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Manny was giving me a death stare when I looked at him. He gave off the impression that he wanted to kill me or something. I'm perplexed as to why he had Trevante bound up; what could he possibly have done? Like, why is he staring at me as if he's very angry at me, as if I did something to him? He jumped up from the table and grabbed my wrist. He also shoved a gun beneath my chin.

"How much did you pay for this shit?" He inquired as he examined my diamond bracelet.

I gave him a puzzled look. "It was $22,000. Why is it so important to you?"

He made a funny face at me. "It's important to me because I know you and him found my fucking money. I have cameras strategically placed throughout the house. That's how I know you mentioned me to your sister. You then had the audacity to give him my shit. Right now, I should blow your brains out."

In my head, I found myself palming my face. I couldn't believe he knew about us finding the damn money. I knew deep down that I shouldn't have spent it. I should have just called him when I found it, and my life would have returned to normal. Now I just dig a deeper hole for myself and my family.

Trevante started coughing. "I swear I'll kill you if you touch her."

Manny turned around, pointing his gun at Trevante. "Shut up before I kill your ass first."

I swallowed the large lump in my throat. "Please leave him alone. He was uninvolved in any of this. I offered him the money, and he refused, but I told him to take it anyway."

Manny gave me a direct stare. "Well, he should have known better than to take it from you. I think I should just murder you both and be done with it."

He approached Trevante and placed the gun to his head. I signaled him to come to a halt by raising my hand. Trevante is about to perish as a result of my actions. It's entirely my fault.

"Look, you can have the bracelet or pawn it or anything you want as long as you don't kill him." Tears streamed down my cheeks as I uttered this.

He stepped over to me, placing the gun on the table. He peered into my eyes as tears streamed down my cheeks. He then moves my hair out of my face with his pinky finger, like he always does.

"Angel, take the gun from the table and murder him." Trevante mentioned to me.

Both Manny and I gazed at the gun, and then Manny smiled back at me. "Follow his instructions." Manny spoke to me quietly.

When I looked at Trevante, I noticed blood on his lip. He also had a knot on his forehead. Manny had to have struck him with something. He then attempted to wiggle his way closer to the gun. I swiftly grabbed the gun and walked over to Manny, pointing it at him. I really wanted to shoot Manny, but something kept me from doing so.

Manny gave me a friendly smile. "Come on, do it. Mama, pull the trigger."

I started crying uncontrollably. I couldn't bring myself to pull the trigger. Trevante was struggling to get out of his chair as I looked at him.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WAITING FOR, ANGEL? GET HIM!" Trevante yelled even louder at me.

Despite this, I did not pull the trigger. Manny gently snatched the gun from my grip and pressed his forehead on mine. He swiftly swung around and fired three shots at Trevante. My jaw plummeted to the ground, and I couldn't believe he had shot him. Trevante's head was practically touching his lap. I was shook as I stood there.

"We're even now." Manny muttered this to my ear in hushed tones.

Manny walked out the door, leaving me speechless. I dashed over to Trevante, untied him, and tried to wake him up, but he wouldn't. I swear I don't want him to die in front of me. I can't believe he was shot as a result of my actions. Everything is my fault. I kept shaking him to get him to wake up.

"PLEASE! TREVANTE, GET UP! I'M SORRY! THIS IS ENTIRELY MY FAULT!" I screamed.

I looked down at my hands, which were covered in his blood. I took my gaze away from my hands and quickly pulled my phone from my pocket. I quickly dialed 911, and they answered the phone in less than a second.

"Hello 911, what's your emergency?" The operator inquired.

"Could you please send a paramedic? My boyfriend was shot." I replied calmly.

"Ok. We are now dispatching paramedics to your current location. Is he alive? Make certain that you apply pressure to his wounds." I was told by the operator.

I tried to apply as much pressure to the wounds as I could, but I can feel his heartbeat slowing.

"His heart isn't beating quickly enough. Could you please send the paramedics?" I was sobbing uncontrollably.

"Ma'am, they're on their way."

The ambulance arrived in a reasonable amount of time. When the paramedics arrived, I moved out of the way. While they delicately grabbed him and placed him on the stretcher, I was crying. They rushed him into the ambulance and shut the door behind him. They boarded the ambulance and left. I promptly rushed into my car and followed them.

I cried the entire way to the hospital. I couldn't believe he'd actually shot him. I'm not sure why my terrifying ass didn't just shoot him when I had the chance. Manny will always give me opportunities to kill him, and I'm curious why. Maybe he knows I'm too scared to kill him. I jumped out of my car as soon as we arrived at the hospital. I followed them as they rushed him inside.

I was about to join him in the back, but the nurse stopped me.

"You can't go back there, Ma'am. You'll have to wait in the lobby." The nurse stated politely.

I walked towards the waiting room, tears welling up in my eyes. I sat down and began to ruminate on the situation over and over. Everything would have been fine if I had just given Manny his money. Now I'm not sure if Trevante will make it or not. I hope he doesn't leave me. I hope he lives because I can see us getting married and having children in the future.

