“Hello?” I answered my phone.
 
 “What’s up, Moses?”
 
 “Yo’, what up? Who this?” I asked, not recognizing the number.
 
 “This is Eli, man. Just got your DM. How are you feeling?”
 
 I sat up, not believing that he had actually called me back. I figured that was a good sign. “More like myself. Still got some healing to do. The doctor says I should be outta here in about a week, though.”
 
 “That’s what’s up, man. You gettin’ back in the studio when you get out?”
 
 I caught Kahlani out the corner of my eye, straining to see who I was talking to.
 
 “That’s what I was calling you about. It’s time that I get some help. Being independent has gained me some fans, but I need more exposure. Rah told me that you were trying to get the execs at Interscope to listen to my music. You got anywhere with that?”
 
 There was an awkward silence. Then Eli started to stutter over his words. “I–I’m sorry, Moses, but I don’t know anything about that. Rah, your manager… I’ve never spoken to him personally.”
 
 I bit my bottom lip, cringing. “He never sent you my music?”
 
 “No. I actually just heard about you when news of your shooting went viral,” he replied with a nervous chuckle.
 
 “Okay,” I forced myself to speak over the embarrassment. “Well, thank you for hitting me back.”
 
 “No problem. Get well soon.”
 
 Defeated, I hung up.
 
 “I’m killing that nigga,” I growled.
 
 Seeing how suddenly enraged I was, Kahlani stood and rushed to my side. “What’s wrong, baby? What happened?”
 
 “I swear I’m putting him six feet deep.” I grabbed my phone and opened up my text message inbox.
 
 When she saw that I was hitting up my boy, Smoody, she gasped, and said, “No!” as she snatched the phone from me. Lucky for her, I was too weak to get out of that bed and get it back from her. She hurried away from me, knowing that as long as she was out of reach, I couldn’t get to that phone. “What are you hitting him up for? What’s wrong?”
 
 “That was the guy from Interscope. Rah was lying about everything! There wasn’t a meeting with Interscope. He played me! All of this was for nothing. The only reason I had his back all this time was because I thought he had mine. That’s the only reason why I was about to make that drop for Carlos that day. That’s the only reason why I...” I was about to open my mouth about going to Carlos’ crib with Rah that night, but I stopped myself. “...That’s the only reason I was still riding around with him the night I got shot,” I said instead. “I’ve been loyal to him this whole time because I thought he was helping me get to the fame, so I could make the unthinkable happen for you and our son. And he was lying. If he lied about the meeting with Interscope, ain’t no telling what else he’s been frontin’ about. It was all for nothing. You taking that case, me damn near dying; it was all for nothing.”
 
 There was so much sympathy in her eyes for me that I was even more embarrassed. I felt like a fool.
 
 “Baby, please calm down,” Kahlani begged me.
 
 But I hardly heard her and couldn’t look at her. I was seeingred. My past crimes may have been petty, but those were the ones that I had been caught doing. Kahlani knew that I was with the shit and knew some real killas. All I needed was for Smoody to bring me a banger so that I could find Rah’s room and take care of his lying ass.
 
 “Baby, please?” When I heard her voice cracking as if she was about to cry, I finally looked at her. “Please don’t do this. I hate Rah just as much as you do. I wish he was dead just as much as you do. But him being dead and you being in jail would do what for me and Trenton? I want you here with me, with us. And if you go to jail because of him, he wins and you and your family will suffer, just like Solae.”
 
 A MONTH LATER....
 
 21
 
 AALIYAH
 
 Ihad been living with Fabe for a month now. Things were good. It was awkward learning each other more intimately, but our chemistry won over the awkwardness every time. He was a good man to me and a great father to Junior. It had taken me some time to get used to trusting that he loved me, despite everything, but I was working on it. For weeks, this man showed me what a real man, love, and real chemistry was. Yet, I still hadn’t gotten used to him waking me up like this in the morning.
 
 “Mmmm!” I moaned with my eyes closed, enjoying the feeling of his concrete stiff erection plunging in and out of my slippery center.
 
 I wanted to do more than moan. I wanted to tell him how much I loved him. I wanted to tell him how good the dick was. But I kept my lips closed tight, in fear that my morning breath would seep out into his nose and make this good dick go soft. “Mmmmuph!”
 
 This dick was so good. He was on top of me with all hisweight on me, as he reached under me, spreading my ass open, allowing his dick to slide deeper in my pussy that was leaking from cumming over and over again.