“So what happens if we leave and she checks out? We might not be so lucky in finding her again.”
“One of us has to stay here and watch her. You wouldn’t have to sit outside her room or anything like that. I could place a bug in her room to alert you of her movements,” Moses said.
“How did you go from one of us to me? How you gonna volunteer me like that, especially since you know how badly I want to kill her?”
“Victória, you can’t kill her. You just can’t. Your sister would kill me if she even thought I would get you involved like that. Promise me you won’t kill her.”
“Wait, what’s going on here? Why do I get the feeling that you’re setting me up or something?” The itty-bitty committee in my head was working overtime.
“Huh? No, that’s not it at all. I need to go back and I think someone needs to stay here in case Tilo decides to run.”
“I got all that but why all of a sudden do you need to go back? That’s what I don’t get.”
“I told you I was going to go get help.”
I could tell he was getting agitated but I didn’t care. “Why can’t you just pick up the phone and call someone? This is the day of technology so anything you can say in person you can pretty much say and do over the Net.”
A myriad of expressions crossed his face until he finally settled on one that resembled defeat.
“Verónica sent me a text that said if I didn’t get my black ass home, the next time I saw her or my son, it would be in court.”
I could tell he was worried and I tried real hard not to laugh, but I knew my sister and she wasn’t playing.
“Fine, I’ll do it. What do I do if she runs?”
“Promise me you won’t kill her. Just follow her and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
I crossed my legs. “I promise,” I said sweetly, but keeping that promise was the last thing on my mind!
CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
MOSES RAMSEY
I should have been sleeping on the way back from New York but my mind wouldn’t let me. I had so many things to do and very little time in which to do them. I didn’t like leaving Victória alone with Tilo, but I didn’t have any other choice. My plan was to call my buddies at the FBI as soon as my plane touched down, but I needed to fix things at home first.
I was nervous as I climbed the stairs to our home because I didn’t know what I was going to walk into. The house was quiet, which was a good sign, but I was still careful. I didn’t want to get on the bad side of my wife’s Latino temperament.
“Verónica, honey, wake up.”
She looked so beautiful, I just wanted to take my clothes off and get in the bed with her.
“Huh, what is it? Is the baby okay?” She sat up, wiping sleep and hair from her eyes.
“It’s okay, the baby is fine. I need to talk to you,” I said, bracing myself for what I knew was going to be a fight.
“What time is it?” She peered over my shoulder trying to see the clock. She wasn’t fully awake and I used this to my advantage.
I purposely positioned my body so she couldn’t see the clock before I was able to explain to her where I’d been all night.
“Are you just getting home?” Her voice was accusatory and bitter.
It would have been easy to lie, but there had been too much deception. It was time to come clean. “Yes, but hear me out before you rip out my heart and set it on fire.” I laughed, but she didn’t find it funny. “We found Tilo. She’s in New York going by the name of April Adams. I got it all on my phone.” I pushed my phone toward her, but she turned her head like I was speaking of the bag lady down the street and not the person who had killed a member of her family.
I touched her arm but she moved away from me. “I know you didn’t want us to look for her, but you have to understand that if we didn’t find her, she would keep coming back.”
“Who is we?” Verónica asked.
I hung my head. If I was going to tell the truth, I had to tell the whole truth. “Your sister and I. Victória is in New York too, making sure Tilo doesn’t get away before I can get back with the FBI to arrest her.”
“Have you lost your fucking mind? How could you leave my sister alone in New York with that killer?” She jumped up off the bed and started pulling clothes out of the dresser to put on.
“You told me to come home.” I knew I sounded like an idiot.
“Yeah, well I didn’t know your ass was in New York, either. What the fuck were you thinking?”
“Verónica, wait, hear me out first.”
She paused but I could tell she was about two seconds away from going off on my ass.
“What? I don’t believe this shit.” She pulled a shirt over her head as she sat back down on the bed, her foot nervously kicking the footboard.
