by Dale Mayer
“Is it really that simple? How is it they would know where I live?”
“How did you get paid?”
Mercy frowned. “The usual route.”
“Exactly. Once they have your numbers, they can easily track where you live.”
Mercy realized she’d been foolish. She should’ve asked them to pay her in cash. It had never occurred to her. And Ice was correct. They would know where she lived. “Right. So, in that case, I guess I’m spending a few days with you.”
Ice gave her a beaming smile. “It’s not a hardship, I can assure you.”
Mercy chuckled. “No, but I’m not comfortable leaving Michael to go alone into the den of thieves either.”
“He won’t be. A big operation is being mounted right now. Michael is one tip of it.”
“Good.” She felt much better hearing that. She returned to the table and told Michael, “I still need my car.”
He shook his head. “Don’t worry about it right now. I’ll take care of it. I have to get back to work by 7:30. So get moving.”
She glared at him, then gave in gracefully, pulling her car keys from her purse, tossing them on the table in front of him. “You take care of yourself,” she whispered.
He wrapped an arm around her and led her outside into the morning sun. The two stood, arms wrapped around each other. She tilted her head back so she could see his face, and with a brave smile and a sinking heart, she said, “So this is goodbye?”
He shook his head. “Hell no. I’ll find you at Ice and Levi’s place in a few days.”
She studied his face, searching for the truth, realizing he meant what he said. Something settled deep inside her. She smiled and nodded. “Good.”
As she turned to walk away, she caught a glint of something behind him. She reacted instinctively, throwing herself at him, knocking him off his feet. He fell to the sidewalk. The hard spitting sound split the air. She was tossed to the ground, then sideswiped by a vehicle. That was the last thing she knew before the lights turned off.
*
Michael reached out a hand to keep Mercy down. He still wasn’t sure what happened. But he’d heard the shot and was damned if she’d get another chance to save him again. “Mercy, stay down.”
She didn’t answer. She’d collapsed to the ground, her eyes closed.
And then he saw the blood welling up on her shoulder. He swore a steady blue streak as he realized she’d been hit.
He ripped the T-shirt off her shoulder, exposing the small bullet wound. Gently, he rolled her toward him so he could see if there was an exit wound as well. But there wasn’t. Chances were, the bullet had lodged in her scapula. Now she would be at the emergency room, not home with Ice and Levi.
With Levi giving him cover, Michael picked her up and dashed to his vehicle. With Ice’s assistance, they put pads on the wound and wrapped it as best they could to slow the bleeding. They propped her up with a seat belt around her. Jumping in behind the wheel, he pulled out of the parking lot at top speed with Mercy, leaving Ice and Levi to do what they could here at the crime scene.
None of them had seen any sign of the shooter. Levi had gone hunting but hadn’t found him. The gunman may have disappeared, for now, but he couldn’t hide forever. Michael would find him soon enough. In the meantime he took Mercy to the hospital, the nearest one only a few blocks away, so he didn’t call for an ambulance. He’d get there much faster on his own.
He pulled into the Emergency parking lot of the hospital. Several EMTs milled around. Michael called them over, asking for help. When they saw Mercy’s bloodstained shoulder, one man ran back for a gurney. Within minutes she was pushed toward the emergency room entrance. Michael followed closely behind.
She was taken straight through into a cubicle he wasn’t allowed to enter. He stood outside the ER inner door, frustrated and angry, until a nurse told him, “We need your help with the paperwork.”
“Of course.” He followed her back to the intake desk. She lifted a package of baby wipes and motioned at his hands. He took several and wiped Mercy’s blood from his hands.
“Let’s begin with her name and address.”
Trying to refocus, he gave the nurse the pertinent information.
“What happened?”
“She was shot in a restaurant parking lot, where we had breakfast.”
And on it went. It took another ten minutes to fill out all the information. When it came to Mercy’s insurance plan, he winced. “I’m not sure. I presume she has coverage through her employer. She’s on leave right now.”
The woman nodded. “She should wake up pretty soon, and I’ll ask her then.”
He shook his head. “The bullet is still inside. They might have to do surgery.”
“Let them do what they have to.”
He understood that, but, as he stood there, shifting, waiting, then pacing, he kept looking back in the direction of the emergency room hallway where Mercy had been taken.
Ice could’ve taken out the bullet and fixed that wound. Then there was her father, a doctor who owned a hospital—but in California, not Texas.
His mind raced with random thoughts.
Finally the nurse finished the paperwork, and Michael was told to take a seat. He walked to the waiting area and paced instead.
When the doctor came out, he motioned for Michael. “She’s gone to surgery to retrieve the bullet from her shoulder blade. She should pull through just fine.”
Michael nodded. “All bullet wounds must be reported. I do have a detective’s name. Maybe you can report to him?” He grabbed his wallet and pulled out the detective’s card and handed it to the doctor. “It’s all related to the same case this detective is working on.”
The doctor nodded and walked away, the card in his hand.
Michael pulled out his phone and sent the detective a text, updating him. Then he did the same with Levi.
