Painfully Sweet

Chapter 22

Luka P.O.V

I sat up immediately. I knew her better than to believe she wouldn't shoot me, hell she almost shot me yesterday. 

"Of course I'm working with your father, that's why I married you," I said carefully. 

"You know that's not what I mean. What is he planning to do to me?" she asked lowly.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I whisper-yelled.

She raised an eyebrow, "Your little game is over. Your little actor told me you sent him to tell Bunch we weren't really married. He described your tattoo and everything."

"What actor? Woman you have lost your mind!" I exclaimed, throwing my hands in the air.

"Wait," she lowered the gun, "you really don't know what I'm talking about?" I just shook my head slowly.

She put the gun down on the coffee table behind her before picking up the glass centerpiece and throwing it against the wall, making it shatter into hundreds of little pieces.

"Fuck!" She exclaimed. She brought her hand up to her thick hair that was now turning burgundy due to lack of care and tugged on the front, something she did often when she was stressed.

"Hey, hey, hey," I soothed as I stood up, grabbed her shoulders from behind. I trailed my hands down her arms and intertwined our fingers, making her let go of her hair.
"Calm down." I said softly into her ear as I rested my chin on her shoulder and wrapped my arms around her waist. 

"He's trying to destroy me," she said lowly as she relaxed in my arms.

"He's not going to lay a hand on you as long as I'm here," I reassured. 

"He doesn't want me dead," she corrected, "he probably wants to get me locked up." She let out a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Our moment of bliss was interrupted by the buzzer from the front gate. "I got it," I said as I ushered her to the chair to sit down.
"Who is it?" I asked through the intercom.

"Sara," the voice spoke. I looked over at Zophisa who just nodded with a ghost smile on her face. It's like the sound of her voice instantly made her feel better. I wish I had that effect on her. I quickly buzzed her in.

A little while later Sara rushed through the door with three black bags out of breath.
"Mija your land is so beautiful you have to-," Sara started talking but quickly stopped when she saw Zophisa's face. She quickly threw the bags in my hand and hurried over to her.

"What did you do to her?" Sara glared at me as she cradled Zophisa in her bosom. I had never seen Zophisa look so small.

"It wasn't him Nana," Zophisa said quietly. I was relieved she said it, Sara is a very intimidating woman and I don't think I want to cross her.

Zophisa P.O.V

"What's wrong baby?" Nana asked me softly.

"I have to kill my dad," I said softly. As much as I don't like my dad I never thought I'd have to kill the old bastard. Keep him in a medically induced coma locked up in an abandoned apartment in Harlem? Yes. But killing him never crossed my mind.

"Hey," Luka called, walking in front of me, "you said he described the tattoo?"

I just nodded.

"Did he say where it was?" He asked, grabbing my hands and rubbing his thumbs on the backs of them.

"His neck," I answered. 

"I'm going to go take care of a few things," he said, clenching his jaw before standing up. He kissed my forehead before grabbing his keys and leaving.

"Come on, let's get you right," Nana said, grabbing my hands and standing me up.

She grabbed the bags before I led her through the house to the kitchen. I love when Nana does my hair, it relaxes me. She pulled a chair up to the sink and I sat in it and leaned my head back into the sink and let her masage shampoo into my scalp. 

Once she was done washing and conditioning she blow dried it. We were now sitting in the living room, her on the couch, me sitting on a pillow on the floor. "You need a touch up," she said, referring to my color.

"I know right," I said with a chuckle, "maybe when I get back home."

"Mija you are home," she said softly as she slowly massaged coconut oil into the fresh parts on my scalp.

"Nana our marriage is fake," I whispered.

"I figured. But he has feelings for you," she said, passing me a pack of the braiding hair.

"How do you know?" I asked as I opened the pack and pulled the hair out. I grabbed the scissors that were placed on the floor next to me and cut the red hair in half.

"Oh please, you know it too," she said with a scoff.

"I'm going to break his heart," I confessed.

"Why do you think that?" She asked, as she started on the first braid. I felt the pressure on the back of my neck as she gripped my hair.

"The streets come first, you know that. I got a family to feed," I said with a scoff.

"He can be your family too. Maybe you guys can start your own family," she hinted as she threw the finished braid over my shoulder.

"Come on now," I said with a sigh, "don't start. I'm nobody's mother."

"Why?" She asked, "Because you kill people? Papi kills people, hell I've killed a few people my damn self. But I'm a great mother. So is your mom, I know her hands ain't clean. Especially with a father like yours."

"It's deeper than that and you know it," I said.

"Mija, you are a good person," she said, making me scoff.
"You are," she said, "You give those people in your building a place to live for free. You didn't think I knew did you?"

"How did you know that?" I asked, suprised. The only person I told was Sincere.

"You're not the only one of your mother's kids who loves me," she said, I could basically hear the smirk on her face making me roll my eyes.

"I'm gonna kick Sincere ass," I mumbled.

"Seriously, don't sell yourself short. We've all done questionable things and things we are not proud of to survive. But you," she said softly, while turning my face to look at her, "You are a great person."

"Oh my baby," She whispered as she wiped a stray tear away from my face with her thumb. "You deserve to be happy and you will as soon as we take care of your little problem."

"We?" I asked, confused.

"You are not doing this alone. Not when you have me and your papa," She assured. I turned back around so she could resume my hair.

"What about my mom?" I whispered.

"We both know the truth," she said softly. My mother and Sara have gotten really close over the years since Sara basically helped raise me and Sincere.

"What would I do without you crazy lady?" I asked with a chuckle.

"Run around here with your hair not done," she joked, "Let's talk about you and the little Ricca boy. How many of his kids do you want to have?"

"All of them," I groaned, "I hate to admit it but that boy is fine."

"You two are very cute together," she said, passing me another pack of hair.

"I guess," I mumbled, "But if I'm staying with him he better give me a real wedding." She just chuckled. 

"What would that real wedding consist of?" A deep voice asked from behind us.

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Well hellooooo! I'm back for the time being. My school got an extra week of spring break along with online classes for the rest of the semester 🙃 greattt right? But this book is slowly but surely coming to an end. After it is complete I will go back and edit, fix grammar, fill in plot holes, all the good stuff. Thank you guys so much for the support (even while I go on my little hiatuses lol)

Xox