January 16th, 2008
Tuesday, 12:00pm - Kendall, Miami
Sometimes staying in bed all day can be the best thing to ever happen to you. Sometimes. You could sleep in bed, lie in bed, watch TV in bed, contemplate the world and your life in bed, preserve your energy and do whatever the fuck you want, have any meal of the day in bed, and, of course, have sex for however long and as many times as you want. Why leave when all the pleasures you could ever want can take place in the comfort of your own room?
Lauren certainly wasn't thinking of leaving it. And neither was Aleesia. The shorter woman got up early in the morning to make her and Lauren a classic meal of bacon, scrambled eggs, waffles and a variety of sliced fruits—cherries and salted avocados to be specific. The extra salt was for Aleesia. Lauren had cracked a joke when Aleesia returned to the bedroom with their plates of food, commenting on the excessive salt Aleesia made the habit of adding onto everything these days and finishing with "you are what you eat: salty" to address her attitude lately. That earned her a slap to the arm which led to them play fighting, abandoning their plates they only cleared half of for a battle of who was the strongest.
Obviously Lauren won...or so she thought. Aleesia took advantage of Lauren letting her guard down and flipped her over, pinning her wrists to the bed as she straddled her, threatening to stab her with the butterknife on the nightstand. Neither of them were sure on how it escalated but next thing they knew, Aleesia was rubbing on Lauren's strained cock that poked out the leg holes of her boxers and poked at her center clothed with white panties. Then that turned into clothes being taken off, lips lathered over every square inch of each other's body, simultaneous grinding with want and long minutes of oral sex. Aleesia fed Lauren breakfast without her asking, moments later she was feeding Lauren with the dessert between her thighs.
That was nine in the morning. Aleesia hasn't been in the mood for weeks, therefore depriving Lauren of what was constantly on her mind. Now that she was in the mood—and apparently couldn't get out of the mood—Lauren capitalised and saw to it that they didn't leave the bedroom except to pee and brush their teeths again. They ate more, cuddled, explored each other's bodies in an intimate way having nothing to do with sex, switched between hard fucking to love making. In this very moment, it was both.
Lauren had her hands firmly grasping Aleesia's hips that rolled as she bounced on Lauren's cock, facing away from her. Their bodies fell into a frantic rhythm together, flying off the mattress as their moans, heavy breaths of arousal and mixing cum filled the room. "Harder, mami?" she husked, her balls pummeling Aleesia's clit.
"Mhm," Aleesia moaned, eyebrows furrowed and jaw slacked. She clenched her teeth and whimpered as Lauren took her hands behind her to hold while she thrust up harder, pounding into her heat as Aleesia's bouncing became faster. "Yes, yes, yes, yes!"
With her lip trapped between her teeth, Lauren fixated on Aleesia's ass and smirked, giving it a quick slap, eliciting both a squeal and a moan from the girl. She threw her head back into the pillow, swearing under her breath as she felt tension building from the base of her cock. Her eyes rolled when Aleesia sat down all the way, grinding real slow as she gripped her throbbing shaft, her walls unclenching and clenching around it tightly. "Ohhh fuuuckk...fuck me," Lauren dragged out, holding her hips again. She grinded with her and moved the girl back and forth, "Dale, baby. Dale," she slapped her ass again, grabbing two handfuls. "Mmmm.."
"You like that, daddy?" Aleesia looked over her shoulder, half-lidded eyes, wearing a coy dimpled smirk. Lauren nodded and she started massaging her balls, enhancing her pleasure while at the same time making her ache.
"Fuck, Aleesia, don't do this to me," Lauren pleaded breathlessly, mere seconds away from coming.
"Do what?" Aleesia's back arched and she whirled her hips agonisingly slow, sliding up and down. She relished in Lauren's suffering and pulled out, leaving her frustrated and face a burning red. Just as Lauren was about to protest, Aleesia turned around and threw one leg over her body, straddling the green eyed girl as she jerked her cock in twisting motions, keeping the purple head warm as she sank onto it, sucking it in inch by inch. Lauren's eyebrows furrowed and she choked out low guttural moans as Aleesia kinked an eyebrow, maintaining direct eye contact. "You feel so good, mi amor."
