Mercy's Fight

by T L Gray

  “You ready to give it a round?” I asked, dropping to sit next to him.

  He shrugged but didn’t look at me. “I didn’t think I’d see you again.” The hurt in his voice was unmistakable.

  “Hey, my taking a few days off had nothing to do with you.” He shrugged again and I put my arm around his shoulders, squeezing to reassure him. It had taken several weeks, but we were finally at a point where he’d let me touch him. Not today, though. He practically leapt from the bench, fighting back tears.

  But it wasn’t anger on his face. No. It was pain, physical pain.

  “Marcus.” My voice was low, calm, despite the anger I could feel creeping up my legs. “Let me help you.”

  He shook his head no, still not saying a word.

  I whispered in his ear. “I can wrap you up so it doesn’t hurt so bad, okay? I won’t tell anyone. Just let me look at it.” With that level of pain, there was probably something broken, maybe even internal injuries, but I wouldn’t mention a hospital to him. Hospitals meant questions, and questions led to cops and social services. Like me, the kid had only seen the failures of the system. I understood.

  He finally spoke. “You won’t tell?”

  “You have my word.”

  He followed me to the backside of the bleachers.

  Once out of view, Marcus allowed me to lift his shirt, and my anger turned to all-out murderous rage. Despite Marcus’s light brown skin, I could see the ugly purple-and-green bruising that began at his armpit and moved across his left side, down past the waistband of his jeans. I recognized the pattern of the bruising. Someone had kicked him repeatedly while he lay on the ground trying to protect himself. The image enraged me more, but I kept my fury locked behind calm eyes.

  “When did it happen?”

  “Yesterday.”

  “At home?”

  “No, and don’t you go tellin’ anybody it did!” Marcus’s face said it all. The look of shock and outrage that I would even consider his aunt confirmed her innocence.

  “I would never do anything to get you taken from her, Marcus. I just want to know who’s doing this to you.”

  He shrugged, looking away. “Just some guys around the hood.”

  “Why?”

  “I don’t know, man! Are you gonna make it stop hurting or what?” His defensiveness told me he was lying, but I didn’t push.

  I very gently pressed on the swollen areas, watching Marcus wince in pain. “You definitely have a few broken ribs, but I don’t think there’s anything more serious. I’ll go to the gym and get some wraps. It’ll cut the pain a lot.”

  He nodded and I lowered his shirt, then stood. That’s when I saw Grace, eyes wide and mouth open. She had seen everything.

  “Marcus, why don’t you go back to the gym? I’ll find you when I get some supplies.”

  He hadn’t seen Grace, thank God for that. But the way he limped back to the gym broke my heart in two. When he was safely out of sight, I turned to look at Grace, motioning toward her office. She followed.

  I thought I’d already passed through the hurt, but it sprang back the minute I saw her, full-blown and with lightning speed.

  “You need to stay out of this,” I told her as she shut her office door.

  She stepped forward, planting her hands on her hips. “We have to call someone. Something has to be done to help him.”

  “Your system isn’t going to help him, Duchess.”

  She recoiled at my words and sent me a fiery stare. “But you can?”

  “Yes.”

  “How? By covering up his bruises? Wrapping up his ribs so he can’t feel the pain? That’s not going to keep it from happening again.” I was surprised by the resolve from Grace, who rarely ever fought back.

  For some reason her stiff back and demanding eyes made me more angry, as if I could heap all the blame onto her as well. “Stay out of this, Grace. It has nothing to do with you.”

  “Of course it does! We have to do what’s best for Marcus.” Her eyes were bright with determination and so unspeakably blue that I wanted to curse.

  “You think you know what’s best?” I demanded, torn between wanting to shake her or wrap her up in my arms and beg her not to leave. The confusion made me madder.

  “Yes, I do. It’s my job to help these children, protect them when I have to. If that means we use the system, then we do. Just because they failed you doesn’t mean they fail everyone.”

