Mercy's Angels Box Set (Mercy's Angel #1-3)

by Kirsty Dallas

I shook my head without hesitation. “I don’t want to go yet,” I whispered, my throat tight with emotion.

  Braiden climbed onto the bed and pulled me back with him until we were comfortably propped up on the pillows. He pulled a blanket over us then flicked on the TV. Without a word, I settled into the crook of his arm and nervously rested my hand on his chest. Braiden took my hand and wrapped it tighter around him. His warmth bled into my cold skin, and it made me feel lazy and contented. He smelled so masculine and fresh, I wanted to bury my face into his neck and breathe him in. I had never lain with a man like this. Not once. Not even Jonas allowed this sort of intimacy. When his hand began running through my hair, I was instantly lulled into a calm void. With a deep sigh, my eyes fell shut, for the first time ever, I fell asleep wrapped in peace.

  The last thing I remembered before darkness swept me under was Braiden’s lips on my brow and his soft whisper, “Sleep, Malen’kaya, I’ve got you now.”

  Chapter 18

  BRAIDEN

  Dark eyelashes fanned across Em’s pale cheeks, her nose twitched, a soft sigh left her full lips. In sleep she looked so serene I couldn’t bring myself to wake her. Instead I found myself watching her like some sort of obsessive stalker. I’d never taken the time to simply lay and observe a lover so freely, I’d never wanted to. With Em, I wanted everything. After forty minutes of simply watching her, I decided it was bordering on creepy, so I took the opportunity to take a shower and call Sam. He lived right above the office, and I knew if he wasn’t already up, he wouldn’t be far from it. The man damn near lived and breathed his computers. I couldn’t imagine him being away from them for longer than necessary.

  “All quiet here, Boss,” he said with a yawn, “I’ve got the account setup in such a way that as soon as it gets any activity, I’ll get an alert.”

  Relief and anxiety warred for supremacy. While part of me wanted to hear Em had received another email from Jonas, the protective, male, obsessive stalker side of me loathed the thought.

  “Thanks, Sam,” I murmured, while struggling to hold the phone between my ear and shoulder as I made a fresh pot of coffee.

  “No problem. You need anything else?”

  “Is Dillon there?” Dillon’s bedroom door was open, but he was nowhere in sight.

  “No, but I think he was taking Eli to the shops today to do some Christmas shopping for his mom.”

  That wouldn’t be awkward much, taking the son of the woman, who recently rejected him, shopping.

  “Thanks. Keep me updated.” Hanging up the phone, I tossed the cordless unit on the counter so I was free to concentrate on the task at hand. With coffee made, fresh juice poured, fruit, yogurt, toast and cereal spread out on a tray, I made my way back to the bedroom. Emily was sitting up in the middle of my bed, her hair a tangled mess, her clothes rumpled, and her pale blue doe eyes looking a little lost and confused. When she saw me standing at the door, she blushed. Such an innocent reaction that made it almost possible to forget the atrocities she had endured over the years.

  “Thought you might be hungry.” Strolling into the room I pretended not to notice her bashfulness.

  “I slept,” she murmured.

  “You did. It’s after nine already. I called Larz last night, and he told Rebecca where you were. He told me you normally have the day off today so I didn’t bother waking you. You obviously needed the sleep.”

  “I didn’t have a nightmare,” she continued, looking pleasantly shocked. The mattress dipped as I sat down beside her, placing the tray of food in her lap. “And you made me breakfast,” she noted.

  “Very observant, eat.” The command spilled easily from my lips and I cringed. I didn’t mean for it to sound like an order, but my dominant personality made it virtually impossible to be anything but a bossy asshole. Emily of course didn’t bat an eyelid, gifting me the sweetest smile before she went straight for the cereal. She still responded to command with casual ease, she was more than likely submissive by nature before Jonas got his hands on her. At least now she could feed herself and speak her own mind, she was healing. It reinforced the fact that walking away from her, while difficult for us both, was the right thing to do. She had gained so much of herself back in such a short expanse of time.

  “Have you done your Christmas shopping?” I found myself asking her.

