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“Handle your end.”

“Done,” Ty said as he lifted the card.

Then Mr. Browne looked at Sha.

“Assist this one any way you can.”

Sha nodded. Finally, his eyes came back to me.

“And Tahari?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Since this is your family and the only reason he is around is because of your ass, you will be the one to handle him. But don’t you make a move on your brother without coming to me first.”

I understood why. This wasn’t only personal anymore. Ghost had managed to put all of us in the middle of some shit that could reach farther than a bullet ever would. I nodded.

“I won’t.”

Mr. Browne settled farther into his pillow.

“Good.”

His eyes moved between all three of us.

“First we find out what the feds know.” He paused. “Then we deal with this bitch ass nigga.”

Chapter 9

MJ

The ache in my neck was the first thing I noticed when I woke up. I shifted slightly, trying to find a more comfortable position before opening my eyes and realizing I was still downstairs on the couch. Morning sunlight was coming through the windows, and Penelope was curled against my side with her head resting on my chest. Her glasses were folded neatly on the coffee table beside our phones, and a throw blanket covered the bottom half of us.

I couldn’t remember when either of us had fallen asleep. The last thing I remembered clearly was lying there with my head against her while she ran her fingers through my hair. I had told her about Pops and what the doctors said about him having to learn how to walk again, and somewhere after that, exhaustion must’ve finally caught up with me. For a few seconds after waking, my mind had been clear. Then everything from yesterday came rushing back, and I stared toward the ceiling while that familiar heaviness settled over me again. Pops was in the hospital.

The thought didn’t hit as hard as it had yesterday because now, I could follow it with something better. He was alive. He had made it through surgery, and I had gotten to see him awake before I left the hospital. For now, that had to be enough. I looked down when Penelope moved slightly against me. She didn’t wake. She only tucked her hand closer beneath her cheek and settled again. Seeing her there made me smile a little. I had sent her six words and my location, and she had gotten in her car and come without asking me to explain anything first. Then, when she got here, she hadn’t tried to fix shit she couldn’t fix. She had simply stayed. I felt myself getting tender for her. Especially now more than ever. She had shown a nigga that she would be there for me, and I loved it.

Carefully, I eased myself from underneath her and stood. I stretched until some of the stiffness left my back. Penelope shifted into the space I’d left behind but remained asleep. I pulled the blanket higher over her before reaching for my phone. There weren’t any missed calls from the hospital. That was the first thing I checked. I took the silence as a good sign because if something had happened with Pops during the night, there was no way my phone would’ve been this quiet. Uncle Ty and Uncle Sha were there with him, and I’m sure that one of them would call Ma or me before the damn hospital did.

Movement from upstairs caught my attention, and I looked toward the staircase just as Ma appeared at the top. She looked a little better than she had when she came home, although that wasn’t saying much. Yesterday had worn her down in a way I had never seen before. When she finally made it to her room last night, I knew that she was taking a moment for herself because music played lightly from her room. This was a new day, and I hoped that it would be better for her than yesterday was. I looked as she slowly made her way down the staircase. She had changed clothes, and her hair was pulled back, but exhaustion still sat heavily on her face as she used one hand to support the bottom of her stomach as she wobbled down.

I walked toward the stairs and waited for her.

“You get some sleep?”

“A little,” she answered when she reached the bottom.

“You need more than a little.”

“I know, MJ.” She gave me a tired smile. “I’ll get some.”

Her eyes moved past me toward the living room, and I followed her gaze. Penelope had started waking up. She sat up slowly, reached for her glasses on the coffee table, and slipped them onto her face before looking around. The second her eyes landed on Mama, she straightened. I would’ve laughed had this been any other morning. Penelope had never met my family, and waking up on my parents’ couch to find my heavily pregnant mother standing there staring at her probably wasn’t how she imagined their first introduction happening.

I walked with Ma toward the couch as Penelope pushed the blanket aside and stood.

“Ma, this is Penelope.” I looked at Penelope. “Penelope, this my mama.”

Penelope pushed her glasses farther onto her nose.