I Need A Gangsta: Book Three (Gucci Gang Saga 3)

by B. Love

  As much as Jax wished he could say this wouldn’t affect them, he couldn’t. Not right now at least. He was too loyal of a person to make it seem as if being with his brother’s girl wasn’t bothering him, whether he knew Malibu or not.

  “I’ll hit you up, aight? I just need some time.”

  Maria’s expression saddened briefly before she smiled and nodded. “You’ve been patient with me, so I’ll let you have that.”

  Her smile widened when his did. After giving her a quick yet tender kiss, Jax leaned back as she pulled away. Watching her walk away was one of the hardest tugs of war within his heart. But in this moment, he honestly felt as if there was nothing else that he could do.

  4

  Nash

  When Pinky asked Nash where he was, he prepared for her to pull up on him. He hadn’t seen her since he’d made things official with Christian. Though they still talked every once in a while, he’d made it clear to her that they couldn’t have sex anymore. Pinky was cool with it, but she was honest enough to let him know when she began to suffer from the drought. For whatever reason, she didn’t think his relationship with Christian would last long. Upon realizing that, Nash made the decision to cut off all in person contact.

  He would have stopped talking to her altogether, but he’d created a genuine connection with her son, Gino, that he couldn’t quite disconnect from yet. Nash had always wanted children; he just wanted to wait until he was with the right woman to have his own. For a while he considered having children with Pinky but decided against it. Even though she was an amazing mother, there were other things about her that he didn’t like, which was why they’d never gotten official.

  As Pinky walked over to Nash holding Gino’s hand, Nash couldn’t help but take in her frame. Her shape was more so like Leigh’s… slim but she had a fat ass. And wide hips. Licking his lips, Nash swallowed hard and focused his attention on Gino. It didn’t matter how physically attracted he was to Pinky or any other woman, he’d never cheat on Christian. He’d leave her before he did that fuck shit.

  Besides, Christian was beautiful and thick as fuck. Her pussy stayed warm and wet as hell. Nash had no reason to even consider stepping out. She took care of him on all levels and provided the security he’d been lacking with other women. Losing Christian would be a definite loss. One that he wasn’t willing to take for Pinky or anyone else.

  “Hey,” she spoke, plopping down in the empty chair next to Nash and releasing Gino’s hand so he could give Nash a hug.

  “What’s up, G?” Nash greeted, pulling Gino into his arms.

  “Can I spend the night with you?”

  Rolling her eyes, Pinky gently yanked Gino towards her and placed him on her lap. “You haven’t even spoken first before you’re asking to spend the night. When did you get so rude?”

  Gino’s head lowered as Nash chuckled and shook his. “What’s up, Pink?”

  Pinky released a tired sigh and pushed her signature pink hair off her shoulder and onto her back. “I know it’s super short notice, but I was wondering if you could watch Gino until my mama gets off work in a couple of hours. They called me to come in for an overnight shift at the nursing home and I can’t pass up on this overtime. His birthday is on the way and he wants to go to a waterpark.”

  Nash nodded, knowing exactly when Gino’s birthday was and how Pinky was going to do whatever it took to make it perfect for him. Originally, Nash was going to fund the trip and take a couple of his cousins, but he wasn’t sure how Christian would feel about that now. Though Gino’s father wasn’t in his life, Pinky had never picked up a bitter baby mama complex, which was why Nash didn’t mind doing whatever he could to help her out.

  Though it wasn’t his place since he wasn’t her husband, there had always been a soft spot in his heart for children, especially those who didn’t have both parents in the home. Nash knew from an early age how lucky he was to have both parents in the home with him because so many of his cousins and friends didn’t.

  “I got some shit planned with Chris. Let me call her and see if it’s cool for us to do it a little later. If it is, I got you.”

