Never Cry Mercy

by L. T. Ryan

  "No, because if I was, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. Vernon and I would have made it out of that apartment and shattered your world."

  "That wouldn't happen."

  "It would. And you know what? Maybe you're right. As I sit here, I find myself rediscovering Reese McSweeney all over. I'm tired of turning a blind eye for you and your band of idiots. I don't care if a damn terrorist learns my location. I'd rather take my chances with them than watch you defecate all over this town and this country."

  "I don't doubt that, Reese. I'm just saying you and Vernon never would have banded together against me. After all, he's one of the reasons you're sitting here right now."

  "What are you saying? You had him followed to my apartment? He's the one you wanted, I'm just collateral damage?"

  Darrow smiled, nodded, and lifted his gaze to the man behind her. The guy's hands slipped off her shoulder. He stepped to the side, looked down at her.

  "Son of a bitch," Reese said while trying to elbow him in the thigh. The restraints dug in deeper, causing her to grimace against the flash of pain. "Vernon? What the hell?"

  Vernon continued to the opposite side of the room, took position next to Darrow against the wall.

  "I thought you were on my side," she said. "Hell, you even let Jack out of jail."

  "Appearances, Reese," he said. "We knew we were more likely to get information out of you if you believed I was on your side. Mind you, I knew Jack wouldn't ever be, but you're just so damn trusting, Detective McSweeney."

  "How long have you known my name?"

  He glanced at Darrow. "Since about the time he told me, which I guess was—"

  "The same day I found out," Darrow said, spreading his arms wide.

  "This whole time," she said. "So why now? What's changed?"

  "You're friend, Mr. Noble," Darrow said. "He has the potential to be a major pain in our asses. We figure this is the only way to throw him off his game. Apparently, he takes chances he normally wouldn't when someone he loves is in danger."

  Vernon's eyes darkened. He smiled. "And we know how much he loves you."

  "Asshole," she muttered under her breath.

  "What's that?" Vernon said, walking toward her, rubbing his palms together.

  She said nothing.

  He grabbed her jaw with his meaty hand and lifted her head toward him. She fought to look away. "Watch your tongue around here."

  How had the man who'd been like a father to her turned on her like this? What was there to gain? She knew the obvious answer, but still couldn't understand how he could treat her this way after showing so much empathy all those years.

  "Jack's only passing through," Reese said. "He doesn't want to be involved in anything you guys are up to. Christ, even after what you did the first couple days, he wanted nothing to do with it. He doesn't care."

  "Why'd he stay around then?" Vernon said.

  She avoided looking at Vernon. Though he'd been a father figure to her, his feelings were the opposite. She'd known for a while that the man had felt something more for her. She'd done nothing to encourage those feelings, and did her best to avoid responding to anything he said that potentially had a dual meaning.

  "What do you think is going to happen now?" Reese said. "You've pushed him. He's going to respond. You don't know him and what he's capable of."

  "Oh, I know him all right," Darrow said. "And I'm counting on him responding. Because that'll make it easier to kill him."

  Chapter 50

  I'd managed to remain out of sight for nine of the ten minutes it took to get to Linus's house. The sketchiest part had been crossing Main Street. It was lit up, but empty. Someone could've been watching, though. Didn't matter, I had to take the chance.

  When I reached the house, only the minivan was parked out front. The GMC was busted up enough to be out of commission after smashing into Reese's car. The house windows were lit up, offering a view inside. I saw the two boys and the woman seated at the kitchen table. Had Linus made it home? Was he still out looking for me?

  I climbed the wobbly privacy fence, waited there for a few breaths, then continued to the back. Each window offered a view of a different part of the house. The bedrooms were empty. No sign of Linus.

  I pulled the .22 from my pocket as I neared the sliding glass door. There were three rounds in the magazine. I had to make each one count.

