“Let's go! Stay behind me.”
Following behind him, I saw him pull a gun from his waistband, and then everything became real. I remember him saying I was in danger, but I never processed it because he was the danger just moments ago. Knowing now was not the time to ask questions, I stayed close as we climbed the steps.
Zip Zip
I could feel hot air go past our heads, and I instantly trusted him. He didn’t lie. Someone was here to try to kill me.
“Shit! Get low, Solana.”
Pow Pow Pow
He shot back in the direction of where the bullets had come from, but we kept moving, not missing a step as we climbed the stairs. Now on the main floor, there were windows, and I could see a silhouette of a person shooting from the kitchen.
Plaw Plaw Plaw
The body in the kitchen dropped, and the figure from the door had been the one to do so.
“Price?”
“Yeah. I saw the lights go out and a nigga walk through the back.”
My possible brother tucked his gun and pulled me along. Shya wasn’t crying, but her eyes were open. She shifted her head around, looking as if she knew what was happening. Her alertness made me breathe easier. She was unharmed, and I needed her to be. Shio would never forgive me if something happened to his daughter in my care.
“Fuccck! I appreciate you, bro!”
Price held the door open, and if I weren’t so shaken up, I would throw my arms around him. I needed to praise Pearla on how good a job she’d done deciding to give him a chance.
“No sweat, Ro. Y’all go. I’ma make sure ain’t nobody else in here and try to get the power back on.”
Price looked the baby and me over before going back into the dark house. When we heard his gun sound again, it proved that there were other men inside the house.
“Fuuuuck!” Ro shouted quietly. “Come on. I parked down the street.”
“Why so far?”
“Solana… I stole the fuckin’ car.”
What?
Before we could make it off the lawn, a car pulled up in front of Jisei’s townhouse, causing me to freeze, and Ro to pull his gun out.
“I’m ’bout to beat yo’ muthafuckin’ ass! A gun, Ro?” A lady in scrubs hopped from the car, and the sight of her had me feeling a wave of emotions. The girl had rounded the car and had a menacing glare at Ro. “Who baby?”
Plaw Plaw
She jumped and tried to take cover behind the car. “Are those gunshots?”
“Yes! Look, we need to get the fuck outta here!”
He pulled his sister up, shoved her in the passenger seat, opened the back for me, and did the same. With the door closed and Shya still resting on his chest, he marched to the driver's side.
“You going to drive with the baby?” his sister asked what I was thinking. Instead of Ro responding, he shifted Shya in his lap.
“At the party I was working tonight, I heard a bitch sayin’ to have her and this baby killed, so I came.” He threw his thumbtoward me in the back seat before pointing to Shya in his lap. He was now driving, and Shya wasn’t causing any lack to his driving skills as he navigated the wheel with one hand.
Letting his words digest, my eyes rounded, realizing he had just said someone at a party wanted me dead.
“Work! What fuckin’ job? You ain’t got one,” she said, staring at his face and head, her profile visible to me.
