Page 13 of Kairo

“Damn I worked up an appetite,” she said after sipping her water. “Breakfast is over. You cool with brunch?”

I nodded.

“Such a man of many words,” she mocked. “Let’s go to Ruz.”

After thirty minutes of driving to the restaurant, we pulled up at Ruz, and just like expected, it was packed. Ruz was a twenty-four-hour restaurant that served options based on the time of day. There was never a time when I rode by and didn’t see the parking lot packed. Whoever owned this place made good money.

“Why are we still sitting here? I already scanned the parking lot. We good,” she expressed, looking at me confused.

“We eating in?”

“Duh. I don’t want my eggs to get cold. We good.” She hopped out of the car and stood by the door, waiting for me to exit.

I didn’t agree to going out on dinner dates when I agreed to be her bodyguard. I contemplated on whether I was going toget out of the car, but when she tapped on the window with her manicured nails, I knew I had no choice. I exhaled and exited the car. She walked in front of me with her purse on her shoulder and her black shades covering her eyes. She walked with a confidence that wasn’t taught. She had to be born with it.

Her head was high and her strut was powerful. Junie knew she was bad and couldn’t no one tell her any different. Junie didn’t remove her shades once we made it inside. She walked up to the hostess station requesting a table. I stood behind her, checking the walls of the restaurant. There were too many people to not have my head on a swivel. The hostess grabbed two menus and escorted us to the table. She placed us in the back to where we could see the entire restaurant. We were also near the exit door.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Your server will be right with you,” the host said.

The host looked at me. She licked her lips and batted her eyes. I paid her no attention. Her reactions was nothing new to me. Each time I had the same reaction—not interested. Granted, the host was pretty. She had chocolate skin and a fit figure. She had long braids that went past her ass. She wore bright red lipstick and skin-tight clothes, but I wasn’t interested. Women were a distraction. While on this mission for Unc, I had no reason to pursue women.

“How you doing?” she asked.

I didn’t answer. I kept my attention on the menu. She sucked her teeth and stomped away. No matter the tantrum she threw, I didn’t give a damn. Junie chuckled while shaking her head. I looked up at her. She made eye contact with me.

“Damn, what if we would’ve been on a date or something? It could’ve ended very bad for her.”

I smirked but returned my attention to the menu. We sat in the commotion of the restaurant until our server came and tookour order. Just as she said, she ordered her eggs with French toast and bacon. I opted for the patty melt with a side of fries. She ordered a mimosa, and I decided on water. After the server took our orders, Junie and I sat in silence for a few minutes before either one of us spoke up.

“Why are you so quiet?” she asked. I raised my brow. She scoffed. “Don’t act surprised. I’m talking to you. You’re the only one at this table. Why don’t you talk? If we are going to be in each other’s personal space, the least we can do is stop making this awkward.”

“What you want me to say?”

“You don’t know how to hold a conversation?”

I stared at her, and even though she still had her shades on, I knew she was looking at me. She wanted a conversation. A conversation was what I would give her.

“Why do you still have your shades on?” I asked.

“It’s my way of keeping my eyes moving when I’m out. I’m not green to this nonsense. I know being affiliated with the Savage Saints put a target on my back. I let myself get slack the other night, all behind love and dick. That was my first and last mistake. No one can be trusted.”

“Tell me what you see?”

She adjusted herself in her seat. She cleared her voice and smirked. “The man in the booth with his family to the left of us is texting another person that’s not his wife. I’m sure it’s the host ’cause every time he texts, she picks up her phone. He watches her reaction every time.”

I turned behind me to see what she was talking about and to watch the interaction go down.

“The man and woman that just walked through the door are slanging more than just drugs. Pay attention to her attire and the way he handles her. He is her pimp, and she is his ho. Oh, and the two gentlemen at the bar keep staring at us, but one of themis gay, and I’m sure he’s looking at you.” She laughed. I smirked to stop myself from laughing. “You have a nice smile. You should wear it more.” I nodded. “Tell me about yourself. You’re staying in my house, and I know nothing about you.”

I shrugged. “What’s to know? I’m in the Savage Saints. I’m your bodyguard and that’s it.”

She sucked her teeth and twisted her lips. “You’re an asshole too! You know what I’m asking. What is some of your hobbies? What’s your favorite food? Color? Do you have a wife or girlfriend? Kids? I’m sure you know everything about me because I know my father and he probably gave you a file about me.”

I chuckled, remembering the intensive file Prez handed over to me about Junie. I thought it was over the top for a father to have a file of facts on his child but anything Prez did didn’t surprise me. I knew Junie’s favorite food, movie, color, TV show, and everything else. There was nothing I didn’t know about her because it was all in the file.

“See, I knew it.” She shook her head. “Crazy thing is, he uses that file for himself sometimes too.”

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