Page 20 of Merc

While one hand covered his bleeding nose, the other grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his chest.

“Did you just fucking hit me?”

“You didn’t feel it? Maybe I need to do it again.”

Before I could smack him, Steven picked me up and started carrying me out of the living room, but the sound of the door behind kicked in caused him to set me down on my feet. At the sight of a limping man pointing a gun in our direction, my heart stopped beating.

Gatlin.

He’d been watching Rey’s home… waiting… and my ass had led him right to my home without Merc being here to protect me.

“I promise I won’t tell the police you shot Rey,” I told him, voice trembling as I lifted my shaking hands in surrender.

“You think I trust you?” Gatlin asked, taking a step in my direction. “No witnesses.”

My eyes closed as I pulled in a deep breath.

“Let’s talk about this,” Steven said, pulling me behind him.

I was surprised he was even trying to help me. It didn’t make me hate him even less. Nothing would be able to take away the anger and hurt over him cheating on me with his baby mama, not even him getting Gatlin to spare my life…

Chapter

Eleven

Merc

Anything between us was forbidden. Keeping Neo safe was my job. A job I took seriously and couldn’t allow lustful desires to cloud. Even with that logic swirling around in my mind, feelings for Neo planted themselves deeper and deeper in the center of my heart. It was taking everything inside of me not to tell her to break up with her nigga so she could know how it felt to be loved by a real one. I was truly at war with myself as I drove back home.

An incoming call pulled me out of my thoughts. At the sight of Rey’s number, I accepted the call and allowed it to connect to the Bluetooth in my car.

“You good?” I checked.

“I am, but Neo’s not.” Immediately, I made a U-turn and headed back in the direction of his mansion.

“What’s going on?”

“She took an Uber and left. Trent was at the door, and he said she was mumbling about her man playing in her face and how he had her fucked up. So I assume she’s going wherever he is.”

“Aight, let me get off the phone so I can track her down.”

Without waiting for him to agree, I ended the call. I figured she was going back home, but I checked her location to be sure. Sure enough, that’s where it looked like she was going.

What had he done to make her not only leave but leave without me?

That didn’t matter right now.

I just needed to get to her and make sure she was safe.

Now that we had Chico in our possession, Gatlin was going to show up sooner or later. I didn’t want her being in her feelings to lead her into a trap that he’d set up for her and to get his cousin back.

I didn’t think Neo realized just how serious this was, and maybe that was my and Rey’s fault. In our attempt to shield her from everything that was going on, neither of us told her that he was the head over a multi-million-dollar drug empire that his best friend and business partner was trying to get him out of.

It took me about thirteen minutes to get to Neo’s place, and as soon as I turned onto the street, I saw someone with a limp crossing her lawn. Accelerating my speed, I pulled my Glock from underneath the seat. By the time I crept into the house, Gatlin was saying, “No witnesses.”

“Let’s talk about this,” a man that I assumed to be Steven said, pulling Neo behind him.

Her eyes closed and body shook.

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