Ruined Mercy

by Brook Wilder

  I wanted to ask to go as well, but knew it was a moot point. After all, what good would I be on a bike hunt anyway?

  So, for the rest of the afternoon, I hung out with some of the Hell’s Bitches members, largely trying to stay out of their way but curious enough to want to understand what they were doing. Kristina even had me help with stocking the bar for the night’s festivities, even offering to teach me how to bartend.

  But I wasn’t feeling very festive right now. I had anxiety wondering about my father’s fate, worried that he would get himself killed in this side job he had himself wrapped up in. I was even worried about the team that would go in the morning to get him. Gun Jesus’s words kept floating around in my mind, the ambush sounding like people were going to die. I didn’t want anyone to die.

  Especially the man who had captured my attention today.

  Walking into the bedroom, I stopped short of the doorway. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in here.”

  Harrison sat on the bed opposite mine, the bags cleared and, in their wake, an assortment of weapons. “It’s fine,” he said picking up a wicked looking knife. “I was just getting ready for the ride.”

  I edged into the room, finding a place on the opposite bed before crossing my legs Indian style. “Are all those yours?”

  He nodded as he slid a rag over the stainless-steel blade, his motions quick and sure. “Yeah, they are. One can never go into a fight without being prepared.”

  I was fascinated. To my knowledge, my father had never owned a gun before, and the scariest looking knives we had were the ones in the kitchen.

  But Harrison, he was handling them like they were a part of him.

  “How did you get involved with this club?”

  A quick grin haunted his face before it was gone, and the mask of indifference settled back into place. I was used to that look, but something deep down inside me wanted to see him smile more.

  The man needed some happiness in his life.

  “I signed up, worked my way through the ranks, and then when the enforcer position came open, I took it.”

  “What happened to the last one?”

  “Killed. Hazard of the job.”

  I swallowed, wishing I could be more direct and nonchalant like Harrison was. “Aren’t you worried about being killed?”

  He shrugged. “I don’t think about it much.”

  Matter of fact. That was what I was learning about him. No frills, no beating around the bush. “You should. Life is precious.”

  He snorted. “You sound like a greeting card.”

  “I’m serious,” I shot back. “I mean, people would miss you if you were dead.”

  His eyes were slow to meet mine and I felt a sharp tug on my heart when I saw the hurt there before he covered it up.

  “Yeah, well, I doubt that.”

  Oh God. Did he really believe that? I sat there, stunned at his answer as Harrison turned back to cleaning his knife. I knew without a doubt that my parents would miss me if something happened to me. I knew what their love felt like.

  But Harrison, had he ever experienced love before? It was evident to me that everyone in this clubhouse would miss him if something happened, but he couldn’t see it.

  Either that or he didn’t want to see it.

  Unfolding my legs, I made a decision. If he was going to get himself killed tomorrow, I wanted him to feel some sort of companionship with another person.

  I wanted to give him something to think about other than killing people.

  “Where are you going?” he asked as I stood up from the bed, heading to the door.

  I turned back, giving him a rare smile. “I’ll be back. I promise.”

  There was a long look between us before he turned back to his cleaning and I headed out the room, thinking I was a bit crazed myself. Sure, he had kidnapped me, but instead of killing me, he had brought me here, allowed me to sleep in his bed, and was about to risk his life to go after my father.

  I wanted to do something nice for him.

  ***

  An hour later, I entered the room once more, my arms full. The smell of hot burgers and fries wafted out from the bags I carried, and the beer bucket clanged against my side, but I felt very accomplished.

  “What the hell?” Harrison said as I walked into the bedroom, carefully setting the food and beer on the floor. “Where did you get that from?”

  I stood back, my hands on my hips. “I phoned a friend.” When his jaw clenched, I waved off his tension. “Relax it’s just an expression. I got Kristina to help me. I figured you were hungry.”

  He eyed me warily. “Why would you do that?”

  I used one of his moves and shrugged at him as I lowered myself to the floor. “I don’t know. Maybe it’s because you are going after my father tomorrow, or for the sole reason that you didn’t kill me when you had the chance. Either way, I appreciate it all.”

  I didn’t even look up at him as I pulled the burgers out of the bag, using the bag as a makeshift plate on the hard floor. “Come on. Eat it while it’s hot.”

  “You’re quite bossy when you want to be,” Harrison muttered as he joined me on the floor, crossing his long legs.

  I smiled. “Not really. Normally I don’t even talk to people. I’m what you would call a loner.”

  Harrison pulled a bottle from the bucket, using the edge of the bucket to pop the top off of it before handing it to me. “Yeah, well, sometimes that’s the best way to be.”

