Without Mercy

by Lisa Jackson

  His hair had been a little longer than that of the others, his skin dark from hours in the sun, though it was still frickin’ winter. There was something about him that bothered her. What was his name?

  Mister Trent?

  Huh. The name Trent rang distant bells, but she was pretty certain she’d never met him. She would’ve remembered, because he was kind of hot.

  Who was he? She sat on the arm of the couch, crossed her legs, and absently drummed her fingers on her thigh.

  He was kind of sexy in that rugged, cowboy way so many women went for, but he was old. Definitely over thirty. Maybe thirty-four or thirty-five.

  And then the youth minister. McAllister. She wondered where he was … if she’d see him soon. There was something about him that was at odds with his clerical collar….

  The glass door to the living area opened suddenly.

  Startled, Shay looked up to find Dr. Williams and her big smile sweeping through. With her was Nona, a pale girl with big doe-eyes and stringy brown hair that was so thin, the top of her ears parted the strands.

  “Hi, Shaylee,” Dr. Williams said in that syrupy friendly voice Shay already hated. “I thought you and Nona could get to know each other a little better.”

  “Hi,” Nona said with one of those ingratiating grins Shaylee detested.

  Shay didn’t respond.

  “Nona’s from Indianapolis,” Williams continued.

  Big whoop.

  “She’s been here, what, ten months?”

  Ten months? No way! Shaylee shriveled inside. She would die if she had to stay here that long.

  “Almost eleven,” Nona corrected, fingering a slim silver cross dangling from a chain around her neck. Though she had a shy way of turning her head, there was something in her expression at odds with her meekness, a glint in her eyes that bespoke of a strong person beneath the church-mouse facade.

  Shay asked, “So why are you still with a roommate? I thought everyone here moved up to a private room. Isn’t that what you told me?” Shay turned her gaze from Nona to their counselor.

  “Nona’s considering staying on as a TA after she graduates,” Dr. Williams said proudly.

  “Why?” Shay could not imagine staying on campus one millisecond more than required.

  “Opportunity,” Nona answered. “Here at Blue Rock Academy, I’ve found incredible opportunities, a new way of life. A new faith in God and country.” Her mouth curved into a smile, as if she’d been filled with the divine truth.

  Or brainwashed.

  Shay felt nauseated. Nona was a puppet performing a well-rehearsed act. The whole place was surreal, so out of touch. “You don’t want to go home?”

  “Not until I’m ready.”

  “I’m ready now,” Shay announced, and Dr. Williams laughed a little, a knowing laugh that bugged Shay. The conversation went on, meaningless small talk meant to draw Shay out of her shell and make her feel all warm and fuzzy and secure. Fat chance!

  Dr. Williams beamed. “We have to run now, Shaylee, but tomorrow, I think you’ll be in your own room with Nona!”

  “Wow. Like a slumber party? From the fifties? And I didn’t pack my poodle skirt!”

  “Ouch,” Dr. Williams said, but laughed.

  Nona the Pious stared at her. Was it Shay’s imagination or did Nona work hard to swallow a smile?

  Shay watched them leave and felt as if something was out of whack with Nona Vickers. Though her new roommate didn’t show a hint of resistance to the program here, Shaylee sensed there was more to the girl than silver crosses and meek obedience.

  Beneath her malleable, mousy exterior, Nona Vickers might just be a force to be reckoned with.

  From his hiding spot in the loft of the chapel, the Leader waited for another glimpse of her, the new girl, another student added to the ever-growing enrollment of Blue Rock Academy. Watching from the soaring window of the chapel, he stared into the windows of the nurse’s station, hoping to see her.

  His intrigue with her was insane. He should have learned his lesson with the last one and knew deep down that women were his weakness. From the time he’d hit puberty, his fascination with the opposite sex had become his blessing as well as his curse.

  Lauren Conway had tempted him.

  In a quicksilver memory, he saw her: tall, athletic girl, a beautiful girl just on the threshold of womanhood, or so he’d thought. But, of course, he’d been wrong. Her treachery had been so disguised in innocence he’d come to trust her.

