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“It’s all good,” Lisa assured. “I’m still tripping off this Shi-Shi thing.”
Mya leaned into the table, her conspiratorial mien back in play. “So, you know Derrick’s brother works forThe Garden. Right? Well, he told Derrick how he saw Shi-Shi backstage, kissing a brown-skinned, tall dude holding a baby girl before she prayed with the dancers and took to the stage.”
“What concert was it?”
“Alana’s,” Mya answered.
“Whoa…” Lisa breathed with wild eyes.
Mya nodded with an even wider smile. “Shi-Shi moved on to another man.”
ChapterTwo
I pulled up to the opening of the driveway, expired leaves relieving themselves of their posts on branches all around, even in the dark. Squinting behind the steering wheel, I tried making out the house number. My GPS led me to Nirvana Lane, then began re-routing. I had to be sure the two-story, wooden ranch sitting yards off the road was the 125 property.Samsarawas such a closed off, almost rural town. Most of Raleigh was better populated than this place, with less trees and closer-spaced homes.Samsaragave off a secluded, rural-suburban vibe.
“Arrived,” the system announced, and I sighed audibly.
“Really?” I muttered back.
Good. This neighborhood didn’t seem like the type to be friendly to lost travelers. My stomach growled again, reminding me I hadn’t eaten a full meal since lunch atCheckerboardwith Lisa. Lifting off the brake, I pulled into the long driveway until a well-lit, two-car garage came into view. Both doors were open. A large, black, tintedSuburbanwas parked just outside on one side. My stomach knotted as I cut the engine. Slowly, I climbed out of my rental, closing the door behind me as I observed the SUV. The windows were as black as the night at this hour. I swallowed on a dry throat when the passenger’s window rolled down.
“What it do, Lennox?”
With pinched brows, I craned my neck to peer into the truck in search of those gravelly chords.
The man chuckled then leaned his husky frame over toward the passenger’s side. “It’s Danny, girl!”
My forehead lifted and I pulled in a hefty breath. “Danny G! Oh, my god!” My hand flew to my chest, and I laughed at myself. How could I not see a six-foot-plus, nearly three-hundred-pound man?Well, at least, I know I’m in the right place. “What are you doing here?”
“Working, my girl.”
Panic struck. “Raj’s in there?”
He snickered again. “Nah. The boss and his family been away for about a month now. They started inSaint Justinfor their anniversary. I pulled that shift. Then they flew the fam out to Haiti to visit their son’s family.”
“Oh.”
Danny G’s boss, R&B superstar, Ragee, and his wife, Wynter, didn’t have biological children. The couple adopted three boys of different racial and ethnic backgrounds a few years ago. Not many were privy to this information. One of the most popular blogs “reported” on it a while ago, but they were the same outlet to tell the world a few years back how Raj and Wynter’s marriage was fake. Considering my talks with Tobias about the couple, I’d never gotten “fake” vibes from him, so how credible could that “reporting” be?
“Yeah. One of the boys’ pops got people out there. Boss lady wanted him to meet his fam, so they put it together.”
“How sweet!” That was really touching. “So, you’re off?”
“Not really.” He tossed his chin toward the house. “I still got side hustles.”
I laughed at that. “I’m sure he gets the family discount.”
Blinking adorably, Danny G shook his head. “Oh, that nigga pay. Sometimes I charge him extra because his ass don’t listen, thinking because he ain’t a celebrity, he ain’t at risk.”
Smiling goofily, I nodded, understanding his point.
“I kicked it with ya pops last weekend.” The switch in topic had the muscles in my face collapsing. “The nigga doing good. Real good.”
I swallowed, fighting for congeniality. “No surprises here.”
He tossed his chin toward the house again. “No worries. I ain’t seent you this week. Ol’ boy in there expecting you, though. The door inside the garage is open.”
Hearing music pouring from the house, I nodded with a twisted smile. “It’s always great seeing you, Danny G. I hope you’re taking care of yourself.”
