Page 47 of Can I?

Milana’s phone chimed, and right after, everyone else’s chimed too. All their eyes widened, and they quickly dropped what they were doing and ran to them. I could only hope everything was okay.

“Oh my God,” Ashanni said.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

Milana brought her phone to me and showed me a picture. It was a car burned to a crisp. “Shit! Whose car is that for?” I asked.

“Ryder J said it was one of the other people’s cars. He said one of the niggas with Ryan set that shit on fire while they were rolling through. Shot a bottle rocket right into that shit.”

My eyebrows lifted. They weren’t fucking playing with those people. It was like the murder of Mr. Henderson had turned Nome into a war zone. While I didn’t necessarily agree with how they were handling things, I definitely understood it. Their phones chimed again, and they all sucked in air.

“What else?”

“Uncle Marcus’s shop is all fucked up. It looks like somebody drove through it. The police are everywhere. I have to call and check on Daddy Mayor,” Noni said.

She called her dad on speaker. “Hey, baby. Everybody is okay.”

“Please tell me you fucking them niggas up!” Bali yelled.

“We were. That’s why the police are here. Marcus almost fucked a cop up. Me and Jasper had to grab him but then almost let him go and joined him. This shit is crazy. I ain’t never seen nobullshit like this. They need to fucking get out of here before we wipe their family clean off the face of this fucking earth.”

“What about Watchful Eyes and Ryan? Is everyone good, Uncle Mayor?” Milana asked.

I slightly rolled my eyes at the ridiculous titles. Daddy Mayor and Uncle Mayor? I wish I would call that nigga Uncle Mayor.

“Everybody is good, Lana. Your mama a lil emotional though. She popped somebody earlier.” Milana walked away, I assumed to call her mama as he continued. “Ferris wheel! You taking care of my babies?”

“Yes, sir. I hate that shit y’all going through out there.”

“Yeah. I think it’s about to be a wrap though. These muthafuckas finna be extinct in a minute. Are y’all still going to Liberty tomorrow? I’ll make sure y’all have an escort through Nome.”

“Yes, sir. Around ten in the morning.”

“Okay. I gotta go. Marcus is calling me over there. I’ll call y’all before we turn in for the night.”

“Okay. We love you, Daddy. Please be safe,” Maui said.

“Love y’all, too, babies.”

Noni ended the call, and she started crying again and went to a back room. She was already feeling sensitive. I stood, looking for Milana. When I found her in the backyard, I could hear her say, “As long as all of you are safe. That’s what I was worried about. When I saw the pictures, my anxiety kicked up. I really wish y’all would just get out of there.”

She turned to see me standing behind her and smiled slightly. I slid my arms around her waist, trying to console her. The trembles I felt going through her body had my core softening even more to give her what she needed from me. This was a lot of drama, and I couldn’t believe it had gotten to this point. Those muthafuckas were behaving like they were in the wild west or some shit.

Hopefully, when we got to Liberty tomorrow, Milana would feel a sense of peace, being able to do what she loved, even if it was just practice. Being cooped up in the house, especially in the city, was something none of them were used to. They all liked being outdoors.

When she ended the call, she turned in my arms and hugged me tightly. “I’m enjoying my time with you, Ferris, but I want to go home. Being away from home by choice is one thing, but being forced away is another. I don’t like this, and I pray that they can work this out before something worse happens.”

“Me too, baby. Me too.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

MILANA

“Iknow it’s hard to focus right now, baby girl, but you gon’ have to, or you will hurt yourself,” Mr. Legend said.

I couldn’t stop thinking about my mama, brother, daddy, and the rest of my family. I wanted everyone to be okay and stay safe. Glancing over at Ferris, he looked a nervous wreck. I’d just gotten bucked off and hit the ground pretty hard. I nearly face-planted in the dirt. The tears fell down my face, and Mr. Legend pulled me in his arms.

“You are built for this. You Tiffany Henderson daughter, and you have in you everything I saw in her. Nothing can stop you from reaching your goals unless you allow it to. Don’t allow no bullshit like that. You came out here to work, so let’s work!”

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