Falling For Rome Read online

  Milo: The caseworker just left, she walking to her car.

  “Yo, pull up the camera in front of the building.” I told Hannibal who nodded and did as I asked.

  He whistled. “Damn, who is that? She sexy as hell too!”

  I leaned over to get a good look at my mystery woman. She had a hell of a walk on her. As she sashayed down the block in those red bottoms, all the brothas turned their heads to check her out.

  Hmmm…

  Lifting my hand, I rubbed my chest as a strange feeling filled it, a feeling I had never felt before… Surely, it wasn’t jealousy. I shook my head, there was no way.

  Me… Jealous?

  Hell naw! Especially over no f***ing fed chick…

  Han looked up at me and I realized he was waiting for my response.

  “My caseworker.” I grumbled, before I turned to look back at the restaurant, not wanting my boy to see the effect this woman was having on me.

  He began choking on the weed. “Whaaat?! When the f*** that happen?” he responded when he got himself together before handing Kado the blunt.

  “That p****a** dude my sista messing with sent her in to spy on me.”

  Kado looked inside the truck. “You want us to handle this?”

  I shook my head not looking away from the door. “Naw, I got it.”

  Right then, Saw walked out the restaurant with the chick. When he saw me, he told her to get in the car before he began to head my way.

  I eased my gun out its back holster and held it on my lap. I wish this punk would give me an excuse to waste his a**.

  “Well, if it ain’t the famous Romeo…tell me you didn’t come all this way for little old me? You done got so big, you don’t f*** with little niggas like me no more.”

  I didn’t bother answering him. He always said corny sh*t like this in hopes of making me feel guilty for ending our friendship.

  His gaze fell to my men. “Wat up, Han…Kado?” Neither spoke to him, they just nodded their heads.

  “Cut the bullsh*t, Saw.” I growled, fed up with the small talk. “What brings you to my neck of the woods?”

  Chuckling, he threw up his hands. “Damn, man! Why can’t I have come for the food? Ms. May got the best sweet potatoes on the Westside.”

  “Because you didn’t. If you here, it’s for a reason. Stop wasting my time and state your purpose!”

  He put his hand on his chest and I exhaled. This was a clear sign that some garbage was getting ready to come out his mouth.

  “Unlike you, I still love my brotha.” He began. “I heard you had some trouble with the feds a few weeks ago, and I just came to make sure everything is alright. My sources tell me they kicked in yo’ mama’s door.”

  He got a fake look of concern on his face. “Is everything alright? I know we don’t get along, but… I would really hate to see the feds get you.”

  I grunted. “Your sources, huh?”

  He chuckled. “Well… you know how news like that spread.”

  “Indeed, I do.”

  “But let me put your mind at ease. If the feds do get you, I will gladly take care of that fine a** sista of yours.” He smiled at me. “Sh*t…I may even make her the wife.”

  My hand twitched on the pistol that rested against my leg. Never had I ever wanted to end another’s life like I did the man standing in front of me.

  “Mutha f***a, you come anywhere near my sista and I will crack your f***ing skull!”

  He threw his head back and laughed. “Rome, Rome, Rome! You still making idle threats! You see that’s the difference between me and you. If I wanted a nigga dead as much as you want me gone, I wouldn’t give a f*** about starting a war. I wouldn’t give a f*** who had to die, mamas, grandmamas, great mutha f***en uncles, little nieces and nephews…they all can catch a bullet, just as long as the nigga I’m gunning fo’ catch one too.” I lifted an eyebrow surprised this b**** knew my reasons for not murking his a** yet.

  I shouldn’t be though, there wasn’t a man alive outside of Hitta that knew me as well as him. That’s what years of being best friends did.

  He chuckled again. “What? You surprised I know why you ain’t made your move.” He stepped closer to my truck and both Hannibal and Kado drew their pistols, and although he didn’t point it at Saw, Kado quickly made his way back to my side of the truck so that he was only feet away from him.

