TIGER LILY- THE BRAVO BOYS [book two]

Chapter TWELVE

River O'riley

"There's a couple security jobs, some surveillance contracts, not much by way of recovery unfortunately.. Go on, take your pick, I'll give whatever's left to Tweedle-Dee and Tweedle-Dumbass downstairs." Killian 'Killerwolf' Walker, my boss-- and the director of Specter's Bravo Team taskforce, waves a hand at the heap of confidential blue folders that are scattered about on top of his concrete coffee table..

"I'd be half tempted to take em all, rite'now.." I begin sorting through them, selecting one to read while I restlessly pace in circles around the sofa where he sits.

He scowls at me with dark and steely seriousness.. "No can do. You need to accept the change, brother.. Sort yourself out and spend time with your daughter."

I glare back at him, no way does his high status, bougie-ass get to lecture me on my shit.. Even if he is objectively correct, the ignorance of his statement is beyond me.. "Don't you think I fuckin' know that, Mr Monopoly? Tell me Killerwolf, how the fuck do you s'poze I spend time with her once I'm destitute on the streets and CPS takes her from me?!"

Ignoring my irritation, he reaches over, shuffling through the folders to find and hand me one in particular.. "This one pays well, should be easy enough.."

I snatch it from his hand and he rolls his eyes at my moody reaction.. Honestly, I'm just fucking tired.. I can't even remember the last time I got a proper night's sleep.. Well before Lovey was born, that's for sure.. "I need more than this alone, I gotta pay the-- uhh-- The new Nanny.." I shake my head, looking through the figures of a foreign embassy security consultancy contract..

The wolfish lad arches a curious dark brow in my direction.. "Since when did you hire a Nanny?"

"I dunno.. About a week ago.." I mutter dismissively, in no mood to discuss Lilly with him..
She is none of his business, and if he gets in her ear, chances are she would wind up working for Mistress Melody down at The Foxxy.

His dog-headed, simple solution to a far more complex problem.

Don't get me wrong, Mel is a fine madam and I know she treats her working girls fairly.. Better than any other place in the city.. But I don't want that life for Lilly. I want so much more for her.. I want her to know she has a choice, that she could go anywhere and be anything..

I don't want her falling into the trap of thinking sex-work and slavery is all she has to offer.. Of course I could learn to accept it, albeit begrudgingly, if that is what she actually wanted.. But right now, I have concerns she would only make that choice out of poor self esteem or lack of other options.
That shit just isn't right.. Decisions made in dire times out of desperation are rarely the right ones..

"What's she like?" He drums his impatient fingers on the table, digging for dirt and irritated by the fact I am making him ask for it instead of volunteering to spill my guts.. I know the bossman means well.. But sometimes he just doesn't see things with a whole lot of compassion.. Only cold hard rationale..

"I dunno, nice, I s'poze.. She doesn't really speak much English.."

He frowns in disbelief.. "That's never stopped you before.."

"Arggh, It's not like that, ye' perverted ol'beast." I kick the chair leg beneath him, sending him rocking back with an amused smirk..

"When is it ever not like that with you, O'riley?" He folds his arms back behind his head with a dry, taunting tone..

"What're you shite-ing on about? Is this me' intervention? Are ye' gonna read to me from yer' feelings journal and quote John 2:16?" I chuckle at his hypocrisy..