Chapter 5

Five

Merc

One phone callfrom Aries and I was knocked off my square. She called me talking about how much she loved spending time with Omar's family and loved how well they interacted with Marz. Then, she had the nerve to fix her mouth and say she wanted to move with him to Atlanta. I told her that was cool as long as she knew Marz was going to stay here with me, and she didn't agree. I was so caught up in going back and forth with her regarding where my little man would be staying that I wasn't paying attention. Because of that, I failed at my job to keep Rey safe.

I didn't want to take the job to begin with. Marz changed me. I wanted less dangerous jobs to avoid being taken away from him. The odds were already stacked against me as a Black man in Memphis. I didn't want to jeopardize my life even more, offering my services to the wrong people. Originally, I was going to decline Rey's request for protection. He was honest with me and told me his old best friend and business partner was trying to push him out of their business and threatened to do whatever it took to get Rey out of the way.

My OG, Supreme, asked me to work with Rey on his behalf, and that was the only reason I agreed. If I had it my way, I'd stop offering my services personally and train men and women on not just the physical part of protection, security, and enforcing, but the mental and emotional aspects of it as well. That was my goal—to be training and not offering my services personally—by the time Marz was old enough to understand what it was I actually did. Because I would never tell him that sometimes my job required me to take the lives of others.

I was grateful Neo noticed the men when she did. If she hadn't, they probably would've hit Rey more. Thankfully, he'd only taken one bullet to his side. The pain pills his doctor had him on knocked him out, but when he woke up, he asked to speak with me. I made my way into his bedroom, and the sight of him weakly lying in bed with an IV in his arm made me feel like shit. While I would never regret putting my son first, I shouldn't have answered Aries's call while I was out with Rey, unless it was for an emergency. That conversation could have waited, especially if she knew it was something that would frustrate me.

"Where's Neo?" he asked as I made my way over to his bed. He never wanted to go to a hospital for a situation like this, so I was glad his home was as large as it was. All of his guards were able to have their own space but still be near if he needed them. "Is she okay?"

"She's fine physically. She's upset that she has to be here, and she's confused about what's going on." I shrugged as I sat in the chair next to his bed by the nightstand. "Scared, I suppose."

"Have you told her anything about what's going on?"

My head shook. "It ain't my place to tell your business."

Rey chuckled, but it turned into a grimace. "I figured Bart would have his men following me, but I didn't think he'd have them shoot in broad daylight, especially with innocent bystanders around."

"Well, today has proven just how serious he is about getting you out of the way." I paused before adding, "Listen, I apologize for not being on top of things. After I checked the exits in the store, I should have stayed by your side."

"What was that about anyway?"

"My baby mama called, talking about moving my son to another state. I shouldn't have answered a personal call while I was guarding you."

"Did you handle them?"

"I got two. The last one was able to get away, but he was hit. I have my connects at all hospitals waiting for a gunshot victim that fits his description."

Rey nodded his agreement. "We need to secure that location. If the police know there was a shooting there, they are going to want know why, and I can't have them looking into my business to figure out why Bart would want me out of it. For all intents and purposes, we run a simple luxury bus and truck fleet company, and it needs to stay that way."

"I already have that taken care of. The scene has been cleaned, and Neo's security cameras have been cleared. I couldn't get the ones from surrounding businesses, but surprisingly, none of her neighbors even came out to see what was going on."

"That doesn't surprise me. I wonder what the hell she's doing in the heart of the hood anyway." He shifted, and discomfort covered his face. "Line the guards up and bring Neo in here for me. It's time I let her in on what's going on."

I did as he asked, holding back a smile at Neo's irritation. Her eyes rolled and nostrils flared as she passed me, bumping into me with her shoulder in the process.

"You mad?" I asked as she made her way down the hall like she knew where she was going.

"I've been trapped in that room for hours. Of course I'm mad."

"Look," I called softly, grabbing her wrist. Pulling her closer, I forced myself not to get lost in how beautiful she was. I'd been distracted enough for the day, and it almost cost her and Rey their lives. I couldn't afford to be distracted again. "I'm sorry, aight? I just… figured it was best to give you your space. That was a lot to take in."

"What the hell was that about, Merc? Those men could have killed him." She chuckled as her eyes watered, and she looked away. "They could've killed me." Her head hung. "You saved my life," she whispered.

"Yeah, but it shouldn't have even been on the line. That was my fault." Lifting her head by her chin, I made sure to tell her, "That will never happen again."

Swallowing back her emotion, her head bobbed softly. There was something about the softness and tears in her eyes that unnerved me. When it became too much, I took her by the hand and led her into Rey's room. The other five guards on the premises were already here. Two remained at both doors for safety reasons but would be updated after the meeting.

I made my way back to Rey's side since I was the head of his security, though I didn't feel like I even deserved to be at this point. True enough, there was no doubt in my mind I was the most lethal man in this room, but my personal affairs got the best of me today. Even though Rey seemed to understand, that was unacceptable.

"I am deeply regretful about bringing that violence to your store," Rey said to Neo as she avoided his eyes and twiddled her thumbs. It was clear she was uncomfortable. "Merc has assured me that your store has been taken care of, which is the good news."

She locked eyes with him as she asked, "And what's the bad news?"

"Unfortunately, you're now a target."

Scoffing, Neo clutched her chest. "Me? How am I a target?"

"Until the last shooter is found and taken care of, he can come back for you. He knows where to find you. You'll need to stay here until he's handled."

Neo chuckled, and her head shook as she lifted her hands. "I'm sorry, but no. You're cool, but I don't know anything about you. I'm not staying here."

"If you don't want to stay here, you can stay at a hotel or something, but you'll need to be guarded. Regardless, I'm not advising you go home or to your store until he's found. I'm truly sorry about this, Neo, but it's for your own good."

Her eyes lifted to the ceiling as she quietly talked to herself.

"You'll be protected," Rey assured her. "You won't have to stay here twenty-four-seven, but a guard will have to be with you when you leave. I'm not going to let anything happen to you, because you helped me."

"You promise I won't be trapped here?" she confirmed.

Rey nodded. "I do."

"Is it going to take a long time for him to be found? I don't want him ever coming back to my store, but I'm not trying to stay here for long."

"I can't give you a timeframe, but Merc's connections work pretty fast."

Swallowing hard, Neo looked from the line of large, expressionless men who stood behind her to me.

"Can it…" Her mouth shut and small hand trembled as she pointed at me. "Can I have him?"

Neo's request had me gritting my teeth as I fought back a smile. If I was a puppy waiting to be adopted, my tail would be wagging as I ran circles around her. I couldn't believe she trusted me with her life and safety after what happened. But the fact that she did had my heart expanding in size like the Grinch.

The fuck was this woman doing to me?