Chapter 14
It took a lot of convincing, but between Royelle and Psalm, we were able to get Syre to loosen up on the security measures. Bishop’s shooting and my mom’s murder were solved resulting in my brother Deacon’s arrest.
Apparently, he’d found out from Monroe Black that our mom wasn’t really his mom. In fact, she had actually murdered his mom when he was a baby. Although our mom raised him and treated him like her own, Deacon couldn’t see past his anger. He’d tried to have both Bishop and our mom murdered as retaliation. Now that the dust had settled on that whole situation, there weren’t many direct threats to our family. My cousins had all pulled back from the street shit since they had families to think about. Bishop had finally gotten married, and Syre and his wife had a son. Having a family of his own to aggravate helped keep Syre out of my face.
My only prayer was that they would back off and let me have a life of my own. So far, the jury was still out on that. Reducing my security was a start. I now only had escorts to and from work and overnight surveillance while I was at home. If I was going to the club or somewhere crowded like a game or concert, Liam or Bobby went with me.
I was going to speak to Syre about swapping Bobby out, but I had to find the right words. I didn’t want him flying off the handle and killing the poor guy just because he had a crush on me. I already knew that he had given anyone who worked with us detailed instructions about keeping their eyes and hands to themselves.
I couldn’t blame the man for having eyes. At the same time, I didn’t feel comfortable being around him after having to pretend I didn’t catch on to his advances. Sooner or later, I was going to have to come right out and tell him that I wasn’t interested. That’s not something I wanted to do with someone who had been hired to protect me.
Now that he had a family, Syre was a little more receptive to company. Well, that’s not entirely true. He liked for me to visit. I couldn’t vouch for anyone else.
As I left the city limits, I rolled my eyes at how far out into the abyss he chose to live. Syre irked my nerves sometimes, but I loved him just like a brother. Sometimes, I forgot that Syre was actually my cousin. I was sure he had dismissed that concept when we were little, and he told me that I would always be his sister.
After too damn long of a drive, I finally made it to his house. It was always weird seeing a black house, but somehow it worked. I smiled as I drove down the driveway and watched Elle sitting out in the yard watching Sir play in the grass.
He could barely stand, but I could tell that his little legs were getting stronger. I parked my car on the opposite side of the yard from where my sister-in-law and nephew were playing before jumping out of the car and making a dash for them. I missed his cute little face. As soon as I reached them, I picked him up.
“Hey, little guy. I missed you,” I said, peppering his chubby cheeks with kisses.
“It’s time for you to have one of your own.”
“Keep your husband out of my business, and maybe I can finally find a husband of my own.”
“I try to keep him as busy as possible, but you never know the lengths he will go to.”
“Tell me about it.”
“It’s sweet that he’s so protective.”
“Yeah, but he got a wife and son to protect.”
“He’s gonna have a daughter of his own soon. Maybe that will keep him off your back a little bit.”
“I’m having a niece?” I asked, stretching my eyes.
“So they tell me.” She smiled.
“Oh my God! I can’t wait to spoil my little baby girl.”
“I’m excited. We’re not telling anyone yet. You know how he is about pregnancy.”
“It’s going to be fine, mommy. I’m so excited for you.”
As excited as I was about Royelle and Syre’s baby girl, I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness. When was it going to be my time to feel that same excitement? When would I find the one to make me want to give him babies? As if she could read my mind, Royelle smiled over at me.
“Soon, we will be planning a wedding and baby showers for you too.”
“You must plan on taking Syre out of the country?”
“He’ll adjust. I keep reminding him that you are grown as hell and smart enough not to let anyone play you. He doesn’t have to interfere.”
“You can keep trying, sis, but his ass is as stubborn as a mule.”
“Don’t I know it,” she said, rolling her eyes.
