That’s when he learned how to handle his cash flow problems with action. Bobby G. was a problem and he’d handled it. Too bad that Richardson bitch saw it. If she saw his face, how long would it take her to realize she had a cash cow on her hands? Or one of the biggest news stories in the city? That’s why she had to be eliminated and Chase was taking too long to get the job done. Chase had more bodies than the largest graveyard in Virginia under his belt and Danny didn’t get why he hadn’t killed Yolanda Richardson. Sure, she was out of the city for now. But she’d be back.
She had a successful store and no one walked away from that.
“Mr. Branch,” one of the students asked, breaking into his thoughts. “You don’t know what this group means to us.”
He turned to the young girl, who wanted to be a social media consultant, a business that would take years to grow and a market that was already flooded, and smiled. “I wish I had a group like this when I was growing up in Brooklyn. It’s good to see successful people who look like you and have been through the things that you’re facing,” he said.
“I wouldn’t be a future leader if I didn’t ask: Do you have any internships at your company so that I can work on my SEO skills?”
Maybe she could be helpful. He was sure that Yolanda was going to have to keep her social media popping. Chase said she was in Charleston that last time he had a lead on her. Was that where she was trying to hide now?
“Remind me of your name again?” Danny said with a plastic smile.
“Brittany Johnson,” she said, then extended her hand. Danny shook her hand and nodded.
“Send me a resume and a proposal. As a matter of fact, there is a boutique in downtown Richmond that I want you to do a social media report on. Get me information on the owner and tell me how you would make her shop go viral.”
Brittany smiled as if she’d already had the job. “Thank you, Mr. Branch!” She dashed off and Danny’s smile turned sinister. That little girl was going to be the key to tracking Yolanda down. And if she found that woman before Chase did, he was going to get rid of his ass, too.
* * *
Yolanda leaned against the wall in her shop as Chuck walked around as if he were looking for the devil himself. And he was annoying. With those black-rimmed glasses and those dimples. Lord, those dimples. Why was Chuck so slick and sexy?
“Yolanda, why do you have just one camera in the showroom?”
“What?” she asked, tearing her eyes away from his full lips.
“You need more cameras.”
“Oh, all right.”
“That was too easy,” he mumbled.
“Thought you were tired of fighting?”
He threw up his hands and smiled. Yolanda nearly came undone. Yes, it was the dimples. She turned away from him and took a deep breath. “Why are you wearing glasses?” she asked as she busied herself with folding some of the T-shirts that had been waiting at the door when they arrived.
“Are you going to do anything with the other windows in the shop?” He stopped in the middle of the showroom and folded his massive arms across his chest. Yolanda couldn’t turn away from him.
“Are those Google glasses that give you sight beyond sight?”
“You sound like you watch Thunder Cats. They’re just glasses. And you should consider getting some tint on the windows around the display area where you don’t have items. That way people won’t be able to look in your shop and see who’s in here.”
She expelled a sigh. “They also won’t be able to see things that aren’t in the window, clearance racks, hats, holiday items. I’m running a business, Charles.”
“And running for your life. Yolanda, this is getting to be a broken record. You either listen and protect yourself or you’re going to find yourself in even more danger.”
Though she wanted to flip over the display of shirts, Yolanda decided that wasting her hard work would have been the ultimate act of stupidity. “All right then, we can just wrap the shop in black construction paper and hope the mystery of it all will make customers come in.”
Chuck pulled his glasses off and shook his head. “We can make it work.”
Yolanda sighed. “This needs to be more than making it work. This business is my livelihood and I need to be successful.” She thrust her hand in his face. “Don’t you say a word about me needing to be alive.”
“You already know why I’m here and what I’m here for, so stop acting like we’re just building a store in a highly competitive market.”
Before she could reply, a boom broke the silence and Yolanda flung herself into Chuck’s arms. He ducked into one of the dressing rooms and placed his finger to her lips as he sat her on the bench. He ran out into the main showroom as Yolanda watched him check out the surroundings. And where did he get that gun from? He disappeared into the back of the store for what felt like hours. Yolanda’s leg bounced up and down like a rubber ball. Was this it? Had they found her?
Chuck walked into the dressing room and smiled, which she thought was odd unless he had killed the motherfucker who was trying to kill her and this ordeal was over.
“Construction.”
“What?” she questioned.
“That was a slight construction accident and that’s what the noise was.”
Yolanda expelled a sigh of relief. “Oh my God, I thought . . .”
“I know what you thought,” he said. And even though he didn’t tell her that he had the same thoughts, she knew he did. That scared her. That made her realize that she did need to take things seriously.
“I can’t live like this, just being so scared all the time.” Tears streamed down her face and Chuck pulled her into his embrace. “I don’t want my family hurt and I don’t want to die.”
He stroked her back and rocked her in his arms. And for the first time in a long time, she felt safe. Yolanda was ready to buy into what Chuck was selling. Well, everything except going to the police in Richmond. Somehow, she needed to convince him that was the worst idea since donut burgers.
Charles dropped his arms from around Yolanda. He was so close to crossing a line. The same line that got him into trouble. But she’s not Hillary.
