It took three days of muscle relaxers and Mercy fawning over me for my back to finally loosen up.
Three days I milked her undivided attention for all it was worth.
Even the kid hung out and showed me what was trending on Netflix.
Though it went unspoken, we needed that time together. Each of us knew Pita’s rescue could have gone a lot differently and had it, we wouldn’t be a family finding their way right now.
While that nightmare still rode me hard, the kid refused to leave Mercy’s side and for the first time ever, her one-liners were absent.
Now that I was mobile again, I was meeting Roger for lunch where I planned to make him an offer he won’t see coming. Or, maybe he would. Mercy and Pita were also having lunch but on the other side of town with Diane joining them.
Slapping me on the back, my best friend takes the seat across from mine and says, “You’re out, aren’t you?”
“Yeah, I’m out.”
“You’re not going to ask me how I knew?”
“Hadn’t planned on it, no.”
Smiling he eases back in his seat explaining, “It’s the same thought that crosses my mind every damn day, Dion.”
“So, we sell,” I shrug liking the idea.
“We sell,” he agrees. “How’s Mercy and the kid?”
“They’re good,” I smile proudly. “Real good.”
When my pocket buzzes, I pull it out laughing, “Speak of the devil.” Answering, I no sooner said hello that Pita was screaming, “She’s going to kill me!” and fuck me, there was real fear in his voice.
“Where are you?”
Squealing the address in my ear, Roger and I piled into my truck and hauled ass to their location. Based on the crowd surrounding them, the kid wasn’t kidding; she really was going to kill him.
Exiting the truck Roger asks, “Does this happen often?”
But I wasn’t able to answer because Pita barreled into me hanging on for dear life. With murder in her eyes, Mercy stomps up to us and bellows, “You want to make big boy choices, Pita? Then you don’t hide behind, Dion. Let him go and face me like a man.”
“Nope,” he insists clutching me tighter.
“Listen to her, kid,” I advise calmly.
“Not a fucking chance, old man,” he says planting himself by my side.
“I’d like to see what happens when he lets go,” Roger adds. “Come on, kid. She’s not going to kill you.”
“Oh yes I am,” Mercy huffs. “Hi Roger, how are you?”
“Hi Mercy, better than the kid.”
“What’d he do?” I ask her.
“Why don’t we let him share with the class?”
“I said I was sorry,” he whispers in shame.
“Pita here didn’t just poke his nose where it didn’t belong with Michael, he also decided to snoop around my old open cases file.”
“Fuck,” I groan glancing at the kid. “Why Pita?”
“I wanted to show her I could do it,” he says in a small voice.
“They weren’t closed for a reason, Pita!” she shrills. “They were too dangerous! Even I knew that! But no…you went behind my back and started asking questions. And even when shit started going south, you kept doing it!”
“Mercy, I said –”
“Not only that,” she continues. “When he got caught, he told these people he was working for me. Which explains the real bomb in my shop and the fake bomb strapped to my chest!”
“Shit,” I spat at Pita.
“Should have come clean, kid,” Roger whistles.
Grabbing Pita by the shirt, she gets in his face screaming, “They could have killed you!”
When the kid shrinks into me, I hold him steady to face her wrath. He earned it. “Had you been there…” she wails. “They blew the place thinking you were inside of it, Pita!”
“I wanted to tell you,” he whispers. “I even tried –”
The kid was shaking, she was a live wire and it was time for me to intervene.
Taking Pita by the neck, I level with him. “When a real man fucks up, he mans up. He does not lie, he does not hide. Own it, kid. Here and now, take a stand.” Facing her I add, “He knows he did wrong, he knows he disappointed you and broke your trust. He’s hurting, Mercy. Let him speak.”
“Fine,” she snaps. “So speak.”
The kid looks up at me for help and I gave him the nod to go for it.
He shocked Roger and I both when he broke away and launched himself at Mercy. Already twice her size, Pita took her in his arms and whimpered, “I just wanted to make you proud.”
Closing her eyes, she latches on promising him, “I’ve always been proud, Pita. You don’t put yourself in danger for anyone’s approval. Especially mine.”
“I’m sorry, Mercy,” he wails out and it wasn’t easy watching the kid fall apart.
“Hey,” she says looking up at him. “It’s done, it’s over. You’re safe, you learned your lesson. Okay?”
“Am I still yours and Dion’s?”
Hugging the kid’s middle, she vows, “No matter how big you fuck up, you’ll always be ours.”
“Superhero,” he grins big. “Told you.”
“Whatever,” she rolls her eyes.
“No one’s dying?” Roger jokes.
Pulling the two of them to me, I hold them close smiling at my best friend. “No one’s dying. The three of us have some living to do.”