There wasn’t much to see but the airport. There might have been palm trees, but it was moving by so quickly that she didn’t have time to make it out. The plane she was on came to a smooth stop when it got to its gate, and Mercy decided that she’d know more about this trip if she would just get off the damned plane.
Mercy had to catch herself from snarling at everyone. Twice now she’d had to count to ten before asking as politely as one could through clenched teeth where she was. It was hot. As soon as she stepped off the plane it had slapped her no less hard than a good punch to the mouth. But she was here, and and it looked like she wasn’t ever going to enjoy herself.
Hearing her name called over the intercom, she looked around for a white courtesy phone. When she finally located one, not only was it not working, but it had gum all over the handle and now all over her hand. Christ, this was one of the biggest mistakes she’d ever made.
Finally locating a phone that worked, she wasn’t in a great mood. And no matter how many times she counted to fifty, nothing was working to sooth her temper. The man at the other end did not help his cause when he answered her return call with laughter.
“Look buddy. I’ve had the worse ten minutes anyone could endure. I’m supposed to be on a fucking vacation, not running all over the airport looking for a phone so you could blow me off by thinking this is some sort of joke. What the fuck do you want?” He laughed again. “I don’t know what you want, but as of his moment, I’m going to murder you.”
“Blaze said that you’d not be in the best of humor when I picked you up. I’m the man near the limo that is waiting for you to come out so that we can be on this adventure.” She asked him what the limo was for. “To convey a person or persons from one point to the next. With all your smarts, as I’ve been told you have, I’d think you’d know that much.”
With a growl she hung up on the man. Making her way to the front of the airport, she tried to cool her temper, to no avail. Stomping across the room, noticing that people were jumping out of her way, Mercy felt slightly sick to her stomach. Her head was pounding as well. And when she saw the man standing at a long white limo, it was all she could do to stand upright. Stopping quickly did not help her, and Mercy knew that she was going down.
~*~
Joel had never seen a woman go down like that before. And had he not been there to catch her, he was sure that she would have knocked her head on the stones around the sidewalk, and then the people around her would have picked her body clean of anything that she had.
Glancing over at her as she lay on the gurney with a wet cool towel on her head, he wondered about her. She was gorgeous, he could see that, and her vile temper that Blaze had told him about didn’t seem to be all that bad. Of course, he’d only spoken to her on the phone once. She might be worse than he’d been told.
Joel stretched out his long legs and laid his head back to rest. Working four jobs, all of them part-time, was paying his and his daughter’s bills, but it wasn’t giving them anything extra. But this gig was going to put them in the black for the first time since his daughter was born.
Having one full time job with benefits, as well as a part-time one so he could use the extra money for school trips for Miley, would be wonderful. And to be able to afford bandages and the smelly stuff that he used on her cuts would be just fine with him. Smiling, he thought of Miley just this morning when she’d taken a tumble down the wet stairs.
“I hurt myself again, Daddy. And if you think that I’m going to let you paint me up with that stuff, you can just forget it. It’s a cut. I’m fine. I’m pretty sure that I’m not going to lose my leg over it.” He cocked his brow at her. “And don’t do that. You know that it makes you look like Grandda. And you said that he never had a lick of sense to get in out of the rain.”
“Who the fuck are you?” He looked at the young woman next to him. “Better yet, where the hell am I? Did you kidnap me?”
“Yes, that’s why I announced to anyone around that I was picking you up. Just to whisk you away to the hospital.” She glared. “Ms. Dante, I have a thirteen-year-old daughter. You could learn the glaring from her. Now, you fainted. And I caught you before you did some real damage or were left unattended. Didn’t you eat on the plane?”
“I didn’t know where I was going, so no, I did not eat on the plane.” He asked her what one had to do with the other. “Just go away and leave me alone. I’ve had enough of this vacation shit. I’m going back home to work. It was easier to deal with.”