  “Your job?” I hated how loud my voice was, how harsh each word sounded as it left my mouth. “You got a college degree and a title. I’m the one who lived it! You haven’t been there. You have no idea what it’s like to get your face smashed in and not be able to stop the beating. You want to hand him over to some bureaucratic jerk who’s gonna pull him from his home and put him in hell, just so you can ease your guilty conscience. No way, Duchess. I won’t let you do it.”

  Her tears had started during my rant and continued to flow. I looked down at my shoes, unable to stomach the hurt on her face. I had hit her where she was most vulnerable and I knew it.

  I looked up when I heard her weak voice, commanding myself to keep an emotional distance.

  “Okay, we’ll do it your way . . . for now. But if it happens again, I will report it, with or without your support.”

  And just like that, she walked through the door, leaving me standing with a heart full of regret. It wasn’t how I planned on our first encounter going. I guess I wasn’t as ready to be there as I thought. I’d get the supplies, wrap Marcus, and then come up with another place to meet him for a few weeks—or at least until Grace chartered her private jet and flew out of my life for good.

  Chapter 34

  * * *

  GRACE

  I couldn’t sit still. The restlessness was so extreme that I found myself pacing across my office. Matt had taken our relationship completely out of my hands, ignoring any attempt I made to explain, much less reconcile. Now he wanted me to let go of Marcus, too. Well, I wouldn’t, couldn’t. All the heartache had to be for a purpose or I wouldn’t be able to handle it. The pain would be too much to bear.

  I grabbed Marcus’s file, glancing quickly at his address. I’d go see him, talk to him without Matt or the center distracting him. Maybe I’d even get to talk to his aunt, see if she was aware that Marcus was being abused.

  The center would be closing in half an hour, giving me plenty of time to go over there and wait. I didn’t want Marcus to avoid me, and he probably would if I were to follow him home. Feeling determined, I locked up my office, told Darius I was leaving early, and tried not to look for Matt as I left. His bike wasn’t in the parking lot, which filled me with relief and sadness all at once.

  Marcus lived just three blocks from the center, but I drove anyway, not eager to trek around in my heels. When my GPS announced that I had arrived at my destination, my stomach flopped. The house, if it could be called that, was leaning from obvious foundation issues. The steps leading to the front door were discolored and showed various stages of rot and mold. I thought of the ten-thousand-dollar dress my mom sent me for the banquet and immediately felt shame. Matt was right. I’d never understand.

  I squared my shoulders. I can still help, dang it!

  Stepping over a few rotting boards on the porch, I knocked hard on the door. No answer. I knew Marcus’s aunt worked the swing shift, but I was hoping she’d be home. Resolved to wait, I turned, ready to sit in my car for hours if necessary.

  My heart stopped when I looked back toward my black sedan. A man, tall and built, with hard eyes and a sneering grin, was leaning casually against the hood. I stepped forward, forcing my body and face to remain calm. He didn’t move when I approached, but looked at me from head to toe in a way that sent shivers down my spine.

  “Ms. Covington. We finally meet.” His voice was smooth and calm, but still slit my stomach open with fear.

  “I don’t believe I know you,” I choked out, keeping a solid distance between us.

  �
�You can call me King. How’s that?” His question appeared to be rhetorical, so I didn’t answer, just willed my beating heart to remain steady. He continued, “Did you get the message we sent the other day? I thought we made ourselves very clear. We expect our boys back in the center.”

  I struggled to keep my breathing slow and steady while my heart pounded like a jackhammer against my ribs and in my head. Somehow finding strength, I faced the eyes of a man I knew could hurt me at best and kill me at worst. I wouldn’t let fear stop me, though. “I’m afraid I don’t know who your boys are. Maybe if you give me a list of names we can take a look at their behavior and see.”

  His sinister smile widened, exposing a row of gold-capped teeth. “Don’t get smart with me. See, we have our own rules on these streets. Rules I enforce. If you mess with one of us, you mess with us all. That means, Ms. Covington, you mess with me. I’m afraid that don’t look so good for you.”

