by Kiki Leach
I eyed him with concern and frowned. "What's going on?"
He looked to me as disgust coursed through every part of himself. "Your old man wants to see me out there."
"What? Why?"
"He wouldn't mention that shit."
"Did he tell you that it was important?" He nodded and dropped his phone back into his pocket after dialing for an Uber, then rebuttoned his shirt and found his shoes. "You're going?" He became quiet and stepped around me to head for the door. "Oh my God, Nikko." I spun to face him as he rested his hand on top of the knob. "You don't think this is some kind of trap? That he wants you out there to set you up for something -- to keep us from getting married?"
"I gotta find out either way what the fuck he wants, baby. If he's calling my phone instead of yours, it's gotta be for something to do with my old man and the club."
"You can't be sure of that."
"I will be when I get there."
He kissed me as deeply as five seconds between us would allow before leaving the room.
Chapter Forty-Four
Angels and Demons
After quietly bypassing Joker and a random club whore on her knees in front of him in the hallway, I headed straight for the bar and reached for an ice cold beer from the small fridge beneath the sink.
"Cheyenne." I nearly choked on a batch of suds before turning to a visibly tipsy Deborah standing on the other side. Her face was askew as her hands rested on top of her hips; her fingers anxiously tapped the rim of her jeans, making it clear that patience was anything but a virtue. "I need to holler at you for a quick second."
"'Holler' at me?" I laughed. "About what?" She crossed her arms and fell quiet as I stepped in front of her and placed the bottle on top of the bar, resting it between us and feigning a smile. She sneered. "What the hell do you want from me now, Deborah?"
"An explanation."
"Regarding?"
"What the hell you and Nikko were off doing in that back room for nearly two hours."
I scoffed. "That's somehow your business because why?!"
"Malcolm made it my goddamn business when he said it was the reason he wasn't staying for the picnic; the reason he flew outta here on his bike like a bat outta hell."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
"He saw whatever the hell you two were doing back there, Cheyenne, and bolted for the goddamn door right after."
"Chill out. That door was locked."
"He still has a key, Miss Thing -- What the hell were you thinking sucking dick on someone else's time?"
"Excuse me?!" I ripped my eyes from hers while shaking my head. "He didn't tell you exactly what he saw," I snapped. "You have no idea what the hell we were doing in that room."
"I know that it involved your twat and Nikko's dick."
"Then why the hell are you asking?!"
"Because I want confirmation that you're no better than me, little girl," she slurred, "and that you never have been."
"Confirmation granted. Happy?"
"Not nearly enough."
I stood back from her and smirked. "You are piss. drunk. you crazy old bitch."
"I've had two sips of wine--"
"Vodka," I shot back. "Two full glasses that I could smell on your breath from across the damn room if given the chance. Not to mention the bloodshot eyes and dilated pupils thanks to whatever weed is being passed around by the brothers. You once tried being a nurse? Seems at this rate, I could've been the same."
"Education comes first--"
"You wouldn't know."
She chuckled and swiped her hand across her mouth to hide the smell. "You're still such a raging bitch to me in spite of that invitation."
"And you're still an idiot."
"Hey!" She wagged her finger between my eyes and glowered. "Watch your goddamn mouth with me, girl--"
"Why the hell were you crying after talking to Nikko outside?" I asked. Shock crossed her face as she looked over my shoulder and furiously rattled her head; she swallowed hard and took in a breath, then clamped her lips together and clinched her teeth. "You told him I had my tubes tied to avoid another mistake -- why?"
"Because it was the truth."
"No, it wasn't, Deborah." She rolled her eyes back to mine and snarled. "And even if it were, it was none of your damn business to tell."
"He didn't act surprised in hearing about it."
"That's because he already knew; the only thing I'd yet to tell him was the reason behind it. What the hell would make you personally think you knew enough to tell him anything in the first place?"
"Malcolm told me--"
"Malcolm is full of shit."
"He told me that you two were together at least once before leaving for school."
