Mercy: Second Chance Military Romance

by Abbi Hemp

  “I’m fine, but he threatened us.”

  “What did you say to him?”

  “I threatened him back. Why don’t you and your father come to stay with me for a while. I’d feel better.”

  “Hold on,” she said.

  I heard her saying something to her father.

  “He says he can’t leave the plants right now. A lot of his advances come down to making sure everything is perfect during each stage of the plant’s growth.”

  “Come over by yourself, then. I really want to see you.”

  “Okay,” she said. “Give me about an hour or two. We’re about to eat.”

  “Sounds good. I’ll be in my study.”

  “Bye, Brent.”

  “Talk to you soon.”

  She ended the call. I set the phone down on my desk and leaned back, trying to sort through all the thoughts flying around in my mind. Even if I turned myself in to protect Heidi and her father, Ron and the cartels would still go after them and me.

  No, the best move was to wait for them to take a big move and then pounce, bringing the authorities into the matter. At the end of it all, I might even come out looking like a hero. Winning the Cannabis Cup Finals would be even better in my book.

  THIRTY-SIX

  Brent

  Above All is Love

  As I waited for Heidi to arrive, I checked my email. A few hundred new ones needed to be read, but I clicked on my daily wealth statement. While staring at the numbers, I thought about what was possible with so much money – anything I desired and then some.

  My earlier self would have laughed at thinking love might be worth more than all the riches in the world, but over the last few months, I’d found my views changing. When Heidi came into my life, the process accelerated. It was as if she had opened my eyes.

  Doubt crept into my thoughts in the form of wondering whether it would be safer for Heidi if I turned myself in. The authorities wouldn’t find anything, but Ron would be happy and might leave us alone. I pushed it aside, knowing the cartels would never leave us alone.

  They needed to be attacked head-on. Ever since Colorado legalized marijuana for recreational use, the cartels found themselves losing more money in the illegal weed business. While they still made billions of dollars with other drugs like meth and cocaine, the greedy bastards saw their time was coming.

  “Hey, you,” she said from the doorway.

  I looked up and smiled, still amazed by her beauty. She walked in, closing the door behind her.

  “You look stressed.”

  “You don’t know the half of it. More money does mean more problems.”

  “I think I can help,” she said.

  “Yeah? You have some of that Super Weed?”

  She shook her head.

  “No. This is even better.”

  I swiveled to face her.

  “Yeah? You’ve got my interest now.”

  “I bet I do,” she said, coming closer.

  She got down on her knees in front of me and put her hands on my knees. I leaned back as she pushed them apart and crawled even closer.

  The sunlight streaming in the window lit up her red hair miraculously. I stared down as she unbuttoned my pants. I inhaled deeply as she pulled them down, exposing my cock.

  “It looks so sad,” she said. “Maybe I should kiss it.”

  “I’m not going to stop you.”

  She leaned forward, pink tongue darting from between her lips. When it brushed against the tip of my dick, I moaned. As she kissed every inch of my skin, I reached down and grabbed one of her breasts.

  “Sit back and enjoy it,” she said, pulling away.

  I didn’t argue one bit as she licked my cock from the base all the way to the tip. Blood rushed between my legs as she gripped it with her long, thin fingers.

  It drooped down as she held it at the base. She looked up and into my eyes then slipped an inch of it into her mouth. Bliss ran through my body as she slid her tongue underneath my head.

  “Oh, fuck,” I said, adjusting in my seat.

  She sucked more of my cock into her mouth, tightly wrapping her lips around the smooth shaft. While her head bobbed up and down, I felt her fingers scratching under my balls, driving me wild.

  “Heidi…”

  At the sound of her name, she sucked harder and faster, getting me so hard. I took a deep breath and tried to control myself so I didn’t climax too early.

  When I got close to coming, I tapped her on the shoulder. She didn’t move away, continuing to suck, so I tapped more urgently. Still, she didn’t stop.

  I popped into her mouth. She took all of it, not moving her mouth off my cock until I stopped spurting my warm, wet cum. My body still shaking, I looked down.

  She stared up at me with a grin on her face and some of my thick, sticky cum dribbling out of the side of her mouth. Turned on by the sight, I leaned forward and kissed her.

  “Ooh,” she moaned as our tongues swirled together.

  The taste of my man-juices didn’t bother me. If she swallowed, the least I could do was not freak out about kissing her afterwards.

  I stood and bent down to help her up.

  “I love you,” I said.

  “So much.”

  “You hungry?”

  “After that meal?” She laughed. “I’m kidding. I could eat. We need to talk about what to do next.”

  “We will.” I squeezed her. “We’re going to get through this.”

  “I know,” she said.

  In that moment, I loved her even more, something I didn’t think was possible. After dinner later that night, we slept together in my bed. As long as I had her by my side, nothing else mattered.

  THIRTY-SEVEN

  Heidi

  Family Reunion

  The next morning, Brent took off with Keifer to check on one of his dispensaries. As I ate a fresh omelette in the dining room thanks to his chef, my phone rang. I dug it out of my pocket and glanced at the screen. That’s weird, I thought as I saw DAD as the caller.

