Guarding Shelly

He smiled, "well, you'll have some time to work it out. I still need her to keep an eye on you while I get my shit together. A few weeks, maybe a month. You'll have to figure something out by then."

She nodded, standing when the CO tapped on the door, signaling it was time to end the visit. They stood together and she burrowed into his chest for just a moment, holding tight, before turning to leave. He watched her with a smile on his lips. Weeks ago she would have clung to him longer. He wondered how he felt about the change.

*

Ty drove them back to the city, stopping off to get her something to eat as usual. Once they arrived at the apartment, Shelly headed for the bathroom, locking the door behind her. She hadn't said much on the ride home and she knew Ty was wondering what was bothering her. But she needed a bath...and some alone time to think. She couldn't think with Ty around. She was always distracted by her scent, her eyes, her body...her. It was like Ty had seeped into her pores and she worried she would never be able to completely flush her out of her system.

She spent over an hour in the tub, staring up at the ceiling, her thoughts running amuck. Sometimes she missed her boring life. Months ago, before Mylo wound up in prison, she went to work, went out with friends periodically, and spent a lot of time alone. Life had been boring but simple. Now, there were prison visits, drugs, violence, guns...and Ty. And every day that passed brought her closer to Ty. Now she couldn't imagine her life without her silent protector.

She slipped on a robe and made her way to the living room to sit beside the object of her thoughts. There was boxing match on. She watched for a little while, then went to microwave the take-out food. Moments later, after handing Ty a plate, she picked at her Chinese food and sipped at a soda. She watched Ty toss back a few shots of Jack Daniels, absently eating as she watched television. It was at these times that she enjoyed watching Ty. It never ceased to amaze her how plain Ty was. How plain...and how perfect. The unremarkably creamy, dark-chocolate brown angular face, the thin lips and flat nose with the bump on the bridge. She'd found out that some guy had broken it during a boxing match when Ty was 15. The squared chin. Her broad, flat chest and those rippling biceps. The slim hips and exquisitely muscular thighs, currently encased in form fitting black denim. But Shelly knew how they looked beneath that material, how they felt. And even after all this time, those eyes, the shocking color of those emeralds, could cut right to the core of her. She continued to drink her in until Ty turned to her and winked. She lowered her head, smiling.

Ty's obsession with sports had annoyed her until she found out that Ty had been quite the athlete. Basketball and softball in high school, then amateur boxing and body building. When she asked Ty how she got into boxing, she explained it was something she and her Dad could do together. She'd been raised in the inner-city by her father. Her mother had left when she was a toddler. As a single father, and because she was an only child, her father had sought out ways for them to spend time together. He was pleased when Ty took to boxing. Unfortunately, he was killed by a stray bullet when Ty was 16. She'd been on her own since then, finishing high school (a promise to her father) and then getting into the business.

Still, even though she understood why Ty loved sports, they didn't hold her interest. After she finished eating and washed their dishes, she made her way to the bedroom and settled in beneath the comforter with her laptop. She had some projects she could work on until Ty was ready to join her.

She fell asleep...and plummeted into a dream she never wanted to wake from. There were hands, all over her, caressing her, slowly, languorously, paying homage to her legs, her thighs, the swell of her tummy. Those hands made their way upward, lavishing attention on her forearms, her shoulders...her breasts. Handling her nipples with skill and expertise. Fingers were replaced by a pair of deliciously talented lips, teasing her, arousing her, tormenting her. She felt cool air on wet, over-heated flesh as that spectacular mouth enjoyed as much skin as possible while moving from one breast to the other. Hands made their way between her thighs, manipulating her, exciting her. Her back arched, her breath stolen, as an orgasm took hold of her abruptly. And when she opened her eyes, gasping for air, emeralds eyes were watching her. She smiled, curving her arms around Ty's neck and pulling her close, enjoying the feel of Ty's superbly muscular form lying atop her. They didn't sleep for hours.

*

By Friday she was a nervous wreck. She was still waiting to hear from Mylo. The parole hearing had gone well, her testimony seemingly making a difference. The glowing letter from the warden helped, although she understood the real reason he'd written it. Overall, things had gone quite well...but there had been no word. She'd gone to work, waiting all day to hear from Mylo, but there'd been no word. Now it was 7pm. She was sitting beside Ty on the sofa watching a ridiculous sitcom. She was trying to keep still, realizing that she was probably driving Ty nuts with her fidgeting, but she was certain at any moment she would explode from frustration.

