At Her Best.

Nineteen.

A bitch was scared. Like I could piss my pants at any given moment scared. Like I was sobbing dramatically with no intention of stopping scared. None of this made any sense, and I couldn't wait until lawyer Keisha burst through this interrogation room door and tell me this was all one big misunderstanding, and that I could go home and finish off my expensive wine.

Keisha was my first call of course. Because not only was she the best lawyer I knew, but she was my actual friend and someone I trusted without a doubt. Absolutely none of this was adding up to me. I hated being so clueless. I raked my brain, trying to figure out who the fuck was a Damon Peter. He surely wasn't someone I fucked. Call me loose, but I remembered names and dates, and a Peter was nowhere in my timeline.

My anxiety was working overtime as I sat in the interrogation room with Dean. Drumming my fingers on the cold, hard table, I pondered the name some more. Peter, Peter, Peter. The name didn't even sound familiar. Raja girl, you are fucked.

"Stop acting and looking so guilty." Dean whispered softly. "I don't know what's going on, but I know you didn't have anything to do with it. Now put the mean mugging Raja face on and relax."

Easier said than done, Dean. Easier said than done. I felt like I was losing control of everything, and that was absolutely infuriating for a woman like me. I've never, ever been caught up like this before. As clueless and confused as I felt about this whole situation, I couldn't help but feel sloppy as well. This was not how Raja got down at all.

"Lorenzo isn't answering any of my calls." Dean muttered, eyeing his surroundings. "Is there another number I can call him from? He'll help clear this up."

"Join the party." I whispered. "He hasn't been answering me either. Last time we spoke was at the police station. He said he was hanging back with you to make sure our information got in the right hands."

Dean looked at me puzzled and crossed his arms. "La'Raja, Lorenzo didn't hang back to talk to me. After you left, Renzo went to talk to our head detective, and then came back to me, retracting the receipts. He claimed he needed to add more to what y'all gave me before I presented it to my superior. He said something about wanting everything to be in order, and then I saw him talking to another guy when I was leaving to make my rounds. But he never came back to hand me any information."

What. The. Actual. Fuck. My face was stone cold, and I'm pretty sure I was on the verge of catching a spasm. Dramatic Raja was in full effect, because I was feeling faint and I'm sure I was seeing the light. Take me Lord, for I surely didn't want to live on this earth anymore. My own brother played the fuck out of me. And I got the feeling that the worst was yet to come.

Keisha barged into the interrogation room like an angered parent, glaring at Dean with irritation. She then looked over at me and smiled sadly, rushing over to stand beside me.

"I need a moment with my client." Keisha said to Dean even though she was looking straight at me. "And don't try any slick shit. Lieutenant Carrington assured me that there would be absolute confidentiality with my client. Don't play with me. Drafting lawsuits and serving them are one of my strongest talents."

Dean looked like he wanted to comment on Keisha's statements, but instead he sighed heavily and walked slowly to the door. Before he exited, he looked at me one last time. It was a look of encouragement, a look of hope. I managed a smile before he slipped through the door, but the smile quickly turned into a saddened frown. I was in some deep shit and I knew it.

The sadness of it all finally kicked in when Keisha bent over to hug me. Her action alone was preparing me for the worst. I clung to her with great force, wishing she wouldn't let go. I haven't cried in a good minute, but now the tears were flowing uncontrollably. How the fuck did I get here? And why was it happening?

"Raja baby." Keisha softly said, stroking my back. "Things aren't looking so good love. I reviewed the evidence and charges, and your DNA is all over the body of Damon Peter. Mr. Peter was the CFO of The Clark Publishing Arena. His half sister Astra Romana Clark came in this morning to not only identify his body, but give full statements linking you towards his murder. Lorenzo Harper was also there to cooperate and give his own testaments. Mr. Peter died from an overdose last night, and your brother and Astra both stated that you were there to con him and ensure his death. And now Astra and Lorenzo are nowhere to be found."

What the fuck. These sick fucks. These sick, sick fucks! I was now full of rage, ready to knock everything over. Keisha pulled away from our hug, and made me look at her full in the eyes. Grabbing my arms and blinking back her own tears, Keisha cleared her throat. She wiped away my tears, and lifted my chin. I guess she was trying to instill some strength in me, but that had long left me.

"I know you didn't do this." Keisha whispered. "I know you, Raja. And nothing is going to sway me from that. Baby girl, I promise...I promise to help you fix this. I won't rest until this is solved. Your brother and Astra will not get away with this. That I assure you. But everything is against you now. The police dug into your activities and spoke to some of the men you've had interactions with over the past months. A lot of them confirmed your job description and attested to you doing something like this. News reporters and blogs are having a field day with this one. Damon Peter was not only a member of a very elite family, but he was truly a beacon of society, and this has now turned into a high profile case. But that isn't going to stop me. You don't deserve this. Remember that. You're going to have to go away for a while. They're going to process you and keep you here in prison. I'll be working from the outside trying to get bail and a court date. Keep your head up in there, be the strong woman I know you are. We'll figure this out together. Okay?"

At this point Keisha and I were both crying, me way more than her. I was so angry with myself, with my decisions, with my life. I just wanted to throw my entire being away. I knew having a fast lifestyle like mine came with consequences, but I never thought I'd go down like this. This isn't how I wanted the La'Raja Harper story to go. I eventually wanted to turn my life around, and be a better version of myself. I wanted so much more for myself. I wanted so much more for my life. There's so much I wanted to do and achieve. And now the chances of that were slim to none.