  “Hello?” I asked after answering. “Everything okay?”

  “No, honey. Run. Just get away…”

  His voice faded and another voice came on the line.

  “You want to see your daddy alive again, you need to stay the fuck away and mind your own damn business.”

  “Cousin Larry? Is that you?”

  He ended the call without answering. A million thoughts ran through my mind, but my instincts took over as I rushed outside to my car. I didn’t even think about calling Brent for help as I got in and started it up. The tires squealed as I tore out of his driveway and headed toward Dad’s land.

  Cousin Larry and I had never gotten along as children or adults. While he was technically family, the sane people in our clan kept their distance from him. The last bit of news I’d gotten about him was that he was in jail for manufacturing meth in a garage somewhere.

  What the hell is he doing at Dad’s place? The question repeated itself over and over again as I raced down a back road to get to him faster. If it had been the cartels or Ron, I would have called Brent for help, but I could handle crazy Cousin Larry on my own.

  I wondered what had happened to the security people Brent said he had hired to watch Dad. Was he lying to me again? The only way to find out was to get there and see what my cousin wanted. Why had Dad told me to keep away? What the hell was going on?

  When I finally arrived at his house, I saw a four-door sedan with tinted windows on the side of the road. The driver’s side door stood open. As I drove by, I didn’t see anyone inside. I thought about calling the police before confronting Cousin Larry, but I didn’t want to wait and take a chance.

  So much for his crack security team, I thought, hoping they were okay. Even without my DEA issue Glock, I had to find out what was going on. I had to get to Dad and make sure he was okay. After parking in front of his house, I got out and rushed to the front porch. Before I got there, the door swung open.

&nbs
p; Cousin Larry, wearing camouflage from head to toe, stood in the doorway pointing a shotgun at me.

  “Get in here,” he hissed, glancing around.

  “What the hell is going on? Did you shoot that security guy?”

  “I said get in here,” he shouted.

  I raised my hands and walked up the steps of the porch. He stepped back, allowing me to walk into the living room.

  “Close the door,” he said. “And lock it.”

  After I did, I asked, “Where’s my dad?”

  “He’s tied up in the back. You need to tell me where he’s keeping this new Super Weed plant I keep hearing about.”

  “Why are you doing this?” I asked. “We would have shared it with family.”

  “You two have never treated me like family.”

  He spat on the floor, still pointing the barrel of the shotgun at me.

  “Do I need to shoot your leg to get you to talk?”

  “I need to know my dad is safe,” I said. “Take me to him, and I’ll give you all the weed you want.”

  “It’s not the weed, dumb ass. I want to know how he’s growing it. He claims it’s all in his head, but I know he’s not dumb enough to not write it down somewhere.”

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I lied.

  Dad did have everything documented quite carefully.

  “Let’s go out back to the greenhouse. If you make one wrong move, I won’t hesitate to shoot you.”

  “Like you shot that guy out front?”

  “He had it coming,” he said. “Piece of shit mercenaries think they know everything. Now let’s go.”

  I walked through the kitchen and out the back door with him close behind me. When we got to the greenhouse, I saw Dad lying on the floor.

  “What the hell did you do to him?” I screamed, rushing forward.

  “I told you to be quiet,” he said.

  Something hard hit the back of my head. I heard him call me a dumb bitch as I lost consciousness.

  THIRTY-EIGHT

  Heidi

  Kissing Cousins

  Cousin Larry ogled me from across the room.

  “We could be kissing cousins,” he said.

  Eww. WTF? Gross!

  I hid my emotions from him, knowing manipulators like him got off on their victim’s reaction. He would get no such pleasure from me. An idea hit me suddenly.

  “You have a bottle of the right tequila, who knows what might happen tonight.”

  He squinted his eyes slightly as he stared at me.

  “Are you fucking around with me? Or are you serious?”

  “I’m serious,” I said in my sexiest voice while trying to avoid vomiting.

  An evil grin slid over his face.

  “I can go get some tequila if you’re serious.”

  “I’m not going anywhere,” I said. “Can you untie me in case I need to use the bathroom while you’re gone?”

  “Use it now,” he said. “I’ll watch.”

  Double gross!

  “That’s fine. Just hurry. I’m so horny, Larry.”

  “How about a preview?” he asked, putting his thumb in the waistband of his jeans.

  “No, I need the alcohol. You’re not going to regret it.”

  Come on, I thought, batting my eyelashes at him.

  “Damn, you are a slutty slut.”

  He moved toward the only door of the windowless room he had me in. After he left, I struggled to get out of the duct tape around my hands and legs. The more I struggled, the less energy I had to continue, but I did not want my cousin to get back and go nuts when he realized I didn’t want to screw him.

  No matter how much I struggled, the tape held strong. I glanced around the room, wishing I’d called Brent before going to check on Dad. Knowing I had no chance of changing the past, I thought about ways I could get out of my predicament.

