Chapter 2 #2
For three whole weeks, I didn’t even think about looking for another job. It felt good just getting some rest for a change instead of constantly running between venues and sucking up all of the overtime that I could like I had been doing for the past few years. Even if I did need the money, I knew I couldn’t stay at Safety Pros.
It was just a matter of time before I put the owner’s sons’ head through a wall. I had done well not to knock Walsh’s block off with his little sideways comments every time he was on the scene, but I would be damned if I let someone almost young enough to be my own damn son talk crazy to me. It wasn’t my job to teach the boy how to act, but I had no problem taking on the task. Instead of risking being sent back to prison for some nonsense, I went on my way. Anger management had taught me how to diffuse or move away from a triggering situation before it got out of hand.
Money wasn’t an object because I didn’t buy anything but shoes. Still, after three weeks of self-appointed vacation, I was starting to get antsy. I enjoyed my time off, but I liked having something to do and somewhere to go on a regular basis.
I put a few irons in the fire and was pleasantly surprised to get some call backs within a week. Although he was pissed at me for blowing up at the company owner, Carl put in the good word for me with some people he knew and got me an interview for a gig on a personal security detail. It was just the type of thing I had been looking for.
Not only did it sound like a sweet set up, but my salary would almost double. I had no idea what type of celebrity I would be looking out for, but I was excited to get to work. Jobs like this were easy as hell, and with what I stood to make, I had my fingers crossed that I would get the position. As I sat in the smoothie bar designated for the interview, a woman came over to greet me.
“Hi. You’re one of the interview candidates, right?”
“Yeah,” I confirmed.
“Can I get you something?” she asked.
“Get me your best seller,” I said, deciding that the drinks were worth trying. Besides, we were using their facility for an interview. It felt rude to sit here without ordering anything.
“Do you have any allergies? Our new drink is a play on pineapple upside down cake.”
“No allergies,” I answered. That shit actually sounded good.
The door dinged, and I looked up in time to see a tall, stocky figure coming through the door. The dude walked like he was the king of Zamunda as he moved past the counter. He lowered a dark pair of shades and looked around the room. There was only me and a couple of women in the smoothie bar at the time. The fact that he didn’t go to the counter made me consider that he was the man I was here to see.
I barely had the chance to wonder if he was there to meet me because once he spotted me he made a beeline in my direction. The nigga was big as hell. I was six foot five, and as I stood, I realized he was almost as tall as me. It was rare that I encountered someone who could see eye to eye with me.
“Liam?” he inquired, stifling my curiosity.
“Yeah.” I nodded.
“What’s up, man? I’m Syre Reign, the owner of Syre Security,” he revealed, extending his hand.
“Nice to meet you, man,” I said as I shook his hand.
“You big as shit,” he noted.
“You’re not a little guy yourself.” I chuckled.
He scoffed. “Yeah, but you one of them ol’ big, sexy niggas.”
“Man, what?” I frowned.
Is this nigga being serious right now? I wanted the job, but I wasn’t on no freaky shit.
“I’m just saying that’s cool and all, but ain’t no room for that here. You can be as sexy and wear as much Creed cologne as you want to, but you will be there to do a job. If you value your life, you’ll do it without the extra shit. She don’t need a man. She needs protection. I just came back from hiding a nigga that couldn’t grasp the concept of not being extra if you catch my drift.”
I looked around, wondering if I was the only one hearing this. Was I really being threatened on a job interview? What in the world had Carl gotten me into?
“Um, OK,” I replied, unsure of how to respond to his comment.
“Did you play football in high school? I wanted to wait until I saw you in person to ask.”
“Yeah.” I nodded. “I went to Wilcox.”
“I think you and my brother played football against each other. We went to Northside.”
“Hell yeah. My senior year we won our first championship in twenty years against Northside.”
“My oldest brother wanted to kill you for the interception in that game.”
I had to laugh. That was one of my proudest moments as a young bull. Football gave me an outlet for all the anger and frustration that plagued me when my parents weren’t using me for muscle. Even they were proud of me when it came to football.
“I still have that ball,” I told him.
“I’m not gon’ lie. Just knowing Bishop would hate to see you makes me want to give you the job on the spot.”
“Well, make sure you let him know I have that game ball if he finally wants to get his hands on it.” I laughed.
“Hell yeah. I like you. You kinda remind me of myself. So listen, the job pays a hundred and twenty thousand a year because of the nature of the detail. You’re going to be guarding a very important person. You can’t take that lightly, Liam, my guy.”