* * *
After yet another unsuccessful talking stage, I was becoming fed up with the dating scene. Whoever said the dating pool was a sewer wasn’t lying. I didn’t have a specific type, so as long as the vibes were there, I had no problem with giving someone a chance. I was so disgusted with the outcome of my previous situationship that I didn’t even really feel like eating by the time lunch rolled around. If it weren’t for Liam, I might not have eaten at all.
Out of all the people who Syre had assigned to work as my bodyguard, he had been the only one to grow on me. He was hilarious and so sweet with his want-to-be-mean ass. He was a big teddy bear under all the armor he wore.
Something or someone made him feel like he couldn’t be open and vulnerable. Honestly, it hurt to know that he lived with so much trauma that he didn’t feel like he could be himself around people. Behind closed doors, I saw a side of him that most people didn’t know existed.
“Are you seeing anyone right now?” I asked, hoping that someone else’s good news could overshadow my recent misfortunes on the dating scene.
His brows hiked before slowly lowering into a frown. He placed the turkey melt on his plate as he seemed to consider his answer.
“Why?” he asked nonchalantly.
I’d half expected him to tell me to mind my own damn business, so his question almost caught me off guard.
“Just curious.” I shrugged.
“What you call curious, a lot of people consider nosy.” He smirked.
“Call it what you want. I just want to hear about somebody winning at love for a change to take my mind off my own shit.”
“That makes sense,” he said, nodding before going back to his task of eating.
“You didn’t answer my question,” I reminded him.
“Divine, you know I’m not dating. I’m always around. Have you ever seen me with anyone?”
I lifted my shoulders. “You’re not around twenty-four hours a day. I don’t know what you have going on when you’re not with me.”
“You’re around me enough.”
“Yet, I don’t even know if you’re dating,” I said, shaking my head.
He scoffed. “You know I don’t do the whole dating thing, D. I keep telling you that.”
“I don’t know that. You act like I’m supposed to know so much about you when your secretive ass just mentioned your mom for the first time today. I barely knew you had a family. I’ve known you for close to a year, and you’ve never mentioned them.”
“What’s to mention?”
His casual shrug was a defense mechanism. Something was wrong. He always resorted to being extra nonchalant when he was bothered.
“I don’t know, Lee Lee. Sometimes I feel like you’re keeping me at arm’s length.”
“It’s not just you.”
“You have to open yourself up to someone, Liam,” I urged.
“If you haven’t noticed, that’s how you get hurt,” he told me with a dry chuckle.
“Yeah, and when you’re closed off, no one can fully love or care for you because you refuse to show them the real you.”
“You are an open book. Sometimes I love that about you, but I also know that making yourself too vulnerable is a way to defy your brothers. So what if they run a nigga off? If a nigga can be made to leave you alone, then he’s not the one. You’re so busy trying to sneak around and bypass them that you end up in fucked up situations. Sometimes letting them vet a nigga would get rid of the riff raff. If I was serious about a woman, there’s not a soul that could make me come up off her, not even a Reign,” he declared.
“Whatever. I think part of the reason I asked was because I was hoping there was someone that you felt you could be yourself with, someone that you can confide in, even if it wasn’t me.”
“You know everything there is to know about me.”
“You say that, but I heard you mention your mom for the first time today. You know everything about me, but sometimes, I feel like I barely know you. I know being around me is your job, but I consider you a friend. I confide things in you that I would never mention to the guys. I’m an open book when it comes to you, but you still don’t feel like you can be open with me.”
“I don’t have much of a story, Divine,” he said, getting up and discarding the trash from our lunch.
“Fine.” I sighed, knowing that I would never get through that thick skull and exterior to the man inside. Even with as closed off as he was, Liam was one of the best friends a girl could ask for.
“It’s Friday night. Are you and the girls planning on going out for drinks?” he asked.
“Probably just me, Tremaine, and one of her work friends.”
Liam laughed. “So, that means the debauchery will ensue.”
“How do you figure that?” I asked, rolling my eyes.
