncho, so I knew you would too."

Kanisha said, "Yeah, don't remind me about him and his love for the ladies."

Dontrel gazed at Kanisha's pretty face as she batted her long eyelashes. Her ebony eyes shined in the reflecting light. He was completely smitten by her.

He said, "I should have told you a long time ago how you made me feel. I didn't think you and Poncho was going to last this long. Now the two of you have two children together. I started feeling like it was wrong to still want you."

Kanisha felt a little guilty for spending time with Rashard's best friend and began to question what she was even doing there.

"Does it feel wrong spending time with me right now?" she asked.

Dontrel set his food down and moved in closer to Kanisha. He kissed her soft lips and said, "I know you deserve better. That's why I called you that day, to check on you."

Dontrel was referring to the night about five months ago when Jordan had fallen out of his bunk bed and needed stitches for a gash in his head. After she took him to the hospital, Kanisha couldn't get Rashard to answer his cell phone, so she stopped by Dontrel's. He had a lady over that night, but he invited them inside anyway. He could tell how upset she was, and he knew Rashard was more than likely spending time with Tammie. He called Rashard from his cell phone, but he still no answer. Dontrel told her he would call if Rashard called him back. That's how they exchanged numbers.

Dontrel's intentions started out innocently; he called the next day to check on Jordan. Kanisha continued to reach out to Dontrel whenever she needed a male perspective on her relationship. Who better to talk to than the person who knew her man almost as well as she did? Now Kanisha found herself in Dontrel's home, staring into his eyes. His kiss was both tender and firm. She wondered what it was like to make love to him, after knowing him all these years. She climbed into his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck facing him. She pressed her soft breasts against his chest as they began to kiss passionately.

As he squeezed Kanisha's ass, he felt his temperature begin to rise. Kanisha wasn't going to back down this time. She was ready to let Dontrel have his way with her, especially after feeling his large manhood rise in his jeans. She became wet from anticipation. She stood up, unbuttoned her jeans, and kicked off her heels. She wiggled her tight jeans over her hips and down her thighs. When she pulled her shirt over her head, Dontrel marveled at how good she looked. She didn't have a mark on her mocha brown body, even after giving birth to two children.

Dontrel stood up and was about ready to tear her pink panties and matching bra off. Instead, he kept his composure and began to undress himself. As Dontrel treated her to a strip tease, Kanisha wet her lips; her mouth watered for a taste of chocolate. Once he was down to his boxers, he sat back down and Kanisha ran her hands over his body. She started at his muscular chest and let her fingers run down to his stomach. She felt his muscular abs and then gripped his large manhood. She dropped to her knees and pulled his rock hard penis out of his boxers. She salivated at the taste of his thick chocolate stick. Dontrel locked his fingers behind his head and leaned his head back. He felt sheer bliss as Kanisha worked her mouth on him.

Dontrel looked down at Kanisha; seeing the saliva running down her chin and her hand holding his penis turned him on so much that he thought it was best to stop her. He didn't want to release his load into her mouth before he sampled the prize between her thighs. He pulled her up from the floor and carried her to his bed. He pulled his boxers off and pulled Kanisha's panties down. She unfastened her bra, revealing the hard nipples on her soft breasts.

Dontrel grabbed a condom from his nightstand and rolled it down his shaft. He was ready to give Kanisha what she was waiting for: a good fucking. He opened her thighs and eased his manhood inside of her, inch by inch. She gripped the back of his neck as he entered her. She realized that his dick was bigger than what she was used to. She placed her hand on Dontrel's chest to stop him from pushing any farther. He slowly worked his manhood in and out. She felt so good to him, and he noticed that she was beginning to relax and enjoy herself.

They had sex for about an hour, and Dontrel couldn't believe how much he enjoyed himself. The taste of Kanisha's forbidden fruit was so sweet. He hoped that she wanted more of what they just shared. Kanisha, on the other hand, was feeling guilty. The sex was good; in fact, it was the best she ever had. How could she make love to Rashard after experiencing such a sexual high? She couldn't leave Rashard for Dontrel, because the two of them were best friends. Their friendship would be shattered if Rashard found out what just happened. She also had two children to think about; their father took good care of them. Kanisha was feeling confused as she stood up to get dressed. She needed to get out of Dontrel's home and get some fresh air. He could tell something was wrong by how fast Kanisha was getting dressed.

"Is everything all right?" he asked.

"No Dontrel, it's not," Kanisha replied. "I think this was a big mistake. I need to pick my children up and go home."

Dontrel put his boxers on in a hurry because Kanisha was moving fast. He said, "I don't understand why you're so upset. Let's talk about it."

As she walked quickly to her SUV, she said, "What is there to talk about? You can never be my man. All we can ever be is fuck buddies, and I'm sure you have plenty of those. This situation is no different than what I go through with Rashard. I'm not going to set myself up to fail with you too. Good-bye Dontrel, I hope you had fun."

Kanisha opened the door and began to get into her ride.

"Wait!" Dontrel yelled.

She paused for a moment. "What am I waiting on?" she asked.

"I don't know how to say this, but, umm, I think I love you. No, I know I love you. I've loved you for so long, and now that I finally have you here with me, I can't let you just walk away like nothing happened. What we shared was real to me. It was filled with passion because for years I had to suppress these feelings for you. I don't want to go back to hiding how I feel anymore."

Kanisha was surprised by his words. She wasn't expecting a love confession. She thought that she was just another notch on Dontrel's bedpost. She walked over and wrapped her arms around his waist. They held each other as Kanisha rested her head on his chest.

She said, "I don't know what to do with your love, Dontrel. I just know it felt so good making love to you. I became afraid as soon as we were done."

"I understand. I don't know what we're supposed to do next, but I do know I can't go back to being just friends. Let's take things one day at a time for now, and I promise I will be here for you, whenever you need me."

"Okay. I guess I can do that," Kanisha said with a smile. "We can talk later, but for now, I really have to pick my kids up."

Kanisha kissed Dontrel good-bye and hopped inside her SUV. As she drove away, she knew that their love affair could cause major problems. She suddenly realized how much she liked the feeling of danger. She bit down on her bottom lip as she found herself getting turned on all over again.

Two weeks passed, and Kanisha and Dontrel couldn't get enough of one another. They spent a lot of time together. They both realized that they had so much in common. They enjoyed watching scary movies while cuddling with some popcorn. Kanisha cooked for Dontrel and came up with some creative dishes of her own. He enjoyed every meal that she prepared, almost as much as their amazing sex life. Dontrel wanted to treat Kanisha like she was his lady. He invited her to spend the weekend with him in Atlanta, so he could treat her to a little shopping and a night on the town. Kanisha threw caution into the wind and accepted the invitation. They planned to leave on Friday and return the next day.

Friday evening came around, and Rashard was being his usual self, giving Tammie all the attention she needed. He had recently noticed a change in Kanisha's attitude but didn't give it a lot of thought, until now. He realized that she hadn't complained about him not coming home for weeks. She hadn't asked for any extra money to shop with, and she was starting to spend more time with her girlfriends away from the house (at least that's what she told him). Rashard dialed Kanisha's cell phone number.

"Hello?" Kanisha answered.

"What's up, Nisha, what chew doing?"

Kanisha felt herself becoming nervous as she began to tell her well-rehearsed lie. She was about to incorporate one of her friends from college into her deception.

She said, "I'm over my girl April's house, we just making strawberry daiquiris and watching movies together."

"Okay, so you dropped the kids off at your momma's?"

"Yeah, they didn't want to stay cooped up in the house with me."

Rashard said, "Well, I might be home tonight if you want some company."

Kanisha had to think quickly because she didn't want to leave Atlanta.

"You might come home?" she snapped. "Poncho, don't do me any favors. How about you stay with your little flussie and let me finish watching my movie."

Kanisha hung up the phone and placed it in her purse. She walked over to Dontrel, who was standing in a jewelry store.

"I'm sorry baby, that was Poncho," she said with a hug. "I had to take that call."

"Don't sweat dat," Dontrel said. "Look what I got for you."

He held out a gold necklace with a diamond heart pendant attached. He placed it around her neck and fastened it. She looked into the small mirror on the counter and began to feel warm hearted.

"This is beautiful," she said with a smile. "You didn't have to buy this for me."

Dontrel joked, "If you don't want it, I can always take it back."

Kanisha bounced up and down and laughed, "No! No baby, I love it! Thank you!"

She hugged Dontrel and kissed him in front of everyone watching. After leaving the store, they began walking through the mall like a couple, holding hands. Kanisha's cell phone was constantly ringing in her purse, but she chose to ignore it. She knew it was Rashard trying to call her back, and she wasn't about to let him ruin her time with Dontrel. She planned to make this trip to Atlanta a weekend that both she and Dontrel wouldn't soon forget.

As time passed, Rashard grew more and more upset. He didn't appreciate Kanisha hanging up on him. The fact that she wasn't answering her cell phone only added fuel to the fire. He decided he was going to put her in check, face to face.

He walked into the bedroom and told Tammie, "I'll be right back."

"Is everything okay?" Tammie asked.

"Everything is fine. I just need to check on some business."

Rashard walked out the front door and hopped into his Benz. He sped to April's apartment while smoking on a blunt. As he inhaled the potent weed smoke, he thought about how he was going to confront Kanisha. One thing for sure, he had to put her in her place. When he arrived at April's apartment complex, he noticed Kanisha's Range Rover wasn't there. He parked his car and walked to April's door.

After knocking a few times, Rashard heard a voice. "Who is it?"

April could see it was Rashard through the peep hole in the door, but she didn't know why he was there without Kanisha.

"It's me, Rashard. Is Kanisha here?"

April opened the door and stood in the threshold. It was dark outside, and she lived alone, which made her a little cautious about opening the door.

"No, she's not here," she said. "Have you tried to call her cell phone?"

Rashard knew something wasn't right. The fact that Kanisha wasn't at April's apartment made him question whether she had been there at all. He didn't want April to know he suspected Kanisha had been lying to him, so he kept his cool.

He said, "Yeah, I talked to her a little earlier. I just thought she might've stopped by here on her way home."

"No, she hasn't been by," April said. "I haven't seen her in days. I can try calling her myself and see if she'll answer."

Rashard had all the confirmation he needed. He was very upset but didn't let his anger show.

He said, "That won't be necessary. I'm sure she's at home by now. I'll shout at you later."

April could sense something wasn't right. As soon as Rashard drove away, she called Kanisha's cell phone, but Kanisha and Dontrel were inside a loud nightclub and she couldn't hear her phone ringing. April left a voice message:

"Kanisha, this is April. I'm calling to check on you because Rashard just stopped by my apartment looking for you. Call me back after you get this message."

Kanisha and Dontrel partied all night until the early hours of the morning. They left the club and went straight to their hotel room. They couldn't wait to get each other behind closed doors. They made intense love for the rest of the night and fell fast asleep afterwards. Kanisha didn't check her cell phone until they were heading back to Birmingham the next morning. She placed her cellphone to her ear and listened to April's message, then took in a quick deep breath and placed her hand over her mouth. Dontrel turned the radio down once he saw Kanisha's reaction.

"What wrong?" he asked.

Kanisha frantically dialed April's number. She said, "Poncho stopped by my friend April's apartment looking for me last night."

April answered the phone and said, "Girrrl, where have you been? Why didn't you call me back last night?"

Kanisha didn't want to reveal that she was spending time with another man. She knew how much her friends admired her for trying so hard to keep her family together. She chose to lie to her friend instead.

She said, "My cellphone went dead. What did Poncho say when he stopped by?"

"He didn't say much. He just wanted to see if you had been by my apartment."

Kanisha had completely forgotten to tell her friend to cover for her. She didn't think Rashard was going to check her story. Now she found herself in a panic, and she didn't know what to do next.

"Girl, I told Rashard I haven't seen you in days. What have you been up to, Miss Thang?"

Kanisha's palms began to sweat. She needed to concentrate on what she was going to say to Rashard once she got home.

She said, "I haven't been up to much. April, can I call you back a little later? I need to check on my kids."

"Okay Nisha, just make sure you call me back."

Kanisha hung up and turned to Dontrel. "What am I going to do?" she asked. "Rashard knows I lied to him about who I was with last night. I know he's mad as hell by now."

Kanisha started biting her acrylic fingernail. Dontrel said, "Don't panic. You just need to think of an excuse for where you were last night."

Kanisha vented her frustration and snapped, "It's easy for you to tell me not to panic. You not the one who might get your ass beat when you get home!"

Dontrel held his laughter inside, because he thought it was funny how frightened Kanisha looked. He didn't see Rashard as anyone to fear. He began to wrack his brain to help Kanisha come up with a good excuse so she could relax again.

He said, "I got an idea. Say that you were with your friend Angie. Tell him that you lied about being with her was because he already accused you of fucking her."

Kanisha stared at Dontrel like he was crazy. She said, "So let me get this straight: You want me to pretend to be a lesbian so Rashard doesn't find out I got some dick last night. That's the dumbest shit you ever said! Boy, you need to smoke some weed and get your mind right."

Kanisha's words angered Dontrel and he said, "Don't try and front on me, Kanisha! I was just trying to help yo silly ass. I tell you what: come up with your own damn lies then!"

He turned the music back up and drove home listening to 2 Chainz.

Dontrel pulled into his garage, and the two just sat inside the Beamer. Kanisha studied Dontrel's face. She knew her comment had made him upset.

She said, "Despite what I have to go home and face, I had a nice time with you, Dontrel."

She leaned over and kissed him on the lips. She slowly backed away because he didn't kiss her back. He was still acting cold.

"I don't want you mad with me too, babe," she said. "I'm sorry if I hurt your feelings. Do you forgive me?"

She managed to soften Dontrel's heart and he said, "Don't sweat it." He leaned in and gave her a real kiss. "We good, just call or text me later, because I'm about to get me some sleep. You wore me out with all your dancing and wild sex this weekend."

Kanisha smiled and said, "What's the matter Dontrel, you can't hang with little ol' me?"

Dontrel laughed and said, "Bye Kanisha," as he watched her jump inside her SUV.

Kanisha drove to her mother's home on the west side of town. She knocked on her mother's front door, and her sixteen-year-old brother, Travon, answered it.

She stepped inside the house and said, "What up, big head? Where are my two munchkins hiding at?"

Travon said, "They not here. Poncho came and got 'em this morning."

I wonder what he's up to, she thought to herself. "Okay. Well, I see Momma's car is gone. Tell her I stopped by, and I'll talk to her later," Kanisha said.

Kanisha began to think. She felt Rashard picking the kids up wasn't a bad thing, because he didn't like to argue in front of the children. Maybe things aren't as bad as I think they are, she thought. She began to relax as she drove home. When she got there, she pulled inside the garage and parked next to Rashard's Benz. She began to prepare for whatever may be awaiting her inside her home. She unfastened her new necklace and placed it inside her purse. All that was left now was to face Rashard.

She stepped out of her SUV and walked into her home. Rashard was sitting in the living room, in complete silence. He was sipping on a glass of cognac, with the bottle sitting on the table. Rashard set his glass down, stood up, and walked over to Kanisha.

"Where the fuck was you at last night, Kanisha?" he yelled.

She was startled by his burst of anger. She placed her hand over her chest and felt her heart beat start to quicken.

She said, "Why are you yelling, Rashard? I was just with a friend."

"You were with a friend, huh? Well, I know that friend wasn't April because I went by her apartment last night!"

Rashard reached back and slapped Kanisha so quick and hard that she stumbled in her heels and toppled to the floor. She sat there, holding her face in complete shock. She had never been hit in the face before. Rashard had pushed her around and roughed her up in the past, but he had never hit her in the face. She could feel the blood running from her lip.

Rashard stood over her and said, "So you fucking somebody else now?"

Kanisha raised her hands to guard her face. "No, Rashard! I was with my friend Angie last night," she said.

Rashard reached down to the floor and grabbed Kanisha's shirt. He pulled her up from the floor by her collar and stared angrily into her eyes.

"So I was right! You are fucking this Angie chick!" he yelled.

Kanisha didn't say anything. She just let Rashard draw his own conclusions. He released his grip on her shirt and pushed her in the chest.

He said, "I don't know who you are anymore, Kanisha! If you want to be with a woman, then let me know so she can pay the mortgage! Let that bitch pay the note and insurance on the Range Rover. She can take yo simple ass shopping all the time, and then let's see how long she sticks around!"

Rashard saw Kanisha's purse on the floor and walked over to pick it up. He was going to call Angie and give her a piece of his mind. Kanisha stood up and watched as everything started to unravel right before her eyes. Rashard opened the purse and saw the necklace. He pulled it out and stared at it.

"What the fuck is this? Where did this come from, Kanisha?"

Kanisha held herself as she tried to calm her fears. "It was just a friendly gift," she replied.

"A gift! Oh hell naw! This bitch's money long enough to buy you diamonds?" Rashard reached into the purse and removed her cell phone.

"Please don't call her, Rashard! I promise I won't see her again."

Rashard strolled through the contact list, searching for Angie's number. Kanisha knew if Dontrel answered the phone, Rashard might damn near kill her. She became frantic and rushed at Rashard, trying to take her cell phone from him. "Give me my phone, Rashard," she begged.

Rashard held the cell phone up high and said, "Don't play with me, Kanisha! You better sit ya ass down!"

Kanisha didn't know what to do, but she couldn't let Rashard make that phone call. She made a fist and swung her right hand hard; her courageous punch caught Rashard right on the temple of his head. He dropped the cell phone and necklace so he could block any further punches. He brought a quick end to Kanisha's attack by grabbing her by the neck. He began brutally choking her.

Kanisha held his wrist with one hand and pounded on his forearm with the other. His constricting grip was impossible to break free from. Rashard was seeing red as he pinned Kanisha to the wall and squeezed her neck even tighter, cutting her air supply completely off. Kanisha couldn't break his hold and was becoming weak from lack of oxygen. She used her last bit of breath to mouth the word, "Please."

Rashard snapped out of his trance and released his grip on Kanisha's neck. She dropped to her knees and began to gasp for air, holding her throat with both hands and coughing uncontrollably. Rashard didn't feel any sympathy for her. He picked her cell phone up and put the cover back on.

He said, "Keep acting like this shit a game, Kanisha! Next time I'mma choke yo ass to sleep! Now test me again and see what happens!"

Rashard dialed Angie's number and waited for an answer but the phone went to voicemail.

Rashard said, "This is Kanisha's man, Rashard. I don't know who you think you are, but you better stay away from my lady, if you know what's good for you!"

He hung up the phone and memorized the number, and then he turned his attention back to Kanisha.

"I don't want you talking to her anymore," he said. "You better tell her not to call you again, Kanisha! I'm not playin' with you."

Kanisha was relieved that Dontrel hadn't answered the phone. She regained her strength and stood up.

She said, "And what about you, Rashard? Are you going to tell Tammie the same thing, or is this just your one-sided attempt at trying to control me? You should take a hard look at yourself. Ask yourself why I might want to spend time with someone else. No, let me answer that for you. It's because my cheating ass man rather sleep with his flussie instead of coming home to his woman, who's been faithful to him since high school."

Kanisha walked away from Rashard and looked into her children's bedroom. She knew that they must not have been home because all the fighting and commotion would've brought them running to her. She walked back into the living room and asked with a voice full of concern, "Where are my children?"

Rashard was sitting on the couch, thinking about Kanisha's last statement. He knew he was responsible for her stepping out on him. He just couldn't imagine giving Tammie up, because he was in love with her.

"I made sure the kids weren't here because I didn't want them to see us fighting," Rashard said.

"So where are they?"

"I dropped them off at my mother's house."

Kanisha began to gather her things. She placed her necklace in her purse along with her cell phone and began to walk to the garage.

"Where you going?" Rashard asked.

She stop walking for a moment and said, "To pick my kids up. It's obvious you can't do it, because you've been drinking."

After watching Kanisha leave, Rashard began to feel mixed emotions about the fight. Kanisha had never made him that angry before, and he felt the guilt begin to mount as he sat alone in the house. He regretted putting his hands on her the way that he did, but Kanisha was his woman and no man or woman was ever going to be allowed to sever their bond. He picked up his cell phone and programmed Angie's number in it, and then he dialed another number because he desperately needed to talk with a friend. He called Dontrel, but after the phone continuously rang with no answer, he decided to leave a message.

"This is Rashard. Call me back when you get a chance. I need to talk to you brah, one."

Kanisha stopped by Dontrel's place before she picked her kids up. She pulled up in front of his building and stepped out of her ride. She walked to the buzzer on the wall and pressed it repeatedly. The nagging sound of the buzzer finally woke him up. He stepped out of bed and went to the intercom.

He pressed the intercom on the wall. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Kanisha. I need to talk to you."

Dontrel tried to shake the feeling of sleep off as he pressed the intercom again. "Okay, here I come."

He walked to the front door and opened it. When he saw the bruises on Kanisha's face, he became immediately unsettled. One of her cheeks was slightly swollen and she had a busted lip. Kanisha walked inside and wrapped her arms around Dontrel's waist. He held her tightly as she began to cry.

"I thought he was going to kill me," she sobbed.

He kissed her forehead and said, "Poncho's a coward for hitting on you like this!"

Kanisha took her arms from around Dontrel's waist and wiped her tears away. She walked farther into Dontrel's home with him following her. She sat on the couch and began to tell him exactly what happened. After listen to her story, Dontrel left the room to get his cell phones and saw that each one had a message. He planned to call Rashard back after Kanisha left.

"You said you stopped by here on your way to get your kids," he told her. "Go ahead and pick them up. I'm going to talk with Poncho and see what's on his mind."

Kanisha walked to the front door. She paused for a moment and turned to face Dontrel.

She said, "I love you, Dontrel. I really do, but I love my family even more. I can't keep living this way. All the sneaking around and lying just isn't me. I think we should take a break from one another before Poncho finds out who Angie really is."

Dontrel didn't have a dog to fight with. He was at a loss for words.

Finally he said, "We should talk about this later. Just call my phone when things settle down and get back to normal. Okay?"

Kanisha merely said, "Good-bye Dontrel."

She reached inside her purse and gave him back the necklace. She walked out the front door, and Dontrel just stood there with the necklace in his hand. Their love affair was over, without so much as a good-bye kiss. Kanisha's heart felt heavy, and as she drove away, her eyes began tearing up. She knew how much she was going to miss him. She had fallen hard for Dontrel and had deeper feelings for him than for Rashard. It was going to be hard going back to Rashard, but she didn't want anyone else getting hurt.

Dontrel called Rashard from his business phone, and Rashard picked up right away. "Hello?"

"What up Poncho? I see you called me earlier, what's going on?"

"I got a lot going on, brah! I just found out Kanisha been fucking around on me, and you won't believe who she fucking off with!"

Dontrel could feel the tension of being exposed, by the tone in Rashard's voice. He reminded himself to stay cool before asking "Who's she tipping around with?"

"Some bitch named Angie!" Rashard replied venomously. "I didn't know I had to watch my back around these hoes too! You feel me? Brah, if I ever catch this chick in the streets, we gone have a real misunderstanding!"

Dontrel laughed softly because Rashard had no clue that he was the person laying pipe to his lady. He said, "It could've been worse. You could've found out she was fucking some dude you know."

There was an awkward silence on the phone for a moment. Rashard said, "Kanisha knows better! I already had to beat her ass about this chick. She better not make me have to kill a muthafucka out here!"

Dontrel didn't approve of Rashard bragging about hitting Kanisha, but he chose not to speak up yet. "So you and Kanisha got into a fight over this chick?"

"Yeah man, I damn near had to snap her neck over that bullshit!"

"Listen brah, I'mma say something you might not wanna hear, but I'mma say it anyway. If you got to do all that to keep her, then maybe both of yall should think about ending things and moving on. Kanisha knows you spend a lot of time with Tammie. She probably stepped out because she felt entitled to do the same thang you doing."

Dontrel's words fell on deaf ears because Rashard wasn't considering giving Kanisha up. He was going to have his cake and eat it to, no matter how upsetting it was to either one of his women. No one was going to tell him that he couldn't have both.

