Gunz And Laci: Black Rose Mafia (18 page)

“Nazi, where the fuck are you?” Jinx spat, as soon as I answered the phone.

“I’m just getting out of class,” I lied to him.

“Nazi, don’t fucking lie to me. Did you forget what type of dude you are fucking with? You are thirty minutes away from my crib, so I hope this is your destination.”

“Jinx, why are you hacking into my GPS?”

“Don’t try to flip shit; the question is why are you in New York?”

“Jinx, I’m not doing this with you right now.”

“Come straight to my crib Nazi. Don’t go see Laci or nothing; your ass better be here within the next thirty,” he demanded.

“Jinx, don’t talk to me like that.”

“You heard what I said.” He hung up the phone and I sat in my car stunned.

Jinx and I haven’t been on the best of terms and me coming back to New York without telling him wasn’t going to make things any better. Jinx was supposed to come back to Atlanta with me after everything happened with Laci. The only reason he didn’t was because I told him it would be best if he stayed in New York. Of course, he went off because I was the reason he was moving to ATL from the jump. I just didn’t think him coming down was the right move.

I felt as though he was only coming because that was the only way for me to be with him. I wanted him to move down there because he wanted to and not because I was forcing him too. He didn’t see it that way; he took it as me trying to push him away. Instead of telling him my reasoning, I let him think what he wanted. I didn’t feel the need to explain myself, so I didn’t. The whole situation put a strain on our relationship. We wasn’t talking as much as we used to, which was why he didn’t know I got kicked out of school.

I was still pissed off about that whole situation. I knew Shirley and Dennis was some dickheads but I didn’t think they would go as far as fucking with my education. My education was important to me, which was why I was going to figure out a way to finish up my degree. My school allowed me to get my transcript, so I could transfer my credits; the only thing left for me to do was find a school and the money to pay for school. I had about thirty thousand saved up from the money Shirley would send me. Thirty thousand wasn’t much, but I was going to stretch it until I figured everything out. I haven’t talked to Laci since I told her about my school situation. I felt bad about going off on her, but at the same time, she didn’t understand where I was coming from. I didn’t like depending on anyone; yeah, Jinx was my man but we just got together. How do I look asking him to move in until I could get on my feet? That wasn’t the type of person I was and I wasn’t going to change my ways now.

Pulling up to the townhouse, I sat in my car for a couple of seconds. I wasn’t ready to face Jinx, so I called Laci instead.

“I was wondering when I was going to hear from you. How are you? Do you know when you’re coming back up here?”

“It has only been a day and a half since you talked to me. Stop acting like it has been years.”

“It seems like years.” She laughed. “When are you coming back this way?”

“I’m already up here. I packed all my clothes and sneakers up into my truck yesterday and drove up here. I’m actually sitting outside the house.”

“I’m about to come down.”

“Don’t, Jinx called me and started going off. He wants me to come see him.”

“You told him you were up here?”

“Of course I didn’t. Jinx found out on his own. Did you tell him about my school situation?”

“No, why would I tell Jinx; that isn’t my place.”

“Well, did you tell Gunz?”

“Ummm yeah, I did, but don’t be mad Nazi.”

“Why would you tell Gunz when you know he is going to tell Jinx? Damn Laci, I didn’t want you telling anyone.”

“I know and, at first, I wasn’t going to tell Gunz but then he started talking about secrets and weaknesses. I felt the right thing to do was tell him. We are a family Nazi.”

“Yeah whatever. I’m about to go face the music; I’ll talk to you later.”

“Don’t be mad Nazi and I love you.”

“Love you too.” I hung up the phone and stepped out of my truck.

I let myself in Jinx’s apartment using my key and found him in the bedroom. He was sitting at the edge of the bed fully dressed with a scowl on his face.

“Fix your face,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Nazi, why you keeping shit from me?”

“I didn’t keep anything from you,” I sighed, falling into the chair that was in the corner of his room.

“You kept you getting kicked out of school from me, then you kept the fact that you were coming back to New York today from me. Neither of those things sit well with me; I suggest you start explaining yourself.”