He walked over to the waiting room for the surgical patients. He hoped they wouldn’t take long, but, with any surgery, she would be staying overnight. As he sat down to wait, his phone rang. It was his boss, Bruce.
“Where are you?”
Michael winced, realizing he hadn’t called in his absence to the estate. He quickly updated him, saying he was waiting for Mercy to come out of surgery. There was an odd silence in the background, and he could hear a vehicle engine starting up.
“Stay there, Michael. If you come in at noon, that would be good. Work on the front beds today.”
Michael nodded. “That I can do.”
He put the phone on the table beside him and stared at it. This was the first time the boss had ever called him. But then it was also the first time Michael hadn’t shown up for work. As it went, this morning had been a bit of a bitch. If only Mercy hadn’t knocked him out of the way. Yet, if she hadn’t, he’d have taken the bullet in his chest, likely killing him.
He kept checking his phone, hoping Levi had news. No way in hell was Michael leaving until she came out of surgery. It was the least he could do. The other part of his brain warred with this common sense. She’s not even awake. She won’t wake for hours yet. Go to work. Give her a call when you’re done.
He shook his head. “Hell no.”
Chapter 18
Mercy surfaced in a haze of confusion and pain. She rolled over on the bed and cried out as a fiery hot lance slammed through her shoulder. Moaning in pain, she rolled back over. She came fully awake, gasping for breath. Her hand automatically reached for her shoulder.
Her fingers, instead of touching smooth skin, came up against gauze wrappings that seemed to cover half her chest. When she opened her eyes again, it was to see a white ceiling, white walls, and a white curtain around her bed. She groaned softly, closing her eyes again. She was in the hospital.
She searched her mind, figuring out what had happened. She remembered breakfast with Michael …
Instantly fear rose. If she was hurt, what about Michael?
She opened her eyes, struggled
to a seated position and looked around. But only her bed was in the curtained area. She didn’t know if he was here or not. “Michael?”
She contemplated leaving her bed but saw the tubes in her arms. Gently, she lay back down again, continuing to fit the puzzle pieces together in her mind.
When did it happen? She remembered meeting Levi and Ice, agreeing to stay with them for a few days. They’d left the restaurant, and she thought she’d seen something. She still didn’t know why she jumped toward Michael, knocking him back, but she had. And that was all she remembered.
She studied the large bandage on her shoulder. Had she been hit by a car? But that scenario didn’t work as the rest of her wasn’t sore. Although she wasn’t feeling great overall either. She felt like a pound of meat worked over with a mallet. Or maybe a loaf of bread that had gone through a heavy kneading. Everything ached. And her head was fuzzy.
Then she remembered the glint in the distance. She’d been shot. She must have been. She’d pushed Michael out of the way and taken the bullet herself. Damn.
Still, she was guessing. But with nobody here to clarify, she couldn’t be sure. And no way would she prod and poke at her shoulder to find out what had gone on.
She noted the Call button by her bed, but who would she call other than Michael? The hospital’s peace and quiet, relative safety, at least at this point in her life, was something to savor. Then a door opened. She wasn’t sure if she was in a ward or in the emergency room. Footsteps walked toward her. She waited, peering through her lashes. A nurse came around, pulling open the curtain as she walked to Mercy’s bed.
She took one look and smiled. “Waking up, are you? That’s a good thing.”
Mercy wasn’t sure how she knew she’d been waking up, but she dropped the pretense and opened her eyes slowly. She glanced around to see she was in a private room. “What happened?” she whispered.
The nurse raised the bed a bit and then held out a large glass of water with a straw. Gratefully Mercy sucked down several big gulps of water, feeling the dryness in her throat ease.
“Try not to gulp or drink too much the first time”
Mercy slowed to taking small sips. When she was done, the nurse returned the cup to the table. “You were shot. But not to worry. The bullet lodged in your shoulder bone, and you had surgery to remove the bullet. That’s probably why you feel like you were beaten up.”
Mercy didn’t know what to say, but the facts lined up with her memories. “Is Michael okay?”
“Is he your boyfriend?”
Mercy nodded.
The nurse said with a smile, “Then hopefully that’s the caged tiger pacing outside, waiting for you to wake up. He’s been trying to come in, but since he’s not family, we can’t let him in. You’re gonna be here for at least a day or two, so just relax.” The nurse went about checking Mercy’s blood pressure, temperature, then wrote notes on her tablet.
Mercy watched her in silence. The last thing she wanted was to stay here, but at the same time, if she was safe, if Michael could confirm the nightmare was over, well, maybe it was a good idea. She had to stay somewhere.
And she really wanted to see Michael. “Can I see Michael now?”
The nurse glanced up, assessed her expression and then smiled. “I’ll let him in, in a minute.” She walked out.
Mercy hoped the tests were over. Her shoulder was really pounding. The nurse hadn’t checked the bandage, but she could see fresh bright-red blood seeping through the gauze. She had no idea how long ago she’d had any painkillers.
Then the nurse returned with medication. Mercy smiled in relief. “I was just thinking how much the pain was kicking in.”
The nurse nodded. “I will take a quick peek at the wound after you take the painkillers.”
