Moth to a Flame by Ashley Antoinette Read Free Book Online Page B

back and observed while slowly sipping a Heineken. Raven may not have sensed the shade in Mizan, but real recognized real, and everything about him spelled phony to Ethic. Even the way he interacted with Raven seemed rehearsed, as if he had his mind on other things. Little did Ethic know, Mizan had his eyes on robbing Benny Atkins.
    Mizan wasn’t focused on anything, but taking mental notes of his surroundings. He noticed that the only time someone went inside the house was to use the bathroom. Other than that the inside was off limits. It was the perfect setup. While everybody was partying and distracted out back, Mizan was about to hit the inside. He knew that his crew would have to get in and out. As he looked around at all the hustlers and street legends in attendance, he knew that they were strapped. If anything went wrong there would be no turning back. What he was trying to do was reckless, but the life and times of a jack boy often were. It was all or nothing, and Mizan was ready to make his move. “Yo’, you got a restroom I can use? he asked.
    “Yeah, it’s right inside. Go through the back door, it’s the first door on your left,” Raven instructed. As soon as he got inside the house, he walked around, making sure the coast was clear. After discovering that no one was in the house, he quickly unlocked the front door, and then headed back to the party.
    As he sat back down next to Raven he pulled out his phone.
    The front door is unlocked. In and out like a robbery, my niggas. Grab jewelry, money, product ... everything else is too big to carry out of the house unnoticed. Try to find the safe.
    “You having a good time?”Raven asked.
    Mizan nodded and replied, “It’s not my type of scene, but I know I got to put in time with your folk.”
    Raven’s little sister ran up to her soaking wet, and wrapped her arms around her big sister’s waist.
    “Raven, is this your boyfriend? Morgan asked through sign language, smiling.
    “She can’t hear?” Mizan asked.
    “Nah, she’s been deaf since she was born,” Raven informed him.
    “What did she say?” he asked.
    “She wants to know if you’re my man,” Raven said with a smirk, putting him on the spot.
    “Get out of here. She didn’t ask you that shit, ” he laughed.
    “I swear,”Raven stated as she laughed too. He smiled and bent down so that he was eye level with Morgan. She was the spitting image of Raven. “She can read your lips so you can talk to her.”
    “I’m her friend, Mizan. What’s your name? ”
    “Morgan Jacqueline Atkins,”she signed proudly, then patted her cheeks as if she were putting on makeup. It was the sign that Raven had made up for her name when she was just a baby.
    “Her name is Morgan,”Raven interpreted.
    Mizan pulled a twenty dollar bill out of his pocket and handed it to Morgan. “Happy Birthday.”
    Six-year-old Morgan looked at the money in her hands and frowned. “You don’t have anything bigger than Andrew?“she signed, revealing her spoiled nature. She had been raised among the hood’s elite and was used to them showering her with big face bills whenever they came around.
    Raven relayed the message and Mizan looked at the mini-diva, shaking his head. “I got you, shorty ...” He removed a fifty and handed it to her. “Is that better?”
    She smiled brightly and nodded her head. She then tucked the twenty and the fifty dollar bills inside her swimsuit. “Thank you,”she signed. Raven just shook her head and chuckled, knowing that her little sister had hustled almost a hundred bucks out of Mizan.
    “Okay, can you go play now, Morgan?” Raven said.
    “No, Mommy told me to tell you to help me get dressed. I’m tired of swimming. I want to put on my birthday outfit,” she replied, her hands moving quickly to let Raven know that she wanted to change now. No exceptions.
    Raven sighed and looked at Mizan. “She’s such a brat. I’ll be right back,”she said, then grabbed Morgan’s hand and led