“Honey, Tilo is evil.” I wanted to explain to Verónica how persuasive Tilo could be and how dangerous it was to us just to let her go free, but I couldn’t. I didn’t want to hurt my wife any more than I already had.
“Is that all?” Verónica got back up and continued to get dressed.
I had to stop her. “Honey, I didn’t want to tell you this ... Remember when the baby was born?”
“Before or after you passed out?” she asked sarcastically. Verónica was spewing venom, but I reasoned she had a right to be upset with me.
“Tilo told me you were playing me and the baby wasn’t mine. I didn’t believe her, but when I saw the baby, I uh ...” I pressed on even though my inner voice was telling me to shut up.
“You—uh—fucking what?” She had her hands on her hips and her lips were pinched as if she were biting her lip to keep from saying anything else.
“I believed her. She got me hyped up, baby, and I already wasn’t thinking straight. She told me I was going to be stuck married to you and another man’s son.”
“Hold the fuck up, Moses. You knew I was married before we started fucking.” She was hotter than all get-out and she was getting loud.
“I know, baby. I was wrong. I can’t make you understand how she deceived me. She’s a good talker. She has a gift of gab and she had me going, baby.” I was pleading with her for understanding.
“Um-hmm. I see. What about all the love you professed to have for me and the baby? Where was all that, Moses?” She was pulling things out of the drawer and folding them.
This was not the way I wanted the conversation to go, but I had to tell her the truth before it came back to bite me.
“I did love you, baby, but I was hurting inside. I waited so long for love and Tilo made me think you were just using me. She told me the only way I could pay you back was to, uh ...”
“What? Don’t stop now dammit! Say it,” she snapped.
“Kill you.” I expected her to haul off and hit me but she didn’t.
A tear rolled down from her eye, but otherwise she was completely calm. However, I didn’t relax because I knew the calm always preceded the storm.
“So what happened, Moses? I’m still here.” She was really crying now and I was too.
“Shit, I wish I could explain to you how devastated I was. I wish I could make you understand; but, hell, in the light of day, none of it makes sense. Tilo was at me for days, planting doubt in my head, so when the baby came out, I lost it.” My heart felt like it was being ripped right out of my chest as I watched Verónica pack her clothes. I knew I was about to lose the best thing that had ever happened to me so I went for broke.
“On the plane ride I told myself I could confess to all this and not lose you and the baby. I have to be the craziest motherfucker on the planet to think I could make you understand why I did the things I did and everything would be okay. Maybe one day you will forgive me, but I want you to know that I love you and my baby. I am so sorry. I am so very sorry... .” I couldn’t finish. My heart felt like it had shattered into a million pieces and I couldn’t pick any of them up. I fell to the floor, no longer able to support my legs.
I heard Verónic
a moving around the room, but I couldn’t look up. I didn’t want to see her walk out of my life. This was a vision I didn’t want to carry around with me for the rest of my life. “I love you and the baby.”
Verónica got down on the floor and hugged me. I was surprised, but I thought she was saying good-bye.
“Your mother told me everything. It’s a good thing you didn’t come home last night or we might not be having this conversation. I was so angry with you, I wanted to kill you. I asked God to help me and give me a sign to know your heart. I see God has a sense of humor because I believe you, because no one in his right mind would pull a stunt like this, at the crack of dawn, and confess to trying to kill his spouse unless he was touched in the head or sincere in doing the right thing. I’m gonna trust my God and believe you’re sincere. I’m done with this. Do what you have to do.” She got up from the floor and went into the bathroom.
CHAPTER SIXTY
ROME WATSON
“Fuck.” That bitch was getting on my last nerve. Getting involved with that crazy bitch was the dumbest thing I’d ever done. I stomped around my apartment thinking of what to do next. Greg wasn’t answering his fucking phone, either, so I had no choice but to deliver the money to the airport myself. I sent him an urgent text and told him to meet me at the airport.
