I had been sitting there for over an hour before I heard the key hit the lock. I raised my weapon. Victor opened the door and turned on the light.

“Nina?” His eyes opened wide when he saw the gun. “What are you doing here?”

“Come in and close the door,” I said. I should have shot him on sight and been done with it. But I didn’t.

“What’s this about, Nina?” Victor asked.

“Don’t play stupid. You know what this is about.”

“’Cause I wouldn’t go out with you again,” Victor said and laughed a little.

“Very funny. Chose your next little joke carefully, ’cause it will be your last.”

“Can I sit down?”

“Go ahead,” I said, and Victor sat down on the couch. When he sat down, I stood up.

“So, you wanna tell me what this is about?”

“You set me up.”

“What?”

“You were the one that sent those women to rob me that night.”

“And I suppose that I set it up to get beat to death?”

“There was no way you could know that Cedric would be there, or that I would have to call you to untie me.”

“This is crazy, Nina. What makes you so sure that I did it?”

“I been following you.”

“Now you stalking me, Nina? This is ridiculous.”

“I followed you and you led me right to the two bitches that robbed me that night.”

The look on his face changed completely then. Up to that point, I guess he thought that he would be able to talk me out of killing him. Now, for the first time since he walked in the door, Victor looked scared. “So, let’s start again. Why you set me up?”

Victor looked around the room, and then he took a deep breath. “It wasn’t anything personal, Nina. That’s just our hustle. One of us gets the mark out of the house and the other two rob them. LeSean and Shantia scouted you out.”