“You can’t do that. Well, I suppose you could, but I’d rather you didn’t. I have a lot depending on this job for Blaze, and I sure could use the money.” She told him that she’d give it to him. “No, that won’t work either. I’m not a man that takes handouts. I have to work to earn my keep.”
“But you’ll take it from her for being a fucking pain in the ass to me?” He nodded and grinned at her. “You are certifiable. Where am I?”
“It’s called the Island Hospital, but most around here call it Death Valley. Once you check in, mostly you never check out. Not that they’d kill you off, but you, a woman that looks like she has money and more than likely insurance, they’ll keep you until the insurance runs out or you die. Test after test would be taken. They might even try and remove something you need just to get some more money.”
“And you brought me here.” He said that the ambulance had, and he figured that she’d rather be here than at his home. “Yes, you’re right. But I want you to know that I’m not a push over.”
“I know that. Blaze described you well enough that I’d know you anywhere. Did you really call the president of the United States and tell him to fuck off when you were told that you couldn’t buy an army issued Humvee?” She nodded like she would do it again if necessary. “I guess you didn’t get your car.”
“On the contrary. He was very accommodating when I pointed out that I will move all my businesses to another country, and not pay the taxes that he was imposing on me. I will pay them, but I won’t be cheated.” She stood up, and he held her by the arms until she no longer swayed. “I have to get something to eat. Where is the closest restaurant?”
“Closed. Not that I’d recommend you eat there anyway, but you didn’t ask where a clean one was.” Mercy asked if he was serious. “Yes, my daughter, Miley, she’s forever telling me I have to learn to fib better to customers. I can’t do that and live with myself. She’s a good kid.”
“I’m sure that she’s wonderful. Where might I get something to eat that isn’t going to have me ending up back here?” He thought of his home and the roast he’d put on this morning in anticipation of the money coming in. “Where is that head of yours?”
“I don’t think you’re going to like it, but you are more than welcome to come to my house. My little girl is there, and she can act as a chaperone for us if that would bother you.” She tisked at him. “Or, I can take you to your hotel, and you can try and convince them that you are a wealthy person and demand a steak dinner. That might work, but I’d be careful of spit in my food.”
“Your daughter is correct, you do need to fib better. Or at the very least honey coat your responses before you say them. Your house it is, then.” Joel was still standing there when she moved out of the curtained area. “Are you coming or not? Since I can’t drive, nor do I know where you live, I need you to get your ass in gear and come on.”
Smiling, Joel followed. Miley was going to have a shit fit when they turned up. He thought about calling her to give her a heads up, but was afraid that she’d run off. Not that she’d ever done that before, but he didn’t bring home women either. Nearly skipping to the limo that was still there, he opened the door for Mercy.
“What’s your name? I mean, if you plan to kill me off or something—which I must warn you isn’t going to happen—then I’d like to be able to tell the police who it is that I had to murder to save my own life.” He told her that she was very sure of herself. “Oh, you have no idea. None at all.
”
She looked around then back at him. And her hair—Christ, her hair turned into feathers and ran down along her back to her legs. Then, just as suddenly, she turned back to her normal beautiful self. Joel had no idea how long he stood there. His mouth, he knew was hanging open. Snapping it shut, he got in on the other side of the limo.
Drive, his mind told him, and he started the big car up. Laughter from the backseat, soft and sexy, made his cock stretch and his mind dip into fantasies that he’d never had before. Silky sheets, sweaty bodies, and loud and soft moans. At the next light, he laid his head on the steering wheel.
“Are you all right?” He told her that he wasn’t. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to freak you out with my shift. It’s just that I was trying to piss you off. What’s wrong?”
“I...nothing. I’m going to call my daughter and tell her we’re having company. Can you please not do that hair thing around her?” Mercy said that she’d not. “My name is Joel Oliver. My daughter is Miley Oliver. We’re not rich, as you’ll see, and we don’t put on airs that we’re something that we’re not. So, I’m asking—no, I’m telling you to behave yourself. Or you’ll find yourself without a driver or dinner. All right?”
