Thug Luv 2 (9 page)

Chapter 10

It had been a month since Ace had found Sunshine lying across the living room floor when he burst through his backdoor blazing shots. The joy of seeing her warmed his heart. For the last month, he had been nursing her back to health. The first two weeks, he wouldn’t leave her side. He fed her, bathed her, and just talked to her for hours while she lay on his chest. The only thing Ace didn’t like was the fact that every time he moved or reached out to Sunshine she flinched or jumped as tears clouded her vision. It broke his heart. Ace had promised to inflict bodily harm on anyone responsible for Sunshine’s kidnapping and pain; he intended on delivering his pledge. It didn’t matter how long it took for him to get the job done.

Sunshine wasn’t 100 percent, but today Ace saw progress. She was up walking around the room getting reacquainted with the world. Finally, she had stepped out of the hotel room. The only thing she had yet to do was talk and Ace couldn’t wait to hear her sweet voice again.

*

Slowly, Sunshine moved around the hotel room she had been confined to for the last month. She was more than ready to hold her daughters, go home, and lay across her bed. Then, she remembered the shootout that had taken place. Some things she tried to block out and forget all together but she couldn’t. “Amir!” Sunshine called out.

“I’m right here,” Ace said standing behind her.

“I’m ready to go home to see my babies,” she said with tears in her eyes. “I know they’ve gotten so big,” she smiled wiping the tears away. It pained her that she had missed so much of their young lives. Due to her absence, there were memories and bonds she would never cherish or share with them. She was anxious and nervous about seeing and holding her girls. It had been three years; she didn’t know what they would say or how they would react to seeing her for the first time. Would they remember her? Would they take to her? And the one she worried about the most was would they have questions about where she had been or why she left them? Sunshine wouldn’t know how to answer one particular question because she didn’t have a real answer as to why she left them. Now that she thought about it, she had reacted selfishly. It had caused her the happy family she’d always dreamed about having.

“I have to make a stop at the house then I can take you to the girls,” Ace said as he grabbed his car keys. He hadn’t been home since the night of the shooting. He had heard the cops were looking for him to ask a few questions, but they would have to wait. He had more important matters to attend to.

*

Ace pulled up to his home in no time only to find yellow police tape everywhere. “I’m selling this house.” He thought as he pulled into the driveway. He got out, walked around the car, and helped Sunshine out.

“Are you sure you wanna go inside?” Ace asked.

“I’m sure,” Sunshine said as she looked around and smiled. Sunshine remembered when she selected this house to be their home.

“Oh gosh, Amir!” Sunshine gasped. “This is the house I want,” she said admiring the huge front and backyard.

“Are you sure this is the one you want?” Ace asked.

“I’m sure,” she said as she ran onto the porch. “Baby, I feel at home already.” She laughed as she looked through the big bay windows.

“Well let me get in touch with my agent to see what he can make happen,” Ace stated as he dialed a number on his phone. Sunshine paced the porch, rubbing her six-month, round belly as she watched her man conduct business. She smiled because Ace had proved her wrong time and time again. All thugs weren’t one in the same. She had lucked up; she thanked God Ace had come into her life when he did.

It had taken Sunshine a little while to learn that when Amir said he was going to do something or have something done, he meant every word. He had wined and dined her and schooled her to the game. When she called, it didn’t matter what time of day it was or what he was in the middle of doing, he came home and catered to her every need.

“Sunshine, it shouldn’t be a problem. We should hear something within the next few days,” Ace informed her walking onto the porch. “He said we’re gonna have to put in a little work but nothing major.”

“Amir, I don’t care. I want this house. We can put in the labor together,” Sunshine replied as Ace wrapped his arms around her waist.

“And what yo pregnant ass gon’ do?” Ace asked while laughing.

“I’ma watch you work up a sweat,” Sunshine laughed.

“Is that all you gonna do?”

“Nope, then I’ma reward you for your hard work,” she replied as she turned around and planted soft pecks on his lips.

“Sunshine!” Ace called out bringing her out of her contemplation. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” Sunshine assured him as she followed him inside. “I was just thinking back to the day I told you I wanted this house and how fast you made it happen, that’s all.”

Sunshine stopped then looked around at the mess that was left behind. The entire house was riddled with bullet holes; the smell of death still permeated the air.

“Amir, Brenda died in here that night, didn’t she?” Sunshine asked with sadness written all over her face.

“Yeah, she did,” he answered.

“Has anyone contacted my mother so that she could make some type of arrangements?”

“I can’t answer that because I don’t know. I haven’t been here since that night.”

Sunshine was sad. Even with all the tragedy her sister had taken her through, she still didn’t wish death on her. She wanted to whoop her ass but she didn’t want her dead.

Sunshine ran her hand across the shattered picture of Adam and Ace. She loved Amir with all her heart and thanked God for him being in her corner. However, she couldn’t see things between her and Ace going any further, for several reasons. One being, his twin brother had kidnapped and imprisoned her for three years with no remorse or intentions of releasing her.