“Damn, I wish that fucker would phone in to let me know whether or not the coast is clear. Fuck!” I wasn’t worried about getting bagged at the airport because I didn’t go there enough to arouse suspicion, but I disliked making the drops myself because there was always a chance something could go wrong. My problem was I didn’t know who else was involved in the shakeup with airport security. But my time had run out. The longer I waited, the more likely it was that I’d get caught. I needed to get paid so I could replace the drugs I’d removed from the evidence room.
“Fuck.” I grabbed the duffel bag from under the bed and drove to the airport, unsure if Greg would actually meet me there. My head was pounding. I desperately wanted to stop for a drink, but I fought off the urges. Besides, I needed to have my mind right. I was supposed to meet my connect at ten o’clock and I didn’t want to be late. I only had to check the bag and the connect would tag it and make sure it got through security and on to its final destination. When the package was delivered, I would receive a wire letting me know where to collect my money.
I was sweating profusely as I parked the car. This was my first drop and I didn’t like it one bit.
“I ain’t doing this shit no more. Lord, if you get me out of this mess, I promise I ain’t never gonna mess up again.”
It wasn’t really a prayer, but it was the closest I’d been to speaking to my Higher Power in years. Funny I would remember Him now after all the shit I’d done, but it was what it was. This was another thing I would work on once my shit was clear. I parked the car in the short-term lot and carried the case with me. It seemed heavier to me for some reason. I wiped the sweat off my forehead and tried to mix in with the other travelers. I dialed Greg again to see if he would finally answer his phone. I was going to have to do the deed myself.
“Fucking answering machine. I hate them shits.” I tried to mask my frustration as I stood in line to check my bag. My connect was working the counter and it made me feel a little better, but it wasn’t over so I kept my guard up. I was ready to bail at the first sign of trouble.
“Sir, we’ve opened up another line to serve you better.”
“Huh?” I said.
“Another service representative can take you in this other line.” The man from the airlines was pointing to another line next to my girl.
“No, I’m good. Thanks.” I prayed that he would go away, but he stood looking at me for another few seconds before he moved on to bug someone else. Sweat trickled down my balls and I resisted the urge to scratch. I pulled out my phone and sent a text to Greg. After this I was done with that motherfucker.
Finally, it was my turn. I pulled out the passport I was using for identification and placed my bag on the scale. My girl processed my ticket and took my bag. Relief flooded through my body as she handed me my boarding pass. I scratched my balls, and I didn’t care who was watching. As I was turning around to leave, I was grabbed from behind and forced to the ground. My hands were cuffed and I was placed under arrest.
“Rome Watson, you are under arrest for interstate trafficking of drugs and currency.”
“Fuck.” When I looked over my shoulder, my girl winked at me as she handed my bag to the officer next to her. I’d been fucked, double-dutch style.
CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
GREG CARTER
“It’s a good fucking day.” I was grinning my ass off as Rome was being led away from the airport in handcuffs. I should have felt bad but I didn’t. If he hadn’t sent me all those fucked-up text messages, I might not have told Nancy to bag his sneaky ass when he got to the airport. Actually, he did it to himself really, I just helped. It would be a cold day in hell before Rome ever saw the light of day as a free man. His ass was going down. I was tying up my loose ends in Atlanta and Rome was my biggest threat.
“Adios, Rome.”
He turned when he heard my voice and the look on his face could’ve been used to promote a movie called Oh shit, I’ve been fucked, ’cause ol’ boy was definitely out-dicked by me.
Rome yelled, “You fucking bastard. What did you do?” He was pulling away from the officers, trying to get at me.
“Chill, bro,” I said, laughing. It did my heart good to see Rome in handcuffs. It was about time he saw the business end of a jail cell.
“I’m gonna fuck you up when I get my hands on you.” He continued to buck as he was led away through the security doors.
“Detective Carter, thanks for your cooperation,” another officer said as he handed me the suitcase they took from Rome.
