Don't Say No

by Linda Verji

  Then he smiled that chilling smile. “I lied.”

  Any victory Melanie felt splattered like an egg falling onto a concrete floor. She should’ve known he wouldn’t live up to the bargain. Vance was a cheat, a liar, a brute. And she was damn tired of him. Anger, red hot anger erupted through her chasing away any semblance of rational thought.

  “You. You.” She launched herself at him with another punch. He was so surprised at the sneak attack he stood immobile for a minute. That was all she needed. Her leg rose between his, and her knee connected with his balls with a satisfying crunch.

  “Shiiiiit!” Vance howled in pain as he doubled over clutching his injured jewels. His eyes filled with tears as he staggered backwards. “Shit. Shit. Shit.”

  The sound of his pain was the sweetest sound in the world and Melanie wanted to hear it again. She made for him, intent on kicking his face. But just as her foot flew upwards, she was snatched upwards and into the air by strong hands and dragged towards the windows. A quick turn revealed that it was Trigger who’d saved Vance.

  “Shit!” Vince yowled as he plopped onto the couch.

  “Vance you a’ight.” Joe and Iona raced to his side like trained monkeys.

  Vance in pain was a sight to behold. All that whining and yelling only made Melanie’s lips twitch and despite her situation she smiled.

  Vance lifted his head to glare at her through teary eyes. His pained voice cracked over the distance separating them. “I’m gon’ kill you, bitch. I’m gon’ kill you.”

  Her grin widened.

  He glowered at her. “You think you a rowdy ass female now?” His voice was full of pain. “You a thug, huh? Don’t worry I got something for your stuck up ass.” He reached for his gun.

  His hand trembling, Vance leveled it at her head just as Trigger moved away from Melanie, leaving her to her death.

  She closed her eyes and prepared to die. She did her best to hold the image of her family rigidly in her mind. Sly, Marcus, Nic. A tear slid down her cheek. Please don’t forget me.

  And that’s when Nic came for her.

  Instead of gunfire, the sound of glass shattering behind her filled the air. Melanie’s eyes snapped open as she instinctively side-stepped, it was just in time too because Trigger fell face forward in her direction, a bullet hole in his temple.

  “What th-” Vance words were cut off by a sudden crack of wood as the front door flew open. A string of shots erupted as three black-clad people invaded the room.

  The last place Nic expected to find Vance holed up was a California style bungalow tucked in the depths of the suburbs. But then again, what better hiding place was there for a gangster than in the midst of soccer moms and picket fences.

  Diego, and Brett, dropped Joe and Iona with little effort. Nic glanced around the room looking for Vance. When he found his target, his heart almost dropped out of his chest. Somehow in the chaos of their assault, Vance had managed to grab Melanie. He had his arm around her waist and his gun pressed to her temple.

  When their eyes met, Vance’s widened in shock. “You.”

  “Me.” Nic trained his gun on the gangster. Melanie wasn’t crying or anything but he could see the tense fear in her posture. Her wide eyes were glued on him but he studiously avoided her eyes, afraid that if their eyes met, he would break. All the fury he was tapping down on would be unleashed before its time. He ordered, “Put the gun down and let her go, Vance.”

  “Y’all think I’m that stupid, huh?” Vance laughed as he glared at all the men pointing guns at him. His laughter abruptly ended as he glared at Nic. He spat, “You were running game on me? So what are you? FBI, OPD?”

  “What I am is the least of your worries right now.” Nic said as he evaluated the situation. He had a clean shot of Vance, but if he took it there was a risk that Vance’s finger might sleep on the trigger and blow Melanie’s head clean off. Too risky. His back was to the wall which meant Frankie couldn’t snipe him. So Nic held his ground waiting for an opening. “Let her go and you can walk away.”

  “You ain’t gon’ let me walk out,” Vance scoffed as he dug the gun harder against Melanie’s temper.

  “I always keep my word.” Nic’s voice was even, not betraying the anger and fear coursing through his veins in equal measure. “You know that.”

