“You can talk to me about shit. You know that, right? I mean, shit didn’t start off like some romance out of a book or a movie. That’s for damn sure. But a nigga is feeling you, Harbor. I know you can tell that, right? I ain’t gotta spell that out, do I? I was always told actions speak louder than words.”
“Feeling me is one thing. I just need to know what I’m doing here. At first… I hated you. I thought about all the ways I would escape that house when I was first there,” she said, laughing.“And then it became bearable. I don’t know how it happened or why, but it brought me to you. Somehow, what I thought was the worst thing that ever happened to me turned into something else. That’s all that I do know and can be sure of. I don’t want to end up looking stupid. It’s bad enough I fell for you at all given the circumstances.”
Her confession surprised me. She had exposed herself . I could see it in the soft glare behind her eyes. She was in deep. Silence filled the space between us, and she brought herself to her feet once again.
“Part of me is closed off. That’s not on you,” I stated, sitting forward and clasping my hands together. “I can’t give you my heart, Harbor. But I can tell you that since we’ve been doing what we doing, I haven’t been interested in anyone else. You the whole package, ma. I can’t promise you where this is going or none of that, but we can enjoy each other, right? We don’t have to explain this to anybody.”
A mask of reserve seemed to cover her face as she tossed her hair with disdain. Tucking her arms across her chest, she slowly bobbed her head in agreement. She was being indifferent.
“Yeah, we can,” she said, forcing a smile on her thick lips.
She came toward me and kissed me quickly. Yeah, she was feeling some kind of way. That shit felt like she was sticking a pacifier in my fucking mouth.
“I think I’m going to get dressed and do some shopping before dinner. You want to come?”
“Nah. You go. I got a few things I need to take care of.”
“Okay.” She ducked off into the bathroom with her clothes so that she could get ready, and I stood there staring after her.
The vibe had shifted, but Harbor tried to remain nonchalant. Once she was dressed, she grabbed her purse and headed to the door. The fact that she was in some tight ass, short fucking sundress didn’t escape me either. The wedge sandals showed offthat sexy ass calf muscle in her legs from dancing. She wore her hair loose and flowing down her bare back. It was easy to be possessive over her. I grabbed my black card from my wallet.
“Take this. Enjoy yourself,” I insisted, holding the card out to her.
She was reluctant, eyeballing the card like it offended her or something. Eventually, she reached for it and tucked it into her bag.
“Thanks. I’ll be back later.” She rushed out of the room.
Something told me that I fucked up. I got dressed and decided to check on my own shit. Noel was supposed to be having some kind of fucking yacht party, and I wanted to swing by and get him in my sights. It’d been a long time coming. Ledge and I gave a six-month guarantee with all of our contracts. As a hired gun, we had to adhere to certain guidelines and shit too. We set our own rules, and for as long as we’d been in the game, we could do that. Doing research and learning the patterns of our marks was key in this business, and we were the best at infiltrating damn near anything. I slipped out of the suite and hit the island streets.
Lock
The doorto the gym slammed shut as I went to work on a punching bag. It was early Saturday, so there was a light crowd that usually showed up. I’d been there since opening because I ran the place. When the tall, slim, but muscular man entered, he turned a couple of heads. Dressed in all Puma attire and his locs hanging past his shoulders, his shadowy eyes scanned the room. He paused when his gaze landed on me. Slowly he ambled in my direction. Grabbing a towel, I patted my face dry and tossed it over my shoulder.
“Can I help you with something?” I asked, looking him up and down.
“You the owner? I’m looking for Lock,” he replied.
Cocking a curious brow, I was on high alert.
“Who wants to know?” I fired back.
“You must be the man,” he said, palming one of his fists while looking me over.
“What can I do for you?”
“It’s more about what I can do for you,” he countered. “Does the name Harbor Lawson ring a bell?”
“The fuck you say!” I snapped, brows dipping as I stepped closer to him.
His hands went up in surrender, and I noticed the Eagle perched on his hip. Whoever the fuck he was, he was here prepared, and I didn’t want those kind of problems around here.
“Keep calm, cuz. I’m here with information.”
“The fuck you got to tell me? I ain’t seen her in over a year,” I responded, defenses up.
“I’m aware. Thought you might like to know where she is… how she’s doing.” He insinuated.
I was still skeptical, but he grabbed my attention. That was for sure. Harbor was a trigger. Ever since I talked to Harold about everything that happened to her, I’d been sensitive on the subject. Talking about Harbor or even thinking about her sent a nigga’s blood pressure up. Yet this mothafucka I didn’t know was standing in front of me speaking her name, and I was on edge.
