“Bullshit!” Rik said, looking at Letoya as if she were out of her mind. “This is a setup.”

Davis shoved Rik up against a clothing rack. “This ain’t no bullshit, boy! You either cooperate with us, or we’ll make your life a living hell. You got that?”

Rik nodded.

“Good.” Ellington stuffed one of her cards into Rik’s pocket. “If she agrees, you contact me ASAP. You got that?”

Rik nodded.

Ellington and Davis turned and exited the store. Davis turned to his partner. “There ain’t no way in hell we’re letting him keep that money.”

Ellington nodded. “I know, but it sounded good, right?”

Davis laughed and climbed into the car.

Inside, Rik straightened out his clothing. What the fuck is wrong with the police? Those two must be out their minds. If they think for one second that they’re getting in on my meal ticket, they can forget it. There was no way he was calling them, or doing anything else for them or with them. He pulled the detective’s card from his pocket, tore it up, and tossed it over his shoulder. He was here to enjoy himself, relax, and shop, and that was exactly what he planned to do.

The Clam Bar and Pat’s Cheese Steaks in South Philly was where everyone hung out on the weekend, especially after the clubs closed down at two in the morning. Grabbing something to eat and hanging out on the smaller streets of South Philly was a longstanding Saturday night ritual for Philly’s young hip-hop partygoers. Showing off their new clothes or skimpy outfits and their souped-up cars with shiny rims was the thing to do.

And if you were a female, being with a hot boy was also the thing to do. Kevvy Kev’s 5.0 Mustang Convertible GT made him a hot boy, and that was one of the reasons Bria made him her boyfriend. Kevvy Kev’s 5.0 was burgundy, with a ground-effects kit and a massive whale tail in the back. It was sitting on seventeen-inch all-gold Daytons that matched the car’s peanut-butter interior and gold trim. And Kevvy Kev’s stereo system was off the chain as well. Without a doubt, Kevvy Kev had the cleanest ride on the scene every weekend. Bria loved to be seen inside that car, especially when the top was down and the system was booming. They would joyride for hours, riding around the city aimlessly.

Tonight Kevvy Kev had the top down, and everybody was out and about. The weather had finally cleared, and for the first time in a long time the stars were visible.

“What do you want outta here?” Kevvy Kev asked.

“Get me a cheese steak with fried onions, mayonnaise, ketchup, and salt and pepper. And get some cheese fries and a Pepsi,” Bria told him.

Kevvy Kev climbed out of the car, and Bria caressed his behind. She loved herself some Kevvy Kev. And so did a lot of other girls, she knew. She had already gotten into four fights over him, but that was okay, because to her he was worth fighting for. Kevvy Kev had the most dreamy brownish-green eyes that a girl could ever imagine. She loved it when he sat between her legs while she cornrolled his long hair, and he would stare up at her with those damn emeralds he called eyes. And those lips of his were the sexiest lips she had ever come across. She loved to suck on them; they felt like orange slices in her mouth. She was getting wet just thinking about how fine and how cute he was.

“Hey, Bria!”

She turned to see who was calling to her. A car filled with football players from her high school pulled into the parking lot next to her.

“What’s up, baby?” one of them, a guy named Troy, asked her. “When you gonna drop that half-breed zero and get with this hero?”

“When that hero gets his own car and stops riding in the backseat of somebody else’s.”

“Oh, it’s like that, huh?” Troy asked.

“Troy, you not even riding shotgun yet; you still backseat, right passenger side window.”

The rest of the guys in the car started clowning Troy.

“Bria, you know you fine as hell,” the driver told her.

“Marcus, don’t even start, ’cause you know me and Stephanie is friends. And you know I’ll tell her everything that you say to me.”

“Girl, why you tripping?” Marcus asked.

“Where is Brianna’s fine ass at?” J-Roc asked.

Bria shrugged. “I don’t know; what I look like, her keeper or something?”

“Here come your busted-ass nigga!” Troy told her. “You need to come and get some of this pure black Mandingo, and leave those Vienna sausages alone!”

The boys cranked up their car and pulled away laughing. Kevvy Kev returned and passed Bria her food.

“What the hell they talking about?” he asked.

Bria shrugged. “Nothing, as usual.”

Kevvy Kev climbed into his car and closed the door. Bria opened up her food and began eating.

“Bria, right?”

Bria peered up from her sandwich. She had never seen his face before. And he was way too old to be in high school. “Do I know you?”

“No, but you know the person I’m looking for,” Terrell told her.

“Do I look like the Yellow Pages to you?” Bria asked, craning her neck.

“Cute.” Terrell smiled. “Real cute.” He pulled out the picture of Gena and held it up. “Where’s your cousin?”

Bria’s eyes flew wide. Instantly, she knew that this was the man who had hurt her grandmother. “I don’t know where she is!”

“Say, man! Go on with all of that bullshit!” Kevvy Kev said forcefully. “Can’t you see we eating?”

“I wasn’t talking to you,” Terrell told him.

“Yeah, well I was talking to you!” Kevvy Kev opened his door and started to climb out of the car.

Terrell pulled out a handgun and shot Kevvy Kev in the groin. The sound of gunfire caused pandemonium, and people began to flee.

Terrell grabbed a screaming Bria by her hair and pulled her face closer to Gena’s picture. “Where is she?”

“I don’t know!” Bria shouted. “I haven’t seen her but once since she moved out!”

“Where did she move to?”

“I don’t know! I think she moved in with her friend!”

“What friend? Give me a name.”

“Markita!” Bria shouted. “Her friend Markita!”

Terrell let go of her hair. “Are you lying to me?” He pointed his weapon at a squirming, crying Kevvy Kev.

Bria leaned over and shielded her man from the gun. “No! I’m not lying! She moved in with her friend!”

Terrell nodded and tucked his gun away. He could hear the faint sound of sirens in the distance. “If you’re lying to me, I’ll find you, and next time, it’ll be you that I bend over and fuck like there’s no tomorrow. You understand me?”

Bria nodded, scared as all back doors as she looked into the eyes of a madman.

Terrell leaned over and stuck his tongue into her mouth for several seconds before rushing to his car and peeling away.

Gena rose to her feet and looked around the hotel suite she had been staying in now for the past several weeks. After her visit to the hospital to see Gah Git, Gena had decided it was best not to go anywhere near her family or anyone else she cared about. She walked into the bathroom and turned on the sink faucet. She looked at herself in the mirror. Today is the big day, no turning back, she thought as she splashed some water across her face and reached for a washrag.

Gena showered and dressed, packed up a small carry-on, and left the room. A continental breakfast was being served in the hotel’s lobby, but Gena would have to pass on that. I wish I could just have something to drink. My mouth is so dry, she thought, knowing that food and water were out of the question. Gena made her way out to the parking lot where she had parked the Mazda rental. She got into the car, exited the lot, and drove over to Thirty-eighth and Lancaster. Across the street from a bar was a women’s health clinic. She looked at her watch. It was 8:42 in the morning, her appointment was scheduled for nine. Are you ready? She couldn’t help but ask herself this question. Her mind roamed constantly as she parked the car and walked into the clinic.