Page 19

19

MERCY

R olling up to the clubhouse, I’m not at all surprised to see that there is a party in full swing. A welcome home party is traditional when brothers have been gone as long as we were. With us having been ambushed, you would think this motherfucker would want to have church first to go over the details. I know I do. I want to know how Pres was aware of things before we told him.

We all sat down with Raider the first morning we were in South Dakota to go over the ins and outs of what happened on the ride up there. Everyone denied contacting the clubhouse about the ambush before the drop-off. Which means for the Italians to have known about the possible missed drop-off, the ambush would’ve had to been planned from within the clubhouse.

“Fucking hell, this man really has some fucking balls on him,” Remedy hisses through clinched teeth as he limps past me toward the door.

“Raider, did you know about this?” Terro calls to out to our VP.

Raider’s narrowed eyes on the clubhouse, tell us before he does. “No, I didn’t fucking know. Let’s just fucking go spend a couple hours relaxing before we head in to church. We’ve got to be fucking smart about this. We have a club full of people and don’t need shit popping off with so many eyes on us.”

We all agree and make our way into the clubhouse to find the party in full swing. Looking around at all the people, I let my head fall back to face the ceiling, trying to rein in the monster that is simmering for revenge.

“Let’s get you a drink before you explode,” Terro slaps my shoulder, guiding me to the bar where I find a very annoyed looking Charlie.

“What can I get you, boys?” she calls from halfway down the bar.

“Usual for both when you get a chance, darlin’.” Terro takes a seat at the bar.

I take a stool beside him while still looking around the room. Movement in the corner that the Pres typically claims catches my attention. When the club bunny moves and the scene comes into focus, it takes every ounce of my willpower not to let the monster loose. Charlie drops our drinks off and I swallow my Scotch in one swallow, waving her over for another. Pres is sitting in his normal booth with my little lamb tucked into his side as she stares down at her hands. Pres’s arm is wrapped around her shoulders, whispering into her ear. Whatever he says causes her mouth to drop open as her eyes to snap up and meet mine.

When they do, I don’t know what I thought I would see, but what I do makes the anger unbearable. I explode off my stool, storming across the room toward them. Pres’s head snaps up. His look of pure satisfaction just fuels the fire burning in my chest. I stop at the table separating us, so I don’t grab the man and kill him right here.

“Little Lamb, let's go,” I snap, holding my hand out to her.

She looks up at me, her eyes completely devoid of emotion. She goes to stand until Pres places a hand on her thigh, stopping her. I watch her clench her jaw as if fighting the urge to say something. Interesting.

“Mercy, it’s good to see you, brother,” Pres sneers, taking a long drag on his cigarette.

“It was a good ride. Nothing too crazy happened.” Lifting a shoulder, I take a seat in one of the chairs. “Drop was made on time with no merchandise lost.”

“That’s good to know. Tonight, though, is all about welcoming you boys’ home.” Pres leans forward and grabs his glass, raising it high in the air. “To welcoming home our brothers and another job well done.”

Everyone in the room raises their glasses, agreeing. Terro comes up behind me, handing me a glass to do the same. I raise my glass before tossing the burning liquid back. As the night carries on and everyone gets rowdier, I watch as my little lamb gets more and more uncomfortable. The drunker Pres gets the more handsy he gets. After about an hour, my little lamb stands abruptly, stating she’s done and going to bed.

“Remember, Little Lamb, what we talked about and what will happen if you decide to not follow the rules,” Pres drunkenly calls after her.

I watch from my seat as her back goes stiff, and she pauses for just a second before nearly running out of the room and down the hallway. I fight the need to chase her down like a sad puppy. Instead, I sit and have another drink and watch as our Pres gets drunker and drunker. Roxy finally gets brave enough to make her way over to our little group. She stands just to my left, eyeing our little group.

Pres finally realizes that she is there, “Well, well, if it isn’t the whore that started it all. I was wondering if you were going to come around.”

Roxy throws off a fake laugh, shaking her head. “Relic, you don’t know what you’re talking about,” she finishes, glaring at the man as she walks over and slides onto his lap, then she whispers into his ear.

Watching them, I take in every movement and eye twitch. Relic's eyes go wide before anger rises in them. He reaches up, fisting Roxy’s hair and growls something at her I can’t hear from where I’m sitting. She sneers at him before patting his chest and attacking his mouth.

