Guts & Glory: Mercy (In the Shadows Security Book 1)

by Jeanne St. James

  And Rissa belonged to him.

  He forced himself to continue, “Gotta expect that they didn’t waste time. Though, thinking since they didn’t pop her right there, they’re holding her for a reason.”

  “Blackmail,” Brick muttered.

  “Could be a good thing, gives us some time to work with. If they were going to just take her out, this job would be over and done with and I’d be looking for my next assignment,” Mercy said with careful control.

  He was about to flip the fuck out and if that happened, he might not be able to be contained. And in no way would losing his shit help Rissa. He needed to keep it tight. Needed to keep focused.

  He met his boss’s dark gaze. It hadn’t gone unnoticed that he’d been watching Mercy carefully. D knew more about what was swirling inside Mercy than he let on. Probably because he’d been through the same thing when Jewel was snagged. That man had turned into what Jewel called him: a “beast.”

  However, Mercy only knew Rissa for a few days. D knew his woman his whole life since they’d grown up together in the MC. Diesel’s connection to Jewelee ran a hell of a lot deeper than Mercy’s did with Rissa.

  Didn’t it?

  He easily understood why D had never wanted to be saddled with a woman or with kids. It made him susceptible by putting the people he loved at risk, since they could be used as a weapon against him. Used as pawns.

  Rissa was a pawn in Paranzino’s war, in a game she’d had no idea she was a part of. Now she could pay the ultimate price for being loyal to what she considered a close friend. Someone she trusted because she never knew the truth.

  “How soon will Paranzino be here?” Mercy asked, his fingers curling into his palms as the urge to choke that fucker to death surged through him.

  “Since he’s got a fuckin’ private jet, maybe four hours.”

  Four hours was a long fucking time for Rissa to be in the enemy’s hands. Mercy didn’t like that at all. Four hours of being unable to do a fucking thing to find her.

  He not only didn’t like that, it made him cranky as fuck. “Can’t wait four hours to start searching.”

  “What’re you gonna do?” his boss asked. “She ain’t got a cell phone to ping. She got nothin’ to track ‘er. Don’t even know who snagged her ass. Brick said there wasn’t even tire tracks once the vehicle hit the pavement. Unless you got some kinda magic you haven’t told us about, not sure where the fuck we’re gonna start.”

  He was going to start by ripping off Paranzino’s head. That’s where he was going to fucking start.

  He sucked oxygen deep into his lungs in an attempt to tamp down his burning rage.

  “What if she’s bein’ taken back to Vegas and our asses are all here, includin’ Paranzino?” Ryder asked.

  D lifted his shoulders and let them drop heavily. “Then she’s that fucker’s problem. It’s outta our hands.”

  Mercy closed his eyes. He needed to keep his mouth shut right now because otherwise the shit he was going to spew would be toxic.

  “Don’t think that’s true, boss.” Walker’s low words sank into Mercy’s still throbbing, scrambled brain.

  Mercy inhaled slowly, exhaled even slower.

  Inhale. Exhale.

  Breathe.

  Breathe.

  Fucking goddamn breathe.

  “Out!” D barked. “All of you, get gone!”

  Mercy’s eyes opened.

  “’Cept you,” Diesel shouted, spit flying while jabbing a finger in Mercy’s direction. “You fuckin’ stay.”

  “We need to get a plan together,” Brick said.

  “Yep,” Diesel barked. “Gonna do that. Right now, fuckin’ get gone.”

  All eyes turned to Mercy and after a few seconds, they filed out of the office, Hunter giving Mercy a shoulder squeeze before shutting the door behind him.

  “Went against my order, didn’t you? Stuck your dick in ‘er after I fuckin’ told you not to.” Planting his massive palms on his desk he pushed up out of his office chair. “Coulda walked away from this mess, washed our hands of it. He still woulda had to pay our initial fee. Just woulda forfeited the fuckin’ bonus. But fuck no. Had to get your dick wet. Now it’s fuckin’ personal. Now you ain’t gonna let it go, even if we’re told to by the goddamn client. If you get shit stuck to the bottom of your fuckin’ boots from this, it’s all on you.” He shook his head and crossed his massive arms over his equally massive chest. “Hope that snatch was worth it.”

