“H_ello.”

“Hey, Tommy, everything is okay,” Morgan said.
“How far are you away?”
“About three hours.”
“Three hours? You should be here by now. Are you sure everything

is okay?”
“Yeah, Tommy everything is fine.”
“Are you calling me from your cell phone?”
“Yes,” Morgan said.
“Your number never came up private before.”
“Tommy, would you like for me to call you again?”
“No. I’m just wondering.”
“Hey, Tommy, did you hear what happened to Jenny?” Morgan

said, trying to change the subject.
“No. What happened?”
“She died on the plane.”
“How do you know?”
“Her family called me and told me.”
“Damn, that’s a tragedy.”
“I hear that they found X in her system.”
“Is that right?”
“Yeah, she would often steal X from you guys.”
“Why are you talking like that?”
“Like what?”
“Talking about drugs and shit. I don’t fuck with no X.” “I’m sorry.”
“Hey, Morgan, you aint sounding right; is the cops with you?” “Hell no!”
“Call me back; I want to see your number on my caller ID.” Tommy

hung up the phone.”
Morgan turned to Ken and Mark. “Where is my cell phone?” “It’s with the evidence.”
“Can you get it? He’s suspicious.”
“Yeah, he’s smart.”
It took Ken five minutes to get Morgan’s cell phone. When he

entered the interrogation room, he handed it to her and she called Tommy again.
“Hello.”

“Did my number show up this time?”
“Yeah, I guess you must have been in a bad area.”
“Yeah, okay, like I was saying, where do you want me to come

see you?”
“I don’t know; I’ll call you back with that?” Tommy said then hung
up the phone.

JoJo’s number appeared on Tommy’s cell phone. What the fuck does this nigga want? I done told his punk ass I don’t want to have nothing to do with him. Tommy pushed the button to send him to voice mail.

This time Tommy answered. “Yeah, what do you want? I don’t fuck with you; Twin handles your side of the business.”
“I want to talk.”
“About what?”
“I want to talk about us, man. You know we’ve been friends too long to be at odds with each other over some bullshit.”
“Okay, stealing my woman is some bullshit?”
“Tommy, you want Nia to be faithful to you, but have you been faithful to her?”
“That’s beside the point.” Tommy hung the phone up.
JoJo called again.
“Hello.”
“Tommy, did you know that Jenny died?”
“Yeah, I know she died.”
“Man, we need to at least be on speaking terms before something bad happens to one of us.”
“Joe, man, this is it. After the packgage makes it, I’m off to Cali. You can stay here with your wife. You got her, buddy.”
“Tommy—”
Tommy hung up the phone.

Alicia called Tommy but he sent her to voicemail. There was simply too much going on right now to be somewhere cuddled up with her. A white woman had died—of an overdose of ecstasy. Ecstasy that he’d paid for with his own money. He figured the feds were probably checking her phone records to see whom she’d been in contact with. Hell, they knew she was Twin’s girlfriend. There was nothing good that could possibly come out of that. Tommy went home and changed his clothes. He wanted to go somewhere to think; he needed solitude. He wanted to go to the lake but decided against it when Twin showed up at his house.

“What’s up, Twin?”
“Nothing, man.” Twin began to pace.
Tommy could tell that there was a lot on his mind.
“I’m just so fucked up, man. You know I just can’t believe that my

baby is gone.”
“I know, right? I don’t know what to do, either. I mean, the other
white chick called me. She was acting real weird, saying shit she
shouldn’t have been saying on the phone.”
“Shit like what.”
“Suggesting that Jennifer stole some X from us.”
Twin’s face became serious. “Do you think she’s been busted?” “I don’t know, but she’s claiming she’s going to be here in three
hours.”
“She should have been here by now.”
“I know. That’s why I don’t know about meeting her. She knows
about Jenny.”
“How did she know that?”
“Says Jenny’s family called her.”
Twin sat on Tommy’s sofa. “Well, there is no way for me to check
that because her stupid-ass mom won’t talk to me.”
*****

Tommy was about to get in his car when someone called out his name. When he turned to see who was calling him, he recognized the man immediately. It was J-Black, the man who’d robbed him twice.

