Chapter 7 #2
About an hour and a half later, Finn whipped into a reserved spot in front of the building that Luna and Minx ran their business out of.
Rose was impressed when he saw the turn out as he and Finn scoped the scene.
All eyes were on them when they pulled up.
Finn took a few more tokes of his blunt and put it out in the ashtray.
“You ready for this shit?” Finn queried.
“About as ready as I can be.” Rose sighed.
Together, they climbed out of the car. The girls brought out the entire hood and then some.
Adjusting his suit jacket with Finn at his side on the curb, he nodded.
Their designer duds stood out as a few cameras flashed and caught snapshots of them moving toward the doors.
The newspapers and a few TV outlets even showed up, so this was big.
Stepping inside was a different experience. Both gentlemen paused at the front door. A single photographer worked the room, snapping candids of everyone. As soon as he saw them, he knew they had all the juice.
“Good evening, fellas. Looking sharp. Let me get a shot.” He encouraged them.
Rose and Finn posed together, cool, and suave as fuck, with Rose holding up the peace sign.
“Nice.” The camera man nodded after a few shots and kept it moving.
He, much like everyone else in the room, knew who they were.
Unlike most people, he wasn’t about to act like no groupie or no shit like that.
Rose and Finn walked the room, speaking to a few familiar faces here and there.
In the back, he spotted Minx. She and Luna whispered with their heads together, and laughed while pouring champagne behind the main counter.
For a minute, he stood and watched them together.
A waiter passed with champagne, and Rose scooped a glass off.
He took a slow sip while keeping his eye on Minx.
She lit up the entire fucking room. Her hair swept past her shoulders, wavy and long, contrasting with her smooth, toasted skin.
She threw her head back and giggled at something Luna said, and somehow, her eyes found his in the crowded room.
The innocent grin she sported turned seductive when she noticed that he’d been watching her.
Her bright eyes sparkled even more, like two shooting stars in the sky, and she gravitated toward him.
“Hey. You are late, but damn, you look good.” She leaned in to kiss his lips, and Rose cuffed the back of her neck, drawing her into him.
She smelled good and looked even better in the flowing Dior mermaid dress.
Her curves were on point, and Rose couldn’t help but bite hungrily into his bottom lip.
“Shit, gotta keep up with your fine ass,” he told her, eyes dancing around hers. Luna slipped in behind them, and set her sights on Finn. He pulled her into his arms and hooked them around her waist.
“You know what? Y’all did this shit.” Finn nodded and checked out his surroundings. “This shit is dope.”
“Thank you, baby. Let me give you the official tour. I know you have seen the process, but this is the finished product.” Luna grabbed his big hand and pulled him away from their friends.
“So how was your day?” Minx queried, snuggling up to Rose.
His hand cupped the side of her face, and he lovingly brought her closer to him.
“Better now that I’m with you,” he answered, watching a grin stretch across her face. “You did good here, Minx.”
“Luna is the brains—”
“You are behind the scenes. Nobody knows the work you put in. But your brain power definitely went into this. I can just tell.”
“I’m so glad that you’re here. I was worried.”
“Minx, you ain’t got shit to worry about, ever,” Rose assured her.
“I have taken a lot of loss, Ambrose.” When she said his full name with that half smile, his hand fell gently around her neck.
She knew he hated to be called that, but he would let her get it off every now and then.
“I can’t take losing you.”
“And you won’t ever have to think of that,” he insisted.
Minx sloped forward, kissing him gently as their event grew by the minute.
“Max would be the first one to tell you how proud he is of you and Luna. Y’all have come a long way.” He saw the saddened glare behind her eyes, and Minx sniffled to avoid the tears threatening to fall.
All day long, she’d been thinking about him and how he would react. She wished like hell he was here to see what they’d done. He always joked that she and Luna were like Thelma and Louise.
“Aye, you good?” Rose checked with her.
“I am… more than good. Mama’s here. I’m gonna go say hi to her and Jonah.” Minx pulled away from him and went to greet her mother and uncle.
Rose wandered to the back counter where the alcohol was being served.
He needed more than some damn champagne.
Locating the bottle of white Hennessy, he reached for a shot glass and poured himself a double.
A few minutes passed, and Minx made her way back to him.
Rose remained behind it like he was a bartender or something.
“Rose, this is Gerardo Martinez,” Minx introduced them.
