CHAPTER FOURTEEN

-ROMAN-

 

“She lived with no other though than to love and be loved by me.”

- Edgar Allan Poe

 

Roman was dancing on stage when one of her regulars, Daw, waved her over with a fan of twenty-dollar bills clutched in his hand. Seductively, she moved toward him ready to serve, just as long as he didn’t want more than a few leg waves so he could see her pussy smile or her booty pop.

He was selfish.

And known for making dancers do a little extra for a couple of dollars.

When she got in front of him she knelt on all fours, winked and turned around so that he could get a front row seat of her ass. “Damn, Romance,” he said licking his lips and sitting back in his seat. “You know you get finer with time, right?”

“I’m glad you like the view, Daw.” She lowered her body more so that her belly touched the stage sending her ass flying up in the air. The moment she saw him raise his hand, she figured she did what was necessary to warrant a few twenties in her boot. Instead she got a stiff finger into her pussy instead.

Seeing red, Roman spun around and gripped his neck so tightly Daw’s heart stopped. She was no longer Romance. She was Goon. “If only you knew the things I could do to you right now,” Roman said trembling. “How quick I could snuff out your―"

“Romance, your cell phone been ringing off the hook, girl,” her partner Sparkle Skizz yelled raising Roman’s cell phone in the air. She was standing in front of the dressing room, across the nightclub. Since they both had children, they would rotate phone duty if the other was on stage. To make sure they didn’t miss any important calls, no matter who was dancing.

Roman released his throat and when Daw was about to talk crazy he felt Raymond and Owen standing behind him. Without turning around, Daw said, “Are those guns in your pockets or are you just happy to see me?”

“They dicks, nigga,” Owen said. “The burner on that lower back too though.” Owen pushed the barrel into him.

Owen was angrier than Raymond because he was feeling Roman and he saw what happened. The fucked up part was he didn’t even get to feel her pussy himself.

He laughed and shook his head. He knew exactly who they were. In his idiot way of thinking, he assumed that because Carey wasn’t working at the club anymore, her cousins would go with her. “I’m leaving,” he responded taking one more look at Roman before walking off with his hands in the air.

While Raymond escorted Daw outside, Owen walked up to her. He helped her off the stage and stood in front of her. Standing 6’5”, he was way taller. “You okay, Ro?”

“I’m fine,” she said looking at the door Daw went out of. She wanted to hurt him so badly her clit vibrated but now was not the time. “I got to go see what’s going on at home though. My husband probably called sounding all crazy and shit.”

Hearing the word husband brought him back to reality. He took three steps back because Roman did not belong to him and she probably never would. “Well we’ll be outside waiting. Do what you got to do.”

 

****

 

There was trouble at home. When she called Jackson he sounded frantic and her heart rapidly pumped blood. In their entire marriage, she never heard him so angry. He was always poised and acted as if he had everything under control. With trouble at home, there was nothing else to do. She had to talk to her manager and she was certain he wouldn’t like it.

When she approached Evan he was sitting in his office looking at the computer screen. The same ugly navy blue hoodie he wore no matter what the season, because it was always cold in the club, was draped on the back of his chair.

He didn’t bother looking up because he knew each stripper based on her scent. Roman smelled of strawberry perfume since she couldn’t afford anything more expensive. “Don’t tell me you have to leave, Roman,” he said tapping at his computer. “Because we need you tonight. Got word that a few heavy hitters coming through VIP and they spending big.”

“I know. And I’m so sorry. You know that I need this job but I have a family emergency.” When he seemed unsympathetic she stepped in further. “I’ll work whatever hours you need, Evan. Please. Just do me this solid.”

Evan pushed the keyboard away from him and leaned back in his chair. “This is the last time, Roman. Once more and you no longer have a job here.” He grabbed his keyboard again. “Now get out. I’m done with you.”

 

****

 

Roman was sitting on the sofa with her elbows on her knees, trying desperately to understand what her husband was saying. “What do you mean you’re about to lose your scholarship? I’m here with you every day, baby. I know how hard you work. I see the time you put into your studies.”

“Some other shit is going on that I can’t talk about.”

“Other shit like what?” she asked with raised brows.

