I Need A Gangsta: Book Two (Gucci Gang Saga 2)

by B. Love

  “I know you love me, and I know you know why I had to do what I had to do. If you keep this baby and plan a life with Ransom, you’ll understand my loyalty and commitment to Ricky. But I pray to God that he never puts you in the position to ever have to choose between him and yourself. Because that will probably be the only way you understand why I did things the way I did.

  “You think it was easy for me to risk not being able to take care of three children on my own? For days I wondered if I should take him back just so I wouldn’t have to be alone. I questioned what kind of man would want me and my three kids as a package deal. But I was willing to suffer and be alone if that meant raising three strong, independent women who understood their worth and how important it was to never let a man fuck them over and give them less than they deserve.

  “My love for you is unconditional. And I will continue to let you take your frustrations out on me until you work out the issues you have with your father. Because that is the only way you’ll have a stable relationship with me, Ransom, your baby… and yourself for that matter.”

  Leigh couldn’t reply. All she could do was try not to cry. There was nothing but truth laced within her mother’s words. If she hadn’t been holding on to her childhood hurt, she probably would have been able to see the blessing of her baby for what it was. She’d probably be married to Ransom by now with a solid relationship with her mother. But that hurt was taking up so much space in her heart that she had very little room for love.

  “You’re right,” she managed to get out, voice shaky.

  A text from Ransom came through letting her know he was on his way. She replied quickly before putting the phone back to her ear.

  “I love you, Leigh.”

  “I know, and I love you too.”

  “For what it’s worth, once you heal yourself, I believe you’ll be a damn good mother… especially if you have a little girl.” The smile in her voice caused one to spread across Leigh’s face. “I can see the two of you now. Dressed the same, taking millions of pictures, as you nurture her and teach her how to be a little lady. But… just… don’t give her your baggage to carry, Leigh. Okay?”

  Clenching her jaw, Leigh nodded. “Okay.”

  “Call me tomorrow.”

  “Yes ma’am. We’re actually going for the first appointment, so I’ll call you afterwards.”

  “Alright, baby.”

  The two said their goodbyes, then Leigh disconnected the call. Quickly, she went into her bathroom to freshen up before Ransom arrived. The entire time she showered, she couldn’t help but get her mother’s words out of her mind. So much so that by the time Ransom came over she was in desperate need of a distraction. One that involved her pressing him against the wall and stripping him of his clothes as soon as he walked through the door.

  Dropping to her knees, Leigh sucked and licked his dick until it hardened completely, then allowed him to press her against the wall and have his way with her.

  When it was over, they went their separate ways to clean up, but as soon as they made it into the kitchen Ransom asked, “You wanna talk about whatever had you takin’ the dick before I could even get in the house good?”

  Even though she shook her head with a smile, Leigh asked, “Do you think I have daddy issues?” as she sat down at the kitchen table. She didn’t too much care to cook, but her kitchen was probably her second favorite room, mainly because of how it was designed and decorated. Its blue walls, silver appliances, orange tiles, yellow décor and green plants always brightened her mood. Lavender was her favorite color, but since her living room was decorated in dark purple and light lavender, Leigh tried her hardest to decorate the rest of her rooms with different colors.

  Whenever her energy was low, she’d come into the kitchen or the guest bedroom that she’d converted into a makeup and chill room. Both had heavy doses of yellow and orange to increase her happiness and energy along with potted basil, lavender, and peace lilies.

  Opening her refrigerator, Ransom didn’t take much time to consider her question before saying, “Hell yea.” He chuckled and shook his head. “You got issues with yo’ mama too. But that ain’t nothing new. So what is this about?”

  Scratching her ear, Leigh nibbled on her top lip. “My mama thinks if I work out the issues I have with them, that I’ll be more open to keeping the baby. And that I would be able to have a better relationship with myself and you.”

