Chapter 7
Nodding his head as he rapped along with Jay-Z's Never Change, Mitch cruised down the expressway with Monroe heavy on his mental. One hand rested on the wheel, and the other he used to bring the kush-filled blunt to his lips. Smoke filled his car as the city lights blurred past him, but his focus stayed locked on the road ahead. The more he thought about how foul Macie had moved, the more it infuriated him. Macie had crossed a line that couldn’t be uncrossed.
He'd been sitting with the secret his father had passed on to him for a few days, waiting for the right time to tell Monroe.
However, there was nothing stopping him from lighting Macie's ass up. He knew the timing would never be right to drop the type of bomb that would permanently alter Monroe’s life.
Mitch knew that when all this shit hit the fan, Monroe would need answers, but at the moment, Macie needed consequences.
And tonight Mitch was in no mood to keep giving grace.
Keeping business secrets was one thing. Sacrifices came with the life they lived, but orchestrating the disappearance of Sienna and hiding his daughter from him for years–that shit was unforgivable.
By the time he’d pulled up to Macie's home, he was on one.
He'd noticed Able's personal car in her driveway when he got out of his car, and that alone irritated him.
He wasn't putting the talk he needed to have with Macie off for another day.
He rang the doorbell, then stepped back and waited.
"What's good, Mitch?" Able greeted nonchalantly as soon as he opened the door.
Mitch flicked the rest of the blunt he was smoking in the bushes before looking past Abel. "Where Macie at?" He dismissed, not one for small talk with peasants.
Instead of answering, Abel stepped back, giving Mitch space to come in.
"Abel. Who was that at the door? I-" Macie's words were cut short when her eyes locked with Mitch, standing in the foyer.
Mitch realized at this moment that she and Abel had been fucking for a while. They'd been able to disguise it with business for years, and they had everyone fooled. Mitch saw it all over her face before either of them could deny it.
The guilt.
The panic.
The humiliation.
Macie stood frozen in the hallway with nothing but a towel wrapped around her.
Clearly she’d just stepped out of the shower.
Mitch shook his head in disgust, while Macie stood in her shame.
She knew she'd been caught like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar, and she had no defense.
There was nothing she could say to clear it up.
"Get dressed and meet me in the conference room,” Mitch demanded coldly.
Abel scoffed."Nigga just got out and already tryna call fuckin' shots," he mumbled.
Mitch stopped mid-stride and turned around. "The fuck you just say nigga?" he sneered.
The energy in the room shifted instantly. Abel straightened up, pride and ego clouding his judgment.
"Man, I ain't got no rap. Only mu'fucka I answer to is Mac-"
Pop... Pop...
Mitch grabbed his tool so fast Abel didn't see it coming.
If it was one thing Mitch never played about, it was his respect.
No one ever got out of pocket with him and lived to tell the story.
He didn't give passes. Abel’s body slammed into the floor, and Mitch slowly placed his heat back into his waistband.
"What the fuck did you just do?!" Macie exclaimed, running out of her room, and down the stairs wearing tights and a tank top.
Mitch didn't respond, just stood there with a blank expression as the scene played out in front of him. Macie scrambled to Abel's side with tears streaming down her face.
"No, no, no... Abel, you're okay," she spoke with a shaky voice. "Stay with me," She coached as Abel struggled to breathe. "You're okay. Just breathe," Macie said as blood quickly spread beneath him.
She grabbed his face with trembling hands until Abel took his last breath in her arms. Macie wept as she closed his eyes with two fingers. "What have you done? Why did you have to kill him?" Macie questioned, struggling to gain her composure.
"Nah, fuck that, and them fake ass tears falling from your eyes," Mitch spat.
"The real question here is why the fuck you been lyin' to Monroe about Sienna and his daughter for the last twelve fuckin' years?
" Mitch shot with venom dripping from his tone.
"You up here putting on a gotdamn show like you really give a damn about any mu'fucka besides your fuckin' self. "
Macie used the back of her hand to wipe her face, but didn't say a word.
"How many tears did you cry when your son almost lost his mind because you were too fuckin' selfish and jealous to let him love another woman besides you?" Mich snapped.