“I’m being sexually harassed.”

“Harassed?” she repeated hoping he’d give her a name so that she could get rid of her the old fashioned way. “By who?”

“It’s a long story. Just know that if I don’t give her what she wants then she’s threatening to go to the school board and lie on me. If she does, I’m sure it will be her word against mine. And she’ll win. She’s been at that school forever. It wouldn’t even be a fair fight.”

“What’s her name?” she repeated slower. All she needed was her initial and she’d be dead before Good Morning America came on the next day.

“That’s not important.” He sighed pacing the living room floor. He looked over at her. “I just want you to know that I’m proud of you for stepping up. Moving into our new apartment next week will put me in a better mood. Maybe I’ll be able to think straight.” He sat next to her and kissed her on the forehead. “I love you, Roman. I don’t know what I would do without you.”

“I love you too, Jackson.” She looked down. “But what are you going to do? About school?”

“I might have to do what I got to.”

“What does that mean, Jackson?”

“Sleep with her.”

She stood up and paced the room, her muscles quivering. The days of killing revisited her heart but she never thought she would consider murdering her own husband. “You would do that to me? After everything I’ve done?”

“Everything you’ve done?” he repeated. “Like what? Take a full time job as a cashier?” he laughed. “Ro, I know you work hard but I do too. If I get kicked out of med school, everything I went through by marrying you will be for nothing.”

“But I don’t want you to sleep with another woman, Jackson! What the fuck.” She paced the floor some more. “You sound crazy even coming at me that way. What part of me would give you the impression that this shit is okay? That I would allow that?”

He walked over to the wall and leaned against it. “If I don’t do what she wants, we have a problem. Because I need this degree to prove to everybody that they were wrong about me and they were wrong about you.”

“That’s all you’re worried about? Your mother?” Roman shook her head and her face reddened. “You never cared about me.” She walked toward the door.

“Where you going?”

“To clear my mind.” She paused. “Just know that there’s a part of me I never showed you before. But if it comes out again it’s all your fault.”

 

****

 

Roman was dancing on the stage, looking for the dealer with the biggest pockets. Larceny was in her heart and robbery on her mind. She knew she would have to knock over many in order to cover Jackson’s tuition, but for her husband she’d do it without blinking an eye. There was about to be major bodies lacing the streets of B-more and she would care less. Ever since she and Jackson argued last week about his scholarship, she had been an emotional wreck.

Although Jackson was still in school, she could feel his distance and every time he came home, she wondered if he slept with the professor even though he swore he hadn’t.

Shit was hectic. Not only was she having problems at home but she hadn’t seen or heard from Carey in months. It was unlike her not to return her calls and when she talked to Owen and Raymond she learned they hadn’t heard from her either.

Where was Carey?

Her closest friend?

She just finished her set and was working the room but her heart wasn’t on business. She was greeting the men who generously tipped her in the hopes that they would tip her again. But when she saw Daw, the nigga who slipped his finger in her pussy, her blood boiled over. He was on his cell phone talking to someone while looking across the club. “Hi, Romance,” he said when she was walking in his direction.

“Fuck you, nigga,” she responded before walking up to the man behind him who tipped her earlier when she was dancing. Turning on her charm, she said, “Thank you, cutie. I appreciate the love you showed me on stage.”

He softly took her hand and said, “There’s more where that came from. All you have to do is ask.”

As he ran his mouth for some reason, Roman was zeroed in on the back of Daw’s head. Something about how closely he held the phone against his ear captivated her attention. What was he up to? She knew the scent of larceny when she smelled it. At first she thought he was taking pictures of Honey Titties from his phone on the sly but when she looked across the room she saw Race Kennedy. He was eyeballing her like she had dollar signs on her forehead.

Race was in the VIP section and a silver bucket filled with ice and Ciroc sat in front of her. Her head nodded back and forth and it was obvious she was drunk. She was alone too. Judging by how sad she looked, Roman figured she missed Carey as much as she did. But why was she there? Was she waiting for Carey to show up?

