Revenge River: Men of Mercy, Book 9

by Lindsay Cross

  He was relieved when she softened and a smile played about her lips. “Okay, deal. But we’ve still got to talk about this whole bodyguard situation.”

  He sidled up closer and was rewarded with her fresh scent. “Agreed, and I don’t think we need to involve your father. Why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking?”

  “I’m not about to have someone trailing my every move in my own home. I’ve been held prisoner long enough and I refuse to resume that status.”

  “Like I said before, you won’t even know I’m around most of the time.” And she wouldn’t. Despite his large frame, he’d mastered the ability to melt into the shadows and blend into the background. Plus, he had every intention of planting a GPS device on her, just in case.

  Last night and this morning, Merc had carefully combed through the entire house, learning every single entry and exit point, and realizing its many weaknesses. Weaknesses Mr. J could easily exploit. Even with TF-S roaming the grounds and the extra security detail, Merc trusted no one else with Caroline’s life.

  “Miss Caroline, lunch.” Francis poked her head out of the swinging white door to the left. “Merc, you too.”

  The woman’s tall thin frame reminded him of a dressed up scarecrow, but her tenacious attention to Caroline made him like her. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “I found a few of your teammates wandering around too, big fella. They’re going to eat everything I cook if you two don’t get in there now.”

  Merc held out an arm, indicating the swinging door. “She’s right, they will.”

  Caroline brushed past him, her small size making him feel like a lumbering giant about to crush her. It made him feel the urge to protect, and the urge to take her into his arms and kiss her again.

  Forcing his mind away from those thoughts, he led Caroline into a medium-sized room with a long polished wood table and thick heavy wooden chairs that wouldn’t crack under his weight. He liked the room instantly.

  Everything else in this house seemed to be 17th century antiques made for people half his size, so that Merc was scared to sit down anywhere other than the heavy leather furniture in Cotter’s study.

  Riser waved a fork in the air, having assumed the seat at the head of the table. “You’re too late, there’s nothing left.”

  Merc glanced at the long sideboard, covered with food. “Looks like there’s plenty.”

  Ethan, who sat to Riser’s left, said, “Maybe for her, but definitely not for you. I want a second helping.”

  He felt Caroline tense and realized she probably didn’t know they were joking with each other. But then she surprised him by saying, “And which one of you is going to stop him?”

  Merc felt a smile tugging at his lips. Ethan, Riser, Aaron and Ranger all stopped devouring their food and stared at him. Merc shifted uncomfortably. “What?”

  Ethan was the first to speak up. “Are you…smiling?”

  “No.” Merc pressed his lips into a hard line and glared at his teammate, who immediately focused on his plate and resumed eating. The other three were a little bit slower on the uptake.

  Ranger elbowed Aaron. “I swear to God, he smiled just then.”

  Aaron replied, “Yep, that was most definitely a smile.”

  “What’s the big deal about Merc smiling?” Caroline asked, her soft, wilting voice hesitant.

  “Because Merc doesn’t smile,” Ranger answered, matter-of-factly. “I’ve known him for five years and I’ve never seen him smile. Not one single time.”

  Caroline gently touched his arm, drawing his attention down to her. “Maybe he’s never had anything to smile about before.”

  The urge to cover her hand with his own was as natural as breathing, and he barely caught himself before he followed through with the inclination. She fit him so well, seemed to understand him even better. It was as if they operated on their own wavelength together.

  Finally, Merc forced himself to take a step back, only to see the rest of his team staring at him like his head had just exploded. He glared at them all, silently daring them to say anything else. Every single one of them grinned in response, not the least bit intimidated.

  Great. He’d lost his fucking edge.

  Merc gestured for Caroline to go first to the sideboard. He was surprised when she skipped over the fruits and veggies and went straight for the meat. He followed right behind her, heaping his plate full, and took a seat next to her at the table.

