Roman woke up to light snores coming from Zadia, her face squished against his chest, while she panted softly in her sleep. Lifting a finger, he flicked away two of her semi-dry locs that managed to get free from the towel wrapped around her head. His eyes flickered from her face and slowly to the visible bruises on her body. He moved his hand to touch, but stopped midway, not thinking it was a good idea.

Roman's nose wrinkled, noticing some of her drool on his side. She slept like a baby, literally. He shook his head, pushing her head off so it could fall on the pillow. Sitting upright, his legs draped over the bed and he stood up clutching the white towel around his waist, stumbling while he made his way to the bathroom.

Shutting the door, his reflection glared back at him as he opened the water faucet. "I fucked up, I know." He mumbled to himself disapprovingly. It was one thing to kiss Zadia, but allowing himself to sleep in the same bed as her was surely crossing the line. He needed a reality check and fast. Roman groaned, feeling pressure in his wounded shoulder. "I can fix this. I can fix all of this." He repeated, before shutting off the water.

Reaching over the counter, he grabbed one of the cheap toothbrushes still wrapped in plastic and opened it, before wetting it with water and plastering the strawberry flavored toothpaste onto it.

After several minutes, Roman stepped out of the bathroom feeling a tad bit better that he was able to do his hygiene routine. He glanced at Zadia who was still asleep and clenched the towel around his waist tighter. He moved to the front of the room, unlocked the door, and stepped out barefoot. Outside looked like it had seen better days, although the rain had stopped. It was around eleven in the morning, and the sky still looked gloomy.

Roman made it to the front office of the motel and entered, the door squeaking shut behind him. Ben, the owner of the motel, looked up from the television he was watching and tooted his head up at Roman. "Well don't you look like fucking shit." He remarked, his thick country accent seeping out.

"Good morning to you too," Roman replied sarcastically. "How have you been?"

"Better than you it seems." He mumbled, grabbing some things from behind his counter and setting them at the top. "You're gonna run away my remaining customers, looking the way you do." Roman stepped forward, going through the things on the counter. It was clothes and shoes for not only him, but Zadia too. "It's not much, but I figured you could use it. Hopefully, they're the right fit."

"Thank you," Roman said, sincerely.

"Mmh." The old man grumbled. "What are you doing bringing a lady around these parks anyway? Your father knew better than that."

Roman rolled his eyes. "Of course, my father did, and here was more convenient." Roman looked around. "You got any... equipment?"

Ben looked behind his counter and pulled out a heavy black container onto the top. "They're old but useful, treat them well." He said, eyes going back to the television. "Bring the lady back some of those grapes over there." He pointed across the room at a mini table. "Take whatever else you need and remember not to make a mess."

"We won't," Roman told him.

*

Zadia woke up to silence.

She sat up in bed quietly, her eyes inspecting the small motel room. Everything looked in the same shape as the night before. Zadia's heart sped up as she saw there was no sign of Roman. She kicked the sheet off of her and stood, ignoring the irritation in her ribs. The towel holding her hair together, finally clasped, falling to the ground.

"Roman?" She called, looking to see if he'd come out from where he was. "Ro... Roman." She stuttered, growing concerned. She let out a ragged breath, clutching onto her towel. Had he left her? "Roman?" She called again. "No, he didn't." She said, trying to convince her. "He'll be right back." She whispered. "He'll be ri—"

The room door opened unexpectedly, Roman walking through them with bags in one hand, and the other gripping his towel, a pair of scissors clenched in his mouth. He frowned, staring at her. "What are you doing?" He mumbled, confused by her worried demeanor.

"Nothing!" She exclaimed, frightened by his sudden presence. "Nothing." She said again, voice calmer this time. "I was just looking for something."

Roman kicked the door shut with his leg, and turned momentarily to lock it. "Really? What were you looking for?" He asked, moving to put the stuff in his hands down.

Zadia scratched her wrist, shaking her head. "Oh um... another towel." She pointed at one on the floor. "Found it."

