“We’ll see.”

  “I’m not just talking, Jada.”

  “Can we talk about something else?”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t want to get my hopes up too high and then get disappointed.”

  “What makes you think I’ll disappoint you?”

  “It just doesn’t seem right. I’ve asked you to come meet my mama and you don’t want to meet her.”

  “It’s not the right time.”

  “She won’t judge you. She knows the kind of men I like. She knows I don’t date good guys.”

  He laughed and said, “You don’t think I’m good?”

  “I do, but what I mean is that you’re a street nigga.”

  “I want to get this case behind me and you can start popping out babies.”

  “Damn! You’ve done a 360. When I first met you, it was you didn’t have time for a relationship and you seemed to be content with one kid.”

  “You mean a 180.” He grinned, “ I thought about my legacy. I thought about my son being in this world by himself and it was scary.”

  She removed his belt and wrestled with him and took possession of his manhood.

  He said, “What are you doing?”

  She said, “Well, if you’re going to be making these babies, you’re going to need some practice, sir.”

  “Is that so?”

  She took a knee and he entered her mouth.

  ***

  Ava and Jada sat in the living room watching House of Cards when Shamari arrived with a bag of cash that Jada was to give to Fresh inside a Neiman’s shopping bag. He handed over the cash to Jada and he noticed Ava smiling at him and he said, “Who is that?”

  “Nobody.”

  “She’s a cutie.”

  “Trust me, you don’t want those problems.”

  “Hating, Jada Simone?”

  “Never.”

  Ava glanced in his direction. Shamari made his way into the living room area and introduced himself. “I’m Shamari.”

  “Ava.”

  Jada interrupted, “My ex.”

  Ava smiled and said, “Great. I see that y’all are on good terms. I wish I could be like that with my ex.”

  “Mari is like my best friend.”

  Ava said, “He’s a cutie. You shouldn’t have let him go.”She winked at Shamari.

  Shamari was standing there, smiling and looking stupid as hell. He’d gotten a chance to check Ava’s shapely legs out and he wondered about the rest of her body. Did she have curves? What did the ass look like? He wished that she would stand up. She was pretty enough that he knew that he would definitely fuck her.

  Jada said, “Shamari, we were in here having girl talk. Hit me up later.”

  Shamari shook Ava’s hand again. “Hope to see you again.”

  Then he left the house and Jada trailed him outside.

  “What the fuck was that all about Shamari?”

  “What was what all about?”

  “That ‘I hope to see you again ’bullshit?”

  “You have a man, and I know this girl ain’t your bestie. So what’s wrong if I fucked with her? I’m single, boo!”He smiled and it irritated the hell out of her.

  “It’s the principle.”

  He laughed. “What kind of principle do you have? Your new man and your old man are hustling together.”

  “That’s different.”

  “Why is it different?”

  Jada was quiet. Shamari was right, but there was so much that he didn’t know about this girl that she didn’t have time to explain.

  “Quit blocking, Jada.”

  “Huh?”

  “Ava is grown. She can tell me if she don’t want me or not.”

  “Look, this girl is on the run.”

  “Like Fresh?”

  “No, she’s running from D-Boys in North Carolina. She took some money from them.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Bye, Shamari.”

  Jada returned to the living room and Ava was still watching House of Cards. She looked up when she saw Jada, “So you and your ex still have a pretty good relationship?”

  “Yeah.”

  “He still buys you things, I see.”

  “Huh?”

  Ava eyed the Neiman Marcus bag that contained the money for Fresh.

  Jada laughed and said, “Well, I was having him take some things back for me and he said he didn’t have time.”

  “Oh.”

  “Yeah.”Jada disappeared into the bedroom and when she returned, Ava said, “I can see he still cares for you.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I wouldn’t have let him go.”

  “Do you want to fuck my ex? I saw how you was looking at him.”Jada’s bluntness startled Ava.

  “I would never do that.”

  “Please, girl! I know your type.”Jada laughed.

  “Because we’re the same.”Ava laughed.

  Jada picked up the phone and dialed Shamari’s number. He answered and she passed Ava the phone.

  Ava didn’t say anything. She was nervous. She wanted to talk to Shamari, but she was sure that Jada was upset with her. She passed Jada the phone back.

  Shamari said, “Hello?”

  “Look, I want you to talk to my friend Ava. She’s a nice girl. I’m going to text you her number.”

  “What?”This made absolutely no sense to him. Jada didn’t want him to talk to her earlier. What the fuck was going on?

  Jada hung the phone up and texted Shamari Ava’s number.

  ***

  Shamari arrived at Fresh’s place. He needed more coke. Lots more. The product that Fresh had was pure and the streets wanted it. He had connected with some of his old friends including a guy that he had met in prison named Ty. Plus his lazy-ass brother-in-law was making a lot of sales instead of bumming off his sister. At the prices Fresh was giving Shamari, he was able to give it to Hunch for a better price than Hunch could find anywhere in Georgia.

  Fresh passed Shamari a suitcase with ten kilos in it. Shamari was about to head out to the car when he said, “Fresh, do you know Ava?”

  “No? Who is that?”