“Who is it, the President of the United States?” I asked, wondering who the hell was so important that a job protecting them would pay six figures.
“Nah. She might not be important to the country, but she’s important to me. Well… to my entire family. You think you can protect the merchandise?” he asked me.
I didn’t know why that made me laugh. “Positive. I have seven years of experience in security.”
I didn’t have to mention that the last time somebody beat my ass, I wasn’t old enough to drive. They had run a background check. I was sure they were privy to the important stuff.
“I know that much. I also know you did a year for battery. That don’t mean shit. I’m asking if you’re willing to get your hands dirty in honor of someone else. Making sure people know how to find their seats at a concert is one thing. Protecting someone you barely know just because it’s your job is another.”
“I would like to think I’m up for the challenge.”
“You can’t think, my guy. When it comes down to protecting my most precious gifts, you have to know.”
“I feel you.” I nodded.
“Did you order? The drinks here are good as shit,” he said.
“I told her to bring me the best seller. I’m more of a protein shake guy, but I didn’t want to be rude by sitting here and not ordering anything.”
“They do have protein shakes here, but you really can’t miss with anything on the menu.”
Right on cue, the young girl came back over and placed a drink on the table for me. I gave her a twenty and told her to keep the change.
“You ready to roll out?” Syre asked me.
“Uh, sure.” I shrugged, unsure about where the hell we were going.
As I followed him outside, he looked over his shoulder. “My brother already did an extensive dive into your background. Larry Grimes is your dad, right?”
“Yeah,” I answered flatly.
“It’s a wonder you don’t work with him. The old man should be ready for retirement soon.”
Oh, they were thorough. I didn’t know whether to be offended or impressed. I was so far removed from my folks that no one ever asked about them.
“I don’t fuck with any and everybody. I like to do my own thing,” I said, hoping to avert the inevitable question. No, I wasn’t replacing my dad once he retired.
“I feel you. Carl Wilson is an old friend of my aunt’s. You came highly recommended for this position. That’s another reason why I said you remind me a lot of myself.”
“In what way?” I asked, wondering what else this background check of theirs entailed.
“In how you cursed that bitch ass Jack Walsh out like the dog he is. You know how much I regret not beating his ass when I had the chance? We were bidding on some of the same contracts back when I was getting my business off the ground. He’s so underhanded and nasty. It took everything in me not to smack the shit out of him for running his mouth. If it weren’t for my aunt, they would just now be getting my foot out of his ass.”
I shook my head. “I’m still pissed I didn’t put him on his ass.”
I followed Syre as he walked over to a big black truck and leaned on the hood before continuing to speak.
“So listen, I like to work on vibes. I narrowed my search down to four before today, and I really want you for this detail.”
“What does the job entail anyway? Who exactly am I protecting?” I asked, remembering that he mentioned his prized possessions.
“Look over there,” he said, motioning with his head.
I followed his eyes to a white BMW where a woman with skin the color of toffee and jet-black hair cascading down her back stepped out. With her head held high and huge sunglasses covering most of her face, she tossed her hair over her shoulder. She was short and thick with an ass that would make my mouth water if I weren’t 100 percent sure that she was my soon to be boss’s wife or something.
She was bad as hell, and she knew it. Sexiness reeked from her so loudly I could sense it from across the parking lot. She exuded confidence as she strutted into the smoothie bar that we’d just walked out of as if she owned the place.
“So, you need me to secure this place?” I asked, unsure exactly what my task would be.
“Nah, just the woman who went inside. If she’s here, you’re here. You go where she goes. Don’t let her shake you off either. Her little bitty ass is crafty.”
With a quick shrug, I nodded. “OK.”
“She’s beautiful, huh?” he asked casually.
“I didn’t get a good look,” I lied, knowing that my future depended on my response.
“Good answer. The first rule of this shit is don’t touch the merchandise. The second rule is don’t touch the fucking merchandise. I’m sure you know what the third rule is.”
“Don’t touch the merchandise,” I repeated his words.
“Don’t touch the muthafuckin’ merchandise,” he reiterated.
“No problem.”
It didn’t matter how sexy she was. No woman was worth fucking up a good opportunity, especially not another man’s wife. That kind of shit could get you killed. There was enough pussy out there that I didn’t have to go after one that belonged to someone else.
“Other than that, make sure she goes to bed and wakes up in one piece every morning. My sister is one of the most important people in the world to me. If I could, I would guard her with my own life. Unfortunately, I can’t be in multiple places at one time. Since I can’t, I’m willing to pay you top dollar to guard her with yours.”
