Ladarius forked at the steak, still frozen solid but burning a bit on the other side, smoke coming from the skillet. He turned over the meat and hit the fan, the last thing they needed was for the whole damn Hot Springs Fire Department to be rolling up on their asses. This was gonna be one fine place to hole up for a few days, kick back, eat some good food, and watch some TV. Maybe, just maybe, TJ would start feeling a little better and might let Ladarius do what he’d been wanting to do since they started dating. That girl always slapping his damn hand from her pants when things were getting good.

The only thing that worried him was the law coming, finding them when they didn’t expect it. From what he was seeing on the news, folks seemed to be blaming him for what TJ never did. Folks weren’t looking for them anymore to ask questions, he and TJ had been damn charged with murder. TJ didn’t seem to be bothered by the news, but in Ladarius’s world, getting charged with a crime wasn’t no joke. Shit. He’d been charged with breaking and entering, theft, assault, and possession. The possession charge had been real bullshit as he was only holding some weed for his cousin Ricky. But murder. Shit. This was serious-ass business that was drawing a big old target on his black ass. Come knock-knock time, there wasn’t gonna be any time to explain jack shit.

Ladarius turned over the steak again and forked into the middle, good ole blood oozing out into the pan. Maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to cook them steaks after all. He was glad that he’d grilled TJ’s good and well done, nearly burnt.

Man, there had been a time when he thought he’d be known for something better. Athlete, rapper, actor. Some shit like that. When he was a kid, folks at his church used to tell him he looked a lot like Will Smith, and that pleased him to no end as he’d been a big fan of those Bad Boys movies. Even thinking maybe he’d go straight and become a policeman, too. Back two, three years ago there was still time. But now? Shit. Wasn’t no way he was headed back. They were headed down the road the preacher called that long, dark path.

The steak was burning and smoking from the pan and he turned off the gas. He used a towel to pick up the skillet and set it down on the marble top of a big island.

He’d just found a fork and knife and was about to dig in when a pretty little blonde girl busted into the room and pointed a gun right at him. Damn, this shit was just getting better and better. Big blue eyes with curly blonde hair.