4. Tequila

"So I'm just going to assume you didn't do a background check on me." I smiled and Storm smirked in return, taking his eyes off the lonely road to spare me a glance.

"On a second note, how about you wow me, what do you know about me?"

"Really?"

"Sure c'mon." I pressed.

"Well, your full name is Cincinnati Roxanne Lopez, twenty three years old, ex-stripper, hitman, other vices and there are also a few other details."

"Like?"

"You have people dear to your heart, Reynolds, Renata and Lauren the old widow."

"Don't call her that!" I flipped.

"Sorry, I didn't mean it that way." He apologized, a bit laid-back.

"Wait how did you even find out I go by Roxanne? It's not even on my birth certificate or records."

"I have my ways?"

"Riiiight." I drawled.

"How old are you?"

"Twenty five, in August though."

"Elderly man." I joked and he chuckled.

"Favorite colour?"

"Blue." He smiled. "Yours?"

"Silver."

"Rare."

"I know right?" I finally found someone who thought alike.

"Favorite food?"

"Lobsters."

"Odd." I dismissed hesitantly.

"Yours?"

"Granola bar?"

"Odder."

"Takeout." I grinned.

"Lazy ass." He smiled.

"More like busy ass."

"I feel you."

"Favorite pastime?" I asked.

"Video games. Yours?"

"Gymnastics, aerobics and all that crap. Stripping is a good umbrella word though."

"Co-" He shouted as he swerved from the road and back to it to avoid hitting a stray puppy.

"Woah." My hand flew to my chest.

"Watch it literal bitch!" I yelled out the window at the poor little thing as it whimpered.

"Storm stop." I said and he pulled over.

I alighted and walked towards the scared little fella. I opened up the bottle of water in my hands, bending my left hand into a scoop as I poured some water into it before stretching it towards the poor little guy.

"Good boy." I commented with a smile as he lapped it up immediately, and I poured in another.

He drank the whole bottle up and gave a happy bark and I grinned in return.

Another bark came through and I sighted another puppy with the exact same skin and features. They were siblings.

"I guess we have two puppies now?"

"We're taking them along?" My jaw dropped.

"Apparently, their owner doesn't seem to want them anymore." He wiggled the leashes in his hands.

"Where'd you get them?" 

"Just by the roadside where the second popped out from."

"But they're just so cute." I gushed at the little puppies.

"Do you even know their breeds?"

"The hell do you take me for? They're Lhasa Apso." I defended myself.

"Ten points to Roxanne!" 

"I'm going to have to get used to that name, innit?"

"Yup." He popped the 'p'.

"You know you can just call me Roxy right?" 

"I see we're going for sexy." He teased, wiggling his brows.

"Douche." I rolled my eyes.

"I think I have some plastic tarp in the trunk." He opened up getting it out before spreading it across the back seat.

"Done." He said before picking up one puppy and I took the other to drop them in the car.

They were at the backseat, my duffel bag on the floor of the car and we were ready to leave.

"I need a nap." I said out loud as I shut my eyes, airpods blasting a slow melody in my ears as I drifted off to sleep.

"Roxy?"

"Rox?"

"What?" I mumbled from my sleep.

"You want takeout?"

"Hmm mm." 

"There's a McDonald's drive thru…"

"Where?" I jolted awake. 

"Right there foodie." He laughed.

"What are we waiting for?"

"On it ma'am." He drove as I exclaimed..

"So in total, two big Macs, three large fries, some ribs and a bucket of fried chicken?" 

"Yup." I replied and we got our order in a couple of minutes.

"There's a gas station right here, fill us up and I'll get some stuff from the mart." Storm pulled into the gas station.

"Sure." I alighted, some fries in hand, munching happily.

I grabbed the nozzle, inserting it into the tank and watched it read, still snacking on my fries.

A kid from the car across the pump stared at me as I munched lazily and we started an unspoken staring contest, which he lost. I made a silly face before stopping the nozzle and hooking it unto the pump. 

"I'm back." Storm appeared with a medium-sized shopping bag and we paid for the gas too.

"Let's go." He pulled out of the station before working by the roadside.

"They had a doggy bowl." He said and pulled it out while I deposited from fries and chicken strips into the bowl, setting it in front of the puppies.

"They didn't have any pet water bottles so I got a regular one and some bottles of water alongside a tub of ice cream for you."

"You're an asset." I grinned.

The puppies were all set up and he put the car in motion while we snacked on the food we got. Now this is a road trip.

"Now that we had the liberty of a special get-to-know-me session, tell me about the plan. It's time for business."

"Right now, I'm a ghost."

"I finally got to meet one." I smirked, earning a chuckle from him.

"I like your sense of humor."

"That's what he said!" I joked again, earning another chuckle.

"Well, Sal dug up the fifteen sons of bitches trying to get every possible factor out of the way and take over what's rightfully mine -more like liquidate it anyways- and I don't want that to happen."

