Chapter 3
Living a Dream
Rico
“This will be your room,” I say as I open the door for Oni to walk in.
I chose one of the rooms down the hall from mine. I keep telling myself I want to be able to keep an eye on her, nothing else. She’s safer close to me.
“Thanks. I wasn’t expecting all of this,” she says, moving farther into the room.
“Why not? Did you think I was going to stick you in a broom closet or place you in front of a fireplace?”
She shrugs. “I didn’t know what to expect. Certainly wasn’t expecting a queen-size bed and all this.”
Anything for my girl almost slips from my lips. I’m not even sure where the words come from. I’ve been enjoying my time with her, but things can never go anywhere between us.
She’s a fucking kid. In life, in my world, in age compared to me. I know I had to grow up faster than most, but I would still be three years older than her if I had been raised like a normal guy.
I lean into the doorjamb of the room with my arms crossed over my chest as I watch her. She’s spinning around as she takes it all in with her backpack held tightly to her chest. This time, I’m really getting a chance to take her in.
She has to be about five-five to my six-three. She’d probably fit right into my arms perfectly. I push off the doorjamb, wanting to find out. As I move toward her, I start to release the first four buttons on my dress shirt.
She freezes and looks up at me. Her big brown eyes are so pretty with their oval shape. She has long, natural lashes that bring your attention to the shape and reddish-brown hue of her gaze.
I drop my eyes to her lips. They are so full and plush-looking. I want to devour them right here on the spot. I wonder if she knows how pretty she is.
“I should probably get in a shower and some sleep,” she says softly.
I clear my throat. “Everything you need will be right through there. If you can’t find something, my room is the one with the double doors right at the end of the hall.”
“Okay, thanks,” she says and licks her lips.
I reach to cup her face, searching her eyes. I wonder if she’s ever been kissed. Do I have it in me to have a taste and forget her after tonight?
Fuck it.
I lean in to find out. Her lips are taunting me to take them. I’m a breath away from sealing the deal when my phone rings, halting me.
I bite out a curse as she pulls away and spins for the bathroom I pointed out. I guess that’s for the best. Bringing my phone to my ear, I snarl into it.
“What?”
“We have a problem. You’re not going to like it.”
“Go on,” I snap and turn to leave the room.
I hate when people take something that should be simple and turn it into some shit I need to clean up. Everyone knows I don’t have tolerance for bullshit. I have to be ruthless to get to where I want to go.
Especially since I’m nineteen running a crew. Most of my guys are around my age, but I have a few men my father gave me who have been with him for years. I use them to deal with the younger guys.
They help me keep them in check. So far, it works for me. I haven’t had any pushback.
For one, no one wants to deal with my pop or my uncle. You fuck with me, you die. Second, I keep my guys happy.
Everyone in my crew earns well. There’s no need for bullshit when the bag is nice, and mouths are fed. We keep our shit clean.
If you have a need, you come to me, and I fix it. Simple as that, so when someone fucks up, I take it personal. I put my neck on the line for each and every member of my crew.
Fucking up means (a) you don’t respect that or (b) you don’t care. I have zero tolerance for those who don’t care, and everyone better remember to respect me or face the consequences. This is a family.
Family comes first. If you can allow your family to go down out of selfishness, you ain’t shit and never will be. From what Mario is saying in my ear right now, I have a member in my crew who ain’t shit, which means he has to go.
Placing my phone between my shoulder and my ear, I jog down the stairs while rolling the sleeves of my dress shirt up to my elbows.
“Push the drop back to tomorrow night. We can’t afford to blow the operation. I want you to personally replace the bags first thing in the morning,” I bark out orders as I move.
“And what should I do with our friend?”
“I’m on my way out back. Have him waiting for me,” I say and end the call.
The drugs in the car were meant for the Raphael crew.
They run a strip club here in Miami. Twice a month, one of my guys drops a duffel bag off to one of the dancers.
She then walks that bag right into the club.
When she leaves at the end of her shift, she leaves with an identical duffel filled with cash.
My guy goes to see her again to pick up the cash. It has to be the same bag every time. The bags have to match. Some asshole fucked up the duffel bag the coke was loaded into.
I can’t have my guy show up with a random bag for our girl. Now Mario will have to get a new bag into the club and replace the one we have to make a perfect match. All avoidable bullshit.
I run a hand through my hair. I was about to fuck up. This mess stopped me from fucking everything up. I didn’t recruit Oni to get in her pants.
Tomorrow will be different. I’m her boss and she’s an employee with a debt to pay. Nothing more, nothing less.
Get your fucking head in the game, Rico.
Oni
I think he was going to kiss me. If not for his phone ringing, he would have kissed me. I can’t help feeling a little disappointed.
