Page 81 of Love's Most Wanted

AJ swallowed a lump in his throat before he bobbed his head very slightly to agree to my fucking terms.

“I’ll give her shit back as soon as I get home.”

I wanted to threaten his ass to come back on set and film, but I knew that shit was more difficult to pull off. We’d all learned from Block that it was harder to implement long term shit with a threat. Threats were for quick, one-time needed results, nothing recurring.

“Nah we gon’ do it right now,” I said and before he could protest, I sent my free fist into his stomach, folding his bitch ass up. As he crumbled to the floor, I tucked my heat and pulled his iPhone from his pocket, then put it to his face to unlock the shit asking, “Where her shit at? I know you got it saved.”

“Notes app,” he grunted, holding his stomach and whimpering.

For the next minute, I located her new passwords and shit he’d set, which was fairly easy since the shit was at the top of the notes list, then shot them off to Kabrina via email.

Squatting down to where he was laid on the concrete I said, “Keep playing with me, bitch nigga, and you gon’ learn some shit for real.”

He winced when I dropped that heavy ass iPhone onto his face, stepped over him, and pressed the fuck on.

* * *

Shutting my engine down outside of Shakur’s spot, I picked up my ringing iPhone, seeing that it was my agent.

“Audrey. What’s good?”

“Well congratulations on booking the lead role inThe Players.” I could hear her smiling, and it made me do the same.

The movie was paying pretty well—around six hundred thousand, which wasn’t where I wanted to be, but it would keep me afloat whileDough Boyzwas figured out.

Every time I thought about that shit, I wanted to snap AJ’s fucking neck. But I had to remember Audrey’s words and my wife’s words. At the end of the day, nothing was more important than getting to where I’d been working to get. And being a superhero was a top-of-the-line acting gig, especially when it was a Prevail Studios superhero.

As for pulling a gun on that nigga and folding him up like a lawn chair, I had to. Seeing my KK down over her shit wasn’t gon’ fly for a nigga. It was one thing for his bitch ass to mess with me and I allow the shit for the time being. But it was a whole nother fucking thing for him to fuck with my wife. Plus, Kabrina nor Audrey would ever know. Or so I fucking hoped.

“It’s an ensemble cast, Audrey. Me and three other niggas are the lead.”

“Regardless, Unique, there were only four lead roles, and you booked one of them. A lot of actors wanted in on this movie. It’s going to be big. You just watch. The world has been waiting for more black films like this that aren’t about our people struggling, pushing poison, or being mistreated.”

“I hear you.” I nodded. “That’s why I took it. I fucked with the message.”

The Playerswas a movie about four brothers who all refused to settle down, until their pops dies. In order to get their inheritance, they needed to not only get married but have a kid. It wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was a way to show a nigga was versatile and could do more than play an iron-fisted drug dealer.

“Good. So then since you’ll take the role, I need you to come in and go over the contracts soon. Your schedule is open Friday. Does that work? Maybe around noon?”

“Before you get the contract, I need something added.”

“But you haven’t even seen it, Unique. Also, it is agoodcontract. You get all your money up front and?—”

“Ain’t got nothing to do with the money. I know you got my back on that shit. I need them to hire Kabrina.”

“Who?”

“My wife.”

“Your wife? Nigga, are you okay? You’re not married. Last time I checked, you were playing house with two black bimbos.”

“Ha. Ha. But nah, I uh, got married some months back. It was an accident, but we gon’ roll with the shit and see how it goes.”

Audrey chuckled that chuckle she always gave me when she was about to read a nigga.

“Okay, well congratulations, Unique. However, that is not how things work in Hollywood. They want you for this role, but you cannot come in making demands. What part would they even give her? All roles have been filled. They are ready to start filming next month.” I could hear the panic in her voice.

“Not as an actress but on the crew for makeup.”