  Spread out on the table between the blonde woman and the two boys was a board game. Couldn't make out which one. The older boy looked happy, the younger one pissed. Looked about right. Sean and I had gone to war over Monopoly I don't know how many times. Never could I remember both of us happy at the same time playing that or any other game. My misfortune was perpetually his gain, and vice versa.

  I remained outside the door for a few minutes, standing far enough back that it wouldn't be obvious I was there. Finally, I made my move. The unlocked door slid open without resistance. I moved inside quickly and decisively, pistol aimed at the family.

  Both boys looked up. Fear drowned their expressions. The woman pushed back from the table, sending the board game over the edge. She leapt up wielding a knife. Not your garden variety weapon either. After a quick glance I pegged it as a survival knife commonly carried by Air Force pilots. Nice piece. I figured she knew her husband was an asshole and always had it in the back of her mind that she might end up in a situation like this. Good to be prepared.

  "Who are you?" she said, her voice trembling.

  "Where's your husband?"

  "Dead."

  "What?"

  "He died two years ago. I moved in with my brother a couple months ago."

  Looking at the woman, it made sense. She was beautiful. Linus looked as though someone had taken a tree branch to his face when he was young.

  "Linus," I said.

  "My brother," she said.

  "Where is he?"

  "What the hell did he do now?"

  "He tried to kill me."

  "Too bad he failed." She placed herself between me and her sons, clutching the knife to her chest. "Boys, go to your room."

  I remained by the back door, ready to duck out should Linus pop out with an automatic rifle.

  Down the hall a door closed. Kids' bedroom, presumably. The woman licked her lips, held out an empty hand. "What's my brother into?"

  "You don't know?"

  She shook her head, said nothing.

  "You and I must be the only people in town who have no idea then. Everyone else seems to know what's going on around here."

  "I mean, I had an idea," she said. "But, you know, not like I could talk it up with him. If he kicked me out, I don't know what I'd do. My husband took care of everything. We had a great life in Dallas. At least, I thought we did. When he passed unexpectedly, I learned that we had almost two hundred thousand in credit card debt, and the house was in arrears. I lost the house, my credit, had no job, and we were forced to move into a ghetto apartment. Soon after, I couldn't even afford that. I got married so young. Never finished school or built a career."

  She reached back for a glass of water, took a sip, then continued. "And my brother is a son of a bitch. He's actually my step-brother. Unfortunately, the only family I have left. Treats us like garbage. Beats my boys. Hits me."

  "What if I could help you?" I said.

  "How?" she said.

  "There's an old weathered cabin in the middle of nowhere. Maybe thirty minutes from here. Cattle all around. Nothing else. He took me there. Any chance you know where it is?"

  She narrowed her eyes. Was she thinking or plotting? The woman could lead me right into a trap. I'd already fallen for her story. Was it just that? A story? My read on her was sketchy and I couldn't get a good feel for her true intentions.

  "I don't know," she said.

  "All right," I said. "Is there anything—"

  "But I did find this map one day when I was snooping around." She turned and walked to a desk, leaving her knife on the table. The writing desk look
ed like it was at least sixty years old. She started to lift the rolling top.

  "Hold on," I said. "I'll take it from there."

  She gave way to me. I pulled out the weathered map, unfolded it. The creases were worn so thin I feared the paper would split if I moved it too quickly. It covered a few hundred square miles, showing Texline, a few other towns, and the major roads in between. Handwritten in pencil was the word 'ranch.' I traced the route east out of town, then a couple small roads. Then off-road. I closed my eyes and recalled the journey there and back. What I saw on the map fit. Once I left pavement, it could be as simple as picking a line and riding it. That potentially posed problems, though. I could run into trouble with ditches, streams, hills, and possibly small cliffs in the way. None of that mattered until I had a vehicle.

  "One more favor," I said.

  "What?" she said.

  "Got a car I can take? One that can get through the mud?"

  She shook her head. "Linus has the truck. My van won't make it."

  "If Linus shows up," I said. "I can trust—"

  "He'd have no reason to even think I saw you, so it shouldn't be a problem. I promise not to bring it up."