  “If Francis sees you with only half your plate full, you know she’s going to get on your case,” he whispered in her ear, enjoying the way she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Damn, he liked everything about her.

  “I know. She almost had a seizure this morning when I didn’t eat all of my breakfast. Just tell her I’ve already eaten half if she walks in.” Caroline stabbed a chunk of ham with her fork and lifted it to her lips. Merc followed her movements, fascinated with her lips wrapped around her fork, imagining them wrapped around him.

  Aaron cleared his throat. “So, we’ve got the place locked down tight.”

  Merc snapped out of his daze to glance up and see his teammates’ suppressing their laughter. Screw them all. Every single one of them, with the exception of Riser, had acted like complete idiots over their women. Just because he had some passing attraction to Caroline Cotter didn’t mean a damn thing. They had been together for the entire journey home, and he’d saved her life. Surely that was expected to have some type of lasting impact.

  Still, his voice had a harsh tone when he countered, “The first floor is good, but there are too many entry points unsecured on the third floor.” The skylights were completely vulnerable. A skilled assassin could easily cut through the glass and lower themselves inside. Merc had every intention of running tape sensors across every possible breakable surface on the exterior portion of the house.

  Caroline cleared her throat and took a delicate sip of water. “Why are you worried about the third floor? No one can reach that high.”

  Merc almost took her hand in his but caught himself and grabbed his fork instead. “Someone with enough skill could easily scale to the top of this house and break in. I’m not taking any chances with your life.” He knew Mr. J would come for Caroline. Merc could feel it in his bones.

  Senator Cotter breezed into the open dining room doors, his typical suit replaced with a casual untucked blue shirt and blue jeans. He went straight to his daughter and pressed a kiss to her head.

  Caroline flinched, just the barest of a movement, but Merc noticed.

  “Good afternoon, Senator,” Caroline said in a distant tone.

  Cotter straightened and kept a fake smile plastered on his face, but the light in his eyes shriveled. “Senator, is it? What happened to good ol’ dad?” Cotter kept his response light, but everyone in the room could feel the whiplash of tension surrounding father and daughter.

  “Sorry, dad. I’m still trying to get back to normal, I guess. What are you doing home? I thought you’d be at work.”

  “I took the whole week off to spend with you. If I need to take care of any boring paperwork, I can access most of it from my computer here.” Senator Cotter placed his hand on the back of Caroline’s chair.

  “Oh, that’s great.” Caroline’s response was stilted, like she had to force herself to talk to her father.

  Did she blame him for her kidnapping?

  It would make sense. He had tried to marry her off to a man twice her age and left her vulnerable to attack by not vetting her limo driver, who was working with Mr. J.

  But still, from what Merc had read in Cotter and Caroline’s file, it seemed the father and daughter duo were extremely close, especially since Caroline’s mother died shortly after Caro’s twin sister had died a week after her birth.

  “I thought maybe you and I could go to our favorite place and catch up on some old movies. Spend some quality time together before your welcome home party at the end of the week.”

  The rest of Merc’s team continued to eat, keepi
ng their heads down and ears perked up. Merc had no such scruples. Cotter made his daughter feel uncomfortable and Merc intended to find out why. Until then, he didn’t trust the man around Caroline. Didn’t trust anyone, really.

  Caroline carefully placed her fork on the white linen tablecloth and turned to look up at her father for the first time since he entered the room. “Why are you doing this?”

  “To celebrate your homecoming, of course. All of your friends have been just as worried about you as I have. They want to see that you’re safe and happy,” Cotter answered smoothly.

  “Are you inviting him?”

  Merc had a feeling he knew exactly who she was asking about — the General. Surely her father hadn’t been that stupid, had he?

  “Yes, of course, dear. He’s been concerned about your wellbeing.”

  Caroline shoved her chair back and scowled up at her father, the outburst of emotion startling Cotter. “How could you? How could you invite him here after what’s happened?” Her hands fisted at her sides.

