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I tried to calm her down, but she couldn’t even hear meover her own ranting and raving. “This man came to my window and pointed a gun at me!”

“Solae, calm—”

“I had a gun to my head!”

“Baby, I know about the robbery. That’s why I’m rushing home right now. My mama just called to see how you were doing because she saw the news. I’ve been with Nell all day taking care of business, and I accidentally left my phone in my car. I should have used his phone to check in, but I didn’t think about it. I’m sorry, baby.”

She would believe that. Nell was my right hand, and we were often in the streets for hours getting money, and that was the excuse that I often gave her when I was with Aaliyah.

“When will you be home?” she asked, believing every word I’d said.

“I just got to my car. I met him in Indianapolis. We had to meet with some new clients out here and get them some work. It’s gonna take about three hours to get to the crib.”

That was about all the time I needed to get back out south, get the cash from Lavell, Nell, and Caine, and make it to the crib.

Like a good little girl, she was cool with it. “Okay. I’m craving some Wilma’s.”

“I’ll get you some on the way past the suburbs.”

“Thank you, baby.”

“I’ll see you in a minute. Love you.”

“Love you too.”

Hanging up, I blew a relieved breath.

Solae wasn’t a stupid woman, by any means. She had her shit together the best way she could, considering the hand that she was dealt. I knocked her up when she was fourteen. She was pregnant again by her senior year. She was a good kid. Shewas an honor roll student. Hell, she was even in the band. Even after having Essence, she kept her grades up. But once my son was born, going to college with two kids just wasn’t in the cards for her. Having to get a job at some fast-food restaurant devastated her, but she quickly worked her way up to a management position. Then she got a job opportunity at Chase bank about two years ago, and she was so smart that she quickly was promoted to a management position.

Solae’s problem was me. I buried my deceit so deep, she’d never find it. I could weave a lie so clean and perfect, she’d never see the seams. When I proposed, it wasn’t just about love, it was also to further assure her that she was the only woman in my life.

What she didn’t know was that I needed more than love. I needed control, power, and money. And keeping her right where I wanted her was part of that power.

I always wanted to be the richest nigga in the hood, flipping hundred-thousand-dollar cars with fly cribs all over the city. As a kid, I hustled for years, but my inability to manage my money between kids, multiple women, and stunting had prevented me from ever elevating to that status.

I’d dropped out of CVS High School before Solae even got there during her freshman year. While she was getting good grades in school, I was standing on corners and in front of convenient stores causing trouble. Solae thought I funded our lifestyle and my bar with dope money, but I was never really into selling drugs. It was just a more respectable hustle to claim than what I was truly doing.

I was a thief. From cars to money to other dope dealers’ product, I stole everything.

The money that I made from The Black Roomwas cool, but it wasn’t enough. I wanted the high life with foreign vehicles, lavish homes, and so much money that I could buy the hearts of as many women as I desired.

I was going to get that one way or the other. Either by stealing it or getting Moses a record deal.

Moses was a beast. I would hear him flowing with his friends when I went to my Aunt Tina’s house. I kept telling him that I was going to make him a star. I put a lot of my money into Steven, who I had given the stage name Moses, because his gutter street flow spoke to the audience like a prophet. We had been at this rap game since he was twenty-one. For the last two years, things had been slowly progressing. He was a hit in the streets. He was a well-known Chicago trap artist. He did shows here and there. We had a few videos on YouTube that had a lot of hits, resulting in his music popping up on a few mixtapes. His music had taken over the schools. The shorties loved the violence and ratchetness of his lyrics.

I just needed to get him popular outside of the hood, because if he got on, so did I.

With this money from the robbery, I could do that and then some. I would be able to shift Moses’ rap career into full speed.

For years, I never could figure out a way to get ahead for good, butthiswas it.

So, I had been milking Solae for information about the bank, while nonchalantly getting my own surveillance when dropping off money or lunch for her. Since I was her man, security was always lenient with me.

My phone started to ring again. When Aaliyah’s name flashed across the dash, I cringed. “Hello?”

“Hey baby.” Aaliyah sounded exhausted. I could hear Junior crying in the background. “When are you coming back?”

“In a few hours. The receptionist at the front desk said thatshe would let me back up if I get back after visiting hours. You hungry? I’m headed out South.”