by A. V. Asher
“It’s a pretty normal thing when you’re starting out. It’s . . . the look on your face. It’s . . . adorable.”
Alec grumbled and tried a few more runs of the bow across the string. A series of screeches and squeals filled the room. He frowned at the bow in his hand. Why is this so hard?
“Sounds good, mate,” Declan called helpfully from the other room.
“Ach, feck off, aye!” he called back. “Prick.”
Mercedes wiped a tear from her eye, getting herself under control. “Let me help you.”
Coming up behind him again, Mercedes pried his fingers from the neck and moved them a fraction of a centimeter. “You want to hold it right here.” Her voice had grown softer, the laughter gone.
This time, she kept her hand on his when she moved to his other side. Her energy thrummed through him, and he took an even breath to calm his heart.
She put her knee on the ottoman next to him and leaned in. The feel of her body pressed against his back sent a shock through him, adding to the pressure building in his groin. Christ, he wanted her. He closed his eyes, resisting the urge to lean back into her.
Mercedes touched under his bow arm and lifted his elbow up, hesitating before she moved again. Her fingertips grazed the bottom of his forearm, and she rested her hand on his. She left a wake of fire as she went. Did she know what she was doing to him?
Her breath was soft against his cheek, and he felt her body shiver.
“Ready?” she whispered.
Alec’s voice refused to work, so he gave a single nod. Mercedes guided the bow along the string, her fingers pushing then pulling on his hand. He had no idea what it sounded like, every thought consumed with her touch. He shifted in his seat to ease the discomfort her closeness had brought on.
He couldn’t keep kidding himself that he didn’t want her. Every part of him ached for her. The desire to take her mouth with his had reached a painful peak, and he needed to act or leave.
Alec stopped the bow and lowered it. Mercedes’s hand stayed in the air, and he thought she’d back away. She didn’t. Instead, her hand came to rest on his chest. He turned his head and caught her eyes.
Disappointment coursed through him when she pulled away. She didn’t speak, making him feel like an absolute arse. Alec stood, setting the violin and bow on the ottoman.
Her eyes were downcast, conflict written on her face. Had he hurt her? Was she angry he was taking advantage of her?
“I’m sorry,” he murmured. “I don’t want to make you uncomfortable.”
Her eyes jumped to his. “You didn’t,” she breathed.
Mercedes rose and brushed a tentative hand across his brow, sweeping an unruly lock of hair away. Her hand lingered on his temple and slid to cup his cheek. Alec closed his eyes, reveling in the feel of her. Turning his cheek into her touch, he let his parted lips slide against her fingertips. She shuddered.
When he opened his eyes again, she was watching him, the flecks of amber hidden below the moss green. Her breath caught, and he was lost.
Alec’s heart raced as he pulled her to him, molding her body against his. He moved his hands along her shoulders and down to the small of her back. If she hadn’t known what she was doing to him, she did now. Instead of giving him relief, it made him throb for more. Mercedes slid her hand up his body, letting her fingers tangle in his hair.
Alec grazed his lips along her jaw, teasing his way to her mouth. Her breathing became labored the closer he got. When his lips brushed hers, she closed her eyes and sighed.
“Jesus, Sadie,” he moaned and dipped his head to satisfy his need to taste her.
The sudden, piercing chime of the doorbell cut through the air. The fog of desire dropped like a lead veil. Mercedes’s eyes searched his, wide with terror. No one was expected. No one on the team would ring the doorbell. She broke from his arms and bent to pick up the violin. She looked to him, waiting for him to move.
Alec was still. There were innocent possibilities. It could be the post or a neighbor. He waited to hear a delivery truck pulling away or for the neighbor to leave. Instead, an insistent knock thumped on the door.
Alec grabbed his gun from the end table, wrapped his arm around Mercedes’s waist, and swept her into the darkened hallway. An alcove in the hall provided a space for her to remain hidden from the living room. He pressed her back against the wall, shielding her with his body.
Mercedes clung to him, her head buried against his chest. “He’s found me?”