  Vance eyed him broodingly and for a moment Nic thought he might even consider his offer, but then the thug snarled, “Fuck you.” His features morphed into a savage smile as he ordered, “You put your gun down or I’ma blast her fucking head off.” He trailed the gun down to Melanie’s neck and then back to her temple. “Put it down.”

  There was an unholy light in Vance’s eyes. Nic had seen that look in many men’s eyes. It was the suicide look that said Vance would never put his gun down. He knew he was going down, but he wanted to take as many people as he could with him. Nic knew there was only one option now. Put his gun down and hope to hell that Vance took a shot at him first. “Okay, I’ll put my gun down.”

  Nic bent to place his weapon on the floor.

  It all happened faster than a rocket in space. The moment Nic’s gun touched the floor, Vance aimed his at him, just as Melanie turned and bit Vance’s shoulder. If it wasn’t for that, Vance’s shot would’ve sunk straight into Nic’s heart. Instead it thundered past Nic’s upper arm to lodge in the wall behind him. With a howl of pain, Vance turned to shake Melanie off.

  His distraction was all Nic needed.

  In one swift move, he seized his gun from the floor and aimed.

  His shot cracked in the living room cutting clean into Vance’s stomach, just as Diego and Brett released their own gunfire. Their bullets hit Vance square in his chest. The gangster slumped to the floor on his side, staring, wide-eyed, at Nic. His lips parted. “Fuck you.”

  With those two words Hezekiah Vance exited the world. His amber eyes blanked but this time it was eternal blankness.

  As soon as it was over, Nic searched for Melanie. He found her slumped against the wall with her eyes closed.

  “Lanie.” He scrambled towards her and crouched low when he reached for her arms, she winced in pain. “You okay?”

  “Yeah.” She opened her eyes and smiled – or tried to. But her jaw was already swelling and he could see the pain glimmering in the depths of her eyes. He lifted to his feet and took her in his arms already carrying her out of the house. It was only when they got to the door that she suddenly exclaimed. “Nic.”

  He looked down to find her staring at his arm. “You’ve been shot.”

  He looked down to his left arm to see a crimson stain pooling around his upper arm. He hadn’t even noticed that Vance’s shot had grazed him. “It’s just a graze. Nothing a band-aid can’t heal.”

  “We need to get you to a doctor. We should get that looked at,” she said even as she closed her eyes and winced in pain.

  Nic shook his head, amazed that even in pain her first thought was for someone else.

  No wonder he loved her.

  CHAPTER 24

  The rest of the evening passed swiftly.

  Nic and his team whisked her out through the back door just as the cops swarmed the front of the house in a sea of blue and red flashing lights. In the morning all the neighbors would know was that there had been a shoot out between the cops and the Runners – and the feds had won.

  Melanie didn’t know how injured she was until the adrenalin fizzled from her system. The moment it did all the pain Vance had caused her body hit her like a freight train. She tried to keep it from showing in her expression but it was hard to hide shallow breaths or the sudden nausea that eclipsed her.

  So far Nic had been so careful about keeping them from being seen together that she thought he wouldn’t go into the hospital with her. He did. It was a private hospital, with private elevators and private doctors. But still, he’d come. He sat by her as they poked and prodded her abused flesh, and asked her questions.

  The doctor pronounced her as having three dislodge
d teeth, a possible concussion, a fractured rib and a few bruised ones, and some soft tissue injuries. He immediately ordered a nerve block, a CT scan and a dental consult.

  Within seconds of anesthesia being pushed through her veins, Melanie felt the effects of the sedative. The last words she heard as she drifted into unconsciousness were Nic’s whispered, “I love you.”

  Her unconscious dreams were filled with him, her family, the shoot out, Vance, her mother, Cece, Aunt Honey, Aunt Honey in a casket… They all flitted through her dreams like butterflies she couldn’t quite catch. Sometimes she’d hear Nic, Marcus and Sly talking to her but their voices were so far off in the darkness she was sure she was hallucinating them.

  But finally her mind released her and she drifted into complete consciousness.

  Her eyes fluttered open to sunlight’s brilliant, sharp glare. She snapped her eyes closed at the immediate pain that seared a path into her forehead.

