27. The Thing About Marcy
Chapter twenty-seven
The Thing About Marcy
Moni
There were only a few times in my life when Marcy had been mad at me.
Any other time, he was usually the very picture of calm and control—a gentleman through and through.
One of those times was when I decided to walk home alone late at night from a club in the South. I’d been annoyed with my old female friends who decided they wanted to head off to some guys’ apartment and they had the nerve to not even want to drop me off.
Keep in mind that the club was barely five blocks away.
Anyway, I hurried to my aunt’s house with mace in one hand and my phone in the other.
Marcy had scolded me gently but firmly, reminding me of the dangers I could have faced in the South.
Even more, he was pissed I didn’t call him to pick me up.
But it had been the anniversary of his mother’s death and I knew he’d be somewhere crouched in a dark corner and wiping his tears.
Another time in the South, I’d gone to confront a group of guys who had been harassing my sister, Jo, calling her a dyke and throwing all sorts of vile slurs her way.
The memory of that day still burned in my mind.
They were standing on the corner, laughing and jeering at her as she walked by, completely minding her own business.
“Freak!”
“Why don’t you act like a real woman for once? Out here walking like a man.”
“Maybe you just haven’t had the right man yet.”
She’d played it off and rushed into the house.
I grabbed a bat from my aunt’s garage and stormed out to deal with their raggedy asses.
No one was going to talk to my sister like that.
Jo could be whoever she wanted to be, and I wasn’t about to let anyone make her feel less than the incredible person she was.
When I reached them, I didn’t hesitate. I swung the bat at one of their heads.
I missed and they had laughed for a few seconds. . . then Marcy appeared out of nowhere.
And all that ha ha shit ended.
Pure terror covered their faces.
A few even backed up.
That day, Marcy took them all by himself.
I just stayed out of the fucking way.
It was madness!
Marcy broke one man’s arm with a single punch and the sickening crunch of bone echoed in my ears.
And all the blood that had splattered on the sidewalk that day. . .it kept me up the rest of the night.
But it was the next day that would be the true horror because boy was Marcy mad at me for even going out there by myself with the bat.
We must have argued about it the rest of the day. His eyes had blazed with rage as he towered over me, listing out all of the things that could have happened. “What if they had a gun?! What if they had a knife?!”
All I could do was stand back and listen, waiting for the moment when he finally calmed down.
Marcy had this thing inside his heart—a burning fury that was triggered whenever a woman was hurt.
He’d seen his mother beaten a lot as a kid and those memories haunted him.
Fueled a rage that always simmered just below the surface.
What sort of madness went through his tiny head when he hid in the shadows, powerless to stop his father as he punched and slapped, kicked and choked the living hell out of his mother?
What did it do to Marcy?
Perhaps, that helplessness had shaped him.
All I knew was that the moment Marcy hit puberty, he was working out in the gym like his life depended on it.
This meant that as kids, he was always bigger than anyone else, always towering, always needing to be the largest person in the room.
And it wasn’t just about size; it was about strength, control, and the power to protect.
Marcelo wasn’t a bully. He didn’t fight just anyone for the sake of it.
But mess with a woman right in front of him and there emerged a violent beast.
A monster.
A man twisted from the cruelest nightmares.
Now, as I looked down at the phone on the window sill, I knew I was about to face that same ferocity. “Marcy. . .I’m fine. . .really.”
“I let this get out of hand.”
“ You can’t let anything happen because I am in control of this situation.”
“Has Lei hurt you?”
“No.”
“Not one fucking finger has touched your body?”
“Not to hurt me.”
“But he has touched you?”
“Marcy, what are you asking?”
“Are you safe?”
“The safest I’ve ever been in my entire life.”
“I’ve kept you safe too—”
“Of course you have. I’m just saying that if anyone in the East even dreamed about hitting me, they would wake up to find a crowd of Four Aces in their bedroom ready to beat their ass.”
“Where are you? I’m coming over to talk to you right now—”
“No, you’re not because I will see you tomorrow—”
“I want to see you now and make sure you’re okay.”
“So. . .what you’re saying to me, Marcy, is that you don’t trust me ? I’m a liar?”
I knew that would make him go silent.
For a moment, the other end of the line was as quiet as a grave.
Then, I heard him take a deep breath and let it out slowly. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, MoMo. I don’t trust the Four Aces.”
“I’ve gathered that, but if Banks can calm down after talking to me and start planning a damn cook out, then you must see that everything is fine.”
“I worry about you.”
I grinned. “I worry about you too.”
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not sure about that. From what I’ve learned you’re apparently the leader of a gang called Rowe Street Mob—”
“We’re not talking about me—”
“We should. Banks and you have some nerve talking about my needing to be careful. Meanwhile, you both are running a whole illegal operation—”
“Not all of it is illegal and I’m making plans to get us legitimate. It will just be some years—”
“Hopefully, you all don’t get yourselves killed while it’s happening—”
“My plan is airtight.”
“What is it?”
“Very smart, MoMo. You think the topic is on me? It is not.”
“I do want to know your plan eventually. Do you know why, Marcy?”
“Why?”
“Because you always put so much weight on your shoulders to protect everyone around you and most of the time you forget that you need the same protection.”
