33. 🔧 Bloody Maria 2.0

**JUSTICE**

It took all my negotiation skills to convince Pepito to let Tino keep his digits and his limbs intact. He grumbled at first, insisting he had to teach the puto a lesson. I kept reiterating Maria had married Tino and that they had a child on the way. What really struck home is when I asked him how the child would feel once he learned Pepito had hurt his father.
“Mane, my father wasn’t shit.” Pepito said, finally coming around. “At least I know Tino will take care of his own.” He smiled his shark’s smile. “And if he doesn’t, he won’t be around long enough to regret his mistake.”
With Pepito warming to becoming an uncle, he clapped a pajama-clad Tino on the back and welcomed him into the family.
It seems all is well that ends well.
Pulling up to my brownstone, I shut off the truck’s engine, remove my bag, and shut the door. Eagerness bubbles like a fountain inside my stomach as I take the steps two at a time.
I can’t wait to see her.
To touch her. To taste her.
I’m so damn lucky to have found her. To have taken a chance.
Fuck lucky.
I’m blessed.
Letting myself in, I toss my keys into a bowl beside the door and let silent steps carry me to the voices in the kitchen. There I find Sebastian at my dining room table entertaining my…yes, my girlfriend with some bullshit tale.
Keke in a black sleep shirt with a red panda on the front and red cotton pants is shaking, doubled over the table. When I come into the room, she straightens up, her brown eyes full of tearful laughter.
“Justice,” she beams.
My heart skips.
I heard her say more than my name. To me, the way her eyes lit up and how her mouth curved into a secret smile was a disquisition on how much she missed me.
A good thing in my book.
Memories of Keke asleep with me inside her kept me occupied during the drive here. She was all I could think about. That and how to convince her last night wasn’t a one-off but the start of something lifelong. Something beyond forever.
Built on subterfuge.
I shelve the negativity like I have every time it crept up. I won’t let anything come between Keke and me. Not even my own guilty conscience.
“Shouldn’t you be with your girlfriend?” I ask Sebastian, setting my bag on an empty chair. I quickly zip it closed. I don’t want Keke to question me about the nine-millimeter on top of my change of clothes, the duct tape, or the rope.
Sebastian gives me a long, measured look and a smirk I don’t like. This fool is worse than Jenna, and almost as bad as Pippa when sizing up a situation. He must know what is on my mind.
Hell, I bet a myopic granny could guess.
The want for Keke must be written all over my face for the world to see.
“Yeah, I’d better get home.” Sebastian stands, pushing his chair under the table. “Ms. Keke, it has been a true pleasure. You two have a good holiday.”
I put my hands on the back of a chair, flexing my arms for effect. A subtle hint for Sebastian not to linger.
His baldhead dips in a guilty nod. He knows I’ll ream him later for overstaying his welcome. I’d asked him to check on Keke and deliver a simple message, not to park his ass in my house all day.
“Don’t forget your food, Bas,” Keke says, handing him a shopping bag full of containers.
Ain’t this a bitch.
“You’re taking food...from my home?” I ask, my tone incredulous. “Don’t I pay you enough to buy your own?”
Sebastian flushes, scrapes a hand over his buzz cut, and barks out a nervous chuckle. “Ms. Keke wanted to send me home with a to-go plate, seeing as I was here all day.”
“Plate?” I grouse, giving the big fool foodie a sarcastic look. “More like a to-go basket.”
“Leave him alone, Justice,” Keke admonishes. “He was good company.” After giving me the stink-eye, she smooths her face to give Bas a tender smile.
Jealousy expels a low growl from my chest.
Sebastian switches his gaze to me. Noting my expression, he pales under his olive skin.
Ignoring me, Keke says, “Thanks for the stories, Sebastian. I enjoyed your candor.” I take my eyes off Sebastian’s wan face to get hit with her gaze full of knowing.
Dammit! What did he tell her?
Sebastian is a great employee, loyal almost to a fault. His only failing is letting a beautiful woman get him to do just about anything. Take that time he took Pippa to get a pregnancy test, telling no one. Xaver was pissed when he found out. I had to hold him back and everything.
Luckily, I’m disciplined enough not to take a swing at him inside. Keke wouldn’t like that, seeing as they are such good friends.
Outside… I can do what I want.
Sebastian needs to learn to keep his mouth closed and follow directions.
And I’ll be the one to teach him.
“Let me walk you out… Bas.”
