by Dale Mayer
“No, it’s parked in the parking lot.”
“Good. You can drive it up to a block away from the estate, then you can disappear, and I’ll drive it in.”
Ice didn’t say a word. Mercy didn’t know if that meant agreement or if Ice would completely derail the plan with some idea of her own. She understood Ice was very much like Michael, and this was what they did. But Mercy was the one called to save Michael, and nothing Ice might do would stop Mercy from going in and helping him out.
The doctor came in, protesting mightily. She shot him a hard, flat look and said, “Wouldn’t it be nice if life were perfect, and I could stay in bed and heal. But someone will die if I don’t show up. That makes this a nonnegotiable conversation.”
And she walked past him. She didn’t know how the insurance would work, and she didn’t give a damn. She hit the button on the elevator, and, with Ice at her side, they dropped to the ground floor. Outside they walked toward her car with Ice leading the way. She got in on the passenger side and took several deep breaths.
When Ice got in, she started the car, then looked at her. “You gonna make it?”
Mercy shot her a look. “I will make it. I have to.”
Ice drove out of the parking lot and headed toward the estate.
*
“Who did you send the information to?”
Pain slammed into his head as an open hand struck his face. Michael tried to grab at it as his consciousness reached out and brought him back to awareness. He opened his eyes and looked around. Four of the security guards surrounded him. Crates were stashed all around him. He was tied to a chair, and, from the looks of it, he was inside the damn cave again.
“What?” He knew he couldn’t fake it for long. But he hadn’t left any telltale marks on the phone, so he had no idea how they would’ve known.
“The information you took off Robert’s phone.”
“What information?”
“He left his phone in the truck.”
Michael managed a confused look, which was easier now that his head had taken so many blows. “He did?”
“Yes, he did. And your fingerprints were on it.”
Damn, he must’ve missed something. No. They were guessing. “I had to hit the brakes hard,” he muttered. “His phone fell, so my hand must have touched it.”
Silence followed. He tried to free his hands and then his legs and stopped. “What’s this all about?”
“Betrayal,” a new man with a cool voice said, entering the fray.
Michael turned his head to the side as Freeman neared.
“I’ve had more than enough betrayal in my life. I have an easy answer for now. I just take out those involved.”
“I never betrayed you,” Michael gasped. The pain in his head rang through his ears.
“Well, the men have grabbed your laptop, and Tim’s going through Robert’s phone. So we’ll see about that.”
With a sinking heart, Michael realized that, although he had deleted and hidden everything on his laptop, and had done his best to delete every trace of his activities on Robert’s phone, any technology geek could probably recover it.
“Where’s Robert?” Freeman asked in a hard voice.
The men pointed to the far side. Robert was on the ground, unconscious. Blood flowed under him.
“Did you kill him?” Michael asked in horror. Inside he could feel the anger surging through him. His hands were tied with some kind of bungee around the back. His feet were tied with something similar. Getting out would be easy. He needed some time alone. Something he doubted he would have.
“He’s not dead yet, but he will be soon.”
“For what? For forgetting his phone in the truck?”
“Yes, exactly.”
Michael let his eyes drift closed, and his head fell to the side. At least Mercy was safely away from here.
“When’s the bitch coming in?” Freeman asked.
The question sent shock waves through Michael’s system.
“She should be on her way now. I expect to see her in another five to ten minutes.” When his phone rang, the security guard pulled it out, checked the text message and said, “She’s coming through the main gate now.”
Freeman nodded.
His fury building, Michael watched Freeman. It was all Michael could do to keep his expression blank. His fingers went back to work on the knots. “Who?”
“Mercy. Or should I say Anna’s sister?”
Shit. So he had figured it out. God damn it. He sucked back his panic. “Oh, my God, what do you want with her? She’s already in the hospital. Isn’t that bad enough?”
“The shot missed. Never do these things in public,” Freeman said to the guards. “Another reason Robert is down and out. He had lots of opportunity to take care of both of you. But he couldn’t. After taking care of the last two he lost his nerve. Became spineless.” He motioned to the body beside the guards. “Make sure you get rid of that soon.”
He turned toward the open doors. “When she comes, shoot them both and bury them somewhere deep. No more finding bodies in shallow graves, like the last two.”
“Is that what you do? Shoot anybody in your way?” Michael called out.
“Absolutely. The place is full of bodies.” Freeman laughed. “That’s one of the advantages of having lots of property.”
“People have families and friends who will surely come looking for their loved ones,” Michael said in disbelief. It was too much to even contemplate. “You can’t just keep killing people.”
“A spat some years ago forced me to take out a few people. And then a few people came looking, but thankfully we haven’t heard anything from them in a couple years. Until the bloody maids and landscape gardeners turned into spies.” He shook his head. “You can’t get good help anymore.” At the sound of a vehicle arriving, Freeman froze.
Michael watched Freeman, seeing the look on his face. “Who’s that?”
“None of your business.”
