Heat.

| Chapter 14. |

They hadn't spoken in regards to the drop. Aaron didn't find it appropriate. He didn't tell anyone, not even Agents Hill or Black. He debated mentioning to Shianne, but was honestly not sure. She had too much going on and he didn't want to bother her. But only one thing made sense about the situation and that was that whoever was behind the trigger was looking for him. And it had something to do with his mother.

He grimaced at the fact that his mother could be up to something bad. I mean, witness protection bad. He always assumed it was his father's fault why the family was separated, or why he was, though, that enough was a tough pill to swallow. And call him old fashioned- but his dad was the man. It made sense. But thinking of his mother in such a light definitely did not make him feel any better.

"And now, our number one video!" Bow wow exclaimed, on Maurice's 50 inch flat screen TV as Mo lit the spliff, seated right in his recliner chair as Aaron and Darien took the couch, watching 106 & park. "Mack Wilds with 'Own it'!"

"Nothing's too much, words that I live by..." The song started, before Maurice took a long pass of the joint and passed it to Darien, who was closest to him.

"Yo, Mo. You look like this guy." Darien chuckled, pointing towards the TV. Maurice twisted his head around, staring at the young man on the tv and shaking his head.

"Yeah right, if I look like Mack Wilds, you look like fuckin' August Alsina." Maurice retaliated, as Darien rolled his eyes and took his own pull.

"I'm way prettier than that singer nigga to look like him." Darien replied, popping his collar and smirking.

Aaron listened to the bicker, taking the blunt from Darien's hands- ignoring the bruises on his knuckles and inhaling. He took another intake, before turning and taking in Maurice's house. The living room looked like your average Brooklyn house, and smelled just like weed. That was understandable to Aaron, considering that Maurice smoked a whole lot of weed.

And usually, Maurice's mother wasn't even home. Actually, speaking of her, Aaron really had no idea what the woman even looked like. He had seen Darien's aunt on multiple occasions, but never Maurice's mom. So, it was a shock when the front door to Maurice's house swung open and in walked two little girls. They looked to be about six and seven. The oldest had light brown skin, while the younger was a bit more closer to Maurice. These had to be his little sisters as the youngest ran to Maurice, jumping on his lap as Aaron quickly tried to put the blunt out.

"Mo mo!" She cheered, as Maurice kissed her cheek and smiled at her.

"Hey hey hey," Maurice exclaimed playfully. "What y'all doing here, ain't Cristal supposed to be watching you until I pick you up?" Maurice turned to the oldest, as she rolled her eyes. Yeah, she was def Mo's sister with all that attitude.

"You said to come home today, Mo. You promised to take us-"

"Hi Melody, why you acting like you don't know nobody no more?" Darien interrupted her, his accent rolling off his tongue. The girl squealed, before walking over to Darien and wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Hi Darien."

"I ain't see you in a minute," Darien spoke, staring at the girl as she slowly nodded. "You've been good?"

She laughed, pulling the glasses off Darien's face playfully and putting them in front of her eyes, ignoring the question before Darien pinched her. "You heard me, nah?"

"Ow, yes! But I wanna see mama and Mo said we could and now he's acting dumb."

Maurice scolded her. "Watch your mouth."

"Who are you?" The little one pouted at Aaron, as he gave her a slight smile. He was glad, the tension started getting thick.

"Uh, I'm AJ. I'm Maurice's friend." Aaron responded, as she furrowed her eyebrows, before shrugging.

"I'm Melanie, and that's my big sister Melody. Mo Mo is our brother."

"I think he can tell, fatty," Maurice teased, before patting her on the back. He looked to his first little sister, cutting his eyes. "Alright, Dee Dee. Go do your homework before we go."

Aaron waited for the little girls to head upstairs before he made his commentary. "They're cute, Mo. Look nothing like you."

"Shut the fuck up, AJ," Maurice chuckled, before standing up and stretching. "Look fellas, I got somewhere to go tonight so y'all ain't gotta go home but you gotta get outta here."

"Aw, it's like that?" Aaron questioned, laughing as he began to stand to his feet.

"Mo mo!" Melanie sung Maurice's nickname, holding a white piece of paper in her hand. "It's another letter from my teacher. She keeps saying she'll call that bad place if mama don't come in to see her."

"Yo, what the fuck is up with this lady, man?" He expressed, before Melanie scrunched her eyebrows. "My bad, lil girl. Just... I'll handle it."

Melanie pouted. "She wants her to sign it."

"She wants... Fine. Go get that old bill, please." He ran a desperate hand over his face, trying to pull himself together. Melanie disappeared, reappearing with a pink bill with a feminine signature on the bottom. And Maurice leaned forward on the table by the door, forging it. "Alright, put that one back." Maurice ordered her, as she grabbed the pink bill and put it back in the kitchen.

"Maurice, why are you forging your mother's signature? Can't she sign it when she gets home from work?" Aaron questioned, as Maurice rubbed the back of his neck.

The room fell silent then, as Melanie ran back in the room. She grabbed the white paper from Maurice, her bottom lip quivering as she stared at Aaron.

"Mommy's not at work. She's at the hospital. She has to stay there because she's sick and can barely move..." Melanie pouted, as Maurice sighed lowly. "That's why Mo Mo sends us to Cristal's after school after school. So he can go to work, because he has to pay the bills." She continued, before Maurice bent down to her size.

"Mel, you've said enough. Go and do your homework now please." Maurice growled, as the little girl huffed and ran back upstairs.

"Mo, I didn't know... Is your mom alright?" Aaron broke the awkward silence.

"Yeah, the cancer is doing her so well," Maurice rolled his eyes, before scoffing. "Look, the girls thinks that I work at footlocker. I can't tell them that I turned to the streets, because they'll tell our mama. And she won't like that." Maurice exhaled, before sitting back down.

"I'm a Cobra for them, but ma won't understand. I just... I just wanna take care of her and the girls, is that too much to ask?" Maurice said lowly, before Darien walked over to him, dapping him up.

"I know, B. Keep ya head up. Ya moms'll get better soon, aight?" Darien said, before Maurice nodded his head. Darien dapped him up one final time, then, shutting the door, he turned to Aaron right behind him.

"Do not, and I mean do not discuss Maurice's family life, Aaron. Not everybody is a cobra because they wanna be popular like you, AJ. We gots some baggage, okay?" Darien mumbled, before Aaron nodded his head quickly.

"Despite what you just saw, we some thug niggas. Family will always be first, and that's the type of shit to make niggas like us break down. Maurice been doing this shit since he was 13, he don't know nothing but to provide. So just don't mention it." Darien said, walking towards his car and hopping in. He rolled the window down, before staring at Aaron.

"You want a ride home or nah?" Darien questioned, as Aaron nodded his head again and hopped in the car. Leaving Maurice's house as he processed- he wasn't the only one who had it rough.