by Kiki Leach
"I capped that asshole 'cause he was a greedy fuck with a big ass mouth; don't forget it."
"Yeah, he was a greedy as fuck, big mouthed asshole with polaroid proof of you letting Deborah roll her mouth over your cock since she's been back to the city." Chino's jaw flinched as Nikko continued. "You know I don't give a fuck about you hooking up with some old Renegade pussy that got lucky enough to spit out the kid of her club's President. What I do give a fuck about is you hooking up with the same one that helped us get here in the first goddamn place, and not giving me a single fuckin' reason as to why."
Chino inhaled to keep from saying what was on the tip of his tongue and swallowed it back. "What the fuck are you talking about with this shit, Nik?"
"Deborah, old man -- I know she's Lena and that you keep fuckin' her brains out while knowing it too."
He frowned. "Who told you this shit tryna get me fucked up -- Was it Rox when you went to see him out there again? Is that why you won't let me get near him? Was it Snake?!"
"It doesn't fuckin' matter who told me what unless the shit isn't true."
"It matters either way."
"No, the fuck it doesn't -- And the fact that you keep pulling back and tossing blame elsewhere instead of answering lets me know the shit is true." He grimaced. "Why the fuck are you protecting Deborah in all this shit? What the fuck does she have over you?"
"Not a goddamn thing that can't be thrown right back into her motherfuckin' face once all is said and done."
"Like what?" he asked. "A goddamn kid?!" Chino grinded his teeth while remaining quiet. "Did she come to you the night of my bachelor party?"
"I haven't seen her ass since Benny's office."
"Then have you talked to her, old man? On the goddamn phone -- through fuckin' telegram -- bat signals?!"
Chino dragged his hand across his mouth and bent his head from side to side. "You need to worry more about your girl signing these papers in order for us to move past all this shit in one piece, and less about where the fuck I'm putting my cock."
"What the fuck is your deal, asshole?!" he shot back, his voice rumbling as he leaned into his face. Chino dropped back. "Deborah helps to get us fucked, and Cheyenne needs to step up her shit with getting me paid? And what the fuck about Snake when that asshole set you up for this goddamn fall with her help -- you're clear on that shit, correct?" He shook his head and soured. "But I guess it doesn't matter if your new tits and ass in a suit can somehow manage to get what's mine thrown right back to you instead."
"You think I'm planning to keep this money for myself? Who's got you thinking this shit, Cheyenne? She also tell you how the fuck I can make that happen while being locked up? 'Cause I sure as fuck would like to hear it."
"There's still no guarantee of you being locked up outside of your word, which no longer means shit."
He bypassed Chino and reached for the door.
"Where the fuck did you come up with the idea of me having a kid with Deborah?"
Nikko lowered his shoulders and tightened his hand around the knob. "Why the fuck else wouldn't you admit the truth of who she was in all of this? Why keep throwing your cock into every open hole she's got when you've gotta know she's going right back to Snake once you're finished?" Chino made a face of disgust and looked aside. "She and Snake set your ass up and you don't seem to give a single fuck about it; they set up Rox to take a fall that can still get him taken out if you run..." He stopped and looked over his shoulder. "Deborah thinks you were the goddamn love of her life. Was that shit true for you too?"
Chino quietly wagged his head and stared at the floor, contemplating. "I don't know about that shit."
Nikko refocused on the door and pulled back until it opened. "We need to head out before I'm late."
"Nik--!"
When his phone rang, he snatched it from the inside pocket of his jacket without looking at the number and placed it to his ear while storming from the room. "Yeah?" At the sound of Cheyenne's shaky voice full of tears, he stopped in his tracks and gulped. "Baby?"
"I need you," was all he heard before bolting down a stairwell near the elevator and racing from the hotel to be at her side.
Chapter Fifty-Five
Wedding Bell Dues
Various sets of eyes followed me in every direction imaginable as I stepped away from the nurse’s station and lifted the train of my dress to keep it from dragging across the hospital floor.