  His threat hung in the air. I looked around, planning an escape, as if it were possible. We had gained an audience. I recognized some of the boys who were blocking each side of the sidewalk with their arms folded. I was grossly outnumbered, not that I could have taken on even one of them. Matt’s words mocked me: “I won’t always be here, and you have got to learn to protect yourself.” I had failed him. Yet again.

  “Now, I’m not an unreasonable man. We could come to an agreement. In fact, you and I could get along just fine.” His suggestive expression made my skin crawl. “But let’s start with the easy stuff. I want my boys back at the center.”

  My chin rose as a strength I didn’t know I had came pouring from me. “That will never happen.”

  His smile disappeared. “Then we have a problem.”

  Before I could find a reply, a man who made even Matt look small pushed through the crowd. He was huge, probably six foot five, and built like the offensive line of the New York Giants. Muscles bulged in every direction, and the hard set of his face elevated my fear even more.

  “I’ve told you before she isn’t to be touched!” the man hollered, standing in front of me like a steel wall.

  I could only see a little through the small space between his back and his arm. King approached, his face contorting with rage. “And I’ve told you I own this neighborhood now.”

  “Not quite.” I looked around and saw more men approach, each apparently ready for a fight. I was standing in the middle of some territorial war, and the thought dawned on me that I wouldn’t make it out of there alive.

  King checked out the mass of men approaching and smiled, an evil, conniving smile. “I ain’t in the mood for this now, anyway. You enjoy your little lady. Enjoy her good, because next time I see you in my face, you’re dead.”

  He looked toward his men and walked away, surrounded by those who would die protecting him. My heart broke when I saw Trey move in behind him, his eyes void of any of the innocence that had once been there.

  When they were out of sight, my protector spun around to face me. He must have seen the terror on my face, and instead of yelling at me like I expected, he gave me a sympathetic smile. “A lady like you shouldn’t see those things. It’s time for you to get on home.”

  I couldn’t respond, my body starting to shake from the adrenaline.

  “I think it’s best if you go on and don’t come this way again.” He wrapped his arm around me and slowly walked me to my car, taking the keys so he could open the door. “You okay to drive?”

  I nodded absently and he opened the car door, ready to tuck me safely inside. Suddenly I found my voice. “Wait. Who was that?”

  “Nobody you need to get tangled with. Now go on home.” His voice was getting firmer.

  “Who are you? Why did you do that?” I still couldn’t process what had just happened. Was that real? Did this stranger almost start an all-out gang war to keep me safe?

  “It’s just what we do around here, Duchess.”

  My eyes widened and I met his nod. He didn’t have to say his name or tell me why. I knew right then that Matt was involved somehow. He shut the door once I’d lowered myself into the driver’s seat, and he watched me carefully as I drove off.

  As soon as I got home, I called Matt, begging him to pick up. He didn’t. I listened to the cursed voice mail greeting and hung up, wanting to smash my phone against the wall. At last allowing myself to crumble, I lay facedown on my bed—the bed he’d bought for me—and sobbed. Never in my life had I felt so completely alone and afraid.

  Chapter 35

  * * *

  MATT

  Grace had called twice. Once last night and again this morning. Each time my finger hovered over the “Accept” button, but in the end I couldn’t press it. Yesterday had completely set me back. Seeing her face, watching those tears, was like ripping flesh off my body. I knew she was dangerous, that she brought on an emotional avalanche in me, but I never expected so much heartache.

  Marcus and I decided to meet outside the center at five and then walk to the community courts just a few blocks away. He thought my reason was to avoid Grace, which was part of it, but really I wanted to be out in the neighborhood. Something kept Marcus from confiding in me, but that kid was as transparent as glass. I felt certain I’d be able to read his fear clearly if he saw whoever was hurting him.

