Page 40 of A Don & His Doll

She'd done a remarkable job at keeping their relationship hidden, but Mitch had to be the one. He hadn't been out of prison for a full month yet, and already he was uncovering Macie's secrets; putting her under a magnifying glass that was nonexistent. Every day he remained free felt like another threat to the foundation she'd built, and for the first time in years she felt exposed. Macie hated that shit with a passion, and Mitch had her fucked up if he thought she wasn't getting his ass back. If he thought she was going to surrender everything she'd sacrificed for, he was sadly mistaken. There was too much at risk, she thought as she hung up the phone, tossed it into her purse, and grabbed her keys. As she neared her bedroom door, she doubled back to get the sealed envelope with Promise's name and address on the front of it. Enclosed were pictures of Sienna and Monroe meeting again for the first time.

Macie had been sitting discreetly in an unmarked car watching them in the shadows, she'd managed to capture the hug they'd shared before parting ways. Macie knew the impact these pictures would have on Promise because real women hated being caught off guard with bullshit. She also knew her son well and was banking on Monroe still trying to make sense of the earthquake that had just ripped through his life. Which meant these photographs would arrive before any explanation ever could. And timing...Timing was everything.

It was a quarter after one in the morning when Macie stepped out of her front door. Everything was off balance, but she refused to be defeated by the vicious blows life was throwing her way..

"How you doin', Macie?" her new driver, Vory, greeted while opening the door for her.

"I'm good," Macie's response was smooth and clipped.

Vory closed the door, quickly circled the vehicle, then hopped in seconds later. "Where to?" Vory asked, looking up at Macie through the rear-view mirror.

"Post office," Macie instructed without looking up.

Vory nodded, but didn't speak further.

Jeezy's F**k The World crooned through the car speakers as Macie stared straight ahead, quietly calculating her next move. Time always moved fast when shit needed to get done, but Macie wasn't one to complain. Macie sat quietly, calculating. Planning and positioning pieces on the board because every move she made required strategy, as her intentions were to maintain her position as head of the family.

About twenty minutes later, Vory pulled in front of the post office.

“Drop this,” Macie said, handing him the sealed envelope, then texted him Sienna's address. “Take me to the address I just texted you,” she instructed as soon as he raised his window back up. Macie then sat back and prepared to cause more chaos.

Vory moved without hesitation, never asked questions, and would kill for Macie at the drop of a dime. He’d been Abel’s backup for years. At 2:22 in the morning, Vory crept into a parking spot outside of Sienna’s brownstone, quickly parking the car, and getting out to open the door for Macie. It was a quiet Brooklyn neighborhood that Macie had specially handpicked for Sienna and Monae that was maybe thirty minutes outside of Manhattan.

"I'll be back shortly, Macie said, getting out of the car, her heels clicking against the pavement like she owned the entire block. As she approached the house, she pulled out her cell phone, quickly swiped to Sienna's contact and pressed it. The line connected after three rings.

"Hello," Sienna rasped, half sleep.

"Get your ass up and answer the door," Macie ordered.

Sienna sighed. "Here I come," she replied, hanging up the phone.

The sound of Macie's voice had a way of stealing peace before she even entered a room. Fear settled heavily in her stomach because Macie never brought anything good with her. Sienna quietly climbed from bed and moved through the house, careful not to wake Monae. She passed her daughter's room slowly. The sight of Monae sleeping peacefully always gave her strength. And lately, it was the only thing that did. Sienna dreaded every step she made towards the door because Macie's presence represented one thing– Fuckery to the hundredth degree. Sienna walked lightly as she passed Monae's room, careful not to disturb her rest.

As soon as Sienna opened the front door, Macie walked straight through without an invitation. It wasn’t surprising because she’d never had any regard for anyone’s boundaries. Sienna quietly closed the door, then stood there silently waiting for the inevitable line of bullshit she knew was coming.

“Any progress with my son?" Macie got straight to it.

"I'm trying, Macie. I-"

"Do I look like I wanna hear your fucking excuses, Sienna?" Macie snapped in a hushed tone. "You have one fucking job to do," Macie walked closer to Sienna. "Now if the job I gave you is too hard, let me know, and I won't think twice about killing your weak ass right the fuck now," Macie threatened, the coldness in her voice instantly silenced Sienna.

Macie stepped closer.

“Macie, this isn’t going to happen overnight, I need –”

“I don’t remember asking for an explanation. I need results. Why haven't you introduced him to Monae yet?" Macie asked, but didn’t wait for an answer. "Him meeting Monae is more important than him seeing your ass again. My granddaughter will be the only reason why he chooses your ass anyway. She’s the strongest card in your hand," Macie told her harshly, knowing it would strike a nerve.

Sienna scoffed, fighting to remain calm.

"My daughter isn’t a fucking card!” Sienna snapped, fighting to control her emotions. “If he chooses me, it'll be because he still loves me, Macie," Sienna spat. "Why is it so hard for you to realize that your son loves me?"

Macie laughed softly. "Why do you always have to be so fucking naive?" She smirked. "Maybe he did have love for you in the past, but all that shit has dissolved in the shadows of his new bitch. Let's just pray for your sake that Monroe will remember the love he used to have for you, and tap into the obligation he will feel knowing he has a daughter."

Macie's words felt like a gut punch, bruising Sienna's heart and confidence in the worst way because that was Sienna's greatest fear. She knew Monroe didn’t have it in him to hate her, but she feared the way he’d view her after the full truth surfaced. Seeing Monroe again had awakened an insurmountable longing to be claimed by him deep in her soul. Years had passed, but Sienna prayed the glimmer of hope she felt was valid. Despite how dangerous or reckless it was, she needed to believe there was still room for them, she needed it to count. She prayed their love story still had room to breathe in their present reality. She prayed healing could still come forth beyond the pain everyone would inevitably feel.

"Look," Macie said, breaking through Sienna's inner thoughts, yanking her back to reality. "I'm gonna send you his number and address. You better figure out a game plan real fucking fast 'cause if you don't, you and your mother can say goodbye to Monae and life as you know it forever." Macie said, turning to walk out of the door.

What neither of them realized was that despite all their efforts to speak discreetly, Monae stood behind her cracked bedroom door, ear hustling. She couldn't make out their whole conversation, but Macie's threat to kill her mother and grandmother was abundantly clear. She hadn't understood the tension between her mother and Macie for all these years, but hearing Macie say she'd kill her mother and grandmother placed a burden so heavy on Monae's heart she could barely stand. In her mind, she didn’t need to know every detail, she’d heard enough. Enough to know something was terribly wrong.