"I don't feel like dealing with this shit right now," Rashard said. "Let's fly to Miami and catch the Heat game Friday."

The time Dontrel spent with Kanisha made him neglect hanging out with his homeboy. A trip to Miami might be exactly what they both needed to defuse some of the tension.

"I'm down with that," Dontrel said. "We can hit the King of Diamonds while we down there."

Rashard enjoyed that idea. He said, "I'mma go ahead and book us a couple of first class flights. I'll get the money back from you later."

"Bet that up Poncho, one."

When Kanisha arrived at Rachel's home, Rashard's mother responded the way she expected. His mother took one look at her face and said, "What happened to you, baby?"

Kanisha felt embarrassed and didn't want to tell Rachel that her son was responsible for her altered appearance. Even though she was tired of lying to everyone, she had to tell this one last lie because she knew her kids needed an explanation as well.

"I was riding with one of my girlfriends and she hit someone from behind in her car," Kanisha said. "I hit my face on the dashboard, but I'm okay. No one was seriously hurt."

"Oh my goodness," Rachel said. "Well, I'm glad to hear that no one was badly hurt. Let me go and get your kids for you, baby."

When Rachel returned with the children, Shantia noticed her mother's face.

"What happen to your face, Momma?" she asked, and Jordan walked closer to examine her.

Kanisha said, "I had an accident. Get in the truck and I'll tell yall about it on the way home."

She turned to Rachel and said, "Thank you for watching the kids for us."

"You're welcome, Nisha, any time. Make sure you put some ice on that face of yours. It will help take some of that swelling down."

"Yes ma'am I will. I'll talk to you later."

Rashard and Dontrel flew into Miami International Airport the following weekend. They rented a car at the airport and drove into the city. This wasn't their first time in Miami, and Rashard made reservations according to his previous experiences. He wanted to avoid the traffic, so he reserved two rooms at the Epic Hotel, which was in walking distance to American Airlines Arena. At 7:45 p.m., they left the hotel and walked to the game. When they got inside the arena, they both bought beef hotdogs and beer before making themselves comfortable in their seats.

Rashard and Dontrel rooted for the Miami Heat as they watched LeBron James struggle in the game. He sprained his ankle on his first drive of the game but continued to play, brushing off the pain. The rookie Anthony Davis put up 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Hornets to a 96-89 preseason victory over the Heat. Dontrel and Rashard enjoyed the game very much, even though the Heat didn't win.

After the game, they drove to their favorite strip club, the King of Diamonds. Rashard gave the rental car keys to the valet and they went inside the club, where they were instantly drawn in by their favorite strippers. Watching the acrobatic women climb to the top of the pole and race to the bottom, using only their thighs as means to stop their downward descend was not only entertaining to Dontrel and Rashard, but impressive as well. They both rewarded the scantily dressed women with hundreds upon hundreds of rigorously earned drug money. Taking time to reflect, Dontrel had almost forgotten how much he enjoyed hanging out with Rashard. Popping bottles and made it rain all night only remind him of how long he and Rashard had been friends, best friends. Rashard may have been wrong for putting his hands on Kanisha, but Dontrel was now owning of up to his part in initiating the drama. Rashard on the other hand, mind was at ease. He and Kanisha had patched up their relationship after the fight, and he hadn't given much thought about the other person Kanisha was seeing, because she spent all of her free time with him home. Rashard even stopped calling Angie's phone because he felt Kanisha was done with the short-lived affair.

Sunday morning, Rashard and Dontrel were flying back to Birmingham after a long weekend of partying.

Rashard turned to Dontrel and said, "I had a blast here in Miami. We gotta come back and catch another game real soon."

Dontrel was feeling hangover and exhausted. A long night of drinking and having sex with strippers had taken its toll on him, with very little rest due to an early morning flight. He removed his Gucci sunglasses and said, "Hell yeah. We got it up in the M.I. Yayo. You know what they say, what happens in Miami stays in Miami."

Dontrel may have been tired, but that didn't stop him from feeling guilty as well. He realized that he had crossed the line by sleeping with Kanisha. He wished he had thought twice before having sex with her. No matter how much he loved Kanisha, he vowed that he was never going to cross that line again. His loyalty was back where it belonged and that was with his longtime homeboy, Rashard.

After their plane landed, Rashard dropped Dontrel off at his loft and headed home.

Friday morning rolled around, and Dontrel's family had grown concerned about him. They hadn't heard from him since Sunday morning. His sister Joslyn called their mother, Barbara, to share her concerns.

"Hello?"

"Hey Momma, I still haven't heard back from Dontrel," Joslyn said. "It ain't like him not to call me back at all."

Barbara was very concerned as well. "Do you think something happened to him?" she asked.

"I don't know, Momma. I hope not."

"Lord Jesus! Should we call the police?"

Joslyn thought for a moment and then said, "I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but Dontrel always calls me back. I've been calling and calling, but he's not picking up. I'm going to stop by his place and see if he's there. Do you still have a key to his place?"

Barbara said, "I sure do. It's on my key ring."

"Okay, well I'm coming over there to pick you up."

When they arrived at Dontrel's Loft, they parked out front and walked to the front door. When they unlocked the door and went inside, they both noticed a strong odor, like week-old trash.

"Dontrel, are you in here?" Barbara asked.

There was no response. As they ventured a little farther, Joslyn saw her brother's body lying on the floor and screamed. She wrapped her arms around her mother, and they both began to cry hysterically.

"Is he dead, Momma?" Joslyn asked.

"I don't know, baby! I need to call the police."

Barbara tried to calm her daughter the best she could, as she removed her cell phone from her purse and dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"My son's lying on the floor in blood; it looks like, he's dead!"

Joslyn was crying loudly in the background.

"Is anyone else hurt?" the dispatcher asked.

"I don't know. Me and my daughter just came into my son's apartment and found him lying on the floor, and I called you. We haven't walked any farther into his house."

"Okay, ma'am. What's your location?"

Dontrel's mother wiped the tears from her eyes and gave the dispatcher Dontrel's address.

The dispatcher said, "Okay, ma'am. The police are on the way. I'll stay on the line with you until they arrive."

Within a few minutes, an ambulance and police car arrived at Dontrel's loft. He was pronounced dead on arrival, and his home was turned into a crime scene. Detectives arrived and determined that he had been shot multiple times. They found 9mm shell casings on the floor and also noted that there wasn't any forced entry, which meant Dontrel had let the perpetrator into his home. The detectives gathered Dontrel's cell phones and placed them in a plastic bag as evidence. One of the detectives walked outside to talk with Joslyn and her mother.

"First off, let me say that I'm sorry for your loss. We're going to do everything in our power to catch whoever did this. I'm Detective Donnelly, and I need to ask you a few questions."

Joslyn was wiping her eyes and nose with tissues, as her mother still held her close.

"I understand that you are Dontrel's mother and sister, correct?"

They both said, "Yes."

"What are your names?" he asked.

Dontrel's sister regained her composure and said, "I'm Joslyn Watts and this is my mother, Barbara Watts."

The detective asked, "When was the last time you talked to with Dontrel?"

"Sunday morning, before he flew back here from Miami," Joslyn said. "He was supposed to stop by my house later that day, after he got some sleep."

"Did he travel to Miami alone?" Detective Donnelly asked.

"No, he went to a basketball game with his friend, Rashard Townsend."

"And do you know how we can get in touch with Mr. Townsend for questioning?"

"I don't have his number, but I'm sure my brother has it in his cell phone. He goes by the nickname Poncho."

The detectives went back to the police station and began working the case. After checking Dontrel's cell phones, Detective Donnelly found Rashard's number and called him.

"Hello?"

"Is this Rashard Townsend?"

"Yeah, who is this?"

"This is Detective Donnelly with the Birmingham Police Department. Could you come to the station today to answer a few questions?"

Rashard became nervous and asked, "Why you need me to come to the station?"

"I'd rather not discuss it over the phone, but it's pertaining to a homicide," Detective Donnelly said. "I'm sure you know where the precinct is downtown. Can you drive here, or do we need to come and pick you up?"

"I can drive to you, Rashard replied. "I'll be there in thirty minutes."

A little while later, Rashard walked into the police station. He was taken to a small room, and Detective Donnelly joined him. The detective put on his glasses and opened up a folder in front of him.

"Mr. Townsend, do you know why we asked you here today?"

Rashard said, "I have no idea, but you said it's about a homicide. I guess somebody got killed?"

Detective Donnelly studied Rashard's face as he began his interrogation. "You guess somebody got killed?" he repeated.

"Yeah," Rashard replied uncomfortably.

"Someone was killed, Mr. Townsend," Detective Donnelly said. "Do you know Dontrel Watts?"

Rashard looked concerned as he answered, "Yeah, that's my homeboy."

Detective Donnelly said, "We found him shot to death inside his home today."

Rashard pounded his fist on the table and slid down in his seat. "Somebody killed Dontrel?" he said. "Damn!"

"Mr. Townsend, we understand that you and Dontrel took a trip to Miami last Friday and returned Sunday afternoon. Am I correct?"

Rashard calmed himself. He sat up straight in his chair and said, "Yeah, I dropped Dontrel off at home after we left the airport. I haven't talked to him since."

Detective Donnelly continued reading from his folder. He said, "We have surveillance of the two of you leaving the parking deck in a Mercedes Benz at 12:10 in the afternoon. What time did you arrive at Dontrel's home?"

Rashard thought for a minute and said, "About twenty minutes later."

"So you arrived at Dontrel's home at 12:30?"

"Yes, that's about right."

Detective Donnelly removed a sheet of paper from his folder. He said, "I have a message here from one of Dontrel's cell phones. I'd like to read it to you, if you don't mind."

Rashard said calmly, "Okay, go ahead."

"This is Kanisha's man, Rashard. I don't know who you think you are, but you better stay away from my lady, if you know what's good for you." Detective Donnelly looked over his glasses at Rashard.

"Do you remember leaving this message on Dontrel's cell phone?" he asked.

Rashard had forgotten all about the message. He said, "I didn't leave that message for Dontrel; I thought that phone number belonged to someone else."

Detective Donnelly removed his glasses from his face. "Son, I'm not here to play games with you," he said. "We have a young man dead, and you were the last person seen with him. We also have you leaving a threatening message on his phone. All fingers are pointing to you, Rashard!" The detective leaned back in his chair. "Now, you can save yourself some trouble by telling me the truth about what happened. I know everybody makes mistakes, and I'm sure you didn't mean to kill your friend. Sometimes things happen in the heat of the moment, and we make bad decisions. Now is the time to make things right, Rashard. Dontrel's family deserves that. You don't want them looking at you like some kind of monster, do you? Go ahead and clear your conscience, son, and tell me what really happened."

Rashard covered his face with his hand to hide the tears that began to well up in his eyes. For days know he had been overwhelmed with guilt. He couldn't eat or sleep and his conscious was getting the best of him. He tried to cover up what happened between him and Dontrel that day, but he had forgotten about the message he left for Angie. Now he knew he was going to jail for murder and his tears bare the resemblance of his guilt. Through his tears, Rashard decided to cooperate with the law in an attempt to get a light sentence, because he knew all about crimes of passion. He took a deep breath and began to tell exactly what happened on that Sunday evening.

"After we left the airport, I pulled up to Dontrel's crib," Rashard said with a sniffle. "I popped the truck to let him get his bag and then realized I needed to us the bathroom, so I followed him inside. When I got done in the bathroom, I was about to leave but then I saw this necklace laying on his nightstand. I picked the necklace up and thought it looked like the same one that my lady, Kanisha, had. Someone she was having an affair with gave it to her. I thought it might just be a coincidence, so I wasn't going to say anything about to Dontrel. Something inside of me wouldn't let me just walk away without checking one thing. I still had the phone number of the person my old lady was having an affair with, so I decided to dial it. When I heard Dontrel's cell phone start to ring, I got the answer I was looking for. I just lost it!" Rashard started crying hard. "I didn't mean to kill him; everything just happened so fast!" He bawled.

Detective Donnelly said, "I know, son. Take your time and finish telling me what happened. You're doing the right thing."

Rashard wiped his face and forced himself to finish the story. "I knew Dontrel kept a gun beside his bed, so I pulled it out and met him walking out the kitchen. He was holding the cell phone in his hand. I said, 'So you've been messing with my lady behind my back.' Dontrel tried to explain. He was supposed to be my best friend, but he and Kanisha were making a fool out of me. The next thing I knew, Dontrel was lying on the floor. I shot him. I killed my best friend!"

"So what happened to the gun?" Detective Donnelly asked. "What did you do with it?"

"I threw it in the lake downtown, at Railroad Park," Rashard said.

Detective Donnelly gathered his paperwork and placed it back inside his folder. "Okay Rashard. Thank you for your honesty."

The detective stood up and exited the room. A police officer came in shortly after he left and placed handcuffs on Rashard's wrists. He was placed under arrest for the murder of Dontrel Watts.

Book Two

The year was 2006, and Angel Reseda Pearson was lying back on her bed, fully dressed. She checked the time on the digital clock on her dresser. It read 10:20 p.m., which meant it was time for her to sneak out of the house. She figured her mom was sleeping by now; she always turned in around the same time every night. Angel laced up her Air Jordan sneakers and grabbed her book bag. She tiptoed out of her bedroom, went down the hallway, and made her way out the back door after deactivating the alarm.

Once outside, Angel ran through the back yard as fast as her fifteen-year-old body could carry her. She was still afraid of the dark, so she ran all the way to her friend Tiara's house, pausing outside the door to catch her breath. She began to search the ground for small pebbles to toss at her friend's bedroom window.

After a while, Tiara raised her bedroom window and smiled down at her friend. "Angel, what up, girl?" Tiara asked. "What chew doing out here?"

"I need a place to sleep," she said. "Can I spend the night?"

Tiara looked over her shoulder to make sure no one was listening. She turned back to Angel and said, "You can sleep in my room, but I'll have to sneak you in. You know my parents don't like me having sleepovers on a school night."

Angel didn't want to get her friend in trouble, but she also didn't want to sleep at home. She felt a debt of gratitude for Tiara's help. "Thank you, Tee," she said.

Tiara walked downstairs and unlocked the back door. She placed her index finger over her lips, so Angel knew to be quiet. They both tipped upstairs to Tiara's bedroom and closed the door behind them. Tiara asked, "What chew doing out so late? You've been fooling around with some boy?"

Angel just couldn't tell her friend why she didn't want to sleep in her own bed. It was much too personal, and she hadn't shared her problem with anyone.

"Yeah, I had him drop me off near your house because it's too late for me to go home," Angel said. "I have a change of clothes in my book bag. I can wake up early in the morning and leave before your parents wake up."

"Girl, you don't have worry about that," Tiara said. "We can pretend like you just got here in the morning, and we can ride to school together."

Angel began to feel relaxed in Tiara's company. She kicked her shoes off to get more comfortable. She was feeling a little sweaty from her late night run and needed to freshen up before bed.

"Do you think I can take a bath?" she asked. "I'd hate to wake your parents up, but I need to wash."

"Yeah girl, no problem," Tiara said. "I'll run the bathwater, and if anyone comes to the bathroom, they'll think it's me."

"I really appreciate you doing this for me Tee. You know you're my ride or die chick, don't you?"

Tiara smiled and said, "If I needed you, I know you would do the same for me. You're my girl."

Tiara walked to the bathroom and began filling the tub. Once it was ready, she came back and let Angel know the coast was clear. Angel undressed in the bathroom and got into the warm water. She sat closing her eyes and just soaked in the tub. She slowly began to feel the concerns of her troubled home begin to dissipate. She drifted into a peaceful place and didn't let any worries or cares bother her. This was much needed peace. After she was done bathing, Angel rejoined Tiara in the bedroom, wrapped in a towel.

"You can wear those pajamas I laid out for you," Tiara said.

"Thanks Tee," Angel said as she lowered her towel, revealing her young, firm body. Tiara was a little jealous of what she saw because Angel's body was more developed than her slender fifteen-year-old body. Tiara's pretty face and cute shape failed in comparison to Angel's curvy body and gorgeous features, in her mind. Angel's black wavy hair flowed down to her shoulders, revealing her Latin roots. Her honey brown skin and well-shaped ass showed more of her African American side. Tiara also noticed that Angel's breasts were much larger than hers. Angel put the pajamas on and climbed into bed next to Tiara. While lying on their backs, the girls giggled and talked about school and all the boys that overly pursued them. Tiara who is an honor student, only seemed to attract the intellectual type or nerdy boys as the two referred to them; while Angel on the other hand, was mostly hit on by bad boys and bad boy imposters. The two made small talk well into the night without Angel so much as mentioning the one boy she has a major crush on. Instead, she talked and laughed with Tiara, being mindful not to alert her parents of her presents, until sleep began to consume her.

"I'm getting sleepy Tee," Angel said after a long yarn. "Good night girl. See you in the morning."

"Good night," Tiara replied and then hugged her friend. "I love."

"I love you too," Angel replied.

The next morning, the girls got dressed early, and no one was wise to their late night sleepover. Tiara opened and closed the front door, and then she led Angel into the kitchen, as if she just entered the house.

"Good morning, Mr. and Mrs. Harris," Angel said.

Tiara's father sipped his coffee as he looked up from his newspaper. "Good morning, Angel," he said.

Tiara's mother said, "Hello Angel. You look very pretty this morning."

"Thank you, Mrs. Harris," Angel said, blushing.

"Are you riding to school with us?"

"Yes ma'am," Angel replied.

"Okay," she said. "Tiara, will you let your brother know I'm ready to leave? He better get a move on if he wants a ride to school."

Tiara walked upstairs to her sixteen-year-old brother Justin's bedroom.

"Justin, let's go," she yelled. "Momma downstairs waiting on you."

Justin was dressed and ready for school. He tossed his book bag on one shoulder and looked himself over in the mirror. He was pleased with what he saw. His cargo jeans and polo shirt fit his athletically built body splendidly, and his Timberland boots still looked new. He brushed the waves in his hair and told himself, "These hoes ain't ready!"

He walked out of his bedroom, still brushing his hair and really feeling himself. By the time he got to the kitchen, Angel was already smiling. She had a crush on Justin, like many other girls at Pinson High. He was the starting running back on the football team and a good student. He could have just about any girl he wanted, and he chose Brittney, one of the prettiest girls in school, who's also a cheerleader. Angel's heart fluttered at the mere sight of him. She just wished he felt the same way about her.

The three kids piled into the minivan parked outside, and Mrs. Harris began driving them to school. Angel made sure to sit next to Justin, who made small talk with Angel and his sister, but he didn't show Angel any special attention. He thought she was attractive, and an overnight sensation, because her body had changed a lot in the past year. Angel always had a pretty face, but her breasts and ass seemed to have grown over night, and all the boys at school noticed. She knew a lot of boys liked her, but she only had eyes for Justin.

When they got to the school, everyone exited the minivan.

"Thanks for the ride, Mrs. Harris," Angel said.

"You're welcome, sweetheart, anytime," she said with a smile. She drove away thinking how sweet Angel was.

The three teenagers walked inside the busy school and received a lot of attention. Most of the attention was for Justin, who was one of the most popular students in school. Angel enjoyed just walking beside him, and she fantasized about being his girl. The mere thought of a relationship with Justin, put a smile on her until the three of them parted ways, and Angel began her day. As she went down the hall from class to class, the same boy kept trying to hit on her.

"Hey Angel, when you gone give me that number?" he asked.

"Still not interested," Angel said. Calvin had been trying to get her digits for months now but she kept putting him off.

After Angel rejected Calvin again, she could still hear him talking about her as she walked away.

"She needs to let me get up in them draws," Calvin said. "Everybody knows she's fucking!"

"Hell yeah," his friend Aaron added. "I'll have her fine ass saying, Aye papi chulo no mas!"

Both boys laughed as they walked away. Angel hated that the boys all thought she was promiscuous. It was true she was no longer a virgin, but she had only been with one person. Her reputation was soiled because she was often seen out late at night. The other students always assumed that she was messing around with some boy.

After school, Angel worked out with the cross country team. She wasn't the fastest runner on the team, but she never seemed to get tired. She had learned to keep a steady pace when running long distance, and she always did well in the competitive meets. After a grueling practice with her teammates, she got a ride home. She prepared herself for the drama she knew was waiting for her. When she walked into the house, her mother met her at the door.

She said, "¿Dónde has estado toda la noche, niña [Where have you been all night, little girl]?"

Angel knew her mother and stepfather had heard her leave the house last night, once she deactivated the alarm. She also knew Camilla, her mother, was upset with her and waiting on an answer.

"So, young lady, where were you?" Camilla asked.

Angel avoided eye contact with her mother as she walked past. "I slept over a friend's house last night," she replied.

Camilla followed closely behind Angel. "You sneak out the house in the middle of the night to sleep over a friend's house?" she yelled. "Don't walk away from me when I'm talking to you, young lady!"

Angel turned around to face her mother. "I left the house last night because I hate living here!" she said, finally confronting her mother with a long-withheld secret. "I don't like Henry!"

Camilla looked shocked. "Que Dios me ayude [God help me]! Angel, how can you be so ungrateful? Henry has been very kind and generous to us. Have you forgotten what it was like living in Nevada?"

Angel folded her arms and prepared to listen to her mother's history lesson.

"We were living hand to mouth, mi hija [my daughter]. I could barely keep the lights on after your father left. Our neighborhood was terrible. I couldn't have anything because thieves were constantly breaking into our home and steal form us. The day I met Henry was a blessing to our familia [family]."

Angel didn't want to argue with her mother. She remembered the hard time her mother had, raising her all by herself. Some nights her mother went to bed hungry because she gave the last portion of food to Angel. Her father left when she was six years old, and Angel watched her mother struggle for years, until she met Henry four years later. He took one look at Camilla and knew she was the woman for him. Camilla, on the other hand, wasn't attracted to Henry in the beginning, but he grew on her in time. Henry was kind and generous to her and her daughter. Camilla and Angel moved to Pinson, Alabama, after Henry asked her to marry him. Angel's mother was finally done lecturing her.

"Can I go now?" Angel asked.

Camilla studied her daughter's face with a clear lack of understanding. "Yes, you can go. You can go upstairs to your room because you are grounded. You are not to leave this house for a week. You will go to school and practice and then come straight home. Do you understand me, young lady?"

Angel nodded her head and said, "Sí, Mamá [yes, Mother]."

She ran up the stairs to her bedroom and closed the door. Angel sat her book bag down and dove onto her bed, face first. She screamed into her pillow, but the sound was muffled so no one could hear her. Angel hated being the only child. Henry had two other children, nineteen-year-old Timmy and seventeen-year-old Stephanie, but neither one of them ever came around. Angel believed her stepbrother and sister probably didn't like Henry either. She began to fantasize about living far away from home. She saw herself living with Justin in their own beautiful house, with two kids. He would be a big football star, and she would be his wife. The idea of her dream coming true gave her a euphoric high. She wanted so badly to tell Justin how she felt, but she was afraid he would reject her. After all, he was her best friend's brother. All she had was her secret desire, which was starting to drive her young hormones wild.

Angel didn't realize she had fallen asleep until she woke up as someone was stroking her hair. She looked up to see Henry sitting beside her on the bed.

"Angel, I was really disappointed with you yesterday," he said. "What have we discussed about you sneaking out the house?"

Angel's body stiffened from fear. She lay perfectly still while Henry moved his hand up and down her back.

"I can't help but feel like you're running away from me," Henry said. "Are you running from me, Angel?"

Angel replied, in a timid voice, "No."

Henry wanted the response he had trained Angel to say. "'No' what, Angel?" he asked.

Angel hesitated from a moment before reluctantly saying, "No Daddy."

Henry continued to caress Angel's body, and his craving for her young flesh began to intensify. "There's no reason for you to sneak around and be such a bad girl, when you know how good I am to you and you mother. Don't you want me to keep being good to you and your mother?" Henry asked with ill intentions.

