Page 23 of Last Chance Seduction (Montgomery Ink Legacy #9)

I tilted my head. “Afraid of the pain? Or of the artist?”

“Maybe a little of both?”

“You know my cousins. They’re brilliant at what they do, and they’ll make you feel safe. You don’t have to be topless for a chest tattoo. No matter what another artist might say.”

“I learned that the hard way.”

I scowled, rage zipping up my spine.

“Excuse me?”

“Oh, I didn’t let them ink where I wanted. I wanted an upside-down heart locket between my breasts and over my heart. One that looked worn and rusted to match my own when I’d lost Emily. But the man wanted me topless for it.”

I froze. “Is he alive? If so, I can fix that.”

She snorted. “I went with a different person who let me wear a shirt and made sure everything felt safe. The other guy even handed me tiny little pasties that wouldn’t even cover my entire nipple.”

I couldn’t help but look down at her bra and T-shirt covered breasts, imagining those nipples.

“Eyes up here,” she said, snapping her fingers.

“So says the woman that was just staring at my cock.”

“Your cock is currently pressing against my stomach, so I don’t think you have a leg to stand on.”

“Maybe a third leg.”

She let out a groan and rolled her eyes. “Seriously, that’s the joke you’re going with?”

“My cock is touching you right now and it’s really hard to think.” I leaned forward, sliding my hands through her wet hair, and brushed my lips against hers. “Want to see more of my tattoos?”

“I thought we both had work to do today before we take time off for the holidays.”

“We do. But I can’t help but want to taste you.”

When Mercy’s head fell back, I licked up her neck, biting her jaw. She shivered, and when I went to slide my hand up her shirt to feel those nipples she kept talking about, my doorbell rang.

With a groan, I cursed my cousin’s timing.

“Do you think that’s Daisy?” Mercy asked as she took a step back.

My cock and I wilted in disappointment. “Most likely. Let me get some clothes on.”

“I really like what you’re wearing right now,” Mercy said with a laugh.

“See? I knew this would work.”

“This…” Mercy asked, her eyes wide.

But before I could explain or even think about what this was, my doorbell rang again. I opened up the app on my phone and spoke through the camera microphone. “You have the code. Come on in.”

“Is the deadbolt not on?” Daisy asked.

I cursed. “Damn it. Yeah, I locked us in to be safe. Like usual. One second.”

“I’ve got it,” Mercy said as she scrambled away from me, her cat on her heels.

I closed the app on my phone and quickly shoved into jeans, not bothering with underwear. I pulled on a dark blue Henley and padded downstairs barefoot, hating the fact that my cousin was so prompt and good at what she did.

Because my morning of having breakfast by eating out Mercy and then making her a real breakfast was no longer happening.

Daisy stood in my kitchen, her husband Hugh at her side. “I hope it’s okay that I brought Hugh. The kid is with my parents.” The kid being her adorable stepdaughter we all loved.

“It’s no problem.” I tipped up my chin at Hugh, who just smiled.

“Did you find anything out on who that man was?” Mercy asked. I moved forward, nodding my head in thanks as Mercy handed me a cup of coffee. Then I tangled my fingers with hers and didn’t miss the knowing look in Daisy’s eyes.

“Why don’t you take a seat?” Hugh said, his British accent soothing, though I heard the undertone of worry in it.

I let go of Mercy’s hand reluctantly and pulled out a seat for her in the breakfast nook.

“Thanks,” she whispered.

I took my seat next to her and wrapped my hands around my warm coffee mug. “Talk to us.”

“Is it okay that I say all this in front of Lex?” Daisy asked. “It’s not proprietary information, and it’s good for him to know, but I also want you to have the choice.”

I scowled at my cousin. Because of course I was going to fucking know. I needed to know what the hell was going on in Mercy’s life.

Mercy squeezed my knee before nodding at Daisy. “You can talk in front of him. I know the cops said they’d call today to get in touch, so I wonder what you must have found so quickly. Did the guy say anything? Or was it just a mugger?”

Daisy met my gaze, then turned to Mercy. She shook her head, and my whole body stiffened as Mercy’s shoulders fell.

