No More Mr. Nice Guy

by Carl Weber

  “And I’m sure he wants to meet you too, sir,” I assured him.

  “Director, since Mr. Monroe has already taken out six of our most recognizable targets, then I say we test his skills on our West Coast problem.” Jonathan delivered this bombshell while smiling at me like he was handing me some fucking gift.

  “What do you think, Bridget?” Douglas asked. I could see the hope in his eyes of eliminating a huge threat. Our West Coast problem was a man we called The Cat. He was a very dangerous arms dealer and smuggler connected to the Mexican Mafia. The Cat not only supplied terrorists with guns, but he was in some way responsible for half of the illegal weapons on the streets, along with a good portion of the illegal drugs. We’d been after him for years, but the man was elusive as a cat and just as hard to kill. He’d taken out at least ten of our best agents over the years.

  “No.” I shook my head emphatically. I had to control myself from trembling at the thought of them sending Niles to deal with him. “He’s not ready for that.”

  “Why not?” Jonathan snapped. “If you’re telling us he’s our best, then we need to use him to take out our biggest threat. It just makes sense.”

  “Jonathan, he’s not ready.”

  “What do you mean? How can he not be ready?” He slammed his hand on the conference table for emphasis, but I knew this was all an act for my benefit. Jonathan was just trying to get under my skin. “If he’s not ready to handle The Cat, then what the fuck are you bragging about him like he’s the Second Coming of Christ? Don’t tell us how good he is unless you’re willing to put him to the test—and that is the test.”

  “It’s only been a few months, may I remind you. Sure, we could send him, but I want to make damn sure he’s seasoned so that when he does go to California, he comes back alive. For fuck’s sake, I almost didn’t make it out of there when you sent me, in case you forgot,” I seethed. There was no way I was ready to risk Niles the way he had risked me.

  “Oh, now I see. This isn’t about Monroe. This is about you and the fact that you almost got yourself killed trying to take down The Cat, isn’t it?” He glanced around the table with a triumphant expression, like he had busted me, and I wanted to strangle him.

  “Fuck you, Jonathan.” I let my feelings slip, but I didn’t regret it. Now everyone in the room knew that this was personal. “I don’t remember you running out West to confront that sadistic bastard.”

  “If I remember correctly,” Jonathan shot back, “you volunteered for that assignment and went against a well laid plan to kill the man, in favor of your fucking dots.” Jonathan was trying to embarrass me, but I wasn’t going out like that.

  “You know what? Maybe it’s time I came out of retirement and showed you how it’s done, since your boy’s not up to it.”

  “Don’t make me laugh. You told me yourself you have to have a real set of balls to be in the field. You’ve been behind a desk a long time, Jonathan. Don’t come from behind it. You might find yours have shrunk quite a bit,” I countered. In truth, he was a really good operative in the field, maybe the best I’d seen until Niles, but I wasn’t about to admit that to him.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Jonathan snapped back. “I busted my ass in the field for this company.”

  “Jonathan, no one ever questions your ability to do a great job,” Douglas reminded him, and like a good dog, he backed down. “Bridget, this is not a place for personal attacks.”

  But Jonathan wasn’t done.

  “Why don’t we leave it up to Douglas to make that decision, since he’s the one in charge?” Jonathan challenged me like we were fighting over a bag of chips and not a man’s life.

  “Enough! This is not a pissing contest. We’re talking about the safety and well-being of the American people,” Douglas said, throwing me a bone. At least he understood. “You wanna test this guy, let’s send them to handle Alexander. You take care of him, and it’ll take a lot of pressure off my back and the senator’s.”

  I stared angrily at Jonathan. “Consider it done, Director.”

  Willie

  40

  Niles had already given me the go-ahead, so I couldn’t wait to talk to Tanya and see the look on her face when I gave her the good news. That woman was seriously working up to wife status, and I’m not just talking on Facebook. I’m talking the all day, every day kind of commitment. It had only been a few months, but I could already tell that she wasn’t the type of woman you run into on the regular. She was ride or die, and after being down on my luck for so long, I liked having a real partner to share my good times with, especially when I knew she’d be there even if things got tough. She liked me when I didn’t have a pot to piss in or a window to throw it out of, and in today’s world, that’s saying a whole lot.