  He looked at her briefly before pulling out the small tray of fruit that she’d been nibbling on. Before she got pregnant, she absolutely loved fruit and could eat it all day every day. Now that she felt forced to eat it, she couldn’t stand it. She hadn’t started to have major food cravings yet, but there were definitely things she didn’t have a taste for anymore… and fruit was at the top of that list.

  “I agree.”

  “Why haven’t you said anything about it before?”

  Ransom shrugged as he pulled the small package of chicken out. “Because I knew if I did you wouldn’t listen. You would do the opposite of whatever the fuck I said because your ass was stubborn, difficult, and running from my love. I knew when the time was right you’d receive the message no matter who it came from, so I didn’t press it.”

  Losing herself in her thoughts, Leigh considered reaching out for counseling at church or therapy. There were a lot of things about Christianity and the church that made her cringe, but she couldn’t allow what people did to turn her away from God. She was nowhere near perfect, and Leigh knew there were a hell of a lot of things she did that God probably wasn’t pleased with… but that never stopped her from wanting to have a genuine relationship with him.

  Her focus was on spirituality instead of religion, and even though she didn’t go to church every Sunday, she talked to her Pastor and went to the bible study he had at home with a few other people once a month. The group was… what some would have probably considered misfits.

  Drug dealers, gangbangers, there was even a prostitute in the bunch. Basically, the members that had given up on the church because of their judgement.

  As she thought over whether she wanted to meet with him or a therapist, her ears were filled with Brian McKnight’s newest song, “Nobody.” Walking over to Ransom, she wrapped her arms around him from behind as he cut the volume up on his phone. Turning in her arms, Ransom enveloped her in his.

  Leigh looked up at him, and their eyes locked. There were a million things running around her mind, but the longer she stared into his eyes each thing began to slip away one by one. Resting her chin on his chest, she smiled when he bit down on his bottom lip and squeezed her ass as they swayed from side to side.

  “I love you, Ransom.”

  “I love you too. I will always love you, Leigh.”

  Chapter 16

  Them

  When Pressure asked to meet with them, no one knew what to expect. He didn’t ask to meet with all twenty-six of his siblings… only eleven. In attendance were:

  Pressure

  Donovan

  Drecco

  Christian

  Leigh

  Maria

  Audré

  Brook Lynn

  Ali

  Lodi

  Mischief

  Hakeem

  While some of them laughed and talked, others were in their phones or off in their own little worlds. The mix was an eclectic one. They all showed the different mixes of what could happen if Ricky Gucci’s DNA was involved. Pressure wasn’t Ricky’s oldest child, but he was the next father figure and the one that was probably most loved, feared, and respected. Although they knew him as their protector… they also knew that he was no one to fuck with.

  “Aight,” he mumbled lowly, but as soon as he did, everyone in the room stopped talking and gave him their attention. “I asked y’all to come here because it’s been brought to my attention that in an attempt to protect, I’ve made some of you targets.”

  His eyes were on Christian, causing her to lower her head then l
ook away.

  “I know a lot of y’all are into some illegal shit, and that’s never been the life I wanted any of you to live. But since you are, I think the best way to keep us all safe, free, and wealthy is to join forces.”

  Christian’s eyes returned to him, and a scowl covered her face. It didn’t matter how adamant she was about not joining him, Donovan, and Drecco, that seemed to go in one of Pressure’s ears and out of the other. Meanwhile, Maria was grinning hard as hell as she bounced up and down in her seat – this was the moment she’d been waiting for. Leigh didn’t care either way. They still threw jobs and money her way, so she was good.

  “Y’all know me, Donovan, and Drecco supply drugs all over the world. Memphis has been our hub. Meaning we ship to other places from here, but we never do business here. That’s slowly about to change as we incorporate other types of drugs and illegal offerings into our fold. If you’re here and you’re not into something illegal, it’s because you have something that will be beneficial to us.