  And that had been his fatal flaw.

  So why now would he even be tempted by this new one?

  Getting close to her would be a mistake.

  He knew it.

  The problems with Lauren were testament to his lapse in judgment. Her beauty had bewitched him, and he’d let down his guard. Smart and sassy, she’d caught his eye from the first second he’d seen her. With eyes as blue and seductive as a mountain lake, sculpted cheekbones, and a small pouty mouth that promised the most intimate of favors, she’d been a seductress. Her hair was brown, thick and dark, almost black, as it had waved past her shoulders.

  He’d been a fool.

  Forgotten his mission while entranced.

  He couldn’t make the same mistake twice. Besides, he had enough disciples, didn’t he? Another would make the group too large, would increase the chance of exposure.

  Or would it? Wasn’t there always room for another, more beautiful and seductive initiate?

  He caught a glimpse of her in the window. Pacing. Like a caged animal.

  God, she was beautiful in that rebellious way he found so intriguing. Sharp-witted, with an IQ rumored to be near genius, Shaylee Stillman had fire and looks, a lethal combination. Her eyes smoldered and narrowed, and she wasn’t going to accept her forced admission into the academy easily. Maybe she was ripe for the plucking; he could offer her a position that would elevate her status, give her some special privileges over time. She was young; she could be molded.

  He rubbed the tips of his fingers together in anticipation and felt a rush of heat on his skin, the warmth of his blood flowing through his veins. His cock twitched, coming to life at the thought of her soft, supple, willing body.

  He imagined himself leaning on his elbows, staring down into her wide hazel eyes. They would be round with anticipation. Hungry with need. She’d moan as he touched her hair and kissed the crook of her neck. Her sinuous body would respond, her back curving upward as his knees parted hers. She would be his willing servant, offering up any sexual favors he requested.

  Shaylee. Even the sound of her name caused a rush of blood in his ears.

  Don’t do this … you can’t. Remember Lauren? Didn’t you learn your lesson? What if she denies you? Throws your advances back in your face? Worse yet, what if she talks? Lauren made it easy, but this one, what if she calls you out?

  Who would believe her?

  He watched Shaylee walk to the fish tank, and all of his concerns faded.

  In his mind’s eye, he saw her naked body lying beneath him, her full, firm breasts waiting to be touched, to be kissed, to be teased with his teeth….

  His knees went weak at the thought. He would have her; he would. And she would want him, her desire fanning his. He wouldn’t make the same mistake he had with Lauren. And he’d make room for her to be a part of his secret disciples, to warm his bed.

  His throat was dry, his erection hard. He reached for his fly, just to take the edge off until he could be with her. His fingers grazed his zipper.

  Creeeaaak.

  A door opened in the rooms below.

  Damn!

  He couldn’t be found!

  Not like this.

  His cock shriveled instantly.

  With one final glance through the window, he saw her toss her dark hair over her shoulders before looking up-ward, through the glass, as if she knew instinctively that he was watching her every move.

  His breath was lost in his lungs for just a second before he convinced himself
she would never be able to see him in the shadows. Then, without making a sound, he stole down the back staircase and wondered how long it would be before his erotic fantasy became reality.

  CHAPTER 6

  “Hey, Jules!” Eli’s voice boomed through her cell phone as she pulled into her parking spot at the condo. “Analise said you were here. Sorry I missed you.”

  “No big deal.” She pulled on the emergency brake and cut the engine, wondering why Eli was calling. This was the first time ever. He’d always been friendly enough at family gatherings, but he’d never taken the initiative and called her or dropped by. “What’s up?” She juggled her purse and phone as she climbed out of the car and locked it. Rain was drizzling from the gray sky and running down her neck.

  “You wanted some info on Blue Rock, right? Because Shay’s enrolled?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “So … why all the questions?”

  “I wanted the inside scoop on the place.”

  “Analise said you weren’t crazy about Shay being sent there.”