After a few hours, I started to feel sleepy. I was about to fall asleep when I heard my phone ring. When I looked at it, I saw that it was Rubi calling my phone.

"What do you want, Rubi?" In a depressed tone, I inquired.

"Girl, Mom and I want to know where you went. You simply walked away without saying anything. Are you all right?" Rubi inquired, concerned.

I began to cry and break down. "No, Manny shot the boy I'm dating." I'm not sure if he'll be able to make it."

"Oh my god? Why did he shoot him? What is going on?"

Wiping the snot from my nose, I sighed. "I found the money Manny was looking for, and both me and Trevante spent some of it. I had no idea he would find out about it. He claimed that he had cameras installed in the house. I'm very sorry, Rubi; none of this was my intention. It's entirely my fault."

"Oh, my lord, Angel. You're not hurt?"

"He didn't shoot me. Rubi, I just don't want to lose him."

"You aren't going to lose him. He'll be alright, I'm sure. Just have a little faith. I'm on my way to you right now."

I quickly brushed away my tears. "No, remain with Mom. I don't want her to get the wrong idea."

"Fuck momma, girl. She is going to be ok. I want to make sure you're okay."

I gave a small chuckle. "Don't say that about mom, girl, but I'm for real Rubi. Stay there. You already know how brilliant mom is and how quickly she figures things out."

Rubi sucked her teeth. "Fine. Please keep me updated on how everything goes. I love you."

I wiped another tear away. "I love you as well."

I hung up the phone and settled into my seat, knowing that I'd be here for quite some time. I started to feel drowsy again and fell asleep soon. I felt someone tap me on the shoulder just as I was ready to slip into a deep sleep.

When I opened my eyes, I noticed a man dressed in a suit and wearing some expensive shoes. In the man's hand, I also noticed a book.

"May I assist you?" In a smart tone, I inquired of the man.

"Hello, my name is David Turner, and I'm an FBI agent. I know it's not the best time, but I'd want to ask you a few questions." In a calm tone, he inquired.

I sat up straight in my chair and gave him a puzzled look. "All right, what do you need me to help you with?" I inquired, my voice trembling.

He sat next to me and opened his book. He displayed a photograph of Manny to me.

This is like the second person showing me a photo of Manny, and the first person who asked me about Manny and showed me a photo of Manny, I killed him. I pray to God he don't question me about that police officer. I will be imprisoned for life without the possibility of parole.

"Do you know who this guy is? Manny Montana is his name."

I was at a loss for words. I remained silent the entire time. If I say I know him, he'll ask me a million questions, and one of them could get me and Manny locked up. If I don't say anything, he'll suspect that I know him and am withholding information from him.

"I have no idea who that is." Through my teeth, I said a plain untruth.

He laughed. "It's pointless to lie. I'm sure you're familiar with him. Could you tell me a little bit about him?"

Before I could say anything else, the doctor approached me to inform me of Trevante's condition. The man stood up and straightened hisself up.

"I can understand that this is a very difficult period for you right now. I'd appreciate it if you could drop by the police station for me." He expressed it in the nicest tone possible.

He excused himself after I shook my head at him. I stood up and waited for the doctor to say something.

"Mr. Rhodes appears to be in good health, which is a pleasant surprise. He is currently in a medically induced coma. Three bullets did manage to reach some vital organs. One of the bullet grazed his heart by a millimeter. One bullet grazed one of his lungs, while another grazed his liver." The doctor explained.

"Is he going to make it?" With tears streaming down my cheeks, I inquired.

"By God's grace, he will live." The doctor said with a smile.

I clapped my hands together, thanking God he didn't die. "Thank you, God. Could you please take me to see him?"

I followed the doctor and walked towards the room. The doctor took a right turn, and we found ourselves in Trevante's room. He was connected to a slew of devices, and he had tubes in his mouth. I started crying all over again. The doctor then walked out of the room. I took a step towards him. I sat on the chair, my gaze fixed on him. Look at what I did to him. That should've been me in this bed.

I grabbed his head and clutched it tightly. "Trevante, I know you can't hear me, but I'm so sorry for allowing this to happen to you. I know you're probably upset with me because I didn't shoot him, but you have to understand that I'm terrified. If I could go back in time and change everything, I would. Please wake up because I see us being together for the rest of our lives. I truly adore you."

I looked at him, waiting for him to respond, knowing full well that he can't speak. I clutched his hand even tighter and burst out crying. I vaguely recall that FBI agent instructing me to go to the police station. I truly don't want to go, but if I don't, it will simply reinforce his argument that I am aware of Manny's identity. I gave Trevante one more look before kissing him on the forehead.

"I'll be right back, baby. I guarantee it. I love you." I kissed him on the forehead once more.

I exited the hospital, got into my car, and drove to the police station. It didn't take long for me to get to the police station. I parked and turned off my car. Before I entered the police station, I decided to call Manny and inform him of the situation. After what he did to Trevante, I really shouldn't tell him shit. It rang about two times before he answered.

