by Briann Danae
“I’m fine. Is Lano here?”
Her voice was low, almost as if she didn’t want to hear herself speak. She didn’t even sound the same. Her tone didn’t carry the confidence it once did. As if she had summoned him to her, Lano appeared in the doorway. Looking rough, but still mannishly handsome, he gave Solai and Tesh a head nod as he stepped through.
“What’s up y’all?”
“Hey,” they said simultaneously.
“Can y’all give us a minute?” he asked, and they stood to their feet, shuffling out the door closing it softly behind them.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, Lano focused his gaze on Anika. His eyes were extremely low, red, and in dire need of some sleep. These little cat naps he had been taking every twenty-four hours it seemed, weren’t cutting it, but if sleep was the only thing he had to sacrifice to get his home front back in order, he’d have plenty more restless night.
“Nik, talk to me baby,” he said placing his hand on her exposed thigh.
Goosebumps instantly covered her skin at his warm touch. The tattoos decorating his arms were so neatly weaved together and popped with an array of colors. Anika’s eyes went from his hand with long fingers and clean nails, up to his beautifully sculpted face. Only hair on his face was covering his chin, a thick mustache atop his juicy top lip, and even thicker eyebrows. Thanks to Neicey before she left, she hooked him up with a fresh pair of feed-in braids that looked like a crown was placed on his head and hung loosely down the middle of his chest. Even in the state she was in, Anika couldn’t help but appreciate his appearance.
“What you wanna talk about?” she asked, and he gave her a smile.
“You. How you feeling? You eat anything else besides what you had earlier?”
She shook her head no and broke their eye contact when her head lowered.
“Aye. Look at me. Don’t do that with me, baby,” he soothed scooting back on the bed some more.
Anika sniffled and shook her head from side to side. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize either. Ain’t no need to. You hungry? Want me to fix you something to eat?”
“No, I’m okay really. I just want to lay down.”
“A’ight. You gon’ let me lay with you?” He asked giving her a smirk. “I miss you.”
He missed his woman but knew internally she was hurting. Lano didn’t want to overdo it, but he also didn’t want to make her feel like he didn’t want to be around her. Her peace and healing were vital to him and if he wasn’t bringing either one to the table, he’d remove himself from her bubble quick.
“That’s fine with me,” she said softly, laying back and getting comfortable on the opposite side her ribs were cracked. Breathing too hard hurt like hell and Anika told herself to stop trying to inhale Lano’s delicious smell, but it was hard not to. He smelled divine and downright intoxicating. The type that made you a dizzy type of drunk without having not one sip of alcohol.
Kicking his shoes off, Lano positioned himself with caution behind Anika. They’d slept in the bed together since her coming home from the hospital, but they hadn’t cuddled at all. For them, that was torture. Lano loved laying up under Anika, resting his head on her boobs, squeezing, touching, and caressing her soft body all over. Before, she had no problem with him touching her, but now he wasn’t so sure.
Wanting to feel a connection, Anika grabbed his hand and placed it across her waist as he spooned her shapely frame from the back. Not wanting to move too fast, Lano didn’t move his hand unless she did.
“Are you afraid to touch me now?”
Her question made his eyes squeeze shut, stomach churn, heart drop, and teeth clench. “No, Nik. I’m just moving at your speed baby. You tell me where you want my hands, and I’ll place them there.”
Taking his hand from her waist to the place over her heart, Anika swallowed hard. “Here. Right here is fine.”
A few seconds passed before she spoke again. “I miss you. You leaving out tonight?”
“Later on, yes. I’m coming right back to you though.”
Anika sniffled, and he pulled her closer to him, resting his lips at the back of her neck. “Is that a promise, Mr. Trevino?”
Her heart warmed at the feel of his smile against her skin. “It is, bae.”
“Can you hold me until I fall asleep? If you want to.”
His jaw tightened at how insecure she sounded. This was not his Nik. “I always want to hold you. You know you ain’t ever gotta ask or question that.”
“Okay. I love you. I love you so much, and I swear I’ma get it together, just don’t flake on me.”
He kissed the back of her head and hushed her. “Sssh. I ain’t going nowhere, baby. You know I love your ass, so I’m right here. Always. Get some sleep.”
