Page 93 of Not My Type (Not My Type #1)

“Neva’ a cheat and mi nuh get the chance to prove it to you and now it’s too late,” he stares for a while before he continues.

“You always seh mi childish and thing but mi a go raise Aden the way I know you wanted to. I love you R-Regina.” He releases a dove and walks away.

I’ve never cried in my life like this especially at a stranger’s funeral, but that little speech was so touching I couldn’t help it.

I don’t know who wasn’t crying at this point.

Nickoi and him fren dem…

They’re crying on the inside—I know for sure, but they’re guarding their image. Rick, though… he’s too broken to hold it in. I hug Nickoi while Jordane grips his mother’s hand. Her tears streaming down.

“Mi a go miss you baby girl. I enjoyed being your mother Gina and now you’re gone it’s gonna be so difficult, looking at Aden when he’s the dead stamp of you and you’re no longer here.

I love you forever pumpkin,” her mom says as the workmen do the finishing rendering of the top.

Her husband puts his arm around her, he has a Vincy accent.

When I finally reach the front, Rick holds Aden in his arms, his friends surrounding him, talking. I take off my shades, and Nickoi’s eyes lock onto mine. “Your eyes dem red, Mami,” he says. I just nod and hug him.

“I don’t know how you do it.” I say, between the hug. All now Nickoi nuh shed a tear.

As everyone gets ready to eat, Aden watches YouTube on his iPad.

I think he understands—his eyes hold a quiet sadness.

“Ready fi eat?” Rick asks. He just nods.

I step in front of Nickoi as he leans on his Jaguar in deep thoughts.

His friends are leaning on the car bonnet, we’re at the back.

“We a go home today?” I ask and Nicki gives us both a food.

“Thanks,” I say and she nods, walking away.

Nickoi is silent. The hearse rolls away, Vybz Kartel’s Street blasting from the speakers, the crowd singing along, voices raw with grief. Nickoi looks up, breath sharp. His hand moves fast. Gun out. Safety off.

He jumps from the car, shoving me aside just as gunfire cracks through the air. My breath catches, everything a happen so fast! The shots keep coming, ringing loud. Jesussss! Nickoi fires back. No hesitation. No fear. Just pure instinct.

The car screeches, bullets slicing through metal. Then he’s on me, pulling me close, shielding me as we hit the ground. His arms lock around me, his body pressing me into the pavement. Gunpowder lingers in the air. My ears ring. Nickoi doesn’t move. Why him a get… why him a get heavy??!!!

“Nickoiiiiiiiiiiii!” I scream, his eyes flapped down. “Yuh try wake uppppp!” I pound him with my fist.

I hear a lot more gunshots before I hear tires screeching. Again. “A wah black voxy!” Someone sprints pass. My focus on Nickoi. He moves a little but he’s getting heavier, and heavier. My lips trembling. I start panicking.

Gutta runs over to us and shout. “Unuh good!?” then realize that Nickoi isn’t responding. Please God...

“Nickoi!” Gutta’s eyes wide. A the first mi ever hear him use him Government.

The Outlawz pile into the SUV, tires skidding as they speed off behind the Voxy bus. Chaos swirls around me—voices shouting, bodies moving—but all I see is him. Nickoi. On the ground, still. Too still.

People rush to him, their voices urgent, but I can’t move. My legs feel heavy, my chest tight. Nicki jumping as she cries. “Owayne lef mi enuh… you cya’ lef me too… mi nah feel no pulse Nickoiii!”

Slowly, I push myself up, my breath ragged. My vision tilts, everything blurring like the world a shift beneath me. I clutch my head, the pressure unbearable. “Mi cyaa’ think straight… ” The air is thick. My heartbeat pounds in my ears.

A random voice blares. “The dawg nah breathe fi true?!”

PAUSE.

Who fa man nah breathe? My man?

I speak, in sharp breaths. “Yah idiot?... ” I pant. “Unuh a doctor?” I pant again. “Who unuh a tell that?” I’m weak. Too weak.

The world feel like it’s falling.

