“You muthafuckas really thought you won,” I said calmly. My voice carried without effort.
Zeke shook so hard his glass shattered on the floor. “N-N-Nyce, l-l-listen,” he stammered. “We-we can talk about this.”
“There ain’t shit left to talk about,” I said. “I should’ve been handled this the only way I know how after the first hit on my life. Then, you niggas got bold and actuallyhiredsomeone not even knowing he’s on my fucking payroll.”
“Fuck,” Don groaned, dropping his head into his hand.
I took one step closer. “You think consequences scare me, and that’s where you fucked up,” I said. “You thought you were smarter than me.”
Don stepped forward. “Think carefully,” he said. “You kill us, you prove every story about you right.”
“Fuck you and those stories.” I shot him. One clean shot to the chest. He dropped immediately, collapsing with a scream and athud. Next, I aimed my gun at Zeke. “You next,” I said.
“You don’t have to do this,” he cried, snot running from his nose as he held his hands up.
“Yes,” I said. “I do.” I shot him twice in each leg and once in each arm. I watched as he screamed and crawled to get away before moving toward him, kicking him.
He rolled onto his stomach, gasping and crying. “Nyce, please. Princess… will never forgive you.”
I started to say something when I heard a gunshot from behind me and felt a burning sensation on my side. Pain tore through me sharp and immediate, white hot and unforgiving. I stumbled forward, my vision flashing bright for half a second before the world steadied again. I turned slowly to see Don holding a pistol, barely alive yet smiling.
“I got you, muthafucka.” His voice was ragged.
Blood seeped through my hoodie as I walked back toward him, footsteps heavy with pain. I stopped beside him, towering over his body. “You didn’t get shit. And this development deal is still happening.” I lifted my gun, jaw clenched, and said, “Rest in hell, nigga.”
I shot him three times in the face. This time, I was sure his ass wouldn’t move. The room went quiet except for my breathing and the blood running warm down my side. I dropped to the floor, grunting through the pain as I reached for my phone. Once the call connected, I managed to get out, “I’m hit.”
A few moments later, I felt Belvin reaching for me. “Nyles!” His voice was faint, like he was yelling underwater.
Next thing I knew, Crook, Pointer, and a few other niggas came rushing in ready to get to work. My breath came out ragged as I clutched my side, the warmth of the blood leaking through my fingers like punishment. My vision blurred at the edges, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it. I wasn’t about to drop here. Not in front of my team.
Belvin carried me to the Rolls and helped me into the backseat. “You need a fucking hospital, man! Fuck!”
I chuckled, breathless. “I’m still the last muthafucka standing, ain’t I?” As we pulled off, I leaned back, letting the leather soak up my blood. My mind was fogging, but I was still alert enough to know I had to make one more move before I faded. “Call Princess,” I rasped, throat feeling like glass. “Right fucking now.”
Belvin didn’t ask questions. He just pulled out his phone and dialed. It rang twice, and then I heard her soft, ass voice. “Hello?”
That one word almost stopped my heart more than any bullet could. Belvin handed me the phone with hands that shook. I pressed it to my ear, feeling my heart pound againstbruised ribs. “It’s done,” I breathed, my voice raw. “It’s fucking over.”
She gasped. “Nyce…” Her voice cracked, just like my ribs probably had. “Are you okay?”
I swallowed against the copper flooding my tongue. Half-dead in the backseat, my body screamed for rest, but I wouldn’t let her hear that. “I’m straight,” I lied, voice raw. “I’ll see you soon.” The hope in my words tasted bitter.
“You better,” she whispered. “Promise me.”
I closed my eyes, picturing her face. “I got you.” I ended the call. “Get me to Dr. Nohmen.”
Like we traveled through a teleportation machine, Belvin pulled up to the back of a building on the outskirts of the city in no time. It looked like nothing, but inside was the only man I trusted to keep me breathing when shit hit the fan. Fading in and out, I heard Belvin throw the SUV in park and jumped out. A few moments later, I felt hands grabbing me.
“Never thought I’d see you back here, Mr. Richards,” Dr. Nohmen muttered when I was carried inside. “Lay his stubborn ass down before he bleeds out all over my floor.”
Belvin and the staff dropped me onto the cold metal table. The overhead light hit me square in the eyes. I blinked up at it, breathing shallow. He pulled on gloves, cut off my shirt, and poked around the wound. I hissed through clenched teeth.
“You ever think about slowing down?” Dr. Nohmen asked, grabbing a scalpel. “Quitting before you wind up a chalk outline?”
“Every now and then,” I muttered, jaw locked.
“And?” I didn’t answer right away. The silence just sat heavy in the room. He pressed into the wound again, pulling me back into the moment. “Damn, Nyce,” he muttered. “This bullet’s deep.”
I winced. “Yeah, well… that’s what I pay you for. Get it… the fuck out.”
As the pain started to drown in darkness, my mind went where it always did lately… Princess. She made me feel like more than a monster. And maybe for once, that was enough to want something a little different. Move a little different. Feel a little different. The light above me blurred, and my eyes fluttered.
“Yeah…” I whispered, voice barely a breath. “Maybe I finally got a reason to slow the fuck down.” Then, I blacked out.