Anika sighed but felt a bit more reassured than she had ten minutes prior. “Okay. Sleep. You close your eyes too because I know you’re deprived. Just close them for a little bit, and you can get back to knocking niggas on their backs.”
She said it so smooth and with ease, he couldn’t help but to chuckle. “A’ight. Just for a little bit.”
The room quieted, and before they could drift off to a deep sleep, Anika whispered out a thank you and kissed his arm that draped over her chest. It was soothing, cute shit like that, that had Lano hating the niggas who fucked her head up with every fiber of his soul. He was going to rest alright, but when he got up, niggas had better be ready to take a long dirt nap. One they’d never wake up from.
After a quick nap that left him feeling a hell of a lot more energized, Lano was ready to go to war. He couldn’t say he slept because his mind was awake as ever, but it felt good to relax and close his eyes for a second. When Juvie suggested for Tone to show them some spots Tez and his niggas hung out at, Lano saw it only right he be in attendance for the festivities. He was all down for riding on the niggas, but first, he made them stop by Monroe’s crib. She and her sister’s affiliation with Anika’s attack was too coincidental for Lano.
After damn near choking her half to death in the foyer of her condo, Lano pulled up pictures on his phone of all the niggas that may or may not have been at her studio that day. Either way, their presence alone was going to cost them their lives. Lano simply didn’t give a fuck. With fear in her eyes more prominent than tears, Monroe pointed out three of the five guys, including Giran.
While Lano had Monroe pinned against the wall, Juvie had his gun trained on Zoe. He’d been set up by a broad named Oriana when she tried pinning a baby on him, so he wasn’t putting shit past them two. Monroe wasn’t that type though. She or her sister. They just got caught in the mix of some shit they shouldn’t have. So shaken up, they decided to crash at their parent’s home for a few days. Monroe had reached out to Anika, but she didn’t reply. Her message was sincere, but Anika wasn’t too sure. She was keeping everyone at a distance until further notice.
After getting the answers he needed, Lano, Tone, Sen, and Juvie climbed back in the truck with Tone driving. Having a feeling that tonight would be their lucky night, Lano had Tone swing by the abandoned house to pick up Corrine. She’d been there going on four days, and her family was worried sick. They wouldn’t have to worry for long, though. They’d know exactly what she was into and where she’d been after tonight.
In the passenger seat of the truck, Lano’s jaw was tense and eyes filled low with vengefulness. The days of him thinking rationally were over. For now, at least. He wasn’t sure who would be at the spot Tone was about to pull up on, but he didn’t care. He wanted no survivors and for his message to be very clear. If that nigga Giran thought he was the only killer and gun-toting mothafucka, he was a fool. Adjusting his Kevlar vest, Lano licked his lips as they approached the trap house with the lights off.
“I know we ain’t ‘bout to just run up in that bitch with no plan?” Sen said, eyeing Lano.
Carelessly, Lano shrugged and pushed his door open. “Don’t need one. No one lives. That’s it.”
Returning his gesture, Sen shrugged and hopped out. Juvie, being the logical one for once, snatched Corrine out the backseat and hustled past Lano and Sen. They weren’t masked up or anything.
Gripping Corrine’s arm tightly, he hissed in her ear. “Knock on this door and ask for your bitch ass baby daddy. Don’t try any funny shit either.”
Corrine, who was barely coherent, slowly bobbed her head in a nod as if she were a junkie. Lano peeped them approaching and stood to the side. Weakly, Corrine knocked on the door and tried her best to stand up straight. Inside the house, Lano made out the voices of two men.
“What you need?” one called out.
“I-It’s Corrine. Is Tez here?”
“Oh shit,” the dude said hastily pulling the door open. “Where yo’ ass—”
Unwilling to wait another second, Lano shoved Corrine across the doorstep, and sent a bullet to the man’s dome, dropping him where he stood. Stepping past him, he aimed his desert eagle at the nigga on the couch, but Corrine swiftly grabbed at his arm, making it known that was Tez. Her punk ass baby daddy.
“Wait, wait,” she wheezed out as Juvie and Sen rushed inside.