  But apparently Cotter thought everything would resume easy as pie. “What do you mean? General Rainier has always been one of your close confidants. I’ve already called off that farce of a wedding, but he’s still your friend and he’s worried about you.”

  Merc glared at the senator on Caroline’s behalf. How could the senator not consider his daughter’s feelings at all?

  “I don’t want him here,” Caroline hissed out through clenched teeth. “I don’t want a party. I don’t want to see anyone; don’t you understand?”

  Merc could feel the fury radiating off her and it took every ounce of control he had not to stand up and put himself between her and her father. It was obvious that Cotter loved her, but even more obvious was Caroline’s seething anger.

  “I thought you’d be happy to see all of your friends.” Cotter’s practiced political smile faded into a small frown.

  “You were wrong. I want to be alone. I want everyone to leave me alone.” Cotter reached for her and she flung his arm away. “And that means you too,” Caroline said, then bolted from the room.

  Merc grabbed his chair to keep from following her. Her reaction was understandable – she’d been through a severe trauma and there was no way she was ready to reenter society yet, especially if it meant socializing with a bunch of pompous nitwits and political bigwigs. She needed time to re-acclimate.

  Cotter turned a fascinating shade of white then green and sank down into Caroline’s empty chair, dropping his head into his hands.

  Merc didn’t feel the least bit of sympathy for the man. “She’s not ready.”

  Cotter lifted his head and turned his dazed look to Merc. “I thought she’d love it. She’s always loved being around other people. You should watch her in a crowd — she practically comes to life. I thought maybe it would help her get back to her old self.”

  Merc shoved his chair back and stood, his uneaten plate forgotten. Caroline’s distress had turned his stomach. “I’m sure she’ll get back to that one day, but she needs more time.”

  Aaron chimed in from his right, “Most civilians who have been through a traumatic experience for an extended amount of time need months to recover. Your daughter was kidnapped by a ruthless monster and held captive for weeks. She was shot and nearly blown up. And before that, we have no idea what he did to her. Because of this, I would advise you to make these next few weeks as peaceful and quiet as possible for your daughter.”

  Cotter slammed his fist onto the table in a burst of anger. “Damn J to hell. He can come after me all he wants, but not my daughter. My baby.” Cotter faced Merc, craning his head back. “I want you on her twenty-four-seven, do you understand? She doesn’t make a move without you knowing it. J isn’t through, and he knows I love her more than anything else in this world. He’ll try to hurt her again.”

  Merc nodded his agreement.

  Ranger cleared his throat in the background. “We’ve already ordered an extra security team for the grounds, but it wouldn’t hurt if you ordered another team in as extra security until the immediate danger passes. Or at least for the party.”

  Or until they catch Mr. J.

  “I’ll leave that to your team. The last time I tried to take over my daughter’s security detail, she was kidnapped. I bow to your expertise.”

  “Cancel the party,” Merc said.

  “Unfortunately, that’s impossible. Most of the guests are already en-route, and we’ll have a large number staying the night here,” Cotter said.

  Fuck. “How many guests?”

  “Two hundred, tops.” Cotter dropped his head back into his hands, his shoulders slumping.

  “Are you crazy?” Merc bit out. “There’s no way we can vet everyone before the end of this week.” How could the senator be so stupid and reckless?

  “Only my close personal friends and acquaintances are coming. Every person walking through that door I will have personally invited. I’ll have my assistant give you a dossier on each guest. You can check them in at the front door, and anyone not on the list will be turned away.”

  “You really think it’s that simple? With a party that size, someone could easily slip in undetected. That leaves Caroline vulnerable.” Merc’s voice rose with each word, his fury growing with each word.

  “Merc,” Hunter said.

  Merc’s look sliced to his team leader, and it was enough to make him shut the hell up. He took a deep breath and turned back to Cotter. “I want that dossier in my hands within the hour.”

  Stupid, stupid politicians. Senator Cotter couldn’t turn it off. No matter how much he loved his daughter, he still had the thought process of a man running for reelection.