  "What about the boys? They're not used to an armed man entering the house. They might talk."

  "Happens more than you think. They'll be in their room the rest of the night. He's not going in to see them. And you know what, they probably trust you right now more than that son of a bitch. I'll tell them you were here to punish him for the way he's acted."

  I liked the woman. She was tough. Just needed a helping hand to pull her out of the pit she'd fallen into.

  "I'm gonna take care of you when this is all over. Get that debt paid off, get you back on your feet. OK?"

  She nodded. "Thank you, I think."

  I left through the back door, hopped the fence into the rear neighbor's yard, and cut across two more properties to distance myself another block further. Now I had to find a car suitable for the terrain.

  And I knew where to find one.

  Chapter 51

  Reese sat alone in the moonlit room, counting the seconds in an effort to stay awake. The occasional rustle of cattle was the only sound aside from her breathing.

  Darrow and Vernon had left without giving any indication what they planned on doing with her. She knew she wasn't leaving the room alive. There was no reason for them to let her go. She'd known about Darrow for some time. His secrets. The things he was into. Yet he did nothing to her. He knew her secrets as well. And he kept them safe in return for Reese doing the same. She found herself at war over the decision at first. She'd spent her entire adult life fighting criminals. Now she had to pretend to respect one so he wouldn't turn her in to a group of terrorists who would have been more than happy to know her location. They'd kidnap her. Rape her. Torture her. And eventually kill her. The last part she could handle. Bring it on. The rest, no thanks. She could do without ever encountering those bastards. As could most, she presumed.

  The stakes had been raised tonight. All along, she believed Vernon was on her side. Knowing the truth about the man changed everything and increased the likelihood she would be dead soon. He had too much to lose by letting her go. At this point, she was bait to draw Jack out of wherever he was hiding.

  Did anyone else know she was there? She thought through interactions with people she had believed were working for Darrow. None had ever shown signs that they knew Vernon was on the inside. In fact, they typically clammed up with him around, if they didn't leave outright when he made his presence felt.

  A secret of this magnitude could only be carried to the grave.

  A solitary tear slipped from her left eye, catching the groove between her nostril and cheek, sliding across her top lip and settling in at the corner of her mouth. She touched it with her tongue and savored the salty flavor in her mouth for several seconds. She licked her lips, trying to generate saliva to wet her dry mouth.

  She fought back against additional tears. Why let those assholes know they had gotten to her?

  The door banged open. One set of boots hit the floorboards. He paced behind her, remaining out of her peripheral vision. Heavy steps, left to right, back again.

  "What?" she yelled after two minutes of silent pacing.

  The man came to rest behind her. Thin, bony fingers wrapped around her jaw, pulling her head back and to the right. She looked up into Linus's gaunt face. His deep-set eyes focused on her. A slight smile played on his mouth.

  "What the hell do you want?" she said through gritted teeth, straining against his grip.

  "Figured since you have a little time left, I'd come and make sure it was good for you."

  She filled her mouth with saliva and spat. Half hit him, the rest sprinkled down on her face.

  Linus jumped back, wiped his chin off with the back of his hand. "Bitch."

  Her chair lurched forward. He kicked it again, sending Reese tipping over. She came down hard on her right elbow and cried out in pain.

  "That's what you get," Linus said. He stood over her. His hands were balled into tight fists. He glared down, moonlight reflecting off his eyes. Anger faded as a smile took its place. "You think you can piss me off enough that I'd just leave, huh?"

  Reese said nothing. She fought back another scream, one that would have been filled with violence and rage. Pain radiated from her elbow. She couldn't move her arm. Had she broken it? Dislocated it? She couldn't see her arm, and didn't dare try to reposition herself.

  Linus reached down, grabbed the chair and righted it. The pain intensified as her arm hung limp.

  "I think it's broken," she said.

  Linus grabbed her left arm. "This one?"

  Reese said nothing.

  "No, guess not." He walked around to the front of the chair. Stopped. Placed his thumbs inside his pants waistband. "Open your mouth."