"'Together' as in intimate?!"
"What else?"
My eyes widened as my head shook from the amount of rage encompassing my soul. "What--?!"
"He said he was the true reason behind your leaving--"
"He is full of shit just as I said. When the hell did he tell you this?"
"Before I came back."
"Before you came back or before you actually agreed to do it?" She reached for my beer and took a swig from the neck in silence. I guffawed. "You will protect him anything even if you know he's in the wrong and it hurts someone else. You know that I was never with him -- You know that he's lying. You probably also know the reasons why, but have too much at stake with your own shit that you're determined to keep hidden."
"What do you think I'm keeping hidden from you, Cheyenne?"
"As I've already said before, too damn much that's liable to get someone killed, keep us all broke or both. I can invite you to anything, but I still don't trust you with far too damn much. I never have or will."
"That's a mistake."
"Sure." I snatched my beer from between her fingers and poured what was left from the bottle on top of her feet.
She jumped back as each drop splattered across her sandals and splashed between her toes, then latched onto the edge of the bar and lifted her eyes back to mine. "You bitch."
I tossed the bottle into a trashcan and brushed my hands together. "I think that's me being enough of one. Go somewhere and sober the hell up before you come at me with this shit again." As I turned from her, she shoved a hand into the small of my back, hard enough to send me flying into the pool table. I threw my hands along the edge to avoid falling head first into the balls and sticks, then spun back around to her and glared. "What the hell?!" All eyes turned to us as she stepped forward and backhanded me without another word, then wrapped her hands around my throat and squeezed until I could hardly breathe.
As the music cut, the brothers stood by in shock for less than a second before finally storming forward.
"Cheyenne!" Nix called, his voice a rattling panic that bounced through the room.
I wrapped my hands around her wrists, digging my nails into her skin, then lifted the base of my right foot and slammed it directly between her stomach and vagina. She fell away in an instant, clutching herself while nearly falling into Loco's arms as they both stumbled into the chairs in front of the bar.
"Shit!" Nix rushed to my side and clutched my face. "You alright, baby girl?!"
I turned back to the pool table and grabbed my throat, doubling over and coughing hard and loud enough to reassemble graves of the dead. "I'm fine," I choked out.
"JESUS FUCKIN' CHRIST." Nix looked to Deborah with a hardened face as fire filled his eyes. "I don't give two FUCKS about your kid being my goddamn VP -- the shit you just pulled is liable to get your ass kicked the fuck outta here indefinitely -- you fuckin' feel me on this shit?!"
"As much as I felt your dick in my mouth over ten years ago," she replied, "yes."
"Jesus Christ."
She stood straight and fixed her skirt, then scanned her eyes across every face in the room and nodded. "This bitch insulted me as the mother of this club."
"I'm no more of a bitch than you," I reto
rted.
"You've never been any fucking thing!" snapped Brandi. I looked to the door as she reentered and stood beside me while dropping her cell into her back pocket. "My mother had higher ranking -- you were less than a lackey who happened to get lucky thanks to the one who managed to slip past the condom."
"Your mother ran off to God knows where while carrying God knows what between her legs while doing so," said Deborah. "Sure as hell wasn't Eyes’ dick." She dragged her attention to him as he stood alongside Nix. "You should both be grateful for it."
"I think it's time for your drunk ass to get the fuck outta here," mumbled Loco. "Before somebody else shows it the goddamn door."
"Or what?" She tripped over her toes while whirling around to look him in the face, and smirked. "I don't think your President would be too happy about that."
"What the fuck is your problem?" Joker pushed his brows together and stepped forward. "The old man was right -- Taz being VP don't mean shit in the long run for your ass when it's acting outta fuckin' pocket in front of a buncha goddamn kids--"
"They're all outside," she interjected.
"Doesn't fuckin' matter -- your ass needs to go before we get Prez to help us throw it out as a goddamn collective."
