Page 39 of Dope Boys: Most Wanted
“Sounds like stalking,” she said, rolling her tired eyes. “Can you move?”
“No. Where were you?”
Reign shrugged.
“Reign.” His tone now low with direct warning.
She blinked another set of tears away. “Sunset Inn.”
“What are you doing at the Sunset Inn, Reign? You on some shit?” he semi-barked.
“That’s only one of us. I don’t dance with the devil,” she shot back, darting her eyes at him and then looking away again. “They found me. When you dropped me off. I got a call that they found me. They were in my room waiting. So I ran. I figured they wouldn’t find me there but I guess KC put out some money. I don’t know I just know I’m not safe anywhere. So I’ve been getting here early every day so I can wash and sleep and go to work and be undetected.”
Markus closed his eyes for a second to regulate his own emotions. He could keep pressing her about it or he could do something about it. When he opened his eyes, Reign was wiping her face with the sleeves of his oversized hoodie.
“So it was some hustlers?” he asked.
She shrugged again. “I guess, they were dirty. Looked more like junkies than hustlers.”
The Sunset Inn was controlled by Luciano’s people. No one under Markus’ authority met that trifling criteria. There was a silent truce that was about to come to an end because Markus only saw one way to resolve this.
“Point ‘em out,” Markus stated.
Reign’s face, forming new bruises, frowned. Watching the redness become deeper in pigment further pissed him off. She refused. “What? So I can get slammed in a dirty ass wall again? No.”
“Aight,” Markus resolved. “I’ll handle it. Let’s go.”
“I’m not going anywhere. I have clients,” Reign protested.
“You got slammed into a dirty ass wall.” He studied her face. “And it’s swollen. You’re getting looked at. If the doctor says you’re good, you got clients. If she doesn’t then you don’t. Shit simple. Come on.” Markus turned around and walked toward the back door. He opened the door and waited for her to appear. “Reign.”
She rounded the corner. “I’m coming. Stop calling my name.”
“It’s either that or Speechless.”
She cut her eyes at him. Earning her a brow raise in return.
Markus studied her as she walked past him. His hoodie and leggings from the hair shop. He palmed his face knowing that she’d single handily thrown a wrench in his plans. Once he was swatted away from helping her in his truck, he jumped in and headed toward a doctor he kept on payroll.
“Is this lady like a mandatory reporter or something? Reign questioned, looking at the building and back at him. “The last time I went to a doctor, she urged me to go and I…”
She stopped talking and sighed. “What bus do I take to get back to the salon? I have three back-to-back appointments.”
“I’ll be here when you get done.”
Reign looked at him a long while. “What bus do I take?”
“I will be right here and don’t worry about payment it’s handled,” he stated, getting out to open her door.
Reign slid out, fear dancing in her eyes but she wouldn’t put words to it and Markus groaned, remembering what Nia told him. “She’s got to trust you.”
“I’ll be right here. That’s my word,” he assured.
She bobbed her head, sucked in a deep breath and walked inside the building. He watched intently like a protector. Her protector. Once the women at the front desk had her checked in, she was taken to the back shortly after, the nurse spotting him and shooing him off.
Back in his truck and headed toward Sunset Inn, he called Svyn.
“What up, nigga?” Svyn answered, sounding relaxed more than usual.
