Page 14 of Dima
Tonnie, one of the dancers from the club, ass shook in smooth ripples as she danced to Megan Thee Stallion and Juvenile’s new song. Daze threw a big ass stack of ones, causing her to go crazier. She grabbed the pole and flipped her whole fucking body upside down.
“No doubt. You may have put me on to something. I always thought Liyah was fine as fuck.”
“Nigga, I wasn’t trying to make no damn love connection. Maeve wanted her friend to get home safely.”
“And I made sure of that. Now, I’ma make her my girl.”
“The boss wants to see you two.”
Guard interrupted our conversation, causing both of us to look up at him. I expected word to get back to Bishop that Maeve left the club with me last night. Now I had to face however he felt about it.
“I told you to stay away from that girl,” Daze whispered as soon as Guard walked away.
“What was I supposed to do? Let her get shot?”
“Now we about to get shot. I got it on me in case we need to air it out.”
He laughed as I shook my head at him as we both got up. Daze always had jokes, but I knew there was a hint of seriousness behind it. If nobody else here had my back, he did for sure.
We made quick steps toward Bishop’s office. I wasn’t worried about what he had to say, because what I had told Maeve last night was the truth. I didn’t really give a fuck how he felt. Getting her out of there was my only concern. Now that I knew she was safe, I didn’t care how her father handled it.
“They tell me you’re the one who saved my daughter’s life last night. And you saved her best friend.”
Bishop sat at his desk with both palms in each other and his fingers intertwined. He looked from me to Daze and then settled on me. No one was in his office but me, him, Daze, and Guard. Guard stood at his side, but Daze and I stood only a few feet apart on the opposite side of the desk. I had just walked in, and that was the first thing he said to me, that I’d saved his daughter’s life.
I wasn’t thinking about Bishop or my mission when I saved Maeve. The only thing that ran through my mind when thosebullets started flying was to save the girl who had occupied every thought since the first moment I’d seen her.
Yes, I knew Maeve was Bishop’s daughter and the apple of his eye. I even knew getting close to her would bring me closer to him, inadvertently, but something about me getting close to her was more about us than it was about this case.
“Yeah, I had to get her out of there. I didn’t want anything to happen to her, boss.”
I gave the appropriate response because that was what I always did in moments like this one. I always gave the appropriate response. I always did what I was supposed to do, completed every mission, checked every box.
I was the person that got things done, but when it came to Maeve, she blurred my vision. She blurred my mission. She took my mind off everything that wasn’t her.
“Good. I appreciate that. I want to invite you two deeper into the fold. I need men like you looking out for my baby girl. As you can imagine, the man who is supposed to be guarding her is no longer with us. Neither is the one who started shooting with Maeve in proximity. That’s two spots I need to fill.”
“I can understand that.”
My wheels should have been turning at the mention of two men no longer being with us. As a Fed, I should have at least cared about their whereabouts, but I didn’t. The only thing I heard was I would get to see Maeve more. That was the best thing I had heard all day.
“With you two being responsible for getting my daughter and her best friend out of that club untouched and making sure I can wake up to her one more day, that tells me that you’re ready for what we have going on here.”
“No doubt, we most definitely ready.”
Daze spoke first. He had been waiting on this moment for a long time, and I was happy it finally came for him. Still, I needed Bishop to know I didn’t save his daughter for street cred.
“Thank you, boss. I appreciate that, but that’s not why I saved her. I know how much she means to you, but I wasn’t trying to get a leg up or nothing. I would never use your daughter like that.”
Maeve made me forget the whole world when she was near. I had wanted to get away from Jackson my whole life, but now that I knew she was here, I didn’t know anymore.
“Something tells me that’s true.”
Bishop looked down at his desk, then back up at me. He was deciding if he wanted to trust me or not. Trusting me with his business was one thing, but trusting me with Maeve was something totally different.
“Guard, take Daze to get fitted for his new vest. Give me a minute with Dima.”
“You sure?”