"Sí?" Lauren slammed her body down then sat up, spreading her legs while Aleesia hooked hers around her waist. Lauren rolled into her, plunging in and out while travelling her hands up her sides, still holding her gaze as Aleesia tangled her hands into her thick locks.
"Ay sí," Aleesia breathed, bucking her hips to meet her every thrust. She lifted herself higher and looked down to her side, practically riding Lauren with their breasts pressed against each other. "Esoo...seguir así..." (That's it...keep it up...)
Lauren grabbed her face and kissed her hard, both women hungry for one another, soft wet lips moving at a faster pace than their bodies. She went for it first but Aleesia beat her to it, biting down on her bottom lip, trapping it between hers as she sucked and pulled. Lauren felt like she was on fire and Aleesia only made it spread just like she did her legs to give Lauren a view of her pumping in and out while she bounced feverishly, chasing her orgasm.
"I'm gonna come," Lauren growled, rubbing her clit in wide firm circles, fixated on her cock glistening white with Aleesia's juices, sending her over the edge. She grunted and fucked her harder and faster, letting it build..and build...until finally she exploded, painting her walls with ropes of cum, twitching inside her. Lauren cried out as Aleesia cradled her head against her breasts, milking out every last drop as the distance between their bodies closed and she returned to grinding back and forth.
Aleesia came quickly after. She fell apart and fell limp against Lauren, sending her back down into the bed while still riding but barely. She was dizzy from her kisses and the high she gradually came down from, smiling against her lips as Lauren took the time to whisper meaningful soft "I love you's".
"I love you, I love you, I love you," Aleesia matched her tone, pecking her lips. She stopped kissing her and nuzzled her nose into the crook of her neck. "Let's stay inside for the rest of the day. I wanna stay like this with you forever."
"Forever?" Lauren murmured, her smile widening.
Aleesia nodded and picked her head up, ghosting her lips over hers with her fingertips gliding down Lauren's face. "Forever and ever."
Lauren's phone going off by the plate on the nightstand interrupted their moment. Aleesia rolled her eyes as Lauren sighed and reached over to pick it up. Clearing her throat with the phone by her ear, she answered in a not-so-friendly tone, "What?"
"I'm sorry?" Sugar responded, offended. "You answer the phone this way?"
"I was busy!" Lauren defended. She knew how big Sugar was on manners and apologised.
"You're forgiven. Listen, where are you?"
"Home in bed with Aleesia. Why?"
"Still? Lauren, it's twelve in the afternoon."
"What's your point? I'm taking a lazy day."
"No ma'am. Come to South Beach, I'm at the club you do your business at. It's nice. Could do better, grow some more professionally if you just took ownership and stopped paying the owner. But whatever works for you."
"You want me to go to South Beach for what? Is it important?" Lauren looked at Aleesia who frantically shook her head and kept mouthing 'no'. Lauren pressed her finger to her own lips as Sugar responded.
"Yes. Things have changed in my family ever since shit went down with Luca and I got out of prison. Come down here so we can talk about it. I'm not doing it over the phone."
"Shit. All right, give me half an hour. Thats a long drive and I have to shower," Lauren chuckled at how pissed off Aleesia got and sat up, holding onto her hand when she tried to let go and get out of bed.
"Fine. But no more than an hour. Ciao."
Lauren closed the phone then plugged it into the charger. She was met with Aleesia's stone cold stare, the younger brunette's arms folded over her naked breasts and the corners of her lips downturned. Lauren dropped her shoulders and inclined her head, indecisive on which side of Aleesia's honey brown eyes to focus on. "Don't look at me like that."
"I wanted us to stay in today. For once. No work, no school, no company. Just one day to ourselves, Lauren."
"So did I. But I can't keep Sugar waiting or say no if she came all that way. If she has the respect and consideration to not do it to me, the least I can do is reciprocate," said Lauren. She sighed when Aleesia's frown deepened and she turned away. Lauren crawled behind her and wrapped her arms around her torso, peppering her neck and cheek with sweet kisses. "Lo siento. You can come with me, okay? Be my little partner in crime if you want to."