  Emily looked like a deer caught in bright headlights. She gave a small shake of her head and took a sip from the glass of juice, clearing her throat before she spoke. “I haven’t had to buy gifts in a long time. I’m not sure what to buy or who to buy for.” A pink hue filled her cheeks at the confession.

  “Let’s enjoy your day off then and go to the mall. Bomber and Gabbie can tag along; they need to get out before they kill each other.”

  She fiddled nervously with hem of her shirt. “I’m not really good in those sorts of situations. I’m not entirely comfortable around large groups of people.”

  “You like shopping though?”

  She shrugged. “What girl doesn’t like shopping?”

  Of the few serious relationships I had been in, my desire to spoil my woman was always there, and it was no different with Em. I wanted to take her shopping, to buy her everything her eyes lingered on. The thought of caring for her, providing for her made me feel ten fucking feet tall.

  “Well, you’ll have me beside you scowling and looking very intimidating; that should keep the other shoppers at arm’s length. Gabbie and Bomber will be right there, too. If it gets to be too much, we’ll leave.”

  Emily thought about it for a moment. “Alright, I’ve saved a little money and I did want to buy something for Rebecca and Charlie. I need to change though, I’ve been wearing these clothes for twenty-four hours now, and I have morning breath.” She cupped a hand over her lips testing her breath.

  Leaning forward, I captured her gaze and watched her eyes for any uncertainty or fear. Seeing none, I slowly pressed my lips to hers. The kiss was chaste, a quick sip from a divine wine. When I pulled away, her pupils were the size of saucers and her chest rose and fell quickly.

  “I like your morning breath, but we can stop by your place before we go to the mall.” Stealing a piece of toast from the tray, I stood and moved to the walk in closet where I grabbed my boots. As I turned back to face the bed, Em sat with another of those far too infrequent, yet sweet smiles. Putting that look on her face filled me with pride, and if I ever had any doubts about making Emily mine, they had completely evaporated in the last twenty-four hours.

  ***

  Emily didn’t lie when she said crowds made her uncomfortable. Her legs bounced with excitement the entire car ride, but as soon as we walked through the doors, that excitement drowned under a fear that wrapped around her like a thick blanket, suffocating and stifling. With wide eyes, a fine sheen of sweat beading on her forehead and trembling hands, Em stuck to my side like glue. Gabbie and Bomber strolled casually on either side of us, but I knew that behind that casual swagger two soldiers were at the ready—their eyes always observant, their hands loose and ready at their sides. We knew Jonas had someone observing Emily in Claymont, and the fact that none of our team had picked up on it was slightly unnerving.

  The stores were a little busier this time of year, with the holidays quickly approaching. Christmas decorations hung from the ceilings, lights twinkled, and shoppers looked both frazzled and excited. A stark contrast to Emily who looked ready to throw up. Taking her hand in mine, I gently squeezed her hand offering whatever reassuring I could before pulling her towards a store I knew she would be grateful to find. I’d been here once with Charlie when he’d been looking for a birthday present for Rebecca. The quirky store was filled with a large range of vintage and retro items. Emily’s hand was still holding mine tightly as we stepped through the doorway, but some of the tension seemed to slip from her shoulders as she took in the shop. It wasn’t as crowded in here as it was back out in the main thorough fair. Bomber and Gabbie remained just outside the doorway, arguing
over something as frivolous as holiday decorations. Emily immediately noticed the clearance section and drew away from me to look it over. She finally settled on a retro red and white polka dot dinner setting, and a small framed poster that pictured a retro style pin-up girl holding a cup of coffee, the saying along-side of the woman read, “Drink Coffee: Do stupid things faster and with more energy.” I had to agree that it was perfectly Rebecca-like. Taking her bags in one hand, and linking our fingers in my other, we left the store.

  “Em, maybe you should get Eli something. How about a new Xbox game?” suggested Gabbie.

  “Dang it, I forgot about Eli, it’s been so long since I’ve had to buy gifts it’s taking a little while to get back into the swing of things.” Emily said with a blush. “Do you know what games he might like?”

