Rah

Chapter 31 Moses

MOSES

“You need a manager.”

I shook my head at Eli’s suggestion as I lay back in the bed watching TV while Kahlani got dressed for work.

“Is that what you’re calling me for?” I asked into the phone. “You called me first thing in the morning with this?”

“Because I’m on your ass about this. I’m not letting you give up. Get a manager.”

I frowned. “For what?”

He chuckled. “What do you mean for what? You’re about to be famous.”

“I can’t tell. Ain’t nobody hitting my line yet.”

“Trust me. It’s coming.”

“No offense, but I’ve heard this before, Eli.”

As Kahlani dried her body off, she giggled and shook her head, but I knew she felt me. I was feeling my dick growing as I watched her dry those droplets of water from her thick ass.

“Just trust me,” I heard Eli say.

I nudged her booty softly as she sat on the side of the bed. When she turned around, I grabbed my dick through my shorts and bit my lip. She just laughed and shook her head.

“Those execs said anything to you yet?” I asked Eli.

“No, but–”

“Well, I don’t want to hear shit until they do,” I spat.

“You may not even need them. Cut out the middle man and go independent. It’s the smarter way.”

“It’s the broke way too,” I argued.

“You won’t be broke for long.”

I grunted. “Here you go. Show me where the money’s at then.”

“It’s coming. It’s only been two days. Your single hasn’t even been released for forty-eight hours yet.”

“Exactly. So, until I see some proof, I ain’t banking on this shit.”

“I’m going to make you eat your words, Moses,” he taunted me.

“Yeah, a’ight.”

“You better get in the lab and get some songs ready for this album.”

I shook my head. This motherfucker was talking crazy. But I just told him. “Yeah, a’ight. I gotta go.”

“Get a manager, Moses!” he got in before I ended the call.

“Whatever,” I spat before I hung up.

Kahlani laughed and shook her head as she slipped on the pants to her uniform. “Y’all are funny.”

“No, he is funny.”

“He is convinced that you are going to blow up.”

“Yeah. Rah was too.”

Just as I started to admire Kahlani’s titties sitting up nice and perky in the bra she had put on, the doorbell rang.

We both glanced questionably at each other. It was only ten in the morning. We weren’t expecting anyone.

“I got it,” I told her as I got out of bed.

On my way out of the room, I grabbed a T-shirt from the floor and threw it on.

“You good, lil’ man?” I asked Trenton once I got into the living room. He was sitting fully dressed on the couch watching cartoons and waiting for his mama to drop him off at day care on her way to the gig.

“Yep,” was all he said without looking away from SpongeBob.

The doorbell rang again, so I hit a light jog to the door and looked through the peephole.

I damn near shitted bricks when I saw who was on the other side. They hadn’t even said who they were, but I knew detectives when I saw them.

“Shit,” I cursed under my breath.

I was spooked. I contemplated between opening the door or running out the back door. I didn’t know what they wanted, but I knew that detectives didn’t come to nobody’s door without a damn good reason.

They started to beat on the door.

“Moses, get the door! What are you doin’?” I could hear Kahlani fussing.

I was still thinking about running. I looked back at Trenton and decided against it.

Running would only give me more time for whatever these motherfuckers were here to charge me with.

As I opened the door, I ran over in my mind all I had done to bring these motherfuckers to my doorstep.

I had been involved with so much shit that there was no way to guess.

“May I help you?” I tried to look as calm as possible as I stared at the two Black detectives standing on the other side of the door.

“Are you Moses?” one of them asked.

“Yes.”

“I’m Detective Strong,” he told me. “And this is Detective Jackson. Can we come in?”

“What’s this about?” I asked, still standing in the doorway.

When Detective Strong said, “Carlos Santiago,” I felt like I was about to shit on myself, real talk.

Fuck!

“Sir, let us in and we can discuss that…or we can take you to the station,” Detective Jackson threatened. “Which one do you prefer?”

I pressed my lips into a thin line to keep myself from talking shit and let them in. I could hear Kahlani walking into the living room behind me. I suddenly felt like shit. Whatever was about to happen to me, I would have to just do the time. But I hated that I was about to let Kahlani down…again.

