By the time I walked through my door, it was after three in the morning. Tonight’s job ended up being more work than I was contracted for, setting me back an hour. Still, it got done, and I put a heavy tax on the initial price to compensate me for my time. No one ever had a problem paying; no one wanted the energy that a problem with me could bring anyway. Quickly arming the alarm, I made my way down my dimly lit hallway.
Dressed casually in an Essentials sweatsuit, one wouldn’t have known that I’d just killed two men execution style, as they loaded a truck with stolen ki’s in the dead of night. It was usually some form of torture for thieves, but I’d been given the contract at the last minute, so two shots to the head from my Barrett MRAD did the trick. After every job, I stopped at my duck off apartment to change, clean, and break down my weapon of choice. In my line of work, it was important to be as discreet as possible and always keep the business far away from family. Following those rules kept me sane and my loved ones alive.
When I stepped into my house, I was Enzo aka Ezzy, the loving single father and businessman – not the calculated killer I’d been hours ago. Walking farther into the house, I could see the light from the kitchen on and heard the TV playing lowly.Inside, my mother sat at the kitchen island with a bottle of XXL wine, watching the cooking channel. Her terrycloth robe was tied tight, and she had her scarf tied around her head like Prince, keeping her silk press in place.
“EJ must’ve done a number on you for you to pull out the cheap shit. That bottle been sitting in the fridge since Thanksgiving. I’ve been meaning to give it back to Aunt Rozalyn.”
“Shiidd, I’m sure glad it was in there because no bottle of Merlot could settle me after dealing witcho bad ass son. I’m too old to be compromising with a two-year-old about what time he gon’ go to bed.”
Chuckling, I walked over to kiss her forehead. “My boy drove you crazy, huh?”
She drew her head back in offense. “Drove me crazy? That lil’ goddamn Tasmanian Devil was almost on the damn ceiling at one point. You need to bottle all his energy up and sell it. I had to check his multivitamins to make sure he ain’t have no Adderall mixed in before giving it to him.”
I leaned over the counter, laughing. “All two-year-olds don’t have that kind of energy, Ma?”
“No. EJ is different. He’ll take yo’ ass on an adventure without having to leave the house. And he slick like you. Soon as I get to yelling, he flash that innocent look and do that, ‘Okay, Grandma’.” She mimicked his voice, down to the way he hung his head when he was in trouble, making me laugh harder. “It ain’t funny.” She chuckled, taking a sip of her wine. “I know a terrorist when I see one.”
“Don’t do my lil’ man like that, Ma.”
She sighed and set the wine glass down. “On a serious note though, Enzo. You need help. Real help. And you know I love my grandbaby, but he needs someone more physically active to be here with him when you’re out. Now, I get how you feel aboutthe daycares, and I know you want to be super dad.” She reached over and squeezed my hand. “Mama not taking that from you at all. I’m just saying you need more help.”
Exhaling through my nose, I ran my hand over my waves. She wasn’t wrong. I did need help with EJ – not because I couldn’t handle it but because my schedule was unpredictable. Unfortunately, I couldn’t take him everywhere.
“You’re right,” I admitted. “I actually responded to a Care.com ad.”
Her eyebrows jumped. “Wait. Not you taking my advice. I just knew it went in one ear and out the other when I mentioned it to you weeks ago.”
“It did.” I chuckled. “But I don’t wanna be inconsiderate of your time or anyone else’s. I sent the message yesterday, just waiting on a reply.”
“Did you review the profile?”
I nodded. “Yeah. She seems legit. She has genuine eyes too. They actually remind me of Grandma Lettie’s. I think that’s what made me send the email.”
I thought about the brown skinned woman in the profile picture that wore a subtle smile. It was inviting yet reserved.
She smirked. “Interesting. Well, I hope it works out then. It don’t make sense with as big as our family is; nobody besides me is able to watch him for more than a few hours.”
Smiling, I shrugged. I knew my son was more than a handful. He wasn’t bad to me though. Just wild as fuck.
Downing the rest of her wine, my mother stood and stretched slowly. “I made baked chicken, wild rice, and broccolini. Your plate is in the fridge. Sonic The Hedgehog cleared his plate and had me make him a bowl of oatmeal like it was a side dish. He had a bath too. I’m going to bed. I got a long day of relaxation ahead of me.”
“Oh, yeah? What you got going on?”
“Spa day with my sisters.” She smiled. “Then we going to the casino.”
“Ahhh, shit. How much you need?”
“Nothing. Your cousin, Aura, is sponsoring the whole thing. It’s another one of his birthday gifts to his mom.”
“Oh, that’s wassup. Better him than me.”
She turned to me with her hand up on her hip. “Says the kid who used to shake his piggy bank and everybody else’s to make sure he always got me something special for Mother’s Day. Boy, you know you’d spend your last on yo’ mama.”
“Five times over.” I kissed her cheek again and picked up her wine glass to walk over to the sink and turn off the TV.
“And that’s one of the many reasons Mama love you. Night, son. And you make sure you pray before you close your eyes tonight. I can tell you were out there doing something not pleasing unto the Lord. I love you.”
I didn’t need to respond. She knew the family business and the role I played. She just pretended not to for her own reasons. I was a hitman for the Sullivan family, the Black Mafia if you would. Our street dealings went back to the 60s. We were mainly based in New York, although our reach extended way past that.
