Chapter 2

ZAINAB

“He’s ~what~?”

Reagan looks uncomfortable, shifting his weight from one foot to the other.

“Come on, let me take you to your brother’s. He can answer all your questions. I don’t have to be home till eleven.”

I check the time on my phone. It’s ten-thirty p.m. Faisal should be home now; he landed half an hour ago.

His house is only five minutes from my flat. I could walk there if I wasn’t in these killer heels.

My brother wouldn’t want me to do that, though. Rappers can be controversial, and a lot of guys didn’t like my brother stepping onto the scene a few years ago.

He has enemies—not the corny type you see in movies but the petty, reckless type that would happily shoot him in a drive-by.

My father hasn’t exactly made friends by getting to his position of power either. He squashed a few people to get to the top, and he has his own list of enemies.

As an assistant book editor, the authors whose manuscripts I reject don’t even know who I am. I’m the only person in my family not making enemies, yet I always have a guard with me. Obviously, I could be valuable to someone wanting to hurt my father or my brother.

***

We arrive at Faisal’s house. The driveway is full of flashy supercars. I narrow my eyes at the new McLaren casually sitting in front of the garage.

Reagan helps me out of the car and walks with me to the front door.

It swings open, and I smile at Matty, one of my brother’s crew. He gives me a quick hug.

Faisal’s friends are careful to keep contact with me to a minimum. When I was nineteen, I slept with one of his crew. We’re not allowed to talk about him anymore, and none of his friends look twice at me now.

“He’s out back; come on.”

Reagan follows me into the house. It already smells like weed and incense. I turn up my nose and walk through to the garden.

My brother is surrounded by his entourage. They’re all laid back on expensive garden furniture surrounding a firepit. When Faisal sees me, he jumps to his feet.

He’s still shaving his head, it seems. He has a thick gold chain around his neck, something similar to what you might see on a Pit Bull Terrier.

I always tease him about wearing a dog collar.

“Z! You’re here.”

I embrace his lean body, feeling his shoulder blades poke out at me. My brother is slim since he spends most of his time working on music and smoking. He doesn’t eat as much as he should, or as well as he should.

“I’ve missed you,” I tell him. “But cut the shit. What’s happening with my security guard?”

He looks over my shoulder at Reagan, and I feel bad for dropping him in it.

“Don’t look at him,” I snap. “Look at me. It wasn’t his fault; I bullied it out of him. Spill, Zal.”

“All right, all right,” he says, holding his hands up in surrender.

I pluck the half-smoked joint from his hand and stamp it into the pavement with my stiletto.

Zal glares but doesn’t comment. He takes a seat and throws his arms over the back of the sofa.

“I’ll be straight with you. Dad wants Reagan back on his team,” he says.

I glance back at Reagan, who gives me an apologetic smile. He’s standing a respectable distance away in the typical security stance: legs spread, hands behind back.

“I told you about Huxley, right? He’s insane, sis, no cap. I hired some extra muscle in Baltimore ’cause I heard these yanks were threatening me.

“We were out after my gig, and we hear these tires squealing and an engine revving; then these guys drive by, and there’s a POP-POP as they start shooting.

“Next thing I know, I’m pinned to the ground by big ol’ Huxley there, and he’s taken one in the shoulder for me.”

My stomach flips. My legs suddenly feel weak, and I collapse into the nearest chair.

“Z, stop looking at me like that. I’m fine, all right?”

My brother has been involved in too many drivebys in the last few years.

I hate it.

One day, his luck will run out, and I’m terrified for when it does.

“Anyway, Huxley spent a week or two out of action, then was back, right as rain.

“He’s agreed to come back here with me. He’s got no family or something like that. ~He’s~ the kind of guy you want on your team.”

“So, why is he becoming my guard?” I ask in a low voice.

My brother’s face shadows with displeasure. I watch the flames in the firepit dance between us.

“I got a threat, didn’t I?”

“Some crazy fan posted some shit online about what they’re gonna do to my sister. Gotta take that shit seriously.”

~What have you got us into, Faisal?~

“What does Dad think?”

None of his friends say anything. They just drink their beers and smoke their joints. I sit on the edge of the seat with my hands on my lap.

“He needs Reagan back for this big trip he’s got comin’ up, but he agrees with me that Huxley is the right choice. Only one problem, though.”

“What’s that?”

“Man’s got no place to stay. There ain’t shit available ’round here, and there’s no point in him staying at my place ’cause he’s meant to be protecting you. So, he gotta stay at your gaff, sis.”

Reagan has stayed the night in the guest room a few times. It hasn’t been a big deal because I know him, and I feel comfortable with him.

But a complete stranger staying in my house?

“Is there really nowhere else? What about a hotel?”

“What hotels do you know around here?” Faisal fires back, and I grimace.

The closest one is a fifteen-minute drive away. We all know that’s too long in an emergency.

And it’s not like I have a lot of bargaining power. My dad bought my flat with one string attached. As long as I don’t kick up a fuss about the security team he employs, I get the freedom I want. This situation isn’t any different. I just have to go with it.

“Very well. When do I meet him? Tonight?”

“Yeah, he’s coming out with us.”

“I’m going to need a drink,” I mutter.

Faisal carries on like he hasn’t heard me. “He’s been getting his stuff collected from customs. He brought all his shit with him because he’s gonna be here for the foreseeable.” My brother shakes his head in amazement. “We’re lucky he’s come all this way.”

“Really lucky,” I whisper under my breath.

Faisal stands up and walks over to Reagan. They shake hands.

“Thanks for everything, Reagan. You’re a real one. See you soon, yeah?”

“I’ll see you soon, Faisal. Thank you,” he replies solemnly and looks at me. “Zainab, I trust you won’t break your ankle on someone else’s watch.”

I give him a sad smile.

“It’s no fun to do it when you’re not here,” I reply half-heartedly. “Do you know how long you’re gone for?”

“A month, I think.”

“And your family?”

“I still work alternate weeks.”

“Good, okay.”

I hesitate and then pull him in for a hug. Reagan tenses up and carefully hugs me back, keeping his hands on my shoulders.

“Be safe,” I tell him.

He laughs and shakes his head.

“That’s what I should be telling you. Bye, Zainab.”

“Bye, Reagan.”

I watch as my long-serving bodyguard walks back up the stone steps. Another man comes out.

They pause on the steps, say a few words to each other, shake hands, and then part ways. Reagan disappears inside.

I watch the new man approach.

The closer he gets, the bigger I realize he is. He’s built like a brick shithouse.

He basically looks like your typical security guard: bald, black sunglasses, a mean expression, and an enormous build.

He isn’t bald, though; he has short brown hair cropped in a military buzz cut. The three-piece suit he wears must have been tailored for him because it stretches perfectly over his pumped-up muscles.

The bodyguard reaches the firepit, and Faisal introduces us. His ice-blue eyes land on me. His expression is unreadable.

~This guy should play poker for a living.~

“This is Jake Huxley, your new bodyguard. Huxley, man, this is my sister, Zainab.”

His eyes trail up and down my body, making my face hot. For a second, I feel desired. I haven’t felt that in… I don’t know how long.

He extends his huge hand, almost the size of a bear paw. I shake it slowly, feeling his warm, rough palm engulf mine. His touch isn’t electric, like you read about in romance books. It’s magnetic. I have to stop myself from stepping forward.

“It’s a pleasure.” His voice is gruff, and he has a thick Baltimore accent.

~Oh, I’m in trouble here.~