Please ignore any and all mistakes.
————————————————
—SKYLINE —
Do you know what makes this world go around?
Around
Do you know what makes this world go around?
Around
Think it through, what it means to you
And everything you do don't affect just you, oh
I can't help but feel like I don't give a fuck
But just take this shit and blow it up
It's no wonder I feel stuck
Fuck what sent you aim, would you claim?
We all come from the same
And I don't know if it'll change
Do you know what makes this world go around?
•••••••
The Next Day | 5:58 PM
Beeping noise from the monitor was the only sound in room, while Amiré watched Taivon sleep peacefully in the hospital bed from the chair beside her. He was agitated as his leg bounced up and down, trying to control his thoughts that were running wild. Besides that noise, it was nothing but silence. The type of silence that Amiré hated because the only thing he could hear was his thoughts and his breathing. He's been sitting in this same spot for the past 2 hours, feeling like he was losing his mind.
All he could think about was the feelings that rushed through his body after receiving that phone call last night.
— Flashback —
"I'm not going to lie, since you've shown up things have been running a little smoother round here." Sincere smiled at him from the couch in his hotel room. He sat on his bed smoking a blunt, looking between her and the tv.
"Yeah?"
"Mhmhmm," She nodded, turning her attention back to the Knicks game. "It's a shame your stay is almost up, we've been having so much fun partner."
He chuckled and brought the blunt back to his lips, hitting it slow and long. Once he had enough pull he lowered the blunt and held it in a few seconds before blowing it out his nose. "Nah you ain't lying, it has been fun. It's crazy how different things are here from Austin. New York is definitely full of surprises, never a down moment."
"Yeah well so are you," She laughed, shaking her head. "One thing I didn't expect was for you to come here and catch all those bodies. That wasn't even supposed to happen."
He laughed along with her. "Girl I didn't plan on coming out here and any catching bodies at all. That's your fault for not telling me ahead of time I had to make all these business moves in the middle of a damn war."
She smacked her lips. "To be fair I didn't think it was a war at first. D and I thought it was only a few more stains left. I didn't expect to learn that G shock ratted his way out of prison early and I also didn't expect to learn that someone on the inside was working against us."
"Good thing y'all invited me to the city then cause I can sniff out rats and snakes a mile away," He smirked, bringing his blunt back to his mouth. He hit it one more time before holding it out for her. "Wanna hit this?"
Sincere stood up from the couch and walked over to the bed, taking a seat beside him. She grabbed the blunt from him and took a quick hit. "You know I didn't expect us to get along so well. I admit that I assumed you were going to be a problem for us rather than a solution."
He made a face and turned to face her. "A problem? How?"
"Well with D looking to retire soon and all of this stupid shit going on trying to fuck up the business, you just never know who you can trust anymore. With an empire this big and so much to lose, you have to move smart and I pride myself on moving smart. People are greedy, they want everything D built, without having to put in any work. Not to mention there are many guys threatened by me, because they know I'm up next. They don't like the thought of answering to a woman. I guess I can't help but wonder if all this fallback on the business is because of me." She sighed and looked down at her lap, placing the blunt between her lips again.
Amiré watched her smoke before looking away, trying to collect his thoughts. He wasn't the best at advice but in a way he understood Sincere. "This life we live is about survival of the fittest and that's why it's not for everybody. I have to admit myself that I didn't expect you to be as good as you are but you're damn good at this shit Sin. Minus the assuming part—" He joked, making her laugh.
She playfully bumped his shoulder. "Shut up."
He laughed and turned back to her. "What I'm trying to say is if anybody is gone survive in this life, it's gone be you ma. The way you care for your guys is something I've never seen before, the real ones respect the fuck outta you. There are many soldiers who would stand between you and a bullet in a heart beat, not because you a woman, but because you actually handling yo business and making sure them and they families eating. You already a boss without having the title. It's time for you to own it. People gone always hate, but fuck em. Pick yo gun up and don't blink when you pull the trigger. Cause you gotta survive no matter what."
Sincere looked up from her lap and met his eyes, trying to contain her smile. "Let me find out Ace has a heart." She joked.
Ace rolled his eyes and snorted, turning his attention back to the tv. "Shut up you gotta stop assuming shit partner."
She squinted her eyes at him and hit the blunt again before passing it back to him. "Okay well here's my last assumption— when you gone stop playing with that girl you be texting?"