“Because when you’re with her, you always turn it up a notch.”
“It’s not even that. I just know I can let my hair down with her.”
“Duly noted.”
“You headed out?” I quizzed, watching as he stood.
It was crazy how we spent practically every night together, but I hated to see him go. When he was first assigned to me, I gave him a hard time. It took a little time for me to realize that he was more interested in my safety than my comings and goings. I didn’t have to worry about him ratting me out like I was a teenager. He just kept me safe. Soon, I started to trust him enough to call him a friend.
“Yeah. I want to swing by the gym before I take it in. I’ll see you tonight.”
* * *
“I might as well ride with you since you’re going to the club with us anyway.”
“Who said I was going?” Liam asked, lifting his brows for emphasis.
“Well, stay here. I just figured you would at least escort me there.”
He chuckled. “Do I look like an escort?”
“I’m sure there are a lot of women who would pay good money to wear you on their arms as a trophy,” I teased.
“Call them up. I could use a side hustle.”
I was kidding, but Liam was fine, and I meant overtly so. I don’t even think he realized just how sexy he was. Not that the women didn’t stop him and tell him every single chance they got. It sometimes got on my nerves how they doted on him when we were out as if they didn’t automatically assume he was my man because we were together. That was what a normal person would do.
He didn’t wear a uniform or shirt with the word security scrawled across the front. He was just a fine ass dude in jeans and a T-shirt or jersey lingering around me. He was sickeningly sexy. The only thing that kept me off of him was my knowledge of the debriefing that he must have gotten upon hire.
Syre had surely given him a thorough talking to about the consequences of touching me. He was thorough at his job. I was sure that he would protect me with his life. Outside of that, we talked and laughed for hours about any and everything. Liam would be a good catch for some lucky woman. Unfortunately, that woman wouldn’t be me.
I knew he would never cross the line when it came to personal dealings. He was like a brother and treated me just like the boys. I knew he saw me as a cute little sister that needed protection. The only difference was he knew I was an adult.
“I’m sure you have enough trouble on your hands with all those women you’re not dating.”
He chuckled. “You’re probably right.”
“Does that mean you’re not going tonight? I’m sure I can call one of the guys. Who’s on call?” I asked, picking my phone up off the table. I had a text from Tremaine saying that she was on her way to the club where we were meeting.
“I was just fucking with you, Divine. Let me know when you’re ready to pull out.”
My cheeks rose as a smile stretched across my face. “Thank you, Lee Lee.”
Not that I was using Liam, but since he was already going to be hovering over me all night, who better to use as a designated driver? Syre didn’t require him to drive anywhere with me, but he didn’t mind. He told me that he would rather drive me somewhere than follow me around like a little fool.
“You can drive my truck,” I offered.
“I’m not driving that Barbie jeep, and you know it,” he said, referring to my pink G Wagon.
“Suit yourself, He-Man. I hope you didn’t ride that bike up here.”
“Nah, I only ride my bike when I’m off duty,” he noted.
“Which is when? Because it seems like you’re here every night.”
His eyebrows shot up. “Oh, you’re tired of me? I can take some time off.”
“Stop being such a baby. I don’t think I could ever get tired of you. I wish Bobby’s annoying ass would take some time off.”
I rolled my eyes thinking about the day shift security detail. They didn’t stake out my house and store all day like they used to. Usually, they rode through in shifts and checked the inside of the store twice a day when I was there. Everyone did that but Liam and Bobby. Liam came in to talk and hang out with me during his shifts.
No one else went outside the line of their basic duties unless something happened. Nothing ever happened, but that didn’t stop Bobby from popping into the store every two hours when he was on duty. He made it painfully clear that he had a crush on me, but I was in no way interested. So far, he had the good sense not to press the issue about his interest in me.
Like I said, I was sure that lives had been threatened during the vetting process for my team. They were all probably gay or something knowing Syre. I didn’t get those vibes from Liam, but I was no expert.