Unfortunately not enough time had passed for the new dose of painkillers to kick in, and the pain was incredible as the bandage was gently removed from her shoulder, the wound cleaned and a new bandage put on. She was covered in sweat, her whole body shaky. The last thing she wanted to do was be social. Neither did she want Michael to see her like this. On the other hand she was rather desperate to see him. She’d love to be held in his arms even for a moment.
The nurse patted her hand gently and said, “I’ll give you a few minutes, and then I’ll let him in.”
Mercy didn’t know when the few minutes came because she was so busy dealing with the waves of pain that had overtaken her system. When she could, she took several deep breaths, pushing the throbbing back down.
When she opened her eyes, she saw Michael standing beside her. She gave him a small smile and said, “Given a choice, I think I’d rather have stayed with Levi and Ice.”
He gave a chuckle and whispered, “No doubt. But instead you decided to be a hero.”
She gave a small shake of her head. “I’m no hero.”
He reached down to hold her hand. “I’ve got news for you. When you push somebody out of the line of fire and take the bullet instead, that very much makes you a hero.” He gently rubbed his fingers along the back of her hand. “I guess in this case that makes you my hero.”
She smiled. “No. You’re one of the good guys who goes out and saves the world.”
“I was one of the good guys. It’s not what I do anymore.”
She opened her eyes fully and studied him. “But you could. It’s who you are inside. To turn down Levi’s job offer would be to deny an inherent part of who you are.”
He studied her for a long moment and pulled up a visitor’s chair to sit beside her. “You don’t know me well enough to say that.”
She stared at him. “Yes, I do.” Her tone was irrefutable. “We’ve been over this. You might not like to think anybody understands who you are, but that doesn’t mean people don’t. Levi and I certainly understand. And he knows you better than I do.”
He pursed his lips. “Levi knows of me, and I’ve known Ice for a while, but I can’t say we’re very good friends.”
“Would you have a problem getting Levi to watch your back?”
He shook his head.
“Would you have a problem having Ice watch your back?”
Michael snorted. “I could place my life in both their hands and know they would do everything they could to keep me safe.”
She smiled. “What else do you need to know?”
He sighed. “It would mean moving.”
“But they’re here in Houston, right?”
“I live a couple of hours away. They are a 45 minute drive away.”
“Would it be a tough move?”
He frowned. “I don’t want to live in the compound. I want to live on my own land.”
“So sell yours and move someplace closer. Or don’t sell yours and rent it out and buy another place. Or rent another place, or try the compound, whatever the hell that is.”
“It’s not that easy,” he protested.
“Of course it’s not that easy, but it’s not that difficult either. It depends whether this is what you want to do with your life or not.”
“It’s what I used to do, but I walked away from it. I’m not sure I want to get back into it again.”
“And that is a decision only you can make.” She smiled. “It would be a shame if you hid your light.”
He snorted. “What will you do? After you recover from your bullet wound? You have to call work and let them know.”
She shrugged. “No, I don’t. I was taking three weeks’ leave, remember?”
“Of which you’ve used nine days. Are you ready to return to that same job? After what you’ve seen of the world? The other side of the world?” he asked.
She studied him for a long moment. “Maybe. It’s not like it’s a job I feel compelled to do. But it’s a job, and I have to have one of those.”
He nodded. “If I move to Levi’s, I’d be closer to you.”
“And that’s a good thing. Right?” She eyed him intently. What was he getting at? She wanted him to do what was right for
his sake, but she didn’t want to lose him.
He settled back, dropping her hand, and crossed his arms over his chest.
She grinned. “As body language goes, that’s distancing yourself from a touchy topic.”
“I don’t like discussing those things,” he muttered, glaring at her.
At that she laughed out loud. “Nobody asked you to discuss anything. It requires a simple yes or no answer.”
He glared at her for a long moment, and then said, “Yes.”
Warmth flooded through her. “Good. Go. It won’t affect our relationship. I live in Houston anyway.” Her smile fell away. She eyed him intently. “But I think we’re getting ahead of ourselves.”
“One of the reasons why I’m good at what I do is because I like to plan ahead.”
She stared at him in astonishment. “Planning ahead is one thing. Planning ahead for a relationship is not quite the same thing.”
“I’m planning to spend time with you.” He gave her a flat stare. “If you are interested.”
“Yes.” After a moment of silence she chuckled. “Listen to us. Neither one of us is particularly open.”
He shrugged. “We’re opening up as much as we need to. The rest of the stuff is extra.”
“How about you get me out of here?” she asked with a teasing grin. “So we can continue this relationship journey in private.”
He gave her a slow smile with a twinkle in his eyes. “I was hoping you could be released before nightfall. Maybe spend the night together, but according to the hospital, that won’t happen.”
She frowned at him. “Maybe we should get a second opinion,” she suggested with hope.
He laughed. “Nope, not happening. Your health comes first.”
“Being held in your arms is as good for my soul as staying in the hospital is good for my body.”
He gave her a startled look. “Now that’s a nice thing to say.”
She gave him a slow smile, adding, “I mean it too.”
Then the door opened again, and a man with a white lab coat walked in. He glanced at the two of them and asked, “How is the patient doing?”