Page 6 of Merci

“Nah,” the lookalike said as the last of his chuckle faded out. His eyes locked with Hammer’s, and when he nodded, the lookalike said, “Cujo.”

Convinced at that point they were on total and complete bullshit, I just chuckled and shook my head.

“Yeah, okay. Well, thanks again, Hammer, and it was nice to meet you both,” I said, unlocking my car.

“Let me know when you make it home safely, Merci. Do not forget,” Hammer urged, opening the door for me.

“Yes, sir,” I agreed, though a part of me planned to delete his number right after.

We said our goodbyes, and I made my way through the crowded parking lot. Once we were on the expressway, I said, “All things considered, I hope you enjoyed yourself tonight.”

“I did, actually. Probably would have been in a sour mood if the brothers hadn’t come along, but I had a lot of fun until Geno ruined it.”

“Well, you know what my daddy would say.”

Her head bobbed slowly as we said together, “Be the thermostat and the thermometer,” before laughing. He always told us that to remind us not to let anything or anyone control our temperature—our emotions.

“Regardless of what happened with Geno, I’m glad you had a good time,” I said, “and I won’t try to move you too fast. If you want to wait longer, I understand. More than anything, I just want you to be happy.”

“I know, sis, and I really appreciate you for that. I honestly don’t know how long it’s going to take, but I appreciate you getting me out the house for a while.”

“Anything for you,” I reminded her before a comfortable silence found us.

The entire drive, my curiosity about Hammer stayed in the forefront of my mind. He and his brother were definitely nice to look at, but something about him told me to stay away. I never went against my intuition without paying the price for it, though, so as sexy as he was, and as curious as I was, I’d let him know I made it home safely and then delete his number. I had a feeling it would be better if I ended things with him before they could completely begin.

4

HAMMER

Even before my brother spoke, I felt his eyes on me. He didn’t have to speak; I already knew what was on his mind. It was his fault that Merci had even been in my line of vision. He’d had his eyes on Ariel all night but didn’t plan to approach. We both had the ability to appreciate a woman’s beauty without trying to fuck or claim her. There was something about Merci that made me want to do both, though. I’d made up in my mind to keep my distance for that very reason until I saw Geno approach Ariel.

He was always on some bullshit every time I was there. The more a woman rejected him, the harder he tried to get her. Cujo had stepped away to take a call, so I decided to step in myself. When I did, I wasn’t expecting to meet Merc’s daughter. Yeah. I knewexactlywho the fuck she was. Regardless of me deciding not to try and kill him, I was fully aware of every member of his family. I’d be a fool not to. Over the years, it became clear Merc had no intentions of going after anyone else in my family, but a part of the game was knowing everything you could about the opposition—whether they were a real threat or not.

“You playing a dangerous game,” Cujo admonished. “You know that, right?”

Shaking my head, I licked the Backwoods before rolling it. “Chill,” was all I said, not really wanting to hear his mouth. I listened to my brother when it came down to a lot of things, but about Merci, I didn’t want him saying anything to discourage me from going after her. Truthfully, I wasn’t even sure why I wanted to go after her. It felt too simple to say there was something about her, but that was the truth.

“Nah,youneed to chill. You need to put that shit on ice completely. There’s no way her pops will let her anywhere near you if he finds out who you are.”

Sucking my teeth, I lit the Backwoods with a shake of my head. “Merci isn’t going to tell her pops about me. Not any time soon at least. For one, she’s attached to someone else. And for two, she doesn’t even believe Hammer is my real name. Even if she did tell Merc, he probably wouldn’t remember me. What happened between him and Pops happened damn near thirty years ago.”

“Thirty seconds or thirty years—a kill is a kill,” Cujo reasoned. “Her father killed yours. Your grandfather too. You expect me to believe that don’t mean shit to you?”

A sigh escaped me before I hit the blunt. “What happened back then ain’t got shit to do with me and her. And you, of all people, should know how I feel towards Pops. Let’s not act like that mane was a saint. He was a tyrant. An abusive bully who would get drunk and beat his whole household until we were strong enough to fight his ass back. I didn’t like him. Barely loved him. I got my revenge on his behalf when I took Rey out. What more do you want from me?”

Cujo softened toward me. He leaned forward, voice quieter, and for a man like him, like us, his vulnerability popping out foranyoccasion was rare.

“I know what he did to us. I got the scars to prove it like you do. Hell, I got more from trying to protect you and Mama.”It was a sad truth that made us smile. Not because there was humor in the situation, but because of how young we were when we had to learn to protect ourselves and each other. “I’ll never deny that he was a monster. What I’m saying is, regardless of how he treated us, that was our father. If you can honestly tell me you can be with this woman, fall in love with her, and sit across from Merc at their family dinner table knowing he released our father’s spirit, I won’t bring it up again. If you can tell me you feel absolutely no loyalty toward our father, regardless of how he abused us, I’ll let you do ya thang.”

Our eyes remained locked for a while, but eventually, I was the first to look away. In this moment, I could tell myself that was the truth. That no one would ever understand the abuse Gatlin put his entire household through. That the hate, the anger, the evil that drove him used to drive us too. But not anymore. Now, I wanted nothing but peace, calm, and quiet in my life. I believed I could sit across from Merc and not want to kill him for taking my father’s spirit. Truthfully, when Pops died, it filled us with relief. We might have been hurt and angry that he’d been murdered, but the abuse stopped, so that was a win. Unfortunately, we traded one danger, one enemy, for several others when we started rampaging in the streets.

“I hear you. I do,” I assured him. “I have no beef with Merc and his family. Pops was a beast, and he knew how his life would end. I’m not saying that excuses what Merc did, but his death was a part of the game. Plus, the loyalty I had toward him is over. Like I said, I got my revenge. Pops can’t get shit else out of me, and I for damn sure won’t deny myself of something or someone I want because of him. He took enough from me. If I decide not to pursue her, it will be because we aren’t compatible, not because of you, them, or anyone else for that matter.”

With a huff, Cujo stood and walked toward the patio. “Aight, young one. Be careful. I saw the way you looked at her, and Iknow you gon’ fall in love. If you can’t make peace with the fact that you gon’ fall in love with the daughter of the man who killed your father, leave that girl alone.”

My phone vibrating with a text cut off my response. At the sight of Merci’s text, I smiled.

Merci: I’m home Mr. Hammer.