“What did he do?” Liam asked.
“Who?” I replied with a frown.
Did I zone out and miss something?
“Bobby, Divine. What did he do?”
“Oh, nothing. He’s overzealous at best. He takes his job way too seriously. Every time I look up, he’s walking into the store. When he escorts me here, he wants to check the inside of my house before I lock up. I have to pop my trunk so he can make sure it’s empty. He just does too much. I understand wanting to keep someone safe, but damn. Plus, I’m pretty sure he has a little crush on me.”
“You can’t blame the man for wanting to do a good job.”
“But can’t I?” I countered. There was doing a good job, and then there was getting on my damn nerves.
“Well, yeah, you can.” He shrugged.
“Speaking of that, why don’t you go above and beyond and check the back seat of my car, my closets, and the toilet bowl like big Bobby?”
Laughing, he said, “If someone can fit in your toilet bowl, you should be able to kick their ass yourself.”
“What about the closet?” I questioned.
“Do you think there’s a monster in your closet, Divine?” he asked with a grin.
“You wouldn’t know because I don’t remember the last time you checked.”
“If there was a monster in your closet, it would get lost in all the shoes and purses you got in there. Besides what the hell am I going to do about a monster? If Freddy or Jason pop out on us, you need to follow my lead and get the hell out of here.”
He knew that would make me smile. His crooked smile made me blush.
“I can’t with you. Are you ready to go?”
“Ready when you are.”
We had only been in the club for about thirty minutes, and three women had already approached Liam as he stood outside our section. Tremaine and I wanted to have a chill night where we could drink and dance without the distraction of some dude trying to dance up on us. I wanted to have sex, but I wasn’t going to lie, I wanted to get wasted and sleep for the rest of the weekend even more.
In the past few months, I had met a few different guys who started out promising and ended up turning out to be fuck boys. I couldn’t win for losing. I was about ready to tell Bishop to hook me up in some kind of arrangement like he had with Lourdess. There were two other girls in our section. Leslie was one of the girls who worked in Divine Smoothies, and Tremaine brought one of our childhood friends Shawntae. I hadn’t seen her in a few years, but Shawntae was cool.
“So is that your boyfriend or?” Shawntae asked, moving closer to me on the sofa.
“Who Liam?” I wondered, looking over into her eager eyes.
“I didn’t catch his name. The dark-skinned nigga in the football jersey. You know I like my men black and fine.”
I didn’t remember her having a type, but I kept that to myself. Like I said, Shawntae was cool. Her ho activities were none of my business.
“Girl, he might as well be,” Tremaine interjected.
“No, we’re just cool,” I said, not wanting to answer the questions that came with telling people my overprotective cousin thought I needed a bodyguard.
“Cool my ass,” Tremaine rolled her eyes. “Y’all are literally Derrick Morgan and Penelope on Criminal Minds . Everybody is just waiting for you to pull the trigger.”
“Girl, Liam is not my man,” I stated again.
Taking that as my permission to shoot her shot, Shawntae took a shot from the bottle of 1942 Don Julio and eased off the couch. For some reason, it vexed me to see her hand trailing down Liam’s bicep as she moved around to stand in front of him. The music was too loud to hear what she was saying, but instead of responding to her, he looked back at me with lifted brows.
What the hell did he want me to say? I shrugged my shoulders as if I didn’t care what they did but felt relief when he shook his head no.
Liam and I were just friends, but I hated when women hit on him. I was selfish with my friends. I didn’t want to share my time with Liam with anyone else. He knew how spoiled I was just as much as anyone else. I think that was the reason he turned them all down, at least in my presence. I bit back a smile as Shawntae walked back over to us rolling her eyes.
“What did he say?” I quizzed.
“I asked if he wanted to dance, and he said he doesn’t dance.”
“Sounds about right.” I rolled my eyes.
“Fuck him. Let’s take another shot.”