Shell was spending money like a drunk fool. We were now copping our work from a Panamanian that had been in Durham for a while. Latonya turned us on to him too. For now, we’ll leave him unnamed. My phone was now my main source of trapping, although I still hit the block sometimes, just to look for new scores to put on my phone. Shell went and copped a smoke gray Cadillac Deville and an apartment in Hope Valley, not far from where Fletch had lived, and died. He tricked like it was going out of style. Blowing two and three grand a night, on worn out mouths and pussies in the strip clubs. He was also spending more and more time with that heroin nigga Luke. It didn’t bother me though. Shell was a big boy and he was my nigga from the doorstep, so I’d always have his back. I pride myself on being a man of honor. And loyalty is number one on my list. Me myself, I rented a town house in Raleigh off Six Forks Rd. The rent was high as hell, and my neighbors were mostly caucasian, but it was quiet and out of the way, which is what I needed and liked. I still kept a room at mom dukes crib though. She wouldn’t have it any other way. Damn, excuse me for a second as I rewind back a lil bit peoples. I forgot to fill yall in on the shit I’d encountered when I returned to see Tika, two days after I’d given her and her mom’s the ten stacks to help them get up outta Fayettville Street projects. As soon as I stepped out of the crib in front of their apartment, the first thing I noticed was their front door standing wide the fuck open! It was January and around seventeen fuckin degrees outside, so right off top I knew something wasn’t right! Like a speeding bullet I took off for the apartment, with the African cab driver screaming at the top of his lungs about me paying him his money, as I burst through the front door, whipping out the gun I now carried as I did! The scene that was in front of me, shocked me beyond words. The apartment was a ghost of its former self. Empty as a playground in Iraq! No call. No word of where they were headed. Nothing! They took my money, packed their shit and were gone. I was hoping like hell that they just hadn’t reached their destination yet, and Tika would call as soon as they did. But deep in my heart, I knew my first love was gone. I was heartbroken to say the least. It was the first cube of ice to invade my heart. Now, the sole reason for me getting into this shit was gone, and all I was left with, was a terrible addiction. I was hooked on motherfuckin money.