  She snorted as she dashed to her front door. “I’m not.”

  “Why?”

  “I thought there might be other options.” She bent down to pick up a flyer someone had left on her stoop. It was a wet advertisement for carpet cleaning.

  “The way I hear it, Shay needs some straightening out.”

  “Or guidance?” she offered. There was something about Eli, an air of superiority that had always gotten under Jules’s skin.

  “That’s what I meant. A little tough love. There wasn’t a lot of it in your family, what with Max leaving your mom and all that trouble with Rip.”

  “Trouble?” she repeated, irritated.

  “Yeah—”

  “He was murdered, Eli,” she reminded him tightly as she straightened and jabbed her key into the lock. “Killed by an intruder.” She felt a rush in her ears, a thunder that always precluded the same vision of Rip lying on the floor, staring, gasping up at her, his lips crimson as she stood over him….

  Had the knife been in her hands?

  Or was that image only in the nightmare that haunted her?

  “Hey, don’t take this the wrong way. I’m just saying Shaylee grew up without a real strong father figure.”

  “And Blue Rock Academy will supply one?” She twisted the knob.

  “It will give her a good, solid base. Rules to live by. Counselors to talk to. Strong Christians who will show her how to live her life to her full potential.”

  “You sound just like some of those testimonials I read online.”

  The door was stuck again. Swollen with the rain. With an effort, she shouldered it open and made a mental note to talk to the handyman for the condos.

  “Blue Rock is a great place. Perfect for Shaylee.”

  Tossing the soggy brochure onto a table near the door, she said, “Glad to know. Thanks.”

  “So … then … we’re good, right?”

  “Haven’t we always been, Eli?”

  “Yeah, but … Well, Analise was afraid that you might go poking around—”

  “Poking around?”

  “Making trouble.”

  “There’s that word again: trouble. For whom?” Where the hell was this going? “You?”

  “Analise told you that we didn’t leave the school on the best of terms, right? But it was our idea. No fault of anyone at Blue Rock Academy.”

  “I don’t understand,” she said, leaning against the wall, feeling the hem of her coat dripping onto the rug near the door. Diablo stretched on the top of the couch, claws extended, back legs stiff. “What’re you getting at, Eli? Are you saying that someone from the academy might give you some kind of trouble? Is that it?” She couldn’t believe this. “And you’re afraid that you wouldn’t be invited to the class reunion?” The cat hopped off the couch and hurried over to greet her. Jules bent down and scratched his chin with her free hand.

  “That’s not it!”

  “Then what is it, Eli? Huh? Why the hell are you so rattled about me discussing the academy with your wife—”

  “It’s not that,” he cut in. “I just don’t think you know Shay. That girl is trouble, Jules. She needs this kind of structure. She needs to learn respect.”

  “I think I know my own sister, and don’t turn this around to Shay,” Jules argued. “What is it that you’re afraid of?”

  “Nothing. We’re … I’m not afraid of anything.”

  She didn’t buy it. The silence was thick. She straightened as Diablo did figure eights between her wet feet.

  “Look, Jules. I was just concerned. Do whatever it is you have to do, okay? But don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

  “Of what, Eli?”

  He hesitated, then his voice lowered to a whisper. “Of whatever it is you find, Jules. You might not like it.” With that, he hung up with a loud and final click.

  “Bastard,” she hissed as she hung up. The cat was looking up at her expectantly. “Not you, okay?” She slid out of her coat and hung it on a peg near the door, allowing the water to drip onto the tile of the entryway. “Let’s get you some dinner, eh?” she said, heading into the kitchen.

  What was it about Blue Rock Academy that made everyone so jumpy? For all their praises of the institution, Analise and Eli were scared. But of what? They were both well out of it.

  “It gets stranger and stranger,” she said to the cat as she found a half-full can of cat food and forked some into his dish. Diablo ignored the bowl and trotted after her to the living area, where she switched on the gas fire and flopped onto the couch. She needed time to think. To figure out what to do.