  “Mel, Mel,” Marcus voice called from afar urging her to try again. “Mel?”

  She tried again, opening her eyes squint.

  “Mel?” At first Marcus was a cloudy blob but the mist soon cleared from her eyes and she could finally see him smiling down at her. “You’re awake.”

  He pressed the button above her head. Almost immediately a nurse rushed into her room, closely followed by a doctor.

  “It’s good to see you, Melanie,” the doctor said.

  “Wa-wa-” Melanie rasped. She didn’t have to finish the sentence. Marcus pressed a straw between her lips. The cool water slid down her throat smoothing the roughness there.

  “Looks good,” the doctor pronounced as he checked her eyes. “Looks good.”

  “About damn time you woke up,” Marcus said as the doctor continued his inspection. “You been asleep for two days straight. I was starting to wonder if you were gon’ leave me that bad ass kid.”

  When she spoke her voice was raspy and rough. “Don’t call my baby a bad ass.”

  “No, he’s definitely a bad ass.” Marcus shook his head. “Once I taught him how to cuss-”

  “You taught Sly how to cuss?” Melanie interrupted, shooting him a sharp glare.

  Marcus laughed. “I’m just playing with you.”

  She kissed her teeth and rolled her eyes. “I’ll get you for that.”

  “How do you feel, Miss Daniels,” the doctor interrupted their teasing.

  “Like I ran up against a truck.” Melanie tried to shift on the bed but a shard of pain raced through her and she winced.

  “You look like it too. You should see your face.” Marcus shook his head. “Vance fucked you up good.”

  “You still have a few bruises but we’ve fixed up most of the damage,” the doctor said. “A few days of rest and you’ll be good as new.”

  He put her through some tests like wiggling her toes, her fingers and memory exercises. He and the nurse helped her to sitting position as they conducted more evaluations. The position gave Melanie a chance to finally take in her environment – and all the flowers in it. There were flowers everywhere. On the side-table next to her bed, the windowsill, along the walls, next to the couch; everywhere.

  As soon as the doctor left, nurse in tow, Melanie turned to Marcus. “What’s with all the flowers?”

  “Nic. Nic. Cece. Nic. Nic. Flora. Nic. Nic. Nic.” Marcus clicked his tongue against his teeth and shook his head. “That nigga has it bad. You’d think he was on some voodoo love potion or something the way he comes here every night and sleeps on the couch.”

  A deliciously warm feeling shivered through Melanie. So Nic was still around? A smile started to tug at her lips but then something Marcus had said suddenly clicked in her brain. Her eyes widened. “Cece? She’s awake?”

  “She’s awake,” Marcus assured. “I stopped by her room to see if she was as fine as you claimed, and she is. She a dime piece!”

  “She’s engaged,” Melanie reminded him as her smile fully bloomed. Thank goodness Cece was awake. As soon as she could, she was going to see her. But the thought of Cece brought on those of Aunt Honey.

  They were probably preparing for the burial right now. Sadness merged in with Melanie’s happiness as she recalled the older woman and the part she’d played in her death.

  “Hey,” Marcus yanked Melanie from her gloomy thoughts. “You good.”

  “Yeah, I am.” Melanie gave him a half-hearted smile. To ease his concern about her, she asked, “How about Sly? How is he? Has he been asking for me?”

  “He’s good. I brought him to see you yesterday but you were still sleeping.” Marcus gave her smile. “We’ve been getting to know each other.”

  “How’s that going?”

  “Ya know. He’s still a l’il scared but at least he’s talking to me now.” Marcus expression turned suddenly solemn. Looking down at his hands and cracking his knuckles, he said, “When I was out doing my dirt, I thought I had it all figured out. I was so busy trying to be the big guy I didn’t even realize that I was blowing up my life for nothing. Nothing. I missed so much time with my son for nothing.”

  “He’s just nine.” Melanie reached over and squeezed his arm. “You’ll make up the time.”

  Marcus looked up at her. There was a determined glint in his eyes as he said, “I’ma try to do better, Melanie. I swear. This time I won’t let you down.”