Sunshine turned to find Ace standing in the doorway of the living room staring at her.

“Amir, where are the twins?” Sunshine asked taking a seat on the sofa.

“They’re safe. Far away from the bullshit and madness,” he answered walking further into the living room then taking a seat across from her. Ace looked deeply into Sunshine’s pretty brown eyes and saw hurt, doubt, and worry, something he never wanted to see in her eyes.

Sunshine didn’t want to sound ungrateful. Therefore, she sat back and thought carefully about her next words. “Amir, what if I asked you to leave well enough alone so that we could move on and start fresh?” She asked looking into his eyes. Ace sighed deeply as he ran his hands over his waves and face.

“Sunshine, I can’t do that and you know it,” he responded.

“But why can’t you?” She protested.

“Baby, I struggled with your death for three long years. Every day and every night I sat up trying to figure out how I was going to explain to Serenity and Savanna that you died because of me, due to the bad choices I made, the life I chose to live, because I wanted nothing but the best for you, for them, even for me. I struggled to become a better man while raising my daughters. Yet and still, whenever I turned around, the blame for your death was thrown in my face,” Ace avowed. “I suffered, my girls suffered, and ultimately, you suffered the most. For that reason alone, someone has to pay,” he retorted.

“Amir, this ego trip you’re on is what got you in this situation in the first place. Let it go and let’s try working on us,” Sunshine asked.

“Ego trip?” Ace asked with confusion written all over his face. “My ego doesn’t have shit to do with anything. “Mothafuckas took that street shit too far and kidnapped my wife and held her hostage for three years. So yes, I’m seeing nothing but red. Absolutely, I want someone to pay with their fucking life. My daughters and I have suffered for three years. You mothafuckin right someone else will suffer also,” Ace vowed.

“It’s either the streets or me,” Sunshine provided an ultimatum.

“Did she just say it’s either her or the streets?” Ace thought as he cocked his head to the side. “Excuse me, come again,” Ace said as he sat up in his seat.

“Amir, you heard me. It’s either me or those streets,” Sunshine repeated herself.

“Sunshine, I love you and all; and I mean this with the utmost respect,” Ace declared. “I’m not letting shit go until the mothafuckas who caused all my heartache and pain are dead and six feet under,” he concluded.

“But you have me back; we have a second chance. Why can’t you just leave it alone?”

“Because I can’t,” Ace snapped.

“Ugh!” Sunshine said as she grabbed at her hair. “That shows me that you don’t really give a fuck about me or your daughters,” she said with a chuckle.

“You don’t believe that bullshit. Sunshine, you of all people know I’ll put my life on the line to protect the ones I love. This situation is living proof,” he said pointing from himself to Sunshine. “That ego trip you said I’m on will go out the window. I’ll drop to my fucking knees and beg and crawl through the dirt, climb the highest mountain, or sell my soul to the devil himself to secure the safety of you, my daughters, and Aaliyah,” he concluded.

“Amir, I’m sorry but I’ve lost out on so much in the last three years. I don’t plan on losing out on anymore,” Sunshine said. “I respect the fact that you gotta do what you gotta do. And I thank you for doing everything in your power to save me but I can’t,” she said.

Ace nodded his head. “I respect your decision and how you feel,” he said as he left the living room and walked out the front door.

“So that’s it, you aren’t gonna fight for me, for us?” Sunshine asked as she followed him out the front door. Ace stopped then turned to face her.

“Sunshine, what the fuck you think I’ve been doing all this time?” Ace questioned. “I’ve fought one battle after another for me, for you, for us, for Serenity and Savanna.”

“Oh I get it, you wanna live happily ever after with your new bitch,” Sunshine snickered as she folded her arms across her chest.

“My new bitch?” Ace asked. “Sunshine, in this fucked up life we live, there isn’t a happy ending. I’ll be lucky if I live long enough to see my daughters turn sixteen. I’ve never been the type of nigga to force a female into doing something she didn’t wanna do; and I won’t start today,” Ace spat. “If you wanna leave, by all means do what’s in ya heart. I did what I had to do as a man and as your husband.” Ace stated conclusively as he turned to walk off.

*

Ace couldn’t believe Sunshine tried to make him choose. He felt he had the right to take out Adam and whoever else had anything to do with her kidnapping. Ace believed if he didn’t kill them, they would stop at nothing until he was dead. He wouldn’t push her into doing anything she didn’t wanna do. He respected her decision to not be with him anymore. On the other hand, Ace would be lying if he said it didn’t hurt or tug at his heart. He wouldn’t say everything he had done was in vain. When he vowed “until death do us part,” Ace meant that shit. This wasn’t the Sunshine he knew. The person he knew would have told him to ride out while loading up the choppa.