Rumi "Rue" Monroe was a girl who grew up too quick and too soon. When her parents died, all she had left was herself, her overworked aunt, and bills they could never quite outrun. Fresh out of a relationship after catching her man in bed with another woman, Rue is exhausted working herself to the bone, drowning in responsibilities, and done with men altogether. She keeps her head down, minding her business, praying life gives her something better than struggle and disappointment. She isn't looking for love, danger, or anything that can break her again. Until she meets him. Nazir "Naz" Creed is the coldest man in the city a quiet storm with a reputation that speaks louder than he ever needs to. Running the streets with his brothers built him an empire people fear and respect in equal measure. Naz moves with precision, loyalty, and violence when necessary, and he's never cared about much outside money, power, and keeping his circle alive. But then he sees Rue. What starts as a chance encounter turns into a collision neither of them can walk away from. Rue's sweetness clashes with Naz's darkness, her broken hope meets his guarded heart, and suddenly the city's coldest man finds himself warming to the one girl who wasn't looking for him in the first place. And the streets? The streets don't like when the wrong people start caring about each other.

"Montana, come here." He nodded his head toward the door, leaving out of the room. Staying silent as Ms. Carol looked at me, I kissed the back of Josiah's hand before leaving out of the room. As I walked out, Messiah stood there looking at me in disgust while I closed the door. "What are you doing that shit for?" "Huh?" I said since I had nothing else to say, just trying to stall time to get my words together. "Why are you stripping, Monty?" Sighing, I decided that I wasn't going to lie like I'd originally planned to do after listening to Chocolate's stupid advice. "Money." I spoke simply and he scoffed as I looked down. "Why not just ask Josiah for money instead doing hoe shit?" "First of all, It's not doing hoe shit. I don't have sex with anyone. I just dance. And I don't want to ask him for any money. It's not his job to take care of me." "So stripping..." He trailed off with a laugh. "..stripping was the last resort? Instead of putting your pride aside?" Saying nothing, I just looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please don't tell him, Messiah." I could already tell by the look on his face that he was going to tell him. "I ain't gon' tell him.." Thank God. I thought. "..you are." "What?!" I shrieked. "No. I'm not." "You are." He spoke in a demanding tone. "Please. You know how he is." I expressed "And you know how he is too but you made that bed." "Messiah, he's going to kill me." I begged. "I know." He shook his head, walking away from me. "Better figure it out. You got until the end of the day to tell him or I will." He mumbled before walking back into the room.