“I’m telling you, man. This rich bitch is by herself,” Daw said loud enough for Roman to hear. Although he wasn’t screaming, it was obvious he was going to pull a caper. “Are you coming or not?” Daw continued. “’Cause if you don’t I’ma do it myself.” Apparently he didn’t get the answer he wanted because he ended the call and stomped toward the bathroom.

Roman was about to alert Race that danger was near when the tipper she was talking to earlier yanked her roughly and said, “What on earth could be more important than me?” He slapped a wad of cash on the bar. “Because I’m paying if you staying.”

 

****

 

Race was walking toward her car after just leaving the club. She had been sitting down so long that originally she thought she was good to drive. That she could handle the liquor she poured in her mouth, glassful after glassful. Once she got moving, she discovered she was wrong.

Race Kennedy was a wealthy woman. Powerful too. And because of it, she was wanted by a lot of jealous people, dead or alive. But at the moment she was drunk.

As a boss in the Pretty Kings organization, the largest drug ring in the DMV (DC, Maryland and Virginia), a lot of people would pay to see her returned if she were snatched. Unfortunately, Race was not thinking clearly when she chose to get inebriated. Her mind was on Carey and that she’d never see her again. How did she know?

She was responsible for killing her.

She didn’t murder Carey because she was jealous of the relationship she shared with her husband. It was quite the contrary. From the moment she invited Carey into her life with her husband, she realized the three of them were the perfect combination. Race had a husband and a wife. She loved her dearly. Carey was no longer living because she violated code by getting pregnant by her husband. Which was something that Race couldn’t do.

Out of guilt, Race went to the club to be next to her memory.

Race was almost to her car when Daw walked up behind her. “Don’t scream,” he said through clenched teeth. “You coming with me and you’ll live as long as you don’t make any crazy moves.”

Race, considerably shorter than him, turned around and looked up into his eyes. Although drunk, she wasn’t as scared of him as she should’ve been. She could tell he was a punk and if she had her hammer she would’ve brought him to his knees. But her mind was in the wrong place and she was bare. “Do you know who I am?” she asked plainly.

“Why else would I—”

Daw’s sentence was severed when he felt something plunge into his lower back. When he tried to scream a hand was placed over his mouth and a silver blade slid across his throat slowly, causing the pinkness of his flesh to spill out.

All while Race watched.

When his body dropped, Race was staring up into the green eyes of Roman Tate. “Figured you could use the help,” Roman said with a glistening red knife in her hand.

 

****

 

The air conditioner seemed to be too high in the small diner that Race and Roman sat in as they attempted to get to know each other. After Roman laid Daw to rest, they tucked his body in the back of Race’s car like trash. Race got on the phone and made a call to Sarge who was her right hand in the drug operation. In less than fifteen minutes, he had two carloads of loyal soldiers on the scene with one mission in mind, to make the corpse disappear.

With the realization that she was slipping, which she never did, Race’s buzz vanished quickly. Now sober, she wanted to know more about the woman who killed so easily. The woman who saved her life. The way Race saw it, with skills like Roman’s she could’ve used her on her squad. Being female would give her access to places that Sarge and the other soldiers couldn’t roam.

A cup of coffee sat in front of Roman and a cup of water with lemon in front of Race. Neither was sure if they could trust the other so an intense but respectful power struggle occurred. “Where is Carey?” Roman asked flatly. “I’m looking for her.” She took a sip of coffee.

Race hung her head low. “I don’t know.” She lied. “That’s why I was in the club tonight. I talk to Carey every day and all of a sudden she’s not returning my calls. It’s been fucking my head up,” she continued, taking a sip of water. “So tell me…were you two close?”

“Extremely. Like sisters.”

“Did she tell you anything about me?”

“Not really,” she said scanning Race’s expression for the truth. “Just that she had a bond with you and your husband. Which I was wary about but respected.”

Roman was getting mixed signals from Race so she was careful about what she said. As she looked her over, she could tell she came from money or had access to it. She was also very powerful. With one call, she made a body go away and that made Roman respectful of her but also wary.

Back in the day, Roman would’ve robbed her and taken everything she had on her person. But today, although she needed money, she would let her slide.

“I took care of her,” Race continued. “I loved her very much. Me and my husband.” She rubbed her hand down her face. “I know people might not understand our brand of love but it worked for us, you know?”

