The Hustler's Daughter {DC Bookdiva Publications} (25 page)

   “He
will, I know he will.” Mercedes hoped and prayed as she smiled at her Uncle and
rubbed his hand. “Hey Uncle Roy, I know you can hear me. You can’t talk back to
me, but just know that I love you and everything’s going to be alright.”

He
simply looked at her and blinked. That was the only way he could let her know
he heard her. The nurse came in to tell them they needed to leave.

   “So
he doesn’t remember anything that happened?” Mercedes asked.

   “Not
yet. The police asked him questions, but their efforts were in vain. He can’t
speak to answer their questions. All he can do is open his eyes. He’s lucky to
be alive.” The nurse smiled and adjusted his pillow.

“Yes
he is; he’s a Carter.” Mercedes smiled thinking about her father.

Maria
watched how Mercedes stared at her uncle Roy. She hated that he was an example
of the life they led. She wanted her daughter to lead a healthy, normal life.
Sadly, she was in way too deep and there was no turning back. The Carter blood
ran through her.

xxxxxxxxxx

Flash Back

The
night was silent and Mercedes was sound asleep in her bed.

POP!
POP! POP!

Gunshots
rang out jerking Mercedes out of her sleep. She jumped out of her bed with her
heart almost beating out of her chest.

She
tip-toed from her bedroom and slowly walked over to the spiral stairs. She
peeked through the wooden bars and noticed four men rummaging through their
things downstairs. Suddenly, someone grabbed Mercedes from behind and she
wanted to scream. It was her mother and she placed her hand over her mouth. In
her other hand she held a gun, ready to protect her home and family. She placed
one finger over her lips and told her to be quiet.

   “Shh,
don’t say a word.” Maria said as she picked up her daughter. She took her up
the hall to be protected from harm. From her peripheral, Maria saw a shadow. It
was soon revealed to be one of the intruders. He began shooting and she quickly
hit the floor.  She opened one of the bedroom doors and locked it. She
panicked, with her hands trembling with fear.

“Mercedes
go and hide under the table.” Maria told her. Mercedes stood there with her
teddy bear in her hand and watched her mother in fright.

 “I
said GO!” Maria yelled. Mercedes ran and hid under the table as she was told.
Maria pushed a chair against the door as a barrier. The intruder began banging
on the door, but the chair prevented his entry. He then decided to shoot at it
to get in. Maria ducked as the bullets pierced the door.

She
ran to the table where Mercedes was and held her close. Her eyes were locked on
the door as the shooter made his way in.

“Where
are you? Come out and play.” He laughed. Maria noticed him walking over to the
table. She saw his feet get closer and they both remained quiet. He knew they
were there, however, and flipped over the table. Maria quickly got up and
kicked him in his nuts before he could even cock back his gun. He had his nuts
in one hand and the gun in the other. They both began shooting at each other
and Maria was caught in the arm with a bullet. “Argh!” Maria screamed. She
still held onto her daughter tight, with all of her strength. They ran down the
long corridor and dashed down the steps. They reached the garage, where their
truck was parked. She quickly ran around to the driver’s side of the truck. She
fumbled with the keys as she tried to unlock the door. Tears came to her eyes
out of fear for her daughter’s life. She was not so much concerned with her
life. As she unlocked the door, she quickly placed Mercedes on the seat. Shots
echoed within the garage as the shooter entered behind them, still threatening
their lives.

“Mami!”
Mercedes cried out loud.

“It’s
okay Baby, lie down.” Maria shot back but soon ran out of bullets. Reaching
over to the glove compartment, she found another gun and cocked it back. After
exchanging several shots, she hit the shooter and his lifeless body fell to the
ground. Blood and brains covered the concrete floor. “Mami watch out!” Mercedes
screamed as a man approached her mother from behind. He grabbed her neck and
they struggled. He was too strong for her. There was another struggle and guns
erupted. Maria’s heart pounded rapidly and she gasped. She looked over to see
the attacker with a fatal bullet wound in his head. She looked over and saw her
husband Don with his gun in a shooting position.

“You
alright Babe?” He asked.

“Yeah,
I’m fine.” Maria took a deep breath, “I’m just hit in the arm.”

“Alright,
let’s hurry up and get the fuck up outta here.” Don hopped in the driver seat
and Maria scampered to the back seat with Mercedes. Don pulled out of the
garage and fled the scene.

“Yo,
I swear them nigga’s in Harlem got something coming for them!” Don barked.

“How
do you know it was them for sure?” Maria said, she was referring to the Spanish
dudes in Harlem who Don had beef with.

“I
just know! It’s a war going on between me and them right now.” Maria sighed in
relief, she thought her father had found her and sent people to kill them.

“Mami,
what’s going on?” Mercedes cried.

“Nothing,
Baby.” Maria held her arm as she groaned in pain from the bullet wound.
Mercedes turned around to look out of the window and spotted a man shooting at
them from the middle of the street. Glass shattered and Maria hovered over
Mercedes to protect her from harm. Mercedes was too young to know what was
going on, but her young mind wanted to find out.

An Awakening

Mercedes
sat and watched her Uncle Roy sleep for four hours. Chills crept down her spine
when she looked around the room. She cried when she looked around and saw the
IV attached to his arm and the machines that were keeping him alive. She now
had a glimpse into what her life would be like as a hustler’s wife.

She
smiled slightly when she saw her uncle’s face. His features closely resembled
his brother, Don Carter. Uncle Roy was a very handsome man, just like her
father. Roy wore cornrows that reached a little past his neck. His complexion
was lighter than her father’s. He had full lips, a little mustache and big
brown eyes.