"Wassup, mama." He said it in a grating tone.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "While I was in the hospital, taking care of my man. An FBI agent wanted to question me about you."

In the background, I can hear him laughing. "So what?"

"Soooo? What should I tell him?"

"Tell him we're just fucking."

I paused for a moment before returning the phone to my ear. "What? I'm not going to tell them that. You must have gone insane."

He laughed. "What else are you going to tell them?"

I began to look around for ideas on what to say. "Um, I'll tell them we're friends."

"Yeah, friends with benefits."

I palm myself in the face. "Are you really taking this shit as a joke?"

"Nah darling. Just tell them I be fucking the shit outta you every night."

He hung up the phone after saying that. In disbelief, I looked at the phone. Did he really just say that? He acts as if he can never be serious for a moment, and he shows no remorse for shooting Trevante. I swear he makes me want to puke. Before going into the police station, I straightened myself up. I made my way to the front desk.

"David Turner wanted to talk to me?" I told the cop.

"If you take that left turn, ma'am, his office will be right there." The officer indicated the office.

I nodded and proceeded as instructed. I entered the office and knocked on the door. He looked at me and rolled towards his desk, away from his computer.

"Could you please take a seat?" He said this while pointing to the chair.

I took a seat and adjusted my position. "So, what's the problem?" I inquired.

He sat back in his chair, his fingers crossed."Let's get back to the gentleman I showed you before. We're doing everything we can to catch him, but we can't because we don't have any information about him."

I sighed and shrugged. "What does that have to do with me?"

He laughed. "I know you know him, and I know you hang out with him."

I began to consider what Manny had said. Maybe I should just say what he told me to say.

I sighed and rolled my eyes. "I mean, we've only been having sex on and off. He comes over to my house and we simply do it. That's all there is to it."

He opened his eyes wide and cleared his throat. "Ok. Apart from that, do you know who he sells drugs to or where he gets his drugs?"

I made a shaky motion with my head. "I'm not familiar with drugs. I had no idea he was a drug dealer."

He clenched his teeth. "Ok. You work for him, according to what I've heard. Is that correct?"

I laughed hesitantly. "Work for him? Working for him, my gorgeous self? That isn't true at all. Whoever said that to you is a liar."

He rose from his seat and extended his hand to me. "Ok. Thank you very much for coming. I'll be in touch with you soon."

With a smile on my face, I rose from my chair and shook his hand. "Thank you, and have a wonderful day."

I hurriedly exited the room after he smiled. I was relieved because I had answered all of the questions. I'm curious as to who informed him that I work for Manny. I exited the police station and got into my car. Before starting my automobile, I began to wonder who may have given that information to the FBI agent. The prime suspect is Mariah.

Before she tells him everything about what I do for Manny, she needs to get handle.

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I parked in front of Mariah's apartment. Her apartment light is on, and her car is parked outside, so I know she's home. I'm going to show her tonight that if she keeps fucking with me, she'll die. I shut off my car and covered my face with a ski mask. I got out of my car, grabbed my gun, and exited. I dashed over to her front door.

I started thinking to myself before I broke down her door. Am I turning into Manny? No, I'm not. I'm just trying to show her that she can't mess with me because I don't bother anyone.

Mariah screamed after I broke down her door. She appeared to be watching television in the living room. She began sobbing and yelling as she backed up against the wall.

"Please do not hurt me. I'm pleading with you. Please don't kill me. I have money if that's what you're looking for. " She sobbed.

I removed my ski mask . "No, I don't want any fucking money, but I do want you to stop telling that FBI agent about me and stop fucking with me in general, or I'll definitely kill you."

When I removed my mask, her eyes widened. "What? You're going to murder me like Manny murdered your friend? That is something I should have mentioned to the FBI agent."

I cocked my gun and pointed it at her. "Don't bring her up. If you say anything else about her, I'll kill you, and I put that on my father. Do you hear what I'm saying?"

"Fuck you. I heard your shenanigans landed my man in the hospital. You should have been shot, not him."

I sucked my teeth. "He isn't your man. Why can't you just let it go? He's mine now, and he'll never get with you again. He was never with you to begin with. You were just fuck buddies."

Her terrified expression morphed into rage. She gave me a brief glance before sprinting towards me and attempting to grab my gun. We started fighting over the gun. We collapsed on the floor and resumed our fight. The gun went off out of nowhere.

We came to a halt and looked at each other's bodies. Mariah was shot, not me. My mouth dropped open, and she clutched her stomach wound. Her hands were stained with blood.

I took a step back and ran out of her apartment. I got in my car and drove away. I began to panic. What kind of person am I becoming? Why did I break into her house? What was I thinking when I shot her? This is incomprehensible to me.

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Hello, everyone. I sincerely hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter, and I feel like I rushed it, but if you like it and think I did a good job, please let me know in the comments 💕

Love, Red ❤️