  Reese stared up at him. Gritted her teeth tight. Pursed her lips even tighter.

  Linus punched her right elbow.

  Reese screamed in pain, doubled over. Tears flooded her eyes.

  "That'll do it, huh," he said.

  "Go to hell," she said. "I'll die before I touch you."

  Linus stepped closer. His legs touched the inside of her knees. He pushed outward, spreading her legs a few inches. "It's not that bad."

  Reese closed her eyes, rolled her head back, groaned from the pain in her arm. It had intensified and centralized. She glanced up, saw Linus smiling, head back slightly, not looking at her. She took a deep breath and focused on the fire in her elbow, drawing it into her center. Then she whipped her head forward as far and as fast as she could, striking Linus in his crotch.

  The high pitched scream that left his mouth was followed by hollow nothingness. He dropped where he stood. Reese battled the pain in her arm and managed to lean forward, teetering on the tips of her toes. She aligned herself just right and dropped the chair rail onto Linus's neck, driving every ounce of her weight downward. The man weakly attempted to fight her off. The blow to his testicles had sapped him of his strength, and now he could do nothing but suffocate.

  "God dammit." Vernon's voice boomed as he lumbered into the room. He lifted Reese off the floor, grabbing hold of her damaged arm. She screamed and Vernon leapt back a foot. "What? Did he hurt you?"

  Feeling faint from the throbbing in her arm, she managed a nod before slumping to the side.

  Vernon grabbed the writhing man off the floor like he was a tackling dummy, then threw him headfirst into the wall. Linus collapsed onto the floor, slimping into a limp pile.

  "I said no one touches her," Vernon said. "Didn't you hear me say that?"

  Linus said nothing. He lifted his arm a couple inches in an effort to shield his face.

  Vernon ran three paces, delivered a kick to Linus's midsection. The guy raised up, then bowed forward, face first to the floor. Vernon brought his foot back again and struck Linus's face like he was taking a penalty kick. Linus's head snapped back. Dark splatters
of blood arced in the moonlight.

  "Stop," Reese said.

  Vernon ignored her. He dropped down to a knee and wrapped both hands around Linus's throat. The sounds of the slim man choking filled the room. The hoarse pleading, gagging, and eventual silence and subsequent stink of human waste twisted Reese's stomach.

  Vernon rose, breathing heavily. He placed a hand on the wall and leaned forward. Was he going to throw up? He stood there for a few moments, but nothing happened. Then he reached down and lifted Linus's corpse off the floor.

  "I'm sorry, Billie, I mean, Reese. This won't happen again."

  Vernon slipped through the opening with the draped body over his shoulder, fluids splashing against the floorboards with every step.

  The door banged shut.

  And Reese began to cry.

  Chapter 52

  Crystal River, Florida, 1988

  The cicadas' shrill screams had never rung this loud. It felt as though a hundred were perched on Jack's shoulders. He'd isolated the direction where his brother was being held. The long stretch of grass appeared desolate. Was anyone watching it? He had to assume they were. Deciding not to chance it, Jack stuck close to the house, crouching low, then darted the twenty feet into the woods on a diagonal line. Once behind the tree line, he dropped flat and caught his breath, listening for anyone close by who might've spotted him.

  Several seconds passed. There wasn't a hint of anyone.

  He rose to his knees and stared into the woods. Faint traces of light remained, enough to see outlines of shapes, but little else. Jack adjusted his position and crept toward where he believed his brother was being held. Every step seemed to disrupt dead leaves or snap a fallen branch. He glanced over his shoulder every few seconds, verifying no one followed.

  "Y'all are gonna die," Sean said. "You don't know what my dad is capable of."

  Someone laughed, told him to shut up.

  Jack hadn't veered far off track. His brother was close. Step by step he inched closer until he had them in view. He retrieved the pistol, aimed it at the back of the guy's head.

  "Freeze, asshole," he said.

  The man turned around, took a step forward.