A Savage Kinda Love

by Kiki Leach

  "Because ultimately, I need his help," I replied. "And he needs mine -- and please don't say things like that to me."

  "Please don't get fuckin' married to this asshole, Cheyenne," he snapped back. "How about that shit? Don't get fuckin' married to a goddamn murderer--"

  "You're no saint," I told him. He frowned.

  "Yo." Nix gradually raised his hand to us while clearing his throat. "Why does this asshole need your help out there, baby girl?" he asked. Snake looked to him and made a face.

  I sucked in the remnants of nothing between us and slowly dragged my attention back to him. "You know about Chino being put away for all the crimes he's committed behind the scenes at his casinos. He said that--"

  "Hold up." Taz's brows lifted as his jaw lowered. "You saw Chino out there?"

  I nodded. "The call Snake got from Rox was on his order; he wanted me back out there and knew the only way to make it happen was by saying that my father wanted to see me again for something."

  "So Chino wants you marrying his kid to save his ass from some shit he pulled on his own?" said Nix.

  "He can't exactly be saved from any of this," I said. "But Nikko can."

  "Is this some kinda savior complex bullshit, Cheyenne?" asked Taz.

  "A savior complex?" I looked to him with a sneer and bent my head. "Do I look like I'm walking around New York with a pair of white wings sewn into the center of my goddamn back?"

  "I don't fuckin' know -- maybe they're hidden in there some place; only to be brought out for the white boys."

  "Taz--"

  "Then what the fuck is this bullshit, Cheyenne?!"

  "This bullshit is due to one of your rancid, unchecked clubwhores getting her hands on a bunch of crap that proved Chino's underhanded dealings. Miss Lena the snitch was apparently one busy bee from hell the same night she got Rox fucked up."

  "Shit." Taz looked to Snake and shook his head.

  "Gotta be why she wanted that money from us in the first goddamn place," said Nix. "And knew going to Rox would be the key to making it happen. Bitch needed to get the fuck outta town in fear that Chino's ass would be after hers for this shit." His head dipped as he made a face. "Rox know you're aware of anything past what he told you?"

  "I haven't spoken to him since before meeting with Chino," I replied.

  "And you don't need to, not yet," said Snake. "The shit could clam him up if he finds out too goddamn soon about the part you've gotta play in all this."

  Taz sneered. "What word was given in how long Chino's gonna be locked away for this shit?"

  "Eyes mentioned maybe twenty? Thirty years at max," blurted Nix. "Truth be told, I'd say he's lucky as shit that some 'time away' is all he's getting outta this instead of being put straight through somebody's ground."

  Taz rolled his attention back to me and narrowed his eyes. "What are you getting outta all this shit, Chey?"

  "Money. Obviously."

  "What else?"

  "Greenwise," asked Nix. "What are you gonna be getting outta this shit, baby girl? How much?"

  "What's owed to the club."

  "And Nikko?" blurted Taz. "What the fuck is he getting?"

  "The same thing in money."

  Nix cleared his throat and arched his brows. "How, baby girl?"

  "Chino said that what wasn't snatched by the Feds needs to be thrown into an account with the name of Nikko's wife plastered all over it because it's dirty otherwise; without a clean name attached to every dime, what's left gets wiped." I stopped to lower my voice. "It's blood money through and through. And I don't know how he managed to hang onto it, nor did I ask. But whatever I don't hand off to the Renegades will go to Nikko."

  "That's why he needs a wife?" asked Taz. "How the fuck do you even know for sure Chino has as much as he claims? What the fuck does he even say he has?"

  "At least twelve million," I replied.

  Nix whistled. "Jesus Christ--"

  "And you saw it?" questioned Taz, his brows arched as his jaw tightened. I turned from him without answer and clinched my teeth. "Motherfuck, Cheyenne." He tossed his hands into the air and whirled away from me. "This asshole has you marrying his piece of shit son when you ain't even sure he's got the cash he claims?!"

  "Maybe he can bring it by the club," said Nix.