“Got it.” I nodded. So, she was his sister, not that it made a huge difference. People had been killed for less.
“If you think you’re up for the task, you can start Monday.”
“Should I meet her here?” I asked.
“Nah, I’ll send you the information Sunday night.”
Just like that, I was once again among the employed.
* * *
I walked out of the bathroom, moisturizing my freshly showered skin before picking up my phone to check the time. It was two hours before I was supposed to start my new security detail, and I still hadn’t gotten the address to where I was supposed to go.
I liked to be early when starting a new gig so I could survey the lay of the land. Plus, you never knew if you would run into a wreck or funeral. Traffic was sometimes unpredictable, so I preferred to get an early start to make up for any hiccups I might face.
Syre mentioned that he would be sending the information Sunday, but apparently, it had slipped his mind. With that in mind, I plopped down on the bed and dialed the number that reached out to me for the interview.
“Yeah,” someone answered after the first ring.
Assuming it was him, I went ahead and stated my business. “Hey, I’m all set to start tonight. I just wanted to remind you about sending the address.”
I could hear muttering in the background before he came back on the line. “Liam, my guy, I haven’t forgotten about sending you the address. My people have everything sorted out for you.”
“OK. I just wanted to make sure.”
“You’re all set. When you get there, there will be a briefing package for you in that big wicker basket on the porch. Make sure you read it from cover to cover before you get started. It’s only about five pages, but the lawyers in the family thought it was necessary. I don’t give a damn about no paperwork. Let me know when you get there because I need to call to give you oral instructions.”
“Cool.”
“There’s no dress code, but I do instruct everybody to dress as they normally would. We want to keep the environment comfortable and easy going. A bunch of niggas roaming around in uniform would make everybody tense. Just dress how you would if you were going to hang out with the guys.”
“Got it. I just wanted to make sure I was there on time,” I said, picking up the bottle of water from my table and taking a swig.
“Don’t sweat it, big guy. We have everything planned down to a science. You live exactly twenty-three minutes away from where you’ll be primarily stationed. I like that you’re eager to get there on time, though. I need that kind of dedication when it comes to protecting my girl. At the same time, we’re always diligent in protecting ourselves. I’ll send the address thirty minutes before your shift. As long as you’re ready to head out when it’s time to go, there won’t be an issue. Talk to you at eight, my guy. I’m in the middle of getting some pussy.”
My eyebrows shot up as I looked down at the phone.
“Did this nigga just say?” I mumbled under my breath as I looked at the home screen to verify that he had hung up.
He said all that shit before suddenly remembering that he was in the middle of getting some pussy. We had a whole conversation like it was nothing.
What the hell? Who in the world were these people? So far, I only knew the name of the owner and his company. I wasn’t usually a nosy person, but now, I was even more curious about the people I was about to be working for.
I only thought about it for a second before I stood and walked over to my dresser. I opened the top drawer and pulled out a pair of black Polo briefs, a black wife beater, and matching socks. After putting them on, I stood and surveyed my cologne collection before going with one of my top five. I hit my neck and made a line down my chest with a few sprays before putting it back in its rightful place.
Moving over to the closet, I took out a pair of black 501s, put them on, and pulled them up over my ass as my eyes scanned for what I would wear with them. Since he said dress how I dressed on a day-to-day basis, I reached out and removed a black and red Bulls jersey and slid it over my head.
I moved over to the shoe section and didn’t have to think before grabbing my black and red Jordan twelves to complete the look. If I could continue to wear my own clothes, then I could justify buying more shoes in the near future. I couldn’t walk around in busted shoes. I had to keep it fresh.
I laughed at my logic as I walked over and picked my phone up off the foot of the bed. I had barely killed thirty minutes, which gave me plenty of time to eat. I made a beeline to the kitchen where I had prepped some turkey burgers earlier. I walked over to the cabinet under the sink and removed a skillet.
I put some oil in the bottom of the skillet to heat up while I walked over to the refrigerator to remove the burgers. I placed them on the counter then turned back to the refrigerator to get lettuce, tomato, and pepper jack cheese. I placed everything on the island in my kitchen before I moved to my pantry to get honey, mustard, an onion, and an avocado.
By the time I had gathered everything, the oil was starting to heat up. I placed four of the turkey patties on the skillet and pressed them down with a spatula to make sure that they cooked evenly. While they cooked, I assembled the ingredients to make turkey burgers with my spin on a honey mustard dressing.