  I took a long sip off the beer, the taste not really even bothering me now. “Sometimes. Sometimes it’s really lonely, you know?”

  He didn’t answer as he cracked open another bottle, draining half of it in one swallow. I busied myself handing him a burger, our fingers barely brushing with the exchange, but enough to send my pulse racing.

  This close I could see the flecks of gold in his eyes, the way the stubble on his jaw highlighted a very sexy pair of lips.

  Could men have sexy lips? I didn’t know, but if they could, Harrison would be right there on the list. “Can I ask you a question?” I asked after a moment, peeling back the wrapper on my burger.

  “You don’t need to ask me that. Just ask the question.”

  “Your tattoo,” I said hesitantly. “What is it?”

  His eyes met mine and our gazes held for a moment. “Why do you want to know?” he asked softly.

  I didn’t turn away, finding it easier to look at him now. Maybe I was becoming comfortable in his surly presence. “I’m curious. Is that enough reason?”

  His jaw twitched and for a moment he looked as if he wasn’t going to tell me.

  But then he reached for the hem of his shirt and pulled it over his head, throwing it on the bed behind him. I stared, mostly because I was seeing his bare chest for the first time, and a set of steely abs I had only seen the likes of in the movies.

  Oh my God. Harrison was far more than just a sexy profile.

  Finally, I tore my eyes from his torso to the tattoo that covered his right arm, from mid forearm all the way up his shoulder and ending at his neck. “It’s a dragon.”

  He nodded, flexing his arm so I could see the intricate detail. There was no color, just bold, black lines in the image of a dragon snaking up his arm, its long tail weaving in and out of a skull on his shoulder. “It’s a symbol for creation and death. The life cycle.”

  Which he had a major part in for some people. Without hesitating, I reached out and touched the bold line, feeling him jerk under my fingers. “It’s really good. I’m not brave enough to get a tattoo. I think of everything that could go wrong, like misspelling or blood infections.”

  “That is a huge jump between ‘everything that could happen,’” he chuckled as I withdrew my fingers, my focus back on my burger. “This one hurt like hell, but I was glad I got it done.”

  It fit him, just like his position in the club or his knives laid out on the bed. This was Harrison, the entire package, and despite my better judgement, I liked it
.

  Help me God, I liked him. Maybe it was because he pushed me out of my comfort zone, the little bubble I had lived in for so long.

  Or maybe it was because I was attracted to him physically. Either way, I was in some serious trouble and completely out of my element on this one.

  We lapsed into silence and I nervously drained my beer, reaching for another. Harrison got there before I did and our hands collided, the brief skin on skin contact causing me to suck in a breath. “I’m sorry.”

  “No, it’s fine,” he said pulling out two more bottles and popping off the tops before handing me one. “Thanks for this.”

  “You’re welcome,” I answered, taking the cold bottle. “I wasn’t really feeling the whole partying phase tonight.”

  “Yeah, me neither,” he answered with a grin. “They will party for anything. Sometimes, when I am on assignment, I actually miss the noise.”

  There it was, that hidden grin that made my heart go double time every time I saw it. Suddenly my skin felt flushed and I fought the urge to fan myself, fumbling with my beer instead. I hadn’t really had that much experience with guys before, not dating much in high school, and too focused in college to really care about finding a relationship.

  Of course, the first guy I would be attracted to would be way out of my league.

  “What’s so funny?”

  I looked up, catching his disarming gaze once more. “What?”

  “You just laughed to yourself,” he offered up. “I was just wondering what for.”

  Well, I wasn’t going to tell him the truth. “I was just thinking about how crazy this is.”

  “This?” he asked, sweeping his arm over the remains of the food. “Or being here in the clubhouse?”

  “Both,” I admitted with a sheepish smile.

  “It’s not crazy,” he said after a moment. “Chains and I have picnics on the floor all the time when the rest of the club is out.”

  I burst into laughter. “Now I am going to picture that image every time I see him.”

  “Good,” he grinned, popping a fry into his mouth. “Though we do keep our shirts on for those.”

  I laughed harder. “You have got to stop.”

  He opened his mouth to answer but there was a sudden knock on the door and Harrison slipped into all-business mood. In a flash he had his shirt on and was striding to the door, yanking it open. “What?”

  “Called a meeting.”

  “Be there in a minute,” Harrison answered before shutting the door in the messenger’s face.

  I scrambled to clean up the food, dumping wrappers into the trash can by the bed and trying not to feel disappointed by the interruption.

  “Sorry,” he muttered as he walked back into the room. “I got to go.”

  I wiped my hands on my jeans, giving him a small smile. “Well thanks for entertaining me for a little bit anyway.”

