Chapter 2 #4
The indignation that she carried was wild.
Here we were seven years later, and the person I was now looking at didn’t resemble the woman I fell in love with.
She had hardened, and I doubted a trace of the woman I used to crave to indulge in was there.
She had been under Arrow’s thumb, and that was about as close to mind control as one could get.
The nigga could brainwash even the strongest person.
I know because I had witnessed it. He hated that he couldn’t break me.
The one thing Kutlass did for me was prepare me for the harsh reality of the line of work that I would one day perform.
Unlike my nigga Ledge, I didn’t want to be a killer.
Shit just came natural to me. Most other little niggas were skilled at basketball and football.
I could disassemble a rifle and put it back together in forty-five seconds.
“I hope you enjoyed all that time you got with my daughter,” Ivana directed at Harbor.
She didn’t respond. Instead, she cleared her throat and bowed her head humbly.
Clasping her hands together, I could tell she was processing what she wanted to say to her in response.
Harbor raised her head with confidence and held Ivana’s tough glare.
Not long ago, she needed encouragement to stand up for herself.
Carrying a child was evolving her beyond the twenty-one-year-old woman that she was.
“She is… a very special young girl. I adore her, and yes, I have enjoyed my time with her. I’m not trying to take your place. I never could. I was just… being there for her.”
“I’m sure,” she muttered, looking her up and down spitefully. “And you were just being there for Quency too, right?”
“As far as either of us knew, you were dead. Was he supposed to go on, dedicated to your memory, and never live his life to the fullest again?”
“You don’t know a damn thing about him, or me… little ass girl. You’re still a fucking baby out here. One day you might be able to fathom what we had,” Ivana spitefully relayed.
“You have a good night. It’s been a long day.” Harbor turned to go, and I remained behind studying Ivana.
“The fuck are you trying to imply? You don’t know what the fuck Harbor has been through or her relationship with Ivy.
It’s not her fault that they’ve grown close.
Maybe you should sit in here and think about all the fucking chances you had to be here and you weren’t.
Good night.” I backed out, slamming the door shut.
I locked it back up, and when I glanced to my right, Harbor was pressed against the wall, arms tucked across her growing breasts. I sighed heavily. As bad as I wanted to get in bed and decompress from this day with her, I had to go deal with Knowledge.
“Come on. Let’s get you two in the bed.” I put my arm around her and led her away.
We reached the door to our bedroom, and Harbor paused and faced me.
Wet, dull eyes met mine. It reminded me of when she first got here, and it cut into a nigga’s heart.
I didn’t want any parts of that. When she looked at me all lit up, like another man didn’t even exist for her, that was what I always aimed for.
“I can tuck myself in,” she said, keeping her eyes fixed on me. “Are you alright?”
In the midst of all this, she was worried about me.
Every time I thought I had her pegged, she amazed me even more.
She was a natural nurturer, and I couldn’t wait to watch her love on our baby when they came.
Inching closer into her space, I peered down my nose at her, admiring her silky ass skin that was glowing even in the darkened walls of this house.
She brought fucking light wherever she went.
Sweeping some of her hair from her face, my hand touched her cheek first. The way her eyes shimmered sucked me in.
Looking back on our relationship, I had done a lot of the taking.
I would be fronting if I said that a lot of guilt still haunted me at times.
Somehow, despite everything we had gone through, I still felt inadequate against her.
She was the picture of perfection, and I was a professional hitta.
Ivana’s return hit me hard, like a fat nigga used all his weight and uppercut me, puncturing my lungs and keeping me from breathing.
Harbor was air. I needed her like a fucking life raft.
There was an obvious difference between the two.
“Everything going on and you manage to ask me how I’m doing?” I gently gripped her chin and cupped it.
“This can’t be easy for you. I don’t want to add to it. But her being alive changes things. I can’t even think about what this is going to do to Ivy. That girl has been through too much to be so young. And I know that she will be a teenager soon, but… This is still a lot for a kid to deal with.”
“Ivy is resilient. And she’s growing up.