  I waited patiently for ten minutes outside, did a quick check inside the building, and then started to worry. Maybe he misunderstood and thought we’d be meeting at the courts. The idea of him alone out there unsettled me, and I started to quickly jog in that direction. My eyes searched for Marcus as I passed the vacant lots and boarded-up crack houses along the way.

  I saw his scrawny form before noticing the man gripping his T-shirt. Rage shot through me like a searing bullet. The jog turned into an all-out sprint until I disengaged the man’s grip and slammed him up against a nearby building. Trapping his arms behind him, I turned toward Marcus’s stunned face. “Go to the center and wait for me there.” He hesitated, still staring blankly at me. “NOW!”

  My voice startling him into action, Marcus took off and I watched until he disappeared. Leaning into the man who was unsuccessfully trying to struggle out of my grip, I whispered, “Why don’t we see how you do when you face someone your own size?”

  That guy was at least my height if not taller, and didn’t look like the type to miss a meal. He’d obviously been chosen to intimidate others for a reason. All the same, I released him, doing a quick check to make sure the observers nearby were keeping their distance.

  The man wiped blood off his cheek from where his face met the brick, and sneered at me. “My pleasure.”

  Despite his gruff appearance, I knew from his first swing that this fight was laughable. Easily ducking his poor attempt, I landed two hard punches on his face before slamming another into his stomach. He staggered, watching me with contempt. I smiled back, hoping to infuriate him more. Emotional fighters were sloppy fighters.

  His hand slid into his pocket and came out just as the blade sprang free from its holder. I smiled broadly, daring him to come at me. He lunged like a fool, and within seconds I was twisting his wrist until I heard the sharp snap of bones beneath his skin.

  I continued twisting until he fell to his knees. The knife clattered to the ground, the screams of my opponent muffling the noise.

  “I’ll kill you and that kid, I swear!”

  Pushing him until his face was planted on the sidewalk, I kneeled on his injured arm while the other lay immobile underneath him. I picked up the knife and held it to his neck, ensuring I had his attention.

  Very calmly, I leaned in close. “Let me explain something to you. I have friends as high as the DA’s office and as low as your worst nightmare. You so much as look in the kid’s direction again, I’ll be back and I won’t be so forgiving next time. Capisce?”

  He didn’t say anything, so I put more weight on his broken arm and pressed the knife against his neck until his flesh began to bleed.

  Between multiple expl
etives I heard him eke out a “Yes,” so I stood and left him on the ground, writhing in pain. Slowly closing the blade, I looked at the group of boys who were watching wide-eyed. Most of them were on the list of banned kids, but a few were older.

  “You boys are better than this, and you know it.” They sneered and backed away. But a couple stayed. I knew one as Trey but didn’t know the other boy’s name. “You keep this up and you’ll end up dead, or at best locked away for life. Is that what you want?”

  They didn’t respond. Their friends called them over and they left to follow the crowd. Trey glanced back but turned quickly again. The boy was only fourteen years old and was sealing his future already. Tragic.

  Backing away so no one could take me from behind, I slowly made my way to the center. Marcus stood as soon as he saw me, and ran into my arms. He was crying. “I thought he would kill you,” he sobbed, letting go of that tough-guy exterior. It was a reminder that deep down he was still just a little boy.

  “It’s going to take more than an idiot with a knife to take me down,” I assured him, rubbing his back. “Is he the guy who’s been hurting you?”

  Marcus nodded, still huddled against my chest.

  “You gonna tell me why now?”

  He nodded again, but then looked around in fear. “Not here.”

  I pulled him toward my bike, tossed the extra helmet to him, and had us on the road in seconds. Knowing we’d need to be somewhere no one could hear us, I drove to the plateau where Grace and I first kissed. That place seemed to have a way of lowering one’s defenses, and I needed Marcus to trust me.

  He leapt off the bike when I parked, and ran to the edge of the plateau. “Oh wow, you can see the whole city from up here!” His excitement was a far cry from the fear that had tormented him just minutes earlier, and I knew we’d come to the right place.

  “Yep. Makes you realize how small it all is in the big picture.”