Page 1 of Divine II

One

Divine

The Agreement…

It took a lot of convincing, but between Royelle and Psalm’s nagging, we were able to get Syre to loosen up on the security measures. Once Bishop’s shooting and my mom’s murder were solved and my brother Deacon was arrested, there weren’t many direct threats to our family. My cousins had all pulled back from the street shit since they had wives and children to think about.

My only prayer was that they would back off and let me have a life of my own. Reducing my security was definitely a start. At that point, I only had escorts to and from work and someone to keep an eye on me while I was at home. If I was going to the club or somewhere crowded, Liam or Bobby would go with me.

I was going to speak to Syre about swapping Bobby out, but I had to find the right words. I didn’t want him flying off the handle and killing the poor guy just because he had a crush on me. I already knew that he had given anyone who worked withus detailed instructions about keeping their eyes and hands to themselves.

As annoying as Bobby was, I kept telling myself I couldn’t blame the man for having eyes. At the same time, I didn’t feel comfortable being around him after having to pretend I didn’t catch on to his advances. Sooner or later, I was going to have to come right out and tell him that I wasn’t interested in him. That was not something that I wanted to do with someone who had been hired to protect me.

Liam was different; everything with him was different. Maybe it was the simple fact that the feeling was mutual when it came to him. I was pretty sure that had a lot to do with it. Bobby was just irritating.

Bobby followed me to the expressway where we went our separate ways as I took the second exit and headed to see my favorite hot head. Now that he had a family, Syre was a little more receptive to having company. Well, that’s not entirely true. He liked for me to visit him. I couldn’t vouch for anyone else. As I left the city limits, I rolled my eyes at how far out into the abyss he chose to live.

Syre irked my nerves sometimes, but I loved him just like a brother. Sometimes, I forgot that Syre was actually my cousin. I was sure that he had dismissed that concept when we were little, and he told me that I would always be his sister. Me being a year older than him didn’t stop him from thinking he was my daddy. I never understood how someone younger than me thought they had so much authority over me. Even if he got on my damn nerves half the time, he was still my baby.

After too damn long of a drive, I finally made it to his house. It was always weird seeing a black house, but somehow, it worked for Syre’s reclusive ass. Part of me expected Royelle to paint it gray or yellow and make it light and airy like her. She was the perfect balance for Syre, and I loved her because of it. Ismiled as I drove down the driveway and saw Elle sitting out in the yard watching their son Sir play with his little sister.

Raina could barely stand, but I could tell that her little legs were getting stronger. I parked my car on the opposite side of the yard from where my sister-in-law and her kids were playing before jumping out of the car and making a dash for them. I missed their cute little faces just as much as they seemed to miss me. I swelled with pride as Sir took off running in my direction.

“DD!” His tiny voice was shrill as I swept him up into my arms.

“Hey, little guy. I missed you,” I said, peppering his chubby cheeks with kisses.

“You look good with a baby in your arms, Divine,” Royelle noted.

I scoffed as I looked over at her. “Don’t let your husband hear you say that. You’ll get us both killed. You know he thinks I’m still twelve years old.”

“You’re gonna have to put your foot down with him. You know he thinks you’re his baby. He’s not going to let you go willingly.”

“I know, girl. I’m working on it.” I shook my head. “Where is he anyway?”

“He’s inside getting dressed. I thought y’all were going over to Bishop’s for a meeting or something.”

“We are, but I wanted to see Syre first. I need to ask him what kind of freaking meeting we’re having. I’m never included in these meetings. I asked Bishop, but he wouldn’t say. He told me to just make sure I’m there.”

“So you came to ask Syre?” she asked.

“Bingo.”

“Well, he’s in there.” She rolled her eyes.

“What you doing here, big head?” Syre yelled, stepping outside right on cue.

“Looking for you.”

“You missed me so bad that you couldn’t wait until the meeting to see me?” he asked with a smirk.

“Yes.” I pouted as I walked over to close the distance between us. “What kind of meeting are y’all having that I need to be present for anyway?”

He raised his shoulders. “Your guess is just as good as mine. That was Bishop’s call.”

I shook my head at his response. “I don’t like the sound of that. I hope I don’t have to hit a lick.”

“Hit a lick? What the fuck?” Syre chuckled.

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