  When no answers came right away, I kept on thinking.

  You can do this, I told myself. Stay calm and think!

  THIRTY-NINE

  Brent

  Operation Kick-Ass

  Keifer rushed into the kitchen as I looked in the refrigerator for some fruit.

  “Boss!” he yelled.

  I turned around.

  “What’s wrong?”

  “It’s Heidi. One of the security guards we hired for her dad is dead, and she’s missing.”

  “What the hell?”

  I slammed the refrigerator door shut.

  “I’m not sure who did it, but the security company called to let me know what had happened. A guard got shot, but he managed to see someone driving Heidi away in an old, beat-up sedan with local plates.”

  “We need to find out who has her and do anything it takes to get her back. Is her dad safe now?”

  “Yeah. There’s three of our security team and all the police there now.”

  “What about the feds?” I asked. “Did that one guy Ron show up?”

  “Not that I know. Do you want to take you over there now?”

  “Yeah,” I said. “And make sure we’re loaded for bear.”

  “Sure thing,” he said. “I’ll meet you out front in a few.”

  I pulled a nine millimeter handgun out of my bottom desk drawer. After checking the clip, I stood and stuffed it the back waistband of my pants.

  Outside, Keifer loaded two AR-15 rifles into the back of the bulletproof SUV.

  “You got one for you?” I asked.

  “Two more up front,” he said. “Should we call some of the guys?”

  “I’m going to call the legal team.”

  “Where are we going?”

  “To the DEA building. I want to talk to her boss and find out if he’s behind this or not.”

  He walked around and got behind the steering wheel. I sat in the passenger seat up front next to him. As we pulled down my long driveway, I swore to not sleep or rest until she was safe.

  * * *

  With two attorneys at either side of me, I headed through the lobby of the DEA office building, determined to find out what the hell had happened to Heidi. If he or Ron were behind it, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to control my anger and not kill them.

  “Do you have an appointment?” a security guard asked as we approached him.

  He sat behind a counter.

  “No, but I need to see Keller. Tell him Brent Stone is here.”

  “I’ll tell him, but I don’t think he’s going to…”

  “What’s going on?” an older man in a suit asked as he walked over from the bank of elevators.

  “This man says he’s here to see you,” the guard said to him.

  “You’re Keller?” I asked.

  He nodded.

  “What are you doing here? Ready to turn yourself in? Ron said you would, but I didn’t believe it.”

  “For the last time, I’m not doing anything illegal. At least not in Colorado.”

  “I work for the federal government, son. We have jurisdiction everywhere.”

  “That’s fine and well, but I’m here to find out what happened to Heidi.”

  “What do you mean? She doesn’t work here anymore. Ron told me…”

  “He’s a criminal,” I interrupted.

  “Let’s go to my office and talk,” he said.

  “No. There’s not any time for more bullshit. I need to know if you or Ron are behind this.”

  “Why would we harm one of our own?”

  “Because Ron is dirty as hell, and I’m beginning to think you are too.”

  “Hold on a minute,” he said, obviously upset. “I’ve been with the DEA for over twenty years. The organization has changed over that time, but we still work hard to protect American lives.”

  “Then tell me where you have Heidi hidden before something happens to her.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” he said. “If you want to make an appointment with me later, you can…”

  “No,” I said, cutting him off again. “If y
ou care about your agents, even ones you have on suspension, you need to ask Ron where he has her.”

  “You keep accusing him. Do you have any proof?”

  I turned to Tim, my lead attorney. As if on cue, he lifted a briefcase and opened it while Jerry, another top attorney of mine, held it. He pulled out a digital recording device.

  Keller’s face got red as we listened to Ron incriminating himself.

  “Where and when did you get this recording?” he asked.

  “He came to my home. We got this off my security footage. I can back it all up, but we need to do something about Heidi now before anything happens to her.”

  “Is she in trouble?”

  “Her father was beat up pretty bad, a security guard of mine got shot, and she’s missing. I’d say there’s a damn huge problem.”

  He pursed his lips and frowned.

  “I’ll call Ron now, and we’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll need a copy of that recording.”

  “Anything,” I said. “But call him now. Heidi is in danger.”

  Keller turned to the security guard.

  “We’re going upstairs. Keep your eyes open and let me know if Ron shows up.”

  “Yes, sir,” the man said from his swivel chair.

  “Follow me,” Keller said, heading back to the elevator.

  When we reached his office, he called Ron, who didn’t answer. After a quick call to the local County Sherriff, he had an address of where the car had been spotted an hour earlier.

  “Thanks for helping,” I said. “Please give me the address. I can take care of this personally.”

  “She’s still an agent. We’re going to use the entire power of the federal government to get her back. Don’t worry.”

  “I’m so glad you didn’t turn out to be one of the bad guys.”

  He took a deep breath.

  “She should have told me what was going on, but I can see why she didn’t do it. To be honest, she’s the best agent we’ve had in a while.”