by Kiki Leach
"Whatever the fuck it is we're feeling for each other, we are both fuckin' feeling that shit -- hard and fast... I don't ever wanna fuckin' stop."
"Me either...." I tightened my arms around him and smiled. "We should get married within the next three weeks," I said. "I'll check the calendar and pick an exact date and time later today, but... within the next three weeks is when I want this to happen."
"Yeahhhh." He slipped an arm beneath my backside to lift me even higher from the floor; pressing me against him, I could feel his hardness forming between my thighs. God. I pushed against him and whimpered. "Just name the time and goddamn place, baby; you know I'll be right there whenever the fuck you're gonna need." He rolled his tongue along the edge of my bottom lip and groaned. "I am fuckin' hungry for you, Cheyenne. Goddamn aching -- right fuckin' now baby."
I was weak.
So ridiculously helpless, incredibly weak for him.
"Take me upstairs, Nikko; have all of me in the way I need from you; in the way I'll always need from no one else but you."
"Me tasting you--?"
"Yes." I pushed my hands into his hair and exhaled while rolling my sex against his dick again.
"Fuckin' shit, Cheyenne--"
"No exceptions to the bed this time."
"Not a single goddamn one, baby. Not a fuckin' one."
He slipped his fingers inside my shorts and carried me from the kitchen with vigor.
This man was heaven sent.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
Expectations, Null and Void
Nikko's POV
The following week, Nikko found himself standing outside a quiet restaurant on the Lower East Side of the city.
After sucking in a breath deep enough to collapse the world around him, he stepped inside and anxiously darted his eyes between over stacked tables full of napkins, cups and chairs. When he spotted an unamused Benny seated at a booth near the kitchen, he made his way forward and took a seat alongside him, placed his hands on top of the table and shrugged.
"What the fuck is this shit about, old man?" he questioned.
Benny glanced at him and shook his head. "Where the fuck has your ass been?" he snapped. The room of less than fifteen people fell quiet upon hearing his tone. "You're goddamn late again."
"Sorry." Nikko adjusted the tail of his jacket and sighed. "Lost track of time--"
"Doing what?"
"Some shit I'm in no mood to repeat aloud."
Benny threw his fork onto his plate and stared across the room. "You and Cheyenne can't figure out anything else to do outsida fuckin' in your spare goddamn time?"
"We talk--"
"About. Fuckin'."
Nikko opened his hands and glowered. "What the fuck do you want from me, old man -- Why the fuck am I here?"
Benny rolled the tip of his tongue along the edge of his teeth and turned back to him. "I need to talk to you about some shit to do with Chino."
"This is what the fuck your phone call was about last week?" He searched his eyes across the restaurant and squint. "What the fuck about him?"
"If you'd shut the fuck up, I can tell you." He lifted a napkin to his face to wipe the corners of his mouth of crumbs, then dropped it on top of his plate and sat back. "Found out before I left that your old man has been fuckin' around with some new/old pussy as of late on the low. After coming back this morning, I got info on who she was."
"Who gives a fuck about his dick being sucked before he's thrown away for good?"
"You should, given who the fuck is doing the sucking. So should your girl." He reached into the inside pocket of his suit jacket and pulled out a pair of color polaroid’s, placing them near a full glass of vodka that was sweating from the outside and pointing between each one. "This is your old man meeting up with her two days ago at a hotel in Jersey. Bitch is slathered all over him like bacon paste."
"Who the fuck is the woman I'm looking at here, Benny?"
He bent forward and arched his brows. "Her name is Deborah Fairbanks."
Nikko's head nearly snapped from his neck as he turned to look Benny in the face. "What?"
Benny sat back and nodded. "I take it Cheyenne's mentioned her to you at some point? The mother of her club's VP."
"Where the fuck did you get these pictures?"
"A source -- and listen, Chino's not the only one she's been fuckin' around with since being back in the city from Phoenix to check on her kid or whatever the fuck. Snake has also managed to see her tonsils with his cock too."