  “Where you taking me?” she asked as she got into the car with her overnight bag, all excited, like a little girl hoping it was a trip to FAO Schwartz. I’d told her to dress casually, but even in a pair of jeans, flats, and a T-shirt, she was turning me on.

  “It’s for me to know and you to find out,” I kidded, using a favorite childhood comeback to tease her.

  “This don’t look like the way to your house,” she said, trying to get a clue, but I wasn’t budging. “Well, wherever it is don’t matter, since I’m not working tomorrow. They said I might have some hours on Tuesday. I swear, if I didn’t have to keep up my rent, I would just quit.”

  “Then quit. It’s not like you’re in love with that apartment anyway. Didn’t you just tell me your neighbor had a break-in?”

  “Yeah, I know it’s not much, but it’s what I can afford.” She sounded frustrated.

  “Hey, I get it. You see where I’m living,” I reminded her, failing to mention it in past tense, since that would have given away part of the surprise.

  “How far is it?” she pressed after I’d driven another twenty minutes.

  I smiled over at her and took her hand. “Not far.”

  “You know the suspense is killing me.”

  “Baby, it’s like me. Worth the wait,” I joked as I ran my hand between her legs.

  Tanya picked up my hand and held it in hers. “You better stop or you’re going to have to take care of me right here in this car.”

  “Oh, I can do that and still drive.” I waved my fingers in the air to remind her of how quickly I had made her come in the movie theater the other night.

  She burst out laughing. “You are too bad, Willie. Least now I get the full appeal of dating an older man. You have tricks.”

  “And don’t you forget it, because I’m not planning on letting you go.” I could see out the side of my eye that she had brightened at that statement. I can’t tell you how happy it made me to be with this woman.

  We pulled into the driveway a few minutes later.

  “What a beautiful house,” Tanya gushed as we pulled up in front of the home Niles had recently purchased. “Who lives here?”

  “I do.”

  She glanced over at me. “What?”

  “Well, not alone. Niles bought it, but we moved in yesterday,” I confessed, leaving out the part about the top-flight moving company who packed and unpacked everything, along with the furniture delivery.

  “God, this neighborhood . . . it’s just lovely.” Tanya got out of the car. “Now I’m really not breaking up with you.”

  Now it was my turn to be surprised. “What? You were breaking up with me?” I sputtered.

  “Gotcha! Next time don’t surprise me.” She laughed as she threw her arms around my neck and kissed me.

  “Come on. I want you to meet my sister.” We headed through the house to the family room, where Lorna sat watching Law & Order.

  “Lorna?” I called to her as we entered. She turned, and her face lit up when she spotted Tanya.

  “Willie, who is this young lady?” she asked as we made our way over to her.

  “This is my girlfriend, Tanya,” I told my sister, realizing it was the first time I’d ever referred to
her as my girlfriend. I could see the surprise on Tanya’s face and Lorna’s.

  “Come here and sit with me,” she said to Tanya with a big, friendly smile on her face. Tanya took a seat beside her on the sofa.

  “This is my favorite show,” Tanya told her.

  I went to find Niles, and by the time I returned, they were fast and furious friends.

  “Did you eat anything for lunch?” I asked Lorna. “Or do you want me to fix you something?”

  Tanya jumped in and volunteered. “I don’t mind. I can cook something.”

  “No, I can run out and get us food.” I tried to insist, but Tanya was already asking Lorna what she would like and hurrying into the kitchen, so I followed her. She was already in the refrigerator, which we’d stocked yesterday.

  I interrupted her search. “I’m taking you to dinner to celebrate.”

  “That’s fine, but what are we celebrating?” she asked.

  “Your new job—that is, if you want it. It comes with benefits, aside from seeing me all the time.”

  “What new job?”