“The man has ties to a loan shark.”

I blinked, leaning forward. “I’m sorry, what?”

Mercy cleared her throat. “He works for a loan shark? Why the heck would he follow me ?” She turned to me. “I don’t even do scratch off tickets.”

“Denver isn’t pristine, and there is an underworld out there. And the guy we picked up is one of the enforcers who tries to use family members in order to get what they want from clients. Namely clients who are in debt to them.”

“I have no idea why he would be targeting me though. I don’t have any family.”

“But you almost did,” Daisy said slowly, and I pushed back from the table, my chair falling.

“What the hell did Justin do?” I growled.

“Is he right? Is it the man I almost married? That ass-wipe who cheated on me?”

If I was going to love her, if that was an option in whatever relationship we had, this moment was probably where it would’ve begun. Because that look on her face? It was everything . And it was probably the least likely time for me to even pretend I wasn’t falling.

“It seems that Justin owes money, a lot of money. We’re talking six figures. The loan shark that he worked through has mob ties and happens to be a cousin of a cousin or something like that to the head guy. It’s not good.”

“But why would he come after me? It’s been two years. I don’t even know where he lives.”

“Florida,” I growled.

Mercy looked up at me. “What?”

“Justin lives in Florida. With his brand new wife,” I spat.

“You’re right. He does. However, it seems that our least favorite person made a connection with another guy in Justin’s new home, and Justin explained that he didn’t have any money, but he knew who did.

Justin believes you got enough insurance money from your family that it can cover his debts.

And while I don’t know if whoever loaned him the money truly believes that, they’re going to take it out on whoever they can until they get paid. ”

Mercy pulled back from the kitchen table and began to pace. “That small-dicked, little piece of shit, cheating asshole. What the hell was he thinking? Why would he need money?”

“He’s not great at gambling and picked up a lovely pain pill addiction,” Hugh added.

Mercy froze, her hand going to her chest as she blinked. I didn’t blame her. Because what the fuck? “No, Justin didn’t even like taking Advil.”

“There was a reason for that,” Daisy whispered.

“You know what happened with his aunt.” I nodded, remembering everything my former friend had told me about his family. “She OD’d. It started with just normal pharmaceuticals and turned into something worse. Is that what’s happening with Justin?”

Mercy came back to sit next to me and I slid my hand over her shoulder, running my thumb along the back of her neck. She was so tense I was afraid she was going to break something. But after a few moments of my touch, she relaxed. Marginally.

“We’re still looking into it. It’s only been a few hours, but this is what we could scale off from the top.

We have good people on our team.” Daisy shook her head.

“I’m sorry. I’m going to let the authorities know exactly what we found, because I’m sure they found something similar.

But, please let us put a security system into your home?

You work from there, you’re there often. Just let us help.”

“I can’t afford that,” Mercy said, looking down at her hands. “All of that insurance money went to Emily’s debt for all the medical bills that we had. I’m still in debt.”

My hand squeezed around her neck for a moment before I forced myself to relax. “Money isn’t an object here,” I whispered.

“You can’t do this for me,” Mercy said as she looked towards me, and my hand fell.

“Then let us do it for you,” Daisy said calmly. “A Christmas gift from the Montgomerys. And if I need to break into your house in order to keep it safe, I will,” she added with such a bright smile that it took me a moment to see the edge underneath.

“I cannot believe that asshole. Are they really going to keep coming after me?” Mercy didn’t sound scared. She sounded pissed . And I didn’t blame her.

“I’m sure the authorities are going to do what they can to make sure that doesn’t happen, and so will we. I just need you to be safe for now. Okay? Take the security system.”

“It’s way too much,” Mercy said with the shake of her head.

“Don’t be stupid. Let us help you.”

She scowled at me. “And don’t call me stupid.

Fine though, as long as it’s from all of the Montgomerys.

” She was speaking to Daisy as she said it but looking at me.

So I knew exactly what she meant. We had no idea what we were to each other in that moment, no idea what would happen next, but I’d be damned if anyone put their hands on her again.