  “One of Jada’s friends, I saw her at Jada’s the other day and I was trying to holler but Jada was hating.”

  Fresh rubbed his chin. “Why?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of Jada.”

  Hearing him say that he would take care of Jada kind of pissed him off. Fresh was taking care of the lady that was once his.

  “You like her?”asked Fresh.

  “That motherfucker is gorgeous.”

  “Go for it, bruh.”

  Shamari grinned. “I have her number already. I’m going to hit her up.”

  “Good for you, homie. Look I have a question for you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well, you know about my situation. About me being on the run and shit.”

  “Yeah.”

  “I want to go see my homie that’s locked up, but I don’t have an ID.”

  “You need a bogus one?”

  “Exactly.”

  “I can get you one.”

  “Good because I need to see him.”

  Shamari scrolled through his phone to find Scooter’s contact information, Scooter was the guy who had gotten the fake ID for Black that allowed Black to visit him in prison.

  CHAPTER 9

  The peach-colored Victoria Beckham dress was glued to Ava’s body. Shamari marveled at Ava’s shapely legs and bubble-shaped ass. Tom Ford heels clacked as the entered Morton’s steakhouse. A rail-thin, blond hostess led them to a booth in the back of the restaurant. Ava ordered a glass of Riesling.

  “Jada tells me that you’re from Charlotte,” Shamari said.

  “Yeah.”

  “Never been there.”

  “It’s only four hours away.”

  “So what’s up there besides the Carolina Panthers and your fine ass?”

  “I’m here,” she giggled.

  “That’s right. So there is no reason for me to go there.”

  “My parents are there.”She sipped her Riesling “It’s an up and coming city. I love it because it’s a city with a small town vibe. Very suburban.”

  “What brings you here?”Shamari wanted to know if she was going to tell him about the people that were after her.

  “Change of scenery.”

  “Running from a bad marriage or something?”

  “Running? Why would I be running?”

  He laughed and said, “It’s just a figure of speech, ma. I didn’t mean that you were literally running.”He then said. “Are you running?”

  “No.”

  The waiter dropped the food on the table—two thick porterhouse steaks medium well —hint of pink on the interior, with creamed corn.

  He bit into his steak and she said, “So what about you? Why did you and Jada break up?”

  “It was never right from the start. It was more of a brother-and-sister relationship.”

  She flashed her beautiful teeth. Her smile made his heart skip a beat.

  “But you fucked her. You didn’t fuck Tangie, did you?”

  “How did you know my sister’s name?”

  “When you left, you said ‘Tangie, I’ll be right back. ’I listen.”

  “You do. Back to Jada. It was never right. But I love her and I’ll still do for her. And vice versa. I met her new man.”

  “What do you feel about him?”

  “He’s cool.”

  “I can’t believe she let you get away.”

  “Let’s not talk about Jada. Let’s talk about Shamari and Ava.”

  She smiled again. His dick pulsated. He wanted to rip that dress off her, and later that night, in a Kroger parking lot, he did exactly that. He yanked her bra off. She had a handful of tits with beautiful nipples that stood erect. She stopped his hands from traveling down to her thighs, tugging at her yellow panties fringed with lace.

  “I can’t.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I don’t do one-night stands.”

  “Who said it was a one-night stand? Hell, you can come pick me up tomorrow and we can do this all over again.”

  She laughed.

  “What’s the problem?”

  “I don’t want you to leave me.”

  “I like you, Ava. You know you want me.”His hands were now back between her thighs.

  “I do want you.”

  “What’s wrong, babe?”

  “Take it slow.”

  He removed his package from his pants and said, “Jerk me off.”

  She began to jerk his dick. He was erect and his dick was thick, juicy, and veiny. The engine was still running. She turned off the ignition and took him deep inside her mouth. After she gave him oral, she reclined on the seat and he fingered her until she came. They climbed into the backseat and he fucked her savagely. He yanked her hair and he climaxed on her big beautiful ass.

  ***

  Fresh and Q were separated by a glass partition. They stared at each other before Q finally cracked a smile. “I didn’t know who you were,” Q said.

  Fresh had visited under the alias Malcom Boulware. “How you doing?”

  “So so.”

  “Bruh! It’s rough out here.”

  “I called Houston and I heard about what happened.”Q spoke of the two murders. They had known each other long enough that they didn’t need to speak to understand each other.

  “I ain’t have no choice,” he sighed.

  “I understand.”

  “Do you need me to do anything for you?”

  “Have you seen Starr?”

  “No.”

  “Can you go see her for me?”

  “And tell her what?”

  “Tell her I’m innocent.”

  Fresh nodded. “Do you need any money?”

  “Money is on my books and my attorneys.”

  “Who is your attorney?”

  “I have two.”

  “Their names?”

  “William Hansen and Mike Ferguson.”

  “Fire them both and get Joey Turch.”

  “I’ve heard that name around the jail.”

  “He’s the best. Black swore by him and I’ve been talking to Shamari and he swears by him too.”

  “Who?”

  “Jada’s ex.”

  “You friends with her ex?”

  “No, just working together.”

  “You said Black swore by him. Past tense.”

  “Black is gone.”

