by Briann Danae
Samia’s eyes flickered upward and danced with fire at the sight of her. Though she felt like shit, Anika didn’t look it. Rylee had braided her hair in cute box braids with beads and gold thread wrapped around a few. Her lashes hadn’t been replaced since the day Lano went to jail, but she didn’t need them. The diamonds around her wrist, in her ear and glow of her skin, let Samia know that Lano wasn’t doing any half-stepping on his lady. She was well taken care of in his absence and always would be. Envy filled her heart immediately in her presence. Just like a hating ass bitch who wanted your man; hell, your life.
Smirking, Samia said, “DeLano.”
Anika’s skin boiled at the sound of her man’s name rolling off her lips. “Hmm. That’s cute.”
“Is it?” Rylee hissed, ready to beat her ass for Anika.
“Mhm. I just think it’s so cute how you have a crush on my man. I mean, I get it. He is that nigga, my nigga. I’m not quite sure what your infatuation is with him, but girl, please let it the fuck go.”
“It’s not infatuation, trust me,” she said, smirk falling from her face.
“Samia, what’re you here for? I don’t have time for this,” Lina asked
“I was just stopping by to see how you guys are doing considering the circumstances. I know him being locked up must be tough.”
Sympathy filled Samia’s eyes as she looked between Rylee and Lina. She didn’t feel a way for them, but for herself. Seeing Lano behind bars brought upon those feelings she kept trying to bury. Even with her new boo in the picture, she couldn’t shake Lano from her mind, but Anika surely could.
Before Samia could blink, she was being bashed across the face with something heavy as hell. Stumbling backward, she tried grabbing ahold of the door to break her fall, but there was no need. In a few quick steps, Anika was on her head. The brick she picked up was from a decoration nearby on a table. Smashing it once more across her face, Anika shoved her down the few steps, giving her a chance to square up.
“I’ve been wanting to whoop your ass,” Anika seethed.
Samia swiped the blood from her face and ran up. She could bang with the best of them, and that’s what Anika liked. The two went head up for a few seconds before rage blinded Anika. She was so sick of everything and everyone coming at her, especially Samia. Flinging her body to the ground, Anika hovered over her and rained vicious blows to her body and face.
“Bitch,” she huffed sending another punch. “I told you to stop playing with me.”
“Anika! That’s enough!” Lina screamed. “DeNelo! Come break them up!”
“Whoop her ass, Nik!” Rylee cheered on hype as hell.
Thankfully, DeNelo had just pulled up to the crib. Rushing over to them, he swooped Anika up with ease and bearhugged her. “Calm down. Relax,” he coached.
“Every time I see you from now on, I’m dragging you, bitch!” Anika yelled out.
She was livid. Though she had taken her anger out on Samia, she was pissed smooth off with Lano. The audacity for him to be getting visits from this bitch when he hadn’t picked up the phone to call her all week was beyond Anika.
“You good? Can I let you go?” DeNelo asked.
“I’m fine.”
Struggling to stand to her feet with no help from anyone, Samia hawked up a mouthful of blood and spat it out. A few of her teeth came out with it, and Rylee grimaced at the sight. If any other broad had done what Anika just did to her, Samia would have ended their life. The thing was, Anika wasn’t just any other broad. She was Lano’s lover, his heartbeat, the reason she had pulled up over there in the first place knowing she should’ve taken her miserable ass home after Lano talked so bad to her on her pop-up visit. Wanting to hurt him and cause more friction in his home was her mission. Losing teeth and getting her ass whooped were the results and she was regretting it.
Slowly, Samia gave Anika a head nod with a smirk to follow. “I’ma see you.”
“You saw me today and look what happened. Joke’s on you,” Anika hissed.
When she eyed the tattoo on her leg again, she promised to find a way to carve it out of her skin. Samia couldn’t be like the girls who made the mistake of getting a nigga’s name tatted, realizing the mistake and covering it up or get it removed. No. She had to be the one to flaunt it around, but she chose the right one to do it with.
“I cannot believe that girl,” Lina fussed once they were back inside.
