𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘮𝘺 𝘴𝘶𝘯𝘴𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 ♡

Killing people was easy for Kingston Knight, selling drugs was easy...but falling in love was something he knew nothing about. He watches the way his little sister has fallen in love and wonder if he can ever treat a woman like that? Can he put his guard down to let someone other than family in? Promise Marshall is a little rough around the edges, being raised in a orphanage and running away at the age 16 she had no choice but to dance. With her troubled past that makes her the woman she is now...can she also let her guard down? Can she be that soft girl?

"You ain't even that cute." Jojo playfully rolled her eyes allowing Dice to pull her arm to wherever he seemed to be leading her. "Where are you taking me!" She grew annoyed with the anticipation. "On a trip, just chill." -- For as long as she can remember, Jojo Rosewood has lived a picture-perfect life in a suburban area located in Chicago-designer clothes, private schools, and a glamorous lifestyle all thanks to her high-powered mother. Evidently her perfect world seems to be a lie when it comes crashing down as her mother's secrets come to the light, forcing her to face reality. Now having all of her family's assets cleared she's every bit of confused on what to do. With nowhere else to turn, Jojo is forced to leave behind everything she knows and move across a plethora of states to live with her father, a man she barely knows due to distance, and his new family. Learning to balance the shift in culture and the chaos of her first year in college all in one, Jojo struggles to adjust to her circumstances and blend into a world where her privilege no longer holds any weight. Things grow even more complicated when she meets Dice, her half-brother's best friend-a well mannered , street-smart young adult who seems to embody everything Jojos maternal side of the family warned her about. Dice is equally frustrating and intriguing, with a no-nonsense attitude that calls Jojo out on her unrealistic expectations. As their chemistry builds, Jojo finds herself questioning everything she thought she knew about family, loyalty, and love while Dice struggles letting Jojo take a trip to his world. Started; December 18th, 2024 Published; January 4th, 2025 Finished; March 2nd, 2025

Janeisha "Neisha" Bambi has always survived by staying small. Head low. Mouth shut. No waves, no risks, no getting caught up in the kind of business that comes with bodies, secrets, and street names that echo. But all it takes is one night-one favor for her best friend-to slide her straight into the orbit of Seven "Saint" Carter. Saint is discipline wrapped in quiet menace. A man the streets don't just respect-they fear. The type Neisha promised herself she'd never look at twice. He doesn't chase. He doesn't beg. He doesn't explain. Yet somehow... he does all of this for her. And when that calm, unreadable gaze settles on Neisha, her careful world starts to crack. Now Saint's patience is running out. Neisha's defenses are falling apart. And the pull between them is starting to feel less like a choice and more like fate. He's trying to shield her from the life he lives. She's trying to decide if loving him is salvation... or self-destruction. Because in a world built on loyalty, violence, and revenge; love is the most dangerous thing you can touch.

"So you just wanna fuck me forever, and that's it, huh?" "I ain't say-" He sucked his teeth. "We already talked about this shit, Z." "Nah." She chuckled dryly. "You just keep shutting me out." "Why you doin' this to me, Ma?" He closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Hm? Why you tryna fuck everything up?" • • • • • • 𝚆𝚑𝚎𝚗 𝚊 𝚗𝚘𝚗-𝚌𝚘𝚖𝚖𝚒𝚝𝚝𝚎𝚛 𝚖𝚎𝚎𝚝𝚜 𝚊 𝚑𝚘𝚙𝚎𝚕𝚎𝚜𝚜 𝚛𝚘𝚖𝚊𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚌, 𝚊 𝚌𝚕𝚊𝚜𝚜𝚒𝚌 𝚝𝚊𝚕𝚎 𝚘𝚏 𝚏𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚗𝚍𝚜 𝚠𝚒𝚝𝚑 𝚋𝚎𝚗𝚎𝚏𝚒𝚝𝚜 𝚝𝚞𝚛𝚗𝚜 𝚝𝚛𝚊𝚐𝚒𝚌 💌👻 𝙱𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝟷 𝚘𝚏 𝚝𝚑𝚎 𝚅𝚊𝚕𝚎𝚗𝚝𝚒𝚗𝚎 𝚜𝚎𝚛𝚒𝚎𝚜

"You no tell this girl that I said, I want no relations with a darkie?" She spat to me, making my eyes go wide. What? I thought to myself and Gio tried pulling me away but I snatched away from him, knowing I heard right this time. "Wait, what?" I spoke out loud and Gi grabbed me roughly, trying to pull me away again. "Why you saying these things? She's beautiful." I heard his abuelita sticking up for me as she stood to her feet and all the guys began to as well, telling their mom that she was wrong for what she was doing. "That puta heard me." She spat, pointing her finger at me. "You're too dark." She held up a brown paper bag that she was drinking her beer out of. "You no match this bag or lighter, you're too dark." "You look too much like his father. I no want you around me." She shooed me off, instantly breaking my heart into a billion pieces as I looked up at Giovanni who was looking down at me with hurt in his eyes. "Baby, please." He begged and I shook my head at him in disgust before putting my attention back onto her. "Get that darkness out of here, Giovanni. She's a demon." "Only demons have her color." She kept on going and I felt sick to my stomach in this moment as I stood there in complete shock.

"Hello, Sincere. How are you feeling today?" "Same as everyday, can't sleep, can't eat.." I trailed off, looking down at Sinclair who had a perfect mixture of both V and I. "That's not good." She said and I shrugged. "None of this is." I said and she nodded understandingly. "Have faith." She said, placing her hand on my shoulder and I nodded. I tried hard to keep the tears in because I had to be strong for everybody. The family was really going through it and I just wanted her back in my arms. V had my heart and if I lost her for good, I'd never look for love again. The doctor walked out as I sat there quietly and Clair looked over my face while she made spit bubbles. I bit my bottom lip, holding back tears as I looked at V laying there with tubes in her. Not able to hold on any longer, I broke down. "Baybeh, I need you..." I trailed off, shaking my head. "I need you so bad, I can't do this shit. I can't do life with you." I explained, looking down at the floor. "We need you, ma." My voice cracked, looking over to Sinclair who was still looking up at me. "Our baybeh girl is so beautiful, ma. I want you to see her, I want you to see her grow up. I want you to be here with us.." I trailed off, collecting my words. I wiped my face as more tears poured down and I shook my head, sighing deeply. "Wake up, baybeh." I spoke, breaking down as I bit my bottom lip.

A promise. It seems like the simplest thing in the world to keep. But so often, they're broken, empty and hollow. They seem like the easiest thing in the world to believe, but after the words are left out to bleed, after they leave you waiting and wanting, after all the emptiness and hollow words-how are you going to believe the one who actually say what they mean?

𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝚁𝙴 𝙼𝚈 𝚂𝙰𝙻𝚅𝙰𝙶𝙴, 𝚈𝙾𝚄'𝚁𝙴 𝙼𝚈 𝙱𝙰𝙻𝙰𝙽𝙲𝙴

I was a boy when I met her and loving her taught me how to be a man. ** This book features MATURE THEMES including violence, strong language, sexual content and potentially-triggering fictional scenarios. Please read at your own discretion. ** BOOK TWO OF THE STAY DOWN SERIES ON @RE2RAW