While his hands continue to explore Angel's young body, tears began to well up in her eyes. Keeping her back turned to him, she replied "Yes daddy," while cringing from his touch.

Henry's arousal encouraged him to take thing further as he reached under Angel's skirt and tried to massage her butt, but she tensed up and moved away from him. "What are you doing, Angel?" Henry asked. "I need you to take care of me, just like I take care of you and your mother. Do you understand?"

Angel didn't care if Henry didn't provide for her anymore, but she was concerned about her mother because she didn't ever want to see her mother struggle the way she did years ago. Angel lay still as Henry resumed touching her. He had been molesting her since she was eleven years old, so Angel was accustomed to the grotesque routine. Henry made Angel believe she was the only reason that he allowed her and her mother to continue living with him. Angel felt a sense of responsibility, even at such a young age. She believed that she had to help her mother out, anyway she could.

Angel now knew that she should have put a stop to Henry's actions long ago by telling an adult. Henry had become more demanding of Angel as she got older, and he finally took his perversion to the next level. His desires got stronger as her body blossomed, and when she turned fifteen, Henry penetrated her for the first time. Angel was in excruciating pain the night that Henry stole her virginity. She hid her blood-stained panties in the garbage and cried herself to sleep that night. Henry continued making visits to Angel's bedroom, and she noticed he only came to her when her mother was asleep. Angel started sneaking out of the house most nights. Now she found herself in the same predicament, and she didn't have anywhere to run. Henry tugged at Angel's panties to try and remove them. Angel rolled onto her back and shouted, "No!"

Henry erection was poking through his pajamas as he stood up.

"Don't yell so loud, Angel," he said. "Just lie back, and let me finish what I started."

Angel looked at Henry through beady eyes. She thought his body was gross and out of shape. His big brown stomach stuck out just as far as his erect penis did, and his receding hairline made him look older than forty-three. Angel cringed at the thought of him inside of her. She sat back against the headboard. Henry tried to climb back into bed with her, but Angel yelled out, "Don't touch me!"

Henry rushed to Angel's bedroom door. He opened it slowly to make sure the hallway was empty; Camilla was nowhere to be seen. He turned to look at Angel and then warned, "I'm going to deal with you later, Angel, mark my words."

He left the bedroom, upset that he didn't have his way. Angel, on the other hand, felt a little courageous because she finally stood up to him. She still planned to sleep with one eye open.

A little more than a week had passed, and Henry hadn't bothered Angel again. She felt her outburst that night may have run him away for good. If not, she planned to scream even louder the next time he came into her bedroom.

Angel was finally off her punishment, and her school was having a football game. She asked her mother if she could attend the game with Tiara and spend the night at her house afterwards. Camilla agreed, and Angel got dressed for the Friday night event. She put a pair of her favorite jeans on, which hugged her young curves very well. Her snug fitting sweater matched her pink and grey canvas polo shoes. Angel pulled her long black hair back into a ponytail, revealing a pair of gold hoop earrings. Pulling her hair back also revealed more of her pretty face. She applied lip gloss to her lips but chose not to wear any other makeup; her skin was pretty without it, so she exited the bathroom. Angel noticed Henry sitting near the front door. She had to pass him on her way out of the house. He stood up as she came near and grabbed her by the arm.

"Where do you think you're going?" he asked.

"Let go of me!" she shouted. "Don't ever touch me again!"

Angel snatched her arm away and walked out the front door. Henry let Angel leave the house because he didn't want to cause a scene. He knew Camilla could hear her daughter's loud voice, and he was right. His wife walked out of the bedroom and approached him.

"What was Angel yelling about?" she asked.

"Who knows?" he said. "She's always upset about something. I don't think you should allow her outta the house with such a bad attitude. That's why she sneaks out at night, because you're too easy on her."

Camilla thought he had a good point. She had noticed that Angel's behavior had changed a lot. She hoped her daughter wasn't letting boys talk her into sneaking out at night.

"I don't know, Henry," Camilla said. "Maybe you're right, but I don't want her to be unhappy if she's stuck in the house all the time."

"I know I'm right, and you better put your foot down, Camilla, before it's too late."

Angel and Tiara found a seat on the crowded bleachers and sat next to one another. Tiara had two pompoms, and she passed one to Angel. They cheered whenever a good play was made. Angel was exceptionally loud whenever Justin made a play. Every time he touched the football, she got up from her seat and cheered.

"Okay Angel, we both know you like my brother," Tiara said, "but you need to calm down."

Angel blushed as she sat back down. "What makes you think I like Justin?"

Tiara gave her a look of disbelief. "Girl, a blind man can see you like him."

"Yeah, well Justin must be blind and deaf because he doesn't seem to notice," Angel said.

Tiara stood up and cheered as her brother ran the ball for a big gain. She sat back down and said, "Girl, Justin got too many girls running up behind him. If you like him that much, then just tell him. But you're gonna have to get in line with all the rest of the girls."

Tiara's unsubtle words left Angel feeling discouraged. She didn't think she could compete with a cheerleader and all the other girls who were after him. She thought about giving up on her crush and going out with one of the many boys that liked her.

Tiara studied Angel's face and could tell that her friend's mood had changed.

"Cheer up, girl," Tiara said. "If this helps you any, Justin did say you were cute."

Angel swiftly perked up. "When did he say that?" she asked.

"Well, actually what he said was, 'Angel getting fine, who is she fucking?'"

"Why does everybody think I'm fucking just because my ass got bigger?"

Tiara laughed as she and Angel stood up to cheer again.

The game ended with the Pinson Indians defeating the Hayden Wildcats 29-9. Justin scored two touchdowns and rushed for eighty-nine yards. Tiara and Angel walked over to him to congratulate him on a good game. They watched as Brittney ran up to him and threw her arms around his neck. She kissed him on the cheek and said, "Good game, baby!"

Angel felt jealous as she watched the caramel-skinned girl throw herself on Justin. She rolled her eyes as Brittney and Justin looked over to the two girls.

Tiara said, "I saw you out there, moving and shaking. Good game, Pooh Bear."

All three girls laughed, but Justin didn't crack a smile. He didn't like the affectionate nickname his mother had given him as a child. He felt he had long outgrown any resemblance to a soft bear.

"I told you about calling me that!" Justin said sternly.

"You know you're still Momma's little Pooh Bear," Tiara teased.

Justin scowled and said, "All right, Tiara, don't get me started telling your business." He turned to her friend and said, "What's up, Angel?"

Angel smiled shyly and replied, "Hey Justin. You played a good game out there tonight."

"Thanks. Did you see me run over that one guy? I drug him into the end zone with me."

"Yeah I saw that," Angel said. "He couldn't stop you from scoring. You ran over him like a Mack truck."

Justin smiled; he liked the fact that she knew about football and paid close attention to the details of the game. Brittney, however, was not happy with the chemistry she saw between Justin and Angel, so she intervened, resting her head on Justin's shoulder and wrapping her arm around him.

"Baby, I'm hungry," she said, pulling Justin away from the two girls. "Let's finish up out here so we can go get something to eat."

He said, "Bye Angel, and Tee, you better sleep with one eye open tonight!"

"Bye Pooh Bear," Tiara laughed.

After the girls went back to Tiara's house, they got into their pajamas and watched television. They sat on Tiara's bed watching their favorite movie, Love and Basketball. Angel saw herself as Sanaa Lathan's character, Monica Wright, and Justin was the love interest played by Omar Epps's character, Que. Her heart rate sped up as they watched the sex scene between Monica and Que. The way he touched her made Angel wish Justin was laying her down and making love to her the same way. She fantasized about kissing him and began to feel slightly embarrassed by her body's response. Her nipples became noticeably erect, and her panties were wet from excitement.

"How many boys have you kissed, Angel?" Tiara asked, interrupting Angel's train of thought. She snapped out of her fantasy for a moment to answer the question.

"You might not believe me, Tee, but I only kissed one boy. Darryl Wilkerson kissed me in the eighth grade, but I told you about that." She paused for a moment. "What about you? I know about your junior high boyfriend, Michael. Have you fooled around with anybody else since then?"

Tiara continued watching the movie and didn't make eye contact with Angel as she spoke. "No, I haven't met anyone that I really like. I believe I'm going to die a virgin!"

Angel laughed and said, "Girl, you're so crazy! Boys are always trying to talk to you, and you're very pretty. You won't have any problem getting some boy sausage."

Tiara turned to Angel and moved in closer to her. "Do you really think so?" she asked.

Angel looked her friend in the eyes, as Tiara rest on her knees in front of her. "Do I really think what, that you're going to have sex?"

"No," Tiara replied. "Do you think I'm pretty?"

Angel was confused at Tiara's line of questioning. She said, "Uh, yeah, Tee. You're so pretty and you-" Angel was cut off in midsentence as Tiara pressed her lips firmly against hers. Angel was completely caught off guard by the unexpected kiss and didn't know what to do, but she didn't pull away. She had never been kissed by a girl before and found Tiara's lips to be soft and sensual.

Tiara began to gentle stroke Angel's body as she embraces her and moved in even closer. Angel closer her eyes and let the feeling of passion guide her while caressing her friend and opening her mouth to invite their tongues to touch. Tiara gently pushed Angel back on the bed and lay between her legs. She began kissing Angel's neck, as she rubbed and squeezed her C cup breasts. Angel moaned with enjoyment. Tiara's touch felt so good to her as she continued to explore her body. Just as Tiara slid her hand inside Angel's wet panties, Justin's voice called out from the stairs. Tiara quickly sat up, and so did Angel. They both pretended to be all into the movie as Justin knocked on the bedroom door.

"Come in," Tiara said.

Justin walked in and said, "What up? What going on in here?"

"Can't you see we're watching a movie?" Tiara said. "What do you want?"

"What movie yall watching?" he asked.

Tiara was becoming annoyed by her brother. He was interrupting her make-out session with Angel. She took a deep breath and let it out.

"Love and Basketball," Tiara replied.

"Love and Basketball, I like that movie. I'mma go and get the popcorn."

Angel laughed, but Tiara had her game face on. She said, "This is me and my girl's favorite movie, and you are interrupting. Just get outta my room."

Justin looked surprised. "Tee, I know for a fact you seen this movie a hundred times. Why you acting like you can't miss a minute of it now?" he asked.

"Maybe I want to watch it a hundred and one times. Besides I don't come bothering you when you have company," Tiara said.

Justin shook his head and said, "I didn't know I was bothering you. Am I bothering you too, Angel?"

Angel smiled and said, "No, Justin, you good. I'm still waiting on that popcorn."

Justin laughed, but Tiara looked at her friend like she was a traitor. She was hoping Angel was just as eager to pick up where they left off as she was.

"Angel, let me rap with you for a minute," Justin said.

"Sure," Angel replied.

She got up off the bed and followed Justin into the hallway. Once they were out of earshot from Tiara, he said, "Angel, I've known you for a while now, and we never really held a real conversation."

"You're right, Justin; what's up?"

"I've been thinking. Maybe it's time we stop being strangers and get to know each other better. What do you think?"

Angel couldn't believe what she was hearing. Was Justin finally about to make all her dreams come true? She tried to stay calm and conceal her excitement.

"That sounds cool," she said calmly. "How do you want to do that?"

"I thought we could chill together for a while tonight, if that's cool with you."

"I don't have a problem with that, Justin, but I need to check with Tee first. I'm her company, and I don't want to be rude."

"That's what's up," Justin said. "I'm about to take a shower, so just come to my bedroom if you wanna hang out."

Angel turned and rejoined Tiara, leaving the bedroom door open. There was an awkward silence between the two friends, as Angel started back watching the movie.

"Why didn't you close my door?" Tiara asked.

"Let's leave it open," Angel said. "It was getting pretty hot in here, if you know what I mean."

Tiara was disappointed that they weren't going to continue making out, but she didn't want to make a scene. "Whatever, leave it open, I don't care." She said. "And what did Justin want?"

"He just wanted to talk," Angel said. "I told him we could talk later, but I wanted to make sure you were good with that before we did."

"Why wouldn't I be okay with that?" Tiara asked. "It's not like he gonna make you his girlfriend or something."

Angel didn't like her friend's choice of words. She felt Tiara was being cold and made her feel Justin could only be interested in one thing: sex. She said, "That was mean, Tee. You kinda hurt my feelings."

"I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, Angel, but you do know that my brother has a girlfriend, right? Are you planning on being girlfriend number two or something?"

"I don't have any plans," Angel said with a frown. "We're just going to talk, and that's it."

"Well, like I said, I don't have a problem with that," Tiara said with a sneer.

Angel ignored her friend's sudden mode swing and after the movie ended, she left Tiara's room and knocked on Justin's bedroom door. Her body was filled with anticipation as she waited for him to open. He came to the door with a smile and stood to the side to let her into his room. Angel glanced at Justin's muscular arms and chest; his wife beater fit tightly against his tan-brown body. She smiled with approval as she looked around the room and saw all his trophies on a bookshelf. He had posters of Emmitt Smith on one wall and Walter Payton on another. Sports magazines were neatly lying on his dresser, next to a radio. Angel walked over to the radio and said, "What kind of music do you like?"

Justin stood behind Angel after closing the door and lightly pressed against her butt. She moved to the side with a smile still on her face. "Am I in your way?" she asked.

Justin returned her smile and said, "You straight, I don't bite, unless you want me to."

Angel couldn't stop smiling as she sat on Justin's bed. She liked how he was flirting with her. Justin turned his radio to an R&B station and sat beside Angel on the bed. The two of them began talking about an array of subjects, from school to their life goals and dreams. Justin thought she was clever and witty, and he also thought she had a beautiful smile. They talked for hours, and when Angel described the Spanish foods that her mother taught her how to prepare, his mouth watered. He was thoroughly impressed by her knowledge of Puerto Rican culture. "So how do you keep your stomach so flat, since you love to eat so much of your mother's good cooking?" he asked.

"I love to run," she replied. "I think that's what keeps me from getting a belly."

"Can I see your stomach?" he asked.

Angel hesitated for a moment and then raised her shirt just enough to show off her sculpted stomach. Justin nodded in approval. He said, "Do you want to see mine?"

"Yeah," Angel said, "let me see."

Justin stood up and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it on the bed. Angel admired his chiseled abs, along with the rest of his body, but she didn't want to move too fast. Tiara had made a valid point: he already had a girlfriend, and she refused to be the chick on the side.

"Okay Justin," she said, "you can put your shirt back on. I thought you were just going to show me your stomach."

Justin was trying to impress Angel with his body, which he worked hard for. "I didn't mean to make you feel uncomfortable," he said while putting his shirt back on.

"No, it's not that," Angel replied. "I just know Brittney's your girlfriend, so I don't think it's a good idea for either one of us to take our clothes off."

Just then Tiara came into the room.

She said, "I'm about to get in bed Angel. Are you stayin' in here all night or are you sleeping in my room?"

Justin said, "I didn't know she had a curfew. Can she stay up a little longer mom, please?"

Angel laughed at Justin's joke and said, "I'm straight, Tee, we're still talking."

"What are yall talking about that's so important? It's lasting all night," Tiara asked.

"None of your business," Justin said. "Just go to sleep. Good night, hater!"

Tiara turned to walk away. She stopped and said, "All right Justin, but don't be mad if Brittney finds out you had a girl in your bedroom all night."

"Wow! For real, Tee?" Angel said. "Girl, you are a little hater!"

Tiara headed back to her room; her voice could still be heard saying, "Both of yall can kiss my, you-know-what!"

Justin was baffled by his sister's reaction. He said, "I don't know what her problem is. She acts like she's in love with you or something."

Angel spoke up in her friend's defense. She said, "You know Tee's my girl. I think she just doesn't want to see me get hurt."

"She doesn't have to protect you from me. I'm no threat," Justin said.

"Well, she knows I've liked you for a while now. The fact that you have a girlfriend makes you unavailable, so you might not feel the same way about me."

Justin carefully thought about his response; he knew Angel was fishing for his true feelings. He wanted to be as honest as possible without misleading her.

"You know what Angel? I haven't gotten to really know you until now, and I gotta say, I like you and respect you. I like you a lot."

Angel was touched by Justin's answer, but it didn't change his status. He was still Brittney's boyfriend. "I'm enjoying talking to you too, but I think it's time for bed now."

"Cool," Justin replied. "I like to sleep under the sheets, but if that's a problem with you, we can cuddle on top of them."

Angel placed her hand on her hip and gave Justin a stern look. "Who said I was sleeping in your bed?" she asked. "I don't think Brittney would be too happy with that."

"If you're worried about Brittney, don't be. She won't find out unless Tiara tells her," Justin said. "I promise to keep my hands to myself, if you decide to lie next to me."

Angel thought about. She had been dreaming about waking up in Justin's arms, but she also wanted to make sure that he respected her. "I'll sleep in your bed, Justin, but if you try any funny business, I'll punch you in the nuts."

Justin cupped the area with both his hands. "Not the family jewels," he joked.

Angel smiled and said, "I'm just warning you ahead of time."

Justin stood up to turn the lights off. He slid under the covers, and Angel cuddled up with him. They kissed occasionally, but Angel stood her ground about not having sex. She wanted to make Justin work for her affection so they just held each other throughout the night.

The next morning, Angel woke up with Justin's arm still around her. She rolled over to see his handsome face as he slept. She kissed his cheek and then his lips. He slowly opened his eyes and smiled the moment he saw Angel's pretty face. He stretched and said, "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning," Angel replied, climbing on him after he rolled on his back. Her desire was strong, and she felt his early morning wood. Her hormones were making her body do things her mind was totally against. She slowly began to grind on him. She wanted him inside of her so badly.

"All right now," Justin said. "Don't start something you can't finish."

Angel's heart began to pound in her chest, but she had to stop. She rolled off him because she felt he would never make her his girl if she gave her love away so easily.

Justin sat up in bed. "You know, that wasn't cool what you just did, Angel. You asked me to keep my hands to myself and I did, all night. Now I feel like you're teasing me. Nobody likes a tease!"

Angel watched as Justin climbed out of the bed. His erection was standing straight up in the air. "Don't be mad at me, Justin," she pleaded. "You don't know how I'm feeling right now. I want you so bad, but I'm afraid."

"Yeah, yeah I know," Justin said. "You're afraid I might hurt you; all I'm saying is, you started grinding on me."

Angel didn't want Justin upset with her. She needed him to completely understand how she felt. She said, "If you were single, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I want to be your girl before I give myself to you."

Justin looked at the pretty girl sitting in his bed. He could see himself with Angel, and he was starting to like her more than he thought he would. "I like you, Angel, and if I was single, I would make you my girl in a heartbeat. But if I left Brittney to be with you, what's stopping me from leaving you for the next pretty girl that comes along?"

Angel knew Justin had a good point, but her mind was set on making him her boyfriend. "If I was your girlfriend," she said, "there wouldn't be another girl after me. I would do whatever it takes to make you happy. I would be yours."

Justin liked the sound of that. He smiled at Angel as he found himself digging her every word. He told himself, This is the type of girl I would make my wife one day. "You've put a lot on my mind," he said. "I'mma think about everything you just said."

Angel was overflowing with joy. She said, "If you choose me, you won't ever regret it, trust me."

"Looks like I have a lot to think about. I'll call you, and we can talk more later on tonight."

"Okay, Boo," she said playfully. She smiled as she walked over, and they hugged and kissed before she left the bedroom.

Angel had a track meet later that day. She and her mother rode the team bus to Gardendale, Alabama. Once the race started, the runners tried to pace themselves over the 7.5-mile route. Some contestants weren't able to finish the grueling course, but Angel ran with the poise of a gazelle and finished in third place. Camilla cheered in the stands as she crossed the finish line.

"That's mi hija," she shouted.

Camilla was proud of her daughter and always supported her in every way. After the meet, Angel spent some quality time with her mother. They went shopping together and then had lunch. Camilla wanted to have a heart-to-heart talk with her daughter about her personal life, because she had to get to the bottom of why Angel continuously snuck out the house.

"Are you having sex, Angel?" she asked.

Angel nearly choked on her soft drink when she heard the question. She said, "Mamá! What's up with that? You came out of nowhere with that question."

Camilla gave her daughter a stern look. She wanted some answers for Angel's erratic behavior. "Just answer the question, jovencita [young lady]. Are you seeing a boy from your school?"

Angel didn't want to lie to her mother, and in her mind, she wasn't, because Henry was the only man she had ever been with.

"No Mamá, I'm not having sex with some boy from school. What made you ask me that? Is it because my culo [ass] has gotten bigger?"

Camilla looked around to see if anyone heard her daughter. "Watch that mouth of yours, Angel," she said.

"I'm serious," Angel said. "The people at school say I'm having sex just because my body has changed so much."

Camilla saw how pained her daughter was at her schoolmates' comment. She said, "Angel, I've always told you not to worry about what other people say about you. You are a beautiful, smart, and very talented young lady. Don't let anyone change the way you feel about yourself with a few negative words." Camilla paused and continued, "Just remember, no sex is safe sex, but if you decide to have sex, make sure you use profiláctico [condoms]. You're not ready to become a mamá, and I'm too young and fine to be someone's abuela [grandmother]."

Angel smiled at her mother's last comment. She agreed with the advice, and they chatted about other topics as they finished their meal.

Later on that night, Angel took a relaxing warm bath and then put on her nightgown.

The house phone rang, and Angel shouted, "I got it!"

She picked up the cordless phone, hoping that it was Justin. "Hello?"

His voice came through the receiver, saying, "Hola, mamacita."

"Hola papi, ¿qué tal estás?" Angel replied.

Justin had no idea what Angel just said, since his Spanish was very limited. He said, "I understood the first part, but I didn't catch the rest of that."

Angel said, "It means, 'how are you?'"

"Oh, shid, I'm good. I was just lying in bed thinking about you."

Angel lay on her own bed and tried to put on a sexy voice as she spoke. "What were you thinking about?" she asked. "I hope it wasn't anything bad."

Justin put his hands inside his shorts and began massaging himself. "Trust me, it all good. I wish you were here with me right now, so I could show you how good it can be."

Angel raised her nightgown and put her hand inside her panties. She said, "If I was in your bed with you, what would you do to me?"

Justin licked his lips and said, "I would kiss you all over, starting at your soft lips. I would kiss my way down your sexy body and then spread your pretty thighs."

"Umm papi," she breathed. "¡Adelante! No te pares [Go ahead! Don't stop]!"

Justin loved hearing Angel speak in Spanish. He said, "I would taste you and make you so wet. When you start to drip, I'd catch every sweet drop with my tongue!"

Both Angel and Justin were heavily involved in pleasing themselves at this point.

Justin said, "What would you do to me? Would you kiss me all over too?"

"Sí papi, I would do anything you asked me to. I want you so bad, bebé [baby]."

Justin and Angel continued their phone sex until they were both satisfied. Justin came to the conclusion that Angel had to be the one for him because no other girl had ever made him feel the way she did. He said, "I'm sorry it took me this long to see what's been right in front of my eyes, Angel. I'm going to leave Brittney and make you my girl. I know you're the one for me."

Angel felt like the heavens had finally answered her prayers. "I can't wait to be your chica. I promise you will never get tired of me, bebé. You just made me so happy!"

Justin knew he was going to break Brittney's heart. He decided to break it off at school on Monday. As the phone call ended, he said, "Buenas noches, Angel."

"Buenas noches, mi guapo novio," Angel replied."

"Translate, baby. What does grapico Navaho mean?"

Angel laughed at his mispronunciation. She said, "It's pronounced guapo novio and means 'my handsome boyfriend.'"

"I like the sound of that," Justin said.

Angel hung up the phone and got ready for bed. She went into the bathroom to freshen up because Justin had made a wet mess of her panties. She pulled them off and tossed them into the dirty clothes basket. She went back to her room and climbed into bed. She stared at the ceiling, but all she could see was Justin's face. She was head over heels in love with him. She fell asleep as she thought about names for their children. She liked "Delilah" if it was a girl, and if it was a boy, she would name him Justin Jr.