  “Chris, you deal. Maria, you steal. Leigh, you kill. Audré helps Chris, plus she has connections to the entertainment world. Brook Lynn already cleans a bit of our money through her shop, but we can make five times as much if we bring her on fully. Ali…” She chuckled when Pressure shook his head. “I been hearing some things about what’s going on in your spa and massage parlor. If those things are true, you and Trinity have access to powerful men with a lot of secrets they may want to keep.” She nodded and chuckled as his face twisted up. It didn’t matter how old his sisters got; Pressure would always see them as his babies.

  “Lodi deals, Mischief kills, and Hakeem is a muhfuckin’ beast.”

  “Period,” Audré cosigned.

  “I know y’all have y’all own teams and who y’all do business with, and I ain’t saying that has to stop…”

  “Then what are you saying,” Christian asked.

  “I’m saying… Memphis already calls us the Gucci Gang because it’s so many of us. Why not ban together and shut the city down?”

  “Fuck the city, we ‘bout to take over the world,” Drecco added.

  “We will be stronger together,” Donovan spoke to everyone, though his eyes were on Christian. If anyone could get her on board, it would be him. “When a nigga wants drugs, sex, or guns in Memphis… his stop needs to always be somebody in this room, you feel me?”

  She nodded softly and looked away.

  “I want the Gucci name to live on long after I’m gone. If you wit’ it…” Pressure lifted his shot of Cognac. One by one, everyone else in the room lifted theirs. Christian was last, but she finally lifted hers after Leigh gently nudged her shoulder. “Gucci Gang…”

  “One love,” Donovan added, and they all said it back.

  “We all we got,” Drecco reminded before they all began to clap, cheer, raise from their seats and take their shots.

  “I’m so proud of you,” Christian cooed, beaming with pride. Nash had figured out the bug for their newest app on his own, and he’d called her first to tell her about it. “You’re book smart and street smart. The world will always belong to you because of that.”

  Even though she couldn’t see his face, Christian heard the smile in his voice when he said, “Thank you, sweetheart.”

  “So what’s the next move now that you’ve figured out what the problem was?”

  “I’m going to let them finish developing it now. Hopefully it will be done within two weeks and we can open it up for a trial run. If that goes smoothly, we can launch it by May.”

  “That’s great, boo. I’m so freaking happy for you! Are you excited?”

  He sighed, almost in relief. “I think I’ll be excited when we at least get to the trial phase. It’s too much that could still go wrong at this point.”

  With a smile, Christian pulled into J. Alexanders. She was meeting her mother there for lunch.

  “I feel you. I’m excited enough for the both of us. But I’m here, so I’ll talk to you later.”

  “You’ll see me later. Come over.”

  Her smile widened. “Okay, I will.”

  “I love you, sweetheart.”

  “I love you too.”

  Christian looked herself over in her sun visor before getting out of the car and heading into the restaurant. Absently, she looked down at her attire as she waited for the hostess to get to her. With it being March, the temperature alternated between the mid-sixties and low eighties. Today, it was seventy-two degrees, and thankfully it wasn’t too humid out. She’d dressed in an orange sun dress with clear pumps. Her hair was back under a sew-in, and her face was lightly made with a tinted moisturizer.

  After letting the hostess know her mother’s name, she led her over to the table that Porsha had reserved. Porsha stood for an embrace, and though she smiled, it didn’t connect with her eyes like it normally did.

  “Hey, Mommy.”

  “Hey, baby. You look pretty.”

  “Thank you, so do you.”

  “I ordered you a lemonade.” Porsha returned to her seat, and Christian slid into the opposite side of the booth. “How are you?”

  Releasing a sigh, Christian pulled the menu in front of her, even though she knew exactly what she would get.

  “Thank you, and I’m great actually. How are you?”

  Porsha smiled again, and again, it didn’t lift all the way to her eyes. “I could be better but I’m content.”

