Broken Mercy

by Stacy McWilliams

  “Mase?” Harris called from outside.

  I brushed the tears from my cheeks and stepped out to meet my other two best friends. Harris was stoic, as I stood beside him and Quinn was standing beside Lexa, who was crying softly into his shoulders.

  “We need to catch this guy.” I muttered in a hoarse whisper.

  Both boys nodded at me, and Joe stepped out into the hallway, to join us.

  “Feds are on it now. Lewis’s death hit the news, and they found out about Helena. Mason, I’m so sorry, but we need to try and get ahead of this.”

  “Do you know anyone who’d like to hurt you?”

  Did I know anyone?

  There was that cop, whose son had killed Lexa’s sister. Then there was John whatever, Kitty’s boyfriend, but he was doing time. Over the years, there’d been guys pissed when I’d fucked their girls, but this was so beyond revenge for that.

  “I don’t… I don’t know.” I answered, because I truthfully didn’t know if anyone hated me enough, to kill my best friend and my sister a day apart.

  “Mason, you need to think, so, do you boys. You need to write a list of people who you’ve wronged, and we’ll see if we can track them down, but you can’t leave. Amber is safe enough where she is. Your dad is now at a safe house, Mason, and your mum is safe here. You can’t leave. At all.”

  I nodded at Joe and he glowered between us. He’d been with us for years, so this was affecting him too. My world was crumbling to ash, but my label and my career meant fuck all, compared to the people I loved.

  We all got to work and concentrated on writing out our lists, when Norry arrived back at the house with two FBI agents. Agent Hodge was a round, dark haired, guy who was abrupt and straightforward with his questions. Agent Danvers was a bright-eyed, blonde haired woman. She seemed to take everything in with her eyes and was watching as we tried to compile our lists.

  “I think that this is directed at you, Mason.” She informed me bluntly.

  “The person doing this sees the band as an extension of you and of your success. For whatever reason, he’s trying to punish you. We’re speaking to your ex just now, but she’s not budging on his identity.”

  Ollie knew who it was. I wondered if it was someone from high school. We’d been in the band since then, Ollie and I were together in high school. Apart from a blip senior year, when we’d split for two months, and she’d started seeing Tommy Jacks.

  “Tommy Jacks,” I muttered.

  I remembered how he was furious when Ollie dumped his ass, to get back with me, weeks before our senior prom. He’d known that we’d been together since junior year and had always wanted her, but she was mine. When we got back together, he’d tried to threaten me, but I just laughed him off then.

  “Who did you just say?” Agent Danvers asked, as she sat across from me.

  “Tommy Jacks. He was mad about Ollie in high school, and she went out with him for a bit, but she dumped him to get back with me.”

  I didn’t know if it was a lead, and it could be nothing, but something about the voice was familiar to me. Now, I thought I knew why. My cell began to ring on the table and Agent Danvers counted me down, then gave me the green light to answer. I wanted to test my theory and if it was him, then I’d end him.

  “Hello,” I muttered in a calm voice.

  “Well, how did you like your video?” he asked, and my spine stiffened.

  “You’re a sick fuck, Tommy.” I muttered and every eye in the room shot to me.

  “Oh, figured it out, have you? Well, you are smarter than Ollie gave you credit for. It took you long enough.”

  He was boasting, gleeful and showed no remorse at all, which made my stomach curl.

  “Yeah, I figured it out. What the fuck happened to you? You were a good guy in high school, now you’re a psychopathic murderer.”

  “Careful, Michaels. I do know where you live, and I know, there are six of you sitting around your kitchen island, right now.”

  How the fuck, did he know that?

  I glanced over at the FBI agents and Agent Danvers motioned for me to keep speaking.

  “So, what is it you want? To cause me pain. Well bravo, you’ve done that.”

  “You think that’s it? You think that this is painful? You know nothing of pain, Michaels. Nothing. Wait until I’ve taken every single thing you love, and then you’ll know what pain feels like.”

