“Cool,” I said with a smirk.
He was playing tough, but I could tell that he was fucking with a nigga at least a little. If he felt otherwise, I’m sure he would have tossed me out of the crib like how Uncle Phil did Jazz on the opening ofThe Fresh Prince of Bel-Air.I looked in Maliah’s direction, and I badly wanted to give my girl a kiss, but this wasn’t the time for that.
“Be safe,” she said sweetly.
I was nodding my head to the door so that she could show me out, but her ass wasn’t getting my hint, and before she could, her father spoke.
“I’ll walk you out,” he said before walking past me and out of the dining room.
I followed him out the front door. Once out there, the night’s air hit my face. This is why I opted for the cardigan, because I knew how sometimes, although it was damn near summer during the night, the temperature dropped. My Impala gleamedunder the porch lights. The black paint shined like glass. Mr. Browne’s eyes immediately went to it, and I could tell he was curious. He stood on the top step while I headed toward my car.
“Nice ride,” he said.
I smiled while brushing off the compliment.
“Thanks, it’s been in my family for three generations. My dad passed it down to me when he left.”
His gaze sharpened.
“Left?”
I nodded as my hands gripped the roof of the car lightly.
“He died about three years ago in a robbery. They tried to jack this same car, but he wouldn’t give it up.” My chest tensed up just thinking about it. “When it first happened, I used to be mad about it because it’s just a car, you know? I thought he was crazy. But now I get it. It wasn’t just about a car. It was about pride and respect. Growing up, he always showed me how to be a man. Even in death, he did too. I learned quickly that no one was ever gonna take anything from me. Not my family, not my life, not anything.”
Mr. Browne was quiet for a moment. He was watching me and studying me like he had been doing all night. I knew he was measuring my respect, my instincts, and my ability to protect Maliah. I felt my heart race, and I realized he wasn’t just looking at a young man in a cardigan. He was seeing the kid his daughter loved. And right then, I silently promised myself that nothing was ever going to take her heart from me.
“Let her know when you make it home. She’s a lot like her mother… she will worry,” he said before going back in the house and closing the door behind him.
Once the door closed, I smiled because the night was a success. The Impala hummed under me as I eased it down the driveway, and the glow from the porch lights faded behind me. Maliah’s smile was still fresh in my mind, even her voice whenshe whispered, “Be safe.” I pressed my lips together and nodded.I will, I thought to myself. I had to be because I had to always make it back to her. As I waited at a stoplight a few blocks away, the engine idled lowly. My hands gripped the wheel tighter than necessary. It was time to switch gears and time to switch worlds.
I grabbed my phone and hit Ghost’s contact.
“Yo,” I said when he picked up.
“Yo, what’s good?” Ghost’s voice crackled through the speaker.
“I’m about to change my clothes. You scoped the spot already?”
“Been here since the white dude with red curly hair turned off the on sign and left.”
“Aight, I’ll be there in a bit,” I said as I pressed the gas pedal once the light turned green.
“Aight.”
I hung up and stared at my reflection in the rearview mirror. The cardigan I’d worn for dinner now felt like a costume from another life. A life that couldn’t be mixed with the one waiting at MB’s Auto.
When I stopped at another light, I reached into the back seat, grabbed the black hoodie, matching sweats, and a pair of sneakers that fit the streets better. Tonight, I’m two men in one body. I had to master this switch to navigate between both worlds if Maliah and I were truly going to work. I pulled over to change and then continued my travels to my destination. By the time I stepped out of my car and was dressed for the streets, I had already felt the shift in my energy. The careful respect I’d shown Maliah’s family all night was now replaced by the alertness, calculation, and instincts that had kept me alive this long.
The alley behind the shop smelled like gasoline and damp concrete. Ghost was already there, leaning against his car. Hewas hooded up, tossing a small flashlight from hand to hand. He looked up as I stepped out of the car. I was zipping my hoodie up as my sneakers fell silent on the asphalt. I pulled my Nike ski mask down as I walked over to him.
“’Bout damn time,” he said with a smirk as he pulled his mask down over his face.
I dropped my bag on the ground and pulled out the blueprint of the shop. Ghost leaned over and took a last look at the layout before we made our play.
“Where the fuck is everyone else?” I asked as I looked around at the empty alley.
Earlier, he kept putting heavy emphasis on how he would go in the spot with other niggas if I was late.
