Page 74 of Built for Mercy

“I know you don’t. But you know what youdoneed a man for?”

“What?”

“Getting your back cracked and your vagine eaten like it’s a fucking meal.”

I snorted as I recalled every which way Mav had fucked me the last few weeks. He’d turned me into a sex-craved animal.

“Sadly, that is true.” I hauled my bags into my car and rounded the front. “I should probably apologize for how much I made fun of you and Liam for getting your freak on day in and day out.”

“Apology accepted. But don’t think that excuses you from being a responsible adult by communicating your feelings. He cares about you and deserves to know that you’re unhappy.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’ll call you when I land.”

“Love you, Soph.”

“Love you, too, you brat.” I disconnected the call with a smile and tried to focus on the workday ahead.

***

I straightened my pens and notes on my desk for the tenth time. Thankfully it was a slow day. I got caught up on my reports, checked all my voicemails, and returned emails. Nothing too interesting, no leads to follow up on that needed my immediate attention since Clemens would be handling my workload in my absence.

But now I was antsy. Whenever I had days like these, I’d go find Callie and get coffee or lunch. Or just hang out. Maybe assist on her cases.

Except she was gone now, living her best life in New York while I was still here doing… what, exactly? The same damn job that wasn’t getting me any closer to my avenging my father’s death or moving up in my career.

It was starting to feel pointless.

Especially with what awaited me across the Hudson: a happier life with a man on the opposite side of law enforcement, where I could reveal my darkest sides and still be accepted, could maybe even work by Maverick’s side—

SOPHIE. Get. It. Together.

Workingwith Maverick?

Maybe it was sleep deprivation. Maybe it was a lack of food. But something was definitely changing my morals. Loosening them to the point that I was on the edge of unraveling completely.

My cell rang, breaking me out of my reverie in a violent way. I sucked in a breath when I saw the name on my caller ID. “Dean.”

“Sophie,” he breathed in relief. “I’ve been calling you for weeks, and—”

“Yes, I know, and if I wanted to answer, I would have,” I snapped, then winced. He didn’t deserve to be on the receiving end of my existential crisis. I rose to my feet, thinking maybe a quick pace around the room would create enough blood flow to improve my mood. A lightheaded rush hit me, forcing me to rock back on my heels. I gripped the edge of my desk.

“Jesus, Soph, I’m just worried about you. I usually hear from you.”

“Ah, yes, you mean when I was a booty call post-breakup?”

“Have I done something? You’re being unreasonably hostile.”

I loosed a breath. “Sorry. Just on edge. I’ve been busy lately, and honestly, Dean? We’re over. It’s time we both move on.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Can I—could we maybe grab lunch sometime? I hear you loud and clear, I just feel like I need to say goodbye once and for all. And there’s something I need to talk to you about.”

My eyes closed as I fought the frustration bubbling up within me. “Sure. I’m going away for the weekend, so maybe next week. Talk then?”

“Y-yes, that would be—”

“Bye, Dean.” I hung up without letting him finish, then tapped my phone to my forehead as I righted myself. The dizziness had faded, thankfully, but the spells were becoming more frequent—the sudden lightheadedness, the way my vision blurred at the edges, the lingering weakness in my limbs afterward. I couldpush through it for now, but I was starting to wonder how much longer I’d be able to ignore it.

My phone chirped again. Halls was here to take me to Maverick—wherever he was. I was just along for the ride.