“No, no. It’s okay, it’s going to be okay.”
She nodded, but he doubted she believed him.
Declan appeared in the hallway, his own gun drawn, slowly approaching the door. The bell rang again. Declan placed the drawn weapon behind his back and peered out the window.
He drew a breath. “What the hell?”
The door swung open, and a feminine voice carried down the hall. “Hey, Dec.”
“Mariah. What brings you out here?”
Oh, shit.
“Alec said he’d be here this weekend. I thought he and I could . . . spend some alone time together.” The implication in her voice was clear. Mercedes’s body went rigid.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. What the bloody hell was she doing here?
Alec met Mercedes’s gaze. The fear was gone. Anger and distrust had taken its place. There was no time to explain. She wouldn’t believe him if he told her anyway.
She looked away from him and gave him a shove.
God. Fucking. Damn. It.
Chapter Twenty-One
Shattered. That was probably an accurate word. Mercedes had felt safe, like maybe she’d escaped and could rebuild the life she’d lost. These people had given her hope. Alec had given her hope. Now it was scattered into pieces, like the illusion he’d been.
He looked as if he wanted to say something but stopped himself. Laughter from the strange woman carried down the hall.
“Go to your room. I’ll get rid of her.” Alec holstered his gun behind his back. Without another word, he strode away, leaving her alone in the hall.
He greeted the woman warmly, stabbing her in the heart. She restrained herself from slamming the bedroom door, instead clicking it quietly shut. Her pulse raced. What should she do? Her head spun from the sudden change in the evening’s events.
Emotions screamed through her. Which was winning, the hurt or the anger?
Anger. Anger was pulling ahead.
Mercedes strode to her bathroom and pulled open the makeup bag. Pumping out the concealer onto the brush with unnecessary aggression, she swept it over her cheeks. Once the bruising on her face and neck were covered, she added a touch of eyeliner and mascara. She’d be damned if her already tiny world would be reduced to hiding in a single bedroom while Alec entertained another woman.
Did this she already know all about Mercedes and her situation? Rage coursed through her veins, making her heart thunder. Alec could have been talking to this woman about her. Maybe they had been talking about how stupid and weak she had been.
Why had he almost kissed her if he was seeing someone?
Mercedes jerked a brush through her long hair, happy it still had a curl to it. Not a great one, but it would work. She took a cleansing breath before turning the door handle. Raging like a crazed woman would do her no good.
When she approached the kitchen, she could hear the woman saying, “I know you said you were busy, but I thought we could talk about things.”
Declan was the first to see Mercedes. He strode across the kitchen toward her, blue eyes wide with a warning.
“Sweetheart. You’re awake.” His long arms enveloped her. She froze for a beat before she realized his ruse and wrapped her arms around him. When he pulled away, he murmured into her neck, but loud enough for the room to hear. “You look beautiful.”
Mercedes played along by squealing at his playful nuzzling. When he pulled away, he had a twinkle in his eye.
“Dec. You have a girlfriend?” the stranger gushed.
“Oh, aye. It’s a fairly new thing.”
Mercedes turned to acknowledge the woman. She was beautiful. Long blonde hair and brown doe-like eyes.
Mercedes offered her hand. “I’m so sorry, my manners. I’m Emma.”
And she saw it. Right there in this stranger’s eyes. A faint tic. It was so quick and subtle, she almost missed it.
“Emma?”
“Yep, Emma Woodhouse.” Mercedes smiled brightly, wondering if the woman was a reader of the classics. She didn’t think so.
“I’m Mariah Costa. Nice to meet you.”
Mercedes wrapped her arm around Declan’s waist, letting her head fall onto his shoulder. “What brings you by?”
“Oh, well. I wanted to spend a little time with Alec. He told me he’d be at a family party this weekend, so I thought I’d catch him up.”
“Alec, you didn’t say you were seeing anyone.” Mercedes looked up at Declan, fluttering her lashes. “Did you know?”
“Nope.” Declan shook his head.