However, I know it’s for the best. Rico oozes danger. I’d be getting myself into so much trouble falling for him. I need to focus on clearing my debt and regaining my freedom.
Now that he’s not here, I can think clearly. I know I don’t need to get any more involved in his world than I already am. My mom has so many regrets.
I allowed myself to get caught up earlier. Now, as I lie here staring up at the ceiling, I know this has to be one summer and one summer only. I punch the bed in frustration.
“Why can’t I stop thinking about him?” I huff into the dark room.
I blow out a breath and sit up. Maybe I should take a walk to clear my head. Or I could go sit out by the pool. It was gorgeous out there.
I slide from the bed in my T-shirt and panties. Since I only plan to dip my toes in the pool for a bit, I don’t bother to put anything else on. I creep out of my room and look down the hall.
I wonder if Rico is sleeping. Chewing on my lip, I think about going to knock on his door. He did say I could come to him if I needed anything.
I poke my lip out as I catch myself having silly thoughts again. Turning, I head for the stairs Rico brought me up. The house seems to be so still.
I keep going until I get to the double doors that head out to the backyard. I pad toward the pool, but something catches my attention. There’s a shed-like structure down the stairs, off to the left of the pool.
It catches my attention because it’s completely dark out here except for the landscape lights, the pool lights, and the light coming from the structure. I turn and head for the stairs. They lead down to the flat grassy lawn below and a path winds toward the shed.
It’s bigger than what it looked like from above. Making it to the front of the shed, I peek through the crack in the entrance door. My mouth falls open as Rico comes into view, shirtless.
Sweat drips down his back as he stands towering over the guy who’s on his knees, cowering away. I had a feeling there was a sculpted body under that dress shirt and those slacks.
“You know, at first I thought you were just a careless fuck.” Rico looks down at the guy, seething. “But nah, you’re a fucking cowardly idiot. You were going to let your little brother take the fall for the bullshit you orchestrated.
“As if I don’t already take care of your family. As if you all want for anything. As if I’m not paying for your sister to go to school.
“Anything you’ve come to me for, I’ve done for you. Maybe that’s my fucking problem. I’m too good to you guys.
“Is that it, Mario? Am I too good to my guys? Is that why this fuck is shitting in my face?”
“Maybe, boss.”
I glance further into the room and find a handsome guy with a scar on the right side of his face. A slash right down the center of his right eye. It doesn’t take away from his handsome face. It adds something to it.
Rico circles the guy on the ground, and his face comes into view. His dark hair is messy, falling into those gorgeous eyes. My gaze drops to his chiseled chest.
Damn.
He pushes his hair out of his face with one hand as he grabs the guy by his hair and tugs his head back with the other. The dark look on Rico’s face is enough to strike fear in me. However, I’m frozen. I can’t look away.
“What should I do with you, Jonny? Should I make you watch me kill your brother first, or should I kill you now and be done with your family forever?”
“No, please. This was all me. Ma needs your help.
“Anna still has two more years of school. Don’t take that from her because I fucked up. You’re right, you have been good to us.
“I got greedy. When Andy came to me with the offer, I took it and dragged Pauly into it with me.”
“I had so much respect for your pop,” Rico says as he releases Jonny’s hair. “Too bad he wasn’t around to raise you better. Because of him, I won’t cut off your family. Mario, bring Pauly in.”
Mario straightens and goes to another door inside. He brings in a younger-looking version of Jonny. His mouth is taped, and he looks like he’s about to shit his pants.
Meanwhile, Rico has pulled a gun and is twisting on a silencer. The one Mario just dragged in begins to cry and tries to speak through the tape on his mouth. I should run from here, but I can’t bring myself to not watch.
“Pauly, did I not tell you your loyalty should always be with me?”
Pauly nods frantically. Rico tilts his head to the side and wipes his forearm across his face. Pauly is trembling at this point and Jonny is on his knees, crying.
“Then why would you intentionally help your brother in a plot to set me up?”
Pauly tries to reply through the tape once again.
“You know what? I don’t care. It’s loyalty or death. You chose.”
“No, no, no, no,” Jonny cries.
His cries fall on deaf ears as Rico pulls the trigger and Pauly’s brains splatter all over the plastic that has just drawn my attention. Rico then turns his gun on Jonny, who’s doubled over, sobbing.
“Why? Why? Pauly … Pauly … I’m so sorry. I’m so fucking sorry.”
“Save that shit. You should have thought of who you were double-crossing, asshole. I’ll take good care of your ma and sister, you fuck.”
With that, he pulls the trigger again. I jump and get ready to turn and run. I don’t make it a step before I hear my name called.
“Oni, get your ass in here.”