Checking the first door he saw, Juvie opened it and was greeted by a half-naked young girl and another guy. His pants were around his ankles, and the girl looked scared out of her mind with her panties twisted to the side and skirt bunched around her waist. He’d been caught slipping with his pants down, but that was his fault. The nigga should’ve been on his toes.
“Don’t even think about it my nigga,” Juvie seethed, seeing him eye the gun that sat on the toilet stool. Snatching it up, Juvie instructed for them both to step out the bathroom.
“Man, you want some money?” the guy asked, and Juvie slapped him upside the head with his gun.
“Shut the fuck up. I’ont need yo’ punk ass money.”
Groaning, the man flopped down on the torn couch next to the girl he was just digging out in the bathroom. Sen was holding Corrine by the back of her neck, while Lano still had his gun trained on Tez. Without his burner on him, Tez was pissed but not more than he was about to be at Lano’s next move.
“This the nigga you let your kids call daddy?” Lano asked disrespectfully.
Corrine nodded with a sniffle. “Y-Yes.”
“What a shame.” Snatching Corrine over to where dude in the bathroom was sitting. “You love this bitch?”
Tez jaw clenched, but he refused to answer Lano. “Nigga, fuck you. If you gon’ kill me, do that shit dawg.”
Shooting him in the foot, Lano shoved Corrine to the ground in front of Tez’ homeboy. “I am. Right after your bitch that you don’t care about suck homeboy’s dick.”
Corrine gasped. “W-What? No. No. Please, I don’t have anything to do with this.”
“Nah. You got everything to do with this. You the main reason we here. Get to sucking or them kids you love gon’ get bounced around from family member to family member,” Juvie spat.
Her kids were staying with her aunt now, but Lano had someone staking out at her crib right now. All his young hitters needed was the go ahead, and she was done for. Corrine sobbed as she tried not to make eye contact with Tez.
“Man, this fucked up dawg,” his partner hissed at the feel of Corrine touching his thigh.
The fact that he had just climbed out of some pussy, some trashy pussy at that, had Corrine gagging. Add in the fact that she hadn’t eaten much, was dehydrated and felt nauseous as ever; she was sure she’d pass out. Corrine looked up at him once more, waiting for Lano to say he was joking but she knew deep down he wasn’t. If he said something, he mothafuckin’ meant it. She had better get on the job. The girl sitting next to the guy sat with her head down and eyes closed.
“Man,” Tez groaned. “C-Corrine, get yo ass up.”
She was sucking slow, but the longer she went, Tez’ homeboy couldn’t control his low groans. Grabbing Tez by the back of his neck, Lano made him stare at his baby mama suck his partner’s dick while his gun was pressed to the side of his head.
“Bitch don’t gag. Suck on that mothafucka with some heart. You were bold enough to try and get this nigga to run down on us. Grab her head, cuz,” Juvie demanded.
The guy looked up at him and frowned. “Man come on. This shit foul.”
Homeboy was on the verge of nutting as frustration and embarrassment masked his face. A few more deep throats from Corrine, who was putting in work and he’d surely erupt. Lano hated that he had to degrade her like this, but it is what it is. The way he was feeling, he’d do anybody in right now. They didn’t care about Anika when they ran down on her, so why should he have any sympathy? When he peeped homeboy’s eyes flutter, Juvie sent a smooth shot to the back of Corrine’s head and one between his eyes before he could nut.
“That nigga gon’ have blue balls in hell,” Sen laughed.
Tez was trying his hardest not to break down, but seeing Corrine slumped over with a dick in her mouth and eyes wide open, had him sick to his stomach, but he wasn’t going out like no punk.
“That must’ve been yo’ bitch I fucked,” Tez smirked up at Lano.
The entire room stilled as Lano’s mind took less than a second for his words to register. Easily, he could have shot him, but his grimy action and words of disrespect warranted for an ass beating… to death. Smashing his gun across Tez’ head, Lano clicked the safety on and tucked it before slightly tugging his jeans up.
With murder on his mind, his fists rained over Tez’ body with an out of this world speed. Had he not been a menace to society, Lano could have easily been a boxer. His hands were lethal. The girl sitting next to him tried scurrying away, not wanting to get caught in the crossfire, but she was just being a thot at the wrong time. Yoking her up, Sen looked on as Juvie snapped the girl’s neck.