Roman shrugged. “I don’t judge.”

“I figured as much,” she smiled. “Look, I called you here for a reason. The way you got rid of that nigga tonight was amazing. I’ve met killers before. Many. But your moves were calculating.” She paused. “I have a place for someone of your skill set in my operation. That is, if you want it.”

“Are you asking if I’m interested in murder for hire?”

“Yes.”

Silence.

Roman looked toward her right, out of a window with several people walking by. She smiled at a little girl, who was certainly up past her bedtime, skipping with her family. While the young black couple held hands, the little girl was chasing the leash to the collar that was wrapped around her dog’s neck.

In that moment, Roman thought of many things. She thought about her son. She thought about Jackson and losing him if he ever found out she was a stripper, let alone a murderer.

Yet there was one dominating thought above all. If she took Race’s proposal, she saw herself as the animal the little girl was chasing.

She saw herself as a pet and it didn’t sit well with her. Long ago, she made a decision when she left Billy Bob that she wouldn’t be on anyone’s leash again. “I’m sorry, Race.” She paused. “I’m glad you’re safe. But the life you are offering is not for me anymore.”

Race reached in her purse and said, “Well let me give you something for your—”

“No,” Roman shook her head when she saw she was handing her money. “Consider his death a gift from me to you. I hated that nigga.” She stood up and smiled. “Good luck.” She walked out, leaving Race’s offer on the table.

 

****

 

Sylvia Ortiz had Jackson pressed against the blackboard in her classroom. The palm of her hand clutched his penis firmly in his slacks. She was trying to wake it up in the hopes that he would plunge it into her body. “I’ve waited long enough, Jackson,” she said as she breathed heavily in his face. It seemed like the more he said no the more she wanted him.

Jackson’s heart paced rapidly and his thoughts were fleeting. She may have thought he was resisting for the name of love but she was so wrong. There was something else he was hiding. “You don’t know me, Sylvia. I’m begging you not to do this. All I want to do is take care of my—”

“Family,” she said completing his sentence. “I already get it. But you’re driving me crazy,” she moaned. “I can’t even look across the room without thinking of your dick. I bet it’s so smooth. So pretty. Come on, Jackson. Let me see.”

“Sylvia, stop,” he yelled. “Fuck!”

“At first I was irritated but now the resisting game is turning me on. I never had to work so hard for something I wanted so badly. But let’s both admit it, Jackson, this will happen between us sooner or later. Now you’re going to give me what I want or I’ll cause problems for you. Big ones.” She leaned in for a kiss on his lips and he allowed her. “Is that what you want? Trouble?”

Although older, Sylvia wasn’t an unattractive woman. She was just pushy and in his opinion that made her gross. He considered giving her some dick but when she snaked her tongue into his mouth, he pushed her away. “I’m sorry, Sylvia. I can’t.” He rushed out of the classroom leaving her alone.

 

****

 

The next morning, Jackson was headed for class. He was running late but he couldn’t help it. He and Roman were up all night with Sailor who was running a temperature of over one hundred. As he drove to school, he replayed repeatedly in his mind how loving Roman was with their son. While he was sick, she sang to him, wiped cool water mixed with alcohol over his forehead and rocked him in her arms.

Things were different now. When he was a baby she didn’t have the patience for him. His cries when he was teething or wanted to be picked up drove her crazy. She automatically assumed something was wrong with her, that she was a bad mother. And because of it, the bond between her and her son wasn’t as cohesive in the earlier years.

But when he grew older and she realized the cries didn’t mean she was a bad parent, things changed. Before long, they would spend hours alone in the bedroom and he always wondered what they were talking about, what she was teaching him. In the end, Sailor became her right hand man and they shared a bond that he couldn’t describe.

Trying not to miss too much, Jackson ran through the hallway on the way to his classroom. He was almost there when a student instructed him to visit the Provost’s office instead. His heart immediately pumped because an unexpected meeting with Matt Santos was never a good thing.

Slowly Jackson strolled toward his office and when he arrived he wasn’t surprised to see him staring his way. What did shock him was Sylvia sitting on the edge of his desk with her arms folded over her breasts as she stared in his direction.