"Jesus Christ." He slumped down and swiped a hand across his face. "You've got pictures of that shit too?"
"Handy, but I wasn't certain you'd be interested in seeing those the same way. Bitch takes some pretty good shots to the face for somebody her age."
Nikko shut his eyes while swallowing back the threat of vomit rising in the back of his throat. "I'm gonna need these pictures of her and my old man along with the other ones."
"You plan on showing 'em to Cheyenne as proof?" A beat passed as Nikko remained silent. Benny reached into his pocket for the other pictures, tossing them near the first set on the table. Nikko slid them inside his pocket without looking and stood up. "You think your girl knows anything about Deborah fuckin' around with Chino?"
"I don't see why she would."
"If she does?"
"Then I'll cross that goddamn bridge when I get there. In the meantime, I want you looking into Deborah's son. Find out what the fuck he's been up to in Cheyenne's absence these last few years."
"I can do that shit for you, but... any particular reason as to why it's needed?"
"For my own goddamn sanity, motherfucker. Just do what the fuck I asked on it, thanks." He turned on his heel.
"Whoa, whoa!" Benny jumped up and lifted his hands. "We're not done out here just yet, Nik! This shit was only half of what you needed to know."
"If the rest of it can wait, motherfucker, it will. I need to head out."
He hurried from the table and pounded between waiting patrons, then reached for his cell and bolted through the door.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Double Tap for Service
I jumped at the sound of the doorbell, which resulted in nearly slicing my finger in half in the kitchen.
"Dammit." After throwing my hand beneath a stream of cold water and dropping the knife into a bowl of vodka, I grabbed a paper towel to press against my skin and moved into the hallway. "Who is it?" I called out.
"Chino."
I stopped cold near the living room and stared at the front door, hoping like hell to burn a hole straight through to the other side. "What the hell do you want?"
"We need to talk about some things--"
"Nikko isn't here right now," I blurted.
"I know he's meeting up with Benny across town. And that you two still haven't set a date for this wedding."
"We're still working on it."
"That's why I'm here; hoping to push you into working on it much faster than you've been doing."
I rolled my eyes and lowered my hands, then moved to the front door and pulled back to allow him inside.
He stepped up with a grin before taking note of my finger and arching his brow. He pointed. "You alright--?"
"I'm fine."
He bobbed his head despite appearing skeptical and shuffled past me, then looked toward the kitchen and dipped his head back. He inhaled. "Smells like I caught you in the middle of baking something?"
"A cherry pie and two red velvet cakes for a neighborhood picnic at the club this afternoon." I closed the door and stepped behind him as he turned to face me. "You're more than welcome to come, though I wouldn't advise it."
He chuckled. "I'll pass on that shit, but the invitation is otherwise appreciated."
"No it isn't. What the hell do you want? Like I said, Nikko and I don't have a date set yet; we're getting there and when we do, you'll be the second to know about it."
He eyed me with disdain and dropped his hands inside his pockets. "Who the
fuck are you planning to be the first?" he snapped.
"Snake, considering the club wants to have the wedding out there."
"Your wedding needs to be in a venue big enough to seat over one-thousand people, Cheyenne."
I nearly choked and guffawed all at once. "I don't need or want that many people at my wedding -- I don't need or want that many people in my life."
"You do if you're planning to make this shit look more than real." He peered. "We haven't said a goddamn thing to each other directly since Nikko's been out, but he mentioned the possibility of you two staying together once everybody's gotten their due. Is that shit true?"
My eyes narrowed. "Did you mention this to Snake--?"
"Is it true?"
I casually averted my gaze, taking note of his refusal to answer, and shrugged. "It's something else we're talking about."
He brushed his hand across his mouth and shook his head. "Some funny shit about you going from not even wanting to meet my son to hoping the marriage between you manages to last past the goddamn expiration date; hoping it doesn't spoil like a motherfuckin' bottle of milk."