She wrapped her arms around herself as if a sudden chill reached her skin and glanced at the floor. Her brows pinched as a single tear fell from her eye, slid down the corner of her nose and rested along her top lip. She sighed heavily and lowered her voice. "He wouldn't do that to me."
"That a bet you're willing to take on his ass 'cause of your pussy?" said Nix. She glared as he shook his head and laughed aloud. "You might share a lotta things, but that shit ain't fuckin' smart when he's got a goddamn dish to choose from that's no longer coming from your plate, babe."
She lowered her arms and headed straight for him with balled fists until Brandi moved into her space and pointed at the door. "Do you remember that your 'friend' Marleena is still here?" she asked. Deborah wrinkled her nose and pulled back. "The talk we just had was... nice."
"She couldn't have said anything to you in return."
"She tried. You should go and see how she's doing before the auction."
Deborah looked between us one last time, puzzled, before storming outside.
Brandi shook her head and rubbed the center of my back. "Are you okay, girl?"
"I'm fine unless she ran out there to get a plate for her crotch."
Nix whipped back around to us and snapped his fingers while looking over at a fellow brother from the Buffalo charter, and pointed to the juke box.
As the music restarted, everyone gradually returned to what they had been doing before hell broke lose. As if nothing happened, I was instantly reminded of Rikers and Nikko.
Nix stepped toward me with a bewildered look and jerked his shoulders. "What the fuck was that shit about with her ass, Cheyenne?"
"She said that Taz showed up and saw me in the apartment with Nikko," I said, "despite the door being locked."
"He still has a key," said Eyes.
"I realize that now, thank you."
"That's why the fuck he bolted outta here like an asshole?" asked Loco.
"From what Deborah told me, yes," I replied. "He mentioned it to her before hopping on his bike and she came at me after I called her out on being drunk."
"Christ." Joker dragged a hand across his forehead and looked to Nix.
"That shit wasn't normal," said Loco, "even for her ass." He peeked at the door and glowered. "Bitch was damn near ready to snap your head from your goddamn neck over Taz seeing you fuck around with Nikko? I get him being pissed, not his mother."
"She's his son," said Brandi. "It's understandable being thrown off, but not to this level."
"Yeah, not to this goddamn level," mumbled Joker. "Some shit about that sounds off. We know what the fuck we saw, but her coming at Chey was more than whatever the fuck might've pissed off VP in seeing you with your man."
"Is he your man?" asked Loco. "Beyond this goddamn 'favor' for the club?"
"This was never a favor for the club -- that would've made it a choice," I told him.
"Alright, enough of the interrogations." His eyes returned to Brandi as she reached for my hand. "I'm going to get my girl some water while the rest of you figure out how the hell to get Tweedle Psycho out of here before Snake comes out of his office asking questions."
"She out there with Marleena?" asked Eyes, his tone suspicious. Brandi peeked at him and squint. His eye lowered as he scrunched his face. "What was that shit about you talking with her?"
"We traded cherry pie recipes." She looked to me and pointed across the room.
After walking us back through the club and into the kitchen, Brandi closed the door and exhaled.
I leaned against the sink while using my hands to check my throat for bruises, and stared at the back of her head. "What the hell are we doing in here?"
She arched her brows before turning to me and reaching for her cell. "Marleena typed out the person she thinks had her shot."
"What?!" My hands dropped as she scrolled through the apps on her phone, then lifted the screen to my face and pointed at the highlighted name in her notes. My mouth fell open as I stared. Benecio Liotta. "Oh my God."
"You know this person?" I bobbed my head and sucked in air through my nose, then turned to the sink and bent forward, vomiting into the garbage disposal. "Chey!" She pulled my hair behind my neck and rubbed my back for a second time.
"I was right," I muttered. "And we could be dead for it."
"What are you saying, Cheyenne? Who the hell is this person?!"
"Nikko's attorney." I wiped my mouth and straightened my back, then turned on the water to wash the sink. "Did she tell you why the hell he might've done it?"
