save the rants, he’s on line four.” She turned around and walked away.
I started to follow her and go all in but changed my mind, thinking that Trae must have finally killed Kyron. I made it to my office, closed my door, took a deep breath, and hit the speaker button.
“Trae, I’m trying to get this money, and you are threatening my flow! What’s up, nigga? What is so urgent?”
“Are you going to be around for the next couple of days? I need to come see you. I’m scheduled to leave tonight.”
“What happened?” I braced myself for the news, as I grabbed onto the edge of my desk. He chuckled. “Chill, nigga. It ain’t nothing like that. Not yet. I’m talkin’ about that paper, nigga. Real long paper! Man, fuck that rapping chump change you sweatin’. I just got an offer, but you know I can’t talk like this. I want to leave tonight—that is, unless you want to come out here?”
“Nigga, did you hear what I just said? I’m in a bidding war right now, but you dragged me out here talking urgent.”
“Kay, trust me. When I say urgent, that’s putting it mildly. Money? I’m talking about some real bread. Scratch, scrilla. Bigger than anything we was seeing with Don Carlos.”
Shit. I thought about what he said and immediately got nervous. “Trae, talk to me now.”
“Not over the phone, bruh,” he said.
“Well, I really need to get back into this meeting,” I told him. “Let me hit you up later.”
“Handle your business. I’m on my way up to you. I’ll be at your house before noon tomorrow.”
I got the dial tone. I headed back into my meeting, wondering what Trae was up to. Needless to say, my edge was no longer there. And with that little interruption, instead of me winning by a landslide, Semaj’s agent left saying all offers would be considered and they would make a decision within twenty-four hours.
“Baby, what the hell happened to you in there?” Angel asked me. I could tell that she was trying her best to remain calm. But I blew it, and we both knew it. “What was it that Diedre wanted?”
“It was Trae. He’s on his way up here.” I stuck my head into Diedre’s office. “See if Trae needs a car from the airport. Tell him I want him to meet me here at the studio.”
“No problem, Mr. Santos.”
Angel grabbed my hand. “What happened? Do I need to sit down? Is Tasha all right? What about Kyron?”
“He said he needed to discuss business with me. That’s all I know.”
“That’s it?” Angel stopped dead in her tracks. “And that is what caused us to possibly lose the hottest underground artist out there? Babe, you gotta come better than that!”
“Red, it is what it is. But it’s not only what he said, it was the urgency in how he said it. Something is up. He said something bigger than Don Carlos.”
Don Carlos was just that: a Don. And had been that for almost twenty years. He had his hands in powder, heroin, and real estate. From what I knew, he had senators, congressman and judges in his pocket. He was big. So in my mind no one I knew was bigger. Needless to say, I was anxious to hear what Trae had to say.
“Oh, no, no, no, Kaylin. Don’t you even think about it! Baby, you’re out. Don’t even think about it. I’m warning you, Kaylin. Let Trae lead you into some bullshit if you want to.” She pushed me out of the way and stormed into her office.
RICK
Back home in Tucson, tension in the house was real thick. I got caught fucking Kyra and then had the audacity to spend the night after the fact. Wrong move. It was obvious that Nina was done with me. But I wasn’t done with her. I had mad love for her and plus she was carrying my seed. Since Nina told me to pack my shit and leave, she’d been giving me the cold shoulder and, on top of that, the total silent treatment. I had to admit I felt like a total creep, and getting busted fucking someone by someone I care about is a first for me. While walking the kids to school, I felt like Wesley Snipes in the movie Jungle Fever. The kids were tugging at me and talking to me, while I was zoned out. Other parents and the crossing guards were speaking to me, and I could