“Alec has so many secrets.” Mercedes rolled her eyes. Alec shifted in his seat, not saying anything. Mercedes avoided looking right at him, but she could feel his gaze on her.
“Well . . . We were seeing each other casually for a few months. We ended it when I started working for him.” Mariah reached over and took Alec’s hand. He pulled away as if it had burned him, but Mariah was unperturbed. “When we had dinner the night before last, I told him how much I missed him and wanted to be with him. For more than for just . . . well, you know what I mean,” Mariah said as an aside to Mercedes. Alec winced.
“Mm-hmm.” Mercedes nodded back knowingly, wanting to scratch the woman’s eyes out.
“And with what happened after dinner the other night . . .” Mariah gave Alec a shy smile.
Realization hit Mercedes like a truck, and her stomach lurched. That’s where he’d been? Screwing another woman instead of at the safehouse with her? It hurt more than she had a right to feel.
She thought of the moment they had shared before the doorbell rang. He’d been playing her, just like he had before. Only this time was worse. This time, he put her safety in jeopardy by bringing this person into her little haven.
God, she was an idiot when it came to men.
Declan grunted softly. Mercedes had dug her fingers into his ribs. She loosened her grip and gave him a little pat as a silent apology.
“Aww, that’s sweet. You know what?” Mercedes gazed up at Declan. “Dec and I’ll get out of your hair. It sounds like you have some catching up to do. What time are we leaving?”
“Leaving?” Declan and Alec said together.
“To the party?” Mercedes rolled her eyes.
“Oh, an hour, I guess?” Declan said.
“An hour’s perfect.” Mercedes shifted her gaze to Alec. “I’d like to be out of here in an hour.” She hoped he picked up her meaning.
“Come on, love.” She took Declan’s hand, heading for her room. He had other ideas, tugging her to the formal living room.
Declan, an avid reader, had created a cozy reading nest out of blankets and pillows tossed on a loveseat. They had a direct view of the kitchen table where Alec and Mariah sat. Alec was leaning toward her, talking in hushed tones. Mercedes couldn’t make out his words.
Declan sat on the loveseat and pulled her into his lap. Mercedes let out a playful yelp and a giggle. Snuggling against him, she was grateful for the quiet moment to talk.
“What the hell, Dec?” she hissed.
“I don’t know. Something’s not right. Alec gave instructions to keep this locked down. Even his assistant doesn’t know what he’s doing here.”
“Maybe his girlfriend doesn’t count in that.”
“Mariah isn’t his girlfriend or anything close to it. They’ve never been serious.”
“Serious enough for him to put off coming here one more day to screw her.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness out of her throat.
“That’s not why he put it off, and I doubt he screwed her.”
“She seemed pretty proud of the fact.”
Declan rolled his eyes at her. “She didn’t say they slept together recently, only that something happened after dinner. You’re the one spinning it, lass.”
Mercedes glared at him. “Humph.”
She wasn’t in the mood to listen to his reasoning. Not while Alec and Mariah were bent together, whispering. Alec’s jaw was set. Mariah was smiling up at him. No, not smiling.
Simpering.
Mercedes had to look away.
“No way he slept with her,” Declan said. “Not with you back in his life.”
“You don’t know that.”
He gave her a pitying look. “Come now. He’s thought of little else but you since you asked him to come by for coffee. You have him by the bollocks, and you don’t even know it.”
Her heart lurched. If only that were true. “Whatever.”
Declan turned to her, his blue eyes sparkling with mischief. “Want me to prove it to you? Give me a little snog. You’ll see.”
“You want me to kiss you?” She scrunched her nose at him.
“Oh aye, a decent little make-out session would make his blood boil.” He grinned at her. “Oh my god, it’d be hilarious.”
“Um . . .”
“It wouldn’t be like that, you dolt. No offense, but I don’t think of you that way. You’ve been off-limits since the day I met you.”