That dirty bitch, he thought as his nostrils flared.

“Jackson, have a seat,” Matt said as he cleared his throat. His fingers were clenched in front of him.

“I’ll remain standing, sir,” Jackson said respectfully. “If you don’t mind.”

“Have it your way,” he shrugged. “I asked you here because it has been brought to my attention that you cheated on a recent exam in Ms. Ortiz’s class. I’m told you were looking at the answers on another student’s paper.”

Jackson gasped. “What? I would never do anything like that! I work too hard!”

“Well Ms. Ortiz has verified it,” he said firmly. “And she was brave enough to come face you directly. Even though I told her it was not necessary.”

“I don’t care what she says it’s not true!” he yelled as his fists clenched. “She’s lying on me because I won’t fuck her.”

“Mr. Tate!” Matt Santos yelled. “Watch your language!”

“It’s the truth! That’s the only reason she came to you with this shit.”

“She didn’t come to me with this originally. Like I said earlier, she verified the facts. It was Martin Locks who came to my office. If I’m not mistaken, he is a student in your class and this matter has been bothering him for a while.” He continued, “As you know the school has a zero tolerance policy on cheating and as a result, your scholarship is under review.”

Jackson stepped deeper into the office and placed a hand on his chest. “I’m begging you, Mr. Santos. Please don’t do this. All of my life I have wanted to be a doctor. I have been ousted by my mother. I have been neglecting my son by working so hard on my studies. And my wife works the midnight shift as a cashier to pay the bills.”

Sylvia rolled her eyes upon hearing about his wife. She was envious of a woman she didn’t know.

“I have placed everything on the line,” Jackson continued. “Just to be a doctor. And I can truly say that I want nothing more.”

“Well you should’ve thought about that before violating school policy,” Matt Santos said firmly. “Now leave my office. I’m done with you.”

Soft tears rolled down Jackson’s face. He was defeated.

As he looked at the way she felt comfortable enough to sit her funky ass on his desk, he knew what was going on. Like almost every student in school, Matt was also fucking her. It was in the way Matt held his shoulders up. In the way he allowed her to run the meeting even though she was silent. Like so many other men, he fell victim to her charms. Still he had to try to stay.

“Please, Sylvia,” Jackson pleaded. “You know this isn’t true. Don’t do this to me. Don’t do this to my family.”

“You should’ve done what was necessary to complete your studies,” she said hinting to Jackson’s constant rejection of her pussy. “Now you heard Mr. Santos. Please leave.”

 

****

 

Roman tried to console Jackson but he pushed her away, forcing her into the flimsy television, which sat on the stand in their living room. Most of their things were in boxes because they just moved into a new apartment in Baltimore County. Courtesy of Roman’s job as a stripper.

It wasn’t the mansion Jackson was accustomed to but it was far better than where they had been living for years.

“Give me space, Roman,” he barked as if she were the enemy. “I don’t need this shit right now. All I wanted was to be a doctor! That’s it! And they took that from me! My life is fucking ruined.”

“Don’t say that, Jackson,” she said calmly. She was trying to be a supportive wife but he was treating her as if she was the one who did him wrong.

“How the fuck you sound? Huh?” he looked over at her. “I possibly lost my scholarship, Roman! Why isn’t my life ruined?”

“Because you have me! And your son! If you can’t get a scholarship from there maybe you can go to school somewhere else. I’m not as smart as you but I do know we can work through this,” she said trying to fill his mind with hopes of the future. “As a family.”

“And tell me how that will be possible? On your cashier salary?” he frowned. “You can’t even read, Roman!”

Upon hearing the truth, she threw her hands over her lips and her face trembled. Immediately, she was brought to tears. She assumed he didn’t know and when she learned he was aware it was during a moment of anger. When he tried to use her problem against her, she felt devastated. “You knew?”

“Of course I did!” he yelled.

“But you never said anything?”

“No!” he yelled as he continued to pace the room. “I figured you’d tell me when you were ready. Plus, it didn’t matter. You were supposed to be a housewife.” He paused for a breath. “I don’t even know how you got that job.” He paced more. “I hate to be mean but you need to stop being naive. I have sheltered you all of our marriage, Roman, and I’m tired of it. You don’t know nothing about the dark side of life. I tried to keep that from you.”