"She wouldn't type out anything else after I started going in on why she's kept quiet this long."
"Yeah, I bet." I turned of the water and looked aside to stare straight into her face. "How the hell did you get her to tell you this much in the first place?"
"From what she typed, she saw Nikko leaving without you and panicked that he might be running to Chino to have him put down."
"For her?!"
"I don't know, Chey -- she's always been weirdly narcissistic. But I saw her crying and asked what's wrong; that's when she snatched my phone and went off."
"Did she happen to tell you that Deborah knows Chino?"
"In what way?"
"Same as Ronaldo."
"Currently?!" I nodded. "How do you know this?!"
"Benecio told Nikko. He has proof with pictures that were recently taken by what has to be Marleena if she's not lying about believing he's the one who had her shot."
"Oh my God."
"That's what the hell I said," I told her. "Along with needing to know why the hell he had her attacked in the first place."
"Your answer to that might be through Nikko," she said. "Where exactly did he go?"
"Rikers. Rox called wanting to see him."
"And you let him go?"
"What the hell else was I supposed to do -- sit on his face to keep him from it?"
"It might've been a start. Did Rox want to see him because of the wedding?"
"I won't know that until Nikko's back home."
"You can wait that long? Doesn't seem like the Cheyenne I know."
"The one you knew since damn near birth was naive enough to think everything would fall into place with this money before I hightailed my ass back out here. I was an idiot and this is nowhere near being the end."
"Have you and Nikko set a date for the wedding yet?"
"I've narrowed it down to three. In the meantime, I need a dress and want you there with me to pick one out."
"Of course," she said. I pressed my hands together and hunched forward. She stared as her shoulders sank. "What is it, Cheyenne?"
"I invited Deborah before all of this shit went down."
"Why the hell would you do something insane like that
?!"
"Because I'm insane! Nikko suggested we learn how to get along, but now I need her there for information. And I need you to be okay with her coming."
"I'm not, but anything for info and to get her ass right back out of this city."
"Okay. Now we need to find her and Marleena because if that bint is suddenly fine with telling you about Benny, there's a chance she'll spill to an already pissed off and drunk Deborah, which is liable to get us fucked more than we've been already."
"No doubt."
After rushing back outside, we stopped at the sound of screeching wheels skimming across the parking lot.
My eyes grew as my heart clinched. "Oh my GOD!" I lifted my hands above my head as the car swerved into the street, then turned to Brandi in a panic. "The bitch just stole my damn car!"
"Which bitch?!" she asked.
"YO!" Loco ran out behind us and lifted his hands in question. "What the fuck was that goddamn noise?!"
I spun around to him and threw out my hand. "Taz's crazy... drunk bitch of a mother hotwired and stole my damn car!"
"What the fuck for? Where the fuck was she going?" I rattled my head and skirted my eyes across the lot. Loco peered. "Where the fuck is Marleena?!"
Brandi looked to him and made a face. "Why?"
"Prez wants to see her about some shit to do with her being shot; says he might have info on who it could've been."
"Shit." I dropped my hands to my chest. "I need the keys to one of your trucks, or I need a ride."
"What the fuck for, Chey?" he questioned.
"I think Marleena took off with Deborah and I think I know where the hell they went."
"You gonna tell me where the fuck that is?"
"To confront the man who had her shot." I turned back to Brandi and pointed at her phone. "Google Map Benecio Benny Batts Liotta's law office in Downtown Manhattan." She nodded and tapped into her apps.
"Jesus fuckin' Christ -- your ass ain't going out there alone, Cheyenne. We can take Joker's truck, I've still got a key for it."
As Brandi and I followed him, I called Nikko and left a message on his voicemail about where we were headed and why.
Chapter Forty-Five
Pitch, Imperfect
Nikko's POV
Nikko slid his cell back into his pocket and placed his hands on top of the table. He readjusted his position on the bench and eyed Rox, who lowered his attention to his hip and pointed.