Mercedes wasn’t convinced. He tilted his head toward Alec. “The man’s got it bad for you. But hey, if I’m wrong, it won’t matter, will it? Just a friendly kiss between friends.” He shrugged. “Besides, if he reacts the way I think he will, he’ll get her out of here quick.”
That caught her attention. A streak of recklessness stiffened her spine and she thought quickly. It certainly wouldn’t matter to Mariah. If anything, it would make their ruse more believable. She didn’t like how Mariah kept shooting glances at the two of them on the couch.
Mercedes wanted her gone.
“Alright, I’m game.” With more confidence than she felt, she tilted her head up and pressed her lips to Declan’s. He responded in a way she could only describe as polite. She fought the urge to laugh, despite her anger. She opened her mouth, coaxing Declan to kiss her back so it wouldn’t look like two school kids playing spin the bottle. He took the hint and put more effort into it, lacing his hand through her hair.
The sound of the chair thrusting back and hitting the wall made her jump. Mercedes broke away in time to catch Alec’s glare as he stormed out of the kitchen, Mariah following behind.
“Too easy,” Declan snorted.
With Mariah outside the house, it was time to pack it up and go. Mercedes got off Declan’s lap and stalked to her room. Declan followed her, chuckling.
Opening the drawers with a jerk, she pulled the folded clothes from inside and threw them on her bed.
“Why ya doing that?” Declan asked.
Ignoring him, she picked up the bag Cressida had left her and stuffed her clothes anywhere they would fit.
Mariah’s voice carried to her window. Mercedes stopped to peer out at them. Mariah was yelling at Alec, and he was giving it right back to her. Mercedes couldn’t make out the words, but it didn’t matter. She turned back to her packing. “Can you take me to the embassy tonight?”
Declan’s brows were creased together. “You don’t need to go anywhere. You and Alec can work this out.”
“Nope, not happening.” She stopped and looked at the clock next to the bed. “How long has it been since she arrived at this house?”
“I don’t know, fifteen, twenty-minutes? Why?”
Mercedes rushed to the bathroom and gathered the various items on the counter, shoving them haphazardly into the makeup bag. Those, too, were crammed into the backpack. “We might have fifteen minutes. Unless he’s staged nearby. Then it could be any minute.”
“Who?” Declan asked.
“Jason.”
“You think Jason’s on his way? Here?” Declan said dubiously.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She spun on him. “Because that woman knew my name wasn’t Emma.”
Declan looked unconvinced. “She’s worked for us for months. How would she even know Jason?”
“I don’t know, but he always finds a way to get to me.”
Declan pursed his lips.
Mercedes didn’t stop. “Look, I know how bonkers this seems, but I’d rather be safe. Forgive me if I don’t want to put my life in the hands of someone like Alec at the moment.”
“Hey, now. What do you mean by that?” Declan frowned. “Alec’s always been there for you.”
“Oh sure, right.” Her tone was laden with sarcasm. “He was really there for me years ago, when he decided I wasn’t even worth a god damn text message saying he was no longer interested in me anymore. Super trustworthy. Never mind, he invited his fucking booty call to my safehouse. Yeah, that’s the guy I’m throwing all my trust behind.”
Declan’s face turned stoic.
“I’m— I’m sorry.” She willed herself to calm down. “He’s your cousin, and you love him. I get that. But this is my life. I knew running from Jason was a risk, and looks like I chose wrong. Again.” She crammed a few more things into the bag.
Declan didn’t say anything. Mercedes pulled the violin case from the chair she’d propped it on. She opened it to make sure it was secured and closed it quickly.
“What did you mean by that?”
She turned to see Declan tilting his head at her. “By what?”
“You said he didn’t even message you saying he wasn’t interested. What did you mean by that?”
“I meant exactly what I said. He didn’t even bother with a ‘Hey, it’s not you, it’s me’ line.”
An engine revved. Mercedes peered out the window in time to see Mariah’s car accelerate down the street.
When she looked back, Declan had left the room. The screen door slammed, and raised voices carried to her through the hall. Declan and Alec were having it out.