Loving a Bad Boy by Erosa Knowles Page A

professionally decorated before his arrival. The walls were a
soothing cream. The furniture’s palette was brown, gold, and blue.
Overall, the effect pleased him, especially since the decorator had
been one of the top five in Florida.
    Tex walked into the living area. “Hey.”
    “ Hello, son.”
    The last vestiges of the woman in the
elevator evaporated as Julio spun toward the husky voice of
Constance Cardenas-Black. Ribbons of joy enveloped him. Moving
quickly he picked up the woman who gave him birth and spun her
around. “When’d you get here?” he asked after kissing her cheek and
setting her down. His heart sped up in delight.
    “ A few hours ago. I missed
you.” She patted his cheeks while giving him the once over. Since
she did this whenever they saw each other, he remained still until
she finished.
    “ Yeah, right. You just
wanted to go shopping.” He ducked her swipe at him. “Pops with
you?” he asked of his stepfather, knowing he probably hadn’t made
the trip. His visits had become fewer and fewer since Julio started
working for the Cartel. The friction between Francisco and his
stepfather was palpable. To date he hadn’t been able to come up
with a viable solution, but he hoped one day they’d all be able to
sit and at least break bread together.
    “ No, he’s in California,
consulting on something. And I can shop and see you.” She threaded her arm
in his and walked toward the sofa. Julio looked at the dining room
table which was loaded with the files he and Tex had been working
on.
    The past two weeks had been a period of
adjustment for all of them. After shopping for a more appropriate
wardrobe, Tex had mellowed, and had proven to be indispensable in
helping him locate the problems in Roberto’s organization. They'd
spent hours reviewing personnel and accounting files. His cousin
had been correct; there was something off in the accounts and with
the deliveries.
    “ Tex, you got those files
we talked about earlier?” he asked as he sat next to his
mom.
    “ Yeah.”
    “ Good, we’ll go over those
after dinner.” He turned to his mom. “You wanna get something to
eat?”
    “ Roberto invited us to
dinner tomorrow night.”
    “ I meant now.”
    “ I know what you meant,
but I wanted to make sure you take me to Roberto’s tomorrow. I want
to meet his family. Strange, I’ve never met his
daughter.”
    “ Carlos’ wife?”
    “ Yes. I have heard great
things about her from Francisco and Roberto. I don’t like Maderas
or his jackass son. But I heard she was strong and overcame some
tough things when she was younger.”
    Julio smiled. His mom always cheered for the
underdog. Maria had a champion. “I’ll try to accompany you. Depends
on how the day falls.”
    She nodded with a smile. “I know.”
    “ But I’m hungry now,” he
said inhaling some tantalizing aromas lingering in the
air.
    Tex laughed. “Miguel brought some chicken
and rice from some restaurant, it’s in the oven.”
    Julio stood. “Mom?”
    She waved him away. “I already ate, go get
you a plate.”
    The moment Julio walked into the large
kitchen, he smelled the grilled chicken. His stomach rumbled,
reminding him he had not eaten since this morning, and even then it
had been just a bowl of some fiber cereal Tex had bought. He
grabbed a plate and piled on the chicken, rice, and fried
plantains. After popping a plantain in his mouth, he opened the
refrigerator and pulled out a can of sweet tea. Plate and can in
hands, he returned to the dining room and sat down.
    “ How long you gonna be
here?” he asked his mom.
    “ I’m leaving after dinner
tomorrow night. Francisco asked me to host some party he’s throwing
in New York.”
    The fork in Julio’s hand froze just before
it reached his mouth. “But he sent you here first?”
    Next to his six foot, two inch frame she
seemed tiny, but when she looked at him, he saw flashes of her
towering strength.
    Her mouth closed in a snap as her fingertip
tapped his chest.