Ria released the listen button to go and check. All of Chastity’s asthma medicine was sitting on the kitchen counter. He’s telling the truth. Maybe Shorty didn’t tell him anything, Ria thought. I’m still not letting him up, just in case she did. Ria went back to the intercom. “I’ll be down in a second, okay?”

“I need to come up,” Chaz responded, “I’m leaving for a six-week tour in two days. I want to give you some money for the girls.”

Her greed took over, and she lost focus, just like Chaz knew she would. Any suspicions that she had about him popping up went out the window. Ria pressed the release button, giving him access to the building. As Ria made her way down the hall, she stopped to check her reflection in one of the many mirrors that lined the walls. She made sure her hair was perfect, smoothed her maternity shirt over her bulging belly, then unlocked the door and opened it halfway.

Chaz furiously kicked the door all the way open and rushed through.

“Take that shirt off, right fucking now.” Chaz demanded, not bothering to shut the door behind him.

Oh God, he suspects something, Ria thought, trying not to panic. “You must be crazy. I’m not taking shit off! Get out!” she screamed, backing up.

“You don’t wanna take it off? I’ll rip it off.” Chaz advanced on her so quickly that she stumbled backward and nearly fell on her bottom. Chaz caught her by the collar of her shirt just before her body hit the floor. With one hand he tore the shirt from her body. His jaw dropped at the sight of the fleshlike, skin-toned pregnancy suit strapped to her body. Chaz stared down at her silently for a few seconds, then abruptly grabbed her by the neck.

“I hate you.” He squeezed tightly, applying intense pressure to her throat. Ria squirmed beneath him as she tried unsuccessfully to pry his hands from her neck. “Kennedy killed my baby because of you.” He slammed her head against the floor.

“Let me help you with that.” Kennedy smiled at an elderly woman who was struggling to get a red shopping cart filled with groceries up the steps of Ria’s building. Looking at Kennedy’s and Eisani’s gorgeous faces, along with their immaculate appearance, she did not feel threatened, as she usually did when approached by younger people.

“Thank you, sweetie,” she replied with a smile.

“Go ahead and get the door. We got the cart,” Eisani assured her.

The lady unlocked the door, stepped inside, and held it open for the girls. “You girls must be friends of Ria,” she commented, since she knew the other two elderly tenants in the three-story walkup.

“We’re more like family,” Kennedy said with a wink.

“Thank you for your help; my apartment is over here to the right.”