  “Well, Lorna needs someone to be here to take care of her. We were going to hire from a service, but I told Niles that if you agreed, there was no one we’d feel better about in our house with Lorna.”

  Tanya slapped a hand over her mouth. “What? Willie, really?”

  That’s when Niles came into the kitchen. “Tell her to take the job,” I told my nephew.

  “Take the job. It starts at $650 a week, but we can raise it. Did you show her the quarters?” Niles asked.

  “What?” Tanya looked like her head was about to explode.

  “This is far from where you live, and when we’re working, we need someone who is willing to work around the clock. You’ll be compensated. There is a separate wing in the back, so you’ll have your own apartment if you want it. That way you’ll have total privacy when you’re not working,” I explained.

  “So I’d live here?” she asked, sounding shocked.

  Niles answered, “Yes. Some days we’ll need that, but it’s up to you if you want to keep your place. The apartment comes with the job.”

  Tanya walked over to the window and looked out. “So, I can live here? This beautiful neighborhood would be my neighborhood?”

  Niles and I both answered, “Yes!”

  “I’m in. Oh my God! I can’t believe it. When can I move in?” She was jumping around like she’d just won the Miss America pageant.

  “Whenever you want us to send the movers to your place. They will pack you up and unpack you,” I said.

  “I can’t believe this. Does Lorna know?”

  “We wanted to wait and see if you took the job first.”

  Tanya moved toward me and threw her arms around my neck. “Thank you.”

  “No, thank you.” I kissed her.

  Niles interrupted us, joking, “It’s getting too sappy in here.” He walked out, leaving me free to love on Tanya. I knew that my sister was lucky to have such an amazing woman looking after her, but that paled in comparison to how lucky I was to have found this special woman to call mine.

  Keisha

  41

  Have you ever had what I call a come to Jesus moment? Where you feel like your entire life has come to an end, and all you want to do is just bury your head in your hands and fade away? Well, that’s how I felt when I answered the door to find Majestic and Bruce standing on my stoop.

  “Um, Majestic, you’re home,” I mumbled.

  “That’s right, I’m home. Now where’s my son?” Majestic demanded. He pushed past me like I wasn’t even there. Bruce, on the other hand, just stood there smirking at me. He didn’t have to say what he was thinking. His facial expression said it all for him.

  “You could have called and told me that you were coming,” I snapped after taking a long, deep breath. If he thought I was going to put up with his bullying, he was wrong. One of the things I’d learned about my relationship with Majestic was that if you didn’t stand up to him, he’d run all over you.

  Majestic stopped and gave Bruce a look.

  “Man. I told you she was out of control,” Bruce commented.

  “Shut the fuck up, Bruce. Ain’t nobody talking to you.” I turned all my anger toward him. I guess I wasn’t quite ready to stand up to Majestic yet. “This is my fucking house, and you can get the hell out.”

  “No, Keisha, this is my fucking house,” Majestic said. “I pay the bills here, and you might want to remember that, instead of giving me and my boy all that fucking attitude,” he blasted me, going from room to room with me following behind him to make sure he didn’t tear the place up. “Otherwise, you can pack your shit and get the fuck out right now. Now where the fuck is my son?”

  I knew I had no choice but to let him see MJ, but I didn’t have to pretend to be happy about it. “He’s sleeping, so let me wake him up so he don’t get scared,” I told them. “Stay here.”

  Majestic ignored my direction and followed right behind me. “What, you ain’t miss me?” He grabbed me around the waist and pulled me close.

  “Stop, Majestic,” I whispered, not wanting MJ to wake up with him all over me. I tried to pull away, but he had a death grip on me and was burying his head in my neck.

  “Now we need to get busy giving little man a sister or brother.”

  “I’m not having another baby by you,” I whispered harshly, feeling my stomach turn with fear and disgust. “Why don’t you get one of those other hoes pregnant? You know the ones you got all over town,” I reminded him.

  “Keisha, you are my baby mama. I told you when you got pregnant that I want all my kids to have the same mother.”

  I gave him a look like he was crazy. “We’re not together anymore!”