  “What do you mean gone?”

  “Flat-lined.”

  “You’re lying.”Q wondered whether a member of the cartel killed Black. He remembered that Fresh had thought Black had something to do with Diego’s murder.

  Q stared at Fresh and was silent. His eyes asked Fresh whether he had anything to do with the murder.

  Fresh said, “Not on us.”

  “Good.”

  Fresh couldn’t believe that he said good because the last time they had spoken of Black, Q had wanted him dead to prove to the cartel that Fresh didn’t kill Diego even though he and Gordo were plotting to kill Diego.”

  “Yeah, he’s gone.”

  “Damn.”

  Fresh looked at the clock behind him, and Q said, “Can you do me that favor?”

  “What?”

  “Go see Starr for me?”

  “Ok.”

  ***

  “There is this dude that my brother-in-law knows from South Carolina. Wants to buy sixteen kilos, but he wants them in halves.”Shamari said to Fresh.

  “Okay, put them in halves for him.”

  “I can’t. I’m staying with my sister and she be tripping and shit. I can’t bring that shit back to her house.”

  Fresh looked at Shamari side-eyed. “Why don’t you have your own place? You have the money for it.”

  “You don’t know what I’ve got.”

  “I know everything. I know that Black left Jada two hundred thousand dollars for you.”

  “How do you know that?”he said. “Oh ya, I forgot. You fuckin’ my ex.”

  Fresh didn’t respond and Shamari resented him.

  “Look, can you help me or not? I mean I don’t need you. You asked me to help you out.”

  Fresh knew it was true. He needed Shamari.

  “I’ll help.”

  “Good.”

  “I’m sorry, bruh. I got a lot of shit on my mind.”

  “I understand and trust me, this shit is aggravating to me too, but this country-ass nigga is buying a lot of weight.”

  “I got you.”

  Awkward silence.

  “So did you fuck shorty, yet?”Fresh said, trying to lighten the mood.

  “I don’t kiss and tell.”

  “So you didn’t hit it?”

  “I ain’t say all that.”

  “That was fast.”

  “She’s cool.”

  “You like her?”

  Shamari used a red box cutter and ripped into the silver duct tape of the kilo.

  “I like her. Seems cool.”

  Fresh said, “It’s funny. I ain’t never seen Jada with this girl. You got a picture?”

  Shamari removed his phone from his pocket and presented Fresh with the picture.

  Fresh studied the picture. Ava was standing in front of a full-length mirror in a purple G-string. “Damn! Baby girl is gorgeous with a banging body.”

  CHAPTER 10

  At one p.m., Jada and Ava sat across from each other in a booth at the back of the restaurant.

  “So you fucked him?”Jada asked. She had spoken to Fresh earlier in the day and he had insinuated that Shamari had fucked her. They had had a conversation about her not wanting Shamari to be with Ava because Jada thought that Ava was bad news. Fresh had said that it was too late and she kept asking him what he had meant by that. He never responded so Jada took that as they had had sex.

  Jada startled Ava. “I didn’t fuck him,”Ava said.

  “You’re lying.”

  “Why do I have to lie to you?”

  “You don’t.”

  “Why is it your business?”

  “It’s not my business.”Jada sipped her Arnold Palmer. “You move fast.”

  “And so do you.”

  “Nobody is after me to kill me.”

  “That was low,” Ava said. Then she paused. “Jada, there is something that you should know about me. I might look cute, but I’ll fuck you up.”

  “I’m damn sure not the bitch to fuck with,” Jada said.

  Jada dumped a pack of Splenda into her Arnold Palmer. “Look, I’m sorry for what I said.”

  They locked eyes. “Do you have a problem with me and Shamari seeing each other?”Ava asked. “I mean, you’re the one that hooked it up. So, Jada, do you have a problem? I don’t know if I could be cool with my ex seeing somebody that I know.”

  “I’m good.”

  “So why bring it up?”

  “To see would you tell me.”

  “What did he tell you?”

  “He didn’t tell me anything.”

  “Okay, then.”

  “Look, I just don’t want him to get hurt.”

  “Shamari can handle himself.”

  ***

  Inside the grand ballroom of the Hyatt hotel, Stunna held his 34th birthday, sixty guests and a DJ were packed inside. Stunna sat at the head of his table with his two kid’s mothers, who were now best friends. Money had that effect on people. He had invited Starr but she declined, she didn’t want to be anywhere near Micky. who was there of course with Goldie and Kelsey, ‘her bitches’.

  Everyone sang happy birthday to Stunna and afterwards they danced. Instead of giving him gifts, Stunna had taken the liberty to get all the guests gifts. He was always generous and always the one with all the flash. Besides, he was the richest man in the room. What could they possibly get him? Inside the gift bags, there were presidential Rolexes.

  “This is some real boss shit, right here,” Goldie said.

  Micky was smiling. “That’s how my big brother get down.”

  “I love it.”

  Micky nudged her and said, “Don’t get too thirsty. You belong to me.”

  Stunna approached a podium that was now near the front where the DJ was situated. He ordered one of his lieutenants to make sure the door was closed. He stood in the front of the room like he was the CEO of a major company.