“Really? I saw the way she looked at you when you suggested keeping her locked in this house. You caved. And you’ll lose your daughter because you’re too weak to do what’s right.”
Cotter’s ashen face peaked to a dull purple. His hand dropped from his tie and he stood tall. “I would lay down my life for Caroline. How dare you suggest otherwise?”
Merc felt the sneer curl his lip, knew he was being insubordinate, and didn’t give a flying fuck. “For the same reason you sold her out to a man old enough to be her grandfather.”
“I set up that marriage to protect her! General Rainier is one of the most powerful men I know!”
“Yet you underestimated J and now you want to do it again. Tell me, Senator, are you eager to lose her? Or maybe there’s something else… maybe you have some kind of connection with J that we don’t know about,” Merc didn’t hold back. He was done being politically correct.
Cotter’s lips opened and closed like a lost guppy. “You bastard! J stole everything from me! My wife. My other daughter. And now he nearly took Caroline, too. I want that man dead more than I want anything else in this world.”
“You’re sure showing it in a piss poor way.” Merc edged closer, daring Cotter to argue.
But Cotter failed to rally. His shoulders drooped and he stepped back, his enraged mask sliding slowly into that of the polished Senator. He eased a hand through his longish gray hair. “Remember in the hospital when I said I thought we could draw J out? Well, this is the plan.”
“Yes, I remember,” Merc muttered. “But I also remember you hiring us to protect your daughter, and we can’t do that if she’s out in the open.” Merc’s voice rose with each word, knowing J could have any number of unknowns out there scouting the area just in case Caroline was allowed to leave the estate.
“Merc, zip your mouth for just a minute and listen to the whole plan before you make up your mind.” Grey’s orders whipped across the room, and although every instinct in Merc screamed at him to disobey his commander, he fell in line. He’d hear out their plan and then he’d tell them no.
“Fine,” Merc said.
“The first part starts with Senator Cotter. He’s got an inside man in the press who has been dying to cover the story of Caroline’s kidnapping. So far the reporter’s team has kept it completely under wraps, just a few snippets leaking here and there. He can call together a last-minute press conference and make an announcement on national TV.” Grey, dressed in his typical pull-over and jeans, glanced at Cotter.
Cotter gave him a weak nod and cleared his throat. “I’ll do it big, blasting it all over the papers that Caroline’s home safe and sound. And because of some surprising new intel she’s provided, we’ve been able to locate Mr. J. I’ll say that we already have teams deployed.”
Merc felt the veins bulge in his temples. “You might as well paint a target on her back.”
Grey glared at him. “If you don’t shut it, I’ll kick you out of the room.”
Fuck. If there was any chance of this plan going through, Merc would be involved in every single aspect. He had to. The thought of any threats to Caroline made him want to put his fist through the wall.
Cotter cleared his throat and shifted nervously. “As I was saying, J will have no way of knowing that I’m lying about deploying teams, but it will get him moving. Then I’ll make sure that my guy in the press makes it common knowledge we’re having a big welcome home celebration for Caroline at the end of the week.”
Grey said, “The day of the press conference, Merc, Aaron and Ethan will escort Caroline, Celine and Kate into town for a group date. We need to be visible and make it appear as though we’re unconcerned about an attack.”
Merc watched with smug satisfaction as Ethan’s and Aaron’s relaxed demeanor disappeared with the mention of their girlfriends’ names. Both Kate and Celine had been victims of J’s kidnapping at Caroline’s wedding. Ethan had managed to save Kate before they left the States, but the entire TF-S team had had to deploy to Afghanistan to track down Celine and Caroline. After nearly losing them, there was no way in hell Ethan or Aaron would allow their women to be put in danger.
Grey, a master at reading body language, held up his hand before anyone else spoke. “We will have control of the setting, picking a certain restaurant in a certain location and getting a security team in place before you arrive. Plus, all three of you dressed in plain clothes will be there as well. If we’re going to draw him out, we have to taunt him.”
“Don’t you think he’ll know it’s a trap?” Merc said. “Mr. J hasn’t lived as long as he has by being stupid.” He was crafty and dangerously intelligent. As much as Merc wanted a chance at revenge, he didn’t want it to involve putting Caroline in danger. “It’s too risky. Ethan, Aaron, back me up.”
Silence. The sound of Ethan scratching the back of his neck blasted like sandpaper on a chalkboard.
Merc caught Aaron’s sideways glance. “I don’t know, man. The thought of putting Celine in any possible danger makes me want to puke, but the thought of her having to live in fear any longer than necessary is just as bad.”
Merc strode forward and slammed his fist onto the table. “Not true, dammit. We’d be putting all three of them directly into action. There’s no way for us to control all the variables. Hell, he could have spooks roaming outside these walls right now, waiting on any one of us to leave and strike. He wants us all dead.”
Ethan cleared his throat. “There’s no way he could have deployed a team here already. And even if he did, we’re sure as hell ready to take them out just like we did when they attacked TF-S headquarters in Mercy.”