Mercedes’
eyes lit up with joy when she noticed her Uncle’s eyes slowly fluttering up and
down. His lips parted slowly as he tried to speak. Mercedes moved closer to her
Uncle.

“Shh,
Uncle Roy. I know it’s painful to talk, take it easy.”

 Mercedes
smiled as she held onto his hand and felt him squeeze her hand tighter. She
knew he was making progress; just a couple of weeks ago he couldn’t move any
parts of his body except his eyes.

“I
see you’re doing a little better. You’re a very strong man, a very strong man.
There aren’t too many guys who could make it through something like this.”

 Mercedes
wiped away her tears and said, “Uncle Roy, you’re like my second father. You
were always there for me when my father wasn’t. I mean, my father was always
there, but when he was out of town you were there. I remember that day when I
was having trouble at school with one of the boys and you came up to the school
to check him for me. You snatched him up by his collar and let him know that
the Carter family doesn’t mess around.” Mercedes giggled. She knew he
remembered that story too. She wished she could hear him laugh.

She
continued to reminisce and began to cry. She wanted her old life back, when she
didn’t have to live in fear and her family was intact. 

“The
Carter family never dies Uncle Roy, no matter what. Our souls will always live
on and our hearts will always remain strong.” Mercedes placed her hand over his
chest. Roy slowly placed his hand on top of hers and forced a smile on his
face.

“It’s
really been different without my father being around. It’s been very hard on me
and Ma.” Mercedes couldn’t hold back her tears. “I’ve just been trying to move
on and live with it, but deep down inside I’m truly hurting Uncle and I just
wish I could bring him back.”

Mercedes
inhaled deeply. “I never use to like Emilio for some reason, but now he’s all
that I have besides Mama. Emilio…” The mere sound of Emilio’s name sent Roy
into a fury. His blood pressure rose and he struggled to speak. He wanted to
tell Mercedes to stay away from him, but the words wouldn’t escape his lips.

“What
Uncle? What are you trying to say?” Mercedes’ eyebrows arched as she stared at
her uncle wondering what he was trying to tell her.

“Who
did this to you? Who killed my father? Please tell me…please I need to know…?”
Mercedes begin to break down.  Roy looked at her and shook his head; he really
wished he could talk. Mercedes knew he had the answers she sought.

“Whoever
did this to you will pay!” Mercedes promised to herself and to Roy. She wiped
the tears from her eyes and stood up.

“I’m
gonna head home now Uncle Roy, I’ll call and check up on you here and there to
see how you are doing. For now, try to get some rest okay Unc, love you.”

Mercedes
reached over and kissed him on the forehead. On the ride home, Mercedes was
thinking about what her uncle was trying to say. She knew he wanted to tell her
something, but he just couldn’t. She hoped he would get better really soon;
there were questions that still needed to be answered. She was unaware that her
answer was closer than she imagined.

xxxxxxxxxx

Mercedes
sat at the kitchen table reading the newspaper. She was sipping on her fifth
cup of coffee. Emilio walked up behind her and wrapped his hands around her. He
kissed her gently on the neck.

“Hey,
Babe,” he smiled.

“Hey,”
Mercedes smiled as she rubbed the back of her neck.

“What’s
wrong Babe?” Emilio sensed something was wrong with her because she never drank
much coffee.

“Oh
nothing, I’m just thinking about my Uncle Roy.” Mercedes sighed.

“Baby
don’t stress it, he’ll be fine.” Emilio took a deep breath.

“I
know Babe. I was talking to him and he was trying to tell me something, but I
don’t know what he was saying.” Mercedes looked at him.

 Emilio
got up from the table and paced back and forth in the kitchen. He turned his
back to her so she couldn’t see his guilt.

“I
know you already told me no, but I mean you can tell me the truth. Did you have
anything to do with my father’s death Emilio?” Mercedes looked at him and
wondered what he was thinking.

 “Are
you alright?” Mercedes asked. “Is there something on your mind?” Mercedes asked
in a concerned tone. Emilio looked at Mercedes and sat back down in the chair.

“No,
I didn’t have anything to do with your father’s death.” Emilio lied again, “I
told you before Ma. I would never have wanted your father to die; I know how
much he meant to you and to your mother. I’m just thinking about your father
and how good of a man he was to me. He took me under his wing, showed me the
ropes and everything. He introduced me to his beautiful loving family, I felt
as if I was a part of the Carter family. I mean, I wish I was there that day to
be there for him. Instead I was out of state taking care of business.” Emilio
inhaled deeply and placed his hands in front of his face.

“It’s
not your fault.” Mercedes began to cry. “I miss him so much. I mean, I wish I
had the chance to tell him how much I love him and to say goodbye. I mean life
is so short and it can be gone in the blink of an eye.”

“I
know how you feel Baby, trust me, I know.” Emilio embraced her and rubbed her
back. “Just take it easy Ma. I’m here for you Baby Girl and I’m not going
anywhere.” He lifted her chin and smiled, “You’re so beautiful.”

   “I
want you to be my girl, my world, my everything. I’ve never met a woman as
beautiful or as smart as you. Mercedes Carter, I think I’m falling in love with
you.” Those words shocked Mercedes and made her heart flutter.

“Really,”
she asked.

   “Yes,
I want to make love to you.” Emilio said placing his hand around her waist. She
wrapped her arms around his neck and they begin kissing passionately. Emilio
picked her up and carried her up the stairs. He placed her gently on the bed.
Emilio made sensual love to Mercedes. They both explored each other’s bodies
and took their sweet passionate time.

As
they made love, Mercedes cried and he kissed each and every single tear drop
away. She was torn; lost in the love of two men. She liked that her love was
growing for Emilio, but her heart would always belong to Chino. Even though he
was dead, she still felt like she was cheating on him.