"Like one of your homies?" Aleesia considered it. She missed the club, the fun when it came to rolling with Lauren before she got arrested.
"Sí. You're my main homie," Lauren rubbed her baby bump. "Soon you'll be my second. I don't make the rules."
Aleesia giggled then sighed heavily. "Whatever," she got off the bed and surprised herself with the inability to hold herself up and walk without her thighs trembling or knees buckling. Lauren got up with her and held her steady.
"Cuidado, mi amor," she tittered. It was pleasing, to say the least. That's how she knew she did a good job. (Be careful, my love.)
"Let's shower together so we can save some time and leave faster. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't a little excited."
*
1:11pm - Hibiscus Island, Miami Beach
"Just give me a little bit more time, okay? I'm still making up my mind. I'm confused, Candy. I don't know what I want one hundred percent but I do know what feels good and makes me feel safe. If I'm ever gonna give something like that up with her...I gotta know I can trust you to give me that, too. I never truly know with you."
Candy lifted her face from her hands and took a deep breath then exhaled. Another deep breath, another exhale. She paced her breathing, hoping her thoughts would follow soon after she got that down. There was too much going on yet nothing going on at all. That was a problem. She began to worry last night when nothing dramatic or explosive happened yesterday like she expected, now that today was a new day and all things were still quiet it didn't help her anxiety at all. Lauren has yet to speak to her and Luca has yet to react to the letter she sent him.
After nearly two whole years of keeping that major secret, she finally released it to him—feeling as though it was the right time and no other time could ever be good enough like this one. She was baiting Luca to come to her; Luca wouldn't have her killed without lashing out on her first, asking all sorts of questions and demanding all sorts of answers from her. He wouldn't stay in hiding for long. Candy wanted to see the pained expression on his face from her betrayal and she wanted to rub it in because having the last laugh at this point meant the world to her. Joaquin had told her her parents ran away but couldn't tell her where, as he didn't know, so Luca was the only one for her to focus on until they'd come back.
She wasn't sure how she was going to kill him yet but she had faith that it'd come to her. Perhaps she'd burn down the Church while he was still inside? That'd be a huge "fuck you" to him and everything that Church in particular represented. Quite the metaphor, too. Setting something on fire and rising as a new person among the ashes of her past sounded way more appealing to her than anything else her brain could ever muster up. Felt like good food for the soul.
Alone in her office—with the exception of her soldiers guarding the perimeter—Candy made two fairly generous lines of pure cocaine on her mirror. Feasting her eyes on her taste of paradise—her only escape from the dark thoughts that consumed her—she rolled up a hundred dollar bill, then dipped down and snorted both. The high felt greater but the same as the last. She kept her eyes screwed shut as she sniffled excessively, getting it all in her nasal cavity, then moaned from the kick of euphoria rushing to her head and coursing through her veins. It made her jumpy and excited for life.
"Fuck," she breathed, grinning like a Ceshire cat.
"'Fuck' is right," said Carter, standing in the middle of the doorway, blonde eyebrows raised and eyes slightly wide. "You've been partying by yourself a lot lately. Why not just throw a party here and do it with a bunch of other people? People who would pay extra for the shit," he said as he advanced into the office to have a seat on the purple sofa chair.
Candy poured some more onto the mirror, lined it up and slid the tray across her desk, gesturing for him to try some. He didn't oppose, he gladly took the rolled Benjamin Franklin and held the mirror in his hand to do his lines. Candy crossed one leg over the other and swayed in her swivel chair. "I can't throw a party now, it'll be too risky. I'll throw a big one after my brother is dead though."
Carter took a moment as the effects of the cocaine kicked in strong. A strange noise emitted from the depths of his throat as he shook his head then handed her back the mirror and hundred dollar bill. "Shit, that's some really good fucking blow. I love a good winter in Miami. Fuck!" he enthused, jerking his balled fist. "What's the update on that though? Still nothing on his whereabouts?"
"He's not at the Church, he might be home but the mansion is heavily guarded right now, and he hasn't been seen anywhere in the streets. For all I know he could be plotting, waiting to strike me at any given moment," Candy sucked her teeth, thinking of what a shame this predicament was.