  Knowing their chief well, a few of the fellas that had casually been standing in front of the liquor store made their way over, looking at Kado for word of their next move.

  “Yo K, we got a problem?” His righthand man Poon asked. Kado looked at me…

  “We got a problem, Rome?”

  I studied Saw as he looked around taking in what he was dealing with. When his gaze came back to mine, I lifted one side of my mouth in a grin that didn’t reach my eyes.

  “Naw…not today.” I told the chief of the Four Corner Hustlers without looking away from the clown.

  “We cool!” Kado called to his crew, but they didn’t retreat…in fact, more of them came to join the others. The air was tense, if Saw or his men made one wrong move, they were dead. Sensing this, the coward took a few steps back from my truck, but I could see the anger and the hate in his eyes, he’d just been punked in front of his crew.

  “That’s another difference between you and me!” He spat. “You always had to be the people’s champion. And I can give a f*** about the people. Can you imagine how far you could fly if you wasn’t trying to bring all these niggas with you? You need me!” He hissed jabbing his finger in his chest.

  And just like that, he’d awakened the thug in me.

  I NEED HIM!

  That sh*t made me want to jump out my truck and bash his f***ing face into the cement until it was no longer recognizable as a face.

  The only thing that kept me from it…was the many mamas, grandmamas, great mutha f***en uncles, little nieces and nephews that will get hurt if we go to war. He called me the people’s champion, maybe I was, maybe I wasn’t. But one thing I just could not do was be responsible for the lives of so many innocent ones.

  “Look around you, playa!” I growled, fighting hard for self-control. “I don’t need yo’ bum a**! Never have, never will. You beneath me.” I looked away from him, this conversation was over.

  “Kado, won’t you and yo’ boys escort Saw and his crew safely off my blocks!” I turned the key in the ignition causing the diesel engine to awaken with a loud rumble that shook the ground before throwing it in first gear.

  Saw Buck was good and angry that I’d dismissed him so casually in front of his boys. “Ay Rome, that’s okay nig—”

  Nobody could hear anything else he had to say, because right then, I stepped on the clutch and the gas at the same time, causing my wheels to spin and screech loudly as they filled the street with smoke…With a satisfied grin on his face, Kado stepped away from the truck awed at its power. I gave Saw’s sorry a** one more look. He was standing there looking goofy and sh*t.

  Chuckling, I shook my head before taking my foot off the clutch, causing my truck to peal out the parking spot so loud a few of the shawtys on the block had to cover their ears.

  Hell yeah…it was ignorant.

  And hell yeah…I was going to need four new tires in the morning…

  But sh*t…the thug in me felt it was well worth it!

  Chapter 4

  You Should See Me in My Crown

  Nakhti

  As soon as I stepped through the door of the apartment that was mine for the next six months if need be, I placed the bowl of black-eyed peas Rome’s mother had been nice enough to give me for later on the table and crossed the room to the stereo turning it on. When Bon Jovi’s Dead Or Alive came through the speakers I cranked it up and began to strip out of the person I had become for this mission.

  The first thing I did was kick off the shoes. I hated wearing heels…I preferred my trusty sturdy combat boots that I’ve
had since my days with the SEALs any day.

  Next, I unclasped the button on the back of my skirt and let it slide down my legs before sending it to join the shoes. I hate wearing skirts and dresses, so please Desculpa a bagunça… Or rather, forgive the mess I was making.

  LOL, I have to remember I’m telling my tale to my mostly English-speaking family. I ask that you guys be patient with me. Although, thanks to my years in the military and on the bureau, I am able to hide my accent quite well, English is still my second language. So, if I say something in Portuguese, I will try to remember to translate for you guys. But if I forget, please charge it to my head and not my heart.

  Reaching up I unpinned my hair and let my wild curls fall to caress my shoulders and back. I really hated pinning up my hair…I loved the fact that it was wild and untamed. My hair in its natural state embodied me.