  He threw back his head and laughed like what I said was funny as hell. In retaliation, he grabbed me by the arm and held on tight, giving me a cold and intimidating look before he threatened me. “We are together as long as I say that we are together, and if you value your life, you need to remember that.”

  He let my hand go, and I felt myself turn to mush, shaking in fear for my life. That didn’t mean I was ready to roll over and give in to him, though. I’d always had a bit of a stubborn streak. I was enjoying my new life with Niles, and I didn’t want to even think about going back to the way things were when I was under Majestic’s thumb.

  “I don’t want to be with you anymore,” I insisted. “Don’t you want a woman who wants to be with you and can love you the way you deserve? You deserve to be happy, Majestic. I can’t do that for you.” I thought that would soften the truth that I didn’t love or want him anymore.

  Suddenly, his face turned into a monster’s, and he went ballistic. “Bitch, I don’t give a shit what you think you want or what you think I deserve. What you think and how you feel don’t mean shit to me, and you want to know why? Because I will tell you what to think and how to feel—and don’t be confused that I need you. MJ is small enough that I can get rid of you and find him a new mother like that!” He snapped his fingers to make a point. “Is that what you want?” He stood close to me, lifting his shirt to show me his gun. I knew not to push him, or he could make me disappear.

  “Answer the fucking question,” he said. “Is that what you want?”

  “No.”

  “No what?” he growled.

  “No, I want you,” I lied. He didn’t care if it was true, as long as I got back in line.

  “Now go wake up my son and bring him into the living room,” he demanded as he left the room. I had to fight to keep the tears from flowing, but the last thing I wanted was for MJ to see my crying.

  I reached down and picked him up and held him close to me. I loved my son more than life itself, but his father was a whole other issue—one I would have to deal with, whether I wanted to or not, until I could figure out another way.

  Of course Majestic insisted that I run out and get him and Bruce Chinese takeout. When I tried to take MJ with me, he shut that
down and told me to go alone. God, I hated them.

  When I returned with the chicken wings and fried rice, MJ was sitting on Majestic’s lap, playing with his phone, as happy as he could be.

  Majestic shot me a look that said I told you so.

  “You need to relax,” he said. “My son is happy to see his daddy,” he bragged as I set the food down in front of them.

  “Anything else?” I asked as I placed the two Cokes down.

  “What about my little man?” he asked, pointing to the soda.

  “He doesn’t drink soda. It’s not good for him. I’ll get him a juice box.” I headed into the kitchen and returned with the juice.

  He turned to Bruce. “Told you she would make a good mother. Lots of those chicken heads would give their kids anything.” Then Majestic focused on MJ. “You ready for a little brother or sister?”

  I almost choked hearing that, but I knew to hold back what I wanted to say.

  He turned his attention to me again. “You know I wanted to spend time with my son, but you wouldn’t bring him to visit me.”

  “Well, I don’t think jail is a good place to take a kid,” I said, trying hard not to shout, because I knew it would scare MJ.

  “Did you miss Daddy?”

  MJ stared up at Majestic. “Yeah. Daddy, when I grow up, I want to go to camp too, just like you.”

  “Camp? Well, MJ, you’re going to another kind of camp. You’re going to college.”

  Majestic got that look on his face that let me know he was angry. “MJ, go find Grandma room and play with some of those toys Uncle Bruce brought you while I was in camp.”

  My son scooted off his father’s lap and raced into the other room.

  I called after him. “MJ, wash your hands first.” That’s when I saw an exchange between Bruce and Majestic.

  Bruce got up and went into the room after MJ. I folded my hands across my chest, waiting to get scolded by Majestic, who was finishing a wing.

  “You know how many women want to have my baby? ’Cause I make sure that you don’t want for nothing, long as you take care of my kid. But everything here, including you and MJ, belong to me. You forget that again, and your ass will be on the street alone. You feel me? Now, you had your little fun while I was locked up, but Daddy is home now. You get that?” He reached out and grabbed my arm and twisted it. A red/purple welt rose up on my arm.