Taivon instantly entered his mind, distracting him from everything else going on around him. She was like a tsunami, rushing into his world and drowning everything around him. She was a beautiful distraction from the life he lived and that was dangerous.
She was dangerous because he was at the point, where he couldn't imagine a life without her. He didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.
Sincere watched him zone out, raising her eyebrow. "Ace," She called out, bringing him back to reality. She gave him a weird look. "You good?"
He nodded slowly and looked down at his phone beside him. He was avoiding responding to her message because he was tired of having to lie. He knew she was mad about his lack of communication, but it made shit easier for him.
He didn't need any distractions right now.
"You do know that you're going to have to talk to her eventually right? That poor girl probably worried sick."
His head snapped back in her direction, meeting her eyes as his face scrunched up. "How did you know it's a girl?"
"Nigga I know damn well you ain't texting a nigga, especially with the way you be looking all stressed out and shit." Sincere laughed and he smacked his lips.
"Man you know what I meant. How did you peep I have a girl?" He questioned.
"Well I didn't— you just told me." She smirked, turning her body to face him completely. "But now I finally know the tea. Ace secretly has a heart and girl back home, tell me more!" She clapped her hands excitedly.
"Man gone," He waved her off and looked back at the tv. "Yo ass annoying."
Sincere's smirk grew as she poked his side teasingly. "Stop being like that partner! Tell me everything. I wanna know her name, how long y'all been talking, how y'all met, everything! Spill the beans."
He tried not to laugh as she kept poking his side, swatting her hand away. "Sincere I ain't playing with you. Since you in my business how about you tell me about yo Nigga?" He smirked back at her.
She stopped trying to poke him and made a face, tilting her head. "Nigga? I like girls fool."
Ace's smirk quickly fell, staring at her in complete shock. "Wait— what?"
She busted out laughing and pointed at his face. "Ah you should see your face! And you said I was assuming! That's crazyyyy. How did you not peep this?"
"You don't go around assuming girls is gay! I mean shit look at you." He yelled, looking her up and down. He couldn't believe it but everything was slowly starting to make sense. She never hit on him like he thought she would, but he assumed it was cause she had a nigga.
"I thought I liked niggas until I realized how better it was to play for the home team," She shrugged. "But deep down I think it was Teyana Taylor that turned me."
"Teyana Taylor?" He questioned, mad confused.
Sincere licked her lips and nodded. "She fine as fuck. Her and Kehlani can call me any day and I'm folding. After I watched that lil music video I knew that was my calling."
Ace couldn't do nothing but laugh and shake his head as he processed this news. "Man that's crazy. I was definitely side eyeing ya ass a couple times, not even gone lie. But I never tried none cause of my girl."
"Oh I know," Sincere playfully rolled her eyes at him. "You be having this look in yo eyes that screams I could ruin yo life, but that don't do nothing for me sweet heart. I bet you got a couple girls going crazy about ya back in Austin."
He bit his bottom lip to keep from smiling. "Ion know bout allat now." He shrugged.
She cut her eyes at him and opened her mouth to say something but his phone started ringing, interrupting her. Ace looked back down at his phone and saw it was Vino calling.
He made a face. Why the hell was Vino calling him at almost 1 in the morning? He hesitated reaching for it before picking up and swiping to answer. "Yo wassup V."
"Aye Nigga you gotta come back home right now. Some bitch ass nigga done put his hands on Tee while she was at the library and now she in the hospital."
Amire's heart dropped as he slowly stood up from the bed, feeling like his air was knocked out of him. Sincere could sense the energy in the room completely shift, standing up right behind him.
"What's wrong?" She asked, noticing the blank stare and darkness that filled his eyes. This was the look that told her somebody was about to die, a look she's become accustomed too.
"Who is this nigga?" Was all Amiré could get out, as he pushed everything else to the back of his mind. This became a priority.
"Nia told me the nigga name is Rashad, he's her exe. What's the move man? Cause I'm heated as fuck right now. Nia said this ain't his first time doing this shit. I just need the green light before I make my move cause, I know how you feel about her. If it was Nia I would wanna be the one to turn his water off."
The only thing he saw was red. "It was green light the second he put his hands on her. Find him and make sure he knows I'm coming."
"Say dat. See ya soon."
V hung up and Ace pulled the phone away from his ear, heading straight to google to book him a flight. "Aye I gotta go take care of something back in Austin. Some nigga need to die."