Scrunching up his face, Roman nodded, taking the scissors from his mouth. "Right... well we've got us some clothes so, thankfully no more towels." He lifted the black container for her to see. "We've got weapons and fruits too, courtesy of Ben." He walked her way, passing her the bag of random clothes and shoes. He looked at her hair, tilting his head.

"What's wrong?" Zadia asked, not liking the look he was giving her hair.

"Since the bounty for your head has risen, we've gotta make you look less.... like yourself. Which is why," he lifted the pair of scissors for her to see. "We've gotta give you a haircut."

Zadia's eyes widened. "Fuck no!" She nearly shouted, one hand flinging up to her hair. "I'm not cutting my hair, Roman! It's my hair!" Roman nodded, taking a step forward watching her yell at him. "I need my hair! How would you like it if I suggested you cut off your beard?!"

He shrugged. "I wouldn't be phased. It's just a beard and I know it would grow back." He eyed her hair again. "Just like how yours will grow back too." Zadia's mouth open to speak but instead she squealed, feeling the tip of her locs being pulled. Roman gripped it, but not enough to hurt her scalp. "You see that?" He asked, dragging her close, his lips to her ear. "Anyone who's after you, already has the upper hand, because they know to go for the hair. I don't want a repeat of yesterday, that was way too close."

Zadia moved, trying to get out of his grasp. "I'll braid it." She insisted.

"You and I both know it won't be enough." He told her again, loosening the grip on her locs, till his hand let them go. Zadia moved to face him once she was free and glared at him. "It's for your own safety Zadia." He tried to assure her, his eyes moving to her bruises. "You don't need to get ruffed up again. I won't cut past your shoulders. You have my word."

"I'll have my starter locs length all over again." She said, frowning while her fingers touched her locs. "I'll be walking around here, looking like a boy."

Roman gave her a look, sighing heavily. "What is with you? You're being dramatic."

Her frown deepened. "Easy for you to say. It's not your hair and you don't get the importance of it!"

Roman huffed, running a hand through his head. "Look, you're right. I don't get the importance of it." He admitted. "But what I do know is that cutting your hair is for your safety and that the sooner we get it done, the sooner we can meet up with the others." He looked at her. "What do you say?"

Zadia rolled her eyes, her arms crossed. "Fine." She gave in, although it was the last thing she wanted to do. "I'll do it, but I get to keep them. I think I can probably find someone to reattach them in the long run." She moved ahead, grabbing the bag of clothes. "I'm gonna get dressed and brush my teeth." She told him, storming off to the bathroom.

"Okay," Roman said, the bathroom door slamming shut before he could say anything else. He sucked his teeth, rummaging through the small bag of clothes for something to wear. After a few seconds, he settled on a white shirt, a black and yellow plaid Jacket, and some black cargo pants.
As he finished dressing, he sat down and opened the black container, so he could see what he was working with. "CheyTac M200." He grumbled, finger sliding against his metal rifle. This sniper alone could do a lot of damage. His eyes moved, casting down onto the 9mm pistol. It was old, but still had some kick to it. "She can have this one." He spoke to himself, referring to Zadia as he took the gun out and set it on the table.

Roman plopped some grapes into his mouth, chewing silently while he thought about what Pedro said to him back at the house.

If someone he worked for did turn on him, then that met Roman was going to be on his own for a while. That wasn't necessarily a problem since he'd adapted to being on his own, it's just his list of connections would be thin until further notice.

Zadia opened the door to the bathroom, stepping out of it slowly. "I think that Ben guy has a sick sense of humor." She spoke, hands on her hips.

Roman looked up at her, lips twitching up into a small smirk. "The old fart does." He eyed the tight black mini skirt on her and then moved up to the black lace crop top that showed her belly and bits of her breast. Roman gulped, taken back by how much skin she was showing.

"I look like a sex worker." She huffed and twirled for him to see.

"It's..." he cleared his throat. "It's better than nothing." She scoffed at him and he sighed, reaching into the bag for something. "Here." He lifted a plaid jacket her way, one that matched his. "Wear this, it'll help."