  My heart was in my throat as Danvers gave me a subtle thumbs up.

  “Why though? I know Ollie dumped you for me, but that was years ago. Why now?”

  He laughed and it made my blood curl.

  “Because revenge is a dish best served cold and it takes a lot of planning to get revenge on someone, who smashed your dreams to pieces.”

  Huh. I didn’t understand.

  What now?

  What dreams?

  “Well, that’s enough chatting for now. Remember though, everything that happens from here on out, is on you.”

  I heard a cry of pain and plea, before the line went dead and I froze, because I recognized the voice.

  “Kitty,” Quinn muttered as I closed my eyes in horrified realization.

  “Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” I muttered and slammed my hands down onto the table.

  This couldn’t be happening. Fucking hell. I needed the cops to do their jobs before he hurt anyone else.

  My cell chimed and I glanced at it horrified, without moving. Agent Danvers asked if she could see the message and I clicked it open, almost throwing up, when I saw Kitty tied to a chair with blood splattered hair. Her eyes were rolling as she struggled, and I watched as he picked up a Glock and shot her in the leg. He turned and laughed at the camera, as he walked towards it. Ignoring the wailing of the girl, behind him.

  “Your move, Michaels,” he told me as the camera clicked off.

  I sat back horrified in my chair. I didn’t love Kitty. In fact, I hadn’t seen her for months, not since she’d been fired, but she didn’t deserve to be tortured because of me. Nobody did. I wondered if I gave myself up would that stop him?

  Would he leave everyone alone, once he’d gotten revenge on me?

  I was about to offer myself as bait, when Sofia came toddling into the room. I scooped her up into my arms, holding her tightly, as I envisioned leaving her and Lucca without me. I couldn’t do it. I couldn’t leave them without a parent, but we had to stop him. Somehow, he had to be stopped and if I could help them, then why shouldn’t I offer. My eyes darted around the room and Quinn glared at me.

  “No fucking way, Mase. No.” His eyes were on mine, and then he glanced between me and my baby girl. “You can’t leave her.”

  Agent Hodge left the room to take a call, as Agent Danvers glanced between us.

  “It’s fine. It was just an idea. He needs stopped.”

  “You’re right,” Harris muttered, “But not by you. You have too much to lose.”

  “I know, but I, fucking feel so helpless. He’s already killed my sister, Lewis and has put Amber in the hospital. I can’t fucking take anymore.” I told him brokenly, and he walked over and clapped me on the arm.

  “I know mate, I know, but she needs you,” he told me pointing at Sofia, “So does Lucca. Cassie left him to you, so you need to be here for him.”

  I gave a stiff nod and handed Sofia over to my mom, who’d come bustling into the kitchen. No-one spoke again, until she left, and Agent Danvers left the room for a moment, leaving us all standing there. I wanted to go to Amber. I wanted her to hold me and tell me everything would be okay. My going there though, would only put her in even more danger and I couldn’t do that to her. I couldn’t risk her life, but she needed to know what was going on.

  “Joe, can I use your cell to call Danni. I need to know if Amber is okay.” I told him, and he passed his cell over to me, with a brief nod after he dialed the number.

  “It’s ringing, Mason.”

  I gave a wave to show I he
ard him and walked over to the window, waiting to speak to Amber. As soon as Danni answered, I asked without preamble, to speak to her.

  “Of course, Mr. Michaels. It’ll take a few seconds for me to get to her room. Can I have her call you back once I’m there?” she asked, and I growled.

  “Yes, fine.”

  The call dropped and I stood staring at the cell in my hand, waiting for it to ring.

  Chapter Nine

  Hurt and Hell

  Amber

  I hadn’t called Mason back a fourth time. He clearly didn’t want to speak to me, and I didn’t know what to do, or to say. His hurried dismissal of me when I tried to tell him how sorry I was, about his sister, was playing on my mind.

