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  Growling he just snapped, “Who was it and when? How many?”

  Taking a bite of food, I said nonchalantly, “It was only a few times when I needed it, nothing serious for a long time. My first was years ago, his name was Elis. He hasn’t been around in a while though. Hell, he may even be dead for all I know. What about you? Any old lovers going to show up at the door looking for you?”

  With a loud laugh he just said, “No, but I would be scared for them to come here anyway. Could you hold back from killing them if they did, Rosie?”

  Them. More than one. I would kill them all and not think twice if they showed their faces at my home.

  Stabbing my fork into the chicken on my plate, I smiled sweetly and said, “Who me? I’m such a sweet person though, why would I ever do something like that?”

  Before Tony could respond, the sound of coughing caught my attention. Looking up, I noticed Roman standing by the doorway with a newspaper under his arm.

  “Ma’am, when you can I have something for you to see,” he said, worry etching his features.

  “We will talk more later Tony. This was fun so I hope we do it again,” I said with a smile.

  Walking over to Roman, I asked that he follow me to my office. Sitting at my desk, I waited for Roman to begin. Laying the paper on my desk, he turned and ran his fingers through his hair. Glancing down I saw the heading, “Victim states: woman killed rapist in nightclub.” Great, just what I needed. I had told her to keep her mouth shut. Picking up the newspaper I read the front-page story.

  “Victim claims that a pretty woman barged out of a bathroom stall. She was attacked by would be rapist and proceeded to defend herself. She was instructed to remain silent on events leading up to the death of known Mafia member, Enrique, by this woman. ‘She was ready for him. She beat him up pretty bad. I was so scared.’ When asked to describe this woman she just said, ‘She was really pretty, a good fighter, and smelled like roses.’ We believe she may be connected to the recent murder of a man in an alleyway just a few weeks ago. This woman is now being referred to as ‘Pretty Killer.’ As we find out more we will give out information approved by the Policia. If you know this Pretty Killer, contact 888-936-5104.”

  Shit, shit, shit! What was I going to do? She saw me and didn’t keep quiet. It is only a matter of time before someone figures out who I am.

  Risking a glance at Roman, I asked, “Do we know who this ‘Pretty Killer’ is?” Shaking his head, he just looked at me sadly.

  “No, Jefa. But we need to stop her. This is the second time she has killed someone under our noses. The council will find out about this and question you as our leader if Dominic pushes it from his end in Italy.”

  Nodding, I commanded, “Look into who this witness is. Ask her what she knows then report back to me and no one else. Entiendes?”

  Picking up the newspaper, he just replied, “Si, señora.”

  Roman was right, I was screwed if he pushed it since I did nothing to help him find her… well, me, last time.

  15

  Rosalina

  I don’t know who decided to wait for who exactly, but I found myself eating both breakfast and lunch with Tony a few days later. We had unknowingly gotten closer than I imagined in such a short time frame. I had literally known him for about a month, yet I couldn’t see him not ever being in my life anymore. It scared me. I wasn’t supposed to be falling for this man. I was supposed to be running an organization. I wasn’t so sure I wanted to keep pushing him away anymore though. The only other man who had ever gotten this close to me had been Elis. That hadn’t turned out so well for me in the end. I disappointed my father with our relationship and he had to move someone he trusted to who knows where.

  Snapping his fingers in my face to get my attention, I realized that I had been lost in thought and not heard what Tony said.

  “Ahem, sorry what did you say?” I asked him.

  “Ay amor, you hurt me. You don’t even care that I was professing my undying love for you,” he replied, his eyes full of humor.

  Giggling, I just threw my napkin at him. “I actually asked if I could take you out on a real date sometime,” he said to me.

  Calling out over his shoulder, “No offense, Nico but I want to be alone somewhere outside of this fortress.” Nico just chuckled and told him that he understood.

  “Sure. We can do that. What did you have in mind?” I asked. Shock clear on his face at my acceptance.

