“Nigga, did you hear my grandmother?” she asked, clutching a can of mace in her right hand. Riah was ready to mace the whole block down. I loved her for it, but I knew instinctively that this wasn’t a situation we could mace our way out of.
“You don’t wanna do that, lil bit,” he warned her.
Mariah’s eyes narrowed as she lifted the canister.
“Try me. We don’t know you and you all on our property. I’ll burn your fucking eyes outcha skull!”
Knowing my cousin, I knew she wasn’t playing. I lifted a hand to stop her. “Riah, chill,” I ordered, before turning back to him. “What do you want?”
“I just came to bring something for you, Farrah.”
His smile was relaxed again, even as I frowned at the fact that he knew my name. He walked closer to me, his steps slow and sure. Once he was close enough, he handed me the tulips. Surprised at his boldness, I accepted them. My hand clenched around the stems as I glared up at him, trying to lookunbothered, even as my mind was whirling. Who sent him? Who told him to come to my MiMi’s yard?
“You need to move,” I said.
“I am.”
But he kept standing there. Kept smiling. Kept looking at me like he knew something I didn’t. Just looking at him made my skin crawl.
“Who are those from?” Mariah demanded.
His attention shifted to her as he slid a hand into his pocket. “A secret admirer.”
I scoffed. “Please! Who sent these?”
Another smile. “You’ll find out soon enough, shorty.”
It could have been a sweet gesture. It could have been romantic. But something about how the whole thing had unfolded, something about the way the “delivery” man looked like a goon in a suit, something about the way he took his sweet time getting back in his car and pulling off, all smooth and unconcerned, made me nervous. I could tell my family felt the same way. When he turned the corner, I finally breathed again.
“MiMi, throw these away, please,” I asked, handing her the bouquet.
She didn’t even argue, her eyes still glued to the car’s retreating back end. I put on a fake smile, trying to calm the situation.
“Riah, let’s go.”
Nodding, she got back into the car.
“You think you just finna leave here after some mess like that? Nuh-uh, Farrah,” MiMi fussed.
“MiMi, it’s okay. I know who it is,” I lied. “I went on a date, and this fool just can’t believe I won’t go on another.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Girl?—”
“MiMi, don’t call my parents. They deserve this trip, and you know they’ll stay if they’re worried about me. Please,” I begged.
Hands on her hips, she stared at me for a long moment before huffing out a breath. “I don’t?—”
“I’m calling Ajani nem. They’ll handle it,” my Aunt Nette said suddenly.
Aww, hell. Her grandson Ajani along with his partners Prime and Braeden specialized in security and protection. I really didn’t want my family all involved, not when I knew the one man who was at the heart of this.
Not when I felt like it was his protection I wanted.
“Aunt Nette?—”
“Either she calls Ajani, or I call your mama and daddy,” MiMi threatened.
I closed my eyes, exhaled, then nodded. “All right. I’ll talk to Ajani,” I promised.