“Have a seat,” I told them.

I scooped up Trenton and sat down, sitting him on my lap. Kahlani sat beside me asking them, “What’s going on?”

“We’re here to take some DNA from you, Moses,” Detective Jackson told me.

Right then, I knew my life was over. If they wanted DNA, they were going to match it to my blood that was left all over Carlos’ living room floor. I had feared this day was coming because Rah had been so sloppy that day.

The possibility of getting caught had gnawed at me day and night. I hadn’t pulled the trigger, but I was there, and that was enough for the police.

Kahlani had stood by me even when I didn’t deserve it. That only made it worse. Every time I looked at her, I saw everything I stood to lose. The idea of being locked in a cell while she carried the weight of our life alone made me feel empty.

I’d promised her forever, promised to give her the world. Instead, I might be giving her a lifetime without me, filled with trying to hold everything together alone. The thought of leaving her, of letting her down like that, cut deeper than the bullet ever had.

But I coolly asked, “Why? What’s my DNA got to do with Carlos?”

Detective Jackson answered, “During our investigation, we found out that you are an associate of his. You were shot that day. There were two sets of DNA on the scene. We need your DNA to see if it’s a match.”

“Why would my DNA be there?”

“You were shot the same night of his murder, and you still don’t recall what happened,” Detective Strong answered. “We have a warrant for your DNA. We just need a quick swab, and we’ll be out of your way.”

“Okay.”

Kahlani put a hand on my leg and asked me, “Shouldn’t you get a lawyer first?”

There was no need for a lawyer. Either way, they would get my DNA. “Nah. It’s all good.”

Detective Strong went into his pocket, pulled out a pair of latex gloves and put them on. Then he took an envelope from his pocket, a Q-Tip from the envelope, stood, and walked towards me.

“Open your mouth, please,” he said.

I did. The entire time he swabbed my cheeks with three different Q-Tip’s, I knew that my life would be over soon. The police wouldn’t care if I knew about that robbery or not. It was a rap. Game over.

“Thank you, Moses. That’s all we’ll be needing for now,” Detective Strong said, putting the swabs in the envelope.

I stood to walk them to the door. After sitting Trenton on the couch, I followed them as they strolled towards the door.

Before leaving, Detective Jackson looked back and told me, “Don’t leave the state.”

I just nodded and opened the door for them. I wanted to kick their asses for showing up and ruining my day, but it wasn’t their fault. Rah was the one that needed his ass whooped and more. As I locked the door, I felt like I should have killed that nigga when I had the chance.

As soon as the door closed, Kahlani broke. One second, she was pacing the living room, hands pulling at her hair, the next she was collapsing onto the couch with sobs coming out of her throat so hard it sounded like pain was trying to break free.

“They’re gonna take you from me.” Her whole body shook as she cried.

“They won’t care that you didn’t pull the trigger or that you didn’t know what was about to happen.

They don’t care about any of that! They’re gonna see your record, your skin, and that’s it!

That’s all they’ll need to send you away for the rest of your life. ”

I didn’t know what to say because everything she’d said was true. I dropped down beside her and pulled her into me. She hit my chest with the side of her fist like she was mad at me for being hers to lose. I wrapped her tighter, whispering, “Baby, I’m so sorry.”

Her voice was muffled as she cried into my shirt. “I can’t do life without you. I can’t raise our son alone. I can’t sleep at night knowing they locked you up forever for something Rah did. It’s not fair. It’s not fucking fair!”

I pressed my chin to the top of her head, breathing her in so that I could remember her scent at night when it wasn’t next to me anymore. My hands rubbed her back, trying to soothe her, but inside I was crumbling just as bad as she was.

I couldn’t tell her she was wrong. I couldn’t promise her that the truth would save me.

I was a Black man with a record and a past they’d be too happy to make me pay for.

All the consoling in the world couldn’t change the fact that I was staring down forever, and it hurt worse knowing I was breaking the heart of the only woman who had ever stood solid beside me.

I kissed the crown of her head, feeling eyes burning. “I love you, Kahlani,” I whispered into her hair, holding her like I could shield her from this shitstorm. But deep down, I knew I couldn’t shield her from this.