Page 9 of Divine

“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.

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