"But he has no idea where you are either. No one in EC knows you live here."
"That's what I'm hoping still is the case. I don't ever wanna underestimate my enemies like they underestimate me," Candy said. Her eyes narrowed and her head shifted as she stared long and hard at Carter. "Were you followed? Did you check?"
"You know how many times I look over my shoulder per minute, even in my own fucking apartment? I wasn't followed."
"Hm. Notice anything suspicious?"
"Yeah. On the way here I saw some dude wearing a Tampa Bay Rays cap. It's like he wanted to draw attention to himself, like, dude you're surrounded by Marlins fans in the middle of fucking Miami. You know how many fights I've witnessed people get into over the Rays?"
"No, because I don't concern myself with baseball," she cut him off before he could finish answering his rhetorical question. "I don't care much for sports. I do care about money though. How much are we at so I can pay the Colombians what I owe them? They'll arrive at the docks in two days, I need to be prepared."
Carter wiped his nose and nearly gagged when he swallowed the drips. "Excuse me. Half a million away from six mil."
"And what is everybody doing to make that up? How's business in the Design District?" Candy flipped open her Sidekick and started texting.
"Since we're pretty much out of coke and nobody down there does heroin, all we're pushing is weed but it's not selling as much. I'm making my dealers go to East Little Havana and Wynwood to sell there. You should have three grand coming back to you by the end of today."
"Fuck. That's barely enough," Candy sighed and finished up what she was typing before she hit 'send' then put her phone back inside the top drawer. Two fingers massaged her temple as she contemplated how to rack up those numbers. "Fuck it, go to Coral Gables and hijack another car. There's a lot of money put into EC's vehicles. Take three guys with you for protection."
"Sure thing, boss," Carter tapped the armrests before springing to his feet and turning to leave the room.
"And if you have any word on where Luca is, let me know immediately!"
-
1:25pm - South Beach, Miami
Candy: im srry 4 blowing up on u. i need 2 talk to u about smthing important. call me or come 2 me. please. i need 2 see u.
Lauren pushed her text to the back of her mind for later as she put her phone back into her pocket and refocused on Sugar sitting across from her in the booth. "Perdón," she said then gestured for her to continue talking.
Sugar set down her glass of wine and picked an olive from the small bowl between them, popping it into her mouth, delighted by its juices as she crushed it between her teeth and took her time chewing. "My father is getting too old, his health isn't in the shape it used to be. After I outed Luca to all of Sicily and fucked up his plans of being made, he's been keeping a close on eye on me and how I operate in Miami-Dade. So far he's very impressed...impressed enough to reconsider his stance in having me next in line to take over for when he dies. I'm the only one he really has left to continue HIS legacy, he can't just give it to some schmuck working for him, that's not how it works. Bloodline is very important to a Cipriani."
"That's great news! I know how much this means to you. You've been fighting for it practically your whole life," Lauren congratulated, excited for her friend. Admittedly she didn't see a reconciliation between them happening after everything Sugar had told her about their relationship, so this came as a surprise. Somehow she got the sense there was a 'but' coming because what did this have to do with her? "So what's the catch, though? I know there is one."
"Eh," Sugar crinkled her nose, the corners of her lips downturned for a split second. Her finger rotated around the rim of the wine glass and as she looked around the remodeled club with red diamond cushion walls and red lighting the black shade of her hair got along with. "Well...he knows you're my business partner and a very good, trusted friend of mine. He knows that you know about his business, his inside connections, and he knows as much about you personally as I do. The thing is...he hasn't met you. And in order to trust me with the Cipriani Family in the states and in both Italy and Siciliy, he has to vet and trust those who are closest to me by meeting them face to face. You've done big enough things for me to stand out to him, so he's very interested in you. You're too important now."
"I understand..." Lauren took on a serious look and tucked some strands of wavy hair behind her ear, almost getting caught in the golden hoop dangling from her ear. Anxious about the direction this conversation was going, Lauren took a quick sip of her rum and found that it eased her nerves quicker. "So when does he want to meet me?"