"Come on, let's go get a drink."

Shelly didn't hesitate, relieved Ty's suggestion finally gave her something to do. It took her less than a half hour to shower and change into tight fitting jeans and a snug top. She smiled as Ty looked her over appreciatively, evading Ty's attempt to pull her close, hurrying out of the apartment to press the button for the elevator. In the elevator, she only had to wait for the doors to close before Ty pulled her against her impatiently, stealing her breath away with a hungry kiss.

Ty headed uptown and she busied herself by glancing out of the passenger side window, watching as skyscrapers passed by in a blur. What would life be like without Ty? She wanted Ty to stay, but was that even a remote possibility? Could Ty settle down? And didn't Ty also sell? Did she really want another drug dealer in her life? Especially one so close, one that could ultimately get her locked up or killed? Was she sure she wanted to live that life? Worrying about Ty every time she left the apartment? Unable to sleep soundly unless Ty was lying beside her? Is that the life she really wanted?

Yes. She wanted that life. She wanted Ty. It didn't matter what baggage came with her. Besides, she'd asked Jimmy to check up on Ty. Jimmy was Mylo's best friend and second in charge. He had the contacts to find out about Ty. And Jimmy assured her Ty was good people. Hard working, honest, never gave anyone up to the cops, even when her own ass was on the line.

"Hey."

She blinked. Ty was holding her door open. She offered up a slightly embarrassed smile as she stood from the vehicle, watching Ty smoothly slip a rather large bill into the valet's hand before they headed inside. She knew that would keep her Lexus safe for the night. She paused for a moment, surprised to see they were at the club she had often frequented with Mylo. Mylo was practically royalty at this club. She was certain he owned part of it, if not most of it, although she'd never asked. She had avoided it while he was away. She wondered if Ty's presence would distract her enough for her to enjoy herself.

Mylo's reserved booth, which was all the way in the back on a raised platform, was empty and Ty sent her in that direction. When Shelly sat down and turned to take in the sights, she watched as a number of people went out of their way to give Ty dap. She recognized some of the faces. They were well known in Mylo's world and they seemed to respect Ty. Shelly wasn't the kind of girl to be too impressed by that kind of respect. After all, her brother was a major player in this world too. Still, she could appreciate the time and effort Ty had to invest in order for them to respect her. She was a woman in a man's world and yet they seemed to have accepted her.

When Ty finally joined her, Shelly had to admit she was more than just a little aroused after watching that show. Ty winked at her and she lowered her eyes, hoping Ty had not read the sexual hunger on her face. She was relieved when a waitress appeared. She let Ty order for her without protest. Ty pretty much knew her habits by now. Weeks of living together would do that. She could feel herself heading down dangerous roads, imaging life without Ty again, and gave herself a mental shake. She was here to enjoy her time with Ty, not lament over how short lived it might be.

The waitress was setting a shot of vodka in front of her when she heard the commotion near the entrance to the club. There were people gathered around someone, but she couldn't make out who it was. She shrugged, probably some celebrity. They dropped in now and then. A few minutes later, when the commotion had died down just a bit, she turned to try to catch a glimpse of the person. If the music had not been so loud, her high pitched shriek would have silenced the club. She was up from the table in a second and running toward the figure, leaping into his arms and clinging to him tightly. Ty watched her, enjoying the sway of her hips as she ran toward the guest of honor. She offered up just a hint of a smile when Shelly threw herself into his arms, almost knocking him over.

*

Mylo buried his face into her neck, inhaling the scent of her. God, he'd missed her. He missed seeing her smile, he missed sitting across from her and listening to her complain about everything...and he missed wiping the tears from her cheeks when she was horribly sad or absolutely thrilled. He figured it was the latter this time around as he wiped her cheeks after setting her down. She was still holding him tightly and he smiled.

"Bear, we're blocking traffic here."

