At Her Best.

Twenty-Four.

I was in this interrogation room for at least a good fifteen minutes, but it felt like eternity. I went from chewing my bottom lip, to scratching my neck, and then to playing with my fingers. The suspense was killing me, my nerves were going wild. Thankfully, the door swung open before I completely lost it, and in walked Mason with some other man. This other guy was fine as hell, he certainly was giving Jamal a run for his money in the looks department. That wasn't the only area of competition for Jamal though, for sex deprived Raja took a quick glance at this guy's bulging downstairs before he sat. I raised an interested eyebrow. Damn, I knew he had to be blowing bitches' backs out. Where can I sign up?

"Hey." Jamal smiled. "How are you?"

"Hi, I'm good." I answered. "Where's Keisha?"

"She's outside handling press and other media outlets." Mason responded. "Raja, meet my lawyer friend Theodore Kingston. He's been helping Keisha and I behind the scenes."

Theodore extended his hand to shake, and I obliged. He had a strong grip, and part of me wondered what else he was forceful with. I shook my head at the thought and laughed mentally. Raja girl, concentrate.

"Nice to meet you Ms. Harper, call me Theo." Mr. Kingston said. "Happy to assist. Your case is indeed an interesting one."

I nodded. "Why is Keisha outside handling press and not in here? Did things get worse?"

Mason and Theo looked at each other for a moment, which made my chest hurt and my breathing unsteady. Did things get worse? Could things even get worse? I wasn't getting my hopes up, but a piece of me honestly thought there was a possibility of me getting out of here. But I guess that was just wishful thinking.

"No, Raja. Things didn't get worse." Jamal replied with a grin. "Things actually got a whole lot better."

Jamal smiled at me gently and I returned the gesture. Theo reached into his suit jacket's pocket and retrieved his phone. Setting his cellular device in front of me, Theo pressed play to a video. The video turned out to be security footage from Damon Peter's residence. The footage showed Astra arriving to Peter's home, where Peter invited her inside. The video continued with the two of them inside the living room, laughing and chatting it up. Peter offered Astra a beverage, and he also poured one for himself. However, when Peter wasn't looking, Astra slipped some drugs into Peter's glass. It wasn't long before the effects of those drugs kicked in, and Peter began coughing and choking. Astra watched it all happen, she clearly was enjoying every moment of it. My ex-friend then reached into her purse, retrieving a Ziplock bag. In that bag was hair strands, and she strategically placed them all around her half-brother's body and living room. And that's where the video stopped.

"This security footage has been circulating around social media for the past 10 hours. Someone anonymously posted it and it spread like wildfire." Theo explained. "Keisha and I were planning to use the evidence in your brother's room as proof of conspiracy. We were even going to get your mother to testify. But this right here is a gold mine. This video alone threw out your entire case. Congratulations La'Raja."

I was in this interrogation room crying again, but this time around it was for different reasons. The tears were pouring down as I sat there in absolute shock and happiness. I was getting out of here. I was finally, finally being able to leave. I was so stunned, it was leaving me speechless. This was all I ever prayed for since I came to this prison, and I can't believe it finally happened.

"I knew you wouldn't want to speak to the public and have your face all out there, so I got Keisha to handle that." Jamal said brightly.

I smiled at Jamal. "You know me well."

Jamal sighed with relief and grabbed onto my hand tenderly. The action threw me completely off guard and it was shown all over my face. Although I was still hesitant about Jamal, I quickly picked up my facial expressions and smiled at him. He really was adamant about helping me get out of here, and I could always appreciate and respect that.

"Well, I'm going to leave you two." Theodore announced. "Gonna get back out there with Keisha. This was one of the biggest high-profile cases the city had in a while. I know those reporters and bloggers are coming from every angle. Mason, we'll catch up."

Mason and Theo dapped each other, and Theo quickly rushed through the door. It was just Jamal and I sitting here now, looking at each other full in the face.

"Listen, you might not like this. But I really think you should move in with me for a little bit." Mason said. "When you got arrested the police seized most of your assets. Theo and I are still trying to undo all of that. It's going to take some time, but I still want you to live comfortably. I want you to live like you used to. I have five bedrooms in my condo, beautiful views, daily gourmet chefs, a huge outdoor space. Whatever you want is a phone call away. I really think you should consider it. Shit, you don't even have to see me if you don't want to. I'm hardly there anyways."

I paused, for I was now filled with uncertainty and apprehensiveness. Releasing my hand from Mason's, I glared at the club owner, trying to read him. Here Mason was once again giving me what he thought was the pitch of a lifetime, but this time I wasn't detecting any bullshit. That scared the shit out of me, because I wasn't sensing any maliciousness or conniving antics. This could be exactly what Mason wanted me to feel, seeing that I was now in a vulnerable position. Either Mason was great at hiding his true intentions, or maybe he did indeed have good intentions. I really hope it was the latter.

"Why are you doing all of this?" I simply asked. "Why are you helping me? Mason, I disrespected you and stole from you. I wouldn't want anything to do with me if I was in your shoes. So, forgive me if I'm finding it hard to trust you."

"I get that." Mason replied with a small smile. "We're so similar, shit is crazy. Raja...I've been in love with you since we were fifteen years old. You probably don't remember this, but our talks back in high school really molded me into the man I am today. When we first met, I was struggling with football. I didn't know what I wanted out of life. And you were the popular girl, the girl all the boys fantasized about. I was failing in so many areas of my life, and then you just swooped in and made it all better. You didn't have to stick around with me, but you did. You'd encourage me, motivate me. And that goes a long way when you don't have nobody to depend on. You helped me find my confidence, made me feel like I was the head honcho. You helped me see the potential within myself that I clearly couldn't. You had my back, and that's why I'll always have yours. The things you said to me all those years ago were so simple, but so necessary at that time. You got me through football, through school. And I don't think you ever realized it. You were one of my biggest support systems. My guys were always there rooting me on, but encouragement coming from you always hit different. You made me feel like I was that guy, like I could do almost anything. I took that invincible feeling through life, which made me the successful businessman I am today. I never got around to actually thank you for it, but I truly appreciate you. But don't get me wrong, you've got your ways, and it was hard as fuck to look pass certain shit. But I'll always be here for you Raja. Regardless of if you want to accept it or not. Now, can we go home?"

Damn. I definitely wasn't expecting this. I was smiling from ear to ear. Jamal speaking on our high school days definitely brought back memories. I'm glad I was able to make such an impact on his life, but now it was time for me to make one for myself. Getting out of jail felt like a second chance at life. I sure as hell was going to do things differently. The talk with Mama Sal was still resonating with my spirit. I wasn't going to take her words for granted. I had a new perspective on life. It was time to do better and switch things up on my end.

"Yeah." I answered. "Let's go home."