“At that, it’s my time to fucking go,” I mutter, standing. “I’ll see you assholes at church in the morning.”

“I’ve never known for the big, bad Mercy to leave a party early,” Pres pokes as he slides his hand up Roxy’s thigh to her snatch.

I glare down at him. “Looks like you never fucking really know a brother, do you?”

Pres must see something in my eyes because his widen slightly before the shutters fall into place. He laughs, turning into Roxy's neck, nibbling on her throat. Turning, I beat feet out of the great room to the hallway where, to my complete shock, I find Twitch leaning against the wall scrolling on his phone. My foot falls cause him to stiffen so subtlety that if I wasn’t watching him so closely, I would have missed it.

Cocking an eyebrow in question, I ask, “Everything good here?”

“Yeah, everything is as good as it has been,” he states flatly.

I give him a nod as I push into my room. “You’re good to go. Be back in the morning before church.”

“Understood,” he calls, moving down the hall.

Stepping into my room, I take in the fact there is a subtly feminine scent that is mixed with mine. Scanning the room for my little lamb and not seeing her on the bed, I take off my cut and hang it on the back of the door before toeing off my boots and shucking my shirt. Making my way across the room toward the bathroom, I pause a microsecond before pushing my way into the room. When the door opens, I’m hit with a blast of hot air from the shower. What I wasn’t expecting was the sound of sobbing.

Looking at the steamed glass, I feel a pain I still can’t figure out slam into my chest. My little lamb is sitting in the shower, letting the hot water beat down on her as she shatters. The monster inside me explodes, almost bringing me to my knees at the sight. I pull the glass door open, nearly taking it off the hinges. Still in my jeans, I fall to my knees beside her and tip her head up so I can see her face.

The eyes that I’ve come to truly enjoy alit with fire look broken and in complete despair, “What happened?” I know my voice is gruff and demanding with the anger currently coursing through me, but there is nothing I can do about it.

I watch her work through what she wants to say.

“Nothing and everything,” she finally decides on.

“We both know I don’t talk in riddles, so how about you cut that shit out,” I snap, the weight of her words making me itchy.

She shakes her head side-to-side and sighs. Done with the gentle hand, I run my hand into her hair, fisting it at the base and snapping her head back to look up at me. The tears continue to fall down her cheeks, but I watch as the emotions rush through her eyes until she settles on one. In the next instant, she launches herself at me, attacking my lips with hers. I grunt, then meet her assault with my own, gripping tighter on her hair.

She moves onto her knees, pressing her chest to mine, nearly knocking me on my ass. I slide my right hand around her side, pulling her tight against me. Her hands run up my arms and into my short hair to scrape my scalp as she whimpers. Running my tongue along the seam of her lips, demanding entrance. She gives it to me with abandon. I explore her mouth, learning every inch before pulling back and nipping her lip. My little lamb whines, fighting to hold me close. I use my hold on her hair to break the kiss.

“What is this, my Little Lamb? Why so needy?” I grumble, kissing across her jaw to her ear, where I nip it.

She sways into me and tilts her head to give me more access to my roaming lips, “I need you, Mercy. Give me tonight and then when the sun rises again, you can go back to trying to kill me.” She pulls back, cupping my face with her hands. “I don’t want to think. Make me feel nothing else but you.”

Searching her eyes for doubt or fear, I see nothing but want there. “Make sure you know what you’re asking for here. What I like and what I need isn’t sweet or nice. Are you sure you understand?”

“I would never assume a man like you could be anything but demanding.” She swallows hard before meeting my gaze head-on, being the most honest she’s been the entire time she’s been in this clubhouse. “I can’t say that I’m prepared or understand everything that’s about to happen here. What I will say is that I need to feel something other than fear and heartache. I need to know that there are more than those two emotions left inside of me.”

Slamming my mouth down on hers in a bruising kiss, I stand to my full height, taking her with me. Without a thought, she wraps her legs around my waist. Leaning back and breaking the kiss, she hisses when her back hits the cold tile walls. I reach over and turn the water off with my right hand as I run my left up over her hip, up her belly and over her breast, pinching each hardened nipple. She arches into my hold, bringing her arms up to wrap around my neck. Running my hand up her chest, I wrap my fingers around her long slender neck, applying pressure to the arteries that run up either side.