Zadia walked closer, taking the jacket from him to put it on. "Thank you." She mumbled, sitting on the bed. Roman stood up, with the scissors in his hands. "Don't get carried away." She joked, trying to lighten up her mood, but it didn't work.

"I'll do it with my eyes closed then." Roman found himself teasing, which made her chuckle nervously. Gently he picked up a few of her locs and then began cutting. "How're your ribs?" He asked, grabbing more of her locs.

"Hurts, but the pain isn't bad," Zadia replied, with her eyes shut. "How's your shoulder?"

"I need to stitch it up again, but it's fine for now."

Zadia hummed. "Are you sure you don't want me to take a look at it?"

"I'm fine." He grumbled.

"Sure you are. So..." she trailed on. "What are we going to do after this? What's the plan?"

Roman cut some more, her locs falling on both the bed and floor. "We need a car, so I'm gonna head up to the diner around here and steal one from one of the locals."

"The locals? Why not one of the tourists?"

"Cops tend to care more about the tourists around here, than the locals. We take one of their cars, and they'll find us by sundown. If we take one of the locals, they'll put a search out for it but that's about it." He clarified. "After that, we'll drive up to some towns to reload on some cash and supplies." He stopped cutting for a second to adjust her head. "Then, I'm gonna pay one of my bosses a quick visit to see if he knows about what took place at the house yesterday."

"You're gonna kill him." She stated.

Zadia tilted her head, waiting for a reply and he fixed it. "Stay still." He told her, his hand placed under her chin to keep her from moving further. "If he has anything to do with yesterday, which I have a strong feeling that he does, then yes. I'm gonna kill him." He answered nonchalantly. "I'm not gonna stop with him either, I'm going through the entire circle. Everyone involved is gonna die."

"Won't that just get you in trouble?" She opened her eyes, and they both stared at each other. "Trouble is the last thing you should be looking for."

Roman shrugged. "I don't look for trouble, trouble looks for me." He said. "Besides, I don't care about that. I only care about getting my boss's attention, Zadia."

"This is getting confusing, how many people do you work for?" She pried. "How many actual bosses do you have?"

Roman shook his head, snipping some more of her hair. "I can't tell you that, so I'm just gonna say a lot." He told her, then backed away. "I'm finished." He said, waiting for her reaction. Zadia rose to her feet, quickly running to the bathroom to look at herself. "What do you think?" He asked. "How'd I do?"

Zadia stared at her reflection in the mirror, stunned at how different she looked. "Woah." She whispered, her fingers touching her short locs. "I look..."

"Nice." He finished for her, although that wasn't the first word to come to mind. She looked beautiful as always, well beyond beautiful but Roman didn't want to creep her out by telling her, so he settled with, "Really, nice." He clarified, leaning against the bathroom door with his arms crossed.

Zadia turned to him, her back to the mirror. "You think so?"

"Ye...Yeah." He stuttered and nodded. "I do."

She looked back at her reflection and smiled. "I do too. It's not as bad as I pictured. I think I even look younger. Thank you."

He cleared his throat. "Yeah, no problem." They both grew silent, Zadia stepping away from the sink. She moved so she could walk away, but Roman quickly held onto her wrist, making her stare at him in surprise. "Zadia." He called lowly, the warmth of his touch making her stomach full.

"Hmm?" She hummed, eyeing his lips, waiting eagerly for his next words.

His lips parted, tongue sliding across them. "You..." He hesitated, trying to think of what to say. Disbelief stirred in him at his sudden loss of words. "Your insulin." He brought up instead. "I didn't forget. I'll find you some."

Zadia nearly pouted in disappointment, hoping to hear something completely different come out of that mouth of his. "Oh." She said, clearly mistaken. "I appreciate that..." she paused and sent a smile his way. "I mean it."

He let go of her wrist, scratching the back of his head. "We should get going... I'll go get us a car. I'll meet you out front in ten minutes."