  Finally, I took the glasses off and set them on the table next to the Tupperware bowl before removing the rest of the clothes that told the world I was civilized and approachable. And to make sure that I got all the pretend off me, I stepped under the hot water of the shower and let it wash away the rest of the make-believe.

  What I absolutely hated most was pretending I was civil… I couldn’t wait till this mission was over and I could disappear from society. I swear, once I’m out I’m never resurfacing again. I’m going to buy me a farm and try my hand at horse rearing.

  And I know you say…Horses?

  Really Nak, horses?

  Yes horses… The freest I’ve ever been was racing bareback on a Mangalarga stallion across the ravina with my hair whipping around my face and shoulders. I’ll never forget that day as the stallion’s powerful legs ate up the earth, it was the closest I ever felt to God, I felt as if I was flying.

  When I was a young girl, my mother had been the maid of a very wealthy Brazilian horse breeding family. People came from all over the world to purchase horses from them, but not just any people. Your average Jo could not afford a Winston horse, only the very rich. My mother said their customers were royalty, real princes and kings.

  Anyway, sometimes when she would bring me to work with her, the stable master would let me help him tend to the horses. He said I had a natural gift with them and that they responded to me better than anyone he’d ever seen.

  I don’t know if I still have the gift, but I know I still have the love for them in my heart and I am damn sure going to try my hand at raising my own horses.

  Believe it or not, the killing business wasn’t paying like it used to; too many competitors in the game. Thankfully the Sarge a.k.a. Jo payed more than most, because he was my friend as well as my boss. Even old Albert thought so and he only worked light security detail for the Sarge.

  I’ve been able to pay for my mother’s stay at the nursing home and save up enough to be comfortable for a little while, at least until my horse farm starts bringing in a little revenue.

  That is if I am reasonable and not try to go out and purchase Winston horses of course.

  Although it would be a dream come true to get a Mangalarga stallion from there to sire my future prized beauties, the fact is, one stallion from Winston’s would suck up a huge chunk of my savings, it just wasn’t a smart move.

  I will just have to try to find the best stallion and mare I can afford and pray that with my TLC, they’ll produce something that resembles the majestic royal line of Winston’s Mangalarga horses.

  Once I was clean, I stood in the mirror for a moment and just exhaled. I’ve been on one mission after another since I got fired from the agency four years ago. Jo said it’s the price I paid for being the best in the game. Maybe he was speaking the truth or maybe he was just speaking game. Like his father, half the words that came out his mouth could not be trusted. The man had a smooth tongue and was born to be a politician.

  I however, believe I never got rest because these filthy politicians constantly had messes that needed to be cleaned up. And they sent nobodies like me with disposable lives inside to do the dirty work for them.

  Picking up my tags from where I’d rested them earlier, I put them back around my neck, feeling instant relief at having them back on.

  I hated taking off my tags… they remind me of what I really am.

  A nobody…Disposable. That’s why they came in two. A tag to identify the dead and the disposable, least we ever do something foolish like forget.

  Speaking of reminding me of something, the pain in my side drew my attention to the wound that had just began to bleed through the bandage I’d slapped on earlier. I really should have gone to get it looked at by a professional.

  However, this was not my first rodeo. In fact, this was my fourth time being shot. Each time had been in the field and each time I’d had to patch it up on the fly. Thank God they had all been flesh wounds and nothing too serious. Once I got the bullet removed, the rest was simple. And I survived to tell the story.

  I frowned down at the wound as I cleaned it. It will be my luck that this one actually killed me. I shrugged throwing the rag in the sink.

  Oh well…It’s not like it’s someone out there that will miss me.

  After cleaning and dressing my wound, I slid my white wifebeater over my head, then stepped into a pair of military issue cargo pants, smiling at myself in the mirror.

  That’s more like it…

  I made my way back to the living room to set up my equipment so that I could get to know my mark a little better, thanks to the bugs I’d left in his and his mother’s place. I didn’t know how long it will take me to get the Sarge’s information. This apartment had been rented for me for six months, but I planned to be here no longer than six days.