"The when part isn't really important, it's the where. You'd have to go to Sicily, he's not going to come to you. My father doesn't travel to the states anymore, he only sends people here when he needs work or someone handled."
"Okay."
"Okay? You mean you will travel to Sicily to meet with him?" Sugar's voice went up a pitch.
"For how long and should I be worried for my safety? I do have a baby on the way and I really need to talk about it with Aleesia before I give you a guaranteed 'yes'."
"However long he decides until he's confident in his trust and judgement in you. I'd say up to five days max," she said. "But of course, talk with your baby mama. She can't go down there, so I imagine there is plenty to discuss."
"I'm okay with that. After all, I do owe you and your family for all that you've done for me. I'm excited to meet him," Lauren glanced around Sugar, searching for her girlfriend that was just at the other tables assisting Ariel and Flaca with counting and dividing money. She held up a finger, "Un momento, Lovelace." Lauren whistled to Ariel whose head snapped in her direction and she clapped, giving an upward nod, "Where'd my girl go?"
"She's outside with Jesús and Jhene," he yelled across the room.
"Doing what??"
"Nothing, they're just chillin'! A few of them are out there taking a break!"
"Got you, thanks!" Lauren got up and Sugar followed suit. "Talk with your father, tell him I'm willing to travel but not until Luca has been dealt with. He does know about mine and Candy's plan for Luca, right?"
"Yes he does. As far as he's concerned, Luca is just as dead to him now as he was when he was born," Sugar assured with a boisterous grin. She pat Lauren on her exposed tattooed arm (thanks to the tight maroon tanktop she wore) and told her, "I'm gonna take off now. Go get your girl. If she lets you go, I promise to keep her under my protection and care until you get back."
"Thank you, Sugar. I'll talk to you in a little while," she said. Lauren hugged her briefly then started making her way downstairs and outside of the club.
*Play 911 by Wyclef Jean ft. Mary J. Blige*
Pushing open the club doors to step out and expose herself to the heat, Lauren got caught off guard by the Sun's harsh glare, forcing her eyes to squint and her hand to raise to block it out. She peered ahead of her like a Captain on a ship, surveying the area around her for Aleesia, Jesús and Jhene. LC gang members were seen crossing the street, getting at a driver who was going too fast and honked at them for being in the way, some were just meeting up to go for a ride or walk to the beach, others paroled the corners like usual.
She walked up the block briskly, brushing past strangers when she spotted Aleesia backing up as she laughed at something Jhene had told her, the breeze sweeping through her loose black hair pushed back by a maroon bandana. Aleesia secretly put her hand behind her back as someone passed by, exchanging a bag of cocaine for a hundred dollars. That took Lauren by surprise considering she wasn't supposed to be dealing.
'If death comes for me tonight, girl
I want you to know that I loved you.
And no matter how tough,
I wouldn't dare.
Only to you I would reveal my tears.
So tell the police I ain't home tonight.
Messing around with you
Is gonna get me life.
But when I look into your eyes, man,
You're worth that sacrifice.'
"Shut up, Jesús, you're so annoying," Aleesia complained, her tone laced with humour and amusement.
"This is exactly why everyone called you 'doll' when you were a little girl. Not because you look like one but because they're too scared to be alone in the dark with you," he jested, him and Jhene laughing at her as she stood there dumbfounded at his rude remark.
"Aleesia!" Lauren called, startling her. She met up with the short girl, said hello to Jhene and Jesús, then pulled her to the side. "What are you doing, girl? What was that?" she kept her voice low.
"What was what?"
"I saw you slip that guy a bag of yayo. You didn't ask me if you could deal and you know I don't want you putting yourself in that kind of danger out here. There's too much heat during the daytime, you know that," Lauren confronted as calmly as she could.
Aleesia's eyebrows knitted together. "Of course I know that. I just wanted to do it one more time, baby—to feel that thrill again. I asked Flaca to give me the bag she was getting ready to sell and tell me who was coming by for it, then I went outside and made the deal. That's it," she explained. Lauren huffed through her nose and looked around her as Aleesia frowned, prompting her to look down into her eyes again. "Don't be mad at me. I wasn't going to do it again. After all, you did tell me I could be your partner in crime today so I thought it was okay."