Zadia nodded firmly. "Ten minutes, gotcha."

————

After two hours of driving around the city, it was raining again. "You should drink lots of water," Roman suggested while steering the dark green Honda Civic. He flicked on the windshield wipers, focusing on the road. He'd stolen the vehicle from some drunk who decided to leave their key inside. "It'll help keep you... hydrated." Roman spoke up with a toothpick in his mouth.

From the passenger side, Zadia rolled her eyes, the rainwater wetting her face. She looked out the window, glaring at the sky. "I know, Roman." She said, knowingly before plopping some more grapes into her mouth. "I'm fine. If I drink any more water I'm gonna blow." Zadia frowned, looking at the exit sign to the right of her. "Why'd you have to take this car? I'm getting soaked."

Roman glanced at her. "The keys were already inside." He said and shrugged. "How was I supposed to know the window had problems? You should've sat in the back."

Zadia bit her tongue and turned to the backseat shivering in discomfort. "This person has a collection of stuffed animals back here. That's creepy, no way I'm sitting back there." She told him and spared the bag of money a second glance, before reaching for one of the Elmo bears. "I used to have one of these as a kid." She touched its bright orange nose. "I had to donate it though because my mom—" Zadia paused. "She didn't like the fact that I was so attached to it."

"You were attached to an Elmo bear?" He scoffed. "God, I forget how young you are sometimes."

Zadia lifted a finger at him. "First off, there's nothing wrong with Elmo. Yes, his voice can be annoying at times but he's the reason why I like learning about things." She put her finger down. "Aren't you in your twenties? We're the same age."

Roman chuckled. "Zadia, I haven't been in my twenties for a while now."

Her ears perked up at this. She'd always assumed he was in his twenties because he looked so young. "Wait, what?" Her eyes widened. "So, how old are you then?

"That's confidential."

"Oh, bullshit!" She groaned. "Tell me."

"No."

"Come on Roman, I won't tell anyone. Hell, there's no one to tell anyways."

Roman shrugged, shaking his head. "I'm not telling you."

She crossed her arms together. "You suck."

"And you sound like a child." He remarked, then he paused. "You don't talk about her much." Roman pointed out. "Your mom. You talk about your dad here and there and bring up stories including both parents, but you never talk about your mom."

Zadia placed the Elmo bear back. "You don't talk about yours either." She said and turned her body around to stare at him. "My mother hates me... she's always made it known, so I try not to ponder about her." She nodded his way. "What's your excuse?"

"I watched mine die." He told her and the car fell silent for a month. Roman glanced at her, hands tightening around the wheel. "You alright?"

"I think I should be the one asking you that." She said and then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

"I'm sorry your mom hates you."

Zadia chuckled and sat her chin on her hands. "This just got awkward."

"That seems to be happening a lot, lately."

"Name one food you can't live without on three." She began counting. "One...two... three!"

"Apple's."

"Lasagne." They said at the same time and laughed. "Why'd you make that face?" Roman questioned. "What's so wrong with lasagna?"

"It's basically cheese and noodles." She scrunched up her face. "That's nasty."

"And apples are better?" He scoffed. "They're like the worst fruit."

"What!" Zadia exclaimed, not believing what just came out of his mouth. "Watermelon is the worst fruit, apples are superior."

Roman rolled his eyes, nodding in agreement. "Watermelons are disgusting."

"It is. I don't see how people eat it, it's all so mushy and watery. Like fruit and beverage, all rolled into one." She shivered. "And it's got this unexplainable aftertaste that seriously comes out of nowhere."

"That's a lot of animosity towards one fruit, Zadia."

She shrugged. "It deserves it." She said and smiled, quickly growing silent.

Roman squinted, before paying attention to the road. "You're smiling like a creep." He pointed at the sky. "Is it because of the rain? Abel told me about your little rain fetish."

Zadia laughed deeply, her hands covering her face as she tried to gather herself. "It's not a rain fetish!" She laughed harder, smile widening. "Seriously, I don't have a rain fetish." She explained. "I just happen to like when it rains, because good things tend to happen to me when it does."

"Good things like wh—-" Roman was silenced by the ringing and vibrating coming from his pockets. "One second." He mumbled, pulling the phone out and answering it. "It's me." He spoke into the phone, his voice growing deeper, emotionless. Zadia noticed this instantly. "Where's he at now?" Roman questioned the other person on the line. "Pacific Lodge Hotel." He repeated out loud. "Room floor?" He nodded, listening. "511, got it. How's security looking... okay, got it. I'll be there in a minute, text me everything about the other hotel." Roman hung up.

There was a shift in the car, things felt tense. Roman's whole demeanor changed in just a flick of time and Zadia was confused about how to go about it. "What was that about?" She questioned.

"I've got a lead on one of the people I was working for." He said, then raised the phone for her to take. "Do me a favor. Type in, Pacific Lodge Hotel, and see how far away we are from there."

Zadia took the phone from him and began typing the name of the hotel in. "We're twenty minutes away." She told him, wiping away the raindrops on her naked thigh. "When did you even get a phone?"

"When we went to the storage unit." After they'd stolen the car, Roman drove to one of the storage places where he laundered money and picked up a bag full of clean money. "I put it in the bag beforehand." He explained. "I tend to always have backup money and phones in different areas of the city for emergency purposes. It... it makes my job easier." Looking in the rearview mirror, he leaned further in his seat driving carefully. "I need you to take out three stacks from the bag and put it in something that'll fly under the radar."

"Something like what?" Zadia questioned, reaching in the back for the bag of money.

He shrugged. "I don't know be creative." He said and took the phone from her, following the GPS.

Zadia began looking around the car, her eyes settling on a bigger stuffed animal. She grabbed it and turned it around. "Pass me your knife." She said to Roman and he reached into his jacket, handing her the heavy blade. "Can I ask you something?" Zadia randomly asked while she cut open the back of the stuffed animal.

Roman looked at her. "I'm not telling you how old I am."

She rolled her eyes. "I know that. I just... How come you blew up the house last night?"

"To get rid of evidence and buy us some time."

"Hmm, I guess that does make sense." Once the cut was big enough, Zadia took some of the stuffing out and began placing the money inside. She picked up the roll of tape that she saw earlier and taped the back. "It's all set." She told him and then reached for her water bottle, chugging some of it down. Although she was staying hydrated, Zadia could feel that there was something off with herself. Her fingers felt numb, her stomach upset. She didn't tell Roman yet because she didn't think it was a big deal, but she would if it worsened. "Is it cool if I turn on the radio?"

Roman looked back and forth at the road, contemplating a turn he was about to make. "Don't care, Zadia."

She rolled her eyes again and leaned forward, turning on the radio. "I haven't heard this in forever." She mumbled, excitedly bumping her head to the beat of the song. "I really like what you've, done to me I can't really explain it, I'm so into you." She sang along, snapping her fingers and moving her shoulders.

Roman remained silent, turning the volume up a bit to drown out her singing. Zadia was good at many things, but it seemed singing wasn't one of those things. He snorted, trying not to laugh as she rapped Fabolous part of the song. His fingers drummed against the steering wheel as he muttered the lyrics and drove.

As the song finished, they continued to listen to some more music that played on the radio until Roman parked the car and turned the volume down. He kept his gaze ahead, eyeing the hotel sign a couple of buildings away. "This shouldn't take more than twenty minutes. Stay here and keep the door shut."

Zadia gave him a look, her eyebrows raised. "Wouldn't it make more sense for me to go with you... just in case things go left?" She asked. "This could be a good teaching moment."

Roman paused, thinking about it for a second. "Fine." He announced, spitting the toothpick at the ground. "Come, but keep up." Shutting off the car, he took the keys and opened his door, but not before grabbing the black container from earlier. "Carry the bear." He told her while covering the bag of money in the backseat with a blanket.

When he finished and Zadia was ready, he locked the door and the both of them marched through the full parking lot with their heads down, glasses on their faces. The rain splattered against their clothes as they opened the door to the hotel building and walked into the foyer. There were a bunch of people here, Zadia cringed at the sound of their voices. "Follow me," Roman muttered walking ahead of the crowd.

Zadia followed him closely.

They found the nearest elevator and boarded, making sure to keep their faces hidden from the camera the entire ride. Stepping out of the elevator, they walked through the hallway before stopping abruptly at door D16. Roman looked both ways in the hall, before knocking. Zadia stood next to him, confused about the whole ordeal that was unraveling in front of her. She waited, just as Roman did for someone to open up and when someone did, she stayed silent. "You got the stuff?" A skinny petite Hispanic woman asked, the door opening only halfway.

"I do," Roman answered, calmly but stern. He nodded at Zadia, motioning for her to hand the lady the stuffed animal.

"Girlfriend?" The woman questioned, taking the animal from Zadia. She stared at her curiously, one hand on her hip and the other clutched around the bear.

"Let us in, Priscilla," Roman said, ignoring her question.

The woman named Priscilla smirked. "She is, huh? I didn't think you were the type of guy to date someone who wasn't a chica." She said, before opening the door wide enough for them to pass through. "Go ahead, come inside. I'm leaving anyway, that sell-out is still in his room. Eating like the fat pig he is." She informed them, stepping outside with her coat in her arms. "Aye, if it doesn't work out between you two, you know where to find me." Placing a kiss on Roman's cheek, she backed away and turned on her heels, her hips swaying as she left.

"You sure do have a lot of lady friends," Zadia jokingly said, walking into the hotel room. She awkwardly looked around, her arms crossed.

Roman shut the door behind them, locking it. "I don't. Priscilla is just a connect, that's all she's ever been." He said and then walked over to the window, pushing the curtains out of his way. He opened the window, allowing the humid air to fill the room. "Hand me that chair over there."

"You've got lipstick on your cheek." She pointed out, before dragging the hotels' chair to him.

Roman could feel his face getting hot.

He stood up, looking at the nearest mirror to see if it was true. "Fucking Priscilla." He mumbled while using the back of his hand to wipe away her lipstick residue. When it was gone, he placed the black container on the bed and opened it, getting out the sniper. "Today's lesson, how to use a sniper." He sat down, motioning Zadia to come closer. "Shooting one of these isn't simple, which is why having the perfect work area is needed." Zadia listened closely as she sat on the ground beside him, her back leaning against the bedside. "Sniper shooting isn't just about pulling the trigger. It's more than that. It revolves around stealth, and being able to shoot in your position unseen, and leave unseen."

"Just like in the army movies." She blurted out randomly.

"No, not just like the army movies. Pay attention." He moved forward, looking through his scope. From afar, three buildings over he could see Enrique Gonzalez, an important bishop from Mexico stuffing his face with food. Roman moved the gun around, looking at the security that was around him. "This prick always thinks he's untouchable." Roman shook his head. "Untouchable people like himself tend to do stupid shit like leave their blinds open. You've got to remember that whatever your status is in the world, you're always touchable."

"Noted."

"Look closely," Roman muttered, getting comfortable. He held the sniper firmly, but not enough to have it in a death grip. "Aim for the head, always. Never take your eyes off your mark, breathe easy." Roman took his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. "Once you're ready to shoot, you take a deep breath and hold it, then take your shot." He said while his phone rang. "Stay quiet for a second."

"Hello?" Enrique answered his phone, breathing heavily as he swallowed his food. "Hello?" He repeated. "Who is this?"

"It's me," Roman said. There was a long pause at the other end of the line. Roman could see Enrique sit up in his seat. "What's wrong, didn't expect me to call?"

"No... no, I did not." Enrique admitted. "We rarely talk over the phone. It's usually face to face."

"That's true. I thought it'd be best to take a different approach." Roman chuckled. "You okay, you sound shocked?"

Enrique began to stutter. "What? Me? Of course not, I... I just wasn't expecting a call from you."

"Why's that?"

Enrique gulped, chuckling nervously. "I told you already, we barely talk over the phone." He cleared his throat. "Is something wrong Roman? How come you're calling me, instead of setting up a meeting?"

Roman watched as he dropped his food, pushing his plate away to fold his hands. "No reason. I was just sitting here, thinking about when I was a boy and we first met. Out of all the things you said that day, I remember you reading a verse." Roman inhaled. "Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Roman paused. "Do you remember you saying that?"

"I do."

"Good." He licked his lips. "Someone has betrayed me, Enrique. They cut a deal with Cortez and disclosed the address of the safe house I was staying in, the same safe house that was given to me by the organization." Roman shut his eyes. "I did the calculations and they add up to you, the same person who's wanted me out of the organization for the longest."

Enrique started to look around. "Roman." He called, snapping his finger at his bodyguards. "Where are you right now?"

Roman cocked back his sniper. "I'm where I'm supposed to be Bishop and from the looks of it, you are too."

Enrique stood up frantically. "Roman, Roman listen to me. Whatever you're about to do, it's not worth it. God will surely punish you!"

"He already has." Roman aimed the gun at his head. "Goodbye, bishop." Roman fired the shot, watching within seconds as the bullet punctured through the glass window and hit the Bishop in the temple of his head. Sighing heavily, Roman hung up the phone and sat up straight.

Zadia turned to him. "Roman..." she started, not sure what she should say. She watched his shoulders fall. "That was... are you alright?"

"We need to leave." He told her, picking up the sniper and standing up. "It's only a matter of time before they trace that shot back to here." He began packing up, moving the chair back to its original place.

"You're doing that thing again." She told him. "That thing where you act as though nothing happened."

"Zadia!" He shouted angrily. "Now's not the time!" The room fell silent and he briefly stopped what he was doing to face her. His eyes took her in, settling on her nose. "You have a nose bleed." He said, his voice lower this time.

Zadia's eyes widened at the sudden news, she grasped her nose so blood wouldn't drip onto the carpet. "Shit." She muttered, walking over to the nightstand to grab several tissues.

Roman walked up to her, lifting his hand to touch. "Let me see."

"Fuck off!" She shouted at him. "You don't get to speak to me in any type of way and then act as if you care about me!"

He sighed. "Zadia."

"Fuck you, Roman!" She stuck the middle finger at him, moving to walk away but he grabbed her arm, carefully of course.

"Quit moving." He grumbled, pressing the back of his hand to her forehead. Zadia glared at him, stopping so he could check her out. "You're hot, are you experiencing any symptoms?" Zadia didn't say a word. "Why didn't you tell me? I wouldn't have put off getting you insulin this long."

Zadia pushed his hand away, pinching her nose with the tissue. "Because I feel fine, it's nothing I can't handle and I knew you had to get this done." She moved, taking a step back and he let her. "Roman, seriously, I'm fine. Let's go."

Roman nodded, his posture straightening at the sudden sound of sirens. "Come on." He said to her, leading her out of the room. It didn't take long for them both to slip out of there, escaping the chaotic storm that was brewing.

————

"You know today was very... eventful." Zadia started, kicking at some rock as she and Roman walked side by side down the street of houses. "At this point, we have enough events to write a book." She kicked another rock, this time sucking in a breath because her big toe got hit in the process of doing so. "Flip flops are useless."

Roman's eyes were directed on the sky, watching as the dark clouds moved along. The wind blew against his face and he shook his head. "They aren't meant for kicking rocks." He said, looking at their surroundings. They were currently walking around in a middle-class neighborhood, on their way to their next stop. He didn't explain to Zadia who they were going to see, because he himself was sorta anxious. A few miles away, they'd abandoned the car since it stopped raining and decided walking would be better. "What would the book name be?"

