A LaLa Land Addiction by Ashley Antoinette Read Free Book Online Page B

skintight Valentino dress she wore turned the heads of every man and woman in the room.
    â€œYou make me have to knock a nigga head off in here tonight,” Noah whispered in her ear.
    Naomi gave him a coy smile as they were led to their booth in VIP. The music in the club was deafening and Noah was out of his element. He didn’t vibe like this. He was too low-key for the spotlight, but when Naomi grabbed a bottle of champagne and sprayed it on the crowd below he knew they weren’t leaving anytime soon. It was just the two of them, like Bonnie and Clyde, turning up in their own little world. All eyes were on them. Word had spread throughout the city that Noah had risen to the top. He was the man to see if you were trying to make a little paper. While other hustlers was putting bullshit product on the street, Noah had grade-A dope, straight off the boat. He had the plug, so he had the power, but as he sat in VIP he realized Khadafi was right; Noah needed to build a team. He was feeling too naked. He only had two eyes circulating the club. He was heavily outnumbered by the hundreds who were trying to take a peek at him. He couldn’t watch everybody at once. There were too many hands tucked and too many niggas full of envy for him to monitor dolo. It only added to his discomfort. Naomi noticed and walked up to him, winding her body to the beat circulating through the club. “Relax, babe,” she said. She handed him a glass of champagne and lifted her own.
    Noah downed the drink and then said, “I need something stronger. The waitress is too slow. You want something from the bar?”
    Naomi shook her head and Noah descended the steps as he squeezed his way through the thick crowd. He was halfway through the crowd when he locked eyes with someone familiar. Noah couldn’t place the face, but the look of malice coming toward him made the hair stand up on the back of his neck. Noah reached for his hip, but he lost the draw when he looked up and saw a .45 pointed in his direction. He couldn’t react quickly enough. He froze, anticipating the gunshot that would end his young life.
    Bang!
    A melee erupted and Noah turned just in time to see a man behind him drop instantly. Noah turned in bewilderment as he realized he had almost had his head blown off. He turned back to see the gunman fleeing with the rest of the crowd. Noah looked toward VIP and didn’t see Naomi anywhere.
    â€œNaomi!” he shouted as he aggressively pushed through the frenzy.
    He made his way outside, his hand planted firmly on his hip and his head on a swivel as he searched for Naomi.
    A black Mercedes-AMG truck with tinted windows pulled up on him and Naomi jumped out of the passenger side. “Oh my God!” she screamed as she hugged him.
    Noah noticed the shooter behind the steering wheel. Noah lifted his shirt slightly, exposing the burner he carried.
    â€œNo issues, homeboy,” the driver said before speeding off.
    Noah grabbed his truck from the valet and hurriedly pulled away from the club.
    â€œYou know that nigga?” Noah asked.
    â€œ You don’t? He said he was your people,” Naomi replied, confused. “That’s the only reason I even got in his truck. I saw what he did for you. If it weren’t for him, you would have been the one circled in chalk on the dance floor. The guy he shot had a gun pointed at the back of your head. I thought you knew him.”
    Noah didn’t respond as he tried to filter through his memory to pinpoint how he knew the shooter. He was drawing blanks, but he knew that his days of walking around unprotected were over. His one-man army was no longer enough. He was grateful for Khadafi’s gift. It was time to switch up his routine.
    â€œWhere are we going?” Naomi asked as she looked out of the back windshield. “Aren’t we going the wrong way?”
    â€œSit back, I’ve got a surprise for you,” Noah