Wickman •Nardo Wick•

43•

Quote of the day:

"Good things go, better things come."

I walk out the door not being able to take the intensity of this moment. A tear falls as I get into the car and stare out the window.

"Dear God," I whisper. "Please help me. Please help us."

A knock on my window is heard, and the door swings open. I hold my arms out, and he holds me.

"I'm sorry," Nardo says, kissing my head. "Let's go."

I nod my head as he places my seatbelt on and closes my door. He gets on the driver's side, and enters the car.

"Man," he says, backing out the drive way. "I might have to kill Melly."

"Why," I ask, jumping out my seat. Melly is my boy. I already lost too many.

"He hate that Kentrell Nigga. He say he gon kill his whole family if he find em," he explains.

"That don't mean me right?"

"It does. It mean everybody. Nigga killed his girlfriend. Mariah was his lifeline."

"I know he told me. But Melly know I'm not a bad person. Desean wouldn't even care if he killed me so I say, I live."

"Melly my nigga forever, but I can't risk him hurting you or my son. Never gonna let that happen."

I understand where he's coming from, but that's not necessarily true. Melly loves me like a sister, a mother even. He wouldn't hurt me. He wouldn't dare.

"He won't hurt me. Let him live, baby," I say, grabbing his hand in mine.

"Imma think about it," he says, squeezing my hand. "You thinking bout baby names?"

"Yes," I say excitedly. "If it's a boy, Taurus-"

"What the fuck," he yells confused.

"Hear me out. When I was in a coma, I had a dream and it was our son grown up and his name was Taurus."

"You was high off that gas," he says as if that's an excuse.

"And? That's what I wanna name him."

"Ian naming my child afta no weird as zodiac shit," he complains.

"What you wanna name him?"

"Horac-"

"Nope. We are not continuing to use that white ass royal ass name. Fuck is a Horace? A whore ass? The Fuck?"

He looks at me dead in the eye with a mean look.

"Moment we step out this car I'm beating yo ass," he tells me and I gulp loudly.

"Horace is a great name for a boy," I lie, putting on a sweet smile.

"Alex would look great on a tombstone," he whispers. I gasp and look at him. He ate that up. But damn, not too much.

"You want me to die," I say with a pouty face.

"No," he says, gripping onto my thigh now.

"Then don't kill Melly."

"If you die, it better be because of old age or cuzza something from the inside. Nobody is gon touch you."

I roll my eyes. He ain't killing Melly I don't care what he says. Im the man in this. Im the nigga. Im him. Im daddy. Yeah, that way.

"And nobody touching Jamel," I state, putting my arms together and grabbing his gun out the glove compartment.

"How the fuck you know where all my straps at man," he says, taking it out my hand and putting it back.

"You just met my brother nigga." I chuckle. "You tell me."

"You right," he laughs along. "Like yo ass was made just fa me."

"Something like that," I say, then look out the window. I notice two cop cars behind us. "Nardo, 12."

His eyes dart behind him and he continues to drive the speed limit. First time this nigga ever drove the speed limit.

"Man," he says, continuing to look forward. "Don't act suspicious. Niggas just patrolin."

"Okay," I answer.

"Thanks for having my back baby," he says, kissing my hand. "I know I can trust you to watch out for me."

No. I'm having my back, front and sides. I'm watching out for me. I gotta keep you safe so I can stay safe. Nigga I'm using you...

"No problem," I answer again.

"I love you, Nina."

"I love you more too, Nardo."

"They speeding up on me," he says, looking back. "Shit."

"What we gonna do," I ask.

"Watch." He pulls off to the side of the road, safely, out of everyone's way. Both cars speed by quickly.

"How the fuck-" I stop as he gets back on the road.

"I was gonna take off if they stopped too," Nardo answers, hand goes back on my thigh. Boy, my life is really a movie. Like if I think about it, I'm the main character in some crazy ass story. My life could be a book, a fucked up crazy one, that I'd hate for anyone to have to read.

Think about it. Girl gets kidnapped by gangbanger, falls in love with him, gets pregnant and now is in danger but stays with him cuz she doesn't wanna leave. I would be pissed off reading that shit, not gonna lie. The author would probably be somebody going through some fucked up shit, and would rather be in my situation than her own.

"I woulda taken off moment I saw them," I say honestly.

"Rookie shit," Nardo retorts. "Them cops be getting them "right place right time" pats on the backs cuz of stupid people knowing they guilty. Some of these cops ain't even worried about us. They only catch who want to be caught. They catch the people who care about being caught."

"And you don't care,"I ask.

"Not at fucking all," he laughs. "Fuck they gon do? I'm fighting til I die, and I'm killing everyone I can."

"You gon go to hell for that," I fold my arms.

"And I'm taking you with me," he says and I slap him.

"Oh hell no you not. Ian finna be down there all sweaty and shit. My hair be getting frizzy at 80 degree weather I can't handle no 200 degree heat," I rant. "Imma be with God, I promise you."

"That's what you say," he chuckles. "That's on you. God gon forgive me."

"He will, but you gotta ask for it and really want it. Nardo, you gon repent and kill three more people five minutes later, be for real," I say, shaking my head. Nardo ain't even scared of hell. Yup, I needa get away from him.

"Speaking of killing," he says. "I'm finna pick up Melly and we gon tell him who yo people is. His life depends on his reaction."

"Okay, but he's not gonna hurt me."

"He won't get a chance to."