A time jump is coming lovebugs. ;)
Enjoy lovebugs. ;)
"Baby girl, how are you doing?" Marty questioned as he looked at a stunned Mercedes Jones.
"Daddy, w-what are you doing here?" Mercedes answered once she reeled back from the jolt of shock.
"I came to see you, I got the voicemails of what happened, and baby girl I am so sorry that happened to you," Marty replied.
"This happened a little over a month ago Marty, and now you want to come up in here and ask her how the hell she is doing?" Sinclair argued.
Marty let out a sigh, "Sinclair I didn't come over here to argue with you I came to talk to my daughter." Mercedes was about to reply when her ringtone for Sam went off, and she was lucky to get out of this awkward and dramatic encounter as she stepped back into the kitchen.
"Sam, I need time," Mercedes replied.
"You need to come back to Michigan," Sam spoke with a rush.
Mercedes looked at the phone with a confused look, "Huh, Sam I am not coming back until I am ready,"
"Baby, I mean, Mercedes I know that but we have some bad news. Ken Tanaka didn't actually leave in fact he is still here. He is threatening to talk about what happens at the speakeasy. Merce he is threatening to come forward about Luxe," Sam spoke.
Mercedes closed her eyes, "Shit, Sam. Look I can try to come back at soon as possible but I need you to work your magic until I get back,"
"Of course, whatever you need and Mercedes."
"Yes,"
"I am sorry about everything,"
"I know." Mercedes hung up the phone and let out a stressed sigh and turned to go back to see her parents.
"Baby girl are you ok?" questioned Marty.
"My club, Luxe is possibly going to be held under an investigation, and it could destroy my club, my name, my reputation. I now have to go back to Michigan after I said I wouldn't until I was ready. So no dad I am not ok." Mercedes answered.
"Baby who was that on the phone?" Sinclair replied.
"Sam, momma. Apparently one of his father's associates is threatening to come forward about the cornering that I and Sam do and my club is going to be collateral damage. Now I have to pack my bags and get ready to go. Dad, I will reach out to you soon, but I do think it is best that you leave, and I will call you to let you know when we can meet up." Mercedes replied. With those words, she walked up the steps and headed to her bedroom, and shut the door. She laid her back on the door and slid down the wall as the tears of frustration, sadness, and fear slid down her chocolate face.
"Ken, what is it going to take to get you to leave?" Dwight Evans asked the man. Dwight, Sam, and Ken had scheduled a sitdown in the speakeasy. Even though that Mercedes was no longer with Sam, Dwight still considered her to be family and his daughter. When he became aware that Mercedes club was going to be taken the brunt of his attack he had no choice but to intervene.
"I want to extort $25,000 from your family every single year. I want this bar, and I want your political power Dwight," Ken answered.
"That will never happen," Sam replied with a growl.
"You know you speak so confidently when all it takes from me is a press call, one ABC interview and I destroy everything this family has played a part in," Ken answered.
"What is your endgame here Tanaka?" questioned Dwight.
"Easy my mouth stays shut in return I gain money, a bar, and political power, I would call it 50-50,"
"That is a bunch of bullshit and you know it,"
"Tell me, Evans, where is your girlfriend, you know Mercedes was her name right?"
"Keep her out of this," Sam hissed.
"You know I heard about what happened to her with Will. Fun fact he actually asked me if I wanted in on the fun. Will wanted to know if I would have wanted to kidnap and rape that precious little brat of yours. Silly me I said no, but I guess it was smart because now I can use her as leverage against the both of you?"
Sam was about to reply when the door opened and it revealed a very pissed-off Mercedes. She walked towards the men and sat right in front of Ken. She looked at his smug smirk and felt anger coarse through her body like it was an electric shock.
"Listen to me and listen to me good. I was forced to come back here because you could not just bear to listen to what great choice you were given. You are not going to be gaining a thing from the Evans family. Not a political career, not a bar, and damn sure not funds from them. My club is going to stay intact, and you want to know why. Because I found out that it wasn't just Jane, but it was a bunch of women. Unique, Kitty, Marley, in fact, more women than I care to count. Did you honestly think that I didn't do more research on you, Ken? No, I did that, and then some, Jane was just a threat but the other women those are promises. Jane might not want to come forward, but I can guarantee that Unique, Kitty Marley, Rachel, Marissa, Penelope, Penny, and many many many more would love to. In fact, they would have you in court so much that even thinking about uttering a word about what goes on around here would be just that a thought. Not an action, or a threat. So I'm only going to say this once. Get the hell out of the country, or can I make one phone call and your whole life blow up in your face that you won't be able to figure out where the stick of dynamite came from." Mercedes spoke lethally. Ken saw in her eyes that she wasn't bluffing and he knew that he stood no chance. He nodded his head and grabbed his things and fled from the speakeasy.