  “Umm, I’ll let you know the details in a couple of hours. Until then,” he said as he leaned down to place a kiss on my cheek. Blushing, I quickly left the kitchen and a laughing Nico.

  I had been at my desk for about an hour when my personal cell phone rang out. Looking at the phone strangely since no one ever called my phone, I answered.

  “Rosalina! Mi sobrina! How are you? It is Hernando, your tio,” The man on the other end responded.

  Great. My uncle. The one who hadn’t so much as lifted a finger to help our family for years, well, not since his daughter was caught with my ex.

  “Tio, I’m well. How are you and everyone else?” I faked interest. I wanted to get this call over with already.

  “Bien, bien. Listen, Rosalina… I need something. Nothing big, I promise,” he rambled.

  Cutting him off, I asked flatly, “What could you possibly need from me?”

  Drumming my fingers on the table while I waited on his reply, I knew this was going to be uncomfortable for us both if he was taking this long to ask.

  “Amalia is in trouble and, this time, I can’t get her out of it. So, if you could open up your home for a short time to her, I would appreciate it,” he rushed out before I could stop his request.

  Damn him. Damn her too.

  Sighing I asked, “What did she do and for how long?”

  Letting out a deep breath on his end of the phone, he stated, “She was caught by the wife of her latest toy. He is second in command of the Colombian drug cartel.”

  Amalia didn’t know when to keep her legs closed still, I mused to myself. “Sure, fine, but only for a week. Two weeks max,” I spat.

  “Gracias, Rosalina,” he said quickly as he hung up the phone.

  Turning to the report on my desk, I went back to work. I needed to set up a shipment to the Italians and to the Colombians for the next week. I didn’t have time to think of Amalia and her chaos. My email pinged to let me know I had a new message. Turning to it, I saw that it was from our police inside contact. Pulling up the email, I read over it at least four times to be sure of what it said. The names Alex had given us checked out in their database. Both Gerald and Oscar Kruse had been in Mexico during the time of my parent's death. They were notorious contract killers in Russia and happened to be brothers. Finally, a lead I could work with. Sending an email back to him, I thanked him and let him know I would be in contact again soon. I had a couple of deaths to plan of my own.

  16

  Rosalina

  My father was always the kind of man that would not take any action against someone, unless they did wrong against our family. I wasn’t fond of causing problems with others either, but this time I was going to let my killer instinct out to play. No, I couldn’t say for sure that the Kruse brothers killed my parents. Things were too cleanly done for it to have been just anyone though. I’m going to make a move on them once I plan everything out. I’m not stupid. I know my chances are slim, but thankfully, my father had made sure I knew what I was doing.

  “Rosie, that is not how you hold a sniper rifle. Have you learned nothing in these past two months here? Ay dios, here let me show you,” he commanded as he took the SR-25 from my hands.

  I thought I was doing well, honestly. I could hit my targets… most of the time but, of course, my father being here to watch me made me nervous.

  “Alright, see that target?” He asked, handing me the binoculars.

  “Si Papa,” I responded, looking at it from my vantage point.

  “What you want to do is be su
re that you fire on the exhale. Not on the inhale, because then you are pulling up on the rifle. Got it?” He questioned.

  Nodding my head, I quietly said yes. Why couldn’t I have done this perfectly in front of him?

  “And fire. There you go Rosie. Now, you try it again,” he motioned for me to take control of the rifle.

  Being sure to take a few breaths to find my rhythm, I slowly exhaled, pressing the trigger. Target hit.

  “Perfecto! I knew you could do it!” He cheered.

  Smiling up at him, I felt like I was on top of the world. After that day, I managed to blow away my instructor with my sniper accuracy. I was made to use this weapon. For my graduation from Trident Weapons, my instructor actually gave me my SR-25. I named her Belinda.

