CHAPTER SEVENTY
Nina couldn't breathe being caught up in this reception. Lil' Ricky was her father. The teens she'd known all these years were on a hunt for him and she doubted that they were ever going to find a person who has been in hiding all these years. There were going to be consequences at the end of all of this and too many lives were on the line. All she knew in that moment was that she had to get out of this house while she still could.
She bolted for the door only to run into another person. "I'm sorry," she muttered before trying to make it too the door but she was only stopped in her tracks when she heard someone call out her mother's name.
"Macey? Macey is that you?"
Nina turned around to see a black woman around also the age of her tía looking at her like she'd seen a ghost. Don't tell me she's family too because the last time I checked I wasn't part black. "Do I know you?" Nina raised her eyebrows at the woman.
The woman blinked and snapped out of her daze. "I'm sorry, you just look a lot like someone I grew up with. Forgive me for bothering you and waisting your time," the woman waved and she turned to walk away.
"MariCarmen Garcia?" Nina called out and the black woman stopped in her tracks again. "She's my mother," Nina added and the woman whipped around to look at her again. The woman gave her the same look of shock and disbelief as she walked up to her.
"You're Macey's kid?" she said breathed as she started getting emotional just looking at her. It really was like she was seeing a ghost. As Nina nodded a reply the woman started tearing up. "You look just like her. But you have-"
"My father's eyes," Nina continued and in that moment the woman knew who Nina was talking about because a long time ago she had fallen in love with the same man they were thinking about. Deep down, even though the woman had just met this girl she too had already feared for her life.
"Oh baby," the woman cooed and the two of them unknowingly held hands. "Where are my manners?" she laughed at herself.
"My name is Rosé," she introduced as Nina felt something click in her. She remembered her name from her mother's letter. "I've seen you around parts of Brentwood. Hell, I've convinced myself that I've been seeing a ghost all this time thinking I was seeing a person I haven't seen all this time," she laughed at herself.
"It's nice to meet you Rosé. My name is Nina," Nina forced a smile. She still wanted to get out of here but this woman knew certain things about her mother's past and what's been bothering her all this time. Maybe she could find more answers. "I actually work at the auto-repair shop not far from here and I tutor some of the kids and teens around here."
"That must explain why I keep seeing you," Rosé smiled sweetly. "It's amazing you look just like her. You seem like such a sweet girl and with your work I can tell that your mama raised you right. How is Macey?"
Nina's heart fell for a split second. "She passed away four years ago. Car accident."
Rosé frowned. "I'm sorry to hear that, Nina. But it was good to know your mom got into that police work she's always wanted. I can tell that she's raised a fine daughter too."
I just wished she was more honest with me. "Thank you, Rosé," Nina nodded back at her.
"A-and what about y-your father?" Rosé stammered. Whether or not this girl knew where her father was she knew that Nina was in grave danger.
"I never knew him. Never met him," Nina answered truthfully and Rosé's expression faltered.
"Is that so," Rosé mumbled. "Well, I was good friends with your mom back in the day. She was a great person, it's a shame that I had to find out like this and that we had to meet like this."
"At a funeral, how ironic," Nina mustered a chuckle but all this family talk was starting to take a toll on the back of her head. "My mother never really spoke about you or any of her friends back in the day," she continued explaining.
Rosé gave her a somber looking expression. "Is that so?" she started. "She used to live not far from here. In a town called-"
"Freeridge, I know. I found out the day of her funeral," Nina cut off. "There's a lot that my mother didn't talk about regarding her old life. I didn't even know I was staying in the same house she grew up in"
"And I didn't even know she used to be good friends with the people who lived across her street. The same way I'm great friends with the people who live across my street now," Nina added softly as she fiddled with her fingers.
"You're living across the Santos house?" Rosé asked with her eyes wide and Nina nodded a reply. "So that red impala I've been seeing around the parts of Brentwood?" she raised her eyebrow at Nina.
"Is my novio's car," Nina answered and she noticed that Rosé was taken aback. By that question alone, Nina knew that Rosé knew some things. Probably some things that would be helpful to her. "Rosé what do you know of my mother's sister, Stacey?" Nina questioned and she watched Rosé's mood change completely.
"Nina, it's been nice meeting you but I have to go pay my respects-"
"Rosé, please," Nina pleaded holding onto her arm before she could walk away any further. "I'm begging you. I've been finding stuff out lately and suddenly nothing seems to be making sense, especially what I'm finding out about my mom. I just want answers that's all."
"What makes you think you can even trust me? Or me trust you?" Rosé replied looking back a little.
"Because for a moment you looked at me like you've known me all your life. Like you trusted Macey all your life and the more I find out about the truth about my family the more I find out that I'm in more danger than I thought," Nina tells her in a low tone.
"Please, I'm just trying to make out of my situation alive."