She was nursing Anika’s hand who hadn’t said a word since they sat down. Like her man, Anika was plotting in silence. Of all the warning signs she had given Lano about Samia’s shady ass, and he turns around and tries to make her look like a fool? Anika wasn’t going for it. Tears of a hurt she’s never felt before filled her lids as her legs bounced uncontrollably. Her and Lano’s relationship wasn’t the violent type, but she wanted to put hands on him so bad.
“I know you’re upset, but I need to take a few deep breaths. Try to relax before we be taking you to the hospital,” Lina told her.
Hurriedly, she swiped a tear that she hated had surfaced. Inhaling deep breaths, Anika closed her eyes. Her heart finally stopped racing after a few minutes.
“I apologize for disrespecting your home like that,” she said.
“Girl, hush. If you didn’t whoop her ass, I sure was going to,” Lina said making DeNelo shake his head and Rylee snicker.
“You were gon’ work her, huh, Auntie?”
Lina looked at her like ‘you better quit playing’ and nodded her head. “I sure was. I can’t stand a disrespectful female. Popping up to another woman’s crib only to get her ass whooped. I hope she learned her lesson.”
“I’m sure she has. My daughter-in-law wasn’t fucking around,” DeNelo praised kissing her on the forehead. “You sure you good?”
Anika sighed and gave him a smile. He reminded her so much of Lano with his attentiveness. “Yes, thank you. I know Lano is y’all son, but I’m letting y’all know now, I’m talking bad to him.”
As if Lano knew they were speaking on his name, Anika’s phone rang with an incoming call from him. Looking up, she glanced around the room and rolled her eyes.
“Yeah. Here his ass goes right here,” she said, following the prompts.
Confliction almost settled before vanishing quickly. She knew he had no clue about the fight that had just went down, and how he was already stressed on the inside, but right now Anika didn’t care. He had stressed her out to the max for more reasons than one, and she was about to make him have the shittiest day after this phone call.
“Bae, what you doing?” Lano asked as soon as the call connected.
“What am I doing?” Anika chuckled angrily. “Why haven’t I heard from you DeLano, and you better have a good explanation, too.”
Holding the phone to his ear, Lano scratched at his head and sighed. He had been stressed as hell on the inside. He knew there was gossip and rivalry behind the walls, but never did he expect to hear some of the shit he had in such a short period of time while being there. While out on the yard last week, an older inmate laced Lano with some info he had. He had run the streets long before Lano’s time but knew his father, DeNelo. He also knew Stefon, Saon’s dad.
For years, Lano didn’t too much care what the reasoning was behind Saon and their other friend Jus getting killed. Word was that Jus was in debt with some nigga, owed him but didn’t give the money up and killed him on sight. Retaliating, Saon went to that side of the city he never goes on, started dumping and got killed out of anger for his friend losing his life. Lano had been out of town on a mission when it all went down, so details of why, how and what for were all misconstrued.
The truth was, the niggas who Saon starting shooting at had no issues with him, but they asked for them when killing Jus. They just wanted their money. Though Jus and Lano were cool, he wasn’t sliding for him like he’d do for Saon. That’s just keeping it real, and Lano’s enemies knew that. Bringing all the smoke to his front door over Saon’s death was their intentions in
a way to bring him out of what they thought was hiding. Lano wasn’t hiding behind shit. He moved when deemed necessary.
Giran had been in the streets heavily back then and peeped how Saon wasn’t the leader of their crew. It was Lano. The calculated, humble, deadly crew member. Giran wanted his head. He knew if he got to him, their entire crew would crumble. What he didn’t expect to happen was for Lano to lay bodies down and move away to another state but still come at Giran’s crew from afar. It was baffling to him how he moved, and he wanted him gone.
All this time, Lano thought the beef had been on some you killed one of mine, I’m killing three of yours, type beef. And, for a second that’s what it looked like. The underlying issue was greed. Giran wanted the power, wealth and utmost respect that Lano had. He wanted to prove to his crew that he could knock the deadliest nigga off his square and takeover. For a second, he had, but his decision to call a hit on Lano while visiting Saon’s grave had started a war he wasn’t nearly prepared for. If he and his niggas were going to battle, Lano wasn’t stopping until that fat lady – whoever she was – starting singing.