J-Black was smiling and holding a chrome handgun.
Tommy took a step back, still watching the gun.
“Let’s go back upstairs.”
“Hey, man, I aint got no drugs or money.”
“Nigga, don’t tell me what you ain’t got; just take me upstairs.” Once inside the apartment, J-Black ordered Tommy to stand to

the side with his hands on his head. “If you take your hands off your head, I’mma blast your ass.”
“I’m telling you, there ain’t shit in here.”
“Shut the fuck up,” J-Black said. He searched Tommy. “Okay, where is it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The dope, nigga, don’t play dumb with me.” J-Black cocked the hammer of the handgun.
“Listen, man, don’t kill me. I’m telling you the truth; there ain’t shit here.”
A sudden hardness appeared on J-Black’s face. “Okay, where is that punk ass Twin? I know that coward done moved or something.”
“I don’t know where Twin is.”
“Oh, you trying to take up for this nigga? This is the same nigga that told me where the fuck you lived.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The first time I robbed your bitch ass for those bricks.”
“What about it?”
“Twin put me up on that, and we split the dough.”
“I don’t believe that.”
J-Black chuckled. “You’re a simple-minded nigga. Just think about it. First I rob you, then I rob your boy’s sister’s house, then I rob you again and nobody had ever robbed Twin. Why do you think this is so?”
Tommy couldn’t concentrate for a moment.
“So where the fuck is Twin?”
“I don’t know.”
J-Black placed the gun to Tommy’s temple.
Tommy’s cell phone rang. “I need to answer my phone.”
J-Black gritted his teeth. “No, nigga, you need to answer me. Where the fuck is Twin?”
Tommy felt the cold steel against his head. His whole life flashed before him—peewee football games, elementary school parties, high school dances, his mother’s funeral.
“I’mma count to three; if you ain’t told me where I can find Twin, I’m going to blow your fucking block off.”
“Hey, I don’t know but I can find out,” Tommy said anxious to punish Twin himself.
J-Black lowered the gun.
Tommy called Twin on his cell phone.
Twin answered on the first ring. “Yo, nigga, I’ve been trying to call you.”
“Yeah, what’s up?”
“On the news they are saying that Paige was suspected of being part of a large drug trafficking ring.”
“Shit.”
“Tommy, I called a minute ago to see if my wallet came out of my pocket when I was sitting on your sofa.”
“Yeah, it did. I can bring it to you where are you staying?”
“The Holiday Inn, Carowinds Boulevard. Room 417.”
“I’ll be over in twenty minutes.”

Twin opened the door and flinched when he saw J-Black pointing a nine-millimeter at his head.
“What are you doing here?”
“I’m here for what’s mine.”
“How did you find out I was here?”
“You got some really good friends.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I guess old Fatboy must’ve decided to give you up, since you gave him up.” J-Black shoved Twin inside and closed the door behind him. “Nigga, put your hands on your head.”
Twin complied.
“I need some money and I need it fast.”
“I ain’t got shit.”
J-Black slapped Twin with the butt of the gun.
Twin fell on the sofa holding his head. “I ain’t got shit, Black, I swear to you.”
J-Black stuck the barrel of the handgun in Twin’s mouth. “Pretend you’re sucking a dick, nigga.”
Twin gagged.
J-Black pulled the gun from Twin’s mouth.
Twin gasped for air.
“I want you to lick this gun like you’re licking the shaft of a dick, or else I’mma blow your fucking brains out.”
“I ain’t doing that shit.”
J-Black cocked the hammer back, turned his head sideways, and aimed. “You ain’t gonna do what?”
Twin stuck his tongue out then started licking the gun.
J-Black smiled. “Now that’s what I’m talking about, pussy-ass nigga.”
Twin’s saliva covered the barrel.
J-Black unzipped his pants and began to stroke himself.
Twin stopped. “This shit is disgusting. What are you, some kind of homo?”
“Keep licking the gun or else ...”
“I can’t do it. You’ll just have to shoot me and hope nobody at this hotel hears the shot.”
J-Black pulled the trigger.
The bullet entered the center of Twin’s face and tore through the back of his head. He was lifeless by the time he crashed face down on the floor.
J-Black began to feel nauseous when he saw Twin’s brain bits on the wall. He zipped his pants up. He hated the fact that Twin had provoked him. There was no time to search the hotel room. It was time to go.