Sincere didn't ask any questions as she walked back over to the couch and picked her gun up off the coffee table. "You're not going to exclude me from all the fun partner. I'm coming with you!"
Ace didn't care as he shook his head and changed the passengers to two. The only thing on his mind was murder. Another nigga had to lose his life about his.
— Flashback Over —
"I brought you a coffee sir." The nurse smiled as she entered the hospital room. She walked over to him and handed it to him.
He silently thanked her before she left and brought it up to his lips, taking a sip. He's been awake since they touched down because they came straight the hospital. Vino was out setting up the play, and Sincere went with him to help. She hated abusive men more than Amiré. They were going to use her to set up Rashad, kidnap him, and then take him to a undisclosed location until Amiré showed up. Amiré even told them to have a little fun with him, they just couldn't kill him.
Taivon stirred in her sleep and groaned, catching his attention. He quickly leaned over and grabbed her hand.
"Tee...."
She stirred some more before blinking her eyes open, trying to get adjusted to the bright lights. As they adjusted, Amiré came into view. She stared at him confused before slowly remembering what happened to her, tearing up.
"Mir..." She sniffled and he squeezed her hand, frowning.
"Hey it's okay mama, I'm here. You're okay." He reassured her, using his other hand to wipe away the tears that fell.
She gulped and nodded a little. "Okay."
He bit the inside of his cheek, trying to control his anger as his eyes dropped down to her bruised neck. He dragged his thumb across her cheek. "How many times has that nigga touched you?"
Taivon just shrugged, not having the energy to even think about it anymore. "I left him a while ago Mir, I don't wanna talk about it."
"That's not what I asked you." He snapped and she flinched away from him a little. He just sucked his teeth and pulled his hands away from her, trying not to scare her.
"I'm sorry... I didn't mean to snap on you like that. I'm just really pissed off right now." He admitted, sitting back in his chair.
She shifted in the bed and sat up a little, taking a deep breathe. "And you don't think I am too Amiré?" She asked, rolling her eyes. "I just don't wanna talk about it."
His face scrunched up, not understanding why she was catching an attitude with him. "What's yo problem with me?"
"My problem with you is that it took me having to end up in the hospital for you to check on me. Last time I checked yo ass was ignoring me!" She snapped, mugging him. "So don't come in here and act all supportive and shit and expect me to be so happy to see you. You wasn't here when I needed you."
His eyes widened, caught off guard by that. "What the fuck do you mean? You know damn well I been out in Atlanta taking care of my grandma."
Tee scoffed and shook her head. "You're a terrible fucking liar. I was playing along with the shit at first but not anymore. I honestly don't give a fuck where you really been at cause clearly you don't trust me enough to tell me. But what I do know is I still gave you the benefit of the doubt cause I thought we was working on whatever it is we got going on— but nah fuck you. I've been losing my mind over your ass and you still treating me like some goofy ass bitch."
"That's not true Tee—"Amiré said trying to reach for her hand again but she snatched it away from him.
"Nah Amiré I'm not about to keep doing this shit with you. One second you want me, then next you pushing me away. Make up your fucking mind!"
He quickly shook his head. "Watch your mouth when talking to me Tee."
"Or what?" She questioned, tilting her head at him. "You gone put your hands on me too?"
Amiré was taken back as he stared at her, growing more and more angry. "I would never put my fucking hands on you Tee. The one thing in this more I don't tolerate is abusive niggas."
"Yeah well..." She just shrugged and looked down at her lap. "I'm used to it." She mumbled, eyes filling with tears again as all her traumatizing relationship memories filled her mind.
"He always made excuses for why he put his hands on me when we was together. I used to fight him back but he was stronger then me, I would get one hit in and end up on my ass. I remember one night I came back from a party with Nia and I caught him on my couch with another bitch. I instantly spazzed ya know? I hated when he cheated on me cause it just made me so insecure. He made me feel like I wasn't good enough and it was my fault why he cheated on me. After he kicked the girl out, he beat my ass. Like not the normal slap or push, he beat me until I begged him to stop." She cried, not being able to control the tears pouring down her face.
He stood up from his chair and instantly went to her side, trying to control his anger to be there for her. "I'm sorry Tee... I swear to God I'm sorry. I hate that he did that shit to you."