So, yes. He was stressed and had been for an entire week after hearing that. Everything that had transpired leading up to his imprisonment was because of him. Not technically, but because of the position he was in, families were broken, friends were buried, lives ruined, and his relationship was now rockier than ever. He didn’t want to be beefing with Anika. Not right now.
“A lot of shit been going on in here. Needed to clear my head,” he said lowly. “I need to see you.”
“I don’t know how I feel about that,” she said walking out of the living room and down the hall for some privacy.
No matter how upset she was with her man, she’d never put their business out there for other mothafuckas to judge and criticize. Family or not. On the other end of the phone, Lano’s top lip curled up.
“What you mean you don’t know how you feel about that? C’mon, baby. I know it’s rough for you out there while I’m in here, but we gotta thug this shit out together. Why you trying to go missing on me?”
The need in his voice funneled into her heart, causing a pain to reside there. She hated feeling this way. This lonely. Why couldn’t she go missing on him? Who was going to thug it out for her while out here? Anika didn’t have the answers, nor did she want to search for them. It was more than rough for her to be out in this cold world without her man. Yes, she had her family and friends, but they weren’t the ones who kept placing her in such uncompromising positions. Lano did. And, for that, there really wasn’t an explanation that would suffice for the heartbreak and emptiness she was feeling.
“I’m pregnant.”
She uttered the words loudly; the words seeming strange on her tongue. It was almost impossible to steady her erratic pulse as she waited for his response. The thought of him being upset tore at her insides, forcing her to take a seat on the bed. He has no reason to be upset, she thought with a sigh. And, she was right. Lano wasn’t mad at her. He was pissed at himself. Anika being pregnant and him being unable to provide for her is what he feared most… and he didn’t fear anything.
Dragging a hand down his face, Lano sighed and cleared his throat. With the news of the beef behind Saon’s death and now learning of Anika’s pregnancy, he was struggling to hold it together.
“You gon’ keep it?” he asked breaking Anika’s heart. “Look. I know we in a fucked up situation right now, but on everything Nik, please don’t get rid of my baby.”
She sniffled and didn’t bother to wipe at her tears. “Did Samia come and see you?”
Fuck! He cursed himself out, knowing where this conversation was heading. “She did.”
“You’ve been ignoring me, but you let that bitch come and visit you? How fucking dare you, DeLano. I should get rid of this baby.”
Lano’s jaw tightened, and heart stopped. “Aye. Chill the fuck out talkin’ like that. I didn’t tell that girl to come up here. I don’t even know how the she got on the list.”
“So, her name just magically appeared? I may have had a concussion, but I’m not dumb nor will you try me like I am. She had the nerve to pop up at your mama’s house not even twenty minutes ago and try to throw her visiting you in my face. Do you know how that made me feel!” she screamed.
“Bae, please,” Lano groaned.
“No!” she cried, feeling an anxiety attack creeping up. “This is too much, DeLano. Got me out here fighting dusty ass bitches with your name tattooed on them. I should’ve killed that bitch, on everything I love.”
“She put her fucking hands on you?” he hissed, feeling his blood boil.
“It doesn’t fucking matter now!” she hollered, breathing hard.
Closing his eyes, Lano shook his head wishing the gesture could teleport him back home for a few minutes. That’s all he’d need to get Anika right on together. There was no way in hell she was about to be out there risking her and their child’s life over Samia’s envious ass. He made a mental reminder to check her about popping up at his mama’s crib, too. He didn't play that shit.
“Breathe, Nik. Calm down. You gon’ stress my baby out and we can’t have that. I want to come home to you and my baby in good health a’ight?”
Despite the tension this conversation caused, Lano felt a joyous emotion as well. His boo was carrying his seed. Hearing her cry weakened him though. He wasn’t there for her in her time of need, again, and Lano felt helpless. For Anika, he’d put his worries, doubts, and fear out the window just to put her in a better head space. The silence lengthening between them made Lano uncomfortable.
