Page 8 of Property of Mercy
She's cut off by the ringing of her phone.Reaching into her back pocket, she pulls out what looks to be the newest iPhone.She looks at it and rolls her eyes before placing it to her ear.
“You haven’t been gone ten minutes.I haven’t left my room.”She looks over at me, making a face.
She stops and listens to whoever I can hear barking at her on the phone.I turn to leave when her next set of words make me pause.
“Yes, my roommate is here,” she pauses.“Absolutely not,” she snaps.“You are not talking to her.I will not bend on this.No, I … please don’t do this.”
“Yes, I want to stay here.”Jenny’s head drops back on her shoulders, looking at the ceiling.“Yes, I promised.Fine, I’ll tell her—but if she says no, I don’t control her, and this isn’t your world.”
Whatever the man on the other end says makes Jenny sigh in what can only be described as pure disappointment.I take a couple of steps back from her, not liking where this is going.
The apologetic look on her face is beyond concerning.She pulls the phone from her ear, hitting something on the screen.
“I know we don’t know each other, but my brother wants to talk to you.”Her pleading eyes shake my resolve.
“I can’t.I don’t know you and I don’t know him.”I shake my head back-and-forth.“Why in the hell would he want to talk to me?”I snap, my weariness making me short.
“If you don’t talk to him, he’ll just show up and corner you.This is going to be better for the both of us,” she tells me, looking nervous.
I don’t know why I do it or what comes over my body, but I reach out and take the phone.I click the unmute button and place it to my ear.Before I can say hello a voice dripping in danger, frustration, and anger assaults me.
“I swear to fucking God, Jenny, if you don’t do what I’ve fucking said the last thing you’ll be doing is going to that fucking school,” The man sounds as if he smokes a pack a day and drinks a bottle of whiskey at breakfast.
“I don’t think that’s how you should be speaking to someone,” is what falls out of my mouth.
The tirade stops at the sound of my voice.I hear the man inhale deeply.
“It’s a good motherfucking thing that your opinion doesn’t matter.That’s my fucking baby sister and I’ll talk to her however I damn well please,” he finally snaps defensively.
“I’m not her and I don’t have to fucking listen to it.So why don’t you tell me what this call is all about?”I sigh and rub my forehead, truly over this conversation and ready for a damn nap.
The chuckle he releases isn’t one of humor—more like a warning.“Straight to the fucking point.You are now responsible for her fucking protection.If a motherfucking thing happens to her on your watch, I’ll be coming for you.”
His words sendoff warning bells and the world starts to go black.
I am pulled back from the memories when my stomach rolls so hard I don’t even have time to stop it.I roll so my head is hanging over the side of the bed, once again letting whatever is fitting to escape out onto the floor.A low rumbling growl vibrates through my aching head, making my stomach roll once again.When nothing comes up with the dry heaving, I finally lay back on the bed.
“Fucking hell, that makes what?Round three of her puking on your boots?I think you might need to find a different pair,” another voice chuckles.
“Shut the fuck up, asshole.What the fuck is wrong with her?Is she going to fucking make it?”Fear shoots through my body as that voice wraps around and tries to strangle me.
The reminder that I failed that voice just like I have everyone else in my life.I whimper as fear sets its claws in, dragging me into nothingness.
5
MERCY
The gavel slams on the table when Hermes finally takes his seat at the table with his laptop in front of him.The sound of fingers drumming on the table makes me feel as if someone is trying to poke needles into my brain.I lean back in my chair, crossing my arms over my chest and glance at Blender, who is rubbing his hands up and down his legs, trying to rein in his mounting anger at the unnecessary noise.Looking around the table, I realize Blitz is drumming his fingers on the table, giving away the fact he has stuff going on.Blender’s hands ball into a tight fist, alerting me he’s about to lose it completely.
“Yo, Blitz, if you want to keep that hand attached, you might want to cut that shit out,” I bark at my brother.
His head snaps up, meeting my eyes.“Fuck you, Mercy.”
I arch an eyebrow in surprise as the mild-mannered man seems to fray at the edges.We don’t say anything for a long moment until Pres comes storming through the door with Raider hot on his heels, both wearing the same look of murder.
“How the fuck did we miss a motherfucking sex ring being run by the fucking Cartel on the edge of our fucking territory?I know for a goddamn fact that we have men patrolling that edge of the territory as it butts up to the motherfuckers,” Pres growls.
No one says a word.Pres takes his seat, his anger still coming off him in waves.I watch all the men, looking for any sign that someone knew something, but kept quiet.My eyes scan each man and realize Pres looks stressed, the lines around his eyes more prominent than normal.