  Nodding, Pinky sat back in her seat as she looked around the barbershop. Nash wouldn’t be surprised if she was looking for her next man. Or at least her next fuck since she wouldn’t be getting anymore dick from him. Pulling his phone out of his pocket, Nash asked Gino how his day had gone and if he was hungry. When he said yes, Nash gave him a few dollars and told them to go see the candy man so he could have some privacy. As they walked away, he dialed Christian’s number and hoped she would be okay with them pushing their plans back.

  It had been hard as hell convincing her to go out to begin with, so Nash slick felt like shit asking, but if Pinky needed him, he’d be there.

  “Nash,” she answered, sounding just as down as she’d been sounding for the past week since everything went down. Money’s death only brought temporarily relief. Nash didn’t press her, though. He knew she needed time to get her mind right. It wasn’t just Christian that had been affected; her employees had temporarily been displaced too. She had a lot of shit to think about and take into consideration, so Nash didn’t dare try and rush her process.

  He couldn’t help but want his own Christian back, though, so he’d been doing everything he could to lift her spirits – even giving her space when she needed it.

  “Gucci.”

  “You still at the barbershop?”

  “Yea. It’s like three otha niggas in front of me. I was calling to see if we could do something a little later than expected. Pinky needs me to watch Gino until her mama gets off work tonight. Is that cool with you? If so, we can chill at your place or I’ll take him to mine until I drop him off.”

  “Yea, that’s cool. We can just do something tomorrow or something. I’m hungry now and Donovan has been blowing my phone up. I’ll probably just make him meet me at Crazy Crabs so he can leave me the hell alone.”

  Nash chuckled as he nodded in agreement. “You know that mane ain’t gon’ let up until he set eyes on you.”

  “Clearly! I’ve had it up to here with his ass in my Maria voice.”

  He laughed louder this time as he sat down further in his seat. “That’s cool, though. I’ll probably just go play some pool or some after I drop him off then and have you for myself tomorrow.”

  A few seconds passed, and Nash realized it was because she was blushing when he heard the smile in her voice. “I would like that.”

  “Aight, sweetheart. I love you.”

  “I love you too, boo.”

  After disconnecting the call, Nash looked over at Pinky and nodded his head. They made their way back over to him, and now, Nash was regretting allowing Gino to get chocolate and candy since he’d be handling him for a few hours.

  “What time Ms. Coreen get off?”

  “Nine, so will three hours be okay?”

  “Yea, that’s cool.”

  Pinky squealed before lowering herself to him and giving him a hug. “Thank you so much, Nash. I would have called my sister, but he’s been asking about you, so I was hoping you’d be available. He really enjoys seeing you and talking to you on FaceTime.”

  Nash nodded as he released her. Pinky, like Christian, didn’t have a father in her life, but it was because he died when she was nineteen. After that, her and her mother got real close, and she and her sister decided not to leave home until they were married. All three of them worked in healthcare, which demanded long hours from them. Her sister, Krystal, got married a year ago, so now it was just Pinky, Gino, and her mother in the house.

  “That’s cool. You know I don’t mind watching my lil’ nig–”

  “Uh uh.” Pinky’s hand was on her hip as she looked down at him. “What I tell you about calling him that? I gotta go. Don’t let him eat all that candy and he’s already had dinner, so he played you for it.”

  Smiling, she bent down and gave Gino a kiss on the cheek and told him she loved him before waving at Nash a
nd speed walking out of the barbershop.

  “You played me for the candy, Gino?” Nash checked, getting a snaggle toothed grin from Gino. “That’s how we doing it now?”

  Christian smiled at the picture of Nash and Gino that he’d just sent her. She knew how close the two were, which was why a part of her felt like he’d get serious with Pinky one day. Their relationship also helped Nash trust her when it came to Trent and Tyrell. No matter how Tyrell felt about her, Nash had to trust that she’d do right by him because he needed her to trust that he’d do right by her with Pinky and Gino.