  The doctor had been by and had checked my wound and I now had a smaller dressing on. My nurse Danni told me, she didn’t usually work on the ward, but was looking after me for the day. The morning passed pretty quickly, but without my cell, or access to the TV, I was pretty bored. I had nothing to distract myself with, but Danni was quirky and funny, and made me smile as she joked around with me.

  She’d gone to get me some lunch, when another nurse came into the room and introduced herself as Regina. She reminded me of Regina George, from Mean Girls, as her gruff nature and resting bitch face, checked my numbers. She wasn’t happy with something and told me that I was due an injection, that the doctors had just started. I’d already had my injection, Danni had administered it earlier, after the doctors had left.

  “I’ve already had the injection,” I told her, and she glared at me, as if telling her that I’d already had it, was a massive inconvenience for her.

  “No, you can’t have. This one was just prescribed a short while ago.”

  Her tone was stern, but I wasn’t going to let someone I’d just met, inject me with something, that I had no idea what it was for, so I pressed her.

  “What’s it for? This injection?”

  Danni had explained that the one she’d given me was an anti-clotting agent. That it was being given to me because I wasn’t allowed to move around yet.

  “It’s to stop clotting.” She spat at me and moved towards the door.

  “I’ve already had it.” I told her.

  She just glowered over her shoulder at me, before she left and slammed the door at her back. Within a few minutes, she was back, and had brought a tray with her injection stuff. I was not letting her anywhere near me. Though, where I could go with my broken foot, fractured wrist, and broken ribs, was beyond me.

  “You are not giving me that,” I informed her.

  I pressed the call button by my bed, she reached up and quickly turned it off and I pressed it again. Her mouth was a thin line, as she readied the needle.

  “I do not want that injection.” I told her firmly, more scared, than annoyed, because she wasn’t listening to me.

  She ignored me and squirted a little of the liquid from the top, then just as she was about to inject me, Danni came back into the room.

  “What are you doing here?” Danni asked her firmly and she glared over at her.

  “Nothing, she was just in pain, so I was going to give…” The Regina clone muttered, as she lowered the needle towards me.

  “Stop, I don’t want this injection.” I told her and used my good hand to bat it away from me.

  “What injection?” Danni asked as she moved closer to the bed.

  Before I could blink, Danni had wrestled the needle away from her and squirted the contents down the drain.

  “Who are you?” Danni asked her firmly and the girl shrank back away from her.

  “I’m… uh… an erm… I’m a nurse… and you…”

  Danni marched over to her and gripped her arm, leading her from the room, as I struggled to figure out what the hell had just happened. She returned a few minutes later, and her face was blotchy and red, but she took a deep breath, and smiled when she saw I was watching her.

  “Sorry about that. She was in the wrong room. She was supposed to be next door.”

  Her eyes held mine as though she was checking to make sure I believed her, and I just nodded once, at her.

  “I’ve been asked to get you to call Mr. Michaels. Is that okay?” she asked.

  I gave her a brief smile. I was nervous about speaking to Mason, I wanted to know if he was okay and how he was holding up.

  “Yes,” I breathed as she dialed his number and when his cell rang, I could hear it in the quiet room.

  “Mr. Michaels, I’m here with Amber.”

  He began speaking to her in a quick, low voice, and she gave him brief one-word answers. I couldn’t make out his words, but he was angry. I could tell that much from his tone and her face was pale, as she continued to listen to him. Then she wordlessly passed the cell to me.

  “Hello,” I muttered, and I heard Mason sigh at the end of the line.

  “Hey, how are you feeling sweetheart?” he asked.

  I gave Danni a quizzical look, as she crossed to the window and glanced out.

  “I’m okay, I guess,” I muttered.

