Romeo

14| Imposter

The members of The Nightingale had agreed to take Romeo's side in case anything went wrong or if they were to fail. But clearly, they weren't to be trusted if they could so Romeo had come fully loaded and with backup. Xavier will be waiting in the parking lot keeping watch and ready to step in at any moment. A block away, a van with five men selected by Romeo fully armed and ready to kill.

Romeo had left his Ferrari at home. He missed the purr of his baby that always got him hyped. In the trunk of this new car, a matte gray Mazda, there was just about everything you need to kidnap a full-grown man and much more.

Just to stay safe, Romeo and Xavier had each other on speaker for the time being. This wouldn't be a problem if Xavier took this job seriously. Instead, his attitude was anything but serious. All Romeo could hear was Xavier singing along with Italian opera and occasionally munching on chips. He was just about to put Xavier on mute when a dark car rolled out of the building and Romeo was quick to inform Xavier about the change in scenery.

Finally, he heard the godforsaken music turn off along with Xavier's horrible singing. His happiness was short-lived when Xavier switched the station and Beyoncé's 'Single Ladies' came on. Fucking hell. He didn't have anything against Beyoncé but he did have a lot against Xavier's off-key, high-pitched voice. At this point, he's stopped trying to tell Xavier to shut the fuck up. He doesn't have an off button.

Taking a deep breath, Romeo pulled out of the driveway to keep up with the BMW at a safe distance. There wasn't a purpose to be following him since they knew his destination but Romeo was just going the extra mile to be safe.

After a few minutes of weaving in and out of the city, they finally arrived. Romeo parked a block away from the club next to the backup van, keeping his car hidden. He undid the seatbelt and spoke into his earpiece.

"Can you hear me?"

The music turned down from Xavier's side for good and Romeo was thankful.

"Yeah, he just got out of the car... wait.. that's weird. He's not using the front entrance. Is he going through.. the back? Something's off about him he doesn't look like himself." Xavier mumbled.

Sliding out of the car, Romeo spoke onto the piece again. "What do you mean? Is it safe for me to go in?"

"Yeah go in. They're doing renovations in the lobby, that's probably why he didn't use the front. I see it now."

With Xavier's confirmation that it was safe, Romeo's long, confident strides took him around the block to the back of the club. It wasn't as dingy as you'd think. The Nightingale was a two-story red brick building with white shutters. At the very center, there was a large light fixture that spelled out the name and had a dove on the side.

He could easily imagine how it comes to life at night. In the parking lot, he recognized Xavier's black car. His friend gave him a wild grin and two thumbs up after shoving some more chips into his mouth. Romeo walked past the car not even looking at Xavier.

"Mhm- God damn! Did I tell you how fine your ass looks in those jeans?" Xavier whispered through the mouth price while chomping down on the Doritos.

Romeo bit back a smile and muttered into the earpiece trying his best not to move his lips.

"Shut the fuck up."

As immature as Xavier was, there was no one Romeo trusted more to watch his back while he was busy protecting his front.

Since the club was closed to the public, the only people around were the associates of the Mafia. Romeo saw a man at the door, guarding it.  They made eye contact but neither of them said anything, an unspoken agreement between them.