by Zuri Day
“What’s up, man?” Eric’s deep voice bounced against the pale green walls as he entered the room. “Is this how you get out of working detail?”
“There are probably better ways,” Alex responded, his voice low but strong. “Guess you can say I earned my . . .” He looked beyond Eric, saw Carol, and lost his train of thought.
Carol stepped forward. “Hey, Alex.”
“Hey.” His stare was intense and unreadable.
“Was it you that—”
“Yes,” he quickly interrupted, his eyes briefly darting to Eric and back. “It was.”
“Thank you.”
Eric looked between the two as electricity sparked between their stares. “Carol said you two had worked together.”
Alex nodded. “When I guarded Gabriella.”
“Word?” His gaze slid from Alex to Carol. “You didn’t tell me you’d worked with a superstar.”
“Carol’s a star in her own right. Back in the day, she was a member of Haute Couture. Before Gabriella went solo.” He tried to change positions and winced.
“Careful,” Carol said, reacting immediately by going to Alex’s side and placing a comforting hand on his arm. Speaking tentatively, she asked him, “Where were you shot?”
“In my side,” he replied, having donned a brave face. “No worries. It didn’t hit any major organs; a flesh wound mostly.”
“A flesh wound can bring hella pain, brother. I’ve been there. I know. That shit can hurt.”
Alex wasn’t paying attention to his friend and colleague. He only had eyes, and it would appear ears, for the woman in the room. “Yo, Eric. Can you give us a minute?”
“Sure, man. But first, are you feeling okay? Marlon will want an update.”
“Yes, I’m cool. Tell him I’ll call a little later.” He waited until Eric left the room. “You’re a sight for sore eyes.”
Carol looked at his bandage. “Sore eyes, or a sore side?”
Alex blessed her with a grin. She took in his smooth, brown complexion and how his chocolate eyes twinkled when he smiled. His lips were cushy, and just the right size; all in a face that exuded strength and confidence, like he could take care of a sistah in more ways than one. White gauze was wrapped around a thick, toned torso, and he’d obviously taken issue with the hospital gown, which was hanging off of the type of shoulders on which a woman could get used to leaning.
“Back there, at the club . . . you looked surprised to see me.”
“I was.” Carol gingerly sat at the edge of his bed. “I didn’t know that you were still working with Marlon.”
“Would you have still come if you’d known?”
Carol’s smile was fleeting. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
“Troy and I have settled the beef between us. Why can’t you let it go?”
“I guess I should.”
“You most definitely should.”
Both were quiet a moment, remembering how they’d come together and equally how they’d parted. It started when Gabriella, the woman who’d bested Beyoncé, Rihanna, and all other singers for the pop-star crown, hired a new security team for the West Coast portion of her music tour. Carol had been traveling with Gabriella as her best friend and personal assistant. Alex worked with Troy, the owner of Morgan Security, the company that won the bid. Interactions had gone smoothly at first. There was an immediate attraction between them, and Alex and Carol enjoyed the camaraderie for the first few weeks. But a dispute with his boss had led Alex to abruptly quit Troy’s company and guard Marlon instead of Gabriella. The pop star seemed to not have cared in the least, but for the fiercely loyal Carol, his hasty exit was viewed not only as inconsiderate but borderline disrespectful. That she found out about his leaving from a phone call after the fact hadn’t helped matters either. Last year, at Gabriella’s wedding, they’d somewhat reconnected. But the myriad of conflicting emotions that Carol now felt suggested that forgiving wasn’t forgetting and a tinge of hurt remained.
Alex broke the silence. “Glad to be home for the holidays?”
“This is where I live.” At his questioning look, Carol realized Alex wasn’t privy to her latest decisions. “I quit the business, Alex.”
“You quit working for Gabriella?”
Carol totally got the insinuation. “Yes, but not abruptly. Gab knew months in advance that I was going to leave, and I took two months to train my replacement.”
“Wow, that’s your girl. I never would have thought you’d leave the road.” A moment, and then, “What happened?”
“Her life changed when she got married. She and Troy have settled in LA while she makes a movie. She’ll also be in the studio working on her next album. So it was a good time for me to take a break and focus on what I want to do with my life.”
“Which is?”
Carol answered through a yawn, “I’m still figuring it out.”
“I really appreciate your coming to check on me. But it’s late. You should go.”
“Probably.” Carol’s eyes widened as she looked at her watch. She had no idea that it was almost dawn.
“How’d you get here?”
“I got dropped off. I’ll call a cab.”
“Eric can give you a ride home.”
“I’d rather he stay here with you.”
“The way you say that, a brothah could start feeling that you care about him.”
She smiled as she stood. “I’m glad that you’re all right, Alex. Good-bye.” She walked toward the door.
“Your number still the same?”
Turning, she answered, “Yes, why?”
“Because I plan to hollah at you, that’s why. Is that all right, or will I have to knock out some knucklehead who’s dared invade my space?”
“Your space?”
“You heard me.” Alex was clearly enjoying this sparring, even as his own medicated eyelids drooped. “I didn’t stutter.”
Carol would have argued but noticed him fading. “Yes, it’s the same.” She walked out the door.