  Diesel, like the rest of the Shadows, was like a brother to him. However, at that very fucking moment, he was glad a desk separated them. He had no idea who would win a battle between the two but with a concussion, Mercy was sure today it wouldn’t be him.

  “Got a cracked-open skull, but you still wanna come at me. Can see it, brother. You’re fucked. She got your dick in a sling.” Diesel’s dark brown eyes narrowed. “Pussy must be good.”

  Now, his boss was antagonizing him. Trying to get him to snap.

  Why? What was the fucking point?

  Then something rare happened. Something Mercy hardly ever saw, unless it was directed at Indie or Violet. Occasionally even Jewel, when D didn’t think anyone was watching.

  Diesel fucking smiled.

  Smiled. The big man sank heavily back into his chair. “Goddamn. Must be good shit since you got it bad after a few days. Seen my brothers go down hard once they found the right one. But fuck, never thought you’d fall like that.”

  Mercy finally unlocked his jaws. “Never thought I’d see the day you’d have not only a woman but two babies.”

  D sat back in his chair and contemplated Mercy. “Yeah. Sometimes pussy’s hard to resist.”

  “You calling Jewelee pussy?”

  Diesel brushed a hand over his short dark hair then down his jaw. “They all start out as just pussy. Got me? But in the end, sometimes that shit’s got teeth an’ ain’t lettin’ you go. She got a fuckin’ sharp set of choppers down there?”

  For fuck’s sake.

  Diesel was right. He watched the man’s fellow biker brothers all get caught one by one. Finding the right woman not only had almost all of them tied down, but the club was beginning to overpopulate Shadow Valley on its own.

  Mercy wasn’t a part of the MC. He and his crew stayed on the edge, so the club would remain legit. But MC brothers and military brothers were a lot alike. And none of them, except for Jag who’d chased Ivy for so long, had been looking to get snagged.

  But they got snagged.

  Fuck, Mercy might have stuck his foot in a steel trap. Or his dick, anyway.

  “Really wanna let Paranzino handle this mess, but you ain’t gonna let that happen. Am I fuckin’ wrong?”

  “No. But we got nothing.”

  “Right,” D grunted. “Got nothin’. Gotta get somethin’ an’ get your woman back still breathin’.”

  Breathing would be great.

  Unharmed would be better.

  Mercy wasn’t asking for too much.

  “Call those assholes back in here. Need a fuckin’ plan before that fucker gets off his fancy tin can with wings an’ gets here.”

  That they did.

  She could no longer feel her hands. Her ass was just as numb from sitting on some uncomfortable metal chair. She remained bound, gagged and blindfolded. And now, she couldn’t hear anything, either. At least the blood from the cut above her eye had finally stopped trickling down her face.

  They had left her in a room by herself and closed the door. The lock clicking had been the last thing she heard. Well, except for the pounding of her heart. That was hard to ignore.

  The longer she sat there, the more pissed she got. But she was glad they hadn’t hurt her in any way. They hadn’t struck her or even touched her inappropriately. For that she could be thankful.

  Still, that didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen.

  Maybe they were waiting on someone in particular to show up wherever they were. Or she was going to be used as a bargaining chip with Mic
hael.

  She preferred the latter, if she had a choice.

  Which she didn’t.

  Her bladder was screaming, but she couldn’t call out to anyone with that damn rag in her mouth.

  She had no idea if anyone was looking for her. She had no idea where they had taken her. She had no idea why she was alone in a room.

  And, worse, she had no idea if Mercy was alive.

  If he was dead, would she ever be found? Would Michael have people skilled enough to find her? If he was alive...

  For goodness’ sake, she hoped he was alive.

  He needed to be alive because she needed him to be alive. It was selfish, she knew. But since she was currently in a messed-up situation she was allowing herself to have that one selfish thought.

  Plus, just sitting there for hours had her mind spinning with all kind of things.

  Things like, if they both survived this, she was...

  She was...

  She wasn’t going to do anything, because what she wanted was probably not the same thing he wanted.

  He didn’t want a relationship. He probably wasn’t even capable of a relationship. Not the way he was now. And even if he agreed to sit down with a therapist, someone other than her...

