Justice by Gillian Zane Page B

Hopefully Lani would realize he was bad news and find someone more in her sphere. She didn’t need to go there.

    “Mid-City,” he answered tersely.  

    “We used to live in the city, but my dad moved us to Metairie after the crime got out of hand. My mom was robbed in our driveway.” She looked over at Romeo with that star struck look you only see in young girls and old people with dementia.  

    This wasn’t good. Not good at all.  

      Romeo had been something else before Z. A perfect male specimen. When I got the job at MJ Security, he was the first one I heard about. He and Lucas Martinez had been with Blake and Zach from the start. They were all Marines and part of the same regiment. Romeo was an MJ Security icon when I got there. Known as an adrenaline junkie, he took the hardest, most dangerous jobs Zach and Blake had for him. Before I met him, I had already heard a hundred stories. The other grunts told tales of his exploits like he was a superhero.  

    It didn’t help that he was unbelievably gorgeous. One of the prettiest men I’ve ever laid eyes on. By the time I met him in person, I was ready to kick off my panties and take him for a test drive. Not part of my usual routine, so it had even me scratching my head. Luckily though, Romeo opened his mouth and ruined it for me.  

    He was such an egotistical bastard. It was almost refreshing. And it pushed him firmly in my no-touch zone. A girl couldn’t carry-on with a guy prettier than her. I was also sure he felt the same way about me. Not the prettier part. The no-touch part. He half-heartedly flirted at first, but it was nothing like what I saw him try with other women. It was almost like an art form. The other guys would take notes.  

    Then Z hit. And something happened to Romeo. He was still gorgeous. He was still an adrenaline junkie. He was still the first one to run into the shit, but there was no more play in him. There was no more ego. Or flirting. He was this stoic, mysterious, gorgeous hero. With the brooding bit, he’s even more of a turn-on than he was before.  

    We had been a fun group, before Z. You would have thought it would be awkward, but it wasn’t, me being the only female in a group of Alpha men. We had been a great team. A group that worked, but most of all, everyone knew how to have a good time. Now all my guys had lost that fun, that spark. It had started when Z hit, but the final nail was when Martinez died.  

    All stop. Didn’t want to think about that.  

    There was a point to my meandering thoughts and it all came back to the fact that Lani should stay far away from Romeo. For one, she was way too young, and two, she didn’t need a broken man. And there was no question, Romeo was broken.  

    “How did you get your nickname?” Lani was desperately trying to make conversation, even though Romeo was down to only grunts.  

    “Long story,” Romeo responded. She should be grateful she got two words out of him.  

    “Seems we have time,” she said and motioned to the convoy in front of us which was creeping along at a snail’s pace. Ahead of us, Lex was leaning out the window trying to stick a shuffling zombie with a spear. If she fell out of the vehicle, I was going to kill her.  

    “It’s not that long of a story,” I yawned. “Romeo was quite a ladies’ man. He could charm the panties off any female and probably a few men. All he had to do was flash that pretty smile. Problem with Romeo, he never could find his Juliet- he sure did try, though. Over and over again,” I laughed. “And over again.”  

    He shook his head but didn’t deny it.

    Lani turned around in her seat and gave me an ugly look, I shrugged. It was the truth.  

    “I didn’t expect that,” she laughed nervously, trying to cover up her obvious disappointment. “Is that true?” she asked Romeo.  

    “That about covers it.” He cocked his head and made some adjustments as the brake lights of the lead vehicle flashed.