Six weeks later

Roman stood in the empty parking lot, Lurch on his left and 5 of his newest goons behind him. He was one handshake away from cutting Erik off at the knees.

Two black sedans pulled into the lot opposite the posse. Their occupants exited and formed a barrier around the man last to exit. Hiro Shimamoto was the primary supplier for all the drugs Erik moved into the States. Roman had to pull many strings and call up a bunch of favors to get his number, followed by several phone calls to get a face-to-face. Shimamoto didn’t venture far from his compound, unless a lucrative offer was in place or an example needed to be made. Roman still wasn’t sure which brought him here. Shimamoto was a small man with a large arsenal. Old age was beginning to set in his joints, evident in the black cane he carried. Next to him was his son, Kato, who was soon to inherit his father’s empire. “Mr. Roman, good to see you,” Shimamoto said, stopping short of the group. Roman bowed the top half of his body, in respect. “Ah, please stand. I have not practiced the old ways in a while. I’m glad you did your research,” the man chuckled.
“I wanted to make sure you were impressed. Your business is important to me.” Shimamoto’s face changed from jolly to serious. “Why should I do business with you? What do you have to offer that your predecessor does not?”
“McLaren is only out for himself. All of the business he conducts is only beneficial to his end game and then he plans to leave everyone else in the lurch. Myself, included.”
“So this is retaliation?”
“Think of it as a lateral move. We both know McLaren has been lowballing you,” Roman said, looking over at Lurch, who retrieved a bag from the ground. He passed it to Kato, who passed it to one of their goons. He opened the bag to find it full of money. “He’s been cutting your product down to almost nothing. I know this can be harmful to your other business. I want to correct that for you.”
“With money? Not that I’m complaining.”
“That is the difference Erik has been skimming this quarter, plus a down payment on my first shipment. Think of it as good faith money.”

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Alice scurried down the stairs to the front door and straightened out her clothes. She hadn’t seen Andrew in two days and she was prepared for a lifetime of groveling and ass-kissing so that he would forgive her. Those days gave her insight to what she really wanted: her husband, her home, his child. She sighed and whipped the door open, but it was not her husband waiting for her. Roman looked up from his cell phone and smiled, the bright, hypnotic smile that left many women breathless in his wake. “Hey Blackbird,” he said to his former flame. Alice stood, mouth agape, confused, excited, scared at him. He was no longer the skinny, corner thug she was madly in love with. Continue reading

Andrew had to stomp on the brakes to prevent slamming into the back of the Taurus waiting at the light ahead. “Jesus…where’s your head at, partner?” Velez said, clutching the handle over him. “Sorry man, I’m just… Distracted,” Andrew said, scratching his head. “Penny for your thoughts?”
“Nah, it’s nothing.”
“Look, mano, you can’t leave stuff bottled up, especially out here. You’ll get an ulcer,” Velez said, swatting his partner’s arm. They rode farther in silence. Even though they had been partners for almost 10 years, Martin Velez knew Andrew hated sharing his personal problems and pressuring him would only make him clam up more. “You know…” Andrew started, “Alice and I have been…having problems.”
“Sort of,” Velez responded, giving his partner his undivided attention. “I don’t know. It’s just… After she got that promotion, she just… Hasn’t been around,” Andrew said, attempting to be vague. “Have you talked to her about it?”
“I can’t do that, man. I’m supposed to be… Happy, supportive, you know, husband shit.”
“Actually, I don’t,” Velez said, chucking. Andrew’s mouth tightened into a hard line and Velez realized his joke had gone too far. “What I meant was, I’m not married. But talking seems like the best route.”
“I can’t. Especially since…” Andrew wasn’t sure how to word it. “Cmon Jordan, you’re a good dude! You shouldn’t have to put up with that shit. It’s not like you lie or cheat on her,” Velez said. Andrew glanced over at his partner silently. Velez turned in his seat to face Andrew. “Wait, you’re cheating on Alice???” Continue reading

Even with her music blaring, Desi could still ear Brian milling about her flat. He had been over every night for the past week and he was driving her crazy. She sat and stared at the blank canvass as she listened to him bop around the kitchen. He whistled along to “Pretty Brown Eyes” as he chopped the ingredients for his smoothie. Desi rubbed her forehead in disdain, trying to force an image out of her head. She needed to work. The blender started an ear-splitting grinding, drowning out the music overhead. Desi exclaimed out loud and threw down her paint brush. Hearing the commotion, Brian silenced the blender and the music. “You say something, babe?” he asked, looking across the room. Desi’s back was to him but he could still see her, holding her head. He rounded the kitchen island and strode across the room. He put his hands on her shoulders and started to massage her. Desi slipped from his grip and moved away from him. She held her hands out in front of her. Continue reading