While my burgers cooked, I went to the living room to water my plants. A few years ago, I started with a peace lily from a funeral. I felt like I might as well get two to even things up, and from there I’d turned my living room and bedroom into a greenhouse. I had plants all over the room as well as several trees.
There were tomatoes and peppers growing at all times, and I even had a couple of fruit trees outside. Apples and plums grew right in my little back yard. I had as much lettuce, cabbage, and kale that I could stand to eat. Sometimes, I went down to the local food banks to give them a box or two when I found myself with too much on my hands.
I was grateful that I had stumbled upon gardening. It kept me stable when everything felt off balance. Being an earth sign gave me a connection to nature that I seemed to find when working the soil with my hands. The peonies and azaleas growing in my backyard were proof of how dedicated I was to my green thumb.
“Whatever happened to predictability, the milk man, the paperboy, and evening TV?” I sang under my breath as I watered my plants.
I put the watering can down next to one of the big, black ceramic pots that held my rubber trees and headed back to the kitchen to flip the burgers. I knew I wasn’t going to want to keep checking my phone for the time, so I went back to my bedroom and grabbed the black-on-black G Shock that I’d taken off the night before.
I was all set aside from putting together my burgers for now and later. With that thought, I went back to the task at hand. Since the turkey burgers were almost done, I put a slice of cheese on each one then dressed two of the burgers and placed the toppings for the other two on the side.
I grabbed three bottles of water, a peach nectarine Red Bull , and a protein shake out of the refrigerator and tossed everything except one of the waters into my insulated cooler. I put the plastic container with the condiments and toppings for my burgers inside along with a few bags of chips. I assembled two of the burgers and wrapped the other two in foil and placed them in plastic containers of their own.
There were a lot of late nights where I didn’t get hungry, but just in case, I was going to be prepared. I polished off two turkey burgers and drank the water in no time flat. It wasn’t often that I wasted time while eating. I enjoyed cooking, but I wasn’t all that ceremonious about the act of eating. If something was good I enjoyed it down to the last drop and that was that.
I grabbed a banana and a couple of tangerines to add to the bag that I would be taking with me tonight. As I zipped the bag, my phone rang. I wasn’t surprised to see that it was Syre calling back. I tapped the green button to answer the phone then put it to my ear.
“Just wanted you to be on standby for the address. Hit me up when you pull up, and I’ll give you another quick rundown.”
“All right. I’m headed out now.”
It was a good thing that I was never one to back down from a challenge because I had no idea what kind of Inspector Gadget “this message will self-destruct in five seconds” type of foolishness that I had gotten myself into. What I did know was that I was not about to go messing around with these people without taking my strap.
As promised, it took exactly twenty-three minutes for me to arrive at my destination. I drove up the circular drive and parked in front of a single-family home where there was a white BMW and a pink jeep. I remembered the BMW from the meeting, so I was sure I was at the right spot. I picked my phone up from the passenger seat and hit the contact information to call Syre back.
“You one of them prompt muthafuckas. I like you already. I keep saying that,” he said as soon as he answered the line.
I found myself chuckling under my breath. “Yeah, gotta start out on the right foot.”
“I feel you. Listen, you’ll see all of this in the paperwork, but like I said, I’ll give you a quick rundown. My cousin, Divine Gold, is twenty-eight years old. She’s rebellious and hardheaded as fuck. For that reason, she puts herself in unnecessary danger. You’ll be picking up the evening shifts, so it’ll mostly be a stake out situation. She goes out on the town with her girls a lot, but other than that, she mostly moves between home and work.
“I liked to keep a tail on her if she’s going somewhere crowded. People can get weird. When she’s at home it’s cool to leave her alone for short periods of time. Even if she pulls a fast one and slips away from you, my brother Psalm has a way of tracking her. I leave all that techy, surveillance shit up to him. Your job is important because if someone wanted to try something they would do it overnight. Protect my girl, Liam. My family is sometimes into some nefarious shit, but we keep our girl clean. I like her that way. When you fuck up this detail and make me fire your black ass, I want her to still be a good, clean girl. You catch my drift?”
“Got it.”
“Well, listen, my guy, this should be the easiest money you’ve ever made. All you have to do is remember to do what?”
“Keep my hands off the merchandise.”