When I returned to the private waiting room, empty apart from a tear ridden Deborah, she crossed her ankles and sat up straight in her chair, folded her hands into her lap and darted her eyes to avoid my glare.
"What the hell is it?" I snapped.
She cleared her throat and swallowed. "I want you to know that I'm being one thousand percent honest in saying that I didn't have a single idea about Rox replacing you with me as his emergency contact last night, Cheyenne. I--"
"Save it." I dropped my dress back down to the floor and shuffled to the nearest window. I stared into the parking lot and held my breath in wait for Nikko, then shut my eyes and grinded my teeth.
"Cheyenne--"
"Why the hell did this happen to him in the way it did?" I turned back to her and stared. "Did Chino do this? Ronaldo -- Snake?! Someone else you've been on your knees for since being back to the city?"
She turned her head aside and whistled. "I know that you are grieving right now because of what happened to your father, but little girl--"
"I'm far from grieving -- been far from that -- right now, I'm pissed off. And you need to start talking about what the hell you know before Rox isn't the only one fighting for his life down that hallway."
She sat back and scoffed. "You're threatening me?"
"Absolutely not -- I'm making you a promise that if he dies on that table, he won't be the only one out here today. Now start talking or I'm popping you from here to kingdom come."
"What the hell do you want to know from me, Cheyenne?"
"What the hell happened to him out there and WHY, Deborah -- This isn't Mad Libs -- I want answers on him nearly being killed!"
She stood up and rushed forward, wagging her index finger so hard that her skin nearly peeled from the bone; she shook her head at me and glared. "I know what the hell I told you -- nothing more or less about it!"
"You're full of shit!" I hollered. "You've been full of it since coming back! Just like with everything else -- With Chino, for example. If he had something to do with this and you're protecting him, my God, so help me!"
"I have no reason to protect him from anything, Cheyenne."
"Do you think I'm stupid?! You outright told me that lunatic was the love of your life--! Or do you not remember being so drunk off your ass and saying those very words to me barely three days ago?! What about throwing out there that you two share a son?"
She guffawed. "I never told you that--"
"Bullshit! Don't stand here and lie to me again."
She cut her eyes from mine as aggravation overtook and crossed the room. "You're mistaken on what I said to you that night."
"Don't gaslight me -- I know what the hell I heard and I'm not the only one. You were in love with Chino and you had a child with him -- Where the hell is he?" She rested her hands against the small of her back and swallowed hard enough to nearly choke on her own tongue. I huffed. "Deborah."
"I don't know."
"BullSHIT!" She whirled back around to me and widened her eyes as I stepped into her space. "You are the reason he was thrown into Rikers in the first place -- You helped this happen!"
She squint and lowered her hands. "Malcolm is the reason he was put into Rikers instead of being killed by Snake and the others."
"You know what the hell I'm talking about -- Save the rest of this bullshit for someone stupid enough to keep buying into your act!" I spat. "I know that you're Lena -- Rox told as much to Nikko. I know that you helped Snake steal from the club, and I know that you snitched on Chino in order to help Snake get that money from h
im. He set up everything right down to the wedding in order to get paid for himself -- but my question is why the hell did it come down to you being the one to help him do it? And why the hell is Chino apparently fine with screwing your brains out despite snitching to get him locked up?! What the hell are you getting from all of this and which dick does it happen to be coming from in the process?"
The back of her hand met the side of my face before she said another word.
I spun half-way as the sting from her fingers shattered my skin and stumbled into the leg of a chair before turning back and throwing my hands into her chest, forcing her to the floor on her behind. A pair of keenly observant nurses bolted from their station after listening to her cry out and stormed into the room as she threw her hand over her heart. I rolled my eyes at the feigned need for assistance and returned to the window while massaging my jaw.
"Ma'am?!" one of the nurses started while lifting her into a chair. "Are you okay?!"
