Jiana laughed. “Why are you calling me, little brother? Man, you’re like freaking Spider-Man.”
“Spider-Man?”
“Your spidey senses tingling at your sister out on a Wednesday night,” she teased, but I heard the slight tightness underlying her playfulness.
“You know I live by my control freak tendencies,” I said as I looked out over the field.
Jiana was silent, and then she sighed. “I’m okay,” she told me quietly.
“Where’s Nicky?”
“Your nephew is with his grandfather,” Jiana said, and I heard her moving. “Mom’s working night shift.”
Of course she was. “And where’s his father?”
“Working.” I heard her shiver and just knew she’d left the party with no coat on. The fact that my sister was responsible for another human being still blew my mind.
“Is that fucker there?” I asked, my tone low and even.
Silence.
“Ji, tell me you aren’t out getting high when Nicky’s with Pops.”
“I’m not getting high.”
And my name wasn’t Dante Spence. “Ji?”
“I had one smoke. One. Nothing else. Ipromise.”
“Stay away from Knox, Ji. Come on, youknowthis. Tell me you know this, sis.” I was on my feet walking back and forth as I tried to talk sense to my sister who was hundreds of miles away.
“He just turned up,” she protested weakly. “I never knew he would be here.”
“A party in our neighborhood, and you didn’t think the local dealer would be there?” Anger was leaking through, and I pulled it back, control held tight. “Do you think I’m stupid?”
“No. But I think you’re annoying.”
I huffed out a laugh. “Fuck you.”
“Fuck you back, little brother,” she teased. “I had one smoke. I’m not stupid either, D, I know what I almost lost.” Her voice was quiet now, serious.
“If I ask you to go home and hug Nicky for me, and make him a D-cup hot chocolate special, will you do it?”
“He called you?” she guessed.
“No.” I lied.
“I knowyoutoo well.” She sounded bitter. “Only two things scare you: not being able to play ball, and Knox Ward.”
“That fucker doesn’t scare me,” I told her honestly. “I can andwillbreak every bone in his fucking body if he ever sells you shit again.”
Silence. I heard her breathing. “I’ll go home.”
Hope surged inside me. “Promise?”
“I promise.”
“Pinky promise?”
