Page 9 of B.D.E
“That how it’s done,” he said. “Your built for this shit, Ghost. Remember that.”
On the ride home, I threw up twice in the back of Gideon’s car. He didn’t say a word about it, just turned the music up and lit a cigar.
Gideon. I hadn’t heard from that muthafucka since he sent me the encrypted file with details for that botched ass setup. I wanted to believe that he wouldn’t do me like that, but the truth was, I didn’t know what he was capable of. I’d killed for him over the years and sometimes it would be niggas that I knew he was close with that had maybe crossed him but like I said, I never asked questions, just executed the plan, and collected my coins before disappearing until I was needed again. I knew that once I was healed up, I wouldn’t stop until I found the motherfucker that set me up and pop they ass. I didn’t want to kill Gideon because he took me in when I had nobody but if he was responsible, then he had to go, no exceptions.
Gideon raised me like a weapon and groomed me in blood, so I didn’t know what it felt like to be wanted unless it was for what I could do; not for who I was. Specs wasn’t built like that though. I could tell by her demeanor that she came straight from love. I could tell by the way she moved. By the way she spoke softly but still had that little fire under it. The girl hummed when she while she baked like she was just some jolly muthafucka, but it was dope as fuck to see her in her element. I knew I would ruin all that just by being in her space. I just needed a few more days and I was going back to doing what I did best… being a ghost.
I reached over on the nightstand and grabbed the two pains killer and the water bottle that Specs had left for me, wincing at the pull in my side. I threw the pills back and guzzled the wholedamn bottle. A nigga felt dehydrated as fuck, so the cold water was on point. I knew she was rushing to open her lil bookstore so I managed to put fresh bandages on my side as best as I could, but it was shit compared to how she’d done it. Either she had a nurse background, or she learned that shit from a book. Knowing her it was probably the latter. Specs looked like the type that stayed up all damn night reading shit and fantasizing about some nigga throwing her against the wall. She had no clue she let one in her home.
I don’t know what kind of painkillers Specs had been giving me, but that shit hit me like a ton of bricks and I wasn’t even trying to fight it. I leaned over on her fluffy ass pillow and dozed off, as the image of her sexy ass wrapped in that towel kept replaying in my mind. I didn’t know what the hell this woman was doing to me or how much longer I could fight it. If I even wanted to.
CHAPTER 7
Ivy
The bellover the front door jingled as I unlocked it and flipped the sign to OPEN. Sunlight poured through the bookstore, casting golden streaks across the polished hardwood floors that I’d got down on my hands and knees and cleaned just last week. Money was tight so I couldn’t afford the luxury of hire people to clean up and polish the floors, I made it work though. The fresh scent of cinnamon banana bread and lemon scones drifted from the bakery counter, warm and inviting but my mind was somehow still upstairs. Still in the bathroom and my bedroom… Ghost. Ghost was a name that you gave someone when you didn’t want your real identity to be known. That piqued my interest even more, but I knew better than to try digging into somebody that was clearly dangerous.
I grabbed my apron and tied it around me before smoothing the front of it as I tried to gather myself and prepare for the morning rush. The early hustle and bustle of the town hadn’t quite kicked in yet, but I knew once it did, things would get hectic. I paced behind the register, checking things that didn’t need checking. Every day was the same routine, but my head wasso full of chaos, I needed something, anything to keep my hands busy. The sharp ring of the bell above the door made me jump.
“Morning, Ivy,” Ms. Lorette called out. She was always the first customer when I opened up.
“Morning,” I said with a bright smile that barely made it past my cheeks. “I’ve got your coffee and banana nut muffin coming right up.”
She walked to the corner near the window and took a seat, like she always did, pulling her romance paperback from her tote. I made her coffee and slid her muffin onto the plate, moving like a robot. Every step, every blink, and every polite smile felt like I was pretending at this point. I had no clue how I would make it through the day and focus but the bills had to be paid so I pushed him to the back of my mind the best I could and got ready for the morning rush.
The morning passed in a blur of latte foam and small talk, but my brain refused to stay downstairs. It kept drifting back to Ghost. I was behind the counter refilling the pastry case since the morning rush had left it empty. My book café was the only one in town which was a blessing and a curse because it kept me busy, sometimes too busy and I was the only one prepping, baking and selling. This was the main reason I had no time for a real life outside of here. I was hoping to hire someone part time to help prep in the early mornings soon but hadn’t actually gotten around to post the hiring ad. Since, id opened up, it had always been me managing and working alone so the thought of letting someone else in my space worried me. Would they know how to prep and bake the delicious treats that my customers loved. Would they know a romance novel from a suspense? Would they even be a book lover? There were more questions than answers when it came to hiring help around here, so I did as I always do and pushed it to the back of my mind, promising to revisit it again sometime soon.
The bell sounded off again just as I’d finished restocking the last batch of blackberry lemon poppy seed muffins.
“Mmm… Ivy, you must really be tired,” that familiar voice spoke out, causing me to roll my eyes before turning to face him.
“Tired from running through your mind right, Jesse?” I snorted.
“Alright, alright. You got me, Ivy Monroe.” Jesse chuckled as he walked towards the pastry case, eyeing the muffins I’d just finish restocking.
“Mhmm,” I muttered, clearly over his daily shenanigans. “Your usual right?”
He nodded, leaning on the counter as he watched me fix his coffee and muffins.
“So, how are you doing today, Ivy?” He said, attempting to make the usual small talk after I’d shut him down with the flirting. It was harmless, but I didn’t understand why he continued to try it every day since it never went anywhere.
“I’m fine, Jesse. Same ole, same ole, you know?”
“Yea… I can see just how fine you are,” he mumbled just above a whisper. I slightly turned my head just in time to see him staring at my ass. He was damn near drooling on the counter with his mouth ajar.
“Ahem.” Jesse quickly looked up at me like a deer caught in headlights.
“I know you like the view but if you gone drool all over my countertop, you might wanna keep your eyes on your coffee, not the curves.” I said over my shoulder as I put the lid on his cup.
Jesse chuckled. “Can’t help it, Ivy. Seeing you is like my daily shot of dopamine.”
I rolled my eyes as I sat the cup of coffee down in front of him.
“Look at her again like that and you gone catch a shot of lead to yo’ chest nigga,” Ghost voice cut through out of nowhere. Iwhipped around and caught sight of him standing in the corner over by the shelf of thriller novels.
How long has he been standing there?
Jesse’s grin vanished and I watched him swallow hard, fumbling for his words.