Michael turned his head and watched as Mercy’s car pulled into view. Mercy wasn’t driving; Bruce was. The vehicle was driven all the way inside the cave. Michael realized they would get rid of her car too. He had no idea what cover story Freeman would give the cops. Still, to have two sisters disappear from the same place was surely too much evidence for anybody to ignore. That was, if the cops knew about it. And two detectives did.
Thankfully Ice and Levi also knew, and, if anybody else disappeared, Levi and Ice would make sure something happened so the truth would come out. He watched in pain as Mercy slowly got out. She was obviously still struggling from her injury.
She took one look at him and raced unsteadily toward him. She dropped to his side and placed her arms around him, her head up against his chest. And she slid a small pocketknife into his hand.
He smiled inside. “I wish you weren’t here,” he whispered.
“How could I stay away? It was the only way to keep you safe.”
Another chair was dropped down beside her. “Sit.”
She shot the man giving the orders a hard look but slowly sank into the chair. Only Michael saw the wave of relief cross her face as she sat down, clearly not strong enough to be on her feet yet.
“What did we ever do to you? I came to save his life,” she cried softly. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because we have to, and you’re both going to die. So too bad for you,” one of the security guards said. “Things must be dealt with before they become bigger issues.”
She closed her eyes and whispered, “No, you don’t have to do this. Is everyone on this estate corrupt?”
“Most of us,” he said cheerfully. “Not Martha. She’s devoted to John and turns a blind eye.”
“Dear God,” Mercy whispered. “It boggles the mind.”
“You want us to tie her up?” one of the guards asked Freeman.
She immediately cradled her shoulder and whispered, “Please don’t. I’m still dealing with the bullet wound.”
The man shook his head. “Don’t bother with it. She’s not going anywhere.”
One of the guards walked to Mercy’s car and drove it farther into the cave. The others gathered around Freeman, standing before the crates.
Michael watched Mercy studying their surroundings before zinging her gaze back to Michael, an eyebrow slightly raised. He gave her a grin as the knife in his hand cut the last of his bindings. With the men’s backs to him, he bent and freed his feet. But that was only part of the answer. Next was to get Mercy out safely.
With his hands held behind him, yet free, he held the knife open but concealed.
Bruce spoke to two of the guards. “Take them to the back of the cave where that new section is opening up. We’ll bury them deep in there.”
Freeman studied the crates while his men took care of the dirty business of murdering people.
At one of the guard’s hand motions, Mercy slowly made her way to her feet. “Please don’t hurt me,” she cried out softly.
The other man shrugged. He pointed toward the back of the cave. “Then walk on your own.”
The third guard neared Michael, thinking maybe a two-man team should be on him.
Michael took one scrutinizing look, measuring the distances, the weapons the other men held, and realized his chances were pretty damn thin. As soon as he started to walk, they’d see his bindings were cut. He straightened in his chair on his own. As he caught sight of Freeman and Bruce walking farther away, Michael turned the knife in his hand and lunged, stabbing the closest guard directly in his throat. Michael’s free hand reached for the dead man’s handgun and fired at the second security guard. And then he spun and drove a bullet directly in the forehead of the third security guard, standing beside Mercy. It happened so fast, nobody had a chance to react.
Mercy and the guard dropped to the ground at the same time, and she whispered, “I’m fine. Go.”
He bolted for cover as she lay down, pretending to be dead. With three of the security guards down and Freeman and Bruce pinned on the other side of the crates, Michael quickly took a position where he thought he could pop off some shots. He had no idea what hell Levi and Ice had planned aboveground, but he’d get the details later.
“Who are you, Michael?” Freeman asked. “Like hell you’re a fucking landscape gardener.”
Michael gave him a ferocious smile. “I’m a man who loves plants.”
“Well, you’ve pulled your last weed.” Freeman fired a bullet, hitting the crate right next to Michael’s head.
The wood splintered, sending several tiny pieces deep into Michael’s shoulder. He shifted positions and came up in time to see Bruce poke his head around, looking for a shot. Michael pulled the trigger and dropped the man where he stood. Now that evened the odds more to his liking. Four down, one to go. “Give it up, Freeman. You’ve killed your last employee.”
Freeman laughed. “Like hell.” Several bullets sprayed around Michael as Freeman disappeared deeper into the cave.
Michael realized Freeman had to have an escape hole in the back. Michael hadn’t had a chance to explore this area fully. He quickly followed. He had to hope Mercy stayed safe on the ground.
In the back was nothing but darkness and shadows, plus scurrying movements from every critter on earth that could possibly live in a place like this. But with his ears trained on the man, Michael heard the sounds of Freeman continuing down the cave.
Michael followed silently. The hunter and the prey. But when he thought he had Freeman, the dirty politician crossed to the far side, swearing, and then went silent again. Michael realized Freeman’s plans had gone awry. Michael recognized the problem himself. There had been a small landslide of rock, probably from the last explosion they’d used to carve out a new entrance. But instead of being accessible to the surface, it was full of crushed rock and fallen debris. He grinned, picked up his pace and quickly retraced his steps, keeping sight of Freeman, still looking for a way to come around and get in front of Michael.
Mercy’s car sat between the two men.