  After I got everything set up, I took the black-eyed peas and popped them in the microwave. When they were done, I sprinkled salt on them and then doused them in hot sauce. I know by now you guys may have noticed I have horrible eating habits. I like really sweet and really salty. I eat so much junk that whenever I eat an MRE, I feel that I am eating responsibly.

  What did eating healthy mean to me with a high risk job like mine? Can you imagine me denying myself all the salty sweet goodness this world has to offer, so that I could live to a ripe old age only to be shot down by enemy fire? Hell…I’d kick myself all the way to the afterlife screaming, why? Oh why, didn’t you eat that big juicy burger when you had the chance?

  No thank you! I got mine while I lived. And if I so happen to die of a heart attack later…

  Oh well…It’s a far better death than I’d imagine I would have anyway.

  If you’re wondering how I stay in shape, it’s simple…I go into beast mode about my workout. My job calls for me to be fit. I need to be able to run, climb, and jump on the fly. I’ve had to put every muscle in my body to the test doing what I did, so yea, I worked out. When I couldn’t make it to the gym, I did pushups, sit-ups, and pull-ups… I kept all my muscles toned, anything else was not an option.

  After settling down on the couch with my bowl of yummy beanie goodness, I turned on the television for visual stimulation before I put the headset on my ears to listen to what was going on in the world of the thug. Goodness, I can’t believe Jo put me on this case. A thug? Are you kidding me?

  I’ve taken down dictators, cartel drug lords…even a prince or two. And here I’ve been pulled to spy on a young…thug? I didn’t know whether to laugh or be insulted.

  Maybe it was for the better. Why shouldn’t my last mission be an easy one?

  Hopefully after a few days of listening in on him and learning his schedule, the opportunity will present itself where he slips out so that mama could slip in and play with his beautiful computer. How a guy like him got a hold of such equipment is mind boggling, a mystery I was determined to solve.

  **********

  Would you guys believe the opportunity presented itself just a few hours later? The thug and his whole crew were getting ready to go to some club downtown called Exquisite, leav
ing his place lightly guarded. I listened in as they talked about the club they were all going to and who would be there.

  Figures…

  You see what I mean? Anyone of Jo’s other men could have handled this mission. Hell, a uniformed officer could have handled this mission. I don’t see why---

  Hold on…

  I frowned as I continued to listen. One of Rome’s men asked him who should he leave to guard the building. And Rome told him nobody.

  Nobody?

  His man then asked him what if someone named Saw Buck rolls up and find all the guards gone.

  Rome told him the guards will still be at the corners, so he will know as soon as Saw touches the block. But that all his personal guards deserved a break and that the party tonight will be just what everyone needed to unwind a little bit.

  That crafty bastard knew about my bugs. He was feeding me information. It was a damn set up. Taking the headphones off, I sat back on the couch and thought about that. He was on to me…

  The Sarge was right, this kid is a lot smarter than he looked. But he didn’t know who he was dealing with. As far as I’m concerned, he’d just invited me in, and I’ve decided to take him up on his generous offer.

  Let’s see what you got, kid.

  As I laced up my boots, I face-timed a message to Jo, letting him know that he was right about the kid, and that I will have to be caught in order to get his information. I didn’t know how long it will take, but I told him I will be off the grid so if he tried to reach out to me with no response that was why.

  What do you know! Mr. Romeo has decided to make my job easier. Like his little brother, he’d just invited me in. Well…let’s not disappoint him.

  I went to put my gun on my waist, but paused. The last time I was in Mr. Romeo’s presence, he’d snuck up behind me and I’d almost shot him. I put my gun back in my briefcase. I could not trust my impulses, I’d better leave her here tonight.

  Now, I don’t want you guys to laugh at what I’m about to do, every soldier has a ritual they do before going into battle. Mine is standing still and listening to Lonesome Valley on full blast. I don’t know what it is about the song, but the harmonious voices of the men helped me to come to terms with the fact that the mission may be my last, and that this may be the night I die. I don’t have any fear. What must be done must be done.