As Angel dreamed of future endeavors with the boy she so dearly loved, she was rudely awakened in the middle of the night by 270 pounds lying on top of her. She opened her eyes to see Henry covering her mouth with his hand so she couldn't scream. He reached between her legs with his free hand and pride himself inside of her, ramming her forcefully.

"Why did you have to tease me by not wearing any panties tonight, Angel?" he said, breathing heavily. "It's because you're a bad little girl! Oh yeah, you're such a naughty girl."

Angel tried pushing Henry off of her, but he was much too heavy for her to budge him. Tears streamed down her face, and she punched and clawed at him, but she couldn't detour his mission. He was finding gratification in Angel's tears. He pumped faster and harder at the sight of them. Henry felt his orgasm coming. He let out a sigh of relief as he came, and then he rested his exhausted body on top of her, listening to her cry.

He whispered in her ear, "You better not tell anybody about this. If you do, you and your mother will have no place to go. Do you understand? Nod your head if you understand me, Angel."

She nodded, and Henry slowly removed his hand from her mouth. He stood up, pulled his pajama pants back on, and left the bedroom. Angel pulled her knees up to her chest and lay in a small ball on her bed. Her body was shaking uncontrollably, and she couldn't stop crying. For the first time in her life, she felt like giving up. She didn't want to live the life her mother had made for her anymore. She didn't have the energy to continue living this way. She realized that Henry could have his way with her whenever he pleased. She felt like a Thanksgiving turkey, waiting to be slaughtered. Henry was a different kind of bird. He was more like a vulture, picking away at her flesh until he stripped her of all her self-worth and dignity.

The next morning, Camilla walked into her daughter's bedroom and said, "Good morning, Angel. Rise and shine. We're going to church today."

Angel was exhausted. She had stayed up all night crying after Henry's visit.

"What's the matter with you, chica? You look so tired," Camilla said. "Are you okay?"

Angel wanted so desperately to tell her mother about the assault, but something stopped her. She knew if Henry were arrested for rape, her mother would have to start all over again. Angel wondered if her mother could survive without Henry.

"I'm okay, Mamá," Angel replied. "I just need some rest. You guys go ahead without me."

"Okay Angel, but I want you to eat something. I'm cooking breakfast, so come and join us in the kitchen before we leave."

Angel got up to take a shower. She stepped into the tub and stood under the pulsating water. She replayed what happened last night over and over in her mind. She began scrubbing her skin to rid herself of Henry's touch. She scrubbed so hard that her skin turned red. She got dressed and joined her mother and Henry at the kitchen table. She despised him but sat there for her mother's sake. She stared at her plate but didn't feel much like eating. Her appetite was gone, along with her expectations for a peaceful home life.

Camilla could tell something was troubling her daughter. "What's bothering you, Angel?" she asked. "You hardly touched your food. ¿Qué tienes [What's wrong with you]?"

Angel noticed Henry staring at her with a menacing look. She dropped her fork on her plate and said, "I told you I'm okay. Stop pestering me!"

Angel got up from the table and left the kitchen. She wiped the tears that trickled down her face and ran into her bedroom. Camilla stood up to follow her, but Henry grabbed her arm.

He said, "Let her go, Camilla. She's probably just upset over some boy. You know how teenagers are."

Camilla was concerned about her daughter but didn't want to pressure her into telling her what was wrong. She sat down and finished breakfast. She and Henry left the house twenty minutes later to attend church.

Angel lay back on her bed, confused about what she should do next. She needed to talk with someone, but that really wasn't an option in her mind. She felt like running away, but this time for good. She sat up in bed and became fueled by the idea. She pulled out her journal and began writing a letter to her mother. After she was done, she tore the page from her journal and placed the letter on her bed.

She walked into her parents' bedroom and began searching for anything of value. She decided that if she was going to run away, it was only right that Henry fund her trip. She saw his gold watch and ring on the dresser, and put them into her pocket. She pulled open all of the dresser drawers and found an envelope at the bottom of one of the drawers. There was $400 cash inside. Angel pocketed the money and tossed the empty envelope on the floor.

Next, she opened her mother's jewelry box and saw a pair of diamond earrings. Henry had given them to his wife as an anniversary gift. Angel removed the earrings and kissed them. "Lo siento, Mamá [I'm sorry, Mother]," she said, putting the earrings in her pocket.

She walked back to her bedroom and called for a taxi. After hanging up, she started packing her suitcases. She thought about how much she was going to miss her mother, but her mind was made up. She also thought about her strong desire to be with Justin, but that didn't change her plans, because she never wanted to look into Henry's face again.

By the time she was done packing, the taxi was outside. Angel rolled her suitcases to the cab, and the driver put them inside the trunk.

"You are going to bus station, yes?" The driver from Bangladesh asked.

"Yes," Angel said, as she opened the door and got inside.

The driver took off, and Angel was gone.

Camilla and Henry returned home from church and grocery shopping. They set the bags down in the kitchen, and Camilla walked into her bedroom to change. When she saw her clothes all over the floor, she thought they had been robbed.

"Henry, come here!" she shouted.

Henry ran to the bedroom and saw the mess on the floor.

"What in the hell happened in here?" he asked. "And where is Angel?"

Camilla began to panic, as she thought Angel might have been in danger. She ran to her daughter's bedroom and saw the letter on Angel's bed. She picked it up and sat down to read it.

Dear Mamá,

I'm writing this letter to you, in hopes that you can forgive me. I can no longer tolerate living in the same house with Henry, so I'm running away. I know that you love him, and he has been good to you over the years, but he has been terrible to me, and I've grown to hate him. I could say so much more, but I choose not to. Just know that you deserve a good life, and I won't be the reason that you can't have that. Good-bye Mamá, Te quiero [I love you]. Angel

Camilla sat in shock. She couldn't believe Angel had run away, and Henry being the reason why was simply baffling. She checked her daughter's dresser drawers and closet and saw that her clothes were gone. "Henry!" Camilla called out. Henry walked into Angel's room and saw the concerned look on Camilla's face. She said, "Angel ran away and she left this letter."

Hearing Angel was gone disturbed Henry, but not as much as the mention of a letter. He hoped she didn't disclose what he did to her in the late hours of the night. "What does the letter say," He uncomfortably asked.

"Angel said she can't tolerate living here with you and that you treat her terribly. What does she mean by your terrible to her?"

Henry found comfort in knowing Angel didn't reveal any intimate details in her letter. He said, "I can't imagine what I did or said to make her want to run away. I only tried to be good to her. She probably just wanted to be with some boy and used me as an excuse to leave."

Camilla angrily stared at Henry. "I don't know what to think right now Henry, but Angel is gone!" Camilla walked close to Henry and pound on his chest. "My bebé ran away," She sighed. She repeatedly hit Henry, with every punch getting weaker.

Henry embraced her in his arms. "I know baby. It's ok, let it out."

A few days later, Angel called home and talked with her mother. She had taken a bus to Las Vegas, where Camilla's sister Rosa lived. Camilla still didn't understand Angel's reason for running away, and she tried without success to convince her to come back home.

Angel said, "I don't want to come back home. I like it here, and Aunt Rosa said I can stay. I know I took some valuable things from you and Henry, but if you give me some time, I will repay you."

"Henry and I aren't mad at you," Camilla said. "We're just disappointed at your decision to steal from us. We can sit down and work out any problem that you have with Henry, but running away doesn't solve anything. I don't understand why you did it, but we forgive you. Henry and I will pay for a plane ticket so you can fly back home."

Angel knew her mother loved her, but nothing could convince her to live under the same roof as Henry again. "I'm not coming back, Mamá," Angel said.

Aunt Rosa saw Angel was getting upset, so she took the telephone from her hand.

She said, "Don't be upset with your daughter, Camilla. This may be the change she needs. I will do my best to make sure that she stays out of trouble."

Camilla had no choice but to agree. She let Angel stay with her sister and told her she could return home whenever she wanted to.

Days turned into months, and months turned into years. Camilla really missed her daughter and blamed herself for Angel wanting to leave. She felt her daughter was more important than any man, and if Angel hated Henry so much, she should have left him long ago. She chatted with her daughter often, but she felt lonely in the house.

Surprisingly, out of all Angel's peers, Justin missed her the most. He frequently asked Camilla how she was doing, and he often called Angel on the telephone. They remained good friends, and Justin still cared a lot for Angel, but they both found it difficult to sustain a long-distance relationship.

When Justin graduated from high school, he received a football scholarship to play for Louisiana State University. As long as he didn't suffer an injury during his senior year, he was expected to go pro. Tiara enrolled at the University of Alabama, and Angel stayed in touch with her as well. Angel finished high school and received an academic scholarship to attend the University of Nevada in Las Vegas.

She struggled a lot in the beginning because it was not easy balancing being a mother, going to school, and working. Angel's job allowed her to meet a lot of generous men, and they loved to spend money on her. She became a bona fide hustla. She was soon able to afford her own apartment, and she only bought the finest things for her and her daughter.

One day, Angel received word that Henry's son Timmy had been killed in a violent shootout with the police back in Alabama. She had not seen her stepbrother since leaving home, but then she recently bumped into him while he was in Las Vegas on vacation. The news of his death shocked her, and she regretted that she had not gotten to know him growing up. Christmas was also approaching, and she really wanted to spend the holidays with her mother, so she decided to book a flight back to Alabama.

Angel stepped off the plane wearing a pair of red Christian Louboutin heels. Her curvaceous hips swayed from side to side in her tight denim jeans, which showed off her shapely body. She buttoned her stylish Chanel coat, and stopped to fasten her daughter Delilah's coat. She held her pretty little girl by the hand as they walked through the airport. As they retrieved their luggage, Camilla ran over to hug her daughter.

"Wow, look at you Angel," she said. "You're gorgeous, and look at mi nieta [my granddaughter]!"

Camilla squeezed Angel tightly in her arms and bent down to pick up Delilah.

"Your mother tells me you can speak English and Español pretty well, chiquita [little girl]."

The five-year-old girl said, "Si, Abuela [yes, Grandmother]."

Camilla couldn't contain her smile. She kissed her granddaughter over and over on the cheek.

"Come on, come on, get in the car," Camilla said, leading them out of the airport to her car. "We got so much catching up to do!"

Before Angel put the luggage in the trunk, she had something to give her mother. She removed her diamond earrings and held them out toward Camilla, who looked at them carefully.

"Are these my old diamond earrings?" she asked.

Angel said, "Yes Mamá. I kept them all this time until I could return them to you."

Camilla hugged her daughter again; she couldn't remember the last time she felt this happy. Angel loaded the luggage into the trunk, and Camilla began driving home. Angel was elated to see her mother, but she dreaded seeing Henry again.

"Mamá, I think it's best if me and Delilah stay in a hotel," she said. "It'll be a lot more comfortable for both of us."

"No Angel," Camilla said. "We are familia. I can't have you and mi nieta staying in some hotel. I won't hear of it!"

Camilla knew Angel didn't want to be in the same house as Henry, but she couldn't understand why.

She said, "If you're concerned about seeing Henry, you shouldn't be. He's been devastated by the loss of his son, and he could really use a little cheering up."

It was tragic that Henry had lost his only son, but the last thing Angel wanted to do was cheer him up. If she had it her way, it would've been Henry's funeral she was coming home to instead of his son's. "Okay, Mamá, we'll stay with you," Angel said. "But don't expect me to be nice to Henry."

Camilla changed the subject because she didn't want her daughter getting upset.

They arrived home, and the sight of the house brought back awful memories for Angel. She had to prepare herself mentally to be in the same house again with Henry, who met them at the front door. When he saw them, Henry hardly recognized Angel. He hadn't seen her in six years, and she definitely had filled out. He walked toward Angel with open arms, but she put out her arm to stop him. Her face said it all, and he stopped in his tracks and lowered his hands to his side.

Henry cleared his throat and said, "Welcome home, Angel. Your mother and I have missed you so much." He let his eyes travel over her body. "Look at you. You filled out so nicely. You've grown to be such a beautiful woman, Angel."

Angel stared coldly at him and ignored his compliment.

Henry bent down and said, "Hello Delilah. Look how pretty you are. I've heard so much about you."

Henry reached down to hug the little girl, but Angel intervened. "Don't touch her," she fumed.

Henry stopped and looked up at Angel, who was like a lioness protecting her cub.

Angel said, "First of all, there is no need to welcome me home because I'm not here to stay. Secondly, I came to pay my last respects to Timmy and spend time with my mother, not you!"

Angel dragged her luggage past Henry as she gripped Delilah's hand. Camilla followed closely behind them; she could only stand by and watch the interaction between Henry and her daughter, deciding to stay neutral in order to keep Angel around.

Angel settled into her old bedroom with Delilah. She had a terrible flashback of the last night she had slept in her bed, when Henry had forced himself on her. She still didn't trust Henry, so she took a steak knife from the kitchen and kept it under her pillow. If Henry tried anything with her in the middle of the night, she planned to defend herself with the sharp blade.

The next morning, Camilla was up early, cooking breakfast. Angel lay in bed, watching Delilah play with her toys. They joined Camilla in the kitchen and sat down to a nice breakfast. Camilla poured Delilah a warm cup of cocoa and enjoyed having her family home. Angel loved being in the company of her mother as well. It had been a long time since they had been together. Camilla watched the smile leave Angel's face as Henry walked into the kitchen. He sat down at the table and said, "Good morning everyone."

Delilah was the first to speak. "Buenos días, Abuelo [good morning, Grandfather]," she said.

Camilla smiled at her granddaughter's response. She thought everything Delilah did was so cute. She took a sip of coffee and said, "Good morning, Henry."

Henry began placing food on his plate, but then stopped and looked at Angel. "Did you leave your manners in Las Vegas? I said good morning."

The way he looked at Angel made her think of the last time she sat at the table with him. She remembered storming away from the table and hiding in her bedroom. She pulled herself together and said, "Morning."

Henry smiled and said, "That's a good girl. Now was that so hard?"

Angel became livid and snarled, "You know something, Henry? I used to be afraid of you, but I am not that little girl anymore!"

Henry said, "You think you're so high and mighty, with your fancy clothes and funky attitude!"

Camilla could hold her tongue no longer. "That's enough!" She shouted, as she pounded her fist on the table. "It's obvious the two of you don't get along, but that's no reason to carry on like this. Death has brought this familia back together, while this lack of respect continues to tear us apart. Respect one another and most of all, respect me!" Everyone stared at her. She calmed herself and said, "Now, let's enjoy the nice breakfast I prepared, and then we're all going to church together, as a familia."

Henry and Angel granted Camilla's wished without so much as saying another word to each other. After breakfast, Angel and Delilah joined Camilla and Henry in the car to ride to church together. As they went inside and took their seats, Angel could feel the festive energy in the room. She noticed a woman waving a flag with the word "Peace" on it. Another woman's flag read "Joy." The choir filled the large church with their voices as they sang "Oh Happy Day." Camilla clapped her hands and sang right along with the group.

After the hymn ended, Pastor Williams walked to the podium and picked up the microphone. He began preaching to the large gathering of people and really got into his sermon. He said, "It was a happy day for me when the Lord washed away my sins. He cleansed my soul and bathed me in the Holy Spirit, ahh! I came out from that water a changed man, ahh!"

The congregation clapped and shouted, Amen!"

Pastor Williams said, "Open your Bible to the book of Ezekiel, chapter 36, verse 25. In this scripture, the Lord said, 'I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you.'" Pastor Williams paused for a moment and removed his reading glasses. "Some of you here today need the Lord to wash you too and make you over again."

A portly woman stood up and shouted, "Amen, Pastor, preach on!"

"You see, the Lord has been waiting on you to give him your time but so many of you are so preoccupied with the wrong things in mind. You're in the clubs two and three times a week. You're chasing up behind the wrong man or woman or some of you just plain ole, too lazy to give the Lord thirty minutes out the day, just to talk to him." Pastor Williams pause. "But the moment things go wrong and it's more than you can handle, that's when some of you get religion. Oh, you know the Lord by name and you got him on speed dial." The church filled with, "Amen," as the pastor continued to preach, and the crowd grew livelier. Some began shouting as they caught the Holy Ghost. Pastor Williams stepped down from the pulpit and walked over to a young woman who was crying and calling on the Lord.

The pastor said, "God wants me to come down here and talk directly to you today, young lady. Tell me, what is your name?" The pastor held the microphone in front of the teary-eyed woman.

She said, "My name is Kanisha."

"Well Kanisha, I don't know what you're going through, but the Lord, he knows. He knows you're troubled, and I come to tell you that God has not forgotten you! You must hold on to his unchanging hand, and he will supply all your needs, ahh! Listen for his call, and he will answer all your prayers! Commit yourself to the Lord, Kanisha, and he will replace your burdens with a radiant joy!"

Kanisha had come to church that day with her mother. She had been burdened with tremendous guilt after Dontrel's murder. When Rashard was convicted of murder, she lost her house, her savings, and her car. Now, however, her depression was being replaced with the Holy Spirit. She shouted and jumped up and down; she was free for that moment and couldn't contain her joy.

Angel wiped away her tears as she witnessed Kanisha being rejuvenated. She could only wonder what this woman was going through in her life.

When church ended, Angel and her family returned home. When Henry pulled into the driveway, a black Cadillac was sitting there. Angel looked out and saw Justin standing at the front door. He turned and watched the family exit the car. When Angel stepped out from the back seat, Justin began to smile. She looked so beautiful to him. Her skirt showed off her firm legs and hourglass figure. She smiled broadly, revealing her pretty white teeth. She rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Hey Justin, what are you doing here?"

Justin said, "I came home for the holidays, so I thought I'd come over here and check on your mother."

Camilla held Delilah's hand as she walked over to Justin and said, "Hello Justin; don't you look handsome today?"

Justin had grown taller and had gained more muscle since Angel saw him last. He still sported a low haircut, which showed off his wavy hair. He released Angel and gave Camilla a hug.

He said, "Thank you, Mrs. Pearson; I just left from church with my family. How are you and Mr. Pearson doing?"

Camilla said, "I'm doing fine," but Henry just waved his hand and walked inside the house.

Justin looked down and said, "What's up, Delilah?"

Delilah placed her small hand inside of Justin's and said, "Hola."

"I think she prefers speaking in Español more than English," Angel said.

"You're so pretty, Delilah, just like your mother," Justin said, making the little girl blush.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, Justin," Camilla said. "You're welcome to come over anytime you like."

"Thank you, Mrs. Pearson."

Camilla led Delilah inside the house.

Justin turned to Angel and said, "Look at you, all grown up now."

Angel smiled and slowly turned around in a circle. She said, "I have grown up, haven't I? You like?"

Justin was smiling from ear to ear. "Yeah I like, but I see one thing hasn't changed: you're still a tease."

Angel laughed and said, "That not fair, Justin. I never meant to tease you. Besides, I was just a little girl with a silly crush back then. I didn't know what I wanted."

Justin was slightly off put by Angel's comment. He said, "So that was just a silly crush?"

Angel said, "Don't take that the wrong way, Justin. I'm just saying we both have grown up and grown apart."

Justin realized that time had changed the way Angel cared for him. He was a little disappointed, but he wasn't about to let her know that. She could also sense that the vibe had changed after her statement and she quickly changed the subject.

"So is Tiara coming home for the holidays?"

Justin said, "She'll be home a couple of days after Christmas, but she wants to spend Christmas and Christmas Eve with her boyfriend and his family."

"Wow, that sounds pretty serious," Angel said. "She must really be in love."

"Looks that way," Justin said.

Angel was envious of her friend, but she didn't reveal it. There was a time when all she wanted was to fall in love herself. She said, "Well, good for Tee. She deserves to be happy."

"What about you, Angel?" Justin asked. "Do you have someone special in your life, or are you opposed to being in love?"

Angel placed her hands on her hips. "Well, Justin, to answer your inquiry into my love life, I'm not in a committed relationship, but I wouldn't mind falling in love. I just haven't found Mr. Right yet."

Justin said, "I want to take you somewhere special tonight, if that's okay with you."

Angel was unsure about hanging out with Justin. It had taken her many years to get over her feelings for him. Now she was contemplating letting him get close to her again. "I'll hang out with you Justin, but just as friends. I'm really not interested in anything more than that." Her voice also revealed the skepticism she felt toward Justin.

Justin pulled out his cellphone and said, "Okay, friend, give me your cell number, and I'll call you later."

Angel took Justin's cellphone and programmed her number in it. She passed it back to him and watched as he walked to his car. She bit down on her bottom lip as she thought to herself, Damn, Justin's still fine!

Before he stepped into his car, he said, "Oh yeah, put on something casual. I don't want you to be overdressed tonight."

"Okay," Angel said, waving good-bye.

That night, before Justin arrived to pick her up, Angel stood in front of her mother, who was sitting on the couch. "Do I look okay, Mamá?" she asked. She was casually dressed in jeans and a pair of flats. Her hair was pulled back in a ponytail and the scarf wrapped around her neck, rest on her cream sweater.

"Of course you do, Angel," Camilla said. "I'm sure Justin will think so too."

Just then, Justin's car could be heard pulling up outside.

"Gracias, Mamá. Remember, I need you to stay in the bedroom with Delilah until I get back. I don't want her to be afraid if she wakes up in unfamiliar surroundings." Angel knew Delilah wasn't afraid to sleep alone. She was just making sure Henry didn't have a chance to do anything unsavory to her daughter.

Camilla said, "Okay, chica, now go, and don't make Justin wait on you."

Angel walked out the house and got into Justin's car. She said, "Okay, Justin, I'm ready to see this special place you have in store for me tonight."

"Cool," Justin said. "And by the way, you look pretty."

"Gracias," Angel said with a smile.

Justin pulled out of the driveway and turned on the radio. They began listened to Trey Songs music, which Justin knew the ladies liked. Angel relaxed into the leather seat and let the music sooth her. She glanced at Justin out of the corner of her eyes. She thought he looked handsome in his leather jacket and jeans. She reminded herself, Just friends, we're just friends.

About thirty minutes later, Justin had arrived near the top of Red Mountain. He parked, and they both looked out over the city lights.

"Wow, Justin, this is a beautiful view of the city," Angel said. "I love the way everything is so lit up!"

Justin pulled out two champagne flutes and a bottle of Chardonnay. He pulled the cork and said, "This is nice. I'm glad you like it." He passed Angel a glass and poured both of them a drink. He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a package of cheese crackers. "Wine and crackers for you, my lady," he said.

Angel laughed as she removed a cracker from the package. She found Justin's romantic gesture cute, in its own way. They began to talk about an array of things, but mostly they caught up on lost time. Justin noticed Angel had developed a tough exterior, but she was still that sweet girl on the inside. He admired that. The more they talked, the more Justin realized how much Angel had grown up. She was definitely a woman now.

Angel, on the other hand, was trying to convince herself that Justin should only be her friend and nothing more. She disregarded that notion as she began to feel like that fifteen-year-old girl again. Before she knew it, she was laughing and having a nice time. She said, "I can't believe how easy it is to talk to you, Justin. You're still the man." She gave him a high five and said, "Tell me something, though. Why did you stop calling me years ago?"

Her question caught Justin by surprise. He took a long drink before speaking. "Honestly, I saw you moving in a different direction in life. I knew you had a little girl to be responsible for, and I didn't want to get in the way in case you were trying to make things work out with her father. The distance between us played a factor as well. I guess I just felt the need to move on."

Angel had told everyone that the baby's father was someone she met in Las Vegas. She also remembered telling Justin that she and Delilah's father were no longer together.

Angel said, "I won't hold a grudge against you for that." She gazed out the window at the pretty lights as the music played in the car. She gathered her thoughts for a moment. She had to admit to herself that she really missed being around Justin. She said, "When I moved from Pinson, I felt like I left a big piece of me behind. It was you. I've never loved anyone the way I loved you Justin." She was surprised by her choice of words and looked into the glass of Chardonnay, saying, "Wow, this is some strong wine. It makes you say some crazy things!"

