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“It’s just business, Liam.”

“And I’mjustyour bodyguard.”

“You know that’s not true,” she said, hopping off the hood of the car.

“But it is.”

“You don’t believe that, so why are you trying to get me to believe it?”

“I don’t have to convince you, Cookie. You convinced me.”

“Stop, Liam.”

“No, you stop. Stop pretending that you’re not about to be in a whole ass fucking relationship with somebody else, fake or not. You expect me to stand around and watch you love all on another nigga like I’m boo boo the fool?”

“You’re acting like I want to do this.”

“So are you. Because if you were so against it, your ass would have said hell no.”

“There’s more to it than that, Liam. I’m trying to help keep them from going to war.”

“Do what the fuck you gotta do, Divine. Just leave me out of it,” I snapped.

“Liam, come on. Can we talk?”

“We already talked. I need you to go home.”

“So, I’m just supposed to act like nothing ever happened between us?” she asked.

“I don’t know what to tell you other than to go home, Divine. You know your people will be looking for you soon if they aren’t already.”

“Fuck that, Liam. Talk to me,” she whined.

“Don’t beg, Divine. It doesn’t suit you,” I said, turning and leaving her to her own devices.

I knew that if I stood there going back and forth with her any longer, I would cave. I had to leave her presence, or I was going to wrap my arms around her and kiss the moisture from the fresh tears from her face. I couldn’t stand there and watch her cry. I had to put some distance between us.

“I know this is hard for you, too, but please come back,” Divine called out as I got closer to the door.

Hearing her car door slam didn’t cause me to look back. Still, I hoped she was finally leaving. If not, there was no way I could keep refusing her. That pretty muthafucka owned me. The sad part was I wanted her to. I wanted her to end that fucking arrangement and be with me. Was that too much to ask for? Apparently, in Divine’s world, it was.

“Mr. Grimes, someone is at the door for you,” Margie spoke to me through the door.

I groaned at hearing Margie’s voice. She had come to my door more in the past week than she did my entire childhood. It was ten in the morning. I’d told my dad that I was going to look over some of the paperwork my mom left for me at some point today. It was also the day I agreed to read over her will. That was my number one reason for still being in bed.

I didn’t feel like combing through all of that shit. She’d left a list of names for people to run the business in the event that I never came around. My dad thought it would be a good idea for us to decide on her replacement together.

Since I was being summoned, I drug myself out of bed and stuck my feet in a pair of shoes. Whoever decided to show up unannounced would have to see me in pajama pants. They were lucky that I had slept with a shirt on because I was going to the door just as I was.

Margie was nowhere in sight as I walked down the stairs. There was no one in the living room, so I assumed she left my visitor outside. I said a silent prayer that it wasn’t Divine before opening the door.

I frowned in confusion as I processed what was in front of me. Instead of trying to figure out what was going on, I walked over to the men in the driveway so I could ask them.

“How can I help you?” I asked.

“Are you Mr. Liam Grimes?” one of them asked.

“Who’s asking?”