Rosé listened to the girl talk and the moment she heard Stacey's name she wanted to get out of there. If she takes this offer to talk to Nina she could be dragging herself back into the dirt she'd been trying to get out of all her life. Then again she wouldn't be here if it weren't for Macey. She wouldn't be here if it weren't for Lil' Ricky.
"I'm begging you. You talk to me now and you never have to see me again," Nina begged one last time as her eyes began to water. She was desperate for anything to get out of this. A possibility to get out of this but she couldn't exactly do that if she didn't have all the answers she needed.
Rosé sighed and turned back to the young woman. She was still in so much awe of how much she resembled her mother. It was slightly scary if she were being honest. "Okay, okay. But we can't talk here. Take a walk with me, baby," she said giving in.
Rosé lead her back to her house so that they could talk in private, where she knew that it was just going to be the two of them. Nina didn't know where to start so began from when her father died prompting them to move in Freeridge. She also includes how she'd met Stacey only twice up until recently.
She skips most of the part with her relationship with the Santos but she did mention falling in love with Oscar, to which Rosé couldn't help but coo. But she focuses on what happened for the past few days and the fact that Lil' Ricky was her father.
"I don't know if anything that I just told you made any sense and I feel like I can't even tell my sister about it because if I did I could only be putting their lives in danger. She has two kids and I don't want that. The last thing I could ever want was to put my own family at risk," Nina sighed as Rosé poured her another glass of red.
"Stacey and Ricky were very much in love back in the day," Rosé began putting the bottle back down on the table. "But in all honesty, Stacey was never the best girlfriend as she could be a little over the top."
"You could call her crazy, I don't really mind," Nina chuckled taking a sip from her glass and Rosé chuckled as well.
"Your mother on the other hand, always had a special relationship with Ricky. Your mother wasn't exactly the type to run along smoothly with the rest of the Santos so Macey could easily fade into the background. But Ricky saw her and he was protective over her," Rosé explained.
"I knew Macey had feelings for Ricky and it was obvious with the way she looked at him. I mean, everyone loved Ricky. How could you not? That man was just as beautiful as his heart," Rosé chuckled prompting Nina to smile a little.
"It wasn't until Ricky started looking at Macey the same way she looked at him but she knew that she couldn't do anything about it because if she did her sister would kill her. I mean literally kill her," Rosé huffed. When she said that it left a distasteful feeling in Nina's mouth.
"And your mother always knew that her sister wasn't the most stable of people especially when Stacey kept pushing her to get jumped into the Santos. Just like what she's doing with you now," she continued. "That's why she wanted to leave so badly because even though Los Santos was built on these certain principles and foundations, Macey knew that with her sister in power things could change.
"One day Macey told me that her and Ricky hooked up and I knew that if Stacey found out all hell was going to break lose and Ricky knew that too. That's why he, amongst others, pushed your mother to get out and move to New York. No one really expected that Stacey could turn on her the way she did by just pushing her away," she sighed.
"Before your mom moved to New York, Frankie and Benito pulled something off called the RollerWorld Heist. Maybe you're familiar with it," Nina nodded in response. "There were some speculations going around saying Ricky was involved and even Stacey."
"A few months later Benito and Frankie were lucky enough to hide the money before they got arrested and the two of them died in prison. Ricky came to me saying that it all seemed like a set up. Like why was it just Benito and Frankie and how come him and Stacey weren't dragged down after," Rosé mentioned.
"He kept going on and on about how Stacey wanted to take the credit of the heist herself and he knew that something bad was going to happen. And like he said, Ricky was dead 19 months after the heist but there weren't any records of it," Rosé shook her head recalling the news.
"But I knew that fool all too well to know that he dipped. For all I know he could've followed Macey to New York knowing that Stacey had cut her off. So you showing those results saying that he's your father and those letters from your mother claiming that he is, I don't think it's another lie you're being fed baby," Rosé sipped her red again.
"So you gotta face it, you are an heir to the Santos," she said leaning on to counter top.
All of that was starting to sink in. Like mother like daughter, Nina thought. Of course they both had to fall for the leader of the Santos. "What do you suggest I do," Nina sighed in defeat swirling the dark red liquid in her glass.
"No matter what you do keep your sister and her kids out of it the way your man always did for you," Rosé answered. "You could take the offer but you'd have to deal with the fact that you'll probably never be the same and you'll serve as some lap dog to your auntie. Then there would also be the possibility of her using your man against you and you'd have to turn away from him."
Nothing that Nina hadn't thought of before.
"There's that or you could just kill her."
Hearing that made Nina choke on her own spit as she set the glass back down on the table.
"Baby, you okay?" Rosé asked as she began to pat Nina on the back from all her coughing.
"Rosé, I just told you I can't kill people. I only act on self-defense!" Nina retaliated quickly taking a sip to ease her from coughing. Nina had thought of everything except for that.