  Who was she kidding? He wasn’t going to simply agree to therapy. The man was in his late thirties. Maybe even older. He wasn’t eager to change anything about himself, especially for a woman.

  Ugh. Why was she even thinking about this? She should be more worried about what the men who took her were going to do, rather than Mercy’s mental state.

  She could be raped, even mutilated. Have fingers or toes cut off and mailed to Michael. They could use her as bait to kill him.

  So many things were worse than Mercy not wanting a normal freaking relationship!

  She held her breath as the door creaked open and heavy footsteps came in her direction.

  Oh shit.

  A deep voice, way too close for her liking, made her jerk in the chair. “Your lover boy’s on the phone and wants to hear your voice. He wants assurances you’re alive before we begin negotiations.”

  The gag was yanked roughly from her mouth. She sucked her lungs full of air while she could, then tried to clear her scratchy throat.

  “Talk,” her captor demanded. A phone near her ear.

  “Ryan?” she croaked. Was that her voice? It didn’t sound like her at all.

  “Parris!” filled the room. “It’s Michael.”

  Michael. While she should feel relieved to hear his voice, she didn’t. It wasn’t who she hoped it would be. “Where’s Ryan? Is he okay?”

  “He... uh...” A slight pause. “I don’t know, Parris. Are you okay?”

  “I... They have me tied up... gagged and—”

  The phone was pulled away and she could no longer hear Michael, only the deep voice growling, “You heard her voice. No questions.”

  Then the gag was pulled back in place, footsteps receded, and the door slammed shut again.

  No. Oh no.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Ryan?”

  That hardly sounded like her through the speaker of Paranzino’s cell phone.

  Had they hurt her? Had she suffered? Was she in pain?

  “Parris! It’s Michael,” asshole answered her.

  “Where’s Ryan? Is he okay?”

  For fuck’s sake, she was more worried about him than her own situation.

  Mercy struggled not to assure Rissa that he was alive and sort of well. He wanted Nicco’s heavies to think he had been taken out and wasn’t going to hunt their asses down.

  Which he was. And he would get off on every fucking second of it.

  “He... uh...” Paranzino’s eyes slid to him. Mercy gave him a slight shake of his head. “I don’t know, Parris. I’m worried about you. Are you okay?”

  “I... They have me tied up... gagged and—”

  A deep voice on the other end of the phone growled, “You heard her voice. No questions.”

  The sound of footsteps and a door slamming in the background came through the speaker.

  They had her in a room. Mercy just needed to figure out where.

  Hunter circled his finger in the air, motioning to Paranzino to keep the guy talking. Not that it mattered for tracking purposes, but by keeping the man on the phone, they were simply buying time.

  Hunter had a way to geolocate what they assumed would be a burner phone by cellular triangulation. However, that wasn’t always accurate. It still left a large area to search. Preferably, they needed to arrange a meet, if the other side agreed.

  Nicco would most likely want to meet with Paranzino, not his muscle. He doubted Nicco was stupid enough to be at the same location that Rissa was.

  Though, his men were pretty fucking stupid to leave him alive. They couldn’t get much more stupid than that.

  “I need to speak with Nicco, not his hired help,” Paranzino said, his brows furrowed.

  Okay, yeah, even though the asshole was worried about Rissa, Mercy didn’t give a fuck. He was the one who put her in this situation with his dirty dealings.

  “Michael,” came a purr through the phone and filled the small room.

  When the voice changed on the other end of the phone, Mercy’s eyes slid to Walker and he lifted a brow. Walker returned the gesture. Both of them were surprised Nicco was on scene where Rissa was. It could be a good thing, if the man was in town. It would make it easier to take the man the fuck out. Or it could be bad, if they had transported Rissa somewhere away from the Pittsburgh area. Which could be anywhere and finding Rissa would be almost impossible without careful negotiations.

  Mercy hoped it was the first scenario.

  “I only want Parris safe. She has nothing to do with our business dealings,” Paranzino said. “This perceived war of yours is between you and me, Nicco. Not her. She had no idea about any of it.”

  “Ah, keeping secrets from your lover. Tsk, tsk, Michael.”

  “You know she’s not my lover. You know my relationship status.”

  “Then why do you care what happens to her?”

