“I heard that.” Yoshi tossed a balled-up paper towel at Billy. “Don’t act like we’re the only ones in here hugged up.”

Marcus pinched Billy’s thigh playfully. “Funny the way things play out, isn’t it?”

“Sometimes.” Billy smiled. “And I’m glad this is one of them.”

“Can you guys excuse us for a second?” Yoshi got up and took Jah by the hand. “I need to talk to Jah for a minute,” she told them as she led him into the bedroom.

“Don’t be in there fucking on my sheets!” Marcus joked.

“What’s up? You feeling up for a quickie?” Jah joked. Yoshi’s face remained serious. “Sorry, I was just playing.”

“Jah, I know what happened,” she told him.

“Huh?”

“Billy and Marcus tried to hide the newspapers from me, but I guess they didn’t expect it to come on the TV news. I know what happened to Rel and the others.”

Jah’s heartbeat quickened, but he didn’t let his face reveal what his mind was thinking. “Yeah, I heard about what happened to them dudes. Karma is a muthafucka, ain’t it?”

“Jah, don’t give me that karma shit!” She raised her voice a little louder than she meant to. “Baby,” she said, calming herself, “I need to ask you a question and I need the absolute truth.”

He didn’t like where the conversation was going. “Okay.”

Yoshi took a deep breath. “Did you do it?”

“Did I do what?” he said, faking ignorance.

“You know what I mean, so stop playing. Jah, if we’re gonna keep it funky with each other, then let this be the starting point. Did you kill those men?”

Time slowed for Jah as he pondered the question and how best to answer it. He cared very much for Yoshi and wanted to try and establish something with her, but how would the knowledge of what he’d done affect that? Looking into her brown eyes, he saw a bleeding desire to know the truth, but at the same time he knew she might not be strong enough to handle it. Jah knew there was only one way he could answer the question.

“Nah, I ain’t have shit to do with it,” he lied.

Yoshi threw her arms around Jah and hugged him as tight as she could. “Thank God,” she sobbed. “Jah, we’ve just found each other, please don’t let this street bullshit cut our time short.”

“I won’t.” He hugged her just as intensely. “I’m gonna be in your corner for as long as you need me.” As Jah held Yoshi in his arms, he knew it would be a while before he went back to running wild in the streets. He was in no way saying that he would retire from the hustle, but he was sure as hell taking a long vacation.