“For sure. I kinda like you, my guy. I would hate for those funds to have to go toward your funeral. Oh, another thing…It’s detailed in the package as well, but I thought I would mention that we do offer benefits that will start ninety days after hire. If you have a spouse or children that you want to add, the forms for providing that information is attached. I’m also opening a gym soon that you’ll have free access to twenty-four hours a day. As I said, your benefits won’t start until after your ninetieth day, but your life insurance kicks in as soon as you step on the scene. My human resources team has already submitted the necessary forms dated for today’s date. As of eight o’ one tonight you have a quarter million-dollar life insurance policy. That should take care of your family in the unfortunate case of your death while on or off duty.”
“Well, damn.” I laughed nervously. Yet again, I was asking what the hell had I gotten myself into. “That’s good to know, I guess.”
“For sure. Anyway, I expect you to protect my baby girl with your life. I’m depending on you. As long as you keep her safe and sound and make sure she stays out of harm’s way, it’s up to you how you do it. Protect my girl by any means necessary, Liam. I mean that. Feel free to move with your own discretion. Don’t feel the need to contact me about how to handle a situation unless you find it absolutely necessary. Always err on the side of caution.”
“Got you.”
When he ended the call, I climbed out of my car. There were two big black trucks parked in the yard. One of them pulled out of the yard as I walked toward the door, but the other one sat there. My phone buzzed, and I raised my hand to look down at it.
Syre:
Read the book before you go to the door to introduce yourself.
He was serious as hell about this study guide. So, I went straight to the big square basket on the porch. I opened it to find a black folder inside. There were a couple of rocking chairs on the porch. I sat in the one closest to me so I could skim over the paperwork in the folder.
Most of the details were things that Syre had already told me along with the business hours for Divine Smoothies, which was owned by the woman, Divine. No wonder he had me meet him there.
He gave details of how she worked, shopped, and liked to go out to party and drink with her friends in her down time. He also explained how she was the only girl in a family of six and they had sheltered her. She sounded like the average spoiled girl.
This was about to be gravy. I smiled to myself at how easy this job was about to be. I looked forward to being bored at work. I had gotten enough dirt on my hands in the past to last a lifetime.
With the full scope of my duties and a couple more reminders to keep my hands and eyes off of their precious family princess, I felt prepared to carry out my assignment. With the necessary information committed to memory, I placed the folder back in the basket and closed the lid before standing to my feet.
I walked over to the door and took a deep breath before raising my hand and knocking. I let a few moments pass before knocking again. I could hear commotion inside the house, so I knew someone was there. I had been given a code to access the house, but I didn’t feel right using it on my first visit.
Part of my duty was to ensure that the perimeter and inside of the house were clear before starting my shift. Since she wasn’t coming to the door, I went ahead and walked the perimeter of the house. She had a nice sized yard with a pool and bar area set up in the back yard. I chuckled, considering what a sweet gig I lucked up on. Quitting Safety Pros was starting to feel like one of the best decisions I had ever made.
As I strolled around the edge of the pool, I felt a sudden ache that stopped me in my tracks. I had a sinking feeling in my chest like I was in danger or had forgotten to do something. I did a quick rundown in my head to make sure that I turned off the lights and the stove at home. My keys were in my pocket. I was on time for work and had turned in all of my paperwork. Feeling like it was just first day jitters, I turned around to head inside to introduce myself to this spoiled, little rich girl they had me babysitting.
“Can I help you with something?”
You know how in the movies when someone meets their soulmate time moves in slow motion? Well, when my eyes landed on Divine Gold up close and personal, time literally stopped. Not only did time stop, but I felt like I knew her from somewhere.
As an only child, I was sometimes considered spoiled. I could admit that I was possessive. My shit was my shit. I knew my shit and liked for people to leave it alone. I had never seen this woman a day in my life before my interview, but I knew when something belonged to me.
Divine was mine.
Syre asked if I was willing to protect his cousin with my life. At the time, I agreed just to go along. What kind of danger could she possibly come in contact with living outside the city limits and making smoothies for a living? Even by looking at her, I could tell Divine was soft.
Whatever circumstances her family had going on that led to her needing security hadn’t touched her. If it were left up to me, they never would. Divine was fucking gorgeous. Her skin looked like fresh honey. Hypnotic eyes held me in place and left me speechless. She was short with thick thighs and wide set hips that would make any man stop and pay attention. Now that we were face to face, I could say without hesitation that I would take a bullet. I would kill. I would do anything…for her.
“Please don’t tell me I’m stuck with a stupid one this time,” she said, rolling those beautiful cognac-colored eyes as she holstered her hands on her hips.