“Did you get his cell phone? I’ll need to book this into evidence as well.”
“Yeah, sure, we got it.”
I waited for the officer to return with Rome’s phone. I had a hunch I would find everything else I needed to know from it.
“Thanks again,” the officer said as he handed me the phone.
“All in a day’s work, my man. All in a day’s work,” I replied. I felt so good, my dick got hard. I’d been taking shit from Rome for a minute, but, tonight, I shoved it straight up his ass. After giving Nancy $5,000 for her help, me and the duffle bag boarded the plane for New York. It was time I paid another bitch a visit. I was tired of being fucked doggie style with no Vaseline. Rome, just like Tilo, thought they were going to come up on the sweat off my back, but I was about to turn the tables on her too.
Things worked out much better than I’d planned. I’d been searching for a way to get Rome out of the picture, but I never could catch him with his pants down. When he sent me the text saying he was at the airport, I damn near nutted in my pants. I had the bitch where I wanted him. From there it wasn’t hard to set up a sting with a bunch of greedy motherfuckers wanting to get their hands greasy. With Rome’s arrest I was able to even the score. The drugs from the evidence room would be returned, but the cash, I would be keeping that and I was cleared of any involvement.
Rome fucked himself when he told me to go to the airport and speak to Nancy. If he hadn’t, I wouldn’t have known about the sting operation that Tilo had orchestrated. My only problem was I didn’t know who the trap was intended for—Me or Rome—so I didn’t have much of a choice than to take them both down. Tonight taught me a valuable lesson—“never trust a big butt and a smile.” Tilo was my poison; however, she’d grossly underestimated me if she thought I would go away so easily.
Rome made his first mistake when he let me know the drugs seized in the cartel raid weren’t destroyed. The FBI dictated the disposition of drug seizures, but when I looked into the logs, the disposal date had been altered. The Atlanta Police Department did not have authority to hold the drugs for any reason unless under the directive of the FBI. This directive was duly
noted in the computer and logged in the binders used by the evidence room for tracking. Tilo’s badge number was used to remove the drugs from the records room and Rome was the issuing officer. The only way Rome would know her number was if she’d given it to him. Putting together the rest of the puzzle wasn’t hard from there. Tilo must have been fucking both of us and playing me to the left. Common sense told me to cut my loses and run, but my ego wasn’t hearing that shit. I was going to fuck Tilo up and keep it moving.
“April, where you at, ma? Holla at your boy. You’re scaring me, boo, get back with me.” I was gritting my teeth by the time I ended the plea on Tilo’s answering machine. It wasn’t the first message I’d left her since I arrived in New York, but I’d hoped it would be my last because I didn’t know how many more nice calls I had in me. I was not in the best of moods as I checked into my hotel for the evening. It wasn’t how I wanted to spend my first night in New York, but I wasn’t surprised.
Tilo never operated on my timetable and over the years I’d come to expect this type of behavior from her, but it didn’t mean I liked it. I would have rather spent my time between her thighs instead of beating my meat in a ridiculously overpriced hotel room, but there wasn’t anything I could do about it, so it didn’t make much sense getting myself all worked up about it. After I settled into my room, I decided to go downstairs to the bar to have a drink.
My flight from Atlanta was delayed for two hours, and we had to sit on the tarmac the entire time. That was the kind of shit that pissed me off about flying. Airlines had no problem at all leaving your ass if you weren’t on the plane fifteen minutes before departure, but would park your ass on the corner lot for hours and offer little in the way of an apology. I could understand weather-related delays and mechanical issues, but it blew me away when the delay was due to congestion over LaGuardia. What the fuck did that mean? I thought scheduling landings was a part of the duties of an air traffic controller, but obviously not when it comes to New York. I just didn’t get the hype of New York. The streets were overcrowded with traffic, and now they were telling us the air was littered with planes, too. I couldn’t wait to finish my business with Tilo and get the fuck out of New York.
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