'If this is the kind of love that my mom
Used to warn me about...
Man, I'm in trouble.
I'm in real big trouble.
If this is the kind of love that the
Old folks used to warn me about...
Man, I'm in trouble.
I'm in real big trouble.'
"Tienes razón. I'm not mad at you, I just need you to be careful. You know? Like, extra careful," her eyes softened. (You're right.)
"I will. Lo siento," Aleesia pecked her lips three times, standing on her tip toes. "Relax. It's a good day today."
The corner of her lips tugged, forming a half smile. Lauren nodded, "It is. Listen, there's something I need to discuss with you. It's about—"
"Boss!" Jhene interrupted, her hand waving desperately in the air. "Get over here now. You need to see this."
"Puta madre," Lauren grumbled under her breath through gritted teeth. She sighed and grabbed Aleesia's head, kissing her forehead and then her lips. "Go back inside the club and wait for me upstairs, we'll talk then."
"Okay. I love you," Aleesia cooed as she passed Lauren, reluctant to let go of her hand despite the distance between them growing.
"I love you more. Vete," Lauren kissed her fingertips before finally letting her go and tending to Jhene and Jesús. She crammed her hands into the pockets of her black slacks, her golden Scorpion chain dangling off her chest when she leaned forward to check out what Jesús was pointing to on his phone. She read the message from the unknown number with a puzzled gaze, "Porta fuori lo Scorpione."
"What the hell does that even mean?" asked Jhene.
"You can understand Italian, right?" Jesús retracted the phone. "Because I don't but it sounds shady. I got the text two minutes ago and saw it just now."
Lauren had a grave stare as she backed up, her voice wavering, "It says bring the Scorpion outside."
'Sometimes I feel like I'm a prisoner,
I think I'm trapped here for a while.
(But I'm always right here
With you girl)
And every breath I fight to take
Is as hard as these four walls
I wanna break.
I told the cops you wasn't here tonight.
Messin' around with me
Is gonna get you life. Oh yeah, yeah.
But everytime, I look into your eyes
Then it's worth the sacrifice.'
It all happened so fast. See, sometimes staying in bed all day can be the best thing to ever happen to you. Sometimes going outside isn't worth it no matter what how sunny it is, how happy the people are enjoying the weather while participating in planned or daily activities, what song the birds are singing, how fresh the air is when you breathe it in; all of it can be an illusion. The gang leader's heart raced like it never has before as she heard car tires screeching a couple of feet away from her. Their reaction timing was too slow for Luca who stuck his assault rifle out the window of his royal blue Mustang and pressed down on the trigger, unleashing all bullets on Aleesia who was so close to making it inside but just had to turn around.
Brass jacketed bullets ripped through her stomach first, flying out the back, then a few more hit her arm and chest. The force caused her body to spin and collapse, lying in a pool of her own blood oozing out of her while the people who were around her screamed and ran. Lauren screamed and ran as hard and fast as she could, ignoring all the gunfire breaking out up and down the block, desperate to reach her girlfriend in time to hold her and get some help. Luca had intended on shooting Lauren after witnessing her all-too-familiar reaction to losing a loved one but Jesús and just about every gang member carrying a piece fired at his car that quickly sped off and took the hits. He got away...again.
'If this is the kind of love that your
Mom used to warn you about...
Man, we are in trouble.
You're in real big trouble.
If this is the kind of love that the
Old folks used to warn me about...
I'm in trouble.
I'm in real big trouble.'
"ALEESIA!" Lauren's voice strained and wavered when she screamed the girl's name. She fell to the ground, hurriedly lifting Aleesia's trembling body that went into shock, holding all her weight as she inspected her wounds then gazed into her eyes that was slowly losing the life within them. "Baby, baby—hey—" Lauren rushed out, her thoughts too fast to catch up to and speak out loud. Her shaky hands, now covered in Aleesia's blood as she pressed over her stomach bump, realising she just lost her baby too. Lauren furiously shook her head as tears rapidly streamed down her face, blurring her vision. "No," she choked out. "No," her chin quivered as did her lips. "Aleesia—Aleesia, stay with me—stay with me, please!"