"Understood, but not the ghost part."

"They aren't aware of my existence, I'm invisible, no records or anything, facial recognition or DNA testing would just come up as inconclusive. Basically I don't exist." He shrugged.

"But how?"

"I pretty much grew up in the shadows."

"Half understood."

"Just to be clear, you'd have no problem with having the blood of fifteen souls on your hands? I don't want any stupid ass feelings or your conscience forcing to you turn a new leaf and snitch. Jail orange doesn't look good on my pretty olive skin."

"First off, I don't need you to kill them, it's more of a kidnapping actually. Bullets only surface when push comes to shove."

"Nice." I shrugged. "Such a huge relief." I sassed.

"You're bipolar." He teased.

"That's by the way, how do you actually intend to take your 'birthright' back? Just by nabbing these fifteen Dumbo's? Besides, how do you intend to pull it off because I'm not risking my freedom for a failed mission?"

"Adequate planning, drilling and training. It's been going on already, Sal has gotten a hold of their locations and schedules, it would just require updates as time goes on but that's under control. We intend finding them just like we successfully found you too. You cover your tracks decently."

"Alright then." I shrugged.

"Sure, just go through this and sign it." He handed me a document and I skimmed through it.

"Sexual services to be provided when need be?" I raised a brow.

When did sex become essential?

"Technically, earlier you already agreed to whatever terms and conditions came with the job and this?" He pointed to the document. "It's just for documentation purposes." He turned his attention to the road and I rolled my eyes in return.

"Pen." I voiced out and he handed one to me.

"Sign." I said to him, handing him the pen.

I appended my signature where it was required and handed his copy of the document to him before holding on to mine.

"Game on." He smiled and I leaned into the chair, giving me time to assess his features.

He had cute, messy, average-length dark brown hair, an intriguing jawline, a set of pearly whites, pink full lips, with full, groomed brows, a pair of brown eyes with the longest male lashes I'd ever come across and his clear olive skin being the glue that held the other features together.

"Mesmerized yet?"

"Don't get too ahead of yourself chief." I rolled my eyes.

"Well, Rox, I don't want the rest of the team referring to you as any of your names. What would you rather go by?"

"Captain stripperpants?" I joked.

"I could work with that." He shrugged, smiling.

"What's your favorite drink?"

"Tequila."

"Quite... unexpected."

"What'd you expect? Capri sun?" I sassed ND he chuckled.

"Tequila it is."

"Don't tell me you're going to call me that."

"Okay, I won't tell you."

"Oh God." I sighed, facepalming.

He turned unto a dirt road barely visible from the highway. It became that of granite as we progressed, the sound of the granite crunching under the wheels of the car made me a tad excited. 

My smile dropped as the car came to a halt five minutes later.

"Here we are." He smiled before picking up his phone.

"I pay you for a reason, why do I have to call before you throw the gates open? I bought cameras for a reason." He spoke calmly.

The gates slid open automatically and he zoomed in. The compound was huge with a fleet of beautiful models of various expensive brands. It ranged from Bentleys, Benzs, Lamborghinis, Ferraris and the likes.

"Cool collection."

"You dig?"

"Definitely." I replied and he grinned.

The vicinity was wide, the land was really huge. It contained about 5 buildings. Three main buildings right at the front, the other two were a bit distant from main buildings.

"Come with me." He grabbed my duffel bag from the seat.

"Such a gentleman." I teased as we walked into one of the two huge buildings in the distance.

We walked through the front doors and into the huge living room, it was practically empty save for two bean bags and a television. 

The dining room was almost the same, empty, only a dining set occupied the space.

"Welcome to your new home."

"It's practically empty." I commented.

"Yeah,for the moment."

"So is it just you and I?"

"Not quite."

"Yo!" Two guys strolled in. I recognized one, it was the alleged mugger from the other night.

"Hello." He waved, showing his set of teeth.

"Hi." I maintained a stoic face.

"I see you're not over it yet."

"Maybe." I smiled.

"Hi I'm Sal."

"Ro-" Storm interrupted me by clearing his throat. 

"Tequila." I grinned and Sal raised a brow.

"Bryan."

"Nice to meet y'all."

"We're stepping out, see y'all soon." Sal waved as he exited the room with Bryan.

"I'd show you your room."

"Sure but why do I feel we're forgetting something?" I replied.

"Same here."

"Oh shit! The puppies." My eyes widened and immediately we hurried to the car.

"They're...fine" We arrived there to find Bryan and Sal running around with the energetic puppies.

"We found them in the car."

"Figured." Storm smirked as the two grown men ran around with puppies.

"Let them in when you're done goofing around. C'mon Rox." Storm beckoned and I walked in with him.

"Here's your room, it's just right next to mine. Take a rest, we'd start training by Monday. Hit me up for anything at all."

"Sure." I walked into the room.

King-sized bed? This is the life.