I peeked over at them and scrunched my brows. "Who cares about her being alright with anything when she hit me hard enough to rearrange the furniture?" I said. "The cameras will show as much."
"She's older." I looked to the other nurse as she sat down beside Deborah and graciously pat her hand. "No matter what your mother might've said--"
"She is not my mother." I dropped my hands to my hips and scowled. "My mother is dead, and this woman could never come close to being the person she was while alive."
"Baby?" I looked to the entrance as a panicked Nikko rushed forward and took my face in his hands. My chest fluttered with a pang of worry as his eyes scanned my face; a crease appeared between his brows as he studied the pain of my expression. "Are you alright?"
I wrapped my hands around his wrists, sliding my fingers against his skin, and shook my head while muttering, "No."
As my eyes shifted back to Deborah, he frowned and looked over his shoulder. "What the fuck did you do to her this time?" he asked.
Deborah dropped her hands to the arms of the chair and gradually returned to her feet. "I did nothing." She stared between us and sniffed. "Your girl doesn't know when it's time for her to leave well enough alone."
"She won't deny being Lena," I said. "And she admits to sharing a child with Chino despite claiming to have no idea where the hell he might be at the moment."
"Yeah?" Nikko released my face and turned to her as she dropped back. "Why the hell is my old man still fuckin' around with you despite being a snitch?" he spat. The nurses looked to each other in a panic before jumping from their chairs and easing out of the room. Nikko glared between them and continued. "What the hell did you promise to keep him in check?"
Deborah's eyes watered as she glanced over his shoulder and jerked her chin in my direction. "Your girl seems to have all of the answers -- I'm sure she knows the one to your question."
"I'm asking you," he retorted, his tone full of venom as his teeth clinched. "Who the fuck are you to have this kind of hold over him?"
"Just as she said, I'm the mother of his child."
"And who the fuck is this kid? Would I know him if I saw him?"
"Yes." She closed her eyes for a few seconds and bobbed her head. "There's a chance that you might." She reopened her eyes to him and smiled. "One too damn big to ignore."
"Oh my God," I muttered.
"There's a chance you have already seen him," she continued. "Every day since--"
"It's Taz/?" he questioned. "Snake's not his old man?!" Her shoulders sank as she exhaled. "Did he blackmail you with that info to help him with this shit?!"
"Ms. Cunningham?"
I lifted my eyes above Deborah's head as Rox's doctor hovered near the doorway.
After brushing past her and Nikko to stand in front of him, I placed a hand on top of my chest, attempting to calm the sudden irregular beating of my heart.
He eyed me with slight suspicion while taking note of my wedding gown and nodded. "Ms. Cunningham?"
"Ye -- Well, Girabaldi soon enough, but right now, yes," I corrected. Nikko's ears perked as a smile pinched the corners of his mouth. "Is Rox..." I tapped my fingers against myself and exhaled. "Is he still alive?"
The doctor nodded again, providing me with a modicum of relief. "Alive and should be waking up soon. In the meantime, we'll be transferring him to a private room in the ICU for cautionary purposes. The burns only reached a portion of his back and legs as he managed to cover his face and chest with a heavy blanket before the fire was finally put out, though he suffered mild smoke inhalation."
A flood of tears rushed my eyes as I lifted my hand to my throat and swallowed. "When can I see him?"
"Not until we prep his area with insulation to prevent potential infection. Are you going to wait inside the hospital?"
"Yes, of course," I replied, the words spilling from between my lips before I realized what had been said.
"Alright. I'll send one of my nurses back to let you know when he can be seen. Get settled in the meantime."
As he strode down the hall, Nikko stepped behind me and pressed his mouth against the back of my neck, providing me with the only comfort I could ask for now. "Your old man is gonna make it through this shit, baby." The tension in my bones relaxed as he dipped his head and brushed his hand across my stomach. "But if the burns didn't reach his face--"
"This was a message," I told him. "From which one of them, I'm not so sure."