“You want to come over here and protect me?” His voice went to that flirtatious tone. “Come on. I’ll send a car to the East. Tell your Mountain Master to open the gates.”
“The gates are open.”
“No. They closed after Leo left and your little press conference finished. Believe me. I checked.”
I frowned. “You and Banks would be surprised that I can actually handle myself.”
“I know you can, but that doesn’t mean I can just stop worrying about you.”
“I’m safe.”
“I have three luxury condo buildings in the South.”
“O-kay.”
“Pick one, and I can move your sisters and you into a huge condo by the end of the day. No rent and all of them are already furnished. Let me send someone to pick you up—”
“I have a home now—”
“You have a deal with the devil. I’ve known Lei longer than you. When Chanel was alive, he stalked her.”
I tensed.
“He used to stand outside of her bedroom window every fucking night, even after she was married.”
“Did she tell him to stop?”
“That’s not the point.”
“According to Lei’s father, Leo, Chanel wanted to keep her power over him—”
“Now we’re blaming the victim—”
“Do you really think she was a victim in that situation?” I raised my eyebrows. “And I’m really asking because. . .I only know the East’s side in this situation. What are your thoughts?”
Marcy sighed. “No. I don’t think Chanel was a victim, but I still think Lei was a fucking psychotic creep for stalking her and let’s not forget the fact that he kept her body and did dirty things to it.”
“He didn’t do anything to her body—”
“That’s what he told you—”
“I know Lei well enough to know that he wouldn’t.”
“You just fucking met him. Did he tell you that he has a harem?”
“Marcy, I met the harem—”
“Pick any condo from my buildings—”
“I already have a house—”
“Because you’re his Mountain Mistress? Speaking of that, he overstepped and violated all Syndicate rules—”
“Marcy. . .please. . .just chill a little bit.”
“MoMo.”
“Please.”
He lowered his voice. “You know how I feel about you. . .I stopped dating you. . .I. . .left you alone because. . .”
I blinked.
“I left you alone because. . .I didn’t think I was good enough for you.”
I parted my lips.
“You were heading off to college on scholarship. I was a fucking high school dropout thug on Rowe Street, selling dope to addicts and trying to figure out a way to get my crew off the corners. You were too good for me.”
Warmth hit my heart. “Marcy. . .”
“I didn’t leave you alone so you could. . .”
Fuck.
Marcy continued, “You wasn’t supposed to end up with anybody like Lei. Another thug. A fucking killer. Do you understand me?”
“Yes, but—”
“A banker.”
“What?”
“A banker or lawyer. You were supposed to be with a man that wore a suit to work and carried a fucking brief case.”
I shrugged. “Lei wears suits.”
“You think this is funny?”
“No. . .I’m just saying. . .” I picked up the phone from the window sill. “Marcy. . .I love Lei. It is what it is whether you approve or not.”
“You don’t even know him.”
“I love what I know.”
“And if he breaks your heart? If he fucking disrespects and hurts you?”
I gave the phone a weak smile. “Then. . .you have my permission to beat him up for me. . .call me crazy. . .but I don’t think Lei will hurt me.”
Another moment of silence fell over us.
Then, he spoke, and now his voice was so soft and sad that it almost broke my heart. “Promise me that if you ever feel in danger or if anyone ever tries to hurt you, you’ll call me immediately.”
“I will.”
“I need you to really call me.”
“I swear, Marcy.”
“I’ve been losing sleep.”
I widened my eyes. “Don’t lose sleep. I’m fine.”
“He hasn’t hit you?”
“God no.”
“You don’t feel like you’re being trapped in the East?”
“No.”
“He won’t let you leave. You understand that?”
“Marcy, I can leave the East whenever I want to.”
I just have to teach Lei that fact.
Marcy sighed. “Fine. Then, I’ll be in the East tomorrow for the cookout.”
I frowned. “There is no cookout. Banks is just being ridiculous.”
“Gunner already left to get kegs, so. . .there’s definitely a cookout happening.”
“Jesus Christ.”
“Lei will need to understand that if he truly wants you in the East, then he’ll have to be comfortable with Rowe Street Mob being in the East too. In fact, this will be the first of many cookouts where a lot of green will be present.”
“This is still my house.”
“I’m coming to visit every week until I start to feel comfortable with your being there.”
“Fine. I’ll let Lei know to have some special pass at the gates or whatever.”
“Good and if I ever see a mark on your face or—”
“No one is going to be hitting me—”
“Better not.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow for the. . .fucking cookout.” I rolled my eyes. “And keep in mind that Banks, you, and the rest of Rowe Street Mob will be on your best behavior with the Four Aces.”
“ They better be on their best behavior too.”
“They will.” Holding the phone close, I turned around and the sight before me, shocked me to my core.
Lei stood there and his expression was a storm of anger. Darkness blazed in his gaze. His jaw was clenched and every muscle in his body seemed tense as if he were barely restraining himself.
It was clear he had heard a good bit of the conversation I had just had with Marcy.
Shit.
Meanwhile, Marcy spoke on the phone, “See you tomorrow.”
Lei’s gaze immediately shifted to the device in my hand, his eyes narrowing as if he could dive into it and kick Marcy’s ass.
I swallowed. “Uh. . .okay, Marcy.”
“I love you, MoMo.”
Oh my God.
So taken aback, I just hung up the phone.