  “I know he wants a game called Lego: Marvel Super Heroes, it’s some sort of super hero game that Dillon said isn’t too violent.” We found a shop that specialized in gaming, and Emily’s thoughts became lost in the wall of games; she barely noticed the people milling around her. We found the game for Eli, and I didn’t miss the look of disappointment as Em noticed the price.

  “You know what, I haven’t got the little squirt anything yet, maybe we can split the cost and it can be from all of us. At least that will save me from having to find him something.” Bomber said with a grin.

  Gabbie smiled. “Best idea you’ve had all day.”

  Em glanced at me, and I shrugged. “If that’s what he wants, it makes the decision easy for me. Pick one for yourself while you’re at it.”

  Emily’s brows drew together in a cranky looking frown. “Why?”

  “Because then I can wrap it and give it to you for Christmas. I would prefer to get you something you want rather than something you have to feign interest in and politely smile at just to appease me.”

  “Good idea, pick two and the other can be from me,” said Bomber handing me some cash.

  “Don’t look at me. I’m hoping to pacify your feminine side by buying you clothes,” said Gabbie.

  “That means I have to buy you all something, too!” Emily said in a panic, and then realized she’d said it out loud. “Not that it’s a problem, I just wasn’t expecting it,” she mumbled, trying to cover her outburst.

  “I don’t need anything,” Bomber replied. “All my crap’s in storage until I find a house. I’m living out of a suitcase right now; I don’t need more stuff to weigh me down.”

  “I like chocolate, maybe you can get me some from Annie’s shop. She has those chocolate covered coffee beans. They are to die for.”

  I knew Gabbie was finding Em an inexpensive way out of buying her a gift. Em wouldn’t be happy if we all told her not to buy us anything. She looked to me waiting to hear what I had to say.

  “You’ve seen my place. I have everything a man needs.” Taking her hand, I pressed a kiss to the back of her fingers and pinned her with a hard stare. “I have everything I want this Christmas.” She blushed, and thankfully didn’t notice Bomber’s grin or the roll of his eyes.

  The cafeteria was a mad house, but we still managed to find a booth at one of the far corners. Strategically it was perfect. We had our backs to a wall, an exit to one side and a perfect view of the entire crazy scene before us.

  “What do you all want?” I asked as Em slid in one side of the booth, Gabbie and Bomber into the other. “Boss’s treat.”

  “And here I always thought you were a tight ass,” said Gabbie with wonder in her voice.

  “You wanna buy your own lunch?” I smirked.

  “Club sandwich,” she promptly replied. “With fries.”

  “I second that, and a chocolate milkshake,” added Bomber.

  I glanced at Emily.

  “Ummm, that sounds fine, and a chocolate milkshake, too...please.”

  “Good to know someone at this table has manners,” I remarked before walked off. Although it went against my nature to be leaving Em, I knew she was safe with Bomber and Gabbie.

  “Thank you, Boss,” chorused Gabbie and Bomber as I headed into the madness of the food court.

  EMILY

  Gabbie and Bomber went straight into an argument as soon as Braiden walked away. It seemed to be all those two did, argue. Strangely though, it wasn’t out of spite, nor did they seem to dislike each other, quite the opposite. They actually seemed to really, really like each other. Gabbie leaned into Bomber a little as she spoke with a low irritated growl in her voice. Bomber gave her his most charming smile and didn’t once look away from her dark brown eyes. I wondered if they were oblivious to everything except each other in that moment. There was entirely too much sexual tension between the two.

  “Oh, come on, you really think American Idol ruined modern music? That’s ridiculous. If anything, it paved more paths and opportunities for musicians who wouldn’t ordinarily have the slightest shot at it.”

  “Exactly, they don’t have a shot at it because they don’t have the talent. If they don’t have the talent, they shouldn’t be there!” Gabbie’s Spanish accent, barely noticeable usually, became thicker when she argued.

  “Ordinarily they don’t have a shot at it because producers simply don’t have the time to view them all. This way the entire world gets to see them perform, and even if they don’t make it through, someone out there might see them and give them a chance.”

