Page 27 of Lucci

LUCCI

I laid on Kiandra’s bed with her head on my chest and one arm wrapped around her.

I had been staring at the ceiling for the past, shit, I didn’t even know.

Maybe an hour. Maybe more. The fact that I was being such a pussy was pissing me off.

Even after I knocked her father out, she still wouldn’t eat, wouldn’t sleep, and couldn’t function knowing that I had moved on with Breezy.

I didn’t think seeing my face would be good for her, but her friend seemed to think that it might help.

My stupid ass fell for the okie doke, and now shorty had her head on my chest. That wasn’t helping shit, but what was I supposed to say?

We weren’t getting back together, and I wasn’t going to sleep with her.

If she wanted comfort from a man that refused to be with her, maybe that was the least I could give her.

Kiandra’s soft snores stopped, and she inhaled a deep breath through her nose and stretched.

“I didn’t even realize I fell asleep.” She sat up, and I continued to stare at the ceiling.

Life had gone from sugar to shit real fast, and I hadn’t been able to get back right.

Tyler’s death set shit off. Everything was wrong.

Nothing was right. Well, my money was right, but that was about it.

Life was a shit show. At the rate I was going, I should have just stayed in a relationship with Kiandra and been bored as fuck.

“You spending the night?” she asked in a small voice. Her question snatched me out of the daze that I was in causing me to sit up as well.

“Nah. I have to get going.”

“You’re going to her?”

I sighed. “Kiandra,” all I could do was shake my head. “I came over here because Ro was worried about you. Your parents are worried about you. I didn’t even know if it was good for me to come by, but I’m worried about you too. Baby, I’m not worth it. I promise I’m not.”

“You can just get out. I don’t even know why Ro called you.

I don’t even know why you came. Just to tell me again that you don’t want me.

You think I want to be a complete, pathetic mess?

You think I want everyone to know that you broke my heart?

If I could just snap my fingers and make all of this disappear I would.

Don’t you know that?” Kiandra was pissed.

I still wasn’t used to seeing her upset.

“Were you dealing with her when I talked to her about becoming a Hellcat Barbie? I bet you she laughed behind my back. And I was all at the brunch. Wow.” Kiandra clicked her tongue.

“She actually felt bad. She likes you. Said you’re a sweet girl and shit.”

Kiandra laughed. “I’m even a charity case to the woman that’s fucking my ex. Wow. I really need to get my life together.”

Standing up, I put my shoes on. If Kiandra needed me, I’d always be there, but I wasn’t coming back if I wasn’t invited by her. Only time would help her to get over me. Time and maybe a new nigga.

“I hate you!”

I was halfway out of the bedroom when she screamed. Stopping in my tracks, I turned around to face her. “I’m sure you do, Ki. You should.”

“Stop acting so perfect! Stop acting like you care! You don’t give a damn about me. Go back to Breezy. I’m sure she sucks your dick just the way you like it.”

I almost laughed. Hearing Kiandra talk shit was almost comical.

If I laughed, she might grab a knife and slit my throat.

There was no way I could make her understand, so the best thing for me to do was leave.

Kiandra was pissed and so was Breezy. Trying to do a good deed had me in the no pussy zone, but it didn’t even matter.

My head was clouded. My judgement was off.

I needed to sit my ass down somewhere and think about my next move.

Maino stayed with me for a night then he went to some chick’s house. I wasn’t worried about the Nigerian coming to my crib, but anything was possible. If he came, that was just what it was. I was out of weed, so I went to buy some then I went home. Maino was in the kitchen making a sandwich.

“Nigga, about time you came home. I’ve been itching to tell you this shit, but I didn’t want to talk about it over the phone.”

“What’s good?”

“I was at a shorty’s house, and she was watching the news. Why they find an art dealer in her home dead after she sold a painting on the black market for $12,000,000.”

An angry chuckle pushed from my throat. “That bitch snaked us?”

“Looks like it. She sold the shit for twelve M’s and had the three of us splitting six.”

“At this point, it doesn’t even matter. She’s dead and so is Amoure.”

“That shit was mentioned too. Since Amoure works at a museum, they think the murders are connected. That Nigerian has two bodies so far and no painting. We don’t have the painting, so if he’s smart, he’s on his way back out of the country.

Sticking around to look for me would be dumb on that nigga’s part. ”

“Shorty was grimy for that money and didn’t even get to spend it,” I shook my head pitifully. “Her nor Amoure.”

“I’m going to give it another week, then I’m going home. Whatever happens after that shit happens.”

“I don’t think he’s coming, but you know you can stay here for as long as you want.”

“What’s the plan man? I understand why you let the real estate thing go. But what are you going to do? You can no doubt make the money you have last for a minute but eventually, it will run out, and this robbing shit is getting real dangerous. It might be time to hang that shit up.”

Running one hand over my hair, I sighed.

“I don’t know man. I was thinking about paying for another class.

Most days, my mental isn’t on point enough to concentrate on anything detailed and boring as hell.

A part of me just wants to invest in some shit, sit back, and let someone else do the work.

” The moment I said the words, the idea to buy a house popped into my head.

A cheap house for less than $100,000 that I could put money into and flip.

I didn’t need a real estate license for that shit. And some of the work I could do myself.

I didn’t know how to do wiring and all that, but I could do enough to save a few thousand on labor. If I could buy a house and fix it up for around $150,000 then sell it for at least $250,000 that would be a nice lil’ profit.

“Invest in something like what?”

“I think I might try to buy a house and flip it.”

Maino bobbed his head. “That’s a good idea. You need to get on that ASAP. I’m about to transition out of the weed game. Find something safe to do my damn self.” Maino shook his head, and I was sure we were thinking the same thing.