Rage pounded through Merc’s blood with the force of a jackhammer ripping up old concrete in a hundred-degree heat. “Am I the only one who remembers that night? How terrified your families were? They came at us with everything they had. There’s still bullet holes in Hank’s house.”
“You’re right, Merc.” Hunter’s deep, quiet voice filled the room. “He came at us with everything he had, and we killed every last one of those sons-of-bitches.”
“Have you all lost your minds?” Merc couldn’t put Caroline at risk. What if Mr. J succeeded this time in killing her? She was the only real connection he’d ever felt, and he knew without a doubt if J severed that connection, he might as well slice out Merc’s heart and stick it on a fucking spike to rot and die.
The memory of Caroline’s wide eyes and pale clammy skin when she’d been shot in the palace rushed forward, followed immediately by the memory of the explosion… and the dead men in the street whose names he couldn’t remember but he felt their loss just as keenly as if they were his own brothers.
He broke out in a cold sweat. “You can’t ask her to do this. You don’t know what she’s been through.” What I’ve been through… I can’t lose her.
“Merc, this girl you’re so worried about held our entire team at bay in a cave in the Afghanistan Mountains after hauling you there by herself. I don’t think you’re giving her enough credit,” Hunter said.
Was he second-guessing her? Hell, she’d practically saved his life. No, she’d restored his life.
A dark voice whispered through his mind: If you drew Mr. J in, you could find out about your past once and for all. You could kill him and still get the girl.
Maybe…
No. No way. Merc shook his head, trying to clear the demons from his thoughts. “Dammit, Hunter, would you string Evie and Hank Junior out like bait for that monster? What about you, Ranger? What about Amy and the kids?”
Silence. Crickets. Nothing.
“There has to be another way.”
Grey lifted his hand in the air, calling for everyone’s attention. “I’ve already asked Celine and Kate. They want to do it. I think we should give them a shot.”
Ranger stood and turned to Merc. “We don’t like this any better than you. But think about their futures. What if Mr. J gets away again? Each and every one of our families will have to spend
the rest of their lives looking over their shoulders. He’s already proven he’s not scared to attack us at home. He could pick off one of our women on their way to the grocery store. We can’t be there with them every minute of every day. You know that. At least here we’d get to set the playground. We’d get to pick the location. We’d get to set the trap.”
Jared Crow rapped his knuckles on the table, speaking for both himself and his brother, Hoyt. “We agree.”
Merc saw red, straight up fire-blazing-bright burning red. It was too risky. There were too many variables, and J loved variables. He loved being unpredictable. Chest tight, Merc crushed the back of the chair in an effort to keep from rubbing the hollow ache in his chest.
Then Hoyt, one of the men he was closest to on the team said, “Merc, man, I don’t know what’s going on between you and Caroline, but it’s obvious she’s important to you. She’s the first thing I’ve seen you care about ever since I’ve known you, and I vow to you right now that I will protect her with my life.”
A loud round of knuckles rapping on the table followed Hoyt’s declaration, his team’s promise they’d all give their lives for his woman.
His woman.
Caroline Cotter was his woman.
Every ounce of air left Merc’s lungs and he suddenly found himself holding on to the chair for support rather than crushing it in anger.
Ethan faced Merc, his expression as black as his hair. “Ever since I’ve known you, you’ve done whatever it takes for our team. You’ve been there even when you didn’t have to be. Hell, you’re the one who had the balls to take out one of our own when he turned against us. It’s our turn to pay you back.” The rest of the team nodded their agreement. Ethan continued, “We will trap J, and it won’t be because we’re smarter than him or sneakier – Satan blessed that bastard with a sense of cunning I think few in this world possess. But Satan also gave him an overdose of confidence, and the man’s starting to get reckless. Starting to make mistakes. We need to take advantage while we can.”
It’s true. TF-S had been able to track Mr. J down because they’d rescued Celine before she was sold as a sex slave, and Celine had found out that Mr. J was really Jack Mankel. Mankel’s greed would be his own undoing.
Merc took a deep breath and met Grey’s cold hard stare. “I get final say on the location and the setup, or I’m out.”
Grey’s lips twisted into a smile that could cut through steel. “You got it.”
19
For days, Nightshade had been here and she’d yet to find anything. Not one single bit of evidence linking Cotter to Mayhem.
Desperation snaked down her torso into her legs, and she stumbled down the steps to the first floor. She needed to eat. She’d just finished a grueling workout session in Cotter’s big training room downstairs. It had been an absolute dream for Nightshade—access to all the latest state-of-the-art equipment, rows and rows of weights, barbells, and rowing machines. She’d hoped that by throwing herself into an intense workout, she could burn off some of her restless energy and focus once again.
A hope that proved futile.
At least the house was quiet. Fernando was gone and the entire TF-S team had disappeared along with Cotter. Wait a minute – they’d disappeared. Which meant she had a chance right now to dig through a few more rooms she hadn’t managed to get to yet. Namely the west wing of the second floor.