  “You’ll have it, anything you need. After the party, I’ll cancel everything, I swear.”

  Merc crossed his arms and glared down at Caroline’s father. “You will, because if you don’t, you’ll lose her again.”

  With that, he stalked from the room and ran up the staircase, intent on finding Caroline and making sure she was okay. He rapped gently on her bedroom door, but she refused to answer. He knocked again, just as stubborn as she, but there was still no answer. Alarm hit him and he pulled his pistol.

  He tried the knob, found it unlocked, and the door swung open seamlessly, leaving Merc staring into an empty bedroom.

  16

  Nightshade paced down the hall of the first story, hiding in the darkened interior while she cooled off. Cotter’s absolute blindness to Caroline’s needs was exactly what Nightshade had expected all along. But up until now, he’d been the exact opposite. He’d shown what she’d thought was love for Caroline, but not today. Today he’d let the loving father façade slip and his true colors peek out.

  To plan a party a week after Caroline had returned home was insanity. A civilian couldn’t handle that kind of crowd. She’d break, just as easily as she’d broken at the palace when Nightshade confronted her. Caroline was delicate.

  But Cotter wasn’t concerned with her wellbeing; he wanted to show her off to the world. He wanted to use her as a pawn.

  So why was Nightshade so angry? Hadn’t she expected this all along, the sly villain who’d hurt anyone and anything to achieve the power he wanted?

  Except there were moments when he’d seemed to show nothing but genuine affection for her. He’d cried and told her he loved her, even when they were alone, so much so that she’d started to believe him.

  Nightshade froze on the spot. She had started to believe him.

  All those hugs and tears – he’d been playing her all along. And gullible little Nightshade fell for it, trusting him.

  She doubled over, her gut wrenching in two. Her real father, Mankel, had warned her over and over about Cotter’s smoothness. His complete disregard for others as he climbed the ladder of power in D.C. His ability to fool everyone around him was the reason why he was head of the JSOC today.

  And the reason why Nightshade had grown up without her sister.

  This w
hole place was a lie. The polished mansion that promised peace and tranquility. The fun stylist. The cook and maid that doted like mothers. Nightshade shoved the back of her hand into her mouth to keep from choking.

  It was all a lie and she’d started to slip without even realizing her blunder. What about her team? She’d let them slide to the background, lulled into a haze of complacency.

  No more. Nightshade would do whatever it took to find them. She’d block out everyone and everything and concentrate on her mission. She had to get into Cotter’s study, and she had to do it right now.

  After the fight at lunch, she knew Francis and Harriet would be waiting to try and reconcile her with Cotter, and she couldn’t risk running into either of them. But she couldn’t circle around the outside of the house either without looking completely suspicious. Plus, Merc said he’d put trip wires on all the windows.

  Nightshade pressed her palms to her forehead and leaned against the wall. Think. She had to get into Cotter’s study and still be Caroline. What would Caroline do?

  She’d stride right down this hall to her father’s study because she lived here.

  For every minute Nightshade hesitated, her sister would be suffering. She had to act now, and she had to keep her head.

  Nightshade squared her shoulders and strode down the hallway. She checked to make sure the foyer was empty and stepped into the open space, strolling around the staircase and past the dining room, where the men’s voices drifted out of the open door, then slipped into the study, not breathing until she’d quietly shut the door behind her.

  She went to the first row of books, located what had to be a first edition of Anna Karenina, and tagged its location in her mind. If someone caught her snooping around, she could claim she was looking for that book, and it would be a plausible excuse.

  As long as it wasn’t Merc.

  She got the feeling he saw beneath her surface, and if she wasn’t careful, he might figure out the truth. It didn’t matter how much she’d grown to admire the man or how much attraction there was between them, her teammates and her sister were more important. And if it came down to it, she’d do what it took to ensure her teammates’ freedom, even if it meant neutralizing Merc.