Heat.

| Chapter 17. |

Breathing heavy, Aaron jolted awake from his nightmare, sweat dripping down his face and forming a puddle on his sheets. Glancing at the watch on his wrist, he exhaled deeply trying to get himself together. But upon looking to the ceiling, he realized that his life was far from a dream.

In reality, his life was exactly the nightmare he never dreamed about. His father had followed him to America, and finally told him the truth on why Aaron was sent across the country in the witness protection program, the reason shaking Aaron's core more than he anticipated. Turns out, for years, beyond even his birth, his mother had a huge connection to the Italian mafia. Shit, she was the Italian mafia. His mother had dealings in almost everything, from drugs, to weapons, to even political power.

But she slipped up in one of her dealings, setting off an entire slew of people who wanted to take out those closest to her. And everyone knew she had a son, one stashed away in her most elegant of homes, schooled in the most prestigious of places. He was everyone's first target. And her husband was next. But imagine his surprise when he found out his wife wasn't concerned with losing him or their child. That to her, her spouse and kid were just assets, that had to be taken out.

While Aldo was ensuring his son's safety, the mother of his child was ensuring a way to get rid of the man who raised her son. Then get rid of her son after that. So, unbeknownst to Aaron, his mother, was not who he thought she was. She was far far worst. She was the enemy. He wasn't sure how to take this, as he wasn't expecting to be told that his mother was on a manhunt trying to get to him for some strange reason, whether that was dead or alive. He also wasn't sure how to tell his father that she may or may not have found him either. And honestly at this point, he wasn't sure about so many things.

So, he decided to bury it and focus on what he had going on already. Like his project with Cristal. When he pulled up to his destination, Aaron thought that Cristal had given him the wrong directions. After all, the house that sat above him was a large brick home with a brown picket fence guarding it. The lawn had beautiful green grass, with flowers sprouting from the ground and new planted fruits and veggies.

"Woah," Aaron mumbled, climbing out of the car he recently brought from the used dealership with his Cobra money. He walked towards the front door, still in shock. "This place is amazing."

Of course, the home was nothing compared to his home back in Italy, but Aaron still couldn't believe that a home like this was even somewhere in Brooklyn. He knocked on the door three times before a older black woman with a high bun and reading glasses opened the door, looking like she could be her daughter's sister.

"Yes, can I help you with something?" She spoke, eyeing Aaron up and down.

"Uh hello, good afternoon. Is Cristal home?" Aaron answered, before the woman nodded her head and gestured for Aaron to follow her.

"Cristal, darling!" The woman shouted, before turning to Aaron with a smile.

"What's your name, young man?" She questioned, taking in Aaron's ensemble. He was glad that he went with the tan cargo pants and gray sweater that he had on, rather than the sweatpants he almost wore.

"Aaron Joshua Russo, pleasure to meet you." Aaron replied, grabbing her hand and resting a kiss on to it. His old Italian ways arising.

"Are you my Crissy's new boyfriend? You are adorable! And I can already tell you're a keeper. Way better than that Maurice." Her mother shivered at the name.

"Ma'am, I think you got it wrong. Maurice and I are friends actually." Aaron explained, before she shook her head side to side.

"Absurd! That vile boy was a hoodlum, and you clearly are not." She answered, before being cut off by the sound of her daughter.

"Ma," Cristal called, running down the stairs. Her purple hair was pulled back into a top knot as she wore leggings and a fitted cropped sweatshirt that showed her tone body. "Leave him alone."

"Nonsense, Crissy, I was talking to your new beau here." Her mother responded with a smile, wrapping her arms around Cristal.

Cristal wiggled out the embrace. "He's not my beau, and for the last time ma, I'm dating Maurice. That's my beau."

"Oh, don't give your mother a heart attack," Her mother snarled, before Cristal rolled her eyes. "I'm going out for brunch. Don't wait up."

"Goodbye mother." Cristal hissed, before pushing her mother out of the room and through the doors. She turned to Aaron with pleading eyes.

"I guess your mom doesn't like Mo?" Aaron spoke, before Cristal sighed and gave Aaron a head nod.

"Hates him," Cristal said, leading the way into her kitchen where she had her laptop and textbook already set up. "Shianne too."

"How could she hate Shianne?" Aaron took in the luxurious look of her home, still confused on why it looked so wealthy. "Cristal, are you rich?"

"Rich? Nah, AJ. That's just you," She responded, sipping the bottled water on the table. Shianne definitely could not keep a secret. "We're okay."

"Okay? Trust this house don't look like what everyone else in Brooklyn got." Aaron frowned, as Cristal shrugged.

"We're right outside of Brooklyn, technically. My dad's a lawyer and mom is a doctor." She replied, before Aaron rolled his eyes playfully.

"What is this, 'Family Matters'?" Aaron joked, before Cristal furrowed her eyebrows.

"You mean, 'The Cosby's Family'?" She retorted, as Aaron's face turned red. He thought watching some of those old sitcoms with the boys, he had the shit right. She began laughing at this.

"You may be real cool now, but you still a white boy from the other side of the world. Don't even know the difference between black sitcoms." She laughed, passing the laptop over to Aaron as she started flipping pages in the textbook. They began reviewing the assignment, before Aaron asked another question.

"So, why don't your mom like Maurice?" Aaron changed the subject, as Cristal bit down on her lip in response.

"My parents only see Mo as some thug. And I mean, they're right. Look at him, AJ," Cristal sighed, clicking the pen multiple times. "But his heart? Maurice is one of a kind. With so much potential. He's more than what society makes him. And that's why I love him."

"You know he's a Cobra to support his mother and sisters, right?"

"Of course I do. That's why I watch Dee Dee and Mel after school for him. The aftercare is a lot and he's already handling it all." Cristal answered, going back to the book.

"You know he loves you too, right? After all, he punched me in the face over you."

Cristal smiled. "He's crazy, yeah. But no different than you for Shianne."

Aaron swallowed. "I've never harmed anyone for ba- Shi."

"Oh okay," Silence fell over them. "I mean, I'm not judging you or nothing. Look at Mo. I just know there's not many people who knows about Shianne's situation. Her father don't have no hits on him, and I know that Tut approved a glock for you-"

"If you wanna ask me something Cris, I think you should get it out."

"Okay," She put the textbook down and faced her friend. "Did you shoot Mr. Jones?"