Lifting his eyes after pouring himself a shot, Rose froze. He locked eyes with the leader of the Martinez cartel in Miami. Clearing his throat, he sipped from his glass and squinted at the large man in front of him.
“Oh, Rose is very familiar with me, aren’t you, my friend?” Gerardo asked, a knowing grin filling his cheeks.
With a firm grip on his glass, Rose nodded.
“So what brings you around these parts? You are kind of far from home.”
Minx was confused by the conversation. Rose didn’t seem particularly happy to see the man, and vice versa. Had she made a mistake? Was he the enemy?
“Do you mind if we have a moment?” Gerardo turned to Minx.
She looked to Rose for answers, and when he nodded, Minx knew what was up.
“Yeah, enjoy your night. There is an open bar,” she informed him as she pulled away from the counter.
Once she was gone, Rose caught Gerardo zoned out while watching her walk away.
“Lovely woman,” he complimented, facing Rose.
Nostrils flaring, he was close to shattering the glass in his hand he squeeze so hard.
“Why are you here, Gerardo?”
“I heard about Max, and we have a problem. I thought you might be able to assist.” Gerardo leaned against the counter.
“What kind of problem?” Rose asked, swallowing his drink and setting his glass down.
“Pablo was killed. Gunned down like an animal. Our sources are telling us that you had something to do with it.” Gerardo put out there.
“Well, your sources are wrong. I’ve been back here over a month. I’ve been dealing with a lot. Ain’t no way I got time to be going up against the fucking cartel. I ain’t stupid, and we squashed all that shit in Miami.”
“I know,” Gerardo replied.
“So why did you come all the way here?” Rose queried.
“You may not have known about it, but someone around here does. All roads lead back here. So I need answers.” Gerardo was plain, direct, and right to the point.
Rose’s brows dipped above his dark, rounded orbs.
“What you got? How can I help?” Rose questioned.
“I thought you would never ask.” He brightened up immediately. “What do you know about a mothafucka named Gannon?”
“Hmm.” Rose laughed to himself and shook his head.
That shit shouldn’t surprise him, but it did amuse the fuck out of him how the tables were turning.
“What about him?”
“Are you friends?”
“We definitely ain’t that,” Rose countered.
“Where can I find him?” Gerardo questioned.
“I know where his apartment is located. You can try there. What you looking for him for though? What he got to do with anything?”
“Nigga came to Miami a while back and met with Pablo about some guns. He said that Max sent him.”
“That’s a fucking lie. I told Max about you needing a plug. He said he would work on it. He would have never sent Gannon to negotiate the deal.”
“Gannon made it clear when he came down that he was acting on word from Max and from you.” Gerardo aimed a finger at him, and Rose stiffened.
Gannon was next on his list of things to address. He was being patient and trying to keep it cool because shit was already hot in town, but Rose felt he might hit the rails soon. Gannon, Eirian, and their entire crew were provoking him. Although no moves were made yet, Rose expected it at any time.
“Gannon is a fucking snake. Max was aware of this before he died, so there was no way that he would vouch for this mothafucka,” Rose explained.
“My thoughts exactly. I did my research. Max was solid. He did square business, and I have never had a problem out of you. That is why I am here, to get to the bottom of this.” Gerardo aimed a finger at the counter and kept his eyes fixed on Rose.
“I’ll be around town until I get confirmation on everything.
” Rose watched him stand upright, removing himself from the counter.
“This is a nice place here, by the way. Tell your girl congratulations on her accomplishment.”
Rose watched him tread to the door, and he searched the rest of the room as Finn joined him. Resting his elbow on the counter, he leaned forward.
“What was that about?” Finn asked, picking up on the energy from Gerardo from ten feet away.
He knew Rose could handle himself, so he was just keeping an eye on things and hanging back in case he was needed.
“The Martinez Cartel is in town,” Rose announced.
“The fuck they want?” Finn asked.
Finn wasn’t no scary nigga. He didn’t care if the mafia was present, he was the type to ride or die about his respect against anybody.
If he had to, he would go through the fucking army if it meant he came out on the other side.
At this point, it was fuck everybody. Too many had crossed them, so it was time to start setting examples.
“Me,” Rose divulged, and Finn’s brows went up.
“Rose, what’s going on?” Finn asked, concerned.
“We can talk after we leave here. We got some moves to make.” Rose brought another refilled glass to his lips and took a slow sip.
“Pour me one of those.” He nodded to the bottle, and Rose did as he was asked.