For some reason, her comment pissed me off. Before I could say anything, though, Farrah was pushing against me. I wouldn’t let her pass, and she scowled at me, her pretty face all twisted up.
“Move! I’m not standing here while this bitch?—”
Grabbing her around the waist, I picked her up and sat her on the car. I held her in place with a hand on each one of her soft thighs. She struggled against my grasp. I mugged her.
“Don’t fucking move, Farrah.”
She rolled her eyes, but her squirming stopped. I turned my attention to Samaria who was suddenly looking nervous. Good, with her silly ass.
“Turn around and walk away. Don’t make me repeat myself.”
I didn’t raise my voice, but she got the point. With one last flounce, she stomped off.
“That’s his girl?” I heard one of her friends ask.
“Shut up!” she snapped.
Shaking my head, I looked at Farrah. I stood between her thick ass thighs, and I really wasn’t in a hurry to move. She looked at Samaria’s retreating back then back at me.
“Is that what you do? Just give everybody orders and they follow them?” she asked.
“Something like that. Here’s your order: get your cousin and go back to the suburbs.”
“That doesn’t work with me, Mekhi.”
I gave her half a smile. “You’ll learn.”
“You can’t just ban me from part ofmytown?—”
“Thismypart of the town, shorty. I do what I want. It’s dangerous for you over here.”
“Because of one incident?”
“A drive-by is just an incident to you, Little Thug?” I surprised myself by teasing her.
“No, but we survived?—”
“It makes you associated with me, especially since I saved your ass. That makes it dangerous.”
She looked thoughtful as she mumbled, “So, all this based on a weak association…”
“All what? Not only did I push your ass down, I covered you with my body, like I was willing to take a bullet for you. That ain’t no weak association.”
In the last week, I’d run this shit back over and over. I still didn’t know why I did it. Yeah, pushing her out of the way was no big deal, but to climb over her like that… it made no sense. I could’ve tried to get information on the car. I could’ve tried to shoot back. Instead, I’d felt the need to protect a chick who I couldn’t stand on the best days.
“I mean that explains some shit. It seems like I need to be asking you some questions,” she said, narrowing her eyes at me.
“What’s that?”
She exhaled, then told me a story about a menace in a bespoke suit, carrying tulips. It pissed me off, because it meant I was a step behind, meant things could’ve gone much worse. This girl irritated me like no other, but nobody got to hurt her. Not if they planned to keep hanging out on Earth.
“So, someone got it out for you. What you doing that got people doing drive-bys and flower deliveries?”
I gave her a grim smile. “You worried about the wrong thing.”
“Niggas stalking me, and I’m worried about the wrong thing?” She waved a hand. “But I’m good. I got family that can protect me.”
For some reason, that shit set my teeth on edge. She was right. She was a Miller on her mama’s side, and Ajani Miller was top-notch at what he did. But I didn’t need anyone else looking out for her. I had her.