"SOMEONE CALL AN AMBULANCE!!" Jesús bellowed at the top of his lungs as he raced toward them, scraping his knees as he stumbled and fell beside them, in a state of despair and panic. "Aleesia! You're okay, help is on the way, just hang on!" he looked away from his sister, trying his hardest to hold back his tears and tune out the sound of her choking on her own blood creeping up her throat. "WE NEED AN AMBULANCE!!"
''Someone please call 911. Tell them I just got shot down. And it's piercin through my soul. (I'm losin blood yo) Feel my body gettin cold. Someone please call 911. (Can you do that for me) The alleged assailaint was five foot one. And she shot me through my soul. Feel my body gettin cold.'
Chaos ensued around them as members in black rushed out of the club to check out the scene, some already driving off to hunt Luca down. Sirens were heard somewhere in the distance, more screams, loud chatter coming from all over the place. Lauren squeezed Aleesia's body close to her and prayed to a God she stopped believing in a long time ago, begging him to let her stay. Her head dipped into Aleesia's neck also covered in blood—she was doused in crimson red everywhere.
"Please don't leave me...don't leave me, don't leave me—not you..." Lauren croaked, stroking her face as Aleesia's mouth kept moving like she was trying to say something but couldn't. Hell, she couldn't even move her limbs, they just spasmed in Lauren's arms. Aleesia's breathing slowed, Lauren could feel it. "Where are you going?" she mewled, squeezing out the Tsunami tides in her eyes, déjà vu hitting her like a truck. Lauren's body convulsed in a violent, hysteric sob. Her neck and jaw stiffened as she tried to say, "I'm s-sorry...I'm s-so sorry I c-couldn't protect you...stay with—Aleesia, breathe! Stay with me!"
"The ambulance are on their way!" Jhene informed them, hands on the back of her head as stood there helplessly, in great shock over what was unfolding in front of her.
"What the hell happened?!"
"WHO THE FUCK—"
"Get in the fucking car! Get in the car, he can't get away!"
"I fucking knew this would happen, I fucking WARNED HER!"
"Aleesia??" Lauren shook her face when she saw that her brown eyes went blank and she was no longer choking and gasping for air. "Baby?" she whispered in despair, sniffling and wiping the snot running down her nose with her forearm. Jesús let them go and stormed off cursing at the sky when he realised his sister had died. Lauren rocked their bodies, knocking her forehead into Aleesia's forehead as she bawled like a baby, squeezing her tight.
"Lauren, the ambulance is here," Normani tried to tell her, in tears herself but she did her best to keep herself composed.
The paramedics rolled out the stretcher, cops closed off the block as they arrived on the scene, there was just too much happening Lauren didn't give a fuck about. She shook her head, refusing to leave her girlfriend—refusing to accept that she was gone. Lauren lifted her head and kept screaming at the top of her lungs, shaking Aleesia's limp body.
"Aleesia, wake up!! You can't leave me like this!! WAKE! UP!"
"Lauren—"
"Get the fuck off of me!" she elbowed somebody in the nose who was trying to help her.
"Guys, the baby..."
"She was pregnant?"
"Who is she?"
"What happened?"
"Did you get car's the license plate?"
"Ma'am, we need you to step away so we can—"
Lauren blocked it out and took one last look at Aleesia, closing her eyes for her, unable to bear her absent stare any longer. She sniffled and dipped down to kiss her lips one last time, squeezing her own eyes shut while her hand rested over her baby, mourning her other loss too. When she allowed Normani to pull her off, Lauren lost her balance and fell into her arms, still incoherent and a sobbing, shivering mess. This couldn't actually be happening. Life couldn't be this cruel to do this to her again. There was no way that the image of the paramedics hauling Aleesia's lifeless body onto a stretcher was real; maybe the blood staining her arms, hands, neck and face was a figment of her fucked up imagination.