“Yo, you niggas is wild,” he whispered, wide eyed, shaking his head. He’d made some reckless moves in his life, but this right here? Nah. This shit was out of control. “These niggas is crazy.”
Tez’ body had crumbled to the dirty wood floor where Lano stomped his head in. Repeatedly, Lano delivered vicious, skull-crushing stomps. There was blood covering the bottom of his soles, but he didn’t give a fuck. The only thing on his mind was Anika and how he had destroyed a piece of his baby. Breathing heavily, Lano’s jaw ticked at the sight of Tez’ unrecognizable face. No amount of killing would ever repay for what they had done to Anika, and deep down he knew that, but it felt good to avenge her attack.
Emotions going haywire, functioning on pure adrenaline and anger, he snatched his gun from his waist, flicked the safety and pulled the trigger. Once more, he sent a final shot and swiped at his nose at the smell of death tickling his nostrils. Blood flooded onto the wood floors, seeping into its creases, as Lano stepped around it. Before he could make it out the door something caught his attention as he took a glance down at his first victim of the night. On the guys wrist who opened the door, was Saon’s diamond watch. With a frown on his face, Lano unclasped it, tucked it in his pants pockets and kicked the dead body in its side before walking out the door. Juvie and Sen weren’t far behind.
Pulling the gloves from his hands, Lano flexed them both and cracked his neck. He was tense. Tez confirming that he had sexually assaulted Anika made him want to bring him back to life, just so he could end it all over again.
“Yo, you straight?” Sen questioned as they drove to a spot to drop the car off and torch it.
Lano gave him a subtle nod, not in the mood to speak. It was rare occasion he’d make a kill with others by his side. That wasn’t how he moved. Ever. But, tonight was different. He was in rare form and wasn’t thinking clearly. He trusted Tone, Sen, and Juvie with his life though. He’d witnessed them take enough bodies, but something about tonight felt different. Lano couldn’t place his finger on it, not yet, but he’d figure it out.
“Them niggas wanted war and forgot to show up for the battle,” Sen snickered. “How that work?”
“Shit, I’ont k
now. Ole girl topped that nigga off like she done it before.”
Sen agreed. “Probably have. You know how hoes be.”
“Aye. Can you niggas be quiet?” Lano said, rather than asking.
He was ‘bout ready to reach back there like a pissed off mama and smack one of them in the mouth. All that talking was pissing him off. Complete silence is what he preferred after such a night, and these two fools were carrying on like nothing had happened.
In the backseat, Sen and Juvie both looked at each other and held their laughs back, knowing their boy was in a mood. They wanted no parts of his trigger-happy, head stomping ass.
“My fault. We’ll quiet down Master DeLano,” Sen joked, making Juvie choke on a laugh.
Tone chuckled a bit and shook his head. Maybe later Lano would laugh, but not tonight. He had only scratched off three of the five niggas who were present the day of Anika’s attack. Once the other two bodies were accounted for, then would he participate in the jokes. But, right now… there wasn’t shit to joke and play about.
Chapter 7
Relief filled Anika’s frame as her body sat atop the chilled porcelain toilet seat. Her nurse had her drinking so much water, she’d been rushing to the restroom what felt like every ten minutes. Standing after wiping herself, she winced some. Her cracked ribs were healing well in this fourth week of recovery, but still tender to touch. Staring at her reflection in the mirror, Anika assessed her features.
Tilting her head from side to side, she examined the scar above her head where her stitches had been removed. Her busted lip was healed, eyes still somewhat bruised, and head was banging from the concussion she received, but she was alive. For that, she was grateful. So damn grateful. Wanting to give her girl a boost of confidence, Rylee made her a bomb ass wig with a honey blonde color at the ends. It made her chocolate skin, that was getting its glow back, pop.
Brushing the luscious curls into a ponytail, Anika closed her eyes and exhaled a deep breath. The last month of her life felt like the twilight zone. Every day was so unpredictable and being on bedrest for majority of it had her drained. Being tucked in the house was driving her crazy as well, but it was for the better.