She laughed, raising her eyes to take him in. "Why didn't you tell me? Why couldn't I pick you up? Why didn't Jimmy call me? Did Ty know? When did you tell her? I can't believe she didn't tell me! Did you tell her not to tell me?"

"Okay, okay, relax woman," Mylo laughed, "I can only answer one question at a time! And don't blame Ty, I asked her not to tell you."

He was directing her to his booth, nodding at well wishers over her head, holding her close to him as they moved through the throng of people. He was happy to be out, thrilled to see his baby sister, but he was also pissed with himself. He'd told Ty to bring her here as a surprise, ignoring Ty's pause on the phone. But now he realized Ty had been right. This place was not safe. No place was safe unless he had complete control over it. Shelly let him usher her into the booth and she scooted over to make room for him.

"I wanted to pick you up Mylo! Why didn't you let me?!"

"'Sup Mylo!"

He nodded in the direction of the voices, leaning down so that Shelly could hear as he filled her in on the past few days. They talked for almost 15 minutes, uninterrupted. That seemed strange to Shelly. Usually people were walking up to the table to talk to Mylo all night long. She rarely had his complete attention for more than a minute or two when they were here. But they had been completely alone, barring Ty, for 15 minutes. And there were at least four of Mylo's 'boys' hanging out pretty close to the booth. She sensed that Mylo was preoccupied, which would explain why Ty was sitting so quietly, absolutely alert, those emerald eyes focused on everyone and everything. Eventually, Shelly stopped in mid-sentence and looked between Mylo and Ty.

"What's going—?"

The question died in her throat. She watched as an impressively dressed, relatively tall man made his way to their table. She'd seen his face in the papers of course, the olive skin, the goatee, the thick dark brows and full, sensuous lips. She'd always thought him attractive. Still, it was absolutely amazing to see the man in the flesh, flanked by two huge men as he continued to move in their direction. A quick glance to his right revealed that one of the men with him was the dark skinned man that had assaulted her. He was still wearing bandages on his nose. She tensed and moved just a little closer to Ty. She would find that odd later on when she had time to think, considering her brother was also sitting beside her.

"Ah, Mr. Mylo Thomas, a pleasure to see you out and about. And this must be your lovely sister?"

Mylo lit a cigarette and inhaled on it deeply before making the introductions, "Shelly, this is Busco Gallo."

She nodded silently. As if the introduction was necessary.

"A pleasure Ms. Thomas. And allow me to apologize for the, uh, misunderstanding between you and Roland here a few weeks ago?"

She nodded again, because it was the polite thing to do. What she wanted to do was ask him what the fuck he was doing there. But she remained quiet, hiding her tightly clenched fists in her lap. What was he doing here? He had killed Mylo's girlfriend, had her assaulted, threatened Mylo's life in prison, and now he strolled in here as if he had a right to be on what could only be described as Mylo's turf? It was at that moment that she realized she'd had her head up her ass. With Mylo gone, someone would have seized his territory. The business of selling drugs waited for no one to return from prison, not even her big brother. And by the looks of things, Gallo had taken over the area. That was bad news. First Mylo had insulted him by stepping on his toes in prison. Now Mylo was going to have to bump him out of Harlem. She forced herself to take in a breath and shuddered slightly as she felt a trickle of icy cold sweat roll down her back. This was not good news at all.

*

That visit put a damper on the rest of the evening. She wondered why they remained at the club at all. Over an hour later she realized that Mylo had to save face by not turning and running from the threat Gallo posed. She figured this was the last time the two men would be civil toward one another. And she realized her brother's life was in serious jeopardy.

Still, they stayed until midnight and then decided to head up to Mylo's place. Mylo was still being welcomed home with enthusiasm as they made their way to the exit, but now Shelly watched people who approached him with a suspicious eye. Any of them could have slipped a gun past the metal detectors. Any of them could kill him. She felt a sense of relief when they stepped into the brisk air outside and she shivered, realizing she had neglected to bring a jacket. A moment later Ty was shrugging out of her Sherling and placing it around Shelly's shoulders. The gesture made her smile, if only for a moment.

"Take her home and then come to my place."

"I don't think so," Shelly challenged, "I'm coming too."

"Shelly—"

"It's not safe for either one of us to stand here arguing about it. We'll argue at your place."

