Page 14 of His Noble Heart
“Nah. Not right now. You just told me my name is being mentioned in connection with some shit that could put me andmy family in danger with some dangerous people. I don’t want to put them at risk.”
“Did you take Zelle’s money?”
“I just told you I didn’t. Zelle drives around town like he’s really that nigga when he’s actually one of the lowest on the totem pole. The money that was stolen probably belongs to whoever he reports to, which is why he’s so pressed to find out who took it. He’s in hot water and doesn’t want to take the blame for being a piss poor ass drug dealer.”
“You might have a point. Do you think you’ll come back to Savannah?”
“Maybe for the block party. I left one of my neighbors in charge just in case I don’t make it back. If I do, you’ll be the first to know.”
Myra sounded genuinely sad and worried when our call ended, but I didn’t trust her enough to tell her the truth.
Summer wentby way too fast, and the first official day of school was in one week. We had a week of institute days, and today was the first day. I was in literal hell. I hated every moment of it and dreaded the fact that we had four more days to sit through the bullshit.
When the day ended, most of the staff stuck around to get their offices or classrooms ready, but I almost sprinted from the building. Yazmeen thought it was hilarious, but the only thing on my mind was going to bed, not just for a nap, but for the night. My car was damn near on two wheels when I pulled out of the staff parking lot.
Unfortunately, I’d only gotten a few miles away from the school before something felt off. My car began to feel a littlelopsided and sounded strange. I pulled over to the side of the road and cut the engine.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a busy road, so I got out and slowly walked the perimeter of my car. When I got to the passenger side, both the front and rear tires were flat.
“What the hell?”
I was immediately annoyed. It was hot, I was tired, and flat tires were the last thing I felt like dealing with. I opened the front passenger side door and retrieved my phone from the cup holder. I called my father, and he answered right away.
“What’s up, baby girl?”
“Hey, Daddy. I’m stranded on the side of the road with two flat tires.”
“Oh shit. I can’t help you, Lani. Did you forget I’m out of town for work?”
My father worked as a construction manager and sometimes oversaw projects in other cities.
“Oh no. I forgot. I’ll call Sonny.”
“Keep me posted and let me know when you're home safe.”
“Okay, Daddy. Love you.”
“Love you too, baby girl.”
I quickly ended the call and went to my brother’s contact. The phone rang several times before he answered.
“Wassup, Lani? I’m kind of in the middle of something.”
“I’m stuck on the side of the road with two flat tires.”
“Shit! Umm, damn. Let me call a tow truck for you. We had a pipe burst at the spa and?—”
“Oh no! You go ahead and take care of that. I can call a tow truck myself.”
“Hold on. I can’t leave you hanging like that. Did you call Jacob?”
“Yeah. Daddy’s out of town for business. It’s fine. You and the rest of the guys take care of that. I’ll call a tow truck . . . Hold on. There’s one pulling up behind me now. I’ll keep you posted.”
“Wait a minute, Lani. Don’t hang up until I know if it’s legit.”
“Sonny, I’m sure he’s legit. Plus, I always got that thang on me.” I stepped away from my car to read the side of the tow truck. “The side of the truck says,Noble Towing & Auto Repair. I’m sure he’s legit.”
“Okay. That’s the shop on 31stStreet. They’re legit, but still keep me posted.”
