You Break Me (The Prospect 2)

Nikki

“Thanks for picking me up.” I limp toward my bastard of an Uncle, Happy.

“Happy to do it. I’m so sorry I didn’t know about Tricky. Had I known I would have killed the piece for shit myself years ago.”

I walk past him, and he tries to hug me.

“Don’t touch me. I might be thankful for the ride, but it doesn’t mean I want anything t

o do with you!”

He nods looking sad. “Sophia is back at my place. She’s a good kid. A little quiet but worried about you.”

“That bitch you are married to better not be alone with her or your cunt daughter, Susan.” I glare at him and he stiffens.

“What are you talking about? Crystal was devastated when you ran off. She cried herself to sleep for weeks when I couldn’t find you.”

I laugh in his face.

“Nikki, sweetheart. What’s wrong?”

“You really don’t know do you?”

“I am hoping you’ll tell me. Let’s go have a drink. Just you and me and you can tell me whatever it is that has you upset that you think I should know.

“Fine, I’ll tell you everything, but first I want you to make a call and get my daughter away from them.”

He shakes his head but pulls out his phone and shoots off a text. We pull up to a nice neighborhood, and park in space 603. “Where are we?”

“Had this place for years, kept it up, had renters for a while, but it was always yours. It was supposed to be your gift for your eighteenth birthday.” And then I ran off, maybe I could have stayed, but I can’t think that way. Tricky was a piece of shit, but he did give me one and only good thing in my life, Sophia. “We’re on the top floor, it has a walk out balcony and leads up to the roof.” We ride the elevator in silence all the way to my new apartment.

Opening the door, I see it’s nice, a lot nicer than the shitty house I lived in with Tricky. “It’s one of the bigger units. Top floor only has four apartments, more condo style. I haven’t gotten Sophia’s room done yet, it’s just a standard bedroom, wanted to wait to find out what she liked before I do anything.”

“Stop talking. I appreciate this, but you don’t need to do anything for me. Or Sophia.”

Her glares at me and goes to the couch. “Need you to start talking, Nikki.”

I roll my eyes and sit on the chair opposite him. “Well, let’s start with the fact that I think you had my mother killed.”

“What!” he roars. “I never would have done that. I saw the police report just like you did, it was a robbery gone wrong. She was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”

“Bullshit, you and that cunt of a wife were sick of my mother flaunting around town, showing me off and causing trouble for you at the clubhouse.”

Happy shakes his head and runs a hand over it. “I cared about your mother more than Crystal. Always have. Hell, I was still fuckin’ your mother up until the day before she was killed.” His words confuse me. Huh, I guess that’s another thing Crystal lied about. She always said my mother was an embarrassment to his club.

“Then the only other person would be Crystal,” I say, leaning back in the chair and crossing my arms.

“Why do you keep saying these awful things about Crystal? Did you not have a great upbringing? She treated you like her own. Susan worshipped you.” I snort.

“Wow, you really never saw or heard anything that went on in that house at all huh. They treated me like garbage. Said I was garbage, bastard of a whore. They would beat me, bully me at school. Constantly told me how much you despised having to bring me to live with you.” Before I can continue on, he stands up, looking shocked and I’m almost worried he’s gonna faint.

“All those times you came home and were banged up, you said it was from sports.”

“No, I said that because they said they already told you and you would laugh, that you didn’t care.”

He’s fighting some sort of battle but before we can continue the door opens and in walks Cruiz, with my daughter. She looks upset, and Cruiz looks angry as fuck. “Go see your mama, baby,” he tells my girl. “Prez, need a chat, right fuckin’ now.” He walks over to me quickly, kisses my temple and says, “good to have you back home, girl.” Cruiz and I grew up together, but he is also the man who broke my heart and his actions were the catalyst I need to run away from here to begin with. His old man, Tango was always fond of my mother, but she was Happy’s whore, I guess.

They walk out into the hallway, and I hear their voices raised. “You okay, Sophia?”