My name is Beautiful Kierra Jackson. A name like that is almost a guarantee of bullying, but it's not the entire story of my life. It all started when my Granny, the woman who raised me, died. She was my only living relative until I discovered that wasn't exactly true at her funeral. It's where Desmond, better known as Uncle D, introduced himself to me and where my downfall began.
Once Granny died, I became a candidate for social services unless another relative agreed to let me live with them. Uncle D was gracious enough to do that but on one condition. I could become the cash pickup person for his criminal activity or live in a group home until I became legal.
So began my life of crime. Okay, it wasn't a long career, only a few months, and I took the money and ran to coin a phrase. Stupid, I know, but what's a girl to do under the circumstances? I'm not built for that lifestyle. Besides that, Granny would be so disappointed in me.
After ditching my car and cell phone, I hiked to the Peachtree Amtrak station for a ticket on the midnight train from Georgia—a ticket to anywhere Uncle D wouldn't find me.
Only a ticket became unnecessary when this cute guy named Kash strolled up and asked me for a favor. You'd think I'd learned my lesson by now, but again he was cute and polite and offered me a free ticket if I pretended to be his girlfriend until we were safely on the train.
Who wouldn't accept those terms? After all, he had just literally saved my life. But saving me placed Kash in danger and the story of how he became tied up in my mess.