She couldn't breathe. It was ragged, uneven, and each time she tried to gasp for air she just felt nauseous. Too many flashes of red and blue, defeaning sirens, too many people asking her what had just occurred when she didn't even know herself let alone could process it properly. One moment everything was fine then the next her entire world was turned upside down. And that's how it was in this life but, fuck, you always fool yourself into believing it wouldn't be that way for you anymore.
"I can't do this again..." her fingers grabbed the roots of her hair as she slowly backed away.
Lauren ignored the cops trying to talk to her while Normani, Jhene, and Ariel took over to protect her, distracting the cops with all the information they could give them.
"Ma'am, who are you to Aleesia Morales?" asked one of the paramedics before they'd close the doors and take off to the hospital. Jesús was already in the backseat, holding his sister's hand. "Are you a relative?"
The Latina took one look at the woman and decided she couldn't be here anymore. She shook her head and pushed past everyone in a hurry, running away from the scene of the crime to quickly climb into her car and take off before someone could stop her.
-
1:59pm - Hibiscus Island, Miami Beach
"What do you mean she's dead??" Candy thundered, rising from her living room couch with her stomach tied in knots. She wasn't hearing this correctly, Lola had to try again because clearly she made a mistake.
"She was just killed a couple of minutes ago," she said somberly. "I got a call from one of our own, he was in South Beach and got there when the ambulance had already left. All he saw was blood in front of the club, and when he asked around someone told him a man in a blue Mustang came by and shot her with an AK-47. I asked around myself and can confirm that your brother was the one who did it. Everyone's looking for him but still hasn't found him."
"Lola, please tell me you're lying," Candy's voice dropped. If that were true, this would have all been her fault. She couldn't live with that.
"Why would I be lying about something like this?"
"Because I want you to be...so badly."
"Are you okay?" Lola asked when Candy went as pale as a ghost. She took a step forward, holding out her hands by her waist as Candy's eyes darted around the room and her chest rose and fell at an uneven rate. "Do you want me to get you some water? Maybe you should sit down."
"No!" Candy barked. She held her neck, massaging the tense muscle as she tried to get rid of the baseball sized lump in her throat. "This wasn't supposed to happen..."
"What do you mean?"
Candy wiped beneath her eyes brimming with tears and fanned herself, suddenly feeling too hot despite the villa being cool from the air conditioning. "Where's Lauren?? Do you know??"
"No. No one knows where she's at either but they're looking for her. Luca and Lauren are both missing," Lola got Candy the water anyway, shuffling to her and urging her to drink. Candy accepted this time and gulped down the drink until there was none left. The brunette shoved the cup against her chest and paced around the living room, using her phone to try and call Lauren. Lola watched as Candy hung up, redialed, hung up again, growing more frustrated and perturbed when met with no answer over and over. "Candy, did you do something I don't know about?"
"I can't talk about that right now, I need to find Lauren and I NEED you to find that fucking son of a bitch Luca!" Candy fired aggressively, snatching her small purse and car keys from the coffee table.
Lola followed her out the villa, running to catch up to her in the courtyard. "Where are you going? It's havoc out there—"
"I don't care, don't follow me. Grab everybody you can and find me Luca, I'm gonna go look for Lauren."
Candy's heels stomped across the concrete and she thrust open the black gate covered in vines, taking the route that led her straight to her driveway, tipping off her soldiers to mind their business. She lifted the key to unlock her car door but halted upon hearing car tires screech in front of her house, two doors opening right away. Scaletta was standing in front of an all white Escalade, flashing his golden pistol tucked between his dress shirt and pants. He gestured to the back of the car where Sugar sat, paying no mind to Candy though the Latina could make out the immense scowl on and disgust painted all over her face.
"Get in."
***
A/N: Never cried so hard before when writing something in my life.
And I've been seeing some people worry that the only reason Lauren chooses to be with Candy is because Aleesia dies. That's not the case at all, because even if she hadn't died she was going to leave her anyway. It's all about timing and unfortunately (realistically speaking) not everything works out the way you want it to because time waits for no one, especially in a world of crime. Just making that clear. This was the outcome from the very second I started writing the first chapter.
Anyways. Drink some water, stay safe, and please take care of yourselves. These are hard times.