  Harrison took a step forward and I froze when his fingers caught the wayward piece of hair that was forever coming from behind my ear, and tucked it back in its place. “I enjoyed it.”

  My breath caught and for a moment, I thought I was about to experience my first real kiss. Never mind the sloppy high school kisses or the drunken kiss I had been given on New Year’s Eve last year.

  This was going to be the real thing and I was going to experience with Harrison.

  But something changed in his expression and he stepped back, clearing his throat. “Don’t wait up. I will be late coming in tonight.”

  I followed him to the door, the disappointment of the moment gone weighing heavier than it should. “Will you wake me up before you leave in the morning?”

  Harrison turned back, surprise filtering over his expression. “You want me to do that?”

  I nodded, trying to remember to breathe. “I want to… I mean I would like to wish you good luck.” It was a lie. I wanted to see him before he left, period.

  “Yeah,” he finally said. “I will.”

  I shut the door behind him before leaning against it, blowing out a long breath. This was all new territory for me, but I had a suspicious feeling it was for Harrison, too.

  ***

  Sometime in the wee hours of the morning, I felt a gentle shake on my shoulder. My eyes fluttered open and then adjusted to the darkness, Harrison’s blurry face coming into view.

  “Hey, princess,” he said softly. “I’m doing as you asked.”

  I fumbled for my glasses and slid them on, pulling myself to a seated position. “What time is it?”

  “Around four,” he answered, straightening. “I got to go.”

  I drew in a breath, a thousand ways I could wish him goodbye and good luck rolling around in my brain. Instead of settling on any of them, I just reached up and cupped his jaw, allowing my fingers to lightly brush the stubble there. “Please be careful.”

  He stiffened under my touch. “Why are you doing this to me?”

  Confused, I dropped my hand. “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

  I didn’t get a chance to finish before his lips collided with mine, silencing any further words. Everything came alive at once, my heart pounding in my ears as I felt Harrison’s lips on mine. It was a gentle kiss given the type of man he was, and before I could even attempt to kiss him back, he was pulling away. Instinctively, I touched my fingers to my lips as he walked away, the door shutting softly behind him.

  Chapter 10

  Harrison

  I gunned the bike forward, seeing the dawn peaking in the distance. We had been riding for over an hour to the location that Sabrina had pinpointed, the anticipation of what we would come against building within my veins. I was itching for a fight, ready to get this shit over and done with so that I could close out this assignment.

  Not only that, I was still too riled up about this morning, when I had watched Sabrina sleep.

  Not in a creepy way mind you, but my curiosity had gotten the best of me. She had surprised me last night, bringing me food when no one else would think to do that.

  And I sure as hell hadn’t had a picnic on the floor with a woman before.

  But when she had asked me to wake her this morning before I left, something in my chest had cracked wide open, something broke that I had walled up for years since Val had left. I really didn’t know how to feel about it or her, but after that kiss, there was no mistaking that I was attracted to Sabrina.

  She was completely wrong for me. I didn’t want to get involved with anyone. That meant tender feelings and constant worry and the club would chase them off again.

  I couldn’t have two women in my life.

  Sabrina, however, was forcing her way in and I didn’t know what the hell to do about it. One thing was for sure, there was a moment I wanted to crawl in that twin bed with her, to continue that kiss and have her hands all over me.

  Shit, I was in trouble, serious trouble.

  Chains pulled off right past a dirt road and we all did the same, fourteen of us in all including Machine Gun and Ironsides. The big guns had come out to play, though Chains had forbidden any Hell’s Bitches from coming along.

  Widow Maker had been pissed and they argued at the meeting, but he had told her that it had nothing to do with any sort of masculinity or not thinking that the women’s club couldn’t do the job. He was more worried about this being an ambush.

  I was, too. Gun Jesus was right. There was something fishy about this, that the cartel was making it far too easy for us to find the accountant.

  We were all on edge.

  I pulled my bike beside Chains before shutting off the engine. I was armed to the teeth and normally I’d be the first one charging down the road, a knife in one hand and a gun in the other.

  But Sabrina’s face kept popping into my mind, her kind smile as she had sat across from me on that floor last night, and suddenly, I wanted to see that smile again.

  I wanted to taste those lips again.

  “Dude, what the hell have you gotten yourself into?”


  I looked over at Chains. “What are you talking about?”

  His grin was catlike. “I saw who was in there with you last night. Were you having a picnic?”

  Shit. I was hoping he hadn’t seen anything when he came to tell me about the meeting. “It was her idea.”

  “Well, hell I knew that,” Chains chuckled as the rest of the crew readied themselves for a fight. There would be one person who would stay behind and guard the bikes, but the rest were going in, likely through the copse of trees we had pulled into. “I just didn’t peg you for going after that type.”