Page 69 of His Noble Heart
“Baby,” was all he said before he lifted my hand to his mouth, kissing the back of it.
I welcomed his affection, but I was confused as to why my family was in my living room.
"What’s going on?”
“You don’t remember?” my father asked, who was standing behind me. He put his hands on my shoulder and squeezed.
“No.”
Everyone else stood in front of me with their arms folded across their chests, and the expressions on their faces didn’t give me any clues.
“What do you remember?” my father asked.
I ran down everything I remembered about the day with ease, up until I arrived home from the grocery store. For some reason, my heart rate increased, my hands began to sweat, and I felt anxious.
“Lani, what happened when you got home from the grocery store?” Ma pressed.
I squeezed Rowdy’s hand as the memory came flooding back at a rapid rate. I rambled off whatever came to mind, unsure if the order of events was correct because my thoughts were jumbled. I spoke slowly as I processed what had happened.
“I went to my trunk to get my groceries, and . . . Kenai was there. He said he’d been following me. He knows where Mama and Daddy live. He’s the one that slashed my tires because he wanted to come to my rescue. He shot Rowdy because he wanted him out of the way. He said if he can’t have me, no one will. When he reached behind him, I didn’t know if he had a gun. I shot him because I thought he was gonna kill me. I killed him before he could kill me.”
“You did,” Ma said.
“He had a gun. It was either you or him,” my father added.
“Taking someone’s life, regardless of the reason, is heavy. How do you feel about it?” Breeze asked.
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. I haven’t had time to process it. I know I don’t feel guilty because I remember warning him not to come near me.”
“That nigga got what he deserved. I just wish it would’ve been me who killed him instead,” Rowdy said.
“He’s lucky he didn’t have five bullets to his body because we were ready,” Raine commented.
“Yeah, Sis. We had your back,” Indira added.
“What did the police say? Do I have to go to the station to answer any questions?”
“Officer Downing and his partner agreed to come by tomorrow, but you have nothing to worry about,” Breeze assured me.
My eyes connected with my brother’s, and I still couldn’t read his expression, but he’d been quiet.
“Sonny, what’s on your mind?” I asked.
“A lot, Lani. I don’t know what I would’ve done if something had happened to you. You’re my first sibling, and I’ve spent almost my whole life protecting you. I feel like I failed you.”
I stood and went to my big brother. He took me in his arms, and we embraced as if we hadn’t seen each other in twenty years.
“Sonny, you didn’t fail me. You made sure I knew how to protect myself if you weren’t around. Don’t you remember how hesitant I was to get a gun and learn how to shoot? You wouldn’t take no for an answer and didn’t give me a choice.”
“I know, Lani, but?—”
“But nothing. I ain’t no punk because my big brother made sure of it. Don’t beat yourself up about it.”
He released me from our embrace but kept his hands on my shoulders and looked down at me.
“I’m proud of you, Lani. You didn’t panic and did what you had to do.”
“Thank you.”
