“Yeah, that’s her. I hooked up with her recently.”
“Oh yeah? How recently?”
“A few nights ago. Banged the fuck out of her, but she’s not for me. I don’t like the lip on her.” He laughed. “Anyway,” he continued, “I moved on to this friend of hers who fucks even better. I’m on a roll, I tell you! The next chick is going to be the best.”
I shook my head. Had she actually slept with him? Ryan hadn’t told me anything, but I wouldn’t put it past him. Rose didn’t seem like the type of woman who would sleep with Melvin, but it’s not like I knew her well.
“She’s an uptight bitch,” Melvin said. “I don’t know what you saw in her over there in the Stan. On a positive note, this friend of hers is fucking intense in the sack. She sucked my dick about ten minutes after we met.”
“Good for you,” I said, unimpressed.
After he came clean about going on a date with Rose, I was able to see myself doing business with him.
Rose, on the other hand, I still had my doubts about. After keeping her hookup with Melvin a secret, I couldn’t help wondering what else she could be keeping from me.
“Let’s do this,” I said. “We’re going to own high-end security in New York.”
“Hell yeah,” Melvin said, punching his fist into his palm. “And the world.”
I never understood how he allowed his emotions to rule him. Weak bastard. Maybe him and Rose actually did deserve each other.
“But yeah, that Rose chick is fucking nuts, man. I think we’re both better off without her,” he siad.
I nodded. “For sure.”
“I’m not going to mess with her anymore, bro—if it makes you feel better.” He stepped forward and offered me his hand. “We’re business partners now. We have to be there for each other.”
“I appreciate that,” I said, shaking his hand.
Time would tell if I should actually trust him, but for the time being, a new business venture would help me move on from Rose and her madness.
CHAPTER 24
Warren
After my meeting with Melvin at the building where we would forge new lives for ourselves, I walked toward Rose’s apartment with a bounce in my step.
Time had allowed me to realize that I had been too hard on her and had overreacted. She needed someone like me in her life and she was just the type of woman I needed in mine. Together, we would be able to take over the world.
Yet, on the way to her building, I suddenly got the strangest feeling that I wasn’t alone.
Am I being followed? I thought, fighting the urge to turn around. I forced myself to stay calm. If someone was following me, I didn’t want them to know I was aware of them. However, I needed to change paths, just to be on the safe side. I didn’t want to lead whoever it was to Rose’s apartment; whoever was possibly following me didn’t need to know she was affiliated with me.
Some people had been angry with how the Afghan mineral operation had gone toward the end when it all fell apart as things tend to do. Were they the ones calling me, and were they following me now?
I picked up my pace, ready to take some evasive measures as I approached Times Square. When I reached the next intersection, I stopped and spun around.
Peeking past the corner of the building, I saw a man wearing a turban walking down the street.
Mother fucker.
My heart beat faster as I switched into self-defense mode. All my thousands of hours of practice were about to be put to the test. I took a deep breath and stepped forward, running into the suspicious man.
“Watch it,” he yelled in broken English.
“You watch it,” I said as I walked away. A few steps later, I stopped and turned around. “What are you doing following me? You’re obviously in a costume.”
“What are you meaning?”