  Everyone was telling her to let Shay be, to leave her alone. The consensus was that her half sister was getting what she deserved and would come out of the experience all the better. But Jules, ever protective of Shay, just didn’t see it that way. Others, those who weren’t close to her, and even Edie, didn’t see the inner child within Shay. Sure, she was acting out, but she was scared of going to the academy. What seventeen-year-old wouldn’t be?

  But then the world hadn’t had the glimpses into Shaylee’s life that Jules had. She remembered Edie returning from the hospital with the fussy, wide-eyed bundle. From the minute Shay had entered Jules’s life, she’d been fascinated by the cooing baby, then the curious toddler who had puppy-dogged after her. She and Shay had been together throughout the rocky marriages, rough divorces, and awkward reconciliations of their parents.

  Jules had been close to her father. Rip had adored her. Not so with Max Stillman. Deep down, Jules had felt a little guilty that her dad had treated her like a princess and, really, done a poor job of taking Shaylee under his paternal wing as well. Not that Shay would allow him to.

  While Jules had been in grade school, Shaylee had waited by the window, looking for her older sister to return home; then, chubby toddler legs flying, she’d run out the door when the bus’s squealing brakes had heralded Jules’s arrival.

  “Sissy!” she’d cry happily, her little face aglow.

  “Shh!” Jules had been embarrassed as she’d taken Shay’s little hand in hers. “Call me Jules.”

  “Sissy!” Shay always had the last word, and she had happily run away, giggling so that Jules would give chase.

  Later, when Shaylee had entered school, they’d taken the bus together, even sitting across the aisle from each other, as Jules knew it wasn’t cool to share a seat with a kid seven years younger, especially her sister.

  In junior high, they’d grown farther apart, and then in high school Jules didn’t have much time to spend with her kid sister; she had better things to do. Especially when she discovered boys and ultimately Cooper Trent.

  Whoa! She put on the mental brakes.

  She didn’t want to dredge up memories of the one man who’d gotten a good hard look at her soul.

  Diablo curled into a ball on her lap and began to purr. Jules stroked his smooth fur and stared at the flickering flames. Her headache had rec
eded a bit, thank God, and after a few minutes and no answers, she ended up in the kitchen again, where she made herself her favorite budget dinner: ramen noodles with frozen vegetables heated in the microwave.

  “Yummy,” she told Diablo. “Just like in college. Consider yourself lucky to have Tasty Tuna Treats.”

  The cat didn’t seem impressed and followed Jules, carrying her bowl, upstairs to her desk and computer. She wasn’t much of an investigator, but there had to be a way to learn more. Analise and Eli hadn’t been much help, but she had faith in the Internet. If there was dirt on the academy, she’d find it.

  And then what?

  “One step at a time,” she reminded herself as she set her bowl on her desk and ignored the steaming broth. “One step at a time.”

  So this was the room. Shay’s new “home.”

  Twin beds separated by a wide aisle, two minuscule closets, two L-shaped desks that met in the middle of the room beneath the single window. Neat. Clean. Sleek. And with all the personality of a jail cell.

  Home sweet home, Shay thought sarcastically, but really her room was just about what she’d expected. So far, Blue Rock Academy, or BRA as she’d begun to think of it, wasn’t disappointing.

  “This is your bed,” Dr. Williams said, pointing to the empty twin. Nona’s bed was neatly made, a navy blue quilt stretched with military precision over her thin mattress. A cross was mounted over her bed, a well-worn stuffed pink koala propped on the pillow. Otherwise there was no wall decor. “You can put your things in your closet, and Nona can answer most of the questions you have, but if there’s anything else you need, I’m available day and night.” She offered her fake-o brilliant smile before giving a few last instructions about wake-up calls, prayer meetings, and class schedules. Then with a wave she said, “I’ll see you at morning service,” and left the two girls alone.

  Once the door closed, Shay tossed her backpack onto the bed. “Is she a workout or what?”

  “Actually, she’s great,” Nona said, sticking to the company line. “Talented and smart.”

  “If you say so.”