“Yes.”
She didn’t say anything the rest of the way to his house. He supposed he could have been nicer, but he wasn’t going to have his little girl traumatized any more than she already had been.
Joel thought about how his daughter had come to him. When he’d been younger and much broker than he was now, he had sold his sperm. It didn’t pay that well, but it was enough for him to eat a good meal at a fast food restaurant, as well as put gas in his car. He’d sold blood too, as he was a rare type, and that had paid better but not great. Joel had been broke since he’d been a child.
The children’s services of Oklahoma had called him, telling him that his child had been in a car accident, and asked if he was willing to come and get her. He hadn’t any idea what they were talking about, and after an attorney showed up on his doorstep, he realized that a woman had used his donation and had Miley.
“The mother is...I don’t know how to tell you this, sir, but the company that she got your donation from was less than stellar. They should never have given— But that isn’t important. The woman in question was very intoxicated and ran a red light. It wasn’t the first time that she’d done such a thing. But this time it ended tragically, for both her and the little girl. We don’t normally do this sort of thing, contact someone that has helped in this sort of situation, but I don’t want to see this brilliant little girl go into the system.” Right then, without any kind of knowledge about Miley, he said that he’d take her. “Good. There will be money coming in from the company that dealt with the woman, and that will come to you in the form of a check monthly.”
He decided then to put the money in an account for Miley to use for college. It wasn’t as if he couldn’t have used the money—there were times when it was tempting as hell to dip into it. But Joel only had to look into the face of his daughter to know that the money would do more for her future than for him to not have to walk to work a few times a week. He pushed the button on the steering wheel to call his daughter. Joel loved modern techs.
“Dad, you’re not going to believe this. I have to write a report on ancient times. Like that is going to help me when I get out of school. I can see it now—I’ll be on a date and he’ll only want to talk about stuff that happened well before either of us were even thought of, much less our parents. Why are you calling me?” Laughing, he told her that they were going to have a guest for dinner. “Oh really? A woman guest? Should I change the sheets on your bed?”
“Miley Ann. My goodness, the stuff that comes out of your mouth sometimes. No, you do not go in my room again. The last time you tidied up, it took me a week to find my shoes.” He laughed with her. “No, she’s the lady that I was going to ride around all week. Be nice.”
“I’m always nice to strangers. It’s you that I have to be snarky to.” The laughter from the back had him realizing that Mercy could hear every word they were saying. “But I will peel some potatoes and bake one of those long breads that you like. Oh, and the mail has some things in it you have to deal with. Dad, I need to help out around here.”
“We’ll talk about it later. But for now, just make sure that the trash is taken out and you vacuum. Miss Dante and I will be there shortly.” Past due notices. “Also, I’ll see about helping you with your homework when I get there.”
After closing the connection, he glanced in the mirror. Mercy was still sitting staring out the window, but he had a feeling that she could have told him every word he and Miley had said. He would only be driving her this week, he told himself, and after that, he’d never see her again. The money was just too good to stop now.
Chapter 2
Mercy, what do you care if he’s asked you to behave. You can be a bit caustic when it suits you. She couldn’t argue with Piper about that—she was. But Mercy wanted Piper to tell her it would be all right to kill the man. You haven’t done any kind of research on this man, so I’ll tell you. This guy is one day, I think, from losing it all. He’s having trouble meeting his house payment, his car is about as old as he is, and he has a little girl that has issues as well. The car accident that killed her mother left her paralyzed from the waist down. And she rides around in an older wheelchair because they cannot afford to get her another one. This money that he’s being paid to carry you around is going to be the difference between him sleeping in that old car or having his house payment brought up to date.
Mercy wanted to say that wasn’t any of her concern, that she’d not hired the jerk, but didn’t. The conversation that she’d overheard between him and his daughter was light, funny, and full of love. Nothing that she’d experienced since Dante had died.