  I needed to shoot something. I really wanted to shoot someone, but that wouldn’t go over well with the men in this house. Unlocking my gun cabinet, I pulled out Belinda. It had been a while since I used her. The best thing about this rifle model was that it was lightweight compared to all the rest. As a woman, that had been a selling point to me. All the men who were at Trident Weapons with me went for the flashy new models. I preferred Belinda.

  Glancing at my phone, I saw that Tony wanted me ready to go at eight pm. It was only six now so I had time. I decided to change into my date night clothes and then go to the range. It would give me plenty of time but I wouldn’t be using the sniper rifle. It would be handgun shooting since I couldn’t lay down in a dress as easily. With a sigh, I put Belinda away and pulled out my .9mm Kimber Solo instead.

  Dressing in a pale pink, knee-length dress along with my scarlet red heels, I fixed my hair into a messy bun, held together with my Chinese hair pins. The pins were a purchase I had made in China on a stop for my father a few years before. One end had a single pearl while the other was a metal rod shaped into a fine point that I could stab someone with. I loved this set. I had nowhere to wear them to normally, but I loved the way they seemed so unsuspecting, just like a woman. I wanted to look pretty tonight for Tony, but as a mafia woman I would never be unarmed if I could help it. Tucking my phone into my small pocket, I left my room, gun in hand. Making my way to the inside range I lined my targets up. Much to my mother’s displeasure I never wore the ear protectors or any eyewear. I saw no point since, in an actual shooting I wouldn’t have that as protection.

  Lining up my target in my sight, I fired over and over again until I needed to reload. Deciding that I should practice with my left hand as well, I switched my target and unloaded an entire six bullet clip. Damn, I had missed two shots. I was spending too much time closed off in my office and not enough time training. Reloading a clip, I thought about the fact that I was here in a dress and heels, shooting at a range when most women would be getting their nails done. Laughing to myself, I changed my target to a full body sheet. A whistle caught my attention as I raised my Kimber again. Turning around quickly, I saw both Roman and Tony standing at the door to the range. A grin spread across my face as Tony reached down to readjust himself. Roman just nodded at me as he turned to leave. I heard Tony tell him thank you as he closed the door behind him. Leaning against the booth wall, I waited for him to make his way to me. Looking down range, he took in my clean target.

  “May I?” He asked, indicating he wanted my gun.

  “Sure. I have an eight round clip if you prefer that to the six,” I said as I handed him the gun.

  Testing the weight in his hand, he lifted the Kimber and proceeded to shoot. I never looked at the target until it came back to us. He was a sight with a weapon in his hands. Biting my lip, I imagined what it would be like to be side by side in an all-out gun fight with him.

  “Not bad at all. I like the feel of that gun, I must look into it later on. Right now, we have a dinner date to attend ma’am,” he said laying his target on the booth counter.

  Glancing down at his target, I saw that he had done very well. There were two shots to the head and the other four were in the chest.

  17

  Rosalina

  We arrived at a slightly upscale restaurant called Mauricio’s. I had never eaten here before, so I wasn’t sure of the floor layout just yet. Trying not to look like I was scoping the place out, I glanced around as we were led to our table.

  “There are three exits, one set of glass windows at the front, and the exit is not near the bathroom,” Tony said quietly where only I could hear him.

  Looking at him, I just grinned. Apparently, I wasn’t the only one taking in the floor plan. I was not a fan of wine, so when the server took our drink order I asked for a mango martini instead, while Tony requested an old fashion. Once our server left to make our drink order, I turned to him.

  “Exits are the entry, one in the kitchen and one along that wall over there,” he discreetly pointed behind me at the wall.

  “Was it obvious?” I questioned.

  Shaking his head, he replied, “Not at all. I came down here a little after midday to get a feel for the layout. In our world it’s one of the few things we all do in a new place.”

  Our server had made her way back with our drinks. I let Tony order for me. This was nice. I could see myself letting him do small things like this for me in the future.

  “So Rosie, I looked over your contract. I’m ready to talk about it with you. I don’t want anything but you. If something happens to me you will also have control over my portion of the… family business in Cuba. You can keep everything else you have offered, I don’t want any of it. Deal?” Tony asked, shocking me completely.