So far Cotter’s study and bedroom had turned up absolutely nothing. And every time she went searching, she’d run into Merc, completely losing focus. She’d never reacted that way to any man before, helpless to stop the strong forces that seemed to draw them together and ignite an explosion.
Nightshade shook her head and hung a hard right down the wood paneled hallway to the kitchen. Merc would hate her when he found out the truth. She had no future with him. No bright sunny day in a white house with a picket fence and children running around the yard. She’d dedicated her life to Mayhem and by God she’d sacrifice having a life of her own for them, one where she didn’t have to put Mayhem’s and Mankel’s needs above hers, if that’s what it took.
She paused outside the kitchen door, listening to make sure Francis wasn’t bustling about. The last thing she needed was to get caught in an hour-long lecture on her poor eating habits. That woman was skinny enough to blow over in a strong wind, and yet every opportunity Francis got, she shoved food down Nightshade’s throat. But she knew that Francis truly loved Caroline and was trying to care for her in the best way she knew how, and for that, Francis would always hold a special place in Nightshade’s heart.
After she took down Cotter, she’d make sure Francis and Harriet and Fernando were taken care of. She’d set them up in a comfortable home and make sure they never had to work another day in their lives. Maybe later, after things settled down, Caroline could go visit them.
Nightshade went into the kitchen, thankful it was empty, and straight to the pantry. She’d spied the hidden treasure trove this morning when Francis had plopped her down at the kitchen stool and quickly mixed up blueberry pancakes with whipped cream topping – a complete waste of calories but so delicious her toes curled.
Careful to remain quiet in case Francis hovered nearby, she pressed the hidden latch on the pantry door and stepped inside. Rows and shelves stacked from the floor to the ceiling were filled to the edge with dry goods and canned food and endless spices she couldn’t name. After five minutes of digging she gave up on the hope of finding a protein bar and settled for honey wheat granola instead. At least the carbs would curb her appetite for a minute. She scarfed it down, tossed the wrapper in the trash and left the kitchen.
Careful not to brush the walls with her sweaty arms, she glided down the hall into the empty dining room.
Nightshade took a step and faltered. Caroline was used to living in luxury - how would she adjust to Nightshade’s harsher and stark lifestyle? She’d lived off of military grade issued sheets and hard-as-a-rock bunkbeds her whole life. Hell, she’d rarely had her own bedroom, usually forced to bunk with three of her other teammates in their barracks. They lived off what they needed to survive, eating to maintain their strength, staying hydrated with water out of the Camelback… the dread she managed to forget for a moment returned full force.
She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. Caroline wouldn’t care. Not when they were truly reunited and she could prove to Caroline that her entire life had been a lie and that Tom Cotter was not Caroline’s father. Yes, that’s what she needed to do. Rescue her team and give Caroline cold hard facts.
With a renewed need for vengeance and action, Nightshade picked up her pace and breezed through the ballroom and study, out into the grand foyer. Second floor. West wing. It was the next logical place. She took off running up the stairs, did a quick sweep of the upper-level to find it empty, and headed left into a darkened hallway lined with plush carpets, beautiful paintings and statues.
There were three doors, two on her left and one on her right. Everything looked exactly the same, except for the security panel next to the door on her right.
Her heart kicked over and plunged into her throat. This was it. She was minutes from finding out her teammates’ location.
She stretched out her hand, trembling with anticipation, to the silver panel with a numerical keypad letting her fingers hover above the number five. Her sister’s birthday month.
“Caroline!”
Nightshade jerked her fingers away, curling them into a tight fist.
“Caroline, I’ve got a surprise for you.” Cotter’s voice rang out loud and clear and was threaded with determination.
She’d been so close. So close.
“Coming!” She ran down to the small servant’s hallway at the other end of the second story, ran up to the third floor, then back to the landing on the main staircase of the third story so it would look like she was coming from her bedroom.
She stopped at the top of the stairs and noticed that Cotter looked more refreshed than s
he’d seen him looking in days.
“What’s up?”
He grinned and flagged her downstairs. “Come here. I’ve got something that I think will make you very happy.”
Curious by his good mood, Nightshade made her way to the main floor and stepped off the staircase.
“I’ve been trying to figure out what I could do to help you recover, and I realized I wasn’t the answer.” Cotter stepped aside and swept his right arm out, gesturing for her to proceed with him into the study.
She took a hesitant step forward, having absolutely no idea what he had planned, and glanced over her shoulder in question. Did he know she’d been snooping around? Was this a set up?
As if sensing her disquiet, Cotter glided forward and slipped his arms through hers, patting her arm. “Come on, I’ll go with you. I promise you’ve got nothing to be nervous about.”
They went into the study together. She saw Merc first, her attention drawn automatically to him as his presence dominated the room. Her mouth watered. He was dressed in heavy boots, sinfully snug fitting blue jeans, and a white V-neck T-shirt. The material stretched taught over his broad chest, straining to keep the bulging muscles contained before tapering down into a tight V. He shifted and his abