“I’m gonna make it work this time. No more slacking, chale,” Romeo said to himself as he suited up for the evening’s task. “That first time was an unwelcome distraction with the motorcycle bullshit. The next one wasn’t my fault; that stupid little fucker ruined the whole plot. This time, it’s going to work. I’m gonna kill that fat-necked motherfucker and make Rex a proud ass boss.”

It was a Wednesday evening, and it was time for the real showdown.

Over the past couple of days, Romeo had been psyching himself up, repeating to himself the words of encouragement from the czar of crime in the city and boosting his ego with the reminder that if the boss of all crooks saw good in him, he had to let it out.

No more being held back by the traumatic memories of the past. No more worrying about whether he cut it or not. It was time to break out and become the sinister hitman he was destined to be.

Besides, there were so many people he just had to prove wrong.

All those teachers who showed no faith in him and said he would amount to nothing more than another liability on the street. Especially Mr. Tanko. That bastard who always had to humiliate him before his peers.

All his classmates, from primary to secondary school. Those boys and girls who never stood up for him, but joined in the mockery and trolled him all the time, caring less about the pain and devastation it caused him.

Mr. Quarm. That stupid bastard supposed to be his father. The man supposed to hold his hand and guide him through life. The man who rather abused him at every opportunity and made him feel like dog faeces on the road; useless and unwanted. How sweet it would be to see him cry for mercy and get none as his house burned down to the ground…

And Mrs. Quarm. A hopeless excuse of a mother. Just a brainless homo sapiens with nothing else to offer but her vagina. The woman who did nothing good for her family and never cared for her husband or children. It would be lovely to see her scream for help the day he would set fire to their house…

Yes, nothing would be sweeter than to prove them all wrong. To show them that he indeed had made something out of his life, and was living far better than any of them could ever dream or imagine.

Yes, he’d surely get there! They would see!

Fuck my stupid father! Fuck my shitbag of a mother! Fuck all those teachers, especially Mr. Tanko! Fuck them all! I am Romeo Quarm, and I am gonna rule the motherfucking streets of Accra one day. Just y’all watch and see!

That inner speech adding up to the weed in his system, he punched his fists together and said loudly to himself, “Let’s do this!”

He grabbed the rifle and the ski mask, nodded to the other guys in his corner, and walked toward the exit, where Koni waited for him in the Lincoln Navigator.

Koni eyed him. “You ready to go?”

In the deepest voice, almost similar to that of the Terminator, he responded.

“I am. Let’s do this.”

***

“Alright, so listen up, lil nigga. We’re going drive-by shooting style tonight. Per the intelligence gathered, they’re dining at the Cosmopolitan, and their Patrol is parked right next to the gate…”

Koni busily updated Romeo with the information needed as they drove through the busy streets of Accra. His voice had very little enthusiasm, however, as his tone was low and somehow conveyed an expectation of disappointment. Nobody needed to guess that Koni had zero trust for Romeo’s capabilities, and found it absolutely bizarre what Rex saw in him.

Of course, he had to follow orders, though, no matter how he felt. That didn’t stop him from constantly looking at Romeo in the back seat and rolling his eyes every now and then, convinced that this would be yet another dud.

Look at him! Sitting there he’s some GH version of Arnold Schwarzenegger or some shit. Yeah right!

“… and so after Treyza and Van-Dam get the niggas in blue distracted, we move in and… wait, hol up… alright, nigga, the inner source says they’re just about leaving the restaurant. Get that baby cocked up, coz we’re ready to go spray some bitches!”

“On it!”

Romeo quickly slipped on his ski mask and took up the sniper.

Time for action.

Time to make the trust in him from Rex count for something.

Time to turn this cocky Koni dude from a doubter to a believer.

This is it, Romeo! he thought to himself as Koni picked up some speed, doing his best to catch up with the green light. It’s time to become the monster you were made to be!

“Load and chamber! Quickly!”

“Got it!”

He reached down for the ammunition pouch, ready to place a round in and get the rifle ready to fire.

His hand went down…

… and found nothing.

He looked down in confusion. It was not there.

As the sound of motorcycles and police vehicles moved in the direction of the Interchange, indicating that the distraction had taken place, Romeo looked at the rest of the back seat.

No pouch with the sniper bullets.

“Load and chamber, nigga! Put the fucking bullet in and get ready! I’m turning the corner!” Koni roared at him as he sped up.

Romeo looked on helplessly, not knowing what to do or say.

“WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU-“

Koni looked back at him, then noticed the despondent look on his face.

And the absence of the special B.G. ammunition pouch.

He stopped abruptly. “Wait a minute. You mean to tell me you forgot to take the ammunition, boy?”

Romeo looked at him, speechless. His lips wobbled as he tried to open his mouth. What kind of cruel joke was this?

Koni turned, shook his head, drove off the road and parked by the side, and just burst into laughter.

Romeo remained mute, not knowing what to do or say. After psyching himself up so passionately the entire day, was this the anticlimax that awaited him? That he would forget to take the ammunition pouch? For real??

So much for turning Koni from a doubter to a believer.

“Hahahahahahahahahahaha! Ohhhh, good lord, you are one useless motherfucker! Huh. I never understood what Rex meant by potential and all that shit, and guess what, I still don’t. Coz this… oh my lord. You know what? Never mind. I’m sure you already know what’s coming your way. Just take this to be your last ride in a fucking B.G. vehicle. Coz it certainly is.”

As Koni spoke, the Patrol exited the restaurant’s car park and drove away. As he watched Gilbert and Elisabeth drive away, Romeo saw his chances of rising in the criminal underworld speed off with them. There was absolutely no way back on this one. Koni told no lies. He was definitely gonna get fired.

Not ready to face the wrath of his boss, Romeo decided another man ought to receive the news first. Not that dealing with him was gonna be any better, but what else could he do?

His life’s ambition was dead now. Nothing else mattered.

***

“YOU DID WHAT! YOU FORGOT THE FUCKING BULLETS??!! WHAT KIND OF A FUCKING RETARD ARE YOU?”

Romeo stood before the phone, his head down with his hand holding the phone raised up, as the older man ripped into him. Quite the reaction he had anticipated.

“Sir, I dunno, I-“

“You dunno what? You dunno what kind of a fucking retard you are? Coz listen, I can tell you, alright? You are the lowest of the fucking retards! A good-for-nothing piece of shit! Stupid boy! I tell you to take out that cocky bastard for what he did to me and you just keep slipping up? Nonsense!”

Romeo could barely look at the phone screen. The little glance at Barry’s face showed outright indignation, and he had no response to it. No words could calm this man down. None at all.

“Fifteen years! For fifteen years, I’ve been stuck in this fucking wheelchair because of that bastard! And it’s not like I did him wrong. Matter of fact, if it wasn’t for me, he wouldn’t be gallivanting around town like some stupid tourist! I gave him money to go abroad and make something of himself. When it was time to pay back, he sent thugs to beat me up and ruin me. And now that I have revenge in my sights, you come and fuck it all up! Do you know how charged I get whenever I see his smug smile as he parties around the country every other week? Huh? Do you?”

A pretty long rant that was. Yep, Barry’s thirst for vengeance was plain for anyone to see.

“Or maybe it’s just a sign and um…” Romeo mumbled, not knowing how to finish.

“Sign that what?” Barry barked. “A sign that what?”

Romeo shrugged, still refusing to look the man in the eye. “I dunno… maybe… it’s a-it’s a sign that you should just… let it go.”

“WHATTT??!!”

Fuck! That sounded way better in my head.

The sound of Barry hyperventilating furiously was not a good sound to his ear. He did not expect that statement to have the man ready to explode.

Yeah, that idea that the man was probably better off pursuing forgiveness should have stayed in his head.

“YOU STUPID-,” Barry bellowed before suddenly cutting himself short. Seemingly choosing not to blow up, he held back and took a few deep breaths.

“You know what? I’m not even going to let myself be moved by the opinion of rotten pig faeces like you. Coz that’s what you are. Rotten stale pig shit who nobody loves and cares about. I just know your mother wishes she aborted you, coz you are of no fucking value to this fucking world! Fuck you, young man! Never call me again! Go die a nasty death and burn in fucking hell for all eternity!”

The call ended.

Definitely one of the nastiest and most vile things Romeo had ever been told in his life. Not even his horrible father had stooped that low.

He sighed, and as he rubbed his eyes, tears came out of them.

“How the fuck did this turn into the worst night of my life?”

***

“Foolish swine!” Barry barked at the phone as he slammed it down on the table.

He never knew he had the capacity for such terrible words, but this boy had forced it out of him. It certainly was a good thing he made these calls whenever the house was empty; nobody else needed to know about his plans.

How dare he! After hearing rubbish like that from the police, he was being told to forgive and forget by the one he had paid to deal with Gilbert?! What in the actual hell?

Breathing heavily, he took up his phone.

It was time to let that Rex idiot have a piece of his mind.

Never mind that he semi-threatened him the last time he put him on blast; he could not continue to condone this kind of incompetence. It was time to put him in order, and by extension, his men.

As for that Romeo fool, he did not want to see him handling this task anymore. He did not know who would get it done, and how they would get it done, but one thing was for certain. More than anything in the whole wide world, there was only one piece of news Barry wanted to wake up to.

The news that Gilbert Addison was dead.

Nothing else would suffice. Absolutely nothing.

Well, Romeo messed up again. He’s definitely not getting another chance, is he? We can only wonder what Rex will say. And what Barry’s gonna say to him…