  I glanced at Danni, as she dropped something to the floor and bent quickly, to pick it up. Just as she moved though, there was a loud crack above her head. As a bullet exploded through the window and hit the wall. She hit the ground as I screamed, and another shot blasted into the room and exploded against the floor. A couple of inches from where she was. She commando crawled, towards the bed and my ears were ringing. Mason was still on the other end of the line, but I wasn’t answering him. I was watching as she plucked some debris from her hair and swiped at her cheek, which was bleeding.

  “Amber, Amber?” I heard Mason frantically yelling, and I picked the cell up from the bed.

  “Fuck, Amber? Amber?” I heard his pained voice crack.

  As I cleared my throat to answer, a team of people burst into the room and began speaking.

  “Mason, I’m here. I’m okay,” I told him quietly, and he released a sigh.

  “Thank fuck for that. I’m getting you discharged. You’re coming home. Today.”

  He hung up and I frowned at Danni, as she spoke to a few people, as though she knew them. I was so confused, that I didn’t know what to say, or what to ask. She answered questions and I just sat in silence, as I contemplated what had just happened. Someone had tried to shoot through my hospital window, at a nurse.

  Who the fuck does that? And why?

  My brain was still swimming with the drugs, and I couldn’t believe what had happened. I didn’t listen to the chat, that was going on around me. I leaned back and closed my eyes, as I contemplated being moved, but it was clearly safer somewhere else. I heard them discussing the Regina girl and apparently, she was working for the guy, who was trying to kill me. The drug she was trying to inject into me, was away to be tested, but Danni had saved my life with her managing to stop the injection. Then they mentioned Lewis and something about a shooter. My eyes opened and darted around the room. No-one was looking at me and my heart hammered in my chest, as I heard them say that he’d been killed. While jogging in the park, near his home.

  “We need to catch this guy?” One of the people at the door said and Danni nodded, before she glanced back and saw I was awake and staring at her.

  “Lewis?” I mouthed, and she gave me a brief nod, before turning back to her conversation.

  I wanted to call Mason again, but what did I even say to him. I’m so sorry again? His sister and his bandmate in twenty-four hours. How could I even begin to help him come to terms with that?

  Hours passed and there were discussions with my doctor, my surgeon and Danni. Also, the head nurse and the police, who were now assigned to watch me. The police had released a statement, saying a nurse working on the neurosurgery ward was killed. That the ward was now being shut down as a precaution.

  I heard Danni tell the cops that apparently the killer was pleased, because he called Mason goading him about it.

  After
a few more hours, it was decided that I’d go home, and Danni would be monitoring my care there, to ensure my safety. The doctors would be video calling every morning and I would need to come back in five days, for surgical follow up.

  They’d stopped my intravenous morphine and prescribed me oral morphine instead, along with regular pain relief. Everything was arranged and I’d barely said more than two words, but I was glad to be going home. I couldn’t wait to see Sofia and Lucca, but I didn’t know how Mason was going to be with me. He’d been furious with me for going for the surgery. My period had started today, which meant I was passing our baby. It hurt my heart, but I couldn't talk to him about it, because he’d already lost so much.

  I didn’t know how he was going to respond to that either, but it seemed like all our news was bad news, and we weren’t having any luck at all. Once my medications had been dispensed and my discharge paperwork was arranged. The surgeon, Danni, and my doctor all came into the room.

  “Okay, so you know what to do with any adverse reactions?”

  The surgeon on call asked Danni, and she nodded politely, and they all turned to look at me. Every eye was on me and the three of them walked around to my bedside.

  “Right then, Amber, should you start to feel any changes, feel lightheaded or nauseated, then you must tell Ms. Woods. No leaving it, okay?” The on-call surgeon, who introduced himself as Dr. Ahmed, told me sternly.

  His kind face, white hair, and mustache, made him look like a grandpa, but he had steady hands, and he and Dr. Jason helped me into the wheelchair. I was so glad they’d taken out my catheter earlier and I’d managed to pass urine, once it was removed. Danni wheeled me to the door, where we were met by two armed escorts, who came with us to the elevator and rode with us to the parking garage.