Freeman studied the car and bolted for the driver’s door. He slid behind the driver’s seat, and the engine turned over, now in Reverse. Michael slid into the front on the passenger side and pressed his gun against Freeman’s temple. “Shut it off right now.”
Freeman looked at Michael with a grin, and he floored it. Driving backward, straight toward Mercy, who still lay on the ground.
“Stop it,” Michael roared.
Freeman shook his head. “Like hell.” And he gunned it to go faster.
Michael pulled the trigger and yanked the steering wheel to the side. The right front tire narrowly missed Mercy. The car smashed into the entrance corner a moment later, with Freeman’s foot still heavy on the pedal.
His head bleeding, Michael sat for a moment, getting his bearings, fighting with the airbags. Then his door opened, and Mercy’s face filled his gaze.
“Are you hurt?” she cried out.
“Are you an angel?”
With tears in her eyes, she whispered, “No, I’m not, but you’re my hero.”
He shook his head. “No, not me. That was my old life. I’m no longer hero material.”
With a gentle touch, she stroked his cheek. “I’ve good news for you. Once a hero, always a hero. Especially my hero.”
And she disappeared from view as his lights went out.
Chapter 21
Mercy opened her eyes and stared at the hospital room. Had she dreamt it all? She had had such horrible nightmares that she didn’t doubt this could be just a continuation. But an odd breathing pattern had her glancing sideways to see Michael in the bed beside her. She studied his face anxiously, seeing the white bandage around the top of his head. He had some bloodstains on his cheeks, but he was fully dressed and stretched out beside her. She reached out a hand but couldn’t quite touch him.
“Whoa, careful there.” Ice came around the corner of the bed. “When he wakes up, he’ll get closer. But at the moment, he’s out cold.”
“I gather our side won?” Mercy asked.
Levi popped up behind Ice. “We did. We were too late to save Michael from several knocks on his head, but we got there in time to take out the last of the guards back at the mansion.”
Mercy smiled. “Did we get everybody?”
“More or less. I wanted to question some of the men, but Michael appeared to have killed them,” Levi said. “He does have a bit of a heavy hand.”
“He needed to. It was him against all those bad guys.” Mercy let her eyes drift closed, relief and joy flowing through her at hearing it was over, and they would both survive. “I was so scared when I arrived.”
“But you didn’t let it stop you from doing what had to be done,” Levi said quietly. “There is a lot to be said for that kind of grit.”
She shook her head. “I didn’t even have to think about it. All I wanted to do was save Michael.”
A warm hand gathered hers up gently. She gasped to see Michael’s eyes open, staring at her, his gentle smile just for her. “It’s much appreciated, but I’d rather you stayed safe.”
“Then who would give you the knife to cut your bindings?” she teased.
“Very smart, falling down and playing dead,” he admitted. “I wasn’t sure what exactly happened.”
She grinned impishly. “I learned that trick on the school playground years ago.”
He rolled over slightly and stared up at Levi and Ice. “I presume it’s over?”
Levi nodded. “The commander wants to talk to you.”
Michael’s eyes drifted closed. “Later. Much later.” Then his eyes opened again. “You better not leave me in this goddamn hospital, because I’m not staying overnight,” he said in a hard voice.
“Nope, you’re not,” Ice said with a big grin. “That doesn’t mean you’ll be any happier where you’re going, but we wouldn’t leave you here.”
Michael stared at her. “And where’s that?” His voice
was flat, monotone, as if he expected bad news.
“You and Mercy are both coming to our place to recuperate. It’s close and safe. It’ll give you a chance to take a look at the compound and meet the rest of the guys. Some of them are good friends of yours.”
Michael’s brows rose. “I don’t need babysitting,” he said in scorn.
“I wouldn’t mind though,” Mercy said, her voice betraying how tired she was. “I need a good night’s sleep, like a week’s worth.”
Michael turned, and pain flashed across his features at the motion.
“See? You’re not feeling perfect either.”
He studied her gaze for a long moment. “Is that where you want to go?”
“If it’s not the hospital and not the estate, and I’m with you, then it’s perfect.”
Michael squeezed her fingers gently again, then looked at Levi and Ice. “Both of us? Together?”
Levi wrapped an arm around Ice’s shoulders. “I know there is no compromise on that count. Some things I can’t fight against.”
“And what’s that?” Mercy asked, not quite understanding what he meant.
He gave her a smile, his gaze traveling between her and Michael and back to Ice, and he whispered, “Love.”
Mercy squeezed Michael’s fingers this time. “Glad to hear that. I don’t want to be separated from him again.”
“And you won’t be,” Michael said with a promise in his voice. “Never again.”
With a smile she let her eyelids drop closed, knowing she’d found a whole new future for herself. She said goodbye to her sister and to Sammy, knowing she couldn’t help them anymore. It was time to focus on her and Michael. And she couldn’t wait.
Epilogue
Tyson sat at the compound’s dining room table. He hadn’t seen such an incredible collection of men and women in one place since he had left the military. He never expected to see them in the private sector.
Levi spoke up. “Everyone, this is Tyson Morgan. He and Jace North will be joining us.”