  Some part of her scoffed at his words. How many times had they had conversations like these with her begging him to start taking responsibility for his actions? But another part of her realized that this time it was different. Marcus was different. He was the one offering to change this time without prodding for her. Maybe he meant it.

  Despite her misgivings, Melanie nodded. “I believe you.” She added, “And if there’s anything you need you know I got you, right?”

  “I know.” He scooted onto the bed next to her and slung an arm around her shoulder. “Thank you, Mel. I don’t know where I’d be if you weren’t here to have my back.”

  “Nowhere.” She smiled and kissed his cheek.

  Nic came later that night.

  He knew that she’d woken up earlier in the day but he didn’t expect her to be up when he came. But she was, and the moment he pushed open the door to her room, her face lit up in a smile. “Hey.”

  “Hey.” With three fast strides he was by her bed and bending to kiss her. Because of her still swollen jaw he couldn’t deepen the kiss. But even that closed-mouth touch of his lips to hers was like a gourmet meal after weeks of fasting.

  “No,” she protested when he started towards the armchair. She patted the bed. “Come sit by me.”

  “Isn’t it too small?”

  “I can move.” With a little maneuvering on her part, he was able to settle gingerly beside her with one of his legs on the bed and the other on the floor. He wove his arm around her shoulder.

  “How are you feeling?”

  “I’m okay.” She gave him a small smile. “Marcus says I look like I walked face first into a truck.”

  He lifted his eyebrows. “Well-”

  “Hey.” She elbowed his stomach as she pouted up at him. “You’re supposed to say I’m still beautiful.”

  “I don’t need to say that.” He raked his fingers over her upper arm as he bent down and pressed another peck to her lips. “You know you’ll always be beautiful to me.”

  For a moment they were silent. He was acutely aware of her; her warm, supple and slender body pressed against his; acutely aware of how close he’d come to losing her and how lucky they were that she’d survived. He wished he could wipe away everything that happened that night, how Vance had hurt her and hated that he couldn’t.

  The memories of Vance and the scars he’d wrought would always be with her. The only consolation was that now that he and his Runners were gone, she was safe and Nic could breathe at last.

  With his hand, he lazily stroked while she skimmed her fingers over his chest. He felt every gentle touch, every press of her fingers against his f
lesh – felt the moment and all its connotations. She loved him just as he loved her.

  A lump built at the back of his throat at the knowledge that he’d never be able to show her how much. He’d already asked Park if they could release him from his contract early, the answer had been an irrevocable No. No way in hell. He’d made promises he had to keep.

  He could walk away, today, right now. He’d been trained well enough that if he disappeared the government would never find him. But he also knew that he couldn’t do it alone. He wanted Melanie with him – and she, despite her love for him, would never leave her family behind. And even if, by some miracle, she agreed to run with him, he didn’t want that kind of life for her. He didn’t want to take her away from her family and friends into a life fraught with the threat and fear of being found.

  She deserved better than that.

  She deserved a better man.

  A man who could give her everything they’d ever dreamed of together. A man who could take care of her without the threat of his enemies hanging over him. Nic knew he wasn’t that man. Despair lanced through him like a knife cutting through his heart and he let out a heavy gush of breath, trying to ease it.

  Almost as if she could sense his hopelessness, Melanie looked at him. “What’s the matter, Nic?”

  He stared into her eyes, taking in the love in their amber depths and clenched his jaw. “Lanie, I’m flying out of the country tomorrow.”

  Her eyes darkened as she read the message behind his words. “Are you coming back?”

  He didn’t respond because they both knew the answer to her question. Clearing his throat, he said, “As soon as you’re well enough to fly, Diego will escort you, Marcus and Sly to New York.”

  “Will you be back,” she asked again but this time added, “after your contract ends?”

  “Don’t.” He shook his head. “Lanie, don’t wait for me.”

  She only stared at him. By the determined glint in her eyes he knew she was intent on waiting the six years and that nothing he said would change her mind. He closed his eyes and pressed the back of his head to the wall behind them. Why was Melanie so stubborn? He opened his eyes to find her gaze still locked on him.