Or is it… me?

I wake up, eyes wide. “She wake uppp!” Voices shout, crowding in. I blink, trying to focus.

“Weh Nickoi deh?” is the first thing I ask.

“He’s alright ish... him get a shot,” Nicki seems disoriented. Again!?

“Where?” My heart pounding hard. Please Goddd, please no mek it severe. Her response brings tears to my eyes.

“In a him side, one graze him head,” Nicki says, sweat dripping. “Mi nuh know why dem nuh leave mi pitney alone.” I shake my head, nervous as hell.

“Yuh feel better?” Rick asks. I scan the area, searching for Nickoi.

“Weh Nickoi deh?” He’s all I care about right now. Shot inna him side? Graze him head?

“Nickoi,” they call out, and I hear him talking to Gutta.

“Him never a respond,” I say, my mind racing, recalling how he got heavier on me when we fell.

“Him lick him head wen him a try fi protect you, cause a you dem did a shot off a,” Nicki says, her voice shaky. Me? What the hell!? Why would they target me? Mi a trouble people?

“Bredda wah dem drive!?” Nickoi asks venomously. Mi never see him look so angry yet. Den nuh muss yuh nuh see dem a try kill yuh?

“Black Voxy,” Gutta retorts. “The man dem gone after dem.”

“Mi d’evu care bout that. Mi wah see dem miself. Give me the car key!” he shouts and I look out.

His sister has the key. “Don’t give him the key,” Nicki says walking over to her.

“Give the man the key!” Jordane snarls at his sister.

“Him still heated, him need fi stay yasso,” Nicki speaks coldly.

NICKI Earlier that day...

“Good fi see back mi likkle sister,” Adonis widens his arms and hug me. I chuckle.

“Don a fi yuh sister this?” his friend asks.

“Yah a mi rich sister,” Hear yah now God.

I lean on the shop railing. “Wah a stop you from being rich?” I ask him pointedly.

“Mi just nuh get the right push... and a you affi go gi mi it from the drugs business,” he has the audacity. I laugh out. Him brite eeeh? Mi never know him did contribute and help mi hold up mi leg dem.

“Like yuh lick all fi yuh chip, weh yah try seh?” I really have to ask my brother.

“How yah move like yuh wah style mi ina mi owna place so?” he growls.

“So nuh Flanka mi come from too?” I know where he’s going with this.

“Yuh nuh go deh with Spanish Town Drugs Lawd weh mek yuh rich and a gwaan like yuh nuh member Flanka and how yuh used to struggle yer.” Hear the dutty badmind bwoy weh mi call mi bredda.

“Wah you want Adonis?” I sigh, already over this conversation. I really wah hear him say it fi himself mek mi send him up unda him madda. We don’t have the same mother and mi nuh like a bone in a har.

“Mek yuh son Nickoi weh a run the business mek mi get part of it,” he says.

“Nuh call mi son name in a yuh mouth and you could a never get part of we business.... yuh know how much sacrifice we mek?” I raise my voice.

“So yuh sista a deal wid yuh?” his friend chimes in. I shoot him a glare.

“Shut up... nobody a chat to yuh?” I glare at him. He stands up and I touch my waist. Play wid me. Adonis raise his hand. “Done.” his gaze narrow. Him know yuh nuh ramp fi buss shot.

“Yuh still nah gimmi part a the business?” He asks desperately. “Mi all hear seh unuh have car mart too enuh... wah unuh a go do wid money?” He goes on to asks.

What a way dem a watch wi.

I roll my eyes at him. “You can stay deh, a yuh badmind ways mek yuh still deh weh yuh deh.” I walk away and he calls me again.

“Nicki!”

“Nuh chat to mi!” I jump in my car.

“So yah deal with yuh brother?” he’s now smiling. The gold teeth on his incisors shining in the sun.

I glare at him. “Test mi faith and yuh see if mi nuh be nasty to yuh... yuh see how mi a behave miself?” Him mussi feel mi fraida him.

He gets in his Voxy bus and drives off in the opposite direction.