I was a nervous wreck.
After a lot of alcohol and some minor soul searching, I came to the decision that Dion was at least partially right.
But that didn’t mean telling Pita he couldn’t tag along anymore was going to be easy. I knew full well I was about to break my promise and the kid’s fragile heart.
Right along with my own.
He was the partner I never knew I wanted and oddly enough, needed.
The kid had a way of balancing me out. Kept me from going too far. Because if he was there, his safety was my top priority, not getting paid.
Sure, I only brought him out on jobs with little to no risk but, I only needed to watch one new video to see he had followed me and filmed me from a distance without permission. For two fucking years! And while I admire his tenacity, the fact is, he could have been hurt. I couldn’t bare for him to be hurt. This kid has never had much. It would be easy to give him all the things he’s never had. But life wasn’t about easy. It was about lessons.
Fuck, it was about making mistakes, learning from them and becoming a semi-functioning grown up…
Pacing my office, I nearly screamed when I turned to find Pita lounging on the sofa. “Hey, boss,” he says casually. “What’s got you fired up?”
“About that,” I say jumping up on my desk. “You have me fired up, Pita. You haven’t taken the videos down as I requested.”
“I’ve been busy,” he hedges.
“Busy filming without me knowing!”
“Shit,” he mumbles staring at his lap. “You figured it out.”
“I didn’t know you were there! You could have been hurt!”
“But I wasn’t.”
“What were you thinking?”
Closing his eyes, I watched his face soften and when he says, “I was thinking it’s a shame they don’t make comic books about you. I was thinking that you’re my real-life superhero and the world should know you exist,” I nearly cried.
“Pita…”
“Who knows I exist, Mercy? You, my boss, and a couple of buddies. The only one who would give a shit if something happened to me is about to tell me she wants me gone. Just like everyone else in my life. You’re right though, I am a pain in the ass…”
“I don’t want you gone,” I rush out. “I want to hire you. Full time.”
“You do?” he asks scratching his head. “What for? I already handle all your web stuff and I do it for free.”
Think Mercy, think! Oh! “Research and screening.”
“Did you just make that up?”
“No, it’s a real thing.” I lie. “I’m busy in the field and know for a fact, I lose jobs because I don’t have time to screen the caller. If I’m considering a job it requires research and when I’m slammed, I tend to overlook things I shouldn’t.”
“So, you want to hire me for background work?”
“Yes.”
“That I could do anywhere? But you want me to do it here and you’ll pay me?”
“Uh huh.”
I could see his wheels turning and when he asked, “Will you hook me up with Ember?”
“No,” was my answer.
“Will you take me out in the field at least once a month?”
“Maybe.”
“Will you teach me some moves every Thursday?”
“Why Thursday?”
“Preps me for the weekend.”
“That’s reasonable,” I admit. “So yes.”
“One last thing,” he says eyeing me. “How much does it pay?”
“How much did the liquor store pay?”
“Minimum wage which equals shit.”
“I’ll double it.”
Blinking at me, he takes one step toward me, then another until he was towering over me. The kid really had no idea how big he was. The day he did, look out…
“You mean that?”
“Didn’t I just say it?”
And then I was off the floor because Pita was swinging me in a circle.
I’d never admit it out loud, but Pita was a great hugger. He used just the right amount of strength and body coverage. When he hugged you, he did it with everything he had.
“Hey kid,” Ember says from the door. “Did you grow?”
“Six inches since you walked in,” he winks causing Ember to laugh and me to slap him upside the head.
“Ow,” he says pouting. “You’re way too strong for a midget.”
“I am not a midget,” I argue. “I’m compact.”
“Freakishly strong too.”
“I see our first lesson on Thursday is about respecting women.”
“Ember brings out the man in me,” he smirks again. “Believe me, I totally respect that.”
“Ember would have you sucking your thumb in a corner.”
“Sounds hot.”
“You start tomorrow,” I couldn’t help but grin. The kid was funny.
“Mercy?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks for… just thanks.”
I was feeling emotional when Pita was walking out and Dion walked in. Giving each other the mandatory man hug, Pita tells him he’s now officially a P.I.T.A and he’s on payroll. Congratulating him, he enters my office closing the door behind him. His eyes on me may have had my stomach fluttering but fuck if I was telling him that.
Avoiding his gaze, I ask, “What’s minimum wage in Michigan?”
“A little less than nine bucks an hour.”
“Fuck,” I groan to the ceiling then shriek, “Pita!”
Yelling from the front of the store he says, “No take backs! See you tomorrow, Boss!”
“We’re enabling him,” Ember shouts.
“I am such a sucker!” I groan hiding my face in my hands.
“How much are you paying him?” Dion asks stepping fully into my office.
“Uh almost eighteen dollars an hour.”
“To make you proud, that kid’ll earn it.”
Looking up at Dion, taking in how perfectly made he was to wear suits, I need to know, “What are you doing here?”
“Gave you space,” he says crowding me which was the complete opposite of giving me space. “Even gave you time to come to me. My patience ends now.”
“Does it? Because you ordered it, it will be done?”
“Test me, Mercy.”
“What the fuck, Dion?” At his silence I repeat, “Seriously, what the fuck?”
“I made a mistake,” he whispers against my cheek. “I came back to fix it.”
“It means a lot to me that you’d even try,” I say sincerely. “But I won’t quit my job, Dion.”
“I understand that,” he says kissing my neck. “Which is why I’ll be working with you.”
“Last time I checked, you have a den to run. Oh, and you have no credentials or training. So, you can’t just work with me because you’re not licensed.”
“So, I’ll get training. And the den is covered, I stop in to check on things once a month, if that. You need to know that I stayed because of you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, really,” he smiles. “And I don’t need the badge, I’m fine being your apprentice. Like the kid is.”
“Uh,” I sputter because shit, he had me there.
“I want an ear piece, every type of communication device my money can buy, a bullet proof vest, taser, and night vision goggles.”
“Anything else?”
“Oh, was there something you wanted?”
“Dion, it won’t work –”
“Calendar’s open, Mercy, when do I start?”
“What was the mistake you came to fix?” I ask. “Be specific.”
“I had no right throwing the kid in your face like that. You would fight an army for him and I let my worry for you overshadow your worry for him. I knew by the look on your face, I made you doubt yourself and for that, I’m sorry.”
“You walked away,” I whisper.
“Mercy, fuck— I’m even sorrier for that. But, I came back.”
And that’s when I saw red. “Don’t ever use Mercy and Fuck back to back.”
“What?”
“I mean it, Dion. That’s a relationship ruiner for me. I stalk the author and five star all of her books, especially that one but I’m no statistic.”
“You lost me…”
“It happens,” I shrug. “But for the sake of argument, Mercy Fuck is a romance book where the heroine overhears –”
“Did you hear the part where I said I came back? For you.”
“Dion, come on. You can’t just walk in here –”
“Still going to test me?”
“Would you listen –”
“Decide.”
“Shh, I’m thinking.”
“Can you think over here in my arms?” he challenges widening his stance.
With a smirk on my face, I dramatically stomp over to him throwing myself into his embrace.
Running my hands up and down his back I ask, “Dion?”
“Hmm?”
“If we’re going to be partners, we’ll need to discuss your wardrobe.”
“What’s wrong with my suit?” he asks affronted. “I look very professional.”
“Actually,” I say biting my lip. “You look like a pimp.”
And with that, he scooped me up, laughing all the way over to my sofa where he proceeded to kiss the hell out of me.