Justin reached over and held Angel's hand.

He said, "That doesn't sound crazy to me. You want to hear something crazy? I fell in love with this girl one day, and she was gone from my life the next. I spent years trying to understand why God allowed me to fall in love with someone I'd probably never see again. I made a promise to God one night that if he allowed me to meet someone like you again, Angel, I would never let her leave my side."

Angel's tough exterior completely crumbed. She stared at Justin with loving eyes. "That was the sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me." She leaned over to kiss Justin, and he met her lips with a heartfelt kiss. Angel eased back into her seat and said, "I hope you're not still waiting on someone like me, because you can have the real thing, right now."

Justin wasn't sure if his ears were deceiving him but he wasted no time sliding over to the passenger side of the car and locked lips with Angel. They eagerly began tearing away at one another clothes, throwing their jacket and sweater onto the back seat. Angel unfastened her bra and tossed it aside as well. She wanted Justin badly; she reached for his belt and unbuttoned his jeans, anticipating the feel of his manhood inside of her. She reached inside his boxers and squeezed his stiff erection.

"Oh papi, I see you're already up and ready for me!"

Angel pulled Justin between her legs as she lowered herself back on the seat. He found the car to be a little cramped because he couldn't fully extend his legs, but Justin wasn't about to let that stop him. He unbuttoned Angel's pants and pulled one of her legs out of her jeans. He pulled her panties to the side and eagerly pushed inside of her.

"OH, yes," Justin sighed with pleasure.

Angel's legs were officially open for business, and seemingly well worth the wait. She let out a gratifying moan as Justin began rocking his hips. He stroked her long hair from her beautiful face and sucked the sweet fragrance from her neck. Gripping him tightly, Angel found the thrusting in Justin's movement to be firm and fulfilling, as she completely let herself go. She breathed in and out rapidly and moaned with ecstasy into his ear, enjoying every minute of having him inside of her.

Justin was becoming more excited as he sped his stroke. "Whose is it?" He asked with arrogance.

Angel gripped him even tighter in her arms as she moaned, "Yours papi, it's yours!"

"That's right, it's mine baby?"

"Si papi, it's your panocha!" Angel said while breathing heavily.

Justin's body began to constrict and he released himself inside her. She clawed at his back as she found herself climaxing right along with him. They both rested in each other's arms, feeling fully relieved. The long overdue hookup was everything Angel fantasized about, no matter how brief it was. She held Justin in her arms and didn't want to ever let him go but reality began to sink in as she tried to imagine their future together. "So what do we do now?" she asked.

"I can think of a few more things I'd like to do to your sexy ass!" Justin said with a smile.

She smacked him on the shoulder. "No chico [boy], I'm not talking about sex! I'm talking about me and you. How do we move forward from this point? I live in Las Vegas, and you're in Louisiana. Was this just a long overdue hookup, or do you want something more?"

Justin sat up and began putting on his clothes. Angel didn't know what his silence meant, so she began doing the same thing. She hoped it didn't turn him off to talk about their relationship so soon after sex, but if it did, she knew that having sex with him was a big mistake. Once they were both fully dressed, he looked at her and said, "I had a great time with you Angel, and I would love to lay you down again, but next time, I want it to be in my bed."

Angel was still confused. She said, "So are you saying you want a long distance relationship? I will not be that girl you just call when you're in town and want sex!"

Justin laughed and said, "Calm down, Angel. You've gotten so feisty! That must come from the Latino side of your family."

She frowned and said, "Justin, is this just a game to you?"

"No, not at all. In fact, let me tell you how serious I am. LSU is playing Clemson in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, and after we beat them, the NFL draft is right around the corner. I'll be playing in the pros next season, and I want you and Delilah with me, every step of the way."

Angel scanned Justin's face for any trace of a lie. "Are you serious?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm serious. I told you, I promised God not to let you leave my side again, and that's exactly what I plan to do."

Angel dove onto Justin and began kissing his face repeatedly. He laughed as he enjoyed her affectionate kisses.

She said, "I love you so much, papi, I'm going to be good to you, I promise! I will cook for you, and I promise to take good care of my body."

"Okay, okay baby. Calm down. I already bought the cow. You don't have to sell me the milk."

She gave him a love tap as she sat back in her seat, saying, "Did you just call me a cow?"

They both laughed as they began driving home.

The next morning, Justin yelled upstairs to his parents, "Mom, Dad, come downstairs! I want to talk with both of you about something!"

Justin's parents were still in bed. Milton looked over at Sara and said, "What could that boy possibly want this early in the morning?"

A few minutes later, they came downstairs, still in their bathrobes.

Milton said, "What's going on, son?"

Justin pulled the chair out for his mother and said, "Will you both have a seat." All three sat down at the dining room table. Justin said, "I made a decision last night that I want to share with both of you. You remember Angel, right?"

Justin's parents looked at one other and said, "Yes."

"Well, I decided I want to be with her," Justin said.

Milton shook his head and said, "Son, you didn't have to call a family meeting to tell us that." He stood up. "I need a cup of coffee."

"I'm going to ask her to marry me," he added. The sudden outburst stopped Milton in his tracks.

Sara ran around to the opposite side of the table and hugged her son. She said, "Oh Justin, that's wonderful news! I'm so happy for you!"

Milton walked over and extended his hand. "Congratulations, son," he said.

Justin stood up and hugged his father tight, taking Milton by surprise.

Milton laughed. He said "You should bring her by the house so your mother and I can see her."

"Yeah, we haven't seen Angel in years," Sara said. "Is she home for the holidays?"

"Yes," Justin said. "Her stepbrother's funeral is today too, so I'll bring her by after the service. She asked me to escort her there."

Milton walked to the kitchen and began making a pot of coffee.

"Do you have a ring to give her?" Sara asked.

"No not yet, but I plan on buying her a nice one, as soon as I get the money."

"Wait right here," Sara said then walked upstairs and dug into her jewelry box. She returned holding the engagement ring Milton had given her. She held the ring out to Justin and said, "Give this to her. You can return it to me when you can afford to buy her a better one."

Justin stood up and took the diamond ring from his mother's hand. "I know she'll love this," he said. He gave his mother a big hug. "Thanks, Mom!"

Angel arrived at Timmy's funeral with Justin. The two of them entered the large church and sat with the rest of the family. Henry's sister Linda and his two brothers had flown in from out of town, and local family and friends were in attendance as well. Timmy's mother was taking the ordeal very hard. She screamed and cried as Pastor Williams began his eulogy. Timmy's younger sister Stephanie hugged her mother and tried her best to console her. After the funeral, the families rode in a convoy to the burial site. Pastor Williams said a few kind words, and then the casket was lowered into the ground.

About four hours later, Justin dropped Angel off at her parents' home. She had told him she wanted to skip the reception, so he took her to the park, got down on one knee and proposed to her there.

Angel couldn't imagine life getting any better as she screamed "Yes, I'll marry you," while leaping into Justin's arms with excitement.

She had just cried sorrowful tears at Timmy's funeral, now tears of joy were streaming down her face. The life she imagined as a young girl was finally coming true, even after she had lost all hope of a happy ending with Justin. She thank the Lord above as an unkind world repaid her with abundant joy. A joy much similar to the love she shared for her daughter Delilah. She walked to the front door with a little extra pep in her step. She couldn't wait to tell her mother the good news. She was going to be Mrs. Angel Reseda Harris. When she entered the living room, she saw Henry's Brother Carl talking to his other brother, Steven.

He said, "There she is! We were wondering where you snuck off to."

Angel smiled and was about to make small talk with Uncle Carl until she saw something that disturbed her. Henry was sitting on the couch, and Delilah was in his lap. He was stroking her hair and whispering in her ear. Angel flashed back to the time when Henry would sit her in his lap and touch her inappropriately. She also remembered how uncomfortable Henry's touch made her feel and immediately became infuriated. She walked toward Henry, her joy was now replaced with rage. She snatched her daughter from his lap and held Delilah close by her side. "Don't you ever put your filthy hands on my child again," she snapped.

Henry's sister and brothers fell silent. Henry stood up to face Angel and snarled, "Who do you think you are, insulting me in my own home? Have you forgotten who you're talking to?"

Camilla heard the commotion from the bathroom, and she hurried to finish up because things sounded like they were about to get completely out of hand.

"No, I haven't forgotten who you are," Angel said, staring coldly into Henry's eyes. "You're the same pervert you've always been. Time hasn't changed you. You're just an old pervert now!"

Henry smacked Angel with a backhand across her face, and she came crashing down on the coffee table beside her, breaking it and the glass centerpiece underneath her. Delilah screamed as her mother hit the floor, and Henry's brothers raced over to stop him before he could do more damage. Linda rushed to Angel's aid and was holding her in her arms when Camilla finally walked into the room.

"Ay dios mio [Oh my God]! What happened in here?" Camilla asked in shock.

"Mommy, are you okay?" Delilah cried.

Angel pulled away from Linda, stood up, and said, "I'm fine!" She pointed at Henry and said, "You can't hurt me anymore. I'm finally strong enough to stand up to you. I won't let you do to my daughter what you did to me."

"I've had enough of your lip, Angel! Shut your mouth!" Henry shouted. He struggled to get loose but his brothers had a strong hold on him.

"Why do you want me to be quiet?" Angel asked. "Is it because you don't want everyone in this room to know who you really are: a fucking child molester!"

An absolutely astonished Camilla turned to face Henry. She said, "What is she talking about, Henry?"

Steven loosened his grip and stood shocked by Angel's words. Henry pulled his other arm free from Carl and charged at Angel, knocking her to the floor. He wrapped his large hands around Angel's throat and began choking the life out of her. "You little bitch!" he growled. "You think you're so tough now, huh? You're nothing! You're still that scared little girl who used to cry herself to sleep at night."

A large vase came crashing down on Henry's head; he fell to the floor and rolled onto his back.

"Hijo de puta [You son of a bitch]!" Camilla shouted. "You were molesting mi hija? Yo te voy a matar [I'll kill you]!"

Steven grabbed Camilla and pulled her away from his brother, who struggled to sit up as blood poured from the open gash in his head. Angel stood up and ran to her mother in tears. Camilla held Angel and said, "Shh, shh, it's okay now, bebé. He will never hurt you again."

Delilah ran to Angel and wrapped her arms around her mother's legs. She cried, "Mommy let's go home, please!"

Henry's brothers helped him up from the floor. Carl said, "He's hurt pretty badly. We need to get him to a hospital."

"He can go to hell, for all I care," Camilla snapped. "Just get him outta this house!"

Carl and Steven helped Henry out of the house and into their rental car. Linda walked to the front door but turned to face Camilla and Angel before leaving.

"I'm so sorry my brother put your family through this. He needs help," Linda said. "I'm going to keep all of you in my prayers."

Linda walked out and joined her brothers. She knew Henry had some issues, but she never imagined he had molested Angel. Carl backed out the driveway and drove to the hospital.

Camilla was still holding Angel. She said, "Why didn't you come to me, Angel?"

Angel took her arms from around her mother and picked Delilah up to console her. She sat down on the couch and began to rock her daughter in her arms. She said, "Henry convinced me that he would put both of us out the house if I ever said anything to you, or anyone else."

Camilla sat down beside Angel; she still couldn't believe it. "How long has this been going on?" she inquired.

"Since I was eleven years old," Angel said.

Camilla broke down crying. Her heart had been broken by Henry's betrayal, but more than anything, she felt she had let her only daughter down.

"I'm so sorry, Angel," Camilla cried. "I didn't know what you were going through, bebé! Please forgive me!"

Angel put her arm around her mother's shoulder. She leaned over until both their heads were touching. "I never blamed you, Mamá. I know you always did the best you could for me. I'm okay now. I moved on with my life, and God has truly blessed me. Look!" Angel held her hand out, as if she were stopping traffic.

Camilla gazed at the ring on her daughter's hand and perked up. She smiled as tears still ran down her face and said, "Did Justin give that to you?"

"Yes," Angel said with a big smile. "We're getting married!"

Camilla kissed her daughter on the cheek and said, "Congratulation! The two of you make a beautiful couple. I hope you both give me more nietos [grandchildren] like Delilah." Camilla began to stroke Delilah's hair. Angel looked at her precious daughter's face and then turned to her mother.

"Mamá, I have one more thing I need to share with you," she said nervously.

Camilla hoped it was more good news, but when she studied the look on Angel's face, she knew it was not. She clasped her hands together, as if she were praying. "What is it, Angel?" she asked.

Angel closed her eyes for a moment and took in a deep breath. She said, "Henry is Delilah's father."
Book Three

T-Zoe sat in a parked Camry, along with his homeboy Man-Man. They both tied bandanas around their faces, and T—Zoe put his Yankees ball cap on, leaving only his eyes exposed. T-Zoe ejected the clip on his .44 Magnum and checked the bullet in it. He kicked the clip back in and began to breathe quickly. He was now hyped enough to kick the door in of the home he was watching with Man-Man.

"Time to put in work, homeboy," T-Zoe said.

Man-Man gripped his 9mm and said, "Let's do it!"

T-Zoe was about to get out of the car when he noticed someone leaving the home they were staking out. "Hold on, Man-Man," T-Zoe said. "Where the fuck is he going?"

They both watched as the man got into his car and began backing up. He turned the car around and started heading toward T-Zoe and Man-Man.

"Get down!" T-Zoe shouted.

They both leaned over as the headlights shined their way. T-Zoe sat up and watched the Mercedes Benz disappear in his rearview mirror.

"Fuck!" T-Zoe shouted, banging on the steering wheel. "We let dat chump get away!"

Man-Man sat up in the car and looked over his shoulder. He snatched his bandana from his face and said, "Damn, Zoe, you wanna wait for him to come back?"

Without saying a word, T-Zoe removed his bandana, crunk up the car, and began to drive away. For a week now, T-Zoe and Man-Man had been plotting to rob Rashard, and this had been their best opportunity. T-Zoe pulled out his cell phone and dialed Danny Boy's number.

"What up, Zoe?" Danny Boy said. "Did you handle that?"

"Hell naw, man," T-Zoe said. "The rabbit jumped out the pot, right before we could cook his ass!"

Danny Boy had showed T-Zoe where Tammie lived, but now he thought that had been a mistake. He was an OG when it came to kicking in doors, so he could have handled this lick himself. The only reason he put T-Zoe and Man-Man on the job was because Rashard would've recognized him. "Yall two niggas fucking up! He probably saw yall watching his ass."

"Naw, he looked like he was in a rush to be somewhere. We gone catch his ass slipping though, believe dat," T-Zoe said.

"Aight, we gone see," Danny Boy said.

T-Zoe hung up the phone and spent the rest of the night hanging out with Man-Man. He was in no rush to return home to his girlfriend Natalie, because he was going home with empty pockets.

Natalie sat up in bed, looking at her man lying beside her. She had been asleep when T-Zoe eased into her bed late that night, but she had no problem waking him up this morning.

With a few firm shakes, Natalie bellowed, "Zoe, Zoe, wake up!"

T-Zoe let out a deep breath and rolled over. He turned his back to Natalie and said, "What, Nat? What chew want?"

"Oh, so you gone turn yo back to me?" Natalie said. "You know damn well what I want, Zoe!"

T-Zoe sat up in the bed and rubbed his sleep-deprived eyes. He knew Natalie needed money, but he didn't have any to give her.

T-Zoe said, "Listen Nat. I don't need you givin' me a hard time right now. I'm working on getting the money up. Just go to work, everythang Gucci."

"Everythang Gucci?" Natalie repeated. She stood up from the bed and began counting on her fingers. "The rent due, I'm a month behind on my car note, and it ain't no food in the fridge, but everythang Gucci!" Natalie's big ass jiggled as she swished her hips back and forth to the bathroom. She left the door open as she urinated loudly.

"I got something big about to jump off, and we gone be good babe. Trust me. Just go to work, and don't worry about nothing," T-Zoe said.

Natalie finished up in the bathroom and stood by the bed. She said, "The dealership gonna repo my Camry, Zoe! How you expect me not to worry about that? I'll lose my job without a car."

T-Zoe got out of the bed and faced Natalie. He tried to pull her close to comfort and hug her, but she pushed him away.

"I don't need a damn hug," Natalie fumed. "I need some money Zoe, ASAP!"

T-Zoe grabbed Natalie's wrist and snapped, "That's enough acting out, Nat! Now I told you, everythang gone be straight!" T-Zoe breathed in deeply and calmed his nerves. "I'm just trying to show you some love, baby. I wanna help you relax, that all."

Natalie worked her wrist back and forth, in an attempt to free herself. "Boy, let my arm go before I scream and wake up the baby!"

"I like it when you scream," T-Zoe said then bending down to pick Natalie up. He tossed her firmly onto the bed and rested himself in between Natalie's voluptuous thighs, but she turned away just as he tried to kiss her.

"Move, Zoe," she snapped. "I need to get ready for work."

T-Zoe nearly tore Natalie's panties as he pulled them off. "Dem folks gone have to wait," T-Zoe said. "I want some of dat good, before you go anywhere."

Natalie slept in a t-shirt and panties, so it didn't take long for T-Zoe to have his way with her. He raised her shirt and began sucking on her large breasts. Natalie moaned as he held her D cup breasts in his firm grip. He squeezed them and twirled his tongue in a circular motion around her nipples, making here momentarily forget about her financial burdens.

"Don't do that Zoe. You know that's my spot," Natalie sighed.

T-Zoe ignored Natalie' request while letting his tongue travel down her stomach. He made circles around her navel and kissed the stretch marks on her hips. T-Zoe never uttered a word about Natalie's stretch marks, because giving birth to their only child D'Andre was the reason they were there in the first place. He sat up and pulled his wife beater over his head, revealing the many tattoos on his muscular body. Natalie admired her man's good looks. She especially liked his neatly shaved beard and mustache. T-Zoe pulled his manhood from his boxers and began working his shaft back and forth in his hand, as Natalie watched in admiration. Spreading her thighs even wider, he began working in and out of her, to loosen her up.

"Oohhhh Zoe," she sighed as she held him tightly.

Natalie became saturated between her thighs as he began pounding into her. She wrapped her legs around him and held on for the ride. He became more aggressive and plunged deeper into her.

"Is dis what chew needed?" T-Zoe asked.

"Yes baby!"

"I can't hear you," T-Zoe said.

"Ohhhh yes!" Natalie moaned. "Yes baby! I need it!"

Natalie had many orgasms that morning, and when they were finally done, she took a hot bath and got dressed for her job. She pulled a clean uniform and a pair of black sneakers from the closet. She buttoned her white blouse over her chocolate body and pinned her name tag to her chest. She worked as a waitress at an Italian restaurant; it was okay, but she didn't make enough money to take care of a grown man, a baby, and herself. Natalie pulled her slacks over her thick thighs and fastened them. Her ass had gotten bigger over the years, but at twenty-two years old, she still had a small waist.

Natalie unpinned her long hair weave, which flowed down to her shoulders. She walked to the bathroom to get the flat iron. After styling her hair, she applying lip gloss and eye shadow, and was ready for work. She looked over at T-Zoe, who was back in bed under the covers, fast asleep. She said, "Zoe, can you watch D'Andre while I work, or do I need to drop him off at the daycare?"

"Drop 'em off," he mumbled.

Natalie stared at T-Zoe's resting body with repulsion. "That's what I'm talking about right there," Natalie shouted. "You act like you can't do shit to help out!"

T-Zoe sat up in the bed with a mean scowl on his face. "What I told chew about yo mouth, Nat! Don't make me get outta dis bed!"

Natalie always felt she was in over her head when it came to dealing with T-Zoe. He didn't want to work, and he never had any money. The only time he did chip in was if he had robbed someone of their money. Natalie left the bedroom and woke her son to get him dressed. While helping D'Andre put on his clothes and shoes, Natalie said, "If I knew yo daddy was gone turn out to be this damn sorry, I would've walked the other way when I first saw him coming my way."

Natalie walked D'Andre to the bathroom and cleaned his face and brushed his teeth and hair. They walked to the front door quickly, because Natalie didn't want to be late for work. She walked out the door and slammed it shut.

Natalie dropped D'Andre off at daycare and found herself reminiscing on her way to work. She thought about how charming and handsome T-Zoe was when they first met. She was seventeen years old and still in high school, and he was a twenty-year-old street hustla. His shiny red Cadillac rolled up beside her one day as she was walking home from school.

He called out, "Hey lil' momma, what's yo name?"

She hugged her books to her chest and said, "Natalie."

"Well, Natalie, you too cute to be walking, baby. You need to be rolling beside me."

Natalie said, "That's okay, I'm fine," turning her head and continuing to walk away.

T-Zoe said, "If you not gone roll with me, I guess I'mma have to walk with you."

He parked his Caddie and got out of the car. She stopped walking and saw how clean he was dressed. He was wearing a pair of white and blue Air Jordans, a pair of Levi jeans, and a shirt that matched. He removed his Louis Vuitton sunglasses and hung them from his t-shirt.

He extended his hand and said, "Everybody calls me T-Zoe, but you can call me Zoe for short."

As Natalie shook T-Zoe's hand, she noticed his two gold and diamond rings. She also noticed the four gold teeth in his mouth.

"I know that ain't the name yo momma gave you," Natalie said. T-Zoe laughed as he held onto her soft hand.

He said, "I'll tell you my government later, when I know I can trust you."

Natalie smiled and said, "You already making plans for me later? You don't know if I have a boyfriend or not. I could be married for all you know."

T-Zoe looked at Natalie's hand, which he still held in his hand.

He said, "Baby, I'm holding yo left hand. If yo husband was too cheap to put a ring on yo finger, you definitely don't need him."

Natalie pulled her hand away and said, "Well, I do have a boyfriend, so sorry, playa."

T-Zoe studied Natalie's pretty face before putting his shades back on. He called out seven digits and said, "That's my cell number. Call me when you get tired of that boyfriend and ready for this man."

Natalie watched as T-Zoe walked away. She didn't anticipate that he would walk away so easily. She repeated the seven digits in her head as she watched the red Caddie drive away.

Natalie arrived at work, and her moment of reminiscing was over. She clocked in; it was going to be a grueling day of waiting on tables, but she was doing what she had to do to support her family. Being a waitress was not her dream job; she had always wanted to be a nurse, but she just couldn't find the time to go back to college. Natalie regretted dropping out of college, but she was twenty years old and had very little help raising D'Andre. Just after Natalie found out she was pregnant, T-Zoe had been arrested for armed robbery. He spent three years in prison and had been out for five months now. Natalie let T-Zoe move in with her, straight out of prison, under two conditions: He had to look for a job, and he had to help out with D'Andre from time to time. So far, he hadn't done much of either.

Whenever Natalie asked T-Zoe how the job hunting was going, he would say, "Nat, I'mma street nigga. I ain't working for these white folks and letting dem fuck my back up."

Natalie didn't know what to do with T-Zoe. She didn't condone him robbing for a living, and she knew he had no plans of changing his ways. She had met a few men while he was in prison, but no one could please her sexually the way T-Zoe did. He was able to touch her deep inside, where very few men were able to journey. Every time T-Zoe slept with Natalie, she found herself back in love and giving him the benefit of the doubt. Natalie didn't know how much more of this roller-coaster ride she could endure. She told herself, if Zoe don't come up with a plan to make money soon, I'm leaving him and moving to Boston with my dad.

T-Zoe could feel the pressure from Natalie to come up with some money. He had watched Tammie's townhouse for a week straight, but there was no sign of Rashard anywhere. He didn't know what to make of Rashard's absence and felt maybe it was time to throw in the towel and come up with another plan to make money. T-Zoe didn't know it, but Rashard had had a big fight with Kanisha and decided to stay home with her and the kids for a week. That same weekend, Rashard had flown to Miami with Dontrel to watch the Heat play the Hornets. T-Zoe just picked the wrong time to stake him out.

That evening, T-Zoe sat in Danny Boy's home, along with Man-Man. Danny Boy called the meeting to discuss the situation.