“Carol!”
She stuck her head back into the room. “What?”
“Merry Christmas.”
Impulsively, she walked over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks, Alex. Merry Christmas.”
Alex watched the gentle sway of Carol’s beautifully round booty as she left the room. Only then did his head drop back on the pillow and with a grimace masquerading as a smile on his face . . . thought about his former co-worker until he fell asleep.
Chapter 4
Carol arrived at her house at four-thirty, but an hour later still hadn’t fallen asleep. She reached for her phone and called Gabriella. It was late in LA, but her friend was a night owl.
“Carol! I was just thinking about you. Did you hear about—”
“Alex? Yes, I just left the hospital. But how do you know?”
“Troy got a call. You were at the hospital? What time is it there?”
“Five-thirty.” Both women were talking fast, and over each other. Carol took a calming breath and shared the prior night’s events. “What’s crazy is the whole night I felt like someone was watching me. Now I think that it might have been Alex. How else could he have known where I was? And knock me down?” Carol had even more questions along these lines. But they were for Alex.
“Wow, sis. That is crazy! I can’t believe you didn’t remember that Alex worked for Marlon, considering he left our team to join him.”
“Of course I remembered. I just didn’t know if he still worked there.”
“So, how was it . . . seeing him again?”
“I’m still trying to figure that out.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. Why did you say it like that?”
“Come on now, Carol. I always felt a vibe between you two.”
“Even all bandaged up, I have to admit he did look good.”
“Ha! That’s what I’m talking about. So . . . when are y’all hooking up?”
“I don’t know. But he a
sked if my number was the same.”
“Alex isn’t one to play games. If he asked for your number, he’ll call you.”
Gabriella was right. Four hours after Carol finally went to bed she was awakened by her holiday ringtone, an old-school classic by Donny Hathaway and her mother’s favorite.
“Hello?” She tried to sound chipper, as though she’d not been sleeping, but the frog in her voice was a dead giveaway.
“Good morning. I waited as long as I could. How’s my sexy Christmas Carol?”
She chuckled, feeling all shy and girlie and warm in hidden places. “Good morning, Alex.”
“It’s probably not the first time you’ve heard that, but I couldn’t resist.”
“Actually, it is.”
“No!”
“I grew up in the hood. Trust me, nobody called them carols. They were and are referred to as songs!” She snuggled in her comforter, wishing the man she talked to was sharing her bed. “How are you feeling?”
“I’ll be all right.”
“Have you ever, you know, had that happen before?”
“What? Get shot? No, before last night I’d never taken a bullet. And I must say I never want to do so again.”
“What happened, Alex? Why did you tackle me like that?”
“I saw one of. . . somebody . . . trying to get a shot off at Stacks.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“You know him?”
“Not personally. But just about everybody knows of him if you live in the Dirty D.”
“He was sitting behind you.”
“Were you watching me? I’d felt like someone was off and on all night.”
A second passed. Five. Ten. “I checked you out a time or two.”
“Liar! You checked me out way more than that. I could feel it!”
“It’s my job to keep an eye on the area I’m guarding. That’s what I was doing when I saw homeboy with his gun.”
“Who was it?”
“Can’t tell you that.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?”
“Baby girl . . . the less you know, the greater your safety.”
Carol sat up as the severity of the situation finally hit her. Alex’s job was dangerous. Someone—she, Alex, her friends—could have died. “Did you see something that could put you in danger?”
“I’m a bodyguard, baby. Danger comes with my job. But I didn’t call you to talk about work.”
His voice had dropped and so had the butterflies in her stomach. They had now become a squiggly feeling in the center of her heat. She squeezed her thighs together and tried to not remember how good Alex had looked, even injured, in bed. “What did you call to talk about?”
“You. What are you doing today?”
“My mother always cooks a big dinner, so later on I’m going over there. First, though, I’ll be playing Secret Santa for several families in need.”
“Nice.”
“You seem surprised.”
“I am. But it’s cool. I like a woman who’s generous, and who can surprise me.”
Again, the squiggles. That feeling. Maybe she liked Alex more than she’d let on to her best friend. But first, she’d have to admit it to herself.
“When are you getting out?”
“I had hoped today, but it looks like they want to keep me for another twenty-four to make sure there’s no infection.”
“Is anyone there with you?”
“My brother’s flying out to check on me; it’s the only way I could keep him from telling our mom. He’ll be here later today.”
“I don’t remember where you’re from.”
“I’m not sure I ever told you. I’m from Philly, baby, born and bred.”
“East Coast flavor like the other guy, your friend, Eric.”
“No doubt.”
“I’m sorry that you have to spend Christmas in the hospital.”
“You can come by after playing Secret Santa and play nurse; make me feel better.”
“I don’t know about that.”
“You’re going to make me spend this special day all alone?”
“You won’t be alone. Your brother’s coming.”
“Yeah, but I can’t hug him like I want to hug you.”
“You’re so full of game.”
“I mean every word.”
It sounded like he did, so much so that Carol got out of bed and walked to the closet. To brighten up a patient’s day, one had to be dressed just right.