"No it's my fault," She sniffled, reaching up to wipe her face. "I never said anything. I always got up, fixed myself, and moved on. I could've easily said something but I never did, not cause I was scared he would kill me or something, but because I was afraid he would actually leave me. I am afraid of being alone Amiré. I'm weak when it comes to wanting to be loved and feel loved. I knew that wasn't real love, but I was used to it. It was the only love I knew."
He placed his hand under her chin and made her look at him. "What he did to you was never your fault and I bet not ever hear you call yourself weak. HE is weak. Any man that feels like he has the authority to put his hands on a woman that loves him is weak and a bitch. Rashad is a bitch and he's gone feel every ounce of pain he ever inflicted on you. You ain't gone ever have to worry about him again."
Taivons face softened and she placed her hand on top of his. "No." She whispered, shaking her head. "He's not worth it Amiré, don't do anything stupid. There is too many people that knows him and I would never be the kind of bitch that wishes harm on someone. I believe in karma."
Amiré made a face and pulled his hand away, looking at her like she was crazy. He couldn't believe she just said that shit. "Man fuck that, it's up for him Taivon. Have you seen your neck?!"
"I don't care! I said no. Don't go out there and put yourself in that situation because of me. He ain't worth it and that's not who you a—" She paused as she stared him in his eyes, unable to finish her sentence.
Amiré knew right then and there she finally saw it. She finally saw him. "Nah finish yo sentence." He chuckled softly, standing up from the bed. "That's not who I am?" He questioned, licking his lips slowly.
Taivon couldn't find her words as she continued staring him.
"You finally see it." He mumbled, letting his eyes fall to the ground. He took a deep breathe and shook his head. "I tried so hard to shield you from it but I guess it was inevitable. Being with you made me feel different Tee, it almost made me think it was possible to not be that but that's the problem. That guy that you're scared of inside your head right now, is exactly who I am. A couple weeks ago I asked you what you saw when you stared into my eyes, and what you said was true but you overlooked something very important. Or maybe you didn't. That darkness you see when you stare into my eyes is dangerous and you shoulda ran the second you saw it." He finished, meeting her eyes again. He just stared into her eyes one good time for the last time, ignoring the sadness filling his heart.
"I'm going back to where I came from after I finish what I came here to do, and I'm going to be there for a long time. I just stopped by to check on you." He told her as he turned to leave the room, pausing before he exited completely. He turned around and looked at her one last time. "Do me a favor and talk to somebody Taivon, it's important that you don't move on in this life still dealing with that trauma. Trust me, I know." He finished, turning around and leaving.
"Wait!" Taivon called out after finally finding her voice but it was too late. He was gone. She cursed and slapped her leg, wishing she had spoken up when she was supposed too.
She was supposed to be afraid of what she learned, but she wasn't. Deep down she knew all along who Amiré was, he just finally confirmed it. Her heart started aching as she felt herself tearing up again. She was really alone now, knowing that was his way of saying goodbye.
Her doctor knocking at the door interrupted her thoughts as she quickly wiped away her tears and told her to come in.
"Ms. Bradley how are you feeling?" Dr. McDonald asked as she walked around her bed to the monitors, checking on her vitals.
"I'm good." Taivon lied, clearing her throat. "I can't seem to stay awake though, it's like I don't have any energy."
Dr. McDonald looked down at her clipboard, checking her previous notes and comparing them. After she was done she turned to her. "Well everything looks good and that's understandable especially after your situation. The police stopped by again asking questions but you were sleep, you sure you don't wanna just tell them who did it?"
Taivon licked her lips and thought about Amiré and what he was possibly about to go do. She wanted to say Rashads name, but felt like it would be better not too in case he does turn up dead and they want to look into who might've done this as retaliation. She didn't want any heat to fall back on Amiré.
"No. I don't wanna talk about it." She mumbled, which wasn't completely a lie. However she knew if he turnt up dead, because they dated, they were going to investigate her anyway. It made sense why Amiré was going back to where he came from and staying there. He had to lay low if he killed Rashad.
"That's okay. I understand it completely," Dr. McDonald smiled softly, rubbing her shoulder supportively. "I will say that eventually it will get better and if you ever wanna talk about it there are some great people out there ready to listen. As a survivor of domestic violence myself, I'm speaking from the heart."
Taivon smiled back. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. But I didn't come in here to just talk about that. I have some news. After conducting a few tests and running them more than once just to make sure they were right, I would like to inform you that you are 3 weeks pregnant."
••••••
Chapter 10, 2/2. 🤍