  Taz whipped his head around to him and frowned. "Fuckin' how?! That asshole ain't gonna bring twelve million out here for us to check with our own goddamn hands--!"

  "Then how else are we gonna prove he's being legit? 'Cause I'm not marrying off my baby girl to some low life looking to scam her outta some shit."

  "I know a way to find out just how much Chino's got stashed," said Snake. "Marleena."

  Nix's head jerked as he turned back to him and made a face. "What the fuck--?"

  "She started hustling a few months back on the side as a PI."

  "And where'd the fuck she get her license for it, School of Hardknock Pussy? You can't be serious with this shit?"

  "I am. After giving me the hand job during Joker's party, she started going on about needing extra funds and that was the way she started making it."

  "Jesus Christ. That's why you kept her ass around?"

  "Not initially. But seeing as we need to make a run on what Chino's got stashed, knowing that kinda shit helps now, yeah?"

  Nix eyed him with a hint of skepticism and nodded. "Yeah, brother, I guess."

  I rolled my eyes between them and swallowed hard. "Where the hell is Marleena right now?" I questioned.

  "Working a job for some motherfucker in Manhattan. I'll call her up after this shit -- get her to check out Chino and see what he's working with... Maybe there's a chance we can get more out of him."

  "What?" I scrunched my brows in fury. "I'm not going to get myself screwed in all of this more than I've been already just because your overwhelming need for green can't find a place to sit the hell down already. The club is owed 300k, that’s what you're getting. Once this farce is put to bed, I'm back in California, and that's it."

  "You two planning on getting married inside of Rikers?" asked Taz, the condescending nature of his tone forcing my blood to boil around the coolness of my veins. "'Cause a muthafucka that has killed three guards in front of a room of visitors ain't gonna suddenly be able to just find himself on the other side of that wired fence no matter what the fuck his Daddy might be able to do for his ass. Including getting you in his bed."

  "You know what, Taz--?"

  "That's enough," Snake interjected.

  Taz looked to him and grit his teeth. "Prez--"

  "I said that shit's enough." Snake dragged his eyes to him and pointed. "You need to remember just where the fuck your ass stands on this shit -- the muthafuckin' part you've played up to this point. That goddamn patch on your chest can get pulled at any time no matter what the fuck I've promised about it, and to who." He grimaced. "That asshole's son asked for her personally. Check that shit before you wreck it by running your goddamn mouth like a ball sucking cunt."

  Taz's brows came together as a look of bewilderment erupted from within; he turned back to me with a solid glare and leaned forward. "He asked after seeing you out there?"

  I sank my teeth into the inside of my right cheek and exhaled. "He knew about my situation with the club thanks to Rox."

  "And this was his solution for it -- Wifing you up on site? When the fuck is this shit supposed to take place?"

  "We don't know yet--"

  "Jesus." He turned back to Snake and gulped. "This shit is fucked up and you know how much." He stepped back over to the couch with a gradual limp and hung his head in what I could only assume was a mixture of shame and fear.

  "Baby girl." Nix dragged his eyes around to all three of us before taking one last hit from his joint and pinching the lit tip to put out the flame. "You're gonna get your hands on his money as soon as the shit is made official?"

  "Yes."

  "Alright." He swiveled back to Snake while placing a hand in front of his stoma
ch, and lifted his head to straighten his neck. "And we're gonna see how much cash this asshole has really packed away for his kid?" Snake nodded. "Hm." He returned to me and slightly tilted his head. "I don't agree with any of this shit, baby girl. Not one fuckin' bit of it. But more than how I feel, I know arguing with you like a muthafucka when your mind is already made up about it won't change a goddamn thing."

  "You're right that it won't--"

  "But if this asshole doesn't have as much as he claims?" mumbled Taz. "What then?"

  "I don't believe he doesn't have enough for me and his son," I said. "I get my hands on that money first, regardless of what it is."

  "And you'll be trapped into handing it all over if it's anything less than you've been told."

