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that she feared her neck had broken. Dazed, her head fell back onto the bed and her body went limp momentarily. The room became hazy as she felt the man ripping her clothes from her body. She fought him, removing his hands from her body, but he was too strong for her. Determined to snatch her virginity away he entered her roughly. He penetrated her with so much force that he broke her pelvic bone. The pain was too much for Liberty to bear, and her body went completely limp as she gave up. She realized that no matter what she did, she could not stop this and the more she fought the more he hurt her. So she lay still as endless tears rolled down her cheeks, allowing herself to go far away to a state of mind where no one could touch her . . . withdrawing within herself so deeply that she found peace despite the evil going on around her.

SIX

EIGHT YEARS LATER

“I NEVER COULD UNDERSTAND YOUR PEOPLE,” THE white, middle-aged Canadian said as he unfolded his clasped hands. He then grabbed the cigar out of the ashtray and took a pull. “Blacks always want it all. So selfish with what could be easily shared,” he said with an arrogant smirk on his face. Baron sat across from him while A’shai also joined them at the table. They were on Baron’s estate to discuss business. They sat poolside as an oversized umbrella loomed over them, blocking the beaming rays of the sun. Bonzi, the Canadian, wanted Baron to give up some of his territory so that he could move in. The name of the game was cocaine and that’s what Baron sold wholesale to the streets. Bonzi was Baron’s source of the illegal substance, and now he wanted to move his nephew in town so that he could get a piece of the pie. Needless to say, Baron wasn’t having it.

“I’m sorry that you feel that way, my friend,” Baron said as he took a sip of his cognac and then rubbed his neatly lined salt-and-pepper goatee. A’shai stayed silent as usual, as he sat back and listened. Baron always had A’shai sit in on his business meetings, legal or illegal, so that he could soak up the game. Since the day Baron had taken A’shai in, he began grooming him to be a better version of himself. Although the same blood didn’t run through their veins, A’shai was Baron’s boy. A’shai, now at the age of twenty-one, was a well-seasoned businessman and although he was a month away from receiving his bachelor’s degree from Michigan State University, he had already gotten a Ph.D from the streets.

“So, what’s it going to be? My nephew is a knucklehead from back home. I’m just trying to get his feet wet. I want to set up on the lower Eastside, and that’s just a small portion of your region,” Bonzi stated.

“I’m sorry. I can’t do it. The Eastside is one of my most lucrative areas. I can set him up in a small city just outside of Detroit. Maybe Flint perhaps?” Baron said trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

“You niggers just don’t know your place,” Bonzi mumbled under his breath as he shook his head in disbelief. Still smiling, Bonzi put out his cigar. He couldn’t take a black man telling him what he couldn’t do. His hidden racism reared its ugly head. A’shai quickly slid his hand down to his .45 caliber pistol after hearing the insults from the millionaire druglord that sat to the left of him. Baron smoothly put his hand on top of A’shai’s and tapped it, signaling for him to cool down.

“I guess our business is done here,” Baron said as he smiled and extended his hand.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Bonzi agreed as he downed his cognac. It was unspoken but it was evident that their business relationship had just ended. A’shai was burning up inside as he clenched his teeth and stared at Bonzi, displaying his chiseled jaw line. Bonzi paid the youngster no mind and focused his attention on Baron. “Are you sure you want to do this?” Bonzi asked. The underlying threat didn’t go unnoticed by Baron.

“I’m positive,” Baron said as he extended his hand to Bonzi. A’shai began to rub the scar on the right side of his cheek. He had a bad habit of doing that when he was angry. A’shai couldn’t understand why his father was bowing down