The November moon shines brightly, highlighting the small pieces of metal and glass in the skip outside my house.
Sebastian, who never moves faster than a snail’s pace unless he’s driving, uncharacteristically rushes toward his ride—a metallic gray Range Rover—which is actually mine.
I get a new one every two years.
Working at Gary’s dealerships, I learned more than how to fix engines. I learned the back end, too. People, sold on the ideal of buying what they can’t afford, pick out a whip with all the fixin’s.
They drive it for a second before defaulting on payments. After the repo man steps in and takes their cut, the cars come up for auction, selling cheap to the highest bidder.
When I’m in the market, I wait until I find one in pristine condition and snap it up. When I’m bored with it, I sell it for a profit.
As my dad, Trevor Stone, used to say, “Never pay full price, Justice, when you can get it cheaper used.”
I have money because I know how to save money.
And I keep good employees around me. Ones that will die trying to protect me or mine. That’s why I keep Sebastian around. He’s proven himself many times over, especially the weeks after Lilli’s death. He and his girlfriend, Mia, a round Latina spitfire with a streetwise mentality, came over as soon as I told them the news about Lilli. While I dealt with the aftermath of Lilli’s death with the morgue, the police, and the funeral home, Sebastian and Mia talked to the kids. They helped them get through the initial shock when I wasn’t around to do so.
For that reason alone, I won’t break my foot off in his ass like I should.
I catch up to him in two strides. Placing a firm hand on his shoulder, I turn him around.
“Not so fast, man. I want to know exactly how you entertained my girlfriend all day.”
Sebastian shifts his eyes to the right and to the left. Sweat beads his forehead. “Uh… we didn’t do nothing much, really…”
I tighten my hand, applying enough pressure to make him wince.
Despite his girth, Sebastian is a strong guy. He’s defeated all but one man in Clancy’s annual arm-wrestling tournament.
And that man is me.
“Why, then, Bas, do I get the distinct feeling you were talking about me?”
“Justice, I swear it’s not my fault. She fed me all this good food, getting me all comfortable and relaxed and shit. I tried to resist, but then she gave me those sad eyes. You know, like them ones that cat does in Shrek.”
Damn.
I guess if Keke did that to me, I’d tell her everything.
Except for your secret.
The reminder I’m keeping something from her makes my temper flare and my tone deadly.
“What. Did. You. Tell. Her?” With each enunciation, I squeeze harder until something, pops under my hand.
“Owww. Justice. Damn. Okay. Okay.”
I remove the pressure and step back. One of Sebastian’s shoulders now hangs lower than the other one.
Almost sorry not sorry.
Grimacing, Sebastian spits out his confession, “She asked me about your past, about Pippa… about the women you’ve helped.”
I narrow my eyes. “How did she know to ask you about my side job?” No way Keke knows about my clandestine activities unless Sebastian said something. With his next breath, he confirms my suspicion.
“Uh… I guess I told her how you helped women.” At my look, he takes a step back, his feet nearly falling in the space between the curb and the Rover. He saves himself from a fall by clutching his meaty fist onto the side mirror, which croaks in response. “I didn’t go into specifics… like how you sometimes have to beat down stalkers and weirdos and shit. I just told her you provide a service for those who needed to disappear.”
Cat’s out of the bag on that one. At least explaining where I’ve been today won’t come as a complete shock.
“What did you tell her about Pippa?”
Sebastian lets go of the mirror to do a one-armed-windmill to take out the kink I created. He doesn’t make half a turn before stopping. Clutching his shoulder with his mouth drawn down, he says, “Mostly her whole story. Why Pippa came to New York because of her abusive stepfather, how she met Jenna. How long she worked for you... and that she worked for Mr. Sayle before marrying him.”
“Did you tell her…did you tell her…?” My throat closes at the thought of Keke knowing I once had a thing for Pippa. I want my best friend and my girlfriend to get along. Hard to do if jealousy comes between them.
“All I said was you and Pippa were good friends and never anything more.”
“Okay.” I nod. “Did she seem chill about everything?”
“Didn’t bat an eyelash.” With his good arm, Sebastian opens the door and tosses his bag filled with my food onto the front seat. He turns back to me, mischief in his eyes. “I think her lashes are kinda pretty. Did you notice them? Mia is always wearin’ these big fake ones, but Ms. Keke’s… they are the real thing.”
“Sebastian,” I say, praying for restraint. “I suggest you leave. Right. The. Fuck. Now.”