Max was quiet for a while. “So, you haven’t changed your mind, then?”
There was no possibility of continuing this profession. If Vanessa and I had to go through this every single time, we wouldn’t last. She would resent me in time and eventually leave me. And if we had kids, that would be even worse. If I wanted her to be my wife, I had to be the husband she wanted. That meant my job was to protect her, to protect our children, and be exactly what she needed. Vanessa was the perfect woman. She could replace me in a heartbeat if she wanted. “No. And I won’t, Max.”
He sighed. “That’s a shame.”
“It’s time for me to move on. I’m sure you understand that, even if you don’t agree with it.”
“I suppose. It just won’t be the same without you.”
“You guys are just as capable as I am. You don’t need me.”
“That’s not why, man,” he said quietly. “Now that you’ve moved and settled down…we don’t talk as much anymore.”
I’d been so busy with my own life that I hadn’t even noticed. I couldn’t remember the last time I spent time with the guys. After Vanessa and I got back together, they weren’t a priority anymore. “I’m sorry, that’s my fault.”
“Damn right, it is.”
“Things will be different, especially when I get married. It’ll be even more different when I start a family. But I will always make time for you guys. You’re my family. I’ll never forget that.”
“Whoa, a family?” he asked incredulously. “Since when did this happen?”
“Vanessa gave me an ultimatum. If I want to marry her, I have to give her a family.”
“And you agreed?”
“We both know I can’t live without her.”
“That’s some serious shit. When are you gonna propose?”
“I don’t know,” I answered. “There’s a lot going on right now. Her brother is having a baby in the next few days, so not anytime soon. And I have this mission, and I didn’t want to ask her to marry me before I left. Would just make it harder for her. I don’t even have a ring.”
“I don’t think you need one, man. Vanessa doesn’t seem like the kind of woman that cares.”
“I care. I want her wearing a fat diamond everywhere she goes, so every asshole out there can see me on her hand even if I’m not with her.”
He laughed. “Of course you do.”
We spent the next ten minutes talking, and I pulled up to the airport. “I’m here, so I should get going.”
“Alright, man. I’m glad we had this talk. Made me feel a little better about the whole thing.”
“Yeah, me too.” I didn’t have these kinds of conversations with the guys, but this one was necessary. It was okay to wear your heart on your sleeve sometimes. I loved my boys, and I knew they loved me too. “I’ll call you when I land.”
“Alright. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Morocco was a place filled with snake charmers, fire dancers, and a town square full of belly dancers, jewelry sellers, and stands with pots and pans. It was an innately poor country, but it still possessed so much beauty in the valley of the village and the mountains surrounding the area.
With my fair skin, I didn’t fit in. So I covered myself with a long-sleeved black shirt and a hoodie. I met with the arms dealer, grabbed my artillery, and then took the Jeep to the Atlas Mountains.
The man I was looking for lived in a palace at the top, isolated from the rest of the world. Men who lived on the outskirts of the city were always easy targets. The men along the perimeter were easy to take out, and there was no time for any backup to assist.
It was like shooting fish in a barrel.
It was under the cover of darkness when I emerged. I could see the fires from the city below, the thousands of people gathered in the town square for shopping and nightlife. I left my Jeep hidden under a tree then infiltrated the palace.
The man I was looking for was an impostor. He made deals in intelligence but fed the wrong information to important groups. As a result, he manipulated events to suit his specific desires. It affected nations as well as thugs. Taking him out would make the world a better place—literally.
I snuck up on the perimeter, snapped a few necks of the men who got in my way, and then made it inside the palace. The servants were on the bottom floor, but since they were innocent slaves forced into a life of servitude, I tied them up and shoved them into the closet.
I moved to the next floor with Max in my ear. He’d acquired a schematic of the place, so I knew exactly where to go. I didn’t need to make this death look like an accident, not when the man had so many enemies. It would be impossible to figure out who was behind his death.