Danny Boy said, "The plan to stick dis nigga Poncho up is over! He turned his self into tha police yesterday for killing his homeboy Dontrel."

T-Zoe and Man-Man looked surprised, and T-Zoe said, "I thought you said tha two of dem was like best friends."

"Man, I'm tripping off tha shit myself, just like everybody else in my hood," Danny Boy said.

"I wonder why he killed Dontrel," Man-Man pondered. "Was it 'bout money?"

"I heard he killed tha nigga over some pussy," Danny Boy said.

"Word is, Dontrel was laying pipe to Poncho's baby mama on the sly, and Poncho found out."

Man-Man now felt relieved that he missed the chance to rob Rashard. Danny Boy had convinced both him and T-Zoe that Rashard was an easy target. Now he realized Rashard was a killer, which meant they might have had to shoot their way out of Tammie's house that night.

T-Zoe said, "Look, Poncho ain't coming home, and I bet he left some money with his lady. I say we run up on tha lil chick tonight and see what's good."

Danny Boy stood up and went into the kitchen to get a beer from the refrigerator. He came back, twisted the cap off, and took a big gulp. He wanted some time to think before speaking. "I personally don't think he left no money in dat spot, because Tammie was just his chick on tha side," Danny Boy said. "He probably left all his bread with his baby momma."

T-Zoe said, "You talking bout tha same baby momma he killed his best friend over. Come on, Danny Boy, I know you don't believe dat."

Danny Boy didn't want to risk going back to prison for a robbery that wouldn't pay off. He once did a five year stretch in the Feds, and didn't want to gamble with his freedom on this job, so he decided to let the whole thing go. "I got my eyes on some mo shit that might pay big," Danny Boy said. "If you wanna run up in Tammie's crib, be my guest. Just don't forget who put chew on this lick, if it pays off."

T-Zoe looked at Man-Man and said, "What up Man-Man? You rolling wit me tonight, or am I doing this dirt by my lonely?"

Man-Man stood up and said, "Brah, I'm TTG (trained to go)!" He picked his 9mm up from the table and held his heat tight in his grip. "I'm hungry, and dat bitch looking like lunch meat. Ya feel me."

They headed out of Danny Boy's crib and drove back to Tammie's townhouse.

Later that night, T-Zoe and Man-Man watched Tammie pull up to her garage and wait to drive into it. They both pulled their bandanas over their noses and cocked their guns.

T-Zoe shouted, "Now!"

Man-Man hopped out of the car just as the garage door opened, and ran beside T-Zoe. Tammie had pulled inside, and the door was coming back down. T-Zoe and Man-Man rolled under the door just before it closed shut. T-Zoe hustled to Tammie's car and opened the driver's door. "Get tha fuck outta tha car!" he yelled.

As T-Zoe aimed his .44 magnum at the side of Tammie's head, she screamed. "Please don't kill me!"

"Shut tha fuck up, bitch, or I'mma shut chew up my damn self!" T-Zoe yelled.

Tammie placed her trembling hands over her mouth as she looked around. She noticed Man-Man on the other side of her car with his gun drawn. She thought about starting her car back up, but T-Zoe had reached into the car and pulled her out by the arm.

"Don't shoot," Tammie begged.

"We ain't here to kill you. Just show me where Poncho keeps his money and this will all be over soon," T-Zoe said.

"Okay, okay," Tammie said nervously. She walked to the door with T-Zoe and Man-Man close behind her. She said, "I can't open the door, because my keys are still in the car."

T-Zoe looked at Man-Man and said, "Go get tha keys."

Man-Man hustled to the car and returned with the keys. He passed them to Tammie, who tried to insert the key in the door, but her hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"Just calm down and open tha door," T-Zoe said, sticking his gun into her back.

"I'm trying," she said. "I don't want to get shot over something that doesn't belong to me!"

Man-Man snatched the keys from Tammie's hand and unlocked the door. The moment the door was pushed open, the alarm began to chime.

T-Zoe said, "Deactivate that alarm, and I'm warning you, don't try to be cute!"

Tammie typed in the four-digit code, which turned the flashing red light to green.

"Now show me where tha money is, so we can be on our way," T-Zoe said.

Tammie walked to her bedroom and opened the closet door, revealing a combination safe more than two feet tall. Man-Man couldn't believe how right T-Zoe was. He could only imagine what kind of money was inside.

T-Zoe waved his gun at her and said, "Don't just stand there looking stupid, open it!"

Tammie was mortified because she had never opened the safe before in her life. She said, "I can't open it. Poncho never gave me the combination."

T-Zoe backhanded Tammie across her face, driving her into the wall. He pointed his gun at her again and snapped, "You think dis shit a game? You gonna die for what's in dat safe?"

Tammie held her hands up in submission. "No, please don't shoot," she pleaded. "Just take the safe with you."

"Bitch, I don't want the safe, I only want what's inside," T-Zoe spat.

Tammie began to cry. "I'm telling you the truth, I don't know the combination!" Tears raced down her face, as death became imminent. If Rashard had given me the combination, this whole thing would be over by now, she thought.

Man-Man walked into the closet and tried moving the safe. He used all his strength, but it didn't budge an inch. "Dis muthafucka gotta be bolted down to tha flow. I can't move it at all."

T-Zoe waved his gun at Tammie and said, "Go sit down on the bed." He began pacing the floor; he wasn't sure if Tammie was telling the truth, but he knew killing her wouldn't bring him any closer to getting it open. He decided to take the safe with him. He turned to Man-Man and said, "I ain't leaving here without what's inside that safe, so we taking it with us."

"It's bolted to tha flow, brah. We need some tools to take dis heavy muthafucka with us," Man-Man replied.

T-Zoe looked at Tammie and said, "Where you keep yo tools at?"

Tammie raised one eyebrow and said, "I'm a lady. I don't own any tools."

T-Zoe rubbed his head in frustration. His own tools were back at his apartment, thirty minutes away. He regretted not coming fully prepared for this job.

"One of us needs to leave and get the tools we need," T-Zoe said to Man-Man.

"You go ahead, brah," Man-Man said. "I'll stay here and watch her." He looked at Tammie. "If she try and pull some fly shit on me, I'mma dead her ass, off top!"

T-Zoe walked to Man-Man and gave him some dap. He said, "It's gone take at least an hour to get the tools and come back. Can I trust you to watch her till then?"

"Fa sho, brah, I got dis," Man-Man replied. "Go get yo stuff and I'll be right here, waiting for you to get back."

T-Zoe looked at Tammie and said, "You better not try no fly shit, real talk, or my homeboy here gone leave you stankin'!"

Tammie was silent; she just folded her arms and looked at the floor. She just wanted this robbery to be over, but it looked like it was going to be a long night.

T-Zoe drove to his apartment and tiptoed in the front door. He knew Natalie was home, so he needed to get in and out quickly.

"Zoe, is that you?" Natalie asked after hearing a strange noise.

T-Zoe was in the hallway closet, stuffing his pockets with tools. "Yeah Nat, dis me," T-Zoe said.

Natalie walked over to T-Zoe. She had so many things on her mind she wanted to express. She had been waiting for T-Zoe to return home so she could share what she was feeling. "Zoe, we need to talk," she said.

T-Zoe took a deep breath. "Not right now, Nat. I'm in the middle of handling something."

Natalie grimaced and said, "You so damn selfish! When is a good time to talk about my needs, huh? I bet you gone be ready to talk when you come back home and I'm gone for good!"

"Fuck you talking about?" T-Zoe replied. "I'm out here handling my business, and you bitching at me on some bullshit!"

"What I'm going through is bullshit to you?" Natalie asked.

T-Zoe couldn't believe he was stuck at home arguing with Natalie. He had pressing business to attend to, and she was slowing up the process.

Back at the townhouse, Tammie was getting a little restless. She wanted to fix herself a bite to eat and take a hot bath. She figured Man-Man could probably grant one of her wishes.

Tammie said, "I'm hungry."

"So?" Man-Man replied. "What chew want me to do about it?"

"Can I go in the kitchen and fix myself something to eat?"

Man-Man thought about Tammie's request. He was pretty hungry himself, and T-Zoe was taking longer than expected. "Listen here, Red. I'll follow you into the kitchen and let chew fix something quick to eat. If you play with me, this will be yo last meal. Ya feel me?"

Tammie nodded yes and walked into the kitchen. Man-Man followed her with his gun still drawn. She laid two slices of bread on a plate and dressed her turkey sandwich with lettuce, cheese, tomato, and all her favorite condiments. Man-Man's mouth began to water.

He said, "Shid Red, you gone have to make two of dem sandwiches. You got a nigga stomach rumbling over here."

Tammie looked at Man-Man and forced a smile on her face. In her mind she was thinking, This dusty mothafucka wants me to feed him! I wish I had some poison to put on his sandwich. I would sit back and watch his short ass die slowly! Tammie removed two more slices of bread and made another sandwich. She poured two glasses of juice and passed one to Man-Man, along with his sandwich. He only took the sandwich because he still needed to hold his gun in one hand.

He said, "Go back in your bedroom."

Tammie carried her food and drink to the bedroom. Man-Man followed close behind her. He couldn't eat his sandwich yet, because he didn't want Tammie to see his face. "Red, I know yo purse still in yo car, so I'm guessing yo cell phone in there too. I just need to make sure," Man-Man said.

Tammie set her plate down and patted her own pockets, front and back. "See, no cell phone," she said.

Man-Man walked over to Tammie and began patting her body with one hand, while holding her at gunpoint with the other. He patted her front pockets and reached behind her to pat her big soft butt. Man-Man smiled and said, "I don't need to strip search you, do I?"

Tammie frowned and said, "That won't be necessary. I'm not hiding anything."

Man-Man removed Tammie's cordless house phone and slowly backed out of her bedroom. He returned to the kitchen, removed his bandana, and dug into the delicious sandwich. As he ate, Man-Man began wishing he had a lady like Tammie. He was tired of living at home with his mother. A woman like Tammie would motivate me to bring home tha bacon, he thought. She looked beautiful to him, and he also thought she had a sweet personality. Man-Man finished his sandwich just as T-Zoe came in the front door. Man-Man pulled his bandana back over his face and placed his plate and glass in the sink.

T-Zoe saw Man-Man coming out of the kitchen.

"What's going on in here?" T-Zoe asked. "Where's Tammie?"

"She in her bedroom, brah, everything straight on my end," Man-Man replied. "Did you bring tha tools?"

T-Zoe began pulling tools from his pockets and set them down on a table. He walked into Tammie's bedroom, with Man-Man close behind him. She was sitting on the bed, finishing the last bite of her sandwich. "Where she get something to eat from?" he asked.

"She said she was hungry, so I let her fix a sandwich," Man-Man replied. "Everythang straight brah, I kept my eyes on her the whole time."

"You better not have fucked this up for me, muthafucka playing house and shit!" T-Zoe stared at Man-Man for a moment. He said, "Go outside and find the crawlspace, so you can loosen the bolts from underneath the safe."

Man-Man crawled under the townhouse and began tinkering with the bolts. T-Zoe smiled. He knew the safe would soon belong to him. Tammie, on the other hand, was filled with mixed emotions. The contents of the safe didn't belong to her, but she didn't want Rashard coming home from prison without any money.

Man-Man came back inside, covered in dirt. He gave T-Zoe all his tools, walked into the closet, and gave the safe a light shove, and it moved across the hardwood floor.

"All right!" T-Zoe shouted. He looked at Tammie and said, "Go in the bathroom and close the door. If you come out before twenty minutes is up, you gone regret it!"

After Tammie went into the bathroom, T-Zoe and Man-Man picked up the safe and lugged it out of the house to the car. After they put it into the trunk, they drove away. Tammie left the bathroom the moment she heard both car doors slam shut. She peeped out the front door and watched the beige Camry pull away. She raced to the kitchen to retrieve her cordless phone and dialed three digits.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"I just been robbed!" Tammie yelled.

T-Zoe was feeling pleased with himself, but his work wasn't quite done yet. He still had to get the safe open. He pulled out his cellphone and called Charles, his mechanic.

"Hello."

"What up, Charles? Dis Zoe. I need a favor from you, brah."

"What can I do for you?"

"Can you meet me at your shop in twenty minutes? I got a job for you that shouldn't take long."

"It's 11:30 at night, Zoe. Can it wait until morning?"

"No it can't," T-Zoe said. "I'll be at your shop in twenty minutes. I'll explain more when you get there."

T-Zoe hung up his cell phone and headed for the shop. He didn't want to show the safe to anyone, but he needed some heavy duty tools to crack it open, and he knew Charles had them. T-Zoe pulled up to the shop and Charles arrived shortly after. They each stepped out of their rides and greeted one another.

"What up, Charles?" T-Zoe said with a handshake.

"What's going on, Zoe?"

"I got a big-ass safe in the car. I forgot the combination to it, so I need you to open it for me," T-Zoe said.

Charles looked at T-Zoe with suspicion. He figured the safe was stolen and said, "Let me take a look at it."

T-Zoe walked to his car and popped the trunk. Charles studied the large safe.

"What chew think?" T-Zoe asked.

"I'm sure I can get it open, but I'mma need my blowtorch and a sledge hammer."

"Okay," T-Zoe said. "Let's make it happen."

"It's not that easy, Zoe," he replied. "It's going to take some time and effort to get inside this safe. It's damn near midnight, and my wife is expecting me back home soon."

"Man, I don't need to hear all dat bullshit," T-Zoe said. "Just tell me how much it's gone cost me."

Charles stared at the safe and could only imagine how much money was inside. "I need at least two grand."

T-Zoe was offended. He knew Charles was trying to maximize his profit for opening the safe, based on what he thought may be inside. "Fuck dat," T-Zoe spat. "I'll give you $500, take it or leave it!"

Charles thought for a moment. He didn't want to get on T-Zoe's bad side, so he said, "Okay, I'll do it. Pull your car inside the shop."

Back at Tammie's home, Officer Edwards and his female partner, Officer Castleberry, had arrived to investigate the robbery.

"Why do you think these two guys targeted you for this robbery, Ms. Daniels?"

Tammie thought carefully before answering the question. She didn't want to incriminate herself in any way. "I believe the two guys were watching me because I own a hair salon," Tammie said.

"What did they take?"

"They took my safe," Tammie said.

Officer Castleberry said, "Can you show us where you kept the safe?"

Tammie led the officers into her bedroom. She opened the closet door and revealed four holes in the hardwood floor.

Officer Edwards said, "It looks like your safe was bolted to the floor. Did they have to remove the bolts?"

"Yes," Tammie replied. "One of them held me at gunpoint while the other one left to get the tools they needed."

"What was inside the safe?" Officer Edwards asked.

Tammie didn't have a clue how much money was inside the safe. She just knew somebody needed to go to jail for holding her at gunpoint and robbing her. Tammie said, "I kept the booth rent money from my employees and all the money I made this month in there. There was about $10,000."

The officers walked toward the front door. "Okay, Ms. Daniels," Officer Edwards said. "We'll be in touch with you the moment we find out anything."

"Thank you," Tammie said. "Oh yeah, there's one more thing."

"What is it?" Officer Edwards asked.

Tammie walked into her kitchen and returned with the glass Man-Man had used. She said, "One of the robbers had something to drink. His lip impression is still on this glass. Do you think his DNA is on here too?"

Officer Castleberry carefully took the glass from Tammie. She opened a plastic evidence bag and placed the glass inside.

"I'm sure there's some DNA on this glass," she said. "We'll make sure to have it tested."

Charles had been using his blowtorch on the safe for about thirty minutes. He successful melted both hinges and then put a metal wedge in between the spacing on the safe. He hit the metal wedge with his sledge hammer. A few good whacks from the heavy hammer, and the safe door finally came open. Charles removed the safe door and marveled at the contents inside. T-Zoe and Man-Man stood over the safe as well. Man-Man could barely contain his excitement when he saw all the money.

T-Zoe said, "Charles, I'mma need a plastic bag to put this money in. Can you find one for me?"

Charles hustled to a back room in the shop and returned with a garbage bag. He passed it to T-Zoe and said, "How much money do you think is here?"

T-Zoe began filling the garbage bag with the stacks of cash. He stood up with the last stack in his hand and pulled out five hundred-dollar bills. He said, "It looks like $500 was in there, and it's all yours."

T-Zoe tied the garbage bag shut and tossed it in the trunk of his car. Charles watched as both young men got in the Camry and waited for him to raise the garage door. He walked over and leaned down to talk with T-Zoe.

T-Zoe rolled his window down and said, "I'mma need you to raise that door so I can be on my way."

Charles said, "In a minute, just let me say something." He cleared his throat and continued, "Now Zoe, it was a lot of money in that safe, and I worked hard to get it open for you. I don't care how you got the money, or who you took the money from. Your secret is safe with me. I think I deserve more than $500."

T-Zoe shut off the Camry's engine. He opened the car door to step out, and so did Man-Man. T-Zoe stood face to face with Charles and said, "First of all, let's get something straight. I didn't take shit from nobody! I told you I forgot the combination to my safe. Now if you decide you wanna run yo mouth about what you saw in my safe, then me and you gone have ourselves a big problem!"

Man-Man pulled his 9mm and held it by his side. Charles glanced over T-Zoe's shoulder at the gun.

He said, "We don't have a problem, brother. Let me open this door so you fellows can be on your way."

Charles hit the button on the wall. T-Zoe stared at him for a moment before finally getting back in the car. Man-Man joined him, and T-Zoe backed out of the garage. T-Zoe turned the radio on and passed a sack of weed to Man-Man. It was time to celebrate. He said, "Roll up."

Man-Man split a cigarillo with his thumbs and dumped the contents out the window. He rolled a blunt and fired it up. Man-Man took tokes of the marijuana and passed it to T-Zoe.

T-Zoe said, "Watching dat bitch crib finally paid off."

"Hell yeah," Man-Man said. "How much money you think we got?"

"Ain't no telling," T-Zoe replied. "I'mma give you $10,000 regardless, and I still gotta break Danny Boy off too."

Man-Man wasn't pleased with T-Zoe just giving him $10,000. He was anticipating splitting the money down the middle. He said, "Zoe, you know I ain't the one to complain."

"Then don't," T-Zoe said. He stopped Man-Man before he could get started. "You played your role and just made ten Gs, my nigga. I know you not about to complain about that, are you?"

Man-Man held his tongue. He wasn't very smart, and he knew Danny Boy and T-Zoe were the brains behind every robbery he committed. He decided to take the ten grand with no complaints. T-Zoe arrived at Man-Man's mother's house, and they both stepped out of the car and walked to the trunk. T-Zoe loosened the knot on the garbage bag and removed a stack of money. He popped the rubber bands and began counting. The stack of hundred-, twenty-, and ten-dollar bills totaled $10,000. Man-Man scooped the money up and gave T-Zoe some dap.

"I appreciate dis, Zoe. I'm investing dis money in some molly. Watch me put the hood on lock," Man-Man said, referring to the purest form of the drug ecstasy: molecule, or molly for short.

T-Zoe said, "As long as you not your own best customer, you should make a nice bankroll." He slammed the trunk closed and drove off.

T-Zoe arrived at his apartment. He popped the trunk and took the garbage bag inside the car to count his money. After a thorough count, he came up with $46,500. The $10,000 he gave to Man-Man, plus the $500 he'd given Charles, brought the grand total to $67,000. T-Zoe wrapped $5,000 in a rubber band, which he planned to give to Danny Boy. He also put aside $10,000 and stuffed the rest back in the garbage bag. He went inside his home, tossed the garbage bag into the hallway closet, and walked into the master bedroom. He placed the $10,000 on Natalie's night stand as she slept soundly in her bed. He placed Danny Boy's money inside the dresser drawer and headed for the living room, making himself comfortable on the couch.

The next morning, Natalie woke up to find a stack of money sitting on her nightstand. She rubbed her eyes before picking up the brick of money. She got up from her bed and went looking for T-Zoe. She found him lying on his back, fully dressed, and fast asleep on the couch.

Natalie shook T-Zoe and said, "Wake up, Zoe."

He stretched as he opened his eyes. "Damn, girl. You won't let me sleep when I ain't got no money, now you waking me up after I break bread. I just can't win with you."

Natalie smiled as she kneeled beside the couch and gave T-Zoe a big kiss. She said, "Thank you baby. How much is it?"

"It's enough to stop yo complaining and catch up on all yo bills," T-Zoe said.

Natalie felt a little guilty for giving T-Zoe such a hard time. She wondered where the cash came from but knew better than to ask. She just hoped no one got hurt over the money. "I need to get ready for work," she said. "Do you want to take a shower with me?"

T-Zoe couldn't help but smile. He sat up on the couch and said, "You know you a handful, don't chew?"

Natalie smiled as she took T-Zoe by his hand. She tossed the brick of money on the bed and led him into the master bathroom. She turned on the shower, planning to put it on T-Zoe until it was time for her to leave for work.

Later that evening, T-Zoe woke from a comfortable sleep. The early morning sex with Natalie left him feeling rejuvenated and ready to take on the world. He pulled his cell phone from his jeans and dialed Danny Boy's number.

"What up Zoe?" Danny Boy said.

"What up, just waking up for real," T-Zoe said. "But listen though. I need to give you dis bread I got for you. My ol' lady took off in the car, so I'm stuck at the crib for now."

"I gotcha," Danny Boy said. "I'm headed your way now."

T-Zoe hung up his cell phone and began to get dressed. He took a pair of fatigue cargo pants from the dresser drawer, along with a black t-shirt. He put on his beige Timberland boots and placed a thin silver chain around his neck. The chain held a dog tag that read "T-Zoe 1987." He put his cell phone and Danny Boy's money into his pocket, walked to the living room, and sat down on the couch. He pulled out a sack of weed from under the seat cushion and began rolling a blunt. T-Zoe lit the blunt and hit the remote control to the stereo. He began getting high while listening to Yo Gotti. After about twenty minutes, Danny Boy knocked on the door.

"Come in," T-Zoe yelled.

Danny Boy entered the apartment. "What up, Zoe? You aight?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm good man," T-Zoe said. "I'm high as a mufucka though."

The only thing on Danny Boy's mind was the money T-Zoe had for him. He said, "I can't believe dat girl had dat kind of money in her crib. Man-Man said it was racks on top of racks inside dat safe!"

T-Zoe reached into his pocket and tossed Danny Boy his cut of the money. Danny Boy removed the rubber band and thumbed through the money. When he was done with his count, he looked up and said, "What's dis Zoe?"

"That's yo cut," T-Zoe said.

"Dis bread light as hell," Danny Boy said with a frown. "Man-Man said it was like seventy or eighty grand in dat safe."

"Man-Man don't know what tha fuck he talking about," T-Zoe said.

Danny Boy didn't know how much was in the safe, but he felt he deserved more than $5,000. "Tell me then, Zoe. How much bread was in dat safe?" he asked.

"It don't matter how much was in the safe. You gave up on the job. You swore it wasn't no money in dat house, but I stuck with it, after watching dat house for weeks. It paid off, and now I'm paying you, so what's yo beef?"

Danny Boy said, "It wouldn't be no money at all if I didn't show you where her crib was! Now you wanna throw me some chump change and keep the big money for yourself? That's bad business, Zoe."

T-Zoe snarled at Danny Boy, showing the four gold teeth underneath his frown. He said, "Nigga, stop yelling in my muthafucka crib! I broke bread wit chew, and I was fair with tha shit. If you don't like how much money I just put in yo pockets, then give da shit back."

Danny Boy stood up, and so did T-Zoe. They stood face to face and stared coldly into each other's eyes. Danny Boy fought the urge to swing on T-Zoe. He said, "You know what Zoe? I guess dat saying is true. There's no honor amongst thieves."

Danny Boy turned to walk away. He opened the front door and said, "I'mma let this bullshit slide, but I want you to remember this. You should never bite the hand that help butter yo bread." He walked out of the apartment and left T-Zoe to think about his last words.

He should've got off his ass and come into Tammie's crib with me, T-Zoe thought. He got what he deserved. Fuck him if he disagrees.