“I’m sorry to break down like this,” Yolanda said. Her bravado was back in effect. That’s dangerous. He knew she needed to protect her emotions, but acting as if she didn’t have any made it easier for her to hide. To ignore the things she needed to do.
“It’s going to happen and I understand it. It’s not every day that someone is out to kill you.”
“So, what security company do we need to get to come in here and set up your plan?”
Charles smirked. “How do you know I have a plan?”
Yolanda walked into the showroom and spun around. “Because you’re a man with a plan. And I don’t care what you say, those glasses are some kind of futuristic technology that creates security plans.”
“You’re really going to have to stop watching Iron Man.”
“Never seen it, besides, I’m a Batman type of girl.”
“That’s sad. One IRS audit and your hero is just a regular guy with a big house he can’t pay for.”
She curled her hand and hissed at him. “And Catwoman would just steal some diamonds and pay for everything. Then the Batcave becomes another type of dungeon.”
Charles shook his head. “Your imagination is top rate. Ever thought about putting it to use for something else?”
“My designs. But I’ll leave the writing to Nina.”
Charles pulled out his cell phone. “I’m going to call my friend Ethan and have him come over to look at the best options for a security system. And he’s going to check the house, too.”
Yolanda nodded, not giving him an argument for a change. Now he knew things had gotten real.
Chapter 10
After the scare at the shop, Yolanda decided that she wanted to be nice to Chuck, so she offered to spring for an early dinner.
“What do you have a taste for? There are
a number of restaurants within walking distance.”
“Do you go to the same restaurants all the time?”
Now, she was regretting her decision to be nice. “No. Can we just take a break for a second?”
“I’m just trying to figure out if you have a routine that someone might have picked up on and is now following you.” He looked around the semi–empty streets. “There are a lot of places where someone could watch you from.”
“No one knows I’m here.”
“Social media says differently. You’ve geotagged your shop’s location several times.”
Yolanda stopped and tilted her head to the side as she looked at him. “You’ve been on my social media profiles?”
“Wouldn’t be doing my job if I wasn’t.”
“Are you hungry or not?” She rolled her eyes.
“I can eat.” He pointed to a Mexican-themed restaurant above them. “Are they any good?”
Yolanda nodded, remembering when she and Nina had had lunch there. “Do you drink?”
Charles shook his head as they climbed the stairs of the EpiCentre where the restaurants were located. “Not when I’m working. But that shouldn’t stop you from enjoying whatever you like.”
She would like to enjoy his lips pressed against hers. She would like to enjoy his hands between her thighs and his thumbs drumming against her throbbing clitoris. Her body was buzzing with resentment and desire. She didn’t want to think about Chuck like this. He worked for her father. His presence in her life was an overreaction by her father and nosey little sister.
“Yolanda, are you all right?” Chuck asked, breaking into her thoughts. “You’re not feeling the Mexican restaurant now?”
She hadn’t even noticed that she’d walked right past the entrance. She turned around and headed back to the door of the restaurant. “Oh, no, this is fine. I was thinking about . . . you.”
“Me? Do I even want to know?”
Yolanda stood in front of him and looked up into those emerald eyes. “Charles Morris, you’re driving me crazy.”
“Crazier than the fact that people are out to kill you?”
And there went her wet dream of seducing her bodyguard. He considered her a job and she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself and tell Chuck that she wanted to . . .
“Okay, let’s eat,” Yolanda said as she turned and reached for the door handle. Chuck grabbed the handle at the same time and his fingers brushed against the back of her hand. Why did her body respond with such fierceness to his touch?
“After you,” he said.
Yolanda sighed as she approached the hostess booth.
“Hi, how many?”
Yolanda held up two fingers. The woman nodded, then looked down at the seating chart. “Okay, follow me,” she said. Yolanda started walking and she could feel Chuck’s body heat on her neck. She turned around to see if he was that close to her and he was. She face–planted right into his chest. Chuck brought his hand down on her back. “You all right?” he asked as he took a step back.
“Yes, I was just checking to see if you were . . . Sorry,” she stammered. He stroked her shoulder and nodded as if to say everything was all right. Why. Did. He. Have. To. Touch. Her?
“First date?” the hostess asked as she led them to a secluded table.
“Oh no, not a date at all,” Yolanda exclaimed. What was it on her face broadcasting that she wanted this man? Maybe you’re just horny and ridiculous, she thought as the hostess gave Chuck a demure smile. Yolanda fought the urge to roll her eyes. The hostess could flirt; she couldn’t. But the hostess needed to drop off the menus and bounce.
Yolanda cleared her throat as the hostess smiled at Chuck and told him their server would be there shortly.
“Bet that happens everywhere you go,” Yolanda said once they were alone.
“What is the that you’re talking about?”
She picked up her menu and hid her grin. “Pretty girls losing their shit over you. That hostess was ready to take your clothes off and put her body on you. Like a cheaply made suit.”
“Didn’t notice that at all. Besides, I’ve seen a naked woman this week.”