  Even with that, Tyrell seemed to be taking his relationship with Fallon seriously. Whenever he called or texted her it was about Trent or to check on her personally since everything had gone down. Not once had he flirted or hinted at wanting to get back with her. Maybe it was because he knew no man was a match for Nash.

  “What you cheesing at?” Donovan asked, taking his seat across from her.

  They’d met at Crazy Crabs for dinner since he’d been trying his very hardest to get her out of the house. While the rest of her family respected her wishes and request for privacy and space, Donovan was adamant about her getting out of the house. A part of her knew it was necessary because the fresh air would help her feel better, but for some reason, she’d been choosing to hold onto the pain.

  Truthfully, there wasn’t a real reason for her to do so. Yes, her bakery had been burned down, but she had the means and funds to rebuild it or start anew. She had more free time on her hands, but that wasn’t anything to complain about. The only major problem was the fact that her employees needed a main source of income. Thankfully, Christian had been able to convince one of her competitors to let them work for her until Gucci’s Baked Goods was up and running. And all Christian could do was pray they came back when the time came or that she’d find more employees that were just as loyal as them.

  Christian couldn’t understand why it was so hard for her to let go of what Money had done. He was dead, having paid the ultimate price. So what was the problem? Had she placed so much stock in her business that she felt incomplete without it? Was her bakery the one thing that made her feel accomplished and valuable? Did she feel as if it was the only thing she had to offer the world?

  The longer she thought about it the more her smile dropped, and she felt herself slipping back into her funk.

  “This picture Nash sent me.”

  “I’m glad y’all are still doing good. He came through for you with Money tough.”

  Christian nodded, looking over the menu as if she didn’t already know what she was going to get when their waitress returned.

  “Yea. All of y’all did, and I really appreciate that.”

  “Did you know Leigh was pregnant?” Smiling, Christian nodded softly. “I didn’t until Maria called me after everything went down and told me. We pulled up on her with some pampers and shit and got on her for waiting so long to tell us.”

  “I figured you would be the first to start a family. Not because you’re the oldest but because you’re the most nurturing. Is that in the cards for you and Nash?”

  Why’d he have to ask that?

  Now of all times.

  Sitting back in her seat, Christian finally looked her brother in the eyes.

  “I’m not sure how possible that is realistically. Not with the lives we live.”

  “So what? You plan on doing this drug shit forever?”

  Shrugging, Christian pulled her hair behind her ear. “Not forever, but I didn’t plan on stopping no time soon. Not until I was like forty or forty-five maybe.”

  “I feel you.”

  “What about you? You want kids? Marriage? A normal life?”

  Donovan’s head shook as he shrugged. “I don’t know, sis. A part of me do, but with this Gucci Gang shit, things are about to get crazy. We’re about to elevate, and I don’t know if that will be my focus any time soon. That’s why I’ve been wanting to see you.” Donovan paused when their waitress came back to their table. She took their orders, then left them alone. “This could be a blessing in disguise for you. You can open up bigger and better. If you’re getting laced from us and Ransom, you can create a strain that’s uniquely you. Have niggas fiending for that shit because there’s nobody else offering it. I’m talking millionaire status by the end of the year if we do this right.”

  That was one way Christian hadn’t looked at it before. As a blessing in disguise. As an opportunity for her to level up and come harder than she ever had before. Just the thought of mixing together different strains to come up with something uniquely hers had her smile widening as her creative juices began to flow.

  “You may be on to something there, brother. I hadn’t even thought about it like that. Creating my own strain is an amazing idea.”

  “I’m telling you. If we bring Ransom and Jax into the fold, we gon’ have the city shut the fuck down. Why not capitalize on having several different strains at your disposal?”

  Nodding, Christian gently tugged her ear. She was even more grateful for her time with Donovan now. Money may have forced her to level up in ways that she wouldn’t have done on her own.