Being around you has been just what she needs.
She learned how to carry herself with dignity and respect.
You are resilient, just like her. You bounce back easily, adapting to any situation, and she’s seeing that up close.
Not from her auntie, or Ivana, because she hasn’t been with her in over six years.
It’s you showing up to all of her activities, taking her to school, making her breakfast, and teaching her steps.
At first, I thought having her here was going to be a bad move.
I didn’t even feel like a father. I knew she was taken care of, but I wasn’t as active as I should have been.
It’s my fault that she came here with all that held-up resentment.
And because of you, we have been able to work on repairing that, slowly but surely. ”
“You shared a life with her too. Ivy comes from that. Can you honestly say you don’t wonder what would have been if you never thought she was dead? You love her. And I get that. You don’t have to lie about that.”
“I have wondered, and I buried it. She was dead. Now she’s back, and there’s a good fucking chance she was standing right alongside my enemy during all this time.
So what I feel the most is pretty fucking pissed off.
It’s taking everything in me not to turn up on her ass for putting me and Ivy through this.
Betrayal comes in many forms, and more than anything, that’s what I see when I look at her. ”
“The anger could go away. Listen to her. Talk to her. For Ivy, you have to,” Harbor warned gently.
“You too good to be fucking true sometimes, ma.” Inching forward, I pressed my lips into hers.
She accepted my kiss and offered me her tongue, deepening it while she hung on to my rib cage pressed into her.
“Get some rest. I’m going to talk to this fool, and I’m coming home to you.”
“Be careful,” she said as I pulled away from her.
My big hand caressed her swollen stomach before I knelt over and kissed the top of it.
I personally believed she was carrying my son, but we were still waiting it out.
What I did know was she was putting on extra pounds quickly in this last fucking trimester.
Her ass and titties were growing out of this world, and a nigga was enjoying the view from all angles.
“I love you.” I pecked her lips one more time before she entered the bedroom and I headed for the stairs.
By the time I reached the compound, Knowledge was already there.
I let myself inside, and the smell of kush greeted me along with the smoke.
Seated at the table staring straight ahead at me when I emerged from the mantrap, he leaned back in his chair.
A glass of Hennessy sat in front of him, I could tell that he had a lot on his mind, and he already had that faded look.
I joined him at the table, right at his left side.
“What happened tonight, Ledge?” I asked, placing my hands on the table together.
“First, let me tell you, I got approached by Arrow not long ago. He sent that nigga Dex and made me an offer. He wanted me to take you out. At the time… I agreed,” Ledge confessed, and I froze, gradually reclining in my chair.
“I wasn’t going through with the shit. I just needed him to think that while we figured out some shit.
Then he called you to set up the meeting.
I assumed he was going to pull me in that night, but I guess he had other plans. ” Ledge shrugged.
“Yeah, he wanted to add a little fuel to the fire first.” My voice was low as I pensively gazed off.
“He brought Kut to me. Told me that he had Ivana killed. It was all some sick ass game for Arrow to have me take out my own fucking father. And then, he presents Ivana like a fucking prize or trophy or some shit.”
“Wait, what?” A deep crease formed in his forehead. “Ivana? You telling me she’s alive?”
I reached for the Hennessy and took a gulp right from the bottle.
“Alive and well. All this fucking time,” I countered, taking another chug.
Ledge was about as perplexed as I was about it. He kept moving his head from side to side. That was exactly how I felt. Every time I thought about it, shit felt like some weird ass dream that was in play. But then I remembered seeing her face. I had grown to love that girl so much.
“And she’s been with Arrow? The fuck she got to say about that?” Knowledge questioned. “And what happened at the meeting tonight?”
“Arrow is dead.” My confession got both of Ledge’s brows to go up, completely shocked. “He did too fucking much, and if anybody comes for me—”
“Then they coming for me too,” Ledge chimed in. “And I mean that shit. I got your back and front, bruh, real shit.”
A simper fell on my lips, and I nodded.
“Thanks for the save tonight with Harbor and Ivy. I’m glad you were there.”