  “Because she... She’s a close friend who means the world to me.”

  Mercy frowned. For fuck’s sake, now the asshole just made Rissa a more valuable pawn in Nicco’s eyes. Stupid fuck.

  He wanted to rip Paranzino’s head off right then and there and shit down the gaping hole left behind. He couldn’t. He needed that asshole for the time being.

  “I’m willing to let her go. I only want two things from you.”

  Paranzino’s glanced at Mercy who nodded in a silent answer. “What?”

  “One, for you to stay out of my business. Stop stealing my workforce. You’re hurting my bottom line. In reality, both of our businesses can flourish in Vegas. If we stay in our own lanes, we can run our businesses harmoniously. There’s enough clientele for both of us. Two, I want assurances that your girl here isn’t going to flap her pretty lips. I want her to forget what she saw. If both you and she agree to those terms, I’ll let her go.”

  Mercy drew a finger over his throat in a slicing motion. Brick stepped up to Paranzino and spoke softly in his ear.

  As soon as Paranzino hit the phone’s mute button, Mercy growled, “Don’t believe it. They’re not going to let her go.”

  He glanced at Hunter, who was behind a computer in their network room where they had gathered. Once he caught Hunter’s attention, the man gave him the thumbs up, then turned it sideways.

  Fuck. Hunter had an idea where they might be situated, but not an exact location.

  Nicco would want a meet, though. He wasn’t going to let Paranzino live. Or Rissa. The sex trafficker didn’t want to share territory, he wanted to dominate it. He didn’t want to “stay in his lane,” he wanted to own the whole highway. The sex business was a lucrative one and, if you’re willing to kill for it, what was plugging one more bullet into one more brain?

  Or two, if they executed Rissa.

  He gro
und his molars at that thought and bit back a growl.

  He had to keep reminding himself that he needed the asshole alive and to not snap his neck, even though his fingers were itching to do so.

  Paranzino continued, “If I agree, you’ll let her go?”

  “I need to hear you say that you’ll find your own whores and stop stealing mine.”

  “Maybe you need to stop rounding up teenage runaways and putting them to work like slaves, Nicco. And if you treated the ones who weren’t underage better, they wouldn’t be so willing to find a new employer who values their hard work.”

  Mercy’s blood was boiling. He was ready to rage like a pissed-off Diesel. The other Shadows were all fighting their reactions as well, with tight jaws, tight lips and tight fists.

  “I’ll assume you’re not agreeing, then,” Nicco purred. “That may be to my benefit, Michael. Parris is a beautiful woman. I have a specific client in mind who would pay a fortune for a new sex slave with curves like hers. She would look spectacular shackled with her bare ass in the air, just waiting for her master to do what he will with her. He pays extra for women who are a challenge and not easily trained. He enjoys breaking them himself. I bet this one would put up a fight.”

  One corner of Mercy’s lip curled.

  With one hand on his hip, Paranzino took a breath, then dropped his head. “I’ll agree. She’ll agree. I swear to that. I want to meet out in the open, though, to pick her up.”

  “We’re not meeting, Michael. We’re just going to drop her somewhere and text you the location after we do so.”

  Paranzino lifted his head to meet Mercy’s gaze. Mercy couldn’t tell if it was anger or frustration on the asshole’s face. Or just plain fear. Mercy gave him a sharp nod, indicating what Nicco said was acceptable. The other man barked into the phone, “You have your damn agreement. Let’s just get this done quickly.”

  The room went dead quiet for a few seconds after the call disconnected.

  Paranzino needed the cold, hard truth, so Mercy gave it to him. “They’re going to take both you and her out. Along with anyone you bring with you.”

  “Do you think so?”

  Mercy kept his fists pinned to his thighs so he didn’t pop the stupid fuck in the mouth for asking such a stupid fucking question. “Been doing this shit a long time. Dealing with terrorism, with hostages, all that fucking sticky bullshit. You think they’re gonna just let her go because you agree to stop putting a hurting on their sex trafficking business? Or because Rissa agrees to keep her trap shut? Fuck no. They could kill her easily. Sure. They have her. But they want you, too. She’s the bait. You’re the target. She, and anyone who shows up with you, are expendable.”