  "Not if I find out the truth before we're married." I rolled my eyes back to Snake while slipping a hand inside the front pocket of my pants for my keys. "Whenever Rox needs to know about this... it might be best coming from one of you at this point. I don't think I'm as prepared for his reaction as I should be."

  "We can do that shit for you, baby girl," said Nix. "Right, Prez?"

  Snake bobbed his head and lowered his voice. "We'll let him know. And once the club gets what we're owed, he's outta Rikers."

  "Okay," I replied. "And then what?"

  "Then...?" His shoulders lifted as he bent his head aside. "He's on his own."

  Hope soared through me as my brows lifted in a wave of shock-filled delight. "You mean that? You're being serious?"

  "Yeah." He leaned back in his chair with a light crinkle to his eyes and dropped a hand across his chest. "After this shit, it's done."

  I clamped my teeth together while holding back the start of a sob and nodded. "Thank you."

  "Yeah..." He looked to the door and pointed. "You should probably get going while we handle the rest of this shit. Once I get Marleena on Chino, I'll let you know if what he said about his money is legit. After that, we'll let the rest of the brothers know what's up."

  "And," said Nix, "we'll let 'em all know the wedding needs to happen out here if he actually manages to get loose."

  "Why is that?" I asked him.

  "'Cause I don't trust any other motherfucker that Chino might try putting at the head of this shit, Chey. We can get Preach to officiate."

  "Muthafucka." Snake appeared puzzled while shaking his head. "That goddamn fossil is ninety-fuckin'-five years old."

  "And he's still got all his faculties."

  "You mean he finally learned how to stop shitting on himself when he stands up in public after the mess of last night?"

  "Those triple padded diapers Bingo got him right after seemed to help him this morning, so yeah."

  "Christ." Snake wiped a hand across his mouth, hoping to conceal a chortle. "You want that shit to happen, you can be the one to call him up on it. I'm not dealing with all the goddamn screaming he does over the phone."

  "It's only when he's not wearing his aid in the ear that got sewn back on last year, brother, chill--"

  "Okay." I leaned in and pointed behind myself. "I'm going to go because there are other things I need to take care of. Anything else you want to know or ask or need to tell me about, just call later."

  "Where are you gonna be?" asked Nix.

  "At home, though I'm planning to move into Nikko's place within the next week."

  "You what?!" Taz whirled back around to me, scrunching his face so hard that his features looked ready to snap at any second. "You're moving into that asshole's house? What the fuck for?!"

  "Because we're getting married. I can't stay at Rox's while my husband is staying at his own -- nobody would believe it --"

  "Who the fuck are you tryna convince on this shit outside of the goddamn Feds, Cheyenne?"

  "The Lack of Common Sense Police," I retorted. "Because it doesn't make any in being married to someone that I don't live with."

  "If this shit is supposed to be temporary, what the fuck does it matter?"

  "Why are you so pressed about it?!" His head snapped back as his eyes nearly bugged from his head in reaction to my words. "It's not as if you were out here suggesting another solution in helping me to get the club paid. This man offered one to a problem that wasn't going away because of someone who can't stop managing to screw me over when he screws himself, and I'm taking it. You don't have to like it -- nobody has to like it but me."

  "Do you like it?" he questioned, his off-putting tone sending me straight to the door without another response. "Chey!"

  I clinched my teeth and looked to Snake while latching onto the knob. "Call me later with whatever you manage to find or have on... whatever."

  "Cheyenne--!"

  I stepped out of the room before Taz could finish and stormed back through the club with a pinch to my mouth and fire soaring through my chest.

  After getting to my car, I reached for the door, but was stopped by his hand grabbing at my shoulder in the same way one would snatch a bag of fruit from the shelf.

  "What the hell--?!" I jerked myself from his grip and spun around to look him in the face. He glowered. "What do you want?!"

  "To talk." He lowered his hand from me and stepped back. "The shit I said back there... I didn't fuckin' mean it--"

  "The hell you didn't," I snapped. "You meant every damn word of what you said just as you always do."