  As much as she didn’t want to admit it, Leigh was happy to see Ransom. While she wished she could have blamed it on the baby and her hormones, neither were the reason she smiled softly and got teary eyed when he pulled her into his arms and held her close. It was simply… her need for him being replenished. Them taking space from each other wasn’t the problem; them taking space from each other without things being resolved was the problem.

  True, she’d been seeing her therapist two and three times a week and had been making good progress… enough progress to be able to even see him today… but there was a part of her heart, mind, body, soul, and spirit that no one could enter – it belonged only to Ransom. And only he had access.

  “Hey,” he whispered softly into her ear, squeezing her a little tighter.

  “Hey,” she replied softly, pulling him down closer to her.

  “How are you?” His voice was so tender. Not its usual loud, booming tone. Soft. Quiet. Just as deep.

  “I’m good.”

  “And the baby?”

  She smiled as she buried her face in his neck. “The baby is good too. How are you?”

  “You know I’m always good when I’m with you.”

  As much as she didn’t want to, Leigh released him. His tattoo colored light brown skin was covered in a black hoodie for a change. The Memphis weather was up and down from March to early May. Today was a cooler day, which filled her with the desire to cuddle up with him and watch tv by the fireplace even more.

  “Did you want to come in?” Leigh asked, since he hadn’t started walking yet.

  She knew that he had just come from picking up a package at his mother’s daycare. He cleaned a lot of money there. His mother was a hard worker, that’s why he’d originally gotten into the drug business. Having both of his parents was cool but watching them both struggle to stack and save their money wasn’t the deal. Eventually his father had a heart attack, and the weight of the world was left on his mother’s shoulders.

  Even though he’d moved her out of the hood years ago and laced her with enough money to make sure she never had to work, she still kept her daycare in the heart of South Memphis.

  “Nah. I just wanted to stop by real quick and tell you this face to face.” Nodding, Leigh leaned against the wall and braced herself for whatever Ransom was about to say. “I don’t want to hurt you or cause you to be in a dark space. Especially while you’re pregnant.”

  Smiling, Leigh lowered her head and closed her eyes. “I know this situation is triggering and toxic as hell for you, so if you don’t want to have anything to do with me until we know for sure if it’s my baby or not, I understand.”

  “And then what, Ransom?” she asked, lifting her head and meeting his eyes.

  “It’s up to you. Whatever is best for you and the baby I’ll do. If we can be to
gether cool. Co-Parent that’s cool too. And if you still want to give up your rights…”

  “No…” Her head shook as she rested her left foot against the wall. “I can’t do that. Not after seeing my baby and hearing that heartbeat. I can’t.”

  Ransom smiled as he stuffed his hands in the pockets of his sweats and stepped closer to her. Closing the space between them, he filled her nostrils with the scent that belonged solely to him. Hearing that she didn’t plan to give the baby up must have done something to him, because his hand slid through her hair as his dick hardened against her.

  “That shit just made me so happy, pretty girl.”

  Blushing, Leigh cupped his wrist as his hand rested on her jaw. “I appreciate you taking my mental and emotional health into consideration. It has been triggering, but with me going to therapy I’m getting through it. I’m okay with us taking some time to get ourselves together, because I do want to be with you. So if this break means we will be better when we get together, I’m okay with that.” Her voice softened when she added, “But this has to be the last one… okay?”

  Smiling softly, Ransom agreed with, “Okay,” before placing a kiss to her temple and leaving her alone with her thoughts.

  Ransom

  After leaving the doctor’s office with Cinde, Ransom headed to meet with Jax and Houston. Now that Money was taken care of, they technically didn’t need to link up with a new supplier, but they wanted to get with Houston anyway. Money being gone meant there was a whole new playing field. One that allowed them more freedom, more customers, more reach, and more money.

  Since Jax and Pressure’s supply came from out of the country, Houston could possibly be a connect for in state product. Cutting out the resources it would take to get the drugs to Memphis could also save them some money. As excited as he was, Ransom couldn’t help but yearn for and think about Leigh.