“Black, I can meet you one last time, but this is it. I can’t keep going against my sister for you. When you left me for dead, she had to pick up the tab on my bail and my lawyer and everything.”

Arnessa didn’t hear Cenise say anything for a few seconds and assumed Black must’ve been talking. She had already made up her mind that she was going to follow Cenise so she could find out who Black was.

Cenise began speaking again. “Yes, I love you. I wouldn’t be wearing the charge if I didn’t. Just meet me uptown at Jimbo’s on 145th and Lennox.”

Arnessa turned and tiptoed up the hall toward the living room, where Kisa was counting money and Mish was reading a magazine. Arnessa grabbed the keys to the Denali and her coat. Quietly, she told them, “I need y’all to come with me. I’ll explain when we get outside.”

Without one question, they picked up their coats and followed her out the door. “This little dingbat bitch is going to meet that dude Black,” Arnessa told them once they were on the elevator.

“You lying,” Kisa said.

“No, I’m not, I heard her on the phone talking to the nigga with her stupid self. Apparently, this isn’t the first time she done met up with him either. That’s okay, ’cause I’ma hop on both they asses, but I’m really gon’ put it on her retarded ass.”

“No, you not,” Kisa informed her.

“Why not?”

“’Cause you gon’ fall back and peep what’s really going on. Didn’t you and Butta say that y’all felt like he might’ve set her up on purpose?”

“Yeah,” Arnessa replied.

“Let’s find out who he is first, then maybe we can find out who he down with and go from there.”

When the elevator doors opened up to the basement parking garage, Mish told them, “Go ahead in the truck, I’ma take Eisani’s bike.” She had a feeling that something just might pop off and she would need a quick escape.

Cenise was glad that Arnessa and Kisa left before her. She was getting pretty tired of their questioning her every little move, like she was eight instead of eighteen. She was cool with sharing an apartment with them, but she was really tired of Kisa being up in her mix. Cenise often felt like, Who died and made Kisa the boss? She just didn’t like the fact that Kisa could detect her bullshit much easier than Arnessa.

Hurriedly, Cenise slipped into her favorite jeans and boots. She didn’t want to take the chance of their coming back before she could get out the door. Standing at the mirror, she quickly took out her doobie pins, unwrapped her hair, and made sure her lip gloss was popping.