Zadia crossed her arms, her jacket tied to her hip so she wouldn't be as hot. "The misadventures of Zadia and Roman." She replied and shrugged. "Seems like whenever we're together some shit goes down."

He looked at her, his steps faltering. "Some people would consider that a red flag." He told her, gripping the bag of money in his hand. "That's a terrible book name, by the way, it sounds way too cliché."

She stared into his eyes while they kept walking. "Yeah? Well, what would you name our book then?"

"Corrupted decisions."

"Corrupted decisions?" Zadia repeated. "Seriously, what's with your obsession with that saying?"

Roman shrugged. "I just like it." He said. "The decisions we've made so far, it's what led us down our path and since our path is shitty it must be because we made corrupted decisions along the way."

Zadia chuckled, shaking her head. "That's one way to see it." She moved her hair out of her face. "It's not just corrupted decisions that can make a person's path shitty, it's decisions in general. Therefore our book should be called decisions."

Roman found himself agreeing. "Decisions don't sound that bad."

She clapped her hands, grinning. "Great! So it's been decided, decisions is the name of our book."

"Who's gonna write it?"

"You of course. I'm busy running for my life, does it look like I've got time to write a book?" She shrugged. "Besides, you've got better handwriting. So it's only right that you be the one to do it."

Roman chuckled. "You're really putting a lot of thought into something that isn't going to happen."

Zadia bit the bottom of her lip, her hands falling to her side as she halted her movements. She looked at him seriously. "Roman, if something were to happen to me... I want you to make sure the world knows the truth and not what the media makes up."

Roman frowned. "Nothings gonna happen to you, Zadia and it's insulting of you to think so. Especially since I'm the one looking after you." He said to her, his frown deepening. "Do you think I'm not capable of doing my job?"

"Of course, I think you're capable. It's just after yesterday..." she paused. "I just don't think the universe is on my side and you know better than I do that shit happens."

Roman began walking again, his pace quickened. "You know, every time I think that we can be cordial, you always say some bullshit that you know will get under my skin."

Zadia sucked her teeth. "You can't seriously be mad right now, Roman?" She asked as she trailed behind him. "I didn't say anything wrong."

"Of course, you didn't! You're so innocent and you seem to never notice when the shit you say is outta fucking pocket." He said sarcastically, walking on the lawn of someone's home. He continued his way up, stopping on the white porch of the family home.

Zadia faced him, having enough of his shit. She pointed her finger at him. "Seriously, you're the one that's trying to start a fucking fight with me. Every time something doesn't go your way or if someone doesn't say something you like, you start deflecting! It's honestly fucking pathetic at this point."

"Pathetic?" He repeated, moving into her space. "No, what's pathetic is you thinking that the shit you say doesn't affect anyone."

She moved closer, her finger pressing against his chest as she stared up at him angrily. "You don't know what you want!" She exclaimed loud enough for people to hear. "And you're taking it out on me, that's what's so pathetic Roman."

He stared at her and gulped, his breathing forced. "I do know what I want!"

"Yeah?" She said, her voice lowered. "What is it that you want then?"

He grabbed her wrist, moving her finger away from his chest. "I..." he struggled to say. "I want... what I want is y—"

"What the shit is going on here!" A loud voice boomed, opening the front door of the house. Both Zadia and Roman pulled away, startled at the voice. "Romulus?" The person questioned, surprised to see who was standing at his porch.

"Dario," Roman said, turning to look at the man in front of them.

Zadia's eyebrows raised, looking between the two, trying to figure out how they knew each other. "Who's this?" She asked, waiting for a response.

Roman remained silent, his eyes on the man looking at him in surprise. "I'm his brother," Dario answered, with an expressionless face.

Zadia's eyes widened, she did not see this coming. She watched as Dario stepped up, eyeing his brother before his arm reeled back and he sent his fist flying. "What the hell?!" Zadia shouted, watching Roman get punched in the face.

She didn't get a chance to say anything else before both men started to brawl.

Lightly edited. Point any errors out.

This chapter didn't feel like my best, but it will have to do. Any thoughts?