The next day, T-Zoe decided to spend some money. He purchased a black Crown Vic, with a police interceptor motor, for $8,000. He always wanted a police issued car, just in case he had to flee from a crime scene. After that, he bought two airline tickets to Las Vegas. At first he thought he would take Natalie with him, but then he decided to invite Man-Man instead. He wanted to enjoy a weekend doing whatever he wanted.

Man-Man was already doing well in the hood with his portion of the money. He found a pill connection and bought $10,000 worth of molly. When T-Zoe invited him to Vegas, he agreed because he was told he didn't have to pay for anything. They caught their flight Friday evening and headed for Sin City. After they landed at McCarran International Airport, T-Zoe rented a Lincoln MKZ and drove to their hotel. As they approached the Vegas strip, Man-Man noticed the flashing lights and water jets shooting into the air.

"Damn Zoe, dis some fly shit right here," Man-Man said. "I feel like I died and went ta gangsta heaven."

T-Zoe laughed. "Yeah, dis scene is pretty fly," he said. "I'm really going to enjoy myself."

He pulled into the Bellagio and parked at the front entrance. After popping the trunk so the bellhop could remove their luggage, T-Zoe passed the keys to the valet. He walked to the front desk, with Man-Man following close behind. T-Zoe checked in, and they walked toward the elevator.

Man-Man said, "I gotta hit that crap table in the casino." He paused for a moment before asking, "Can you float me a little cash until we get home? My money a little tied up right now."

"I gotcha, brah, T-Zoe said. "We gone enjoy ourselves dis weekend, and money ain't gone be an issue."

Back in Birmingham Alabama, police officers had a match for the DNA found on the glass. A warrant was issued for Jason Young AKA Man-Man, and police were looking for him. They had his mother's address but didn't find him there. Every police officer in the neighborhood was keeping an eye out for him, especially Officer Bradshaw. He patrolled the neighbor regularly, and was familiar with Man-Man because of a few run in's they had. He didn't like Man-Man or any other black man for that matter. He was the type of cop that wanted to rid the world of black people, especially those who weren't properly educated, and participated in illegal activities. It was safe to say that Officer Bradshaw was racist, and Man-Man was high on his radar.

After unpacking, T-Zoe and Man-Man went downstairs to gamble in the casino. Man-Man wasn't having much luck with craps, but lady luck was definitely with T-Zoe. He was up four grand and climbing at the blackjack table. He continued to push his luck for a few more hours and finally cashed in $5,250 in chips. Man-Man had lost $325 of the $400 T-Zoe tossed him, but he was elated that his partner was a big winner.

Man-Man said, "We should get some hoes up to our rooms tonight."

T-Zoe rubbed his tired eyes. The long hours at the blackjack tables left him feeling exhausted.

He said, "It's been a long day for me, brah. We'll hit the Vegas strip tomorrow, but for now, I need some rest."

T-Zoe dapped Man-Man up and headed to the elevator. Man-Man had no choice but to call it a night as well, because he didn't have much money to enjoy himself with. He and T-Zoe rode the elevator up to their rooms.

The next day, T-Zoe woke up and dialed Man-Man's room number after smoking a blunt.

"Hello?" Man-Man said.

T-Zoe could still hear the sleep in Man-Man's voice. "Wake up," he said. "Get dressed and meet me in the lobby in thirty minutes."

"Okay," Man-Man said.

T-Zoe got out of bed and removed the hair clippers from his luggage. He stood in front of the mirror in the bathroom and began trimming his mustache and beard. Most people said he resembled Lenny Kravitz, but he never took that as a compliment. T-Zoe felt he was way too gangsta to be compared to the funky rock singer. He put his clippers away and dropped to the floor. He banged out a hundred push-ups without breaking a sweat. He hopped up from the floor and ran a hot shower. He got dressed and took the elevator down to the lobby, where he saw Man-Man sitting on a couch.

"Let's go, Man-Man," T-Zoe said.

Man-Man looked up and became excited at the sight of T-Zoe. He knew they were going to enjoy everything Las Vegas had to offer, and T-Zoe was the man with the plan, and the money. Man-Man hopped up from the couch and walked over to T-Zoe. "What's on the agenda, Zoe?"

T-Zoe rubbed his stomach. "I need sum to eat first. I'm hungry as a hostage."

They headed to a Chinese restaurant on the ground floor and got into line, waiting to be seated.

"Dis look like a fancy ass restaurant, Zoe," Man-Man said nervously. "Do I need to change clothes?"

T-Zoe was dressed in a nice LRG collar shirt, with jeans to match, and his Timberland boots looked brand new, thanks to Natalie. Man-Man, on the other hand, wore a grey t-shirt, which was a little worn around the collar, blue jeans, and an old pair of LeBron James Nikes.

T-Zoe said, "You good. Dis a casual restaurant, so we gone fit right in." T-Zoe knew his homeboy needed at least one fly outfit. He continued, "We can go to the mall and grab some new gear after we eat. I wanna be so fresh and so clean for tonight, ya feel me?"

Man-Man dapped T-Zoe up with a smile on his face. He said, "I already know it's going down tonight, and I can't wait."

T-Zoe and Man-Man's wait was over, and a waitress led them to their table.

T-Zoe looked over the menu and said, "I'mma try the Cantonese-style roast duck with plum sauce, and a glass of your best Port."

The waitress wrote the order down and turned to Man-Man. "And for you, sir?" she asked.

Man-Man felt a little intimidated. He had never tried most of the food on the menu before, so he didn't know what to order. "Ummm, let me get dis chicken chow mein and a Sprite," he said. He figured he couldn't go wrong by ordering chicken.

After a short wait, their meals came, and they enjoyed their food. After T-Zoe took care of the bill, they walked to a nearby shopping mall. With over 250 stores to choose from, T-Zoe decided to head to Macy's, because they carried a good selection of urban clothes. Once inside the store, T-Zoe picked out a fly outfit and pair of Armani sneakers. Man-Man picked up an Echo outfit, with a matching pair of 95 Air Max sneakers (better known as dope runners in the hood). Then they walked to the Gucci store, where T-Zoe purchased a pair of $600 shades. T-Zoe was done shopping and wanted to get back to the casino.

"I wanna hit dis strip club called Club Paradise later on," T-Zoe said. "I heard it's some bad hoes shaking they money maker up in there."

Man-Man smiled and did a little two step dance. T-Zoe threw his head back and roared with laughter.

Man-Man said, "We gotta get laid to make this the perfect trip, ya feel me?"

"I gotcha brah," T-Zoe said with a smile. "I'mma hit the casino for a little while, and then we can get dressed for the club."

The two men walked back to the Bellagio. Man-Man took all the bags up to his room and decided to hang out there until it was time for the club. T-Zoe had already done so much for him on this trip, so he didn't want to ask for more money to gamble with. T-Zoe headed back to the blackjack tables, but it didn't take long for him to lose the money he had with him. He headed back up to his room to get some more money. He told himself, I gotta slow down on betting so much at one time. I know damn well I ain't win dis way yesterday. He returned to the casino with $1,000 and a different attitude. He refused to let the casino get all their money back without putting up a good fight.

Man-Man lay back on his bed and stuffed his hand inside his pants as he watched Hot and Horny Ebony Babes on the TV. He knew T-Zoe would see the charge on the bill, but he just couldn't wait to see some naked women. A knock on the door interrupted him, and he remembered he had called down to room service for some food.

Man-Man hid his erection, buttoned up his pants, and opened the door. The waiter rolled the food cart inside and noticed the porn on the television. He also noticed the small bottle of lotion beside the bed. Man-Man picked up the remote control and turned off the television. He reached into his pocket and tipped the waiter, and then he opened the door. The waiter knew Man-Man was instructing him to leave the room, and he was more than happy to oblige him. Man-Man decided to put his plans of masturbating on hold and began to dig into the thick cheeseburger and fries he ordered.

After a few hours, T-Zoe finally won back the money he lost earlier, with a small profit. He decided to take the $500 profit and run with it. He left the casino and headed to the promenade to have a steak dinner. He found a nice restaurant, and while he waited for his meal to arrive, he pondered what business venture to invest in. He wanted to continue the good feeling of having money, despite using illegal tactics to make it. He thought about getting into a legitimate line of work but could not decide what kind of business to invest in. Who am I fooling? He thought. I'mma street nigga and I'mma do what street niggas do. When I get home, I'mma reach out to a few D-boys with some weight, and cop me a package. Shid, I might even sell molly with Man-Man, if tha shit gets to poppin'.

After finishing his steak, T-Zoe returned to the hotel, picked up Man-Man, and they were soon having a good time at Club Paradise. He bought a bottle of peach Ciroc, and Man-Man received lap dance after lap dance from the strip club's beautiful women. T-Zoe didn't know it but Man-Man had popped a few mollies. He was feeling splendid, and the alcohol was intensifying that feeling. There were exotic women from all walks of life for him to choose from, and he wanted every one of them. T-Zoe lit up a Cohiba cigar and admired everything he was seeing. He found himself fascinated by the woman on stage, twirling around the pole. Dat bitch got skills, he thought to himself.

The DJ said, "That was Lady Jade, ladies and gentlemen."

T-Zoe clapped his hands to show his approval of Lady Jade's stage performance. "Now coming to the stage is Club Paradise's very own heaven-sent Angel."

T-Zoe watched as a beautiful woman walked onto the stage in six-inch glass bottom heels. Angel was wearing a sexy red thong, with a matching red top. The crowd watched as she gripped the pole with both hands and used her well-toned thighs to climb up on it. The mixed race beauty came twirling down, with her legs spread east and west. She landed on her shoulder and flipped over onto her knees. Angel placed her face on the stage and raised her ass up high. The audience was hypnotized as she bounced her ass to the beat of the music, and they began making it rain, by throwing money on the stage.

"Damn Zoe! Look at dat bad ass chick on stage, twerkin' like dat. Her ass so right! I'mma get a lap dance from her," Man-Man said.

When T-Zoe looked closely at the dancer, he nearly dropped his cigar in his lap, and he quickly stood up. He walked to the front of the stage and removed his Gucci shades. He couldn't believe it; it had been years since T-Zoe last saw his stepsister, but it was definitely Angel. She stood up and continued dancing, removing her top and tossing it aside. She finally made eye contact with T-Zoe and recognized her brother. She grew uncomfortable knowing Henry's only son was watching her every move. She didn't let T-Zoe's presence stop her from working, because she had bills to pay and a daughter to feed. She held up her index finger, indicating she would talk with him after she finished on stage. T-Zoe patiently waited as he watched Angel move. She had grown up to be a beautiful woman, and he began to feel a little awkward as he admired her body.

"That was Angel, ladies and gentlemen," the DJ announced.

The crowd cheered as Angel gathered her money. She put her top back on, stepped off the stage, and walked over to T-Zoe with a big smile. She gave him a hug and said, "Hey Timmy, what are doing in Vegas?"

"Me and my homeboy over there just came out for the weekend," T-Zoe said with a smile. "Damn girl, you went and got all grown on me. It took me a minute to recognize you on that stage."

"Introduce me to yo friend, Zoe," Man-Man said. He made his way over to Angel after he saw T-Zoe pointing in his direction, hoping his friend was trying to hook him up with the sexy dancer.

"Dis my sister, Angel; Angel, dis Man-Man."

Angel giggled at Man-Man's nickname. She said, "Hey Man-Man." She looked at her brother and said, "So when did you start calling yourself Zoe?"

"I picked the nickname up years ago, and it's T-Zoe, but everybody calls me Zoe for short."

"Excuse me, T-Zoe," Angel joked. "I see you got a lot of tattoos on your arms. You look like a gangster."

"Hold on," Man-Man said. "I'm standing here tripping right now! Zoe, why you never told me you had a fine ass sister? I could've been your brother-in-law a long time ago."

T-Zoe cut his eyes at Man-Man. "Ain't nobody trying to marry yo ass, boy, especially nobody in my family," he said.

"Dats fucked up Zoe," Man-Man said, offended. "She might be my soul mate for all you know. You can't stop true love."

Angel couldn't help but laugh at the short man claiming his undying love for her. Working in the strip club, she had heard many lines from both drunken and sober men, and Man-Man was definitely full of liquid courage. He said, "I wanna holla at yo sister, Zoe."

"Don't tell me, tell her," T-Zoe said. He stepped back and gave Man-Man all the room he needed to embarrass himself.

Man-Man got down on his knee, took Angel's hand, and said, "Will you marry me?"

T-Zoe thought to himself, Dis nigga good and drunk.

Angel was flattered by yet another marriage proposal inside the strip club.

"It looks like we have another marriage proposal, people," the DJ said. "That young man wants to make Angel his wife—at least for tonight."

The club became filled with laughter, as everyone looked at Man-Man on his knee. He stood up before Angel could respond and returned to his seat, embarrassed. He was serious about marrying her, after convincing himself it was love at first sight.

"Poor Man-Man," Angel sympathetically said. "I think the DJ embarrassed him."

"He needed to be embarrassed," T-Zoe said. "He up in a strip club asking a perfect stranger to marry him." They both laughed. T-Zoe pulled out his cell phone and said, "Give me your cell phone number. I wanna see you before I head back to Birmingham tomorrow."

Angel took the phone and programmed her number in it. T—Zoe said, "I'mma call you before I head to the airport. You gone be busy?"

"I shouldn't be," Angel said. "Sunday is usually a laid back day for me. Just give me a call, Timmy. I'm sorry, I mean T-Zoe."

"I'm still Timmy to you," T-Zoe said with a smile. "I'll call you tomorrow."

T-Zoe rejoined Man-Man at their table. They both continued to party and then made plans to leave the club with two strippers. They waited until their shifts were over and then escorted them back to the Bellagio. Their company came with a price tag, which T-Zoe reluctantly took care of. He only paid the women because he knew Man-Man was looking forward to some female companionship. He thought to himself, I might as well have a little fun too. T-Zoe headed back to his room with the Caucasian stripper, Lady Jade; Man-Man couldn't have Angel, but the mixed girl on his arm made a good substitute. He headed to his room, lusting every inch of the young mulatto woman's body. Dis bitch so bad! I'mma try to knock sparks from her ass, Man-Man thought.

T-Zoe didn't get much sleep; he found himself watching the sunrise through the room's large curtains. He got out of bed to get himself together because he wanted to spend some time with Angel before his two o'clock flight back to Birmingham.

He showered, got dressed, and went over to the bed, where Lady Jade was still sleeping. He said, "Get up. It's time to go."

Lady Jade rolled onto her back, revealing her perky C cup breasts. Her hair was wild, and her eyes looked tired at seven o'clock in the morning. She reached into her purse and pulled out a pack of cigarettes. "You got a light, handsome?" she said.

T-Zoe tossed her a complimentary book of matches from the table. He wanted to get going, so he was a little impatient with his guest. "You can smoke that on yo way out the door," he said.

"You don't have to tell me twice," Lady Jade said. "Let me get dressed, and I'll get out of your hair." She stepped into her body stocking and pulled it up past her breasts. She put on her stiletto heels and did her walk of shame out of the room with the unlit cigarette still dangling from her lips.

T-Zoe began packing his bags, since he didn't plan on returning to the hotel. He headed down to the main entrance and left a message for Man-Man, explaining that he'd meet him at the airport. He had the valet pull the car around, stepped into the car, and drove off.

T-Zoe called Angel as he drove, and she gave him her address. He typed the location into the car's GPS navigation system. When he arrived at her apartment, he parked the car and knocked on Angel's door. She opened the door dressed in sweatpants and a t-shirt. "Hey Timmy," she said, giving him a big hug before leading him into her home. T-Zoe walked inside and noticed a little girl sitting on the floor, watching cartoons; she looked over at T-Zoe.

"Say hello to your Uncle Timmy, Delilah," Angel instructed.

"Hola Uncle Timmy," Delilah said shyly.

"What's up, pretty girl?" T-Zoe said. "How old are you?"

Delilah blushed and said, "I'm cinco."

T-Zoe began counting on his fingers. "Uno, dos, tres, cuatro, okay, you five," he concluded. "Wow, Angel, I'm surprised you have a daughter this big."

Angel laughed and said, "Okay, Timmy, you gotta know cinco is five without counting on your fingers."

T-Zoe shrugged off Angel's comment and said, "So tell me, Angel, how long you been living in Vegas?"

"I came here when I was fifteen years old, six years ago."

"I know you ain't been living on yo own for the past six years," T-Zoe said. "Who moved out here with you?"

"I moved in with my aunt," she replied. She stood up and walked into the kitchen, hoping to avoid any more questions, which may lead to why she ran away. "Do you want a drink?" she asked.

"What chew got in there?"

"I got some wine coolers, orange juice, and bottled water."

"Bottled water sounds cool," T-Zoe said. "I can't stay long, Angel. I just wanted to catch up with you before my flight back home."

"I understand," Angel said. She took out some grapes and rinsed them off before passing T-Zoe a bottle of water. She flopped down on the couch and smiled as her brother became distracted by Delilah's cartoons. T-Zoe watched as Elmer Fudd chase Bugs Bunny around with a shotgun. Damn, I'm out of weed, T-Zoe thought. I wish I was watching dis shit high.

"So do you have any kids, Timmy?" Angel asked.

"I gotta two-year-old son named D'Andre," he replied.

"Ahh, that's a cute name. Does he look like his daddy?"

"He looks like me and his momma, but he got a lot of my ways," he said.

"Are you and his mother still together?"

"Yeah, her name is Natalie, and we live together," he said. "What about you? Is Delilah's dad still tappin' dat?"

Angel frowned at his phrase and snapped, "Hell no!"

T-Zoe didn't know it, but he just touched a sore spot for Angel. She instantly became upset at the thought of Henry ever touching her again. "Damn," T-Zoe said. "Dude must really be on yo bad side. I've never seen you mad before." T-Zoe studied Angel's body language and watched as she popped grape after grape into her mouth. He couldn't imagine how a girl as pretty as her could have a major problem with her child's father. He tried to lighten the mood by asking, "So what brought you to Vegas?"

Angel was uncomfortable with the question, but she decided he deserved an honest answer, since his father had hurt her for so many years. Angel had always wondered if Timmy and Stephanie could relate to her problem. She said, "Give me a minute, Timmy." She took Delilah by the hand and said, "Come on, bebé. I want you to watch cartoons in your room while Uncle Timmy and I finish talking."

Delilah walked hand in hand with her mother into her bedroom. Angel made her daughter comfortable and returned to the living room. "I'm going to tell you why I moved to Vegas, but you might not like what I'm about say."

T-Zoe looked Angel in the eyes and gave her his undivided attention. She said, "I moved here because of your father." T-Zoe dropped his head and repeatedly shook it from side to side. Angel felt like T-Zoe already knew what his father had done to her. She said, "Why are you shaking your head, Timmy? I haven't told you why I left yet."

T-Zoe looked up at Angel and said, "I know my father. If he's the reason why you moved a thousand miles away, I can only imagine what he put chew through."

Angel dug deep within herself and found the courage to finally tell someone what had happened. "He molested me," she said courageously. "He abused me for years, and I finally couldn't take it anymore. I didn't just move out, I ran away."

T-Zoe stood up and turned away from his sister. He held his face in his hands as her words sank in.

"I don't know what tha fuck's wrong with dat man," T-Zoe said. "He still on that sick tip!"

Angel just stared at T-Zoe and then said, "Do you mean I'm not the only person he did this to?"

T-Zoe turned to face Angel with tears gathering in his eyes. He said, "He did the same thing to my sister! That's the reason why we never came around." T-Zoe rubbed his head in frustration; he couldn't believe how easily he just revealed why his mother left his father. "I grew up hating my dad," T-Zoe said. "Stephanie can't stand men now! She dresses like a boy and wears her hair in corn rows."

Angel stood up and gave T-Zoe a hug. She never thought revealing her deepest secret would lead to her consoling someone else. T-Zoe pulled away from Angel and dried his eyes. He took out his Gucci shades and put them on.

"I gotta get going," T-Zoe said. "I got yo cell number, and you got mine. We need to stay in touch with one another, okay? Lemme say so long to your little girl."

Angel called Delilah to the door; she could tell T-Zoe was trying to mask his pain. She hugged her brother one last time after he hugged Delilah. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm good," T-Zoe said. "I just got a flight to catch and don't wanna miss it."

Angel watched him leave her apartment; she became somber and began to regret the can of worms she opened, even though talking to T-Zoe was therapeutic.

T-Zoe walked to his rental car and sat inside before leaving. He hadn't thought about what had happened between his father and his sister in years. He was so disappointed in himself for allowing those emotions to show. He thought, Always keep it gangsta, as he crunk the car and drove away.

T-Zoe drove to the airport in time to catch his flight. He and Man-Man sat comfortably in first class and shared the details of their previous night. T-Zoe laughed with Man-Man as they reminisced, but he was really looking forward to returning home. Natalie and D'Andre filled his thoughts, and after a bit, he put on his shades and decided to catch up on some sleep.

The reality of return home slowly dampened Man-Man's spirits. He didn't have that someone special to return home to, only his mother. He looked forward to making some money selling drugs, and he convinced himself that he would make enough to pay for the next trip to Vegas.

After the plane landed at Birmingham International, both men gathered their bags and tossed them into the trunk of T-Zoe's Crown Vic and headed to Man-Man's home.

"I really appreciate you treating me to a playas' weekend out," Man-Man said.

"It's all good, brah. Dat trip was worth every penny I spent," T-Zoe said. "We gotta take another trip, real soon."

Man-Man smiled as he gave T-Zoe some dap. He stepped out of the car and took his bag from the trunk. He could hear T-Zoe's dual pipes traveling up the block as he went in the front door.

"Jason, is that you?" his mother, Sheryl, asked.

"Yeah Momma, it's me," he replied.

His mother slowly walked from her bedroom; the pain from her rheumatoid arthritis was making her knees ache. Her pink house shoes matched the pink flowered nightgown she wore.

"The police been by here looking for you, Jason," she said. "They want you to come down to the station to answer some questions. Boy, what have you gotten yourself into?"

Man-Man was shocked to hear this, and his mother's words instantly made his heart rate increase. He thought of all the things he had done in his past that could've come back to haunt him. "Did they say what it's about?" he asked.

"No," she said. "But one of the officers left his card on the table over there. He told me to call him once you came home."

Man-Man didn't know what to do next. He knew that sticking around until the police came back wasn't a good idea. He hustled to his bedroom, dropped his bag, reached underneath the dresser, and pulled out a large bag of pills. He stuffed the bag inside his pants and quickly walked to the front door.

"I'll be back, Momma. I gotta check on this situation and find out what's really going on," he said nervously.

"Okay Jason," she said. "Be careful!"

Man-Man walked out of the front door, feeling paranoid. He surveyed every car on the street as he moved up the block. Man-Man dialed T-Zoe's number, but the phone went to voicemail. Man-Man chose to leave a message.

"Ah, dis Man-Man! Call me back when you get dis message. I got some crazy shit poppin' off on my end, brah!"

T-Zoe turned the music down as he pulled his car up to his home. He opened the glove compartment and removed his .44 magnum. He tucked the handgun into his waistband and covered it with his Polo jacket. He stepped out of the car and removed his travel bag from the trunk. As he walked to the front door, he pulled out his cell phone and noticed a missed call from Man-Man.

While listening to Man-Man's message, someone approached T-Zoe from behind. "Hey mon, can ya gi mi ah lite to black up mi ganja," someone said.

T-Zoe turned around to see a slim dark man with long dreadlocks, holding a spliff in his mouth. He didn't recognize him, and his demeanor instantly aroused his suspicion.

"Don't have a lite," T-Zoe said.

"No worries mon," the dread head said. He reached back and pulled out a 9mm. T-Zoe slowly raised his hands as he stared down the barrel of the gun. The Jamaican head hunter had gotten the drop on him. T-Zoe thought about pulling his .44 magnum, but the Jamaican was locked in on him tight. "Give mi de phone," he ordered.

