He glanced at her. “Good, ’cause I ain’t one.”
She replied quickly. “I don’t need a protector, either.”
Just as fast, he said, “You do. And you got one, in me.”
Nahla sighed. “You’re saying all this like I don’t have a choice. I know the newspaper isn’t going to pay to keep you on for as long as it takes me to finish this story.”
“I’m doin’ it pro bono.”
Nahla squinted her eyes. “Pro bono? You’re a security professional, not a lawyer.”
Ignoring her comment, he responded to her previous one. “Youdon’thave a choice. You got people on ya head right now, and I’ma make sure they don’t touch you. That’s it.”
He turned and started down her hallway, and she followed right behind him.
“What are you doing?”
“Assessing?”
“Why?You’re not staying.”
Again, he ignored her statement as he continued snooping around her house. Once he made it back to the front, heobserved her door. After jiggling the knob a few times, he said, “Aye, you piss people off for a living. You ain’t got no business having shitty locks. Is the camera at your front door the only one you have?”
She kissed her teeth. “Yes.”
He nodded. “I’m installin’ better ones.”
Nahla sighed and shook her head. “I don’t like this.”
He chuckled. “You like breathin’?”
“It’s really not that serious. I’ve covered stories riskier than this, and I did so safely.Withoutyour protection.”
“Did you notice them dudes followin’ you around the city all day yesterday?”
The shock on her face told him all he needed to know.
“You’re underestimating Lyle because of its square footage, when the fact that it’s a small town is exactly why you should be more worried than you were in Atlanta. Look, this is happening, and it’s not something I’m willing to keep debating with you.”
His words were harsh, leaving her momentarily speechless. That was okay, though, because he continued.
“So, moving forward, I need you to understand how this works.”
Those words helped Nahla find hers. Turning her lip up, she said, “How thisworks?” He couldn’t be serious.
He continued, as if she hadn’t said anything. “When it comes to this story, there is no traveling without me. Keep your phone on you, and check in every hour when I’m not wit’ you. Don’t post your location, ever. Let me know when you plan to publish a new story about this. And no more trips to Lyle. If there’s something there that you need that badly, I’ll go get it for you.”
Nahla’s bottom lip was on the floor. Once he finished listing his requirements, she finally vocalized the thought she had moments earlier.
“You can’t be serious.”
“I’m dead ass. At some point, Deputy Miller is gon’ realize his lil idiots failed to silence you. He’s fasho gonna send someone else. I’ll be with you when he does.”
The mention of Deputy Miller’s name piqued her professional interest. His wife ownedBlue Stone Holdings. If she could attach him to the attempted attack on her car, it would only add weight to her story.
She reached over and grabbed the notebook and pen she always kept on her coffee table. Turning to a clean sheet, she got her pen ready.
“You said Deputy Miller? How do you know he has anything to do with it?” She gasped as she remembered something else. “You took a video of the car from last night! Is that something you’d be willing to share with me, on the record?”