"This is self-defense! It's either her life or somebody else's!" Rosé exclaimed. "I mean you said it yourself, honey! She could only use the people around you against you to get what she wants. It'll only be a matter of time as to when!" she pointed out.
Nina had never really thought that it might boil down to this. She'd thought of every possible way for her to avoid this but killing her, a gang boss and the only blood relative that she had left. All of a sudden her phone starts ringing and she sees a picture of Oscar on her caller ID.
"Is that your man?" Rosé nodded smiling a little. That was Ray's kid, she thought. She had even thought how funny it was that both Nina and her mother had fallen for the leaders of the Santos.
"Yea, excuse me a sec," Nina mumbled picking up the call. "Hey," she said softly into the line as she walked away from the counter. She heard Oscar sniffing into the line and she hadn't realized that it was already dark outside. She needed to get home.
Their call ends and Nina walks back over to Rosé. "I-I gotta go. I'm really sorry that I had to bother you with all of this. Thank you for what you told me and the wine," Nina said in respect as Rosé nodded.
"Nina," Rosé began. "Look, I don't wanna be tellin you this to scare you. I can see that you're a smart and great girl so you gotta be and act smart with what you're about to get into," she said walking over to the young woman and taking her hands in hers.
"You do realize that the reason why she wants or even believes that Lil' Ricky is still alive is because she wants to kill him, right? It'll only be a matter of time before she comes after you," she says to Nina slowly and Nina's heart starts sinking. The whole being on top of everything act. Why Ricky was so keen on just dipping and why he constantly had to be on the move.
She's right. Nina knew she was right. It would only be a matter of time when she gets to Oscar too. But right now, the only way of making sure no one else gets involved would be to take the offer given to her.
"Baby, listen to me," Rosé said softly as she brushed Nina's chin. "If you wanna get out this, you got make the right and smart decisions. And you do what you gotta do to protect your family and your man, you hear?"
-
Nina walked into her home seeing Oscar seated by the dining table drinking that bottle of whisky that they shared the night before. She'd gotten a call from him saying that he needed her so she excused herself from Rosé and made it home as fast as she could thinking that he was physically hurt. She hadn't even noticed that it was already night time.
"Oscar?" she ran over to him. Once she got to him she knelt down and noticed that he'd been crying. He didn't say much on the call and each time she tried calling him back he wouldn't answer which only made her worry even more.
"Hey, amor what's wrong?" she asked in concern placing her hand on his balled fist. He wouldn't even look at her in the eye. "Oscar, talk to me. Please," she begged seeing as his breathing was heavy and that he couldn't seem to focus.
"He left, Nina. He fucking left, again," Oscar croaked out it only took a second for Nina to realize that he was talking about Ray. "Twelve fucking years in prison and he doesn't even write to me. Not one phone call. He leaves me to take care of Cesar even when our mom couldn't step up to do her fucking job as a mom."
"You know, the day he got arrested I wouldn't stop crying," he recalled with a bitter laugh. "I was what? Ten or eleven at that time and I didn't know what the fuck was going on," he continued as a tear rolled down his cheek.
"Cesar was basically still a baby and he wouldn't stop crying. Mom was devastated too and all I ever thought about was how I missed my dad. I wrote to him everyday but he never wrote me back," he sniffed. "Mom kept saying there was some sort of problem with the mail. Maybe he never got it or I never got his mail. Then again, mom was never herself when he left us."
Oscar continued crying, he didn't care about wiping away his tears as Nina continued holding his hand while he cried. All she could do was listen. "Eventually I stopped writing. I stopped waiting for his calls and stopped attempting to visit him since he never even showed up."
"But then I went to prison," he sniffed. "I wrote to Cesar when I could, even to some of the homies. I called them when I could and showed up to every visit. Ran the fucking Santos from inside the cell. Called Cesar up every year for his birthday."
"Then there would be nights where I just thought, if I could do all those things being locked up where I was how come he couldn't do the fucking same?" Oscar looked at Nina with his eyes just red from the alcohol and tears.
"I wish he never came back. I wish he could've just died in prison, things would've been easier if he just died," he spat as a tear rolled down his cheek and Nina only tightened her grip on hand.
"Mi amor, don't say that. You know you don't mean that," she said to him softly as she tried looking into his eyes but again he only avoided her gaze.
"Oh I do. I fucking do," he sneered following a sniff. "It's not fair how I had to carry his shit for the past twelve years both in the Santos and in the family. It hurts me so goddamn much seeing Cesar warm up to him so much after all this time when Ray didn't see him grow up the way I did."
Nina could hear the hurt and pain in his voice the more that he spoke. She noticed how he was trying so hard to keep it all in. And it hurt her seeing like this because she rarely saw Oscar cry. The only time he ever did was because of her and to him to suddenly pour out his feelings about his father was a whole different kind of pain.
