Page 33 of Merci

“Are you fuckingcrazy? You betnotpull that shit out in here.”

“He bet not pull it out at all,” Cujo warned.

“Okay, no. We’re not doing this,” Ariel decided, tugging Neptune away while Heir pleaded with Marz to leave.

“Nah. You think I’ma wait around for these niggas to try and kill my daddy or hurt my sister in the process?” Marz argued.

“Hammer would never hurt me,” I reasoned, stepping in front of him. I felt like that was the only way I’d be able to keep my brothers from shooting.

Neptune sucked his teeth as he reached for his gun. “Nah, I’m on that. I’on trust this nigga at all, big sis. I ain’t finna wait around for him to show you what he really on.”

When Hammer laughed behind me, I knew I had to get them separated.

“Let’s just go. Please.” I grabbed Marz’s hand and tried to pull him away. “Please, big brother. Let’s go.”

“I ain’t finna leave no threat alive.”

“He’s not a threat,” I said with tears streaming down my cheeks, finally understanding why Hammer didn’t want me to know who his family was. “Just leave, for me. Please.”

Marz’s nostrils flared as he looked down at me. “Aight, but you ain’t seeing this nigga again.”

“Okay,” I agreed, just to get him to leave.

He damn near yanked me out of the bowling alley, but I was just glad he left. Marz made Heir drive my car so I could ride with him, and he went on and on about how stupid it was for me to let an enemy come into my life to get to Daddy. For a brief moment, I felt guilty as hell. All I could think about was, what if Hammer really had played me and was waiting for me to put him in the same room as my father?

Then I thought about the scars on his back.

And I thought about how unwilling Hammer was to tell me about his family.

And it didn’t make sense.

It didn’t make sense for him to use me to try and get to my father.

But did it make sense for him to hate his enough to love the daughter of the man who killed him?

I wassoconfused.

By the time we made it to my parents’ house, my head was killing me. The last thing I wanted to do was hear my daddy’s mouth, but I knew that was exactly what I was in for when we pulled into the driveway, and I saw him waiting on the porch.

“Really, Marz?” I damn near yelled, crossing my arms over my chest. “I’m not trying to hear his mouth right now. Why you bring me here?”

“You ain’t got no choice. You literally been sleeping with the enemy, and you thought I wasn’t going to tell him that?”

“Take me home!”

“Nah. That nigga know where you lay your head, don’t he? I’on trust him with you. You either staying here, or you going to my place.”

Growling, I opened the door and slammed it behind me before storming up the walkway.

“Not now, Daddy,” I muttered, trying to walk past him, but he grabbed my arm and kept me from going past the entryway.

“You know that’s not how this works, Merci. Tell me what the hell is going on.”

“Nothing is going on,” I seethed quietly as my body shook. “Marz and Neptune are overreacting.”

“Then Hammer isn’t Gatlin’s son?”

“Well, yes, but?—”