“I don’t have to explain shit!” I yelled.

“Nazi, lower your voice when you’re talking to me. This tough act you’re trying to put on is for the birds.”

“Nothing I’m doing is an act. Everything about me is authentic.”

“Stop with the bullshit. I don’t know what other niggas you fucked with but them little savvy lines you be spitting don’t work with me. I see you, Nazi.”

“Okay, I see you too; what are you trying to say?” Jinx was talking but really wasn’t saying much of anything.

“I’m saying I see you, Nazi. I see you for the hurt timid girl that you are. You put on this tough persona because someone has to be the tough one, right. Both you and Laci couldn’t be emotional. One of you had to be the other’s backbone, that’s where this tough shit came from. You had to be Laci’s backbone, which left you with no one to be yours.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about.” I was chewing the inside of my cheek because with each word he spoke, he was breaking me down. He was reading me like a book and I didn’t like it at all.

“I know exactly what you’re talking about. You think I don’t know how you feel about not having parents but guess what? I know better than anyone. Yeah, I have a mom and dad but they weren’t real parents. I love them, but I honestly would’ve been better without them. If it wasn’t for Gunz and Jiselle, then I wouldn’t have turned out the way that I did. They were my backbone as I was theirs; now, I’m trying to be yours but you have to let me in. Nazi, you have to let me be there for you.”

I couldn’t even say anything because tears started falling. I felt weak as hell crying in front of Jinx. Laci hadn’t even seen me cry and that was because I always hid it. Jinx was right. I have always been the backbone for Laci. I was Laci’s strength when she couldn’t be strong for herself. At the same time, with me always being strong for Laci, I was never able to be vulnerable.

“Nazi, you don’t have to cry shawty. I’m willing to be the strength you need when you’re weak. It’s okay to be vulnerable around me because I promise I won’t do anything less than build you back up. Now, tell me what’s up, starting with why you told me not to move to Atlanta.”

I got up out the chair and sat on the bed next to Jinx. I leaned my head on his chest, ready to just let everything out.

“I didn’t want you to come because I felt as if I was forcing you to come. I didn’t feel like you wanted to move down there; it was more so you moving down there for me.”

“Nazi, you should know I don’t do anything that I don’t want to do. Yeah, I was moving to Atlanta because you wanted me to, but at the same time, I was doing it for myself. I wanted to be with you and the only way that I could was me moving. You are worth the move ma. If you asked me to move a mountain just to be with you, I would do it or at least try.”

I blushed a little and hid my face.

“Don’t hide your face Nazi, keep talking though.”

“Well, I didn’t tell you about the school situation because we weren’t on the best of terms. Anyway, they took their tuition money back and I didn’t have a way of paying the rest of it, so I had to leave school. The semester had just started too.” I shook my head because I was still in disbelief. I would’ve finished with school in two months.

“I’ll pay for your school and I’ll move to Atlanta liked I planned on it.”

“Jinx, I can’t ask you to pay for my school.”

“You’re not asking; I’m offering. Just call your school up and see if you can make arrangements. I’ll pay in cash if I have too. Education is something that I’m big on and I know how much school means to you, even though you try to play it off.”

“I don’t know what to say.” I cried, looking up into his eyes.

“Just say you will cut all the tough shit out and allow me to be the nigga you need. If you can do that, then we will be straight.”

“I can do that, I guess.” I shrugged while laughing.

“Don’t make me beat that ass Nazi.” He smiled.

“Jinx, now you need to stop. You know you’re a nerd.”

“I never said I wasn’t a nerd. Baby, I have a nerd persona with a thug mentality.”

“Yeah, whatever boy; now, let me go see about my sister.” Jinx wiped my tears, then kissed me passionately.

Let’s just say I never made it upstairs to see Laci that night. Instead, Jinx and I spent the night becoming one with each other. If Jinx didn’t have me gone before, he definitely had me gone now.

“Brett Ferragamo, get the hell up now. You have been wallowing in your self-pity for the last month and I refuse to let it go on!” my mouth shouted.

