Nina nodded as she nibbled on a piece of cantaloupe. “She’s been a lifesaver. I just hate knowing that I need her.” Nina was used to being independent that it was still a task to trust that she could get the job done. But she’d come a long way from when Ava first started.
“Why?”
“Because it means my life is too much for me to handle.” She hated that.
Jio chewed slowly, watching her. “Or it means you finally got help.”
“Cheers to taking baby steps,” she cheered herself on.
“You gotta stop acting like needing help is a sign of failure.”
“I don’t think it is.” she rightfully disagreed.
“You do, but I’m not arguing with you before nine in the morning.” He picked his battles wisely with shorty.
“Good idea! You’re growing.” She beamed.
“I’m trying.” He was right about that. It’d only been forty-eight hours, but she’d detected a change in his behavior and was pleased. She loved him enough to believe that this go round wouldn’t be temporary. Jio didn’t want to lose her and it showed this time. It somewhat made things sort of complicated; she was so fuckin’ naïve and she knew it too.
Jio Gotti was still Jio Gotti. She knew that there were still monsters in the back of his closet and demons riding his back. He was a made man that had niggas that were so loyal to him that all he had to do was nod his head and a move would be made that could be detrimental. His business was still wrapped in silence like the bricks that he packed and sent on the road. Jio belonged to a coalition that she had no desire to understand. But in spite of, she couldn’t see herself loving anyone else. The only thing that had changed was that he was now putting forth effort. Nina told herself,Chill. Yall had one good night. She was jumping to a conclusion that hadn’t even been drawn yet.
An hour later, Jio pulled up outsideMarcelle & Co. in a vehicle that cost more than some people’s homes. Nina sat in the passenger seat with her hair pulled into a sleek bun and sunglasses hiding the fact that she’d gotten maybe three hours of sleep. Jio’s oversized designer jackets were draped over her shoulders and even on what should’ve been an off day, she still was killin’ em’.
Her vehicle sat exactly where he said it would be. In her reserved spot.
“You got my car washed?”
“It was dirty,” he shrugged because it wasn’t a big deal to him.
Before she could open the door, Jio locked it.
Nina slowly turned toward him. “You gotta let me free eventually, Mr. Gotti,” she teased.
“I need to say something first,” he cleared his throat.
She sat back. “Okay well, I’m listening.”
“I’m only letting that nigga live because he in the prosecutor’s office and I may need him one day.”
It took a second for her brain to catch up. “Are you talking about Carter?”
Jio looked at her like she knew better. “We’ve been doing good. Don’t insult my intelligence, ma.”
“Are you serious?”
“Very.”
“Jio, he doesn’t have any pull. We just graduated law school, remember?”
“Yeah,” Jio said, eyes forward. “But who knows where he’ll be ten years from now.”
Nina frowned. “Who even thinks that far?”
“I do, baby. I have to and I know that niggas like him would do anything for you.”
Her stomach dipped, and this time it had nothing to do with how good he looked.
“What are you talking about?”