Those two M’s Amoure got, and the art dealer’s greed got their asses wacked.

I was done taking shit that didn’t belong to me.

It was time to lock in on some shit that would get me money the legal way.

My emotions were still fluctuating from my brother’s death.

Most days, I still didn’t give a damn whether I lived or died, but that super reckless shit was coming to an end.

If I had to be here, I might as well keep my head down and stay out the way.

One thing about life, my time would be up when it was time.

If it wasn’t, me or the ones close to me would end up suffering the consequences of my dumb ass actions. It was time to grow the fuck up.

I kicked the shit with Maino for a bit longer before going to the living room to start my search for houses. I grabbed my laptop and sparked a blunt. It was time to lock the fuck in.

“Three more, two more, one more. That’s a wrap.” Chico bobbed his head as I wondered if I was about to die.

The thirty minutes I’d spent sparring almost killed my ass.

For one, I was out of shape and for two, I smoked way too much.

The way I was gasping for air, I wasn’t even sure if I was breathing.

I was hot, sweaty, and irritated. It had been twenty-four hours since I’d smoked any weed and too many damn days since I’d busted a nut.

In an effort to get my mind right, I was attempting to detox from anything that wasn’t good for me.

Going through marijuana withdrawals while being horny as fuck was some ghetto shit.

It took me about five minutes to be able to breathe normally.

Maino finished up his session while I guzzled down a bottle of water.

All I’d eaten so far was a banana, and I drank a protein shake before hitting the gym.

All I could think about was a big ass steak, and I couldn’t care less if red meat wasn’t good for me.

If I kept having to deny myself things that made me happy, my grouchy ass was gon’ catch a body.

It was bad enough that the entire time I was sparring, all I could think about was Breezy.

It had been way too long since I’d spoken to her.

It had only been four days, but that was too long.

Sucka shit, yeah, I know. The same way I kept hollering that Kiandra was too good for me, Breezy was too.

I didn’t have my shit together. Shorty had way too much going for herself, and I was still on that dumb shit out here robbing niggas and waking up every day doing nothing.

On top of that, I was still way too attached to my ex.

It wasn’t fair for me to be selfish. Like Kiandra, Breezy needed someone that fit her.

The difference was, I didn’t care about setting Kiandra free.

I wanted her to find someone that would give her everything she wanted and needed but Breezy…

walking away from her had a nigga’s chest tight.

Every time I thought about her sexy ass grinning up in another’s man’s face, my teeth involuntarily clenched.

I didn’t like it. But there wasn’t shit I could do about it.

Grief and stress had me pushing her away and when she came to see what was good, seconds after telling her that I wanted to be alone, I ran to Kiandra’s rescue.

That was fucked up. And that was the reason I was going to stop thinking with my dick and leave well enough alone.

“You ready?” Maino was breathing just as hard as I had been.

“Hell yeah. Get my ass up outta here. You’d think I weighed five hundred pounds the way I almost died.”

“It’s that weed man,” Maino chuckled. “I need to join your ass and stop for a lil’ bit. If a nigga was chasing me, I’d be as good as got.”

“You better if you plan to keep working out. I don’t even want to think about that shit right now.” Shaking my head, I chuckled. “I feel like a full blown crackhead I want to smoke so bad. It’s ten times harder than I imagined.”

“Of course it’s bad. You’ve been smoking every day for years. What’s the longest you’ve ever been without it?”

I racked my brain trying to remember. “Probably when I got shot. I was in the hospital for like five days, so four days because as soon as I was released, I smoked a blunt in the car.”

“Longest I’ve been without smoking was when I almost died.

Combining my time in the hospital and when I came home, I’d say I went like two months without it.

It’s been on ever since. I can’t even lie to you.

Longest I’ve been since then is probably eight hours if I sleep that long,” he laughed as we stepped outside.

“I have to do at least two full more days. The plan was to go seven days, but if I can go at least three, that’s better than nothing.

I don’t even want anything to have a hold over me like that but this is tough.

I can’t even front,” I sighed. No smoking, drinking, or having sex.

That was too much stuff to go cold turkey from at once.

Which I could get pussy. Even if it wasn’t Breezy’s…

“What you about to get into? I’m hungry as hell,” Maino glanced at his phone.

“Food,” I rubbed my growling belly. At first, I couldn’t eat because I haven’t smoked, but that workout just did it for me. I’m ready to fuck a steak up.” My mouth was watering just thinking about it.

Two men were walking down the sidewalk headed in our direction.

I glanced at them because the way Maino and I were standing, we were taking up a lot of space.

They could have walked around us, but the polite thing to do was to move over.

I backed up, and Maino followed suit. The men were engrossed in conversation with one another but as they passed us, what caught my attention was the fact that they had very thick African accents.

I turned my head in their direction and simultaneously, they both pivoted with guns in their hands.

They continued to walk backwards, but they both let off shots at me and Maino.

We were out in the open. The only thing we could do was run back inside of the gym or hide behind parked cars.

I had my hands on the door of the gym when I felt a searing pain in my calf.

Seeing as how I’d been shot before, I already knew what it felt like.

Those bullets burned. They burned real bad.

The heat was worse than the actual pain.

It felt as if an inferno had exploded inside my leg.

As I pushed the door open, another bullet slammed into my side sending the heat radiating through my core. Just that fast, my leg went numb, and I tumbled into the gym. On the floor, I scooted backward until I was up against the wall.

“Where’s Maino?” I panted as Chico ran over to the door. He was about to turn the lock.

“He’s on the ground. I got kids in here. I can’t unlock this door unless I know those niggas are gone.” I nodded my understanding.

The last thing I wanted was for innocent kids to get hurt because of some shit that Maino and I had chosen to take part in. I was getting real sick of dealing with this bullshit.