“Nik,” he called out softly.
“Yes?”
“I love you. You and my baby growing inside you. I’ont wanna hear you talking about getting rid of shit,” he insisted harshly with a hint of rawness in his tone. He was most definitely in his feelings, and so was Anika.
“I’m not. I’m just so stressed and so fucking horny,” she whined, and the mood lightened.
“How far along are you?”
“Nearing the end of two months,” the disbelief of her being that far along showed in her tone of voice.
After weeks of feeling like she was on her deathbed, Lina dragged her to the doctor. As a mother, she knew the signs of a pregnant woman and Anika was definitely carrying. She had no clue she was that far along, and when the doctor told her the date of conception, she could only smile and shake her head.
“Damn,” Lano let out with a grin on his face. “That means you got pregnant while we were out of the country.”
“Mhm. You couldn’t stay off me,” she blushed.
“Shit, could you blame me? You so fine. Damn, Nik. I miss you.”
Anika shook her head refusing to get all flustered by his sexy baritone and panty-wetting words. “Nah. Don’t be trying to butter me up, nigga. You’re on my shit list until I say otherwise.”
“I know. What I gotta do to make it up to you, baby mama?” he joked making her smile for real this time.
“That’s up to you Mr. Trevino. I’m not sure you can do much behind bars.”
Lano sucked his teeth just as the automated woman’s voice crooned through both ends, prompting them to roll their eyes. Phone conversations, visits, and letters weren’t enough. Anika needed her man home in her presence.
“You should know how far my reach is, but since you don’t… I’ll remind you.”
Those three ending words made Anika’s pussy thump with anticipation. “We’ll see Papi.”
“Yeah, that’s what you better have called me. I’ll call you tomorrow, a’ight?”
“A’ight. Love you.”
“Love you m—” he began but was cut off by the call ending.
Pulling the phone from her ear, Anika sighed hating that their call ended so quickly. She went from angry, sad with tears in her eyes, to smiling all because of one man. DeLano was the mothafuckin’ truth, and only he could bring those emotions out of her. She wanted to wait until
they were face to face and inform him of her pregnancy, but the festivities of the day and him not calling in a week forced her emotions to spill the beans earlier. It was probably for the better anyway. She was already broken up from his voice, seeing the pain and happiness on his face would have crushed her completely.
“So…” Rylee pressed when Anika walked back downstairs.
She had been waiting for her to tell Lano.
“He knows,” Anika sighed with relief while plopping onto the couch. She’d been a nervous wreck trying to figure out the best way to tell him.
“Good,” Lina smiled. “I was tired of keeping my grandbaby a secret.”
“Auntie,” Rylee laughed. “I’m sure the baby isn’t even that big yet. Is it?”
Anika shook her head no. The baby was growing, and her ultrasound pictures were really the only reason she could tell. With her already having a slight pudge and gaining minimal weight, you could hardly tell she was pregnant. Due to her fatigue, morning sickness, and tender breasts, Anika definitely knew her body was no longer her own though. She was sharing it for the next seven months with she and Lano’s love child.
Smiling, she reminisced on their time spent in Santorini. It had been the best three weeks of her life so far and with the creation they made, she prayed those wouldn’t be the last happy days. Going back into her depressive state was out of the question.
Sitting back with her feet propped up on the couch inside Amiya and Maliya’s warehouse, Anika yawned. Somehow, the twins had talked her into looking over a few pieces from their new maternity clothing line, and that turned into her taking some pictures. They’d mentioned it when she and Lano came home to visit, but back then Anika had tossed the idea of modeling out the window completely. Her attack had momentarily stripped her of her confidence, self-esteem, and determination. Today, a small piece of it was restored, and she was extremely grateful for the small things. The jovial smile on her face when Soterio approached her with a bag of food proved that much.
“Here you go. Your straw is in the bag,” he said handing her a bag from Wendy’s that was paired with a chocolate frosty and strawberry lemonade. Anika sat up with a smile on her face.