  “Or, recording artist A over here, who is full of unrestrained talent yet gifted with looks less than graceful is working hard, trying to make a name for herself, while recording artist B over there has some mediocre talent but a perfect rack and pretty face, therefore, is more suitable for some ridiculous TV show that is all about ratings rather than music.”

  Bomber became quiet and thoughtful for a moment. “Is recording artist A or B a hypothetical person, or do I sense a note of personal soreness here?” Gabbie’s lips closed tight and she took deep breaths in and out through her nose. “You auditioned for American Idol,” Bomber exclaimed.

  Gabbie moved slightly away from him. “I did not nor would I ever lower myself to audition for American Idol,” she said through gritted teeth.

  “Holy shit, you can sing?” Bomber seemed to be getting more excited by the moment.

  At this point I lost interest in the conversation, even if I was fascinated with the relationship unfolding before me this argument was mind-numbingly boring. Glancing around the busy food court my gaze automatically sought out Braiden. It felt like he’d been gone for a long time, but it may have only been a few short minutes and I was pining like a lovesick teenager. As I took in the frantic shoppers around me, the laughing children hyper with the promise of Christmas, tired moms and dads, small groups of women animatedly talking over latte’s and sandwiches, a face emerged from the chaos. Buzz cut short, dark hair, thin lips, and cold eyes. My heart tripped over a beat and the world around me seemed to swirl into an inaudible mess. But that face remained clear and focused. My mouth opened but no words came out. I wanted to look away, but I was scared he might disappear. My breathing grew ragged and when the corner of his mouth tipped into an evil smirk, I was finally able to tear my gaze away from him and my wild eyes tried to find Braiden, my safety. When I looked back to the place the familiar face had been, it was gone. Rising slowly from my seat, I tried to find him again, the familiar buzz of panic filling my ears.

  “Em?” came Bomber’s sharp voice from beside me.

  My breathing was wild, my heart was beating so loudly I wondered if he could hear it, and dark, blurry dots filled my vision. “N...N...Nate,” I managed to stammer out before darkness claimed me.

  “You think you’re something special? I’ve got news for you, Pet, you are nothing but a stain on his shirt. You are replaceable and insignificant. The moment he tires of you, I will put you down like a dog, like I did all the others.”

  The cold steel barrel of his gun pressed hard under my chin. My sobs were almost uncontrollable. Tears, snot and spit dripped from my face making me feel
just as pathetic as he claimed I was. For one year I had been metaphorically chained to Master Jonas, one entire fucking year, and Nate knew I wanted him to pull the fucking trigger. He knew I wanted nothing more than the death he promised me.

  “It’s not time yet,” he growled, as if reading my thoughts. Bringing his gun away from my face he drew back and hit me with it. It sent me sprawling across the tiled bathroom floor. He grabbed the bottle of pills off the vanity beside me. “Where did you get them?” he yelled, while. I rolled myself into a ball, my hands over my head, protecting myself as best as I could. I knew what was coming because there was no way I would betray Jen, the girl from the club who had acquired the forbidden drugs for me. “Fucking useless whore, you die when he says and not a fucking moment before.”

  The first kick sent a jolt of pain through my body, so deep and endless I thought I might pass out. I wasn’t that lucky. More kicking, punching, spitting until my entire body was numb, until darkness shadowed me, until the pain was blessedly gone under the gift of unconsciousness.

  “Malen’kaya, open your fucking eyes,” came a familiar voice that seemed too far away. “Come on, baby, come back to me.”

  Forcing the heavy weight of my eye lids open, I took in the calming vision of Braiden, hovering so close I could feel his breath on my lips. I blinked once, then twice. “What happened?” I breathed.

  “You passed out, right after you said, ‘Nate.’” The memory jolted me to my senses and I sprung up so fast I almost smacked my head against Braiden’s. “Steady.” His hands kept me from standing. Glancing around I realized immediately we were no longer in the food court. It was a long hallway, a set of large swinging doors at one end that Bomber stood in front of, his gun held in two hands pointing to the floor. Gabbie stood behind us before another set of doors, her weapon also drawn and at the ready.

  “Nate was there,” I said, panic threatening to take me under again.

  Braiden gripped my cheeks, forcing me to keep my eyes on him.