I think I’m coming home. Piper said that if she did, then all of them were leaving her alone for a year. No, that won’t work for me. I demand that you allow me to come home. I’ll pay the man for his job. I don’t like this shit.
Tough. You will stay on that vacation or I will come there and beat the shit out of you. You know I can, Mercy. I can burn every feather off that bird of yours and then take off. I’m sick of you being at the job every day when it’s not necessary. Relax. She told Piper that she didn’t know how. I know. And that scares us more than anything. You have to learn, Mercy. Or the fainting spell that you had will only get worse. You know that. Even though you’re an immortal like us, you can still be hurt badly. At least until you find a mate. Please, for the love of us all, try and have some fun. At the very least, I want you to relax as much as you can.
I’ll try. She would too but was not making any promises. It was as hard for her to relax as it was most people to jump out of a plane, even with a parachute on. Mercy told her that she’d talk to her tomorrow, that she was at his home. And I’ll try my best to behave, but I’m not making any sort of promises to anyone.
The house was old, probably older than Joel was, but it was tidy. The front porch was sagging a bit, but it had pretty greens on the front. Not flowers, she noticed when she got out, but salad greens. The fresh coat of paint on the front door was welcoming and friendly. The door opened, and a little girl in a wheelchair struggled to get through the opening.
“Here, honey, let me help you.” Joel ran up the steps, skipping the first one, she noticed. It wasn’t until she was ready to step up on it to join them that they both screamed at her to stop. “I’m sorry. I should have warned you. That step is off. I’ve tried fixing it, but I think there is something wrong with the foundation. Mercy Dante, I’d like for you to meet my daughter, Miley. Miley, this is the woman that I was telling you about.”
“Hello. My dad said that you were going to be helpful to us.” Joel warned his daughter to behave. “He says that to me a lot. Like I’m going to be able to cause any trouble any other way but with my mouth.”
“He’s told me to behave as well. I
’ve actually thought about ignoring him and having fun with him, but he is a stick in the mud at times.” Miley laughed. It was a sound that Mercy thought that she could get used to. It was childish, of course, but it was more. Like if she could bottle it, she’d be able to quit working all together. “I can help you with your homework, if you’d like. I’ve done a great deal of research on it. We can even play around on the computer, and I can show you things that aren’t quite true too.”
“We don’t have a computer, Miss Dante. But I will take the help. It’s hard at times to do stuff, but Dad and I make up for it with just having fun.” Mercy told her that she was sorry. “No need to be. You haven’t any idea about us, and that’s okay too. Come on in and I’ll show you what I have to do. Dad can finish up dinner while you help me.”
“I don’t know.” Joel seemed as if he’d rather her not help his daughter, and that pissed her off. Of course, everything did lately, but she wasn’t going to change her mind. Until he spoke again. “Miley, that’s something you and I work on. I’ll miss that.”
Reaching out to Jude, she asked her if she had any contacts that would work with her where she was. Yes, several. Have you figured it out yet, by the way? If not, you’re in New Mexico. Stay with Joel, honey, or you could be in trouble. She knew of the recent trouble that was happening to tourists. Mercy figured that Blaze thought she could handle herself. Why did you want to know about contacts?
I would like for you to have someone bring a computer, as well as all the things that might need to go with it. I doubt they have Internet here, so perhaps you could get that fixed up as well. Whatever is needed to help a child with their homework. She said that she could do that. I’ll pay for it, by the way.
No worries there, Mercy. These people, most of them anyway, owe me a favor or two, so they’ll bring it out. She heard Jude’s fingers clicking across the keyboard as she spoke. I can have cable out there in a few minutes. The hookups are there, but there isn’t any service at the moment. I don’t think, from what it looks like, that it ever has been.
Mercy: Queen’s Birds of Prey: Paranormal Shape Shifter Romance (Queen's Birds of Prey Book 1) Page 2