"It wouldn't. Your son has given me a lot of himself since being out."
"His cock shouldn't count--"
"It doesn't. Listen, we will set a date on this wedding soon enough and when the time comes for you and everyone else to know about it, you will. Until then, please get the hell out." I stepped back to the door and yanked it open.
He opened his hands and eyed me with mocking concern. "No offer of pie?"
"I'm certain there's a woman out there quite willing to bake you something with her own hands. It's just a matter of finding her with the hope that her purpose isn't to screw you over this time."
"Shouldn't that advice be given to your old man instead?"
"You'll do for now."
His face fell as he sneered. "The shit that manages to tumble outta your mouth would be worthy of something I couldn't get away with if I tried. Not sure how the fuck Nikko manages to keep up with it."
"Just barely, though he does a much better job than you. Now like I said, please go. I need to make sure that my food isn't burning."
His eyes shifted as he stormed past me to hurry back outside and down the stairs. I watched as he got into the back of his car as Green sat in the driver's seat.
After a quick wave, they took off down the street, disappearing into the midst of traffic. I returned to the kitchen once I was certain they wouldn't be coming back and reached for my phone.
Chapter Forty
Fight or Flight
An hour later, Nikko stormed through the front door.
"Baby?"
"In here." I swallowed back the fear of what would come next, bracing for the absolute worst, then turned as soon as he entered the kitchen and looked straight into his face. His brows arched as he lifted his chin. "You saw Benny?" I asked him.
"Yeah."
"And what the hell did he have to say?"
"More than I was planning to hear from him, Cheyenne."
"Meaning what?" With a solid gaze intensifying between us, he reached into the front pocket of his pants for a small, letter sized envelope. I stepped forward and crossed my arms as he placed it along the edge of the island. "What is that?"
"Pictures," he replied. "Of my old man..." He turned from me momentarily and swallowed hard, then cleared his throat and gulped. "And Taz's mother."
My mouth fell open as I slouched forward. "Say what?"
When his eyes slinked back to mine, he pushed the envelope toward me and tapped the flap. "My old man and Taz/s mother have been fuckin' around since she got back to the city."
"What the hell do you mean by 'fuckin' around'?! Surely not exactly what you're saying--?"
"Exactly what the fuck I'm saying, Cheyenne."
"This is the proof?" He nodded. I snatched the envelope in disbelief and reached inside for a set of pictures that, upon looking between each one, nearly made me lose both my lunch and dinner from the night before. "Oh my God."
"You know anything about this shit?"
"Absolutely not." I dropped the pictures back to the counter in disgust and turned to the sink to wash my hands of filth.
"What about 'em knowing each other back in the day?" I glared at the mix of soap and water as they spiraled down the drain in response to his question, then shut my eyes and deeply exhaled. He cleared his throat again and grunted. "Chey--"
"No..." I peeked at him over my shoulder as my heart nearly collapsed between my lungs. "At least not until Deborah told me about it when I saw her at the club last week."
He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. "Shit."
"I'm sorry." I could see the pain of disappointment rattling through him like a drum as he folded his arms. I turned off the water and reached for a towel to dry my hands, then spun back around to him and shook my head. "I didn't know anything about them hooking up at any point whatsoever. I questioned it, but--"
"You asked Nix?"
I nodded. "He claims he never saw them in that way together; though there's a chance the other brothers might've."
He grimaced. "Why wouldn't you tell me about 'em knowing each other at all, baby?"
"Because I wanted to find out just how well that knowing each other was before throwing it in your face; especially after you told me about meeting Taz later that night and how it all played out."
"You didn't know how the fuck I'd react?"
"I was sure how you would react, Nikko, and I knew that it wouldn't be good."
"What were you expecting me to do? Go after my old man for it?"
"Yes. Between him getting caught up with that Lena woman and now Deborah? His mind may as well be on another planet."
