Page 10 of If I Gave You My Heart
"For three days, you'll probably only need about six outfits."
"Okay, and bathing suits and different shoes and makeup."
I walked over to the window, pulled back the curtain, and peeked through the blinds as she went on about the last-minute trip she had put together. The cul-de-sac that Talia lived on was nice as hell. Despite that, I had the natural tendency to monitor my surroundings severely. A utility van was parked two houses down, and then this black Charger was parked two houses down from that. That's one thing about the south. These niggas were gonna go get some shit with a Hemi engine in it. The Charger had been sitting further up the block for a while, and because the tints on it were so dark, it made me nervous because I couldn't see who was in the vehicle. They even had the windshield tinted on that bitch.
"Who has a black Charger on this block?" I cut Talia off while she was going on about how fine the niggas were in Daytona.
Dating was the last thing on my mind because I was honestly still mourning Edward.
"Girl, about five of our neighbors have Chargers. I don't keep up with what they are riding in."
I removed my finger from the blind and let it close. Talia was so damn naive to the street shit, and I hated it. It was like she left the city, moved to the country, and lost all her common sense. In my line of work, I learned that some of the biggest criminals live within gated communities and in fancy subdivisions like the one she lived in.
"Stop being so paranoid, Ny. Can you finally live your life a little?"
I turned away from the window and then sighed. Ever since I was thirteen and caught my first body, I was picked up by an agency called The Heart Mirage and have been working nonstop ever since.
When I think back on it, I blamed my mother for everything. If she knew how to be motherly, she wouldn't have been my first murder. If she knew how to properly love her daughter, just maybe I wouldn't have been adopted by a team of assassins. Talia was right, though. It was time I lived my life, especially since there was a ticking clock on that bitch.
When the corners of my mouth turned upward, she did the Tootsie Roll.
"Let's hit the road, cuz," Talia declared in her squeaky voice.
As we were walking out of the front door, I made a mental note of all the stuff I had to get to make the room I was staying in mine. As we loaded our luggage into the trunk of my new Jeep Cherokee, I looked around for the black Charger, but it was nowhere to be found.Chill out, Ny, and live a little,I thought as I got in the driver's seat, waited for Talia to get in the passenger side, and then pulled off.
The drive was draining, especially since Talia acted like she was scared to drive. We had left her Lexus in the garage, and she told me that she didn't think that she would feel comfortable driving my Jeep because of how big it was. So, while I did that exhausting seven-hour drive, she played DJ. She had played all the throwbacks that we had grown up on. For seven hours, we sang our hearts out. It was a vibe that I didn't know I desperately needed. I'm glad that we had taken my advice about leaving at ten in the morning. Had we not, we wouldn't have had the pleasure of getting there while there was still some sunshine to be enjoyed.
By five in the afternoon, we had checked into our hotel suite, changed into bathing suits, and stopped at a nearby bar for drinks before hitting the beach. I walked along the shoreline, wiggling my toes in the sand. I finally allowed myself to relax a bit. I'm sure the tequila-mixed drink in my cup had a lot to do with that. Every once in a while, I eavesdropped on the conversation that was being had behind me. Talia had the gift of gab, and with a pretty smile, she could get damn near anything from a nigga. While we were standing in the bar, she had got this man to buy us some drinks. After a few shots, we agreed to walk the beach together. Being a loner, I naturally walked alone while she was walking with the dude who had gotten the drinks for us and his friend.
I don't know why she thought I wasn't serious when I said that I didn't want any niggas in my face, but I meant that. Walking ahead by my lonesome should have been the biggest hint that I was standing on business about that.
"Like damn, Talia, right? Ya cousin got some weight back there. Why is she acting stuck up, though?"
I put a little extra switch in my hips to make my ass jiggle more with each step across the sand. Talia's newfound company was okay looking, but his friend was ugly as fuck, and I'll be damned if I even entertained the thought. If I was ever going to move on, it had to be with a nigga that was some pressure. I didn't want this grimacing look on my face whenever I looked at my partner because his teeth were un-fucking even, his skin was not clear, and his swag was just all the way off.
"She ain't stuck up. She's chilling," Talia responded.
"Man, whatever."
I stopped walking and then just looked out into the water. It was beautiful and blue. Although the sight was breathtaking, the sound was more important to me. I was able to tune out the sound of music, chit-chatter, and even children playing to hear the ocean. The sound was serene and a calming experience I didn't think I would ever get tired of. In my life, I haven't had many chances to enjoy the beauty of beaches or the mountains. I made a mental note to plan a trip to the cabins, even if it was a solo trip. When I thought about it, the last time I was out on the water, I was jumping off a speed boat and climbing onto a private yacht to fulfill a three-man contract.
"Cuz, you good?" Talia asked as she and her followers stopped walking when I did.
"I'm good. Y'all keep walking. I'll catch up."
I walked away from the shore a bit and then had a seat on the sand.
"Um, Sebastian, I have ya number. I'll give you a call, okay," Talia said to the man who was sweating her.
"My name is Samuel…"
"Oh…" She did this awkward smile because of her fuck up. "Well, I'll call you."
I giggled as the muthafucka walked away defeated with his ugly-ass friend in tow.
That's one thing about pretty girls. A nigga would let you do any damn thing. Talia called him by the wrong name, and I could bet my entire life savings that he was still hopeful and would be waiting for her call at the end of the day.
"What's up?" Talia asked once she plopped her big ol' purchased booty on the sand beside me.
