Xavier just smirked. “I tell you, I miss the good, old days when you could just beat the fuck out of someone, and he learned his damn lesson. All this professionalism gets under my skin sometimes.”
I barked out a laugh. “Don’t act like your knuckles don’t get scraped regularly, X. I know better.”
He grinned. “And see? They learn their lessons, don’t they?”
I just shook my head. “Look, I gotta get back to the tallies, but…Larissa Eaton’s been trying to get an appointment with me again.”
All mirth left his face. Xavier’s brown eyes narrowed, and he leaned forward in his chair. “We don’t need it, Cassius,” he said. “Right now, shit’s nice, neat, and under control. Nothing fucks shit up like a woman in the mix. You know this.” He shook his head. “Look, I have nothing against hookers; everyone’s got to make a living. But dealing in flesh is bad news, and we don’t need the money.”
“Relax, X,” I replied smoothly. “I haven’t changed my mind. I was just letting you know in case she tries to contact you or Atticus.”
I could see his body visibly relax. “The woman’s trouble just waiting to happen.”
I smirked at that. “Aren’t all women?”
“Touché, Boss. Touché.”
Chapter 4
Devi~
Thursday night had been perfect.
Absolutely perfect.
After my shower, I had eaten my leftovers, had gotten comfortable on the couch, turned on the television for some background noise, and had finished my paperback. And when nine o’clock had rolled around, I had fallen asleep like a person who’d just swallowed an entire bottle of NyQuil.
I had blissfully slept right through my alarm and hadn’t gotten out of bed until a little past nine. I had slept for twelve hours, and I felt good.
Rested.
And the plan had been for my Friday to be just as unproductive, but Keith hasn’t been returning my calls for a couple of days now, and I was beginning to worry. It wasn’t that we had to talk every day, but he was really good about responding to my texts or calling me back, so that’s how I found myself at the bus stop, making my way to his apartment. Keith’s place was no better than mine, but he lived in a slightly shadier side of town, so if I was going to check on him, I preferred it be during daylight hours.
Waiting for the bus, my phone started ringing, and when I pulled it out of my purse, I saw Kim’s name flashing across the screen. I answered, not worried about being rude since I was the only person waiting for the bus. Loud, public phone calls annoyed me.
“Hey.”
“Hey-oh, where are you? Is that traffic in the background?”
“I’m at the bus stop,” I told her.
“Okay, I’ll make this quick, then.” Kim knew about my public phone use pet-peeve. “I talked with Kelsey last night, and she took me serious.” I could feel myself smiling into the phone. “They’re going to interview all the employees.”
“That’s awesome, Kim.” It really was. My heart was always with the underdog. “I’m so happy for you. For everyone, actually.”
“I just wanted to share the good news and warn you that they’ll be calling you to interview you, along with everyone else.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, I’ll let you go since you’re a weirdo.” We both laugh as we hung up.
The ride to Keith’s wasn’t that long, only twenty minutes, and that was with extra stops. But I finally found myself standing in front of his apartment building, and I made sure to appear unassuming. Most of the people who lived in this building knew I was Keith’s sister, but you never know who you’ll run into that’s having a bad day.
I entered the building and walked up the two flights of steps to Keith’s apartment floor. I had nothing against elevators, but the rickety building didn’t instill a whole lot of confidence in their preventative maintenance. I always used the stairs when I visited Keith.
Making my way down the familiar hallway, I immediately knocked when I found myself standing in front of my brother’s apartment door. After waiting a minute or so, I knocked again, this time, louder. “Keith?” I called out.
It wasn’t until I knocked for the third time that the door finally opened, my brother reaching out, grabbing me by my shirt, and yanking me inside.