"Cheyenne." I turned back to Deborah as she called for me and held my tongue. "I don't know who the hell did this to Rox, but I'm just as determined to find out for the sake of everyone involved."
"You're determined to find out for yourself," I told her, "and that's fine. Because once he finally wakes up, he'll tell me the truth himself, including who the hell wanted you listed as his 'emergency contact' the night before he almost died."
She eyed me with an overwhelming amount of disdain before I slid my hand inside of Nikko's and walked us out of the room.
Chapter Fifty-Six
Destiny Redefined
After hanging up with a screaming Chino, Nikko pulled me into a small, empty chapel near the end of the hallway and closed the doors. I tossed my bag onto the edge of a bookshelf and stepped to a table at the front of the room. I dragged my hands along the cloth and spun my fingers between the pages of an open bible, then turned to Nikko as he walked toward me.
"We'll never hear the end of this," I told him. "The way that man spoke to you about us canceling this wedding at the last minute--"
"Nothing I haven't heard from my old man before, baby, and I don't give a fuck about it. Especially if he had something to do with what happened to yours. Us being here -- me being with you right now... this shit matters more than everything he was looking to gain from today."
"Thank you."
He reached for my hands, pressing our palms together as he interlocked our fingers, and stared directly into my eyes with a love strong enough to render me immobile. "You think Deborah knows what the hell happened to Rox or why?" he asked.
"I think the chance of her being as clueless as she claims on that end is higher than not, but I couldn't help snapping at her with the idea otherwise." He kissed the back of my hands and nodded. "I do think that she could get the truth from Chino if it were him -- Or Snake or even Ronaldo at this point."
"You're still wanting to see his ass, even thinking there's a chance he tried to smoke out your old man?"
"Yes? Though I'm not exactly sure how to go about it anymore."
"Baby." He lowered our hands between us and frowned. "If that asshole or his brother pulled this shit, I don't want you going near him; when I said we can't trust him, this is what the fuck I was talking about."
"I understand what you're telling me, but Deborah never flinched when I mentioned his name as both someone she had been with and the one who could've done this."
He shrugged. "You think he's her 'get out of jail free' card?"
"I think she wants to force that role onto Chino,"
I said. "Whether or not he's taken it on remains the mystery, but Ronaldo is her backup. Snake is the only one she was forced into helping because of her son."
He became quiet and swallowed hard. "That shit she said about there being a chance of me seeing him--"
"She's playing you," I said.
"I don't know that shit, baby." He tightened his jaw. "What if she's being honest with it? What if her kid with Chino turns out to be Taz like you originally thought?"
"Then it's something we need to find out either way."
"And if Taz knows about it...?" He stopped, his brows coming together as he shook his head. "If the underlying reason behind him keeping quiet on this shit boils down to us being brothers? What the fuck am I supposed to do with that?"
"I don't know," I told him. "I don't have the answers for any of this because I can barely understand it for myself, but I'm with you either way, Nikko -- always."
He lifted his hand to my face and brushed his fingers along my jaw. "You promising me that shit, baby?"
"Yes." He grinned and kissed me with such an urgency that left me gasping; until I whimpered at the painful pleasure of his taste and wrapped my hands around his back, clawing at his jacket. "Nik..."
We were entangled for what felt like forever until the doors reopened and a nurse stepped inside, clearing her throat. Nikko turned from me as she looked at us and bit back an embarrassed grin.
"Ms. Cunningham?" she started. I brushed my hand across my mouth and nodded. "Your father is waking up and wants to see you. I can take you both to his room if you like?"
"Yes -- Thank you."
After leaving the chapel and making a round of trips between floors, Nikko and I finally landed outside of Rox's private room.
"He'll need to remain insulated," said the nurse, resting her hand against the door and pushing back until it opened.
As we stepped inside, I tossed my bag in a nearby chair and gawked at the 'bubble' surrounding him while reaching for Nikko's hand. "Can he hear me?" I questioned.