  Tilting her head, Christian pushed the menu away as she licked her lips. Their waitress came to greet Christian, and they ordered spinach artichoke dip for their appetizer.

  “What’s going on?” Christian asked once they were alone.

  Pulling her hair back behind her ears, Porsha shook her head. She looked just like Niecy Nash when she pushed her hair out of her face. Was thick as hell like her, too. Christian had definitely inherited her mother’s shape, while Maria was thin like her father’s side of the family and Leigh was a slim thick mix of both.

  “I don’t want to burden you with my troubles, baby.”

  “Come on, Ma. Let me ease your load. What’s on your mind?”

  Porsha released a heavy breath, as if she was considering Christian’s request. She waited until their waitress returned with their drinks and took their order to start.

  “It’s just… a lot going on. Ricky reached out and Derrick broke up with me.”

  “What? Wait. I need details in full for both of those, ma’am.”

  Chuckling, Porsha nodded and took a sip of her tea before twisting her face and asking for a little of Christian’s lemonade to give it some taste.

  “Apparently somebody on Ricky’s side of the family told him about what happened with Maria. He tracked me down to see how she was doing and get her contact information. I told him straight up that I wasn’t comfortable giving him her number or address and that she’d have to give me permission to do so first.”

  “Have you talked to her about it yet?”

  Porsha nodded, then shook her head. “I told her he was trying to reach out, but she said she wasn’t interested. Children’s most important developmental stage is zero to six. It’s unfortunate but her brain developed with his absence. She truly has no desire to have anything to do with him because she’s developed with that lack. It’s not a lack to her at all.”

  “So what did he say?”

  “He tried to act like he was so sad about it, but I called his ass out on it real quick. The nigga ain’t seen my baby or even tried to talk to any of y’all in years. Hell, Maria was two when he left wasn’t she? That was twenty-one years ago.”

  Christian’s head shook as she sat back in her seat. She hadn’t realized that over two decades had passed since the last time she’d seen or heard from her father. A part of her wanted to ask Porsha if he’d at least asked about her, but she also wanted to force herself not to care. He hadn’t for the past twenty-one years, so why should she?

  “So what happened after that?”

  “He asked a
bout you and Leigh and if I thought you would want to talk to him. I told him I didn’t know and asked why he wanted to talk to y’all all of a sudden, and he said hearing about Maria made him realize how fucked up it was for him to leave.”

  Chuckling, Christian sat up in her seat, trying to keep her anger from rising. “It took her damn near dying for him to realize that? The fuck he been thinking about for the past twenty years? He should have been realized that. Fuck that, he should not have left in the first place.”

  “I agree.” Porsha looked up and smiled as their waitress put the spinach artichoke dip between them. “He gave me some sob story about how he felt like he hadn’t been able to live for himself with all the lies he was holding in and how thin he was stretching himself, and he just needed to get away before he had a mental breakdown.”

  “But that wasn’t our fault though. We didn’t ask to be born. He chose to have sex with multiple women, some at the same time, and have twenty-seven children. Hell, his youngest children that we know of were born without even meeting him. He left Gina pregnant with his child. And God only knows if he’s had more since he’s been gone.”

  “I agree with all of that. I told him that I would relay the message and give y’all his number if you wanted it, but I’m not telling you what to do either way. If you want to meet with him, that’s cool, if you don’t, that’s cool too.”

  Christian nodded as she scooped pico de gallo on her chip then dipped it into the dip. “I have no desire to talk to him. If he puts forth the effort and tries to track me down, I might hear him out, but I’m not putting forth any effort. Leigh will probably jump on the opportunity to talk to him.”

  “You’re right, and I think she needs to. When she was younger, she had this… idealized image of him in her head, and I think that’s a lot of the reason why her mind has been so fucked up with men, too. She’s been seeking the love and care she feels she missed out on when he left. Maybe if she meets him now and realizes just how fucked up he is she’ll understand how lucky and blessed she is to have Ransom.”