Mercedes let out the sigh she was holding and stood to leave.
"Wait Mercedes, can we talk?" Sam said. Mercedes turned around at him and looked at his father.
"Dwight, could you give us a moment please?" Mercedes asked.
"Of course, sweetie, and thank you for coming to our rescue," He replied, as he walked by her and gave her a friendly kiss on the cheek, and left the room.
"Thank you for what you did, I don't know if I could have kept my composure if you weren't there. I also want to apologize for everything Cedes I was being a grade-A asshole. I wasn't understanding and neither were my folks. Baby, I just want you to come back."
"Sam, I love you, I do, but I can't come back. I have to stay in Nashville. I have to put in the work to get better as a person mentally Sam. I can't do that here with you or your parents."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Sam, we wouldn't have been in the situation we were in if it wasn't for your parents. Their need for political dominance, my club offering them the information they needed, and this speakeasy being our cornering ground put us in this situation. Sam our relationship has been beneficial for them. So beneficial that I was raped and kidnapped, and everything we worked so hard for was nearly just destroyed because Ken was a loose-end."
"So are we breaking up, you are never coming back?"
"We are breaking up Sam, and it hurts so much baby I promise it does, but we both know this is what is best for now. I need time to grow and heal, and you need time to because as much as you try to hide it everything affected you also. I will always hold a special place in my heart for your Sam, and I will always love you. But I have to love you from a distance."
Sam felt the tears bleeding through his eyes as Mercedes spoke to him. Deep down he knew she was right, but letting her go was hard it was going to be hard, "Ok I understand," Sam replied. Mercedes walked towards him and pulled him in for a hug that he greatly relished in even if he knew the moment was temporary. Mercedes pulled back a bit and wiped the tears away with the pad of her thumb and gave Sam a kiss. Their final one. Then she pulled away.
"Goodbye Sam," Mercedes said as she walked out.
"Goodbye Cedes," Sam whispered to himself.
ONE WEEK LATER
"So explain to me why you went back to Michigan, to him, to those issues," Roz asked Mercedes as she passed her the mug of warm cocoa.
"Because in some sick twisted way it was closure. Going back there to the place to end the thing that we started in that speakeasy. Telling Ken off, and tying up all my loose ends was a weird way of my getting the closure that I needed. I went back to him because I wanted to see him one more time, I needed to tell him where we stood. I was true to my word and true to both him and me. I will always love Sam, and he will forever hold a special place in my heart, but sometimes showing your love is by letting go. I needed to let him go." answered Mercedes
"Do you feel like you made the right decision?" Roz remarked.
"I toss that question in my mind all the time. Some days I feel like yes I made the right decision, no contact, no calls, from him and I am fine. Other days I want nothing more than to call him and speak to him, but I drew the boundary line and now I have to live with that decision."
"Would you ever consider yourself getting back with Sam?"
"Maybe, I wouldn't completely let the idea go until I saw him happy with someone else."
"Well, our session has come to an end, I will see you next time Merce, and you are making some really good improvements, maybe next time if you are up for it of course we can speak about Will."
"Yeah, maybe. Bye Roz," Mercedes said as she grabbed her things and left.
Mercedes decided to go and meet with her father for a quick lunch to try and speak with him but she wasn't sure how much it was going to work.
She sat down at the little booth of the small restaurant and ordered a drink as she waited for her father.
"Hi baby girl," Marty greeted her as he came to her view.
"Hi daddy," Mercedes smiled as she gave him a hug and sat back down.
"So how was therapy?"
"It was good I am making some real progress."
"That is great baby, I am glad you are doing better,"
"Thank you, um can I ask you a question?"
"Of course, anything you want."
"W-why didn't you come when I was first admitted to the hospital. I know that mom and Sam had called you the moment they realized I was taken, and only a week ago did you come back. What took so long?"
"Baby girl you know your daddy has to work,"
"But daddy I was kidnapped, and in the hospital, I would hope that I came before some paperwork."
"What are you trying to imply Mercedes,"
"You've never treated me like I mattered."
"I'll work on that in the future then, now can we please order?"
"Sure," Mercedes whispered.