Page 83 of Perfect Rhythm

“Look, Enzo isn’t all there. I’ve witnessed him do some crazy shit, and I don’t want you to get mixed up in what he has going on.”

“Crazy shit like what?”

I lined up the power drill with the screw, holding it steady. “You’re really going to make me tell you?”

“If you want me to stop being mad at you, yes.”

My shoulders sank.

As much as I wanted to protect my sister from the bullshit, I was starting to realize that keeping her in the dark probably wasn’t the answer.

I placed the drill back down on the floor and let out a deep sigh. “Enzo’s been in the music business for a while, and for the most part, if you want a hit, he’s the person you want to connect with.”

Nodding, Jassi folded her arms over her chest. “Okay.”

“I linked up with him shortly after I released my first single, and I was excited as hell to be working with him. Shit, who wouldn’t be?” I shrugged. “The first few weeks after meeting up, we kicked it pretty hard. He’s big on throwing parties, so I was hanging with him damn near every night. Getting drunk,hooking up with different women...all that shit. My ass was living the life. But all that changed in an instant.”

I swallowed hard, throat tightening as the memory forced its way to the surface.

“What happened?”

“One night, we were at the studio, and I saw him bring in these young chicks. And when I say young, I’m talking really young. Like, fresh out of junior high going into high school, young.”

Jassi frowned. “What? Eww.”

“Right. I thought I was tripping, so I asked him if he checked their IDs. But I didn’t need an ID to know they were too damn young to be in a room full of grown ass niggas. But he pretty much told me he didn’t give a damn about any of that because he loved breaking young bitches in.”

“Wait a minute, so are you telling me that Enzo is a fucking pedophile?”

“Oh, that’s not even the half of it.” I started working on the desk again. “I was pretty lit, so I was waiting for my driver to pick me up and take me to the crib. I wasn’t about to sit around and watch him fuck off with little girls. But while I was waiting outside, I saw Enzo drag one of them out of the studio. He was beating the shit out of her…I’m talking fist to the face.”

Jassi gasped, her hand slamming against her mouth. “Please tell me you?—”

“I sure the fuck did. I knocked that nigga on his ass and showed him what a fist felt like against his own damn face. It took everyone in the building to get me off of him.”

“What did he do?”

“He didn’t do shit. I mean, he tried to claim that he would fuck up my career, but at the time, I had the number one song in the country. Not to mention, he knew who I had connections with.” I shrugged. “So, I wasn’t really fucked up.”

Laughing, my sister shook her head. “When you say connections, are you referring to who I think you’re referring to?”

“Damn right…and he wasn’t ready for the kind of shittheybe on. So, long story short, he don’t fuck with me, and I don’t fuck with him.”

“And the girl?”

I shook my head. “I tried to help her and give her a ride to the hospital. But she told me to go fuck myself and then went back in the studio with Enzo.”

“Damn, really?”

“Yep. At first, I was shocked. I even reached out to my manager at the time and let him know what was up. But he didn’t seem to care either. He pretty much laughed it off and told me that Enzo was just being Enzo.”

“Wow.”

I nodded. “That’s when I learned that because of who he was, that nigga could get away with anything, and I didn’t want any parts of it. So, that’s why I was clowning the other night. I was truly looking out for you.”

She sighed. “I wish you would’ve just told me that. I could’ve made the right decision on my own.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”