Yolanda dropped the menu, her face flushed with embarrassment. “Listen, about that . . . Well, hell, I was in my house and the towel wasn’t cooperating.”
“No harm, no foul. But I wish you . . .”
“Would take things more seriously. Would admit that I’m afraid. Would go to the police. Blah, blah, blah. I’ve heard you.”
“But did you listen?”
Before she could respond, the server walked over to their table and thank God it wasn’t a woman.
The waiter introduced himself and took their drink orders before going over the day’s specials. Yolanda noticed how even when Chuck sat down in a situation that seemed to be calm he seemed to be on high alert. He kept looking over his shoulder as they waited for the waiter’s return.
“Are you ever off duty?” she asked.
“Nope. My job is to protect you at all times. This kind of work doesn’t get a lunch break. Besides, the people looking for you aren’t on a schedule.”
She was ready to give up. Chuck was all about business; she just needed to accept it and move on.
Charles knew he was overplaying the role of a bodyguard. He wasn’t just protecting Yolanda from her stalker, but from him as well. Did this woman realize that she oozed sexuality? Naked or fully clothed, Yolanda was alluring.
She was the kind of woman he should’ve stayed away from. Yolanda wasn’t like any woman he’d ever known. She was so free. Granted, she was afraid right now, but he could only imagine what she was like when she wasn’t being hunted. A load of fun. In and out of bed. Why did his mind have to go there? Charles turned to face Yolanda as the waiter returned to the table with Diet Pepsi and sweet tea. She had a beautiful smile, pearly white teeth framed by thick, kissable lips. Why was he now focused on those lips as she talked to the waiter about the quesadillas? She wanted chicken, spinach, and onions, as well as the hottest salsa. Of course she liked spicy foods. Matched her personality. Just like that suit she was wearing. Charles knew he couldn’t let Yolanda distract him from doing his job. He had to keep it in his pants this time.
“What? Spotted the killer and now you’re ready to spring into action?” she asked as she noted his silence.
Charles just smiled. He wasn’t about to tell her that her eyes stopped him cold. Or that her smile made his heart beat like a steel drum during a party in Jamaica.
“Ever heard that if you stay ready you don’t have to get ready?” he asked.
She rolled her eyes and smiled, highlighting her dimples. How had be missed that Yolanda had dimples? Why did he have to be weak to dimples? He should’ve known she had them. Sheldon Richardson had them on the occasions that he smiled. But he mostly spoke with the legend when he had a problem and he didn’t smile that much. Yolanda smiled a lot. It was her nervous tic. Just like when that towel dropped. Her smile wasn’t one of a woman who had done that on purpose. But she wasn’t ashamed of that curvy body of hers. And why should she be?
“Hello?” she said as she snapped her fingers in front of his face. “Can we just eat?”
“Yes, we can just eat,” he said after a beat.
She leaned back in her seat and folded her arms across her chest. He could tell she wanted to say something but was clearly holding back. Charles knew he should’ve sat there and waited for his food. Should’ve just watched her, but instead, he leaned back and said, “You plan on keeping me around for the rest of your life?”
Yolanda leaned back in her chair, her mouth dropped open, and her heart nearly leapt from her chest.
“Why would you say something like that?” she stammered.
“The people who killed that man belong in jail. And . . .”
She threw her hand up as her phone chimed. Seeing it was a text from Alex, she started to ignore it, but what if...
Just read the text and stop sparring w
ith Chuck. She looked down at her phone and read the message. Call me, it’s about Robin and Logan.
“I need to make a call.” She rose to her feet and Chuck followed suit. She shot him a questioning look. “I’m just going out front to see what Alex wants.”
“That’s fine.” He nodded toward the waiter and said they’d be right back. Yolanda groaned as she walked outside to call her sister.
* * *
Chase stood across the street from El Compo Mexican Cuisine watching his target. Who was that man with her? He’d seen him at the shop but figured he was a contractor. Now he wondered if they were dating or something. Didn’t matter, she was the target and he was learning how she moved. Basically, in a small circle. Home. Work. Local restaurant and Whole Foods. Chase didn’t understand why people wanted to spend their whole check in a store that was a farmer’s market with name brand items.
But that was neither here nor there. He had a job to do and Danny wanted it done fast, but Chase wanted to do things right. If Danny had gotten him to take care of Bobby G., they wouldn’t be here now. So, Danny was going to have to wait until he could do the job correctly. That meant no cameras. Some people should just stay in their lane. Charlotte, he noticed, was filled with cameras. It seemed as if those electronic eyes were on every corner. He was looking for gaps and he’d found one. The parking garage where she lived. But this guy was going to be a problem. Chase wanted her death to look like a robbery gone wrong. Those things happened a lot in Charlotte. He had already planned for a clean getaway and a dump spot for the cheap Kia Rio he was driving.
This guy was putting a wrinkle in his smooth plan. The way he stood watch over her like a sentinel. Chase wondered if he was going to have to make it a two-for-one deal after all. Danny’s dumb ass, he thought as he started walking down the sidewalk. He should’ve been smarter about Bobby G.
Open Your Heart Page 8