“I guess I can do my civic duty and visit the sick. I’ll even bring you a plate from my mama’s house.”
Alex groaned. “That’s what I’m talking about. This hospital food isn’t cutting it.”
“Which do you like better,” she asked as she flipped through her outfits, “sweet potato or pecan?”
“They both sound good. But the dessert I’m waiting for most is you.”
Chapter 5
Neil Worthington eyed his younger brother with a mixture of sympathy and concern. “Sorry I wasn’t here to protect you,” he said.
Alex laughed, and was rewarded with a shooting pain that caused him to cringe. “I appreciate that, but we’re not on the school playground anymore, big brother. I can handle myself.” He smiled at the best father figure a man could have, not to mention an ace detective, and added, “I learned from the best.”
After walking over to close the door, Neil pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat. “Tell me what you know.”
“It was an attempted hit on a drug dealer.”
“You’re sure?”
“Ronnie Williams, known by the street name Stacks, is one of Detroit’s most notorious drug dealers. Because of his intelligence, he’s also one of the most elusive when it comes to arrests. I’m almost a hundred percent sure he was the target. As soon as I saw him walk through the door I braced for trouble.”
“One of his men turned traitor?”
Alex shook his head. “I’m not sure who the guy was.”
“But you could ID him?” Alex nodded. “Can he ID you?”
“I don’t think so, but honestly, I’m not sure. Everything happened so fast.”
“You talk to the police?”
“I couldn’t think straight last night. But one of the detectives gave me his card.”
Neil nodded, thoughtfully rubbing his goatee as he pondered the situation. “We’ve got to be careful. We can almost bet that Stacks has a dirty cop or two on the inside. Let me do some checking around; make sure we get a detective who’s clean. If the information you have gets heard by the wrong person, this could become a very dangerous town.” Alex looked pointedly at his bandage, then back at his brother. “Right. I guess for you it already is.”
“No shit, Sherlock.”
Neil’s chuckle started low and deep.
“Come on now, bro. Don’t make me laugh.” Neil tried and failed to quell his laughter. Soon his shoulders were shaking and tears threatened. “Ha!” Alex too tried to staunch his mirth, but soon the brothers were laughing out loud, partly at the absurdity of Alex’s situation and partly because they were still mercifully able to enjoy a joke between them.
“Oh, man!” Alex wiped his eyes. “You’re a real fool, you know that?”
“Takes one to know one,” Neil replied, an oft-quoted childhood quip that quickly had the brothers laughing again.
Carol’s footsteps slowed as she neared the closed door to Alex’s hospital room. Laughter? From the room of a man who’s just been shot? Hesitating, she placed her ear against the door. “Takes one to know one,” she heard an unfamiliar voice say. The sound of Alex’s laughter, however, was unmistakable.
She tapped lightly on the door. The laughter stopped. Muffled voices and then the door opened. “Yes?”
“Hi, I’m Carol, here to see Alex.”
“Let her in, bro.”
Neil stepped away and Carol walked into the room. Alex was sitting up and smiling, looking totally unlike someone who just hours ago had d
anced with a bullet. “Hey, you.”
“Hey, sexy.”
Carol couldn’t help the smile that spread across her face like water across shoreside sand.
“Something smells good.”
“Something sure does.” Having left the door open, Neil now joined Carol near Alex’s bed.
“Oh, yeah. Neil, this is Carol. Carol, this is my brother, Neil.”
“Nice to meet you.”
“Likewise.” Neil looked at his watch. “Looks like you’re in good hands, so I’m going to take a minute and phone home. Wouldn’t want the wife to get worried.”
“Tell sis I said hi.”
“Will do.”
Carol watched as Alex and his brother shared a hug and a handshake, and Neil walked out the door. “You guys look alike,” she said once he’d left them. “He’s the oldest?”
“How’d you know?”
Carol smirked. “You can tell.”
“What’d you bring me?”
“Food fit for a king.”
“An injured king helped by a beautiful queen. I’m a lucky man.”
There it was again. That voice, that feeling—squiggles and butterflies—the knowingness that what Alex meant was much more than he said.
Alex watched Carol move items from his side table and place Styrofoam containers on the newly cleaned top. “Is that turkey?”
“Yes, and dressing,” Carol replied, as she removed containers, napkins, plastic plates, and utensils. “Greens, macaroni and cheese, candied yams, Hawaiian rolls, and pecan pie.”
“That’s love right there,” Alex said with a groan. “Come here.”
“What?” she said shyly, softly.
“Come. Here.” She complied. “Lean down.” She did. He lifted his lips, she lowered hers. They kissed or rather rubbed their lips against each other’s. At first. But it was not enough. Alex reached a hand behind Carol’s head and pressed her closer, deepening their exchange. Her lips parted. In that moment it was all that he wanted. He slipped his tongue inside her full, lipstick-kissed mouth and began an oral exploration. Their tongues collided and swirled as they tasted each other. Carol relished his touch, his scent, the power of his hold on her neck. He kissed her like he needed the exchange to live, like he’d waited a long time for this moment, like he meant it. She returned his sultry teasing stroke for stroke, as if she felt the exact same way.