She shook her head and remained silent. If only he knew how many funerals her crimes caused.

“A medical education is not cheap and at the end of the day I can’t afford it without the scholarship. Neither can you working as a cashier. Like I said, it’s over for me. I might as well go back to being the nigga I used to be.”

As he continued to verbally bash her, Roman felt worthless. He was right. She couldn’t afford an education, even with her stripper salary. There was one thing she could think of to save his career. “Maybe you should call your mother again, Jackson.” She exhaled. “It’s time.”

Jackson paced the floor before stopping in front of the phone. Before picking up the handset, he took a moment to look down at it. As if he were trying to predict what Debra would say ahead of time. When he was ready he took a deep breath as if he were about to jump in a pool and called. The phone rang once before she answered. “Jackson,” she said flatly in lieu of hello.

“Mother.”

“Is my grandchild okay?”

“Yes,” he cleared his throat. “He had a fever the other day but now he’s fine.”

“I’m not surprised that he was sick. He has an ignoramus for a mother.”

Jackson looked at Roman and made a decision not to tell her about what she said. “Mother, I need help.”

“Tell me what’s new. You always need something.”

“Mother, this is serious.”

“Everything in your life is serious. But things were serious when you married that girl. Things were serious when you had a son with her, whom I love dearly. So tell me, my son. What do you deem serious now?”

“I lost my scholarship, mother. It’s gone.”

“Jackson, how?” she gasped. The concern was written all in her voice.

“It’s a long story. Just know that it’s not because of anything I did. I worked hard. Poured all of my heart into my education and it was for nothing.”

She sighed. “Well…as you know, education has always been important to me.” She paused. “Okay, Jackson.” She exhaled. “I will help you.”

Jackson smiled and looked at Roman with a large grin. “Really, mother?”

“Of course. All you have to do is bring yourself and my grandson to my house by the end of this week. You do that and you can have anything you need to carry out your degree. If you don’t I don’t know what to tell you.”

“And Roman?” he said in a low voice. “What of my wife?”

“She is not welcome in my home. And you know that.”

Jackson rubbed his throbbing temples. “Mother…she’s my wife. And I’m her husband! I can’t leave her!”

“Another bad decision that was made without me.”

“Are you trying to push me back over the edge?” He paused. “When you know what can happen?” he huffed and puffed. “Mother, I can’t leave her. I just can’t.”

“I don’t want you over the edge, son. It took many years of therapy to get you to the point where you are now. This is why I didn’t want you to leave the house so soon. You weren’t ready.” She paused. “Now I have delivered my terms. If you disagree, remain where you are.” She sighed. “Call me when you’ve made your decision. Either way, you must live with it.”

Click.

Jackson sat the phone on the hook softly.

“What did she say?” Roman said in a hushed tone.

“She said she’d help me if I moved back in with her. She wants me to bring Sailor.”

Her shoulders dropped. “Without me?”

He nodded his head. “I can’t concentrate right now. I got to get out of here. I need some air.” He grabbed his wallet and car keys and walked out of the door.

 

****

 

Jackson sat in his car looking at a group of white women walk on campus. They were carefree. Totally unaware that a troubled man was about to resort to his old ways of resolving issues. The moment they split into three different ways, he followed who appeared to be the meeker.

As she texted on her phone, while walking into her building, her guard was totally down. But the moment she stuck her key into her apartment door, she felt an evil presence behind her. Horrified, her voice was trapped in her throat when she turned around and looked up into the eyes of a serial rapist. One who tried to deny his past by focusing on his lifelong dream of being a doctor.

“Please—”

She tried to scream but he stole her in the face with his leather glove covered fist. She dropped to the hallway floor and he pulled her inside of her apartment by her red hair. He had two things on his mind.

Extreme torture.

Extreme rape.