  "No." He wagged his head while searching my gaze for a flicker of sympathy that would never be found. "I didn't mean that shit in the way it all came out."

  "I think you meant that even more, and suddenly realizing you want to be with me after finding out I've promised myself to someone else doesn't exactly change any of that."

  "What the fuck are you talking about?"

  "Exactly what I said."

  He went quiet and kicked the heel of his boot against the ground.

  "You promised to marry this motherfucker in name only?" Hope filled his eyes as the question lingered on his tongue. I gulped while remaining silent. "You met with that asshole while you were out there. Face to face and all that shit."

  "I wouldn't have agreed to marry him otherwise, Malcolm."

  "And you talked about shit."

  "That was the purpose for it, yes."

  "Jesus Christ... Why the fuck are you going through with this bullshit?"

  "Why the hell are you still asking me that question as if I'm loaded with more options out here than I was inside?"

  "You keep saying this shit is about the money, but you're moving into his place, fuckin' talked to him out there and for how long? About what?!"

  "That's really none of your business."

  "It should be--"

  "And yet, it isn't. Either way, once all this is over, I'm back to California and school."

  "You sure as fuck were singing a different goddamn tune yesterday."

  "What?"

  "About us," he said. "You and me." The disappointment in his voice was as palpable as the self-importance. I stared across the lot as the dreaded feeling of where this conversation was going next started leaking into my bones like acid down a wooden drain. "Cheyenne--"

  "Yesterday was what it was, and today isn't, which means that I was stupid for five minutes to think anything real could ever come from whatever has always been between us."

  "And what I said to you before leaving? That shit no longer matters?"

  "Suddenly you remember?"

  He made a face at me as if I were absurd for even asking such a question, and snickered. "Cheyenne--"

  "Whatever you said back then... it won't change today, and shouldn't; neither will I and what I want for myself outside of this club."

  "Nobody is asking you to change shit about any fuckin' thing." His eyes sparked with venom as he glared. "What are you hoping to get from this shit beyond the goddamn money?"

  "My freedom. Everything I had before it all went to hell thanks to Rox and more of his bullshit. I want myself back, my life--"

  "One that doesn't include having me in it an
ymore?"

  "That's selfish of you to say, but no, because you'll always be there in some capacity no matter what."

  "You sure about that?"

  "Why wouldn't I be? You'll always be part of me in some way, Malcolm. But I can't keep running around in circles with just the hope that things will start going in the way I want anymore; I need to start making them happen with more action and less talk; more reality and less of whatever the hell is always moving around inside my head that has gotten me nowhere fast since before ditching this place for something better."

  "And that shit starts with you marrying a muthafuckin' felon like Nikko?"

  "The hypocrisy from an outlaw living and breathing the life of a Renegade is damn near outstanding. My 'start' is with paying back the club."

  "He just so happens to be part of making that shit happen?"

  "Yes," I hissed, my annoyance hitting an all-time high.

  He looked above my head while sinking into himself and exhaled. "When you leave this time around, you don't ever plan on coming back to the city?"

  "I don't know. I love the club for everything it's ever done for me that's been positive, and I probably always will for that reason alone. But being dragged back because of Rox's actions has managed to sour what's left of my love in less than two weeks' time."

  "Shit will change once your old man is out for good."

  "Which is another reason I'm partially eager to stay away once it's over."

  A beat passed as his gaze dipped back to mine; a slight redness colored the whites of his eyes as he lifted his chin. "You like this muthafucka?"

  A trail of wonder followed my thoughts, the scattered mess they had become, as I wagged my head and shrugged. "I don't know that either, because I haven't spent enough time with him to determine much of anything outside of what he can do for me."

  "You know if you like a muthafucka or not upon meeting up with 'em, Chey. And I can see in your eyes that there was something beyond this shit for the club."

  "If you believe that, why bother asking?"

  "Because I wanted to hear it from you first" -- he tossed his hand out toward me in a way that had me questioning damn near everything about my entire existence right in front of him, and scoffed -- "and now I have."