I pulled the covers over my head and ignored her. She didn’t understand how I was feeling. Let alone, her ass probably didn’t even care.

“Brett, you think we have time for you to be crying in bed like a child. Get the fuck up and get up now.”

The covers were snatched off my body and, the next thing I knew, I was being stricken with an extension cord.

“Mother stop it!” I yelled, jumping out of the bed.

“I’m not going to stop until you act like the man you are supposed to be. Until then, you will get whipped like the puss you are.” I stared at my mother for a second before I started talking.

“How dare you speak to me as if I’m beneath you.”

“The person that is standing in front of me at this moment is beneath me. Your father is probably turning in his grave at the way you have been acting for the last month. You had one simple task, which was to marry Lacianne. Without her, our family is nothing.”

“You don’t think I understand that. You don’t think I know that my father’s blood is on my hands. I am doing everything I can to handle the situation,” I lied.

I haven’t done nothing but sulk around my house for the past month. Yes, I was the person in charge of what was left of the Ferragamo family, but I was never the one calling the shots. I was the face while my father handled everything. The only reason why I was the person people assumed was the leader was because I was going to marry Lacianne. Lacianne was well respected in the crime world. Having her on my side would put my family at the top were we rightfully belonged. I didn’t have my father or Laci by my side; what the hell was I supposed to do now?

“Don’t you fix your tongue to lie to me again. I have been keeping everyone at bay telling them that you will make an appearance when the time is right. Well, the time is right, and you need to handle the Carters.”

“Ma, how am I supposed to handle them when Gunz is damn near untouchable? He killed people at the wedding with a snap of his fingers. I can’t compare to that; I am not my father,” I sighed.

“You may not be your father but you are his son. It is time for you to channel him and fix this mess. Without Lacianne, our family is nothing. I don’t know how much more you want me to stress that. She is the key to our success in the crime world.”

“I’ll fix it,” I told her.

“You damn right, you will, because I refuse to die because my son didn’t have his father’s bravery. I will feed you to the wolves before I hang myself,” she spat, then walked out my room.

My mother was right; I needed to put my fears to the side and figure out a way to get us back on top. When the Black Rose Mafia was created, all the lawyers, cops, and judges we had in our back pocket stopped fucking with us because they no longer feared us. They had no reason to fear us because we no longer held that power. It wasn’t until Lacianne made that deal with Shirley that things started to look up. The Lewis’ was so well respected in the crime world that Lacianne’s last name could do numerous things. She was more powerful than she realized and I needed her.

Going after Gunz was going to be a hard task because he seemed to be untouchable. It wasn’t hard finding him because he made sure people knew where he was, but he had shooters everywhere he went. Before you could pull your gun out, you would be shot and would never know where the bullet came from. Coming directly for Gunz wouldn’t be the way to go; I would have to go for Lacianne, which would ultimately lead Gunz to me. Yeah, that was the way I was going to go. I may not have been as street smart as Gunz, but I was book smart, and I was going to use that to my advantage.

I ran over to the closet and grabbed my phone out of my suit pants. I quickly dialed Dennis’ number.

“Brett, where have been?” he asked as soon as he answered the phone.

“I have been getting things in motion to take Gunz down but I need your help.”

“Ummm, what exactly do you need help with?” He seemed a little leery but I could understand why. Dennis wasn’t as tough as he presented himself to be. Just like me, our toughness was all an act because we had my father backing us.

“It’s nothing that’s going to get you killed; you can relax. If Gunz hasn’t killed you by now, he isn’t going to kill you no time soon.”

“I’m not worried about Gunz.” He tried to sound confident but the fear was evident in his voice.

“I need you to tell me all of Lacianne’s weakness.”

“Uh okay, sure.”

I smiled as I grabbed a notepad and jotted everything that he had to say. Lacianne didn’t have a backbone and she was naïve. I planned on using that to my advantage; manipulation was going to be how I got her back on my side. Gunz may have won the battle but Brett Ferragamo was going to win the war.