 

****

 

Roman sat in the middle of the floor on a leather recliner. Before her were the most beautiful women she’d ever met in her life, and this group included Race. The leader, a brown-skinned woman about 5’7, smiled at her, although Roman could feel her danger. Dressed in green fatigue pants and a black t-shirt, Roman wondered what pattern life designed to cause her to be a drug lord. Behind her was a gorgeous white woman with red flowing hair and to her left was another woman with blue dreads and tats on every visible part of her body.

Roman never saw women drug bosses before and she respected them immediately.

“My name is Bambi Kennedy,” the leader announced. “And you are here because Race has told me great things about you.” She walked closer and stopped, allowing Roman the proper amount of personal space. “I don’t know what we would have done if she would’ve died. I do know the city would have been red with blood.” She paused. “I appreciate your diligence.” She paused. “We need people like you on our team.”

Roman remained quiet. She thought it best to listen instead of speaking. It was a goon’s way of life.

“We have an issue with a recent enemy who has moved into our territory,” Bambi continued. “Worthy soldiers are not an issue for my organization. I command a huge team of killers who are able bodied and ready.”

“So what is the concern?”

“We need someone who can act as a chameleon. A person who can move around easily without being spotted. One with experience.” She paused. “Before I go any further I must know something. And I would appreciate your candor.”

“What is it?” Roman swallowed in suspense.

“Are you the one they call Goon? From Baltimore? The one who seemed to disappear without ever getting caught, leaving a trail of bodies behind?”

Roman wondered how she knew. “If I told you then you’d know more than is necessary.”

Bambi laughed having her question answered in a satisfactory way. “Before I saw you, and your height, I knew Goon was a woman. Only a woman could keep a secret this long and get away with it. Men often require the credit for such acts. So they boast. But you don’t.”

Roman smiled at the compliment but remained poised. “Who do you need done?” She asked plainly.

“It’s not necessarily who but how many.”

“I’m listening.”

“Before we get into that let’s talk about what you desire.”

“What makes you think I desire anything?”

“We all want something, Roman. And I’m told that you have needs that we may be able to meet.”

Roman sighed as she considered her home situation. When Jackson left the house last night, her heart was torn when he didn’t come home. He may have thought she couldn’t help. He may have thought that she didn’t have any valuable skill sets but he was wrong. There was one skill that she was good at. One that she could always fall back on if need be.

Murder.

“I need money. For my husband.”

“And we have plenty,” Bambi assured her.

“But he can’t know what I’m doing. This has to remain anonymous.”

“I respect anonymity,” Bambi nodded. “And we never get involved in personal affairs even if we become enemies.” She paused. “I’m about money. And since we’re on that issue. What is your fee?”

“Twenty-five thousand dollars.” Roman had no idea how much money she needed for his education but she was hoping that would be a start. But when the women giggled Roman moved uneasily in her seat. She was tired of people laughing at her intelligence level. “What’s funny?”

“Roman, for the people we need you to murder, we are willing to pay you one million dollars.”

Roman swallowed hard and her eyes widened upon hearing their proposal. When she was in route to the meeting, she never dreamed they’d offer her that much cash. The most paper she held at once was a few thousand from the hustlers she knocked over who carried more than necessary on them at one time. But a million? Would her lifestyle change? Would she be able to hide her newfound wealth?

She adjusted uneasily in her seat. It was the first time she lost her cool manner. “Excuse me…did you say a million?”

“You heard me correctly,” Bambi confirmed. “I don’t want you to knock over a few dope boys. We have a squad for that. The people I’m seeking your assistance for have caused major problems for my organization. So they require care and confidentiality. You’ve demonstrated that when you killed back in the day and maintained your silence…even now. Mellvue, the girlfriend of our biggest enemy, has family in the area but she won’t be as easy to get as the others. Her movements are sporadic and he takes care to protect her.”

“I understand. But I will need help.”

“You can use some of our men.”

“I’m sorry, Bambi. But in order for me to do this properly, I need to work with men I trust. I hope that’s okay.”

“We will have Sarge run a background check on the men you’ve chosen. If they come back clean I’m okay with that.”

“A million dollars is a lot of money,” Roman continued. “Just for a few people.”

Bambi walked closer and looked down at her. “I know, Roman. A million dollars is hefty.” She paused. “That’s why I must tell you. For the money, you will owe me a hundred lives.”