He shook his head as she turned to make her way to the Lexus. She was standing by the passenger door, waiting for Ty open it when Mylo turned to look at Ty, ignoring her smirk.

"Fine, bring the spoiled brat."

He bit out before settling into the backseat of his Mercedes. Jimmy climbed behind the wheel of the Mercedes and Ty made her way over to the woman waiting impatiently by the Lexus.

*

Shelly glanced at her watch as she listened to Mylo's rules and regulations for what seemed like the hundredth time. She would continue working part time and Ty would stay at her place for a little longer. He wanted her strapped up every time she left her apartment, even if she was running out for toilet paper. And she shouldn't plan to go anywhere alone for a while. She closed her eyes, rubbing the bridge of her nose. She just didn't get it.

"Why can't you just quit? He's already taken over the area. You have tons of money stashed away. Why do you have to continue selling?"

"I used quite a bit of that stash to make sure my throat wasn't slit in prison Shel," he snapped at her.

"Mylo, you had millions put away. Surely you're not broke." She demanded impatiently.

He sighed, "no, I'm far from broke. But I'm not ready to quit Bear and that fucker's not going to force me."

"So now we go to war with him so you can continue to do something that could land you back in prison or dead? That could get me killed, or Mom and Dad?"

She watched him toss back the remainder of the aged scotch in his tumbler.

"I'm not having this conversation."

"Mylo—"

"Hey, not your decision. If you want out, I can make arrangements for you to be out of the country by next week."

The clipped words silenced her and she bit her lip instead of snapping back at him. It was an empty threat, but he was pretty much telling her the decision had been made whether she liked it or not. She folded her arms across her chest in a huff, sending daggers at him with her dark eyes.

Mylo poured himself another drink, ignoring her hostile glare as he beckoned for Ty to join him in the kitchen. He slammed his glass on the counter, his shoulders tense with frustration. First Gallo shows up at his club, in his space, and now his sister was determined to drive him nuts? He turned his angry gaze on Ty. What had this woman done to his baby sister?

"Jesus, she's getting to be impossible."

"She's just asking the hard questions."

Mylo nodded, they didn't disagree about that. And he was being a stubborn jackass. He could retire. He had enough for him and his sister to live their lives in comfort and pass a generous amount on to their heirs. But he wasn't ready to quit yet. Not yet. He looked at the muscular woman standing across from him.

"Look, you and I haven't had a chance to talk. I need to know if you want out."

He watched her, watched for any reaction, a sign of relief, a desire to bail...he couldn't read anything on her face. He knew she had a great poker face, considering she'd taken thousands from him in the past, so he waited for an answer.

"I'm in."

He nodded at the words, wondering if Ty realized that Shelly wouldn't let her off the hook easily the more time they spent together.

"You know she's gone over you, right?"

That brooked no response.

Mylo smiled, "anyway, my threat still stands. Break her heart and I'll break your fucking neck."

Ty smirked at the threat. It was a big brother threat, filled with the same fluff every big brother used to threaten someone dating their little sister. Besides, she had no intention of breaking Shelly Thomas' heart.

*

It was well past three in the morning when they pulled into the garage at Shelly's apartment complex. They rode the elevator in silence and Shelly headed for the bedroom as soon as the apartment door closed behind them. She tossed her clothing into a corner and crawled beneath the comforter, her eyes burning with a need for sleep. It took her a moment to realize Ty had not followed her. She listened to the sounds of a sports program on the television in the living room and sighed, counting to ten before she left the comfort of the bed. She sat down beside Ty, watching as the larger, muscular woman tossed back a rather generous helping of vodka. Over the course of the evening she had become more and more aware that Ty was worried. Oh, her silent protector would never admit it, but she was tense, drinking more than usual, preoccupied...edgy. In other words, she was everything but the Ty Shelly had come to know. This concerned her more than realizing Mylo's life was in danger. If Ty was worried, things were probably much worse than she thought.

She understood part of Ty's concern was that she knew about the thoughts brewing in Shelly's mind since the incident at the club. The thoughts even made her uncomfortable...made her wonder if she could live with herself if she went through with it. But she didn't really have an option. And finally, she wondered how long Ty intended to sit there pretending to watch a stupid basketball game.