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“What?” I sighed into the speaker.
“Meet me at the café on Morrison. Now!”
“For what?” I asked, confused at the way he was ordering me around.
“If you want your secrets to stay a secret, you’ll be there.” Marcus then hung up in my ear before I could reply.
I thought him being in a relationship would make my life easier, but ever he had been a thorn in my ass—more than usual. Shoving my books in the bag, I power walked to my car and drove to the café, where Marcus’s words haunted me like a bad dream.
The saddest part is that I had so many secrets I wasn’t sure which Marcus was referring to. When we met, I thought God had finally answered my prayers. Only it wasn’t God at all. It was the devil lurking in the shadows, using the tears I cried to destroy me.
Memories of confiding in Marcus about everything heavy on my spirit replayed on a loop as I drove to the café. I thought those moments brought us closer together, but they were nothing more than tools in Marcus’s arsenal to control me. I vowed never to make that mistake again.
I climbed out of the car and marched inside on a mission to wrap this up quickly. I paused in the entryway and found Marcus sitting in the corner, smiling at his phone. Adjusting my purse, I marched over, and my feet announced my presence as I looked down at him with a raised brow.
“Have a seat,” he offered, pulling the chair out beside him.
“I won’t be here that long.”
“How long we’re here depends on you.”
“What do you want Marcus?” I reiterated.
“Ember and I are planning a trip for Spring Break. I want Cam to join us.”
“A trip where?”
“Mexico,” Marcus replied, causing my neck to bobble at his request.
“Absolutely not!”
“What do you mean, no? She’s my daughter, too,” Marcuse declared before reminding me, “You can’t keep moving the goalpost and then complain about me not being there.” I parted my lips to respond, but Marcus overtalked me once again. “Or maybe you’re jealous that I’ve moved on.”
I felt nausea bubble in my throat at the thought. There was absolutely nothing Marcus could do for me anymore except stay out of my life.
“I don’t trust you, so no, you’re not taking my daughter out of the country.”
“But it was okay for you?” Marcus asked, referring to our last summer vacation.
Cam said she wanted to see the Eiffel Tower in person. Like a genie in a bottle, Mack made it happen, and we spent two weeks in Paris over the summer.
“You called me here to compare apples and oranges?”
“I called you here to allow you to make the right decision. Unless you want me to tell Mack the truth,” Marcus wagered.
“So, that’s your big plan? Back me into a corner and use your child to get what you want?”
“You put yourself in the corner. Not me.”
“Unlike you, Cam comes first. I won’t put her in danger for my own benefit.”
Marcus rolled his tongue across his teeth and yanked the chair out before aggressively slapping it. A few neighboring patrons began staring, so I eased into the seat.
“This nigga got you feeling yourself, but remember, baby,” Marcus used his index finger to swipe my cheek. “I know where all the bones are buried. All of them. What will happen to Cam when he finds out the truth about you? You’ll be back in that dump of an apartment pushing drinks. Better yet, I wonder if Duke is still looking for you. I doubt Mack would protect you after I’m done telling my story.”
“Fuck you!”
“You talk all that shit about me, but we’re the same Sky. We do what we have to do by any means necessary.”