"Now that he left us again, Cesar blames me for it. He says that I told him to leave saying that I was actually happy that he left. He says that I'm cursed and that everything bad that's happened to him is because of me," he let out a sob and it only broke Nina's heart even more.
"Cesar doesn't blame you-"
"He does, Nina," he said finally looking at her with his eyes filled with tears. "Don't bother saying none of it is true because it is. Look what happened? I jumped him into the gang, I couldn't protect him and because of that he's spent his months on the streets being hunted by the Prophet$. It's because of me Ruby got shot and his friend Olivia is dead because of me."
"And then there's you, Nina," he sniffed as he unknowingly began to fiddle with her hands. "I kept saying I would protect you but shit just keeps happening. You almost died because of me. They tried to kill you because of me," he choked out.
Nina shook her head. "They. They, the Prophet$ tried to kill me. That wasn't your fault. And what happened with Cesar wasn't your call. It was Cuchillos-"
"Still!" he raised his voice. "I gotta stop making promises I can't keep. I ain't shit Nina. I don't deserve any sort of love you give me. I don't deserve anything Cesar gives me," he cried even more.
"Cesar doesn't understand shit of how much I blame myself for all the bad shit that's happened," when he said that Nina started crying as well. Oscar, out of all people, deserved to be loved. He shouldn't be bearing this much pain and anger because Nina knew damn well that he deserved to be happy.
"But there's no other person that I blame more than my father," he said bitterly through his tears. "It's because of him I had to take care of Cesar all these years. It's because of him I had to get jumped into the Santos so early and I had to take over for him. It's because him I never had a chance to make it out. It's because of him I'm like this, some punk ass cholo who always fucks things up. Now I've ruined Cesar's life and I've ruined yours cos that's all I'm ever fucking good at!"
"Oscar!" Nina yelled snapping him out of his daze. She quickly places a hand under his chin to make him look at her. "Oscar, listen to me and trust the things I am about to say," she pleaded as Oscar did just look at her as he continued to cry.
"You are a good man because I wouldn't be with you if you weren't. I wouldn't be in love with you if you weren't," Nina said with uttermost conviction and sincerity. "You have looked after Cesar all your life the way you knew how just because Cesar says otherwise doesn't mean you haven't been doing what you needed to do to keep his safe his entire life."
"Cesar is who he is today because of you. He's a good kid because of you," she continued holding on to both of his hands. "He trusts you with his life and he loves you for it. He's just emotional because he has yet to know so much more about Ray and he has so much more to understand about what's going on between you and your father."
"Just because you tell him off now and just because there have been a few slip ups along the way doesn't disregard the fact that you do what you do for the sake of your own family," a tear rolled down her cheek as he gave his hands a squeeze. "Call yourself out for all the bad shit you've done but all of that is built on the fact that you go to crazy lengths to protect your family and the ones you love."
"I get that you blame your father but, mi amor, you have to learn to let that go because all that hate will get you nowhere," Nina pointed out. "Sure hate him now but where will that bring you if not only resentment."
"I know you enough to know that you are a smart and loving man and there is so much more to you than what people know. What makes you so amazing is how you learn from all your past mistakes to never make the same mistake twice. That's what makes you a good leader and that's what makes you a great fucking person," she sniffed.
"Learn from what you're father did and maybe forgive him eventually. But you gotta forgive and stop blaming yourself for the things that have happened knowing that they were beyond your control," Nina took a breathe for one moment seeing his expression and just seeing him cry. It hurt her so much seeing him so broken.
She places a hand to his cheek and wipes away his tear. "Oscar, you have no idea how much I love you. You have no idea how much you really are so deserving of my love. And how much you are so deserving of happiness and a good life."
"When all this shit blows over, one day we will live the best of our lives and I will love you until you fucking get sick of me. One day we'll own a house and we'll have kids and you are going to be the best man I have ever loved and you are going to be the best father our kids could eve have," Nina said confidently showing him a small smile.
"I'm sure of all of that because I love you and I have faith in you. I will never stop loving you. I will never stop believing in you, Oscar," she added softly as Oscar looked at her and cried.
Oscar loved her so much. Little did she know was that the reason why Oscar was a better man was because of her. Everything in his life was better because of her. He sobbed even more as he pulled her up to embrace her tightly.
Nina held him close and cradled him gently. She meant everything that she said to him and it really hurt her seeing him so broken. If she could kiss the pain away she would. If she had to smack Cesar on the head for it she would. She knew then and there that she would do anything for him, to make sure that he felt loved and to make sure he knew that.
---
I suck at updating now. I don't know if I plan to put up another chapter within the next 24 hours or so to compensate for a lacking chapter last week. But with this update, there are only 15 chapters left to this book. Though, I do plan on making another chapter ... you'll know it when its out.
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