Page 2 of Bodyguard My Heart

“I can’t either. I don’t know. Maybe I’ll call up Cousin Smith and let him take over. I might start a bidding war for your precious cartel.”

My father’s eyes bulged. “You wouldn’t.”

“Try me. Apparently, I’m the new boss.” I rolled my eyes. “Now, excuse me. I have a husband to chase down.”

I stood from my chair and headed toward the exit. I took one last glance at my father. I wanted a normal father-daughter relationship, not the one I’d been given. Everything was always about business. Sometimes, I was sure my father knew nothing about me. Taking a deep breath, I turned away from my father and exited the door.

I needed to catch Demetrius before he left. I moved briskly through the hallway and through security checkpoints. He must have been moving fast because he was already backing his car out of the parking space when I finally made it outside. Thinking quickly, I ran in front of the only exit, blocking him from leaving.

“Demetrius, wait!” I threw my hand up, signaling him to stop. His red Hellcat quickly stopped before his driver-side window rolled down.

“Move, Samara!” His husky voice sailed through the window.

“No, get out and talk to me,” I yelled back, looking around to see who was watching. There were a few guards by the gate staring at us. I knew they would say something if I didn’t move fast.

“Samara!” Demetrius blew out a deep breath. He would not budge.

“Marriage sounds crazy, I know, but think about Royale.”

“The guards gon’ come fucking with us if you don’t move.” This time, he stuck his head out the window.

“Just hear me out. Let’s talk about our options.”

The car door swung open, and Demetrius climbed out of the driver’s seat.

“Get in the car, Samara.” He rounded the front of the car and opened the passenger door. I froze. I hadn’t expected that.

“But… my car... I-I drove,” I stuttered.

“We’ll get your car later. You want to talk? Get in.” He waved his hand, inviting me into his vehicle. My feet were planted. “Come on, girl. You know a nigga doesn’t like to be out here all in the open.”

I looked around again, breathing deeply before going to the open car door. As I climbed into the front seat, my eyes pointed toward the floor. I’d taken plenty of rides from Demetrius, but this one was different. This wasn’t him dropping me off at school or taking me to homecoming with Royale. What we neededto discuss was severe and would probably change our lives. Demetrius climbed back in the car and wasted no time peeling out of the parking lot.

“All right, talk to me,” he barked, forcing me to tear my eyes away from the floor and look at him. I expected us to ride silently for a minute, but he’d jumped right in, in true Demetrius form. He was always on the go. Since I could remember, he’d said and did whatever the hell he wanted when he wanted. I glanced up at him for a minute, not knowing where to start. This whole situation was crazy.

“Spit that shit out. You ain’t hop yo’ lil ass in front of my car just to be close to a nigga.”

His eyes met mine briefly as he grabbed his Cuban link from the center console and put it around his neck. I couldn’t help but admire him. His mahogany skin was always so smooth, and his wicks showed no new growth. He flashed his diamond-studded teeth at me, showcasing his million-dollar smile.

Demetrius had always been fine, fly, and flashy. Even when he was just Royale’s annoying chubby friend, he didn’t go anywhere without his jewelry. He had all the girls infatuated with him. I didn’t blame them. I used to have a childhood crush on him myself, but he was six years older than me and my brother’s best friend.

“Samara!” He called me again, snapping me back to reality.Gather yourself. I gave myself a little pep talk. I was here to accomplish one thing and one thing only. Taking a deep breath, I spit it out.

“You have to take over the cartel,” I announced. “Even if that means us getting married.”

Demetrius said nothing. He just continued weaving in and out of the lanes. He drove fast when he was in deep thought. That was something both he and Royale had in common. He was thinking about it. That was enough for me to keep talking.

“My father thought this marriage situation would push Royale back into the cartel, but he didn’t count on me figuring out his plan and using it against him. I’m cool with this whole marriage thing.” I folded my arms across my chest, satisfied with my little spiel.

“Cool with it? What does your lil young ass know about marrying somebody?” he asked, causing me to roll my eyes. Royale and Demetrius were always poking fun at my age. In their eyes, I was still the kid running behind them, begging to tag along. I was a full-grown adult now, and they both needed to get with the program.

“All I need to know is that it’ll free my brother and give him a chance to live out his dreams. Besides, it’ll be fake, anyway. You can still keep Naveah and an arm full of hos.” I referenced his on-again, off-again girlfriend Naveah.

Demetrius turned to me, and a slight smirk appeared before a scowl did. “You think I don’t want to do this because of hos or Naveah?”

“No, um… I know it’s because of your loyalty to Royale.”

“I been friends with Ro since I can’t remember. Marrying you behind his back is grimy and disloyal as fuck. That’s my nigga. I ain’t gon’ cross him like that.” He was moving faster through traffic, now making my heart pound out of my chest.

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