"His cock is what's on another planet right goddamn now; too bad he couldn't bother hooking up with pussy from outer motherfuckin' space on top of it. Shit." He crossed the room and rattled his head. "You said some shit about your old man laying pipe to her back in the day." I nodded. "Along with Snake doing the same."
"Sure... What are you thinking?"
"I've got more pictures of her being with him again."
"Snake?!" I guffawed. "Are you being serious?"
"Yeah -- graphic shit, Cheyenne; makes back alley porn look like a goddamn wet dream."
I gagged. "I don't think I even want to know what the hell that means... Where did you get these pictures from -- Benny?" He bobbed his head while keeping his eyes focused across the room. "And who in the hell is he getting those pictures from?"
"He wouldn't say."
"Do you know any reason as to why he wouldn't bother telling you?"
"I don't fuckin' know, baby."
I frowned while racking my brain for answers. "I think I might...."
He stopped pacing and whirled back around to me. "You're thinking Marleena?"
"It's possible."
"Even with her being too fucked up to talk?"
"Her inability to speak doesn't stop her from being immobile. Did he tell you when any of those pictures had been taken?"
"Just know it's been since Deborah came back."
"Well, Marleena was fine before then, which means they could've been snapped at any point before she got shot. It also means if she's involved that--"
"Benny's the one who snitched to her about the goddamn Gambiano's helping me out..." He balled a fist and slammed it into the palm of his left hand, cracking his knuckles. "FUCK!"
"I knew she was involved with an attorney for this PI nonsense, but never thought it would've been yours -- even with the Chino connection. Is there a chance he knows about the two of them?"
"Maybe fuckin' despite the bullshit of him saying he couldn't remember her outside of his own cock; but if he knew Benny had her spying on him for this shit or anything else, the motherfucker would've been dead before I was out."
"Snake had her looking into Chino's finances to make sure what he told me about them was the truth; according to her, it is. I'm
assuming he knows nothing about that either?"
"That bullet would've killed her if he had, baby."
"If Chino happened to be the one who wanted her taken out and not maybe Benny for his own reasons." I tightened my arms around myself, then lifted my hand to my mouth. "I can't ask her anything about this because she won't be at the picnic today, and so far, Nix has managed to find out nothing of what he's been looking into with all of it."
"Is Deborah supposed to be out there?"
"As far as I know, helping to serve. She emphasized after telling me about Chino that she'd never met you."
He lifted his shoulders and made a face. "Is that shit meant to be some kind of big deal to her?"
"I don't know -- maybe after knowing the truth about her and Chino... then again--"
"What the fuck is it, Cheyenne?" he asked, his tone full of exasperation.
"I still have no idea why she's staying here beyond Rox or when the hell she plans to bounce right back out all over again -- if she does at all. And I don't know what she plans to keep close to the vest or reveal."
"Where are you going with this shit, baby?"
"I don't entirely know just yet, but I think it's possible she might be more of a key to all of this than the she or the club are willing to realize or admit."
"You think this shit 'cause she's yet to head right back outta here?"
"Yes. Regardless of when the club gets their money, it won't matter to her otherwise; at least, it shouldn't. And she has nothing else going on for herself out here -- she has no job and so far, has no plans to get one. It's as if she's biding time -- waiting for something to happen as the clock finally ticks out."
"What the fuck do you think that is?"
"It could be anything... Maybe to do with Snake, maybe to do with Taz... Maybe to do with the fact that they're father and son."
The corners of his eyes crinkled as his face burned red with shock. "Jesus Christ. Either of 'em know the goddamn truth about this shit?"
"Snake does; it's part of why he made Taz VP the minute he was eligible."
"None of the other brothers know?"
"Not outside of Nix and Rox," I said. "The rest have always had an idea, especially Loco, but never bothered trying to prove it in knowing they could be booted at any moment for not minding their business."