His pulse throbbed in his temples, and his lungs burned from the effort of bench pressing two hundred and twenty-five pounds. But dammit, he was going to get to forty reps. He only got to thirty-two before a loud bang disrupted his concentration. The force of the metal door hitting the wall behind it echoed through the nearly empty weight room, followed by the pounding of heavy footsteps. Frank had barely replaced the barbell with the trainer’s assistance when Tre’s angry faced loomed over him. “What’s going on with you and my sister?” Frank’s blood chilled, and a cold sweat added to the perspiration already covering his skin from his workout. The trainer wisely ducked out of the room, but there was no escape for him. He kept his voice nonchalant in the hope it would cool his friend’s ire. “What are you talking about?” “This.” Tre pulled out a full-page ad from yesterday’s newspaper and poked his finger right in the middle of Frank’s smiling face on it. His anxiety waned, and he sat up slowly, wiping his face with a towel.
