Page 30

“Sherrod’s camp thinks one of us killed him. They put a bounty on you. I wanted to pay it, Liam. I swear, I tried to fix it another way. You have to understand that I would have never accepted this deal if I didn’t feel like I was saving your life.”

“What are you talking about, Divine?”

I’d heard what she said loud and clear, but my mind was having a hard time processing her words.

“They wanted to kill you, Liam. I couldn’t let them do that.”

“It’s not on you to save me,” I said, shaking my head and turning for the door.

“Liam, wait,” Divine said, grabbing my arm.

“What, Divine? I need to fix this shit. I’m not letting you do this.”

“Liam, baby, listen. Bishop is working on a plan. I just have to play nice until he comes up with something better.”

Cupping her face, I dropped a kiss on her forehead. “I can’t let you do this, baby.”

“Liam, please. Just give it a little time. I love you, OK? I won’t be able to stand it if something happens to you. Please, baby. Just play along until they can fix it.”

“I don’t need another man fighting my battles, love,” I told her.

Those were the words that I said, but my steps halted. What the hell was I really going to do? Even if I went to Bishop now, he likely wanted me dead just as much as the men who’d put a hit out on me for dragging his cousin into my shit. I could have let Sherrod live, but I wouldn’t have been able to rest.

He was way too disrespectful. Now, I was plagued with the burden of wondering if I made the right decision. I couldn’t be with the woman I loved because of something I did. I’d loved Divine to the best of my ability, and I was losing her over one stupid mistake, not because I cheated or mistreated her, but because I couldn’t stand to see another man playing with her heart.

“Liam, promise me you won’t do anything crazy,” Divine pled.

“I can’t do that. I’m sorry.” I shook my head.

“Well, can you at least promise not to make any rash decisions?”

“What am I supposed to do, stand back and watch you be with another man?” I quizzed. “I guess that’s not so farfetched, is it? I’ve done that before.”

“You know I don’t want him, Liam. If I didn’t know before, now I know for sure that you’re the only man for me. I’m only entertaining him to save us. Can you understand that? I don’t want him, Liam. I only want you.”

“I hear you.” I nodded, unsure of how else to respond.

Divine was saying everything I’d wanted to hear since the day I laid eyes on her. Now, those words came with rules and stipulations. I didn’t want stipulations. I wanted her.

“Can we just keep things the way they are between us for now? I know Bishop well enough to know that he’s coming up with a way to fix this.”

“I need to talk to him.”

“Liam, please. I don’t want to give them any reasons to take you away from me. These past weeks without you have been some of the hardest days in my life. I had gotten so used to having you by my side that I couldn’t function without you. I don’t want to imagine a life where you aren’t coming back to me. Don’t give them ammunition to take you from me.”

As much as I hated to admit it, Divine had a point. Knowing for certain that I was responsible for Sherrod’s death would give her family license to turn me over to the people who wanted me dead. Not that I was afraid to face the consequences of my actions, but I didn’t want to leave Divine any more than she wanted me to go anywhere.

I couldn’t go into the situation blind, hoping to come out on top. I needed to know what they knew and what they had on us to make the dynasty give in to their demands so easily. If Divine was right, the men in her family were devising a plan to get her out of her fake relationship agreement.

In the meantime, I had to do what I could to make things right on my end, starting with getting some manpower behind me. I had no idea what I was up against. As far as I knew, Rod the God was a mediocre rapper with about two hits that had run their course.

Apparently, he was plugged in and connected to some powerful people. I didn’t give a fuck about his connections because I had some of my own. I just needed to play my handright. I refused to risk Divine’s life to rectify something that I had set in motion by acting on emotion and not logic.

“I have to make this right, Divine. I won’t do anything yet, but know that I’m working on it.”

“That’s all I ask.”

“Go back out there, and tell them you’re not feeling well. If I have to watch that nigga with his filthy hands all over you for another second, innocent people might get hurt.”