T-Zoe slowly passed his cell phone to him. He said, "Look, brah, take whatever you want, just don't shoot me!"

The Jamaican wasn't planning on killing T-Zoe, at least not yet. He figured he could do some collecting first. "Open ya gate," he snarled.

"What?" T-Zoe replied.

The Jamaican pointed at the front door of the apartment. "Open it," he repeated.

T-Zoe turned and walked to the front door, keeping his hands in plain sight. He stood in front of the door and glanced over at the Jamaican. As T-Zoe reached into his jacket pocket, the hit man raised his gun to eye level. He said, "Come on, tess mi, rude bwoy!"

T-Zoe froze and said, "I'm just reaching for my keys." He continued reaching into his pocket. "See, it's just keys," he said. "I don't wanna die!"

He was purposely acting scared, hoping to find the perfect opportunity to pull his gun. His hands shook uncontrollably, and he dropped the keys on the ground. The hit man saw how nervous T-Zoe was and decided to give him a few word of encouragement.

He said, "Rest easy, mon. Mi come fuh de strong money, not ya life." Even though he had every intention of killing T-Zoe, he still needed his full cooperation. He needed T-Zoe to hand over the money he had stolen.

T-Zoe told himself, I can't let dis man come inside with my family. It's now or never!

As he bent down to retrieve his keys, he pulled his .44 magnum and came up firing.

Natalie was inside, watching television, when she heard the shots being fired. The shooting sound so close that she dove for cover. After a minute, the shooting stopped. She jumped up from the floor and ran into D'Andre's bedroom. She flipped on the lights and saw he was still asleep. She turned the light off and walked to the front door. She looked out of the peep hole to see if the shooter was still outside. Standing at the front door, she could hear soft moans coming from the opposite side of the door. She cracked the door open and began screaming when she saw T-Zoe lying on his back in a puddle of blood.

Natalie screamed, "Oh my God, Zoe!" She rushed to his side; he was breathing very shallow. She yelled in distress, "Somebody help me, please!"

The old lady across the hall had already called the police after the shooting started. She opened her door and said, "Help is on the way, baby."

Natalie hid T-Zoe's gun then cradled his head in her lap as she waited for the ambulance to arrive.

The Jamaican hit man was named Bounty Sensi; he drove away in a stolen Impala, clutching his thigh in pain from a gaping hole, which was bleeding profusely. Bounty raised his shirt and saw two slugs sticking out of his bulletproof vest. He knew he had just cheated death, even though he believed T-Zoe was not so lucky.

"Bumboclot, eem tink eem can rump wit mi! Mi kills fuh fun," Bounty shouted. He didn't know it, but the bullet had struck a main artery in his leg. His heart rate was increasing from his anger, which made the blood pump faster. If he didn't stop the bleeding soon, he would surely bleed to death. Bounty pulled his cell phone from his jacket pocket and struggled to dial a number.

"What's up, Sensi? Is everything irie?" Danny Boy asked. "Hello? Hello?"

Bounty had mumbled a few words before dropping his cell phone and passing out. He veered into oncoming traffic, with his foot still on the gas pedal. Other drivers slammed on their brakes, barely missing the runaway vehicle. The Impala struck a curb at seventy miles an hour and flipped over. Onlookers watched in awe as the car tumbled to a gruesome halt. Bounty Sensi's body lay contorted inside the severely mangled car. He died instantly from a broken neck.

The ambulance quickly reached Natalie's apartment, and paramedics placed T-Zoe in the back. Natalie had woken up D'Andre and gotten him dressed; she felt many different emotions as she followed the ambulance. Lord please don't let him die, she prayed. Her mind teetered back and forth as she wondered who would want to kill T-Zoe. I bet this has everything to do with the money he gave me, she thought.

Tears flowed down her cheeks as she realized how much she hated living this way. She knew a change was bound to take place, she just didn't think T-Zoe could lose his life in the process. The ambulanced pulled into the hospital, and Natalie parked the car and carried D'Andre into the emergency room. Her clothes were stained with blood, and other people stared at her as she walked to the nurse's counter. They told her to have a seat, and after a couple of hours passed, a nurse came and led Natalie to another room.

A man in scrubs came into the room. "Natalie Portman?" he asked.

She stood up as D'Andre's slept with his head on her shoulder. "I'm Natalie," she said.

"I'm Dr. Arvind Pandey. I've been treating Mr. Pearson."

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

"He's in stable condition. Mr. Pearson was shot twice, once in the shoulder and again in the chest. We've successfully removed both bullets, but he suffered extensive damage to one of his lungs, so he needs a little help breathing right now."

Natalie wiped the falling tears from her cheeks and said, "Can I see him?"

"Yes, but only for a moment," Dr. Pandey said.

The nurse led Natalie to the intensive care unit. The sight of T-Zoe lying in a hospital bed, breathing with the help of a respirator, made her pray that much harder. She left the hospital rattled, with plans to return the next day during visiting hours.

The shooting between T-Zoe and Bounty made the evening news, and plenty of people were talking about it. Some who really knew T-Zoe felt he would seek out revenge on whoever set him up, while others just hoped he made a full recovery. Danny Boy knew he had to watch his back once T-Zoe returned to the streets again.

After two weeks, T-Zoe was released from the hospital. He moved in with his mother for a while, so she could help care for him. Natalie couldn't do it, because she had to work, but she did visit him every day. She moved back in with her mother, in case someone retaliated on Bounty Sensi's behalf.

T-Zoe lay in bed, while his mother, Bernice, sat beside him in a chair. She was taking full advantage of this opportunity to read from the Bible to her son. "This incident should be a wake-up call for you, Timmy," she said. "It's time for you to make some serious changes in your life, son. You could've died, but the Lord spared your life for a reason. Romans 6:23 says, 'The wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.'"

T-Zoe lay in bed, wishing he was well enough to leave. He loved his mother, but her overly religious ways were more than he could handle. He was being forced to listen to Bible verse after Bible verse.

"Timmy, are you listening to me?" she asked.

"Yeah Momma," he replied.

"And I hope you ain't planning on caring a gun around anymore," Bernice said. "Romans 12:17 says, 'Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all.'"

Just then the front door bell rang, interrupting Bernice's Bible session. Saved by the bell, T-Zoe thought. His mother closed her Bible and went to answer the door. She returned a few minutes later, with Man-Man in her company.

"Timmy, Jason is here to see you."

Man-Man approached T-Zoe with a smile. He was glad to see his homeboy still alive. He gave his longtime friend some dap and said, "What up, Zoe?"

"I'll allow you some time to talk with your friend, Timmy. We can finish reading from the Bible a little later," Bernice said.

T-Zoe waved his hand for Man-Man to close the door after his mother left the room.

"Ms. Pearson said you need Jesus," Man-Man joked. "Y'all been up in dis bitch having Bible study, ain't it?"

T-Zoe brushed off Man-Man's comment and got down to the reason why he called him over. "I been thinking about who sent dat Jamaican fuck to kill me," he said.

Man-Man sat down and listened closely as the conversation turned serious. "What chew came up with?" Man-Man asked.

"Dat dude came to rob me for the money we took from the safe. Only three other people knew I had dat money: Charles, Danny Boy, and you make three." T-Zoe studied Man-Man's reaction to make absolutely sure he wasn't involved in his shooting.

"So it's either Charles or Danny Boy," Man-Man said. "I don't know 'bout Charles, but I do know Danny Boy keep a few goons on deck, and a lot of dem is Jamaicans."

T-Zoe had come to the same conclusion. He recalled the last conversation he had with Danny Boy, which ended with an argument about the split.

"You think Danny Boy did dis shit to you?" Man-Man asked.

"It's a strong possibility," T-Zoe said.

"Damn! Da shit niggas do for money," Man-Man said.

Both T-Zoe and Man-Man sat in silence as they thought about what to do next. Man-Man knew T-Zoe would want revenge for Danny Boy's betrayal.

"Shid Zoe, handle dis situation the way you see fit," Man-Man said. "Danny Boy cool, but you know I fucks with chew the long way. You like a brotha to me."

T-Zoe didn't have much else to say on the matter, because he knew exactly what he had to do. "I'm feeling a little tired," he said. "I need some rest."

Man-Man knew that was his cue to leave. "Aight Zoe, I'mma let chew be. I gotta get back to da hood anyway."

Man-Man pulled out the keys to his rental car and headed for the door. "Oh yeah, you remember the message I left on yo phone? Moms told me da police looking for me. I don't know what dat shit about. I'm just trying to stay out day way, so I took me a room in hotel down on Bay Street."

T-Zoe didn't want to burden his mind with Man-Man's problems. He was dealing with enough drama in his own life right now. He offered Man-Man a bit of advice before letting him go. "Get somebody to call the police station and find out what they want with you," he said.

"Aight," Man-Man said. He left T-Zoe's bedroom with nothing on his mind but making money.

Christmas was quickly approaching. Man-Man was staying in the same hotel room; he had ignored T-Zoe's advice and never investigated why the police were looking for him. He chose to move around carefully in his hood while making money instead. One day, he was walking back to his hotel room and spotted a patrol car. He took an alternate route to avoid walking past the cop, but Officer Bradshaw noticed that the young black man, wearing a grey hoodie, was avoiding walking in his direction, so he crunk up his squad car and decided to follow him.

Man-Man peeped over his shoulder and noticed the squad car approaching from behind. Damn! One time following me, he thought to himself. He pulled his hands from his pockets and took off like Usain Bolt. Officer Bradshaw turned on the siren as he gave chase.

"I have a 417 in progress," he called into his radio. "Suspect is armed and fleeing on foot on Fifty-Ninth and First Avenue North, requesting backup." He had no proof that the suspect had a gun, but he often lied about these details because he was racially biased.

Man-Man was running like his life depended on it. He hopped the first fence he saw and ran through someone's backyard, hoping the cop wouldn't follow him on foot.

Officer Bradshaw did just that. He parked his cruiser and jumped out running. He was determined to find out why this man chose to run, as he pushed his body to its limits. The extra pounds he gained over the years revealed how out of shape he was, as the suspect disappeared in the distance.

Man-Man hopped fence after fence, like he was jumping hurdles. He finally came to a stop when he noticed another patrol car involved. I gotta hide, he thought. He ran to a nearby tool shed and tucked himself away inside. He nervously peeped out of the slightly cracked door. Officer Bradshaw came into the yard, with beads of sweat gathering on his forehead. He was followed by Officer Castleberry.

"He ran through here," Officer Bradshaw panted.

Bradshaw and Castleberry were joined by Officer Edwards. Man-Man was cornered. If one of the officers opened the tool shed door, he was surely going to jail. He eased the bag of pills out of his pocket and hid them in the shed, along with his gun. "He's hiding back here somewhere," Officer Bradshaw said. He figured the tool shed was a good hiding place, so he approached it with his gun drawn. Man-Man watched as Officer Bradshaw came closer and closer. He raised his hands to surrender, the moment the shed door flew open.

"Freeze!" Officer Bradshaw shouted. He yanked Man-Man out of the shed by his neck and pinned him to the ground.

"Ow!" Man-Man cried. "You ain't gotta do all dat!"

Officer Bradshaw removed his handcuffs from his utility belt and squeezed them tightly onto Man-Man's wrists. "That's for making me chase you," he said, yanking Man-Man up from the ground.

All three officers walked him to the closest squad car. "Why did you run?" one of the officers asked, checking Man-Man's pockets while waiting for an answer.

"Don't know why I ran. I just got nervous," Man-Man said.

"You got nervous," Officer Bradshaw repeated. "People with something to hide get nervous when they see the police." Officer Bradshaw studied Man-Man's face closely. "I know you. Jason Young I do believe there's a warrant out for your arrest."

Officer Castleberry sat inside the squad car and ran the name through her computer. They put Man-Man in the back seat while they checked his background. It looks like he's want for a 211. Man-Man knew that was code for armed robbery. He was sweating bullets after realizing he was on his way to jail. His situation was about to get worse as Officer Edwards approaching the squad car.

"Look what I found," Office Edwards said as he held up Man-Man's bag of pills and handgun.

Man-Man's heart dropped. He knew he wasn't getting out of the handcuffs anytime soon.

The next day, T-Zoe sat parked near Danny Boy's home, watching his every move. He hid behind the tinted windows of his Crown Vic. Danny Boy walked out of his home, heading to a nearby gym. He got into his Cadillac Escalade and pulled away, with T-Zoe trailing at a distance. Danny Boy turned the music up in his ride and fired up the blunt in his ashtray. He had no clue he was being followed, and T-Zoe constantly reminded himself to keep his distance so he wouldn't be spotted. The munchies got the best of Danny Boy, so he pulled into the drive-thru of Wings & More. T-Zoe drove past the restaurant, circled the block, and parked. There were two cars ahead of Danny Boy, which would allow him just enough time to put his plan into action. He removed the newly purchased .38 snub-nosed revolver from the glove compartment and placed it inside his jacket pocket.

T-Zoe jumped out of the Crown Vic and jogged over to the drive-thru lane, holding the gun in his pocket. He approached the Escalade from behind and pulled his ski mask over his face. As Danny Boy retrieved his food from the cashier, the girl screamed at the sight of the masked gunman.

Danny Boy turned his head to see what startled the teenager, and shots rang out from the passenger side window. Shattered glass and blood littered the seats of the Escalade as T-Zoe emptied out the revolver. Every shot found its mark, leaving Danny Boy dead behind the wheel.

T-Zoe quickly ran back to his car, gasping for air; his lung had not completely healed, which made it feel like he was suffering from a severe asthma attack. His chest was in excruciating pain as he fled the scene. A bystander witnessed the Crown Vic speeding away and dialed 911.

"911, what's your emergency?"

"There's been a shooting, and a black Crown Victorian just raced down the street."

"Where are you located?" the dispatcher asked.

The bystander gave the location of Wings & More, and all the squad cars in the area were notified.

T-Zoe's breathing slowly returned to normal as he calmed down. Normally he would smoke a blunt to relax, but his lungs weren't ready for any kind of smoking. He eased his foot off the gas pedal, as the distance grew greater between him and the crime scene. He wasn't in the clear just yet, as a squad car going in the opposite direction spotted the black Crown Vic. The police officer slammed on his breaks and whipped the car around. He turned on his siren and gave chase after T-Zoe.

"Oh shit," T-Zoe said with alarm. He stomped the gas pedal and maneuvered the Crown Vic like a pro, weaving in and out of traffic as he took the cop on a roller coaster of a chase. T-Zoe saw the highway in the distance and decided his best chance to escape would be the open road. He jumped on the highway and headed north. The cop followed him, but it was hard to keep up, so he radioed to the other units the direction the black Crown Vic was heading.

Officer Bradshaw was near the First Avenue North exit when he heard the black Crown Vic was heading in his direction. T-Zoe sped down the exit ramp with his tires squealing from a hard right hand turn. Officer Bradshaw saw the Crown Vic, flipped on his siren, and joined in the chase. T-Zoe raced toward his apartment, with plans to abandon the car once he was close enough to run the remaining distance. He slammed a hard right turn down an alley and hit the brakes. He hopped out of the car and jumped over a nearby fence, getting away as the two squad cars approached the Crown Vic. The officers had no way of knowing if someone was still inside the car or not because of the dark tinted windows.

With their lights still swirling, one of the officers spoke into his intercom: "Driver, step out of the car with your hands up!"

Only two blocks away, T-Zoe was running toward the fence behind his apartment complex. All he had to do now was climb the tall fence, and he was home free. Just then, Officer Bradshaw slammed on his brakes when he saw the black man leaping over the fence. It was now a foot race, as Officer Bradshaw ran toward T-Zoe with his gun drawn. T-Zoe tried his best to push his body toward the finish line, which was the safety of his home, but his ailing lung made it too difficult.

"Freeze motherfucker! Don't move!" Officer Bradshaw shouted.

T-Zoe held his hands up high, wheezing for air.

"Down on your knees!" the officer barked.

T-Zoe turned around to face the policeman, and then got down on his knees. Officer Bradshaw kept his gun trained on T-Zoe as he approached him. He patted T-Zoe's pockets in search of a weapon. He pulled the .38 revolver from his jacket pocket.

"Well, look what we have here," Officer Bradshaw said. He opened the revolver and saw that all the shells were empty.

"You're the black sum bitch we been chasing all around town," Officer Bradshaw said. "You're wanted for murder, boy!"

T-Zoe knew his time was up, as the consequences of his actions began to register in his mind. I'm going back to prison, he thought to himself, but Officer Bradshaw had other plans. He stepped back from T-Zoe, looked over his shoulder to make sure they were alone, turned back, and opened fire. There was no fair warning to the racially charged attack. Just Officer Bradshaw standing with and evil grin while squeezing the trigger.

T-Zoe took multiple bullets to the body before finally falling limp from a bullet wound to the head. He lay lifeless while Officer Bradshaw quickly wiped his prints off T-Zoe's empty revolver and placed it in the dead man's hand as sirens from the other squad cars grew louder. Officer Bradshaw readied his story as fellow police officers approached standing beside the dead body.

"What happened here?" Officer McGee asked.

Officer Bradshaw sounded remorseful as he began to tell his story. "I saw this guy running toward me, so I yelled, 'Freeze!' He drew his gun, and I had no choice but to put him down."

Being a black policeman, Officer Edwards immediately wondered whether Officer Bradshaw's story was true. He knew Bradshaw was racist from a few previous comments he heard him make. He also took notice at how rough he handled blacks during arrests.

"Did he shoot at you?" Officer Edwards asked.

"No," Officer Bradshaw replied. "I didn't give him a chance to."

Officer Edwards looked up from T-Zoe's dead body and stared into Officer Bradshaw's cold blue eyes. He was searching for the truth. He said, "This shooting needs to be thoroughly looked into."

Bradshaw rushed at Edwards and grabbed him by the shirt. "Are you trying to call me a liar, boy?" he snarled.

"If tha shoe fits, muthafucka," Edwards replied.

The other officers pulled the two men apart.

"All right now, that enough," Officer McGee shouted. "Edwards, that man was wanted for murder. It's not hard to believe he was ready to kill again. We're all on the same team here, and of course there will be a full investigation."

Officer Bradshaw felt he had nothing to worry about, because he was sure all his tracks were covered.

Meanwhile, Natalie was hard at work, wiping a table clean, when the television near her interrupted the program with breaking news. "This just in, there's been a high speed chase, which tragically ended in a shootout with police officers." Natalie's eyes grew wide as the television screen showed pictures of a black Crown Vic. "The twenty-five-year-old assailant, identified as Timmy Pearson, was fatally wounded, after leading officers on a high speed chase. He was wanted for questioning in the murder of Daniel Griffin."

Natalie screamed at the top of her lungs before hitting the floor with a loud thud. She fainted in front of customers and lay completely passed out on the floor.

"Somebody help! This lady needs help," a customer shouted.

Man-Man was sitting in his cellblock's media room when he saw the same report on the news. "Damn," he shouted. "Not my dog!"

Everyone in the cellblock looked over at Man-Man, who quickly wiped away his tears.

"Was dat yo homeboy, young blood?" one of the other convicts asked.

Man-Man tried to pull himself together as he replied, "Both of um was my partners." He struggled to keep his composure and left the media room, heading for his cell. He needed to be alone to process the loss of T-Zoe and Danny Boy. He realized his career as a criminal had come to an end, as he vowed right then to fly straight from then on. He had been charged with armed robbery, drug possession, and possessing a firearm, so he'd have plenty of time to think about a new career path while serving time—or so he thought.

The convict who had spoken to him in the media room, named Conrad, walked into Man-Man's cell.

"You okay, young blood?" Conrad asked.

Man-Man looked up at the muscular man; he didn't feel much like talking, so he kept his response short. "I'm good."

"I just wanted to tell you, keep yo head up," Conrad said. "We all got a time to go, some of us sooner than others. Ya feel me?"

"I feel ya," Man-Man said. He had absorbed Conrad's words of wisdom but still couldn't shake the fact that both his partners were dead.

"I see you really hurting, young blood, so I'mma leave you to yo thoughts," Conrad said. He extended his hand for some dap.

Man-Man knew better than to be friendly with a stranger, but he reluctantly sat up in his bunk and shook Conrad's hand. The expression on Conrad's face changed the moment Man-Man's hand was in his grasp. He snatched Man-Man up from his bunk and began to wrestle with him. Man-Man struggled to fight Conrad off, but he was no match for the bigger man. Conrad placed Man-Man in a headlock and squeezed his large bicep around his throat. Man-Man couldn't breathe as he struggled to free himself from Conrad's viselike grip.

"You gotta learn to smile, Jason," the ill-tempered convict said, pulling a razor from his waistband and carving Man-Man a permanent smile. Blood flowed from Man-Man's face as Conrad sliced open both corners of his mouth. "My nephew Poncho sends his regards," Conrad said. He dropped Man-Man to the floor and quickly walked out of the cell.

Police officers had informed Tammie of the DNA found on the glass, to see if she knew who Jason Young was. The first thing she did was tell Rashard, and he couldn't wait until Man-Man was arrested. Rashard knew his uncle Conrad was awaiting trial in the county jail and somehow he was able to get the word to him, through the grape vine. The moment Man-Man reached the county jail; there was a target on his back. Now he was staggering out of his cell, covered in blood. Guards rushed over to his aid, and the cellblock was put on lockdown until the perpetrator was found.

We all approach that fork in the road where the choice of left or right must be made. Our decisions not only impact us, they can have a lasting effect on the people closest to us as well. Rashard made the decision to neglect Kanisha, which drove her into the arms of another man. If Rashard had chosen the right road, maybe his good friend Dontrel would still be alive. Instead, Rashard is now serving twenty years in prison for murder.

Angel managed to find a silver lining in her dark cloud. She married the man of her dreams, despite the obstacles Henry placed in her path. She didn't let a turbulent childhood dictate her future. She married Justin and moved with him to Texas, where he plays for the Dallas Cowboys. Her mother, Camilla, divorced Henry and was awarded almost everything he owned. She chose to sell her house in Alabama and move to Dallas to be near Angel and her family.

T-Zoe left behind a broken-hearted girlfriend, who was now forced to raise their son as a single mother. Natalie eventually moved to Boston with her father. She enrolled in the nursing program at the University of Phoenix and received her associate's degree.

Man-Man needed eighty-five stitches to close the scar across his face. He never told the guards who assaulted him, in fear that he would be attacked again. He convinced a physician to diagnose him as a paranoid schizophrenia, so he could serve his six-year sentence in protective custody. He even joined the church in prison and started giving the Lord some of his time.

Last and least, Officer Bradshaw was cleared of any wrongdoing in the fatal shooting of T-Zoe. He was also awarded law enforcement honors for his bravery in the line of duty. He later was promoted to sergeant and continues to enforce the law with bias against Hispanics and blacks.

Eventually, everyone who does wrong to get ahead has their day of reckoning. Always remember, karma can sometimes be a bitch!

About the Author

Writing has become a strong passion of mine. I realized early on in my life that I had a talent for story telling, but never in my wildest dreams did I think I would write a book. I've lived a street life for so many years, and now I have this grand opportunity to share my experiences with the world. Growing up in Birmingham, Alabama, has presented challenges, and being raised in the projects has made it that much more difficult, but despite facing many obstacles, I now have the necessary edge to tell many exciting stories. I often say, "If you can survive here, you can thrive anywhere." I'm living proof that if you apply yourself and never succumb to defeat, your dreams can become a reality. God bless!

About the Book

The secrets we keep can sometimes have dire consequences. Three people with three different stories to tell make this a suspense-filled drama. In the first story, a drug dealer finds out the hard way that neglecting his lady for another woman can lead to betrayal in the worst way.

The second story is about a young woman who desperately tries to hide a terrible family secret. She slowly finds herself falling apart, as her secret gets bigger and bigger.

The third story ties all three stories together in an unpredictable way. T-Zoe learns that robbing for a living creates karma. Will this karma cost him his freedom, or possibly his life? Only time will tell.

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