  There was no way he didn’t want anything but me. His father would never let him amend the contract that way.

  “Umm. You’re sure?” I couldn’t hide the shock and confusion from my voice.

  Nodding, he didn’t say a word. This was some date night.

  “Alright, yeah we can change it to what you want. Let’s not talk about that right now though,” I couldn’t formulate any other words. We ate our dinner over an awkward silence.

  “Dessert?” Tony asked as our server began to make her way back to the table.

  “Sure, why not? I don’t mind having something sweet,” I said with a slight smile. I excused myself to the restroom as Tony ordered us a chocolate mousse to share.

  Walking into the restroom, I made a direct path to the sink. I needed to gather myself. I was still in shock over Tony’s revelation earlier. No one had willingly been by my side in years. It’s why I hadn’t had a serious boyfriend since Elis. I had never even had a female friend to talk to growing up, other than Amalia. And that one hadn’t turned out well for me at all. Realizing I had been in the restroom for at least five minutes, I made my way out. I stepped out and immediately crashed into a man. Muttering sorry, I made my way around him.

  “Skoro,” he responded.

  Looking back, I caught a glimpse of a smile on his face. Was that Russian? It certainly wasn’t a language I knew.

  Sitting back at our table, I met Tony’s stare.

  “Who was that? You know I won’t share, amor,” he asked, looking in the direction the man had disappeared to.

  “Jealous?” I taunted.

  Shaking his head, he leaned back, “Not at all, Rosie. I know who you will be leaving with.”

  Damn, why was he so hot when he got possessive? Taking a spoonful of mousse into my mouth, I moaned. This was delicious. Swallowing, Tony just looked on as I devoured mouthful after mouthful of the mousse.

  Groaning when I licked the chocolate from my lips, he said, “Time to go. Now.”

  The car ride home was full of tension. Since we decided not to have anyone drive us tonight, there was no foreplay to be had in the back. Glancing over, I saw that Tony was driving well over the speed limit. Someone was ready to get home I thought, smirking to myself. Pulling into the gates, I noticed that there was a car parked in the driveway. A car I didn’t recognize at all. As soon as Tony parked the car, I quickly exited. Walking inside, I heard a faint female laugh. One that I would k
now anywhere. Amalia had already arrived. Apparently, her father either decided to send her immediately, or she had already been on her way.

  “Amalia,” I said walking into the living room we never used, the disdain evident in my voice.

  “Rosalina! Oh, my favorite cousin! How have you been? My, my, my, you certainly turned out pretty,” she said.

  I’m sure all the men thought she was being sweet, but I knew her condescending tone. Looking over my shoulder at Tony, she fanned herself. Rolling my eyes, I turned to leave.

  Calling over my shoulder to Roman, “She doesn’t sleep anywhere near the guardhouse.”

  18

  Anthony

  Debating on whether or not I should follow after Rosie, I stood near the doorway. This brown-haired temptress must be related to my little rose.

  “Hi handsome, I’m Amalia,” she said looking in my direction. Patting the space beside her on the couch, she practically purred, “Please sit, I don’t bite, unless you ask me to.”

  Walking over to the bar, I guessed Nico set up, I poured myself a bourbon.

  “Can you make me another?” The feminine voice asked, too close for my comfort.

  “Sure, what are you drinking?” I asked, turning around to face the woman standing right behind me.

  “A cosmopolitan,” she purred as she played with my suit jacket lapel. Knocking her hand off of me, I turned around to make her drink. Who was this woman? Glass in hand, I turned and crashed right into her.

  “Oh my gosh! This dress cost a fortune. I can’t believe you did that,” she shrieked.

  Looking down at my jacket, I noticed I had spilled her fruity drink on myself too.

  Taking off my jacket, I placed it on the chair closest to me. I could still hear her whining over the dress I ‘ruined.’