Macie looked up slowly but still didn't speak. She couldn't speak because once again she'd been caught in her bullshit and couldn't wiggle out of it. She’d been exposed.
"How the hell do you know that?" Macie managed to ask.
Mitch laughed dauntingly. "Oh, you thought yo' little secret was safe 'cause I just shot the only mu'fucka who knew?
" Mitch shook his head. "Pops may have been old, but he kept ya little secret for the sake of our empire.” He paused, stepping closer.
“That shit is dead. I'm home now. All the control you once had is now revoked," Mitch scalded.
"Me and Monroe got it from here. So don't try drawing this shit out yo'.
I promise you won't come out on top this time," Mitch said, walking past her.
"Trifflin' ass lady. Clean this shit up," he said, walking out the door, leaving Macie in the pool of Abel's blood.
Macie never thought the day would come when her world would shift the way it had.
She broke down because she no longer held the winning hand.
It wasn’t until the wetness of Abel’s blood registered with her heart that she realized she’d fallin’ in love with him.
He’d served under her for years. They’d made love more times than she could count, but no matter how many times he’d begged her for more, she never allowed herself to commit.
She’d tricked herself into believing it was because of her loyalty to her late husband, when the real truth was her soul had been tied to Abel for the last nine years.
Two days had passed since Promise had last seen Monroe, and while she understood the life he lived demanded his attention, she still missed her man like crazy.
They exchanged a few brief texts, but it was nothing like Monroe's presence in her space.
Promise had become accustomed to sleeping tangled in him, hearing his voice throughout her day, and feeling his hands on her body just because he needed contact with her, so the sudden distance felt loud.
It was one of those days where all she wanted to do was come home, drink wine, soak in the tub, then get some much-needed dick. Life had been moving fast since relocating to New York, but she loved it there. Loved being closer to her man.
Reaching forward, Promise unstopped the jacuzzi before blowing out the candles she’d lit around the tub one by one to help her relax.
The scent of vanilla and amber still clung to the air as she stepped out, wrapped a towel around herself, and made her way out of the ensuite.
Her skin glistened beneath the soft lighting of the bedroom while she moisturized herself slowly, then sprayed Baccarat Rouge 540 all over her body.
She’d picked out a silk short set to wear, but opted out when her eyes fell on Monroe’s t-shirt that was folded on the chair beside her dresser.
Even when he wasn’t physically there, traces of him still found ways to comfort her.
Chris Brown’s newest album flowed softly through the speakers as Promise climbed onto her bed and reached for the journal resting on her nightstand.
Writing had always centered her. It was one of the few places where she could be completely honest without interruption.
But before she could get more than a few words down, her phone rang, interrupting the vibe.
An infectious smile touched her lips when she saw her mother’s face flashing across her phone screen.
"Hey, my queen," Promise answered, with a joy that traveled through the line and warmed her mother's heart.
"Hey, love bug. I've been missing you girl," her mom replied warmly. "I see you up there living the life you were born to live, huh?" Her mom said, referencing more than the material things Promise had.
"Absolutely. I know you and daddy wouldn't have it any other way," Promise replied, scooting back further, propping her feet beneath her.
"So how's Monroe doing, and how you like your new job up there?" Her mom inquired.
"He's doing good, and the job isn't bad at all. My program filled up in no time, so I have my work cut out for me," Promise answered, then yawned in her mother's ear.
"Well, that’s a blessing,” her mother said, laughing softly. “I'm not going to hold you long. I really just wanted to hear your voice, and make sure you good out there. I saw that live the other night on TikTok. You and Monroe were the center of attention."
Promise shook her head and laughed. "Mama, now you know Monroe and I be in our own world. People just happen to love watching us. Our focus is always each other," she explained.
"Oh, you ain't gotta tell me. I know love when I see it.
That type of love can build you up and make you feel like you're floating on top of the world, but that same love can bring you to your knees," Her mom schooled.
"Just make sure you love yourself more. If you do that...
no matter what, you'll always be alright. "
"I hear you, mama. Thank you for loving me, and always taking time to pour into me. I appreciate you more than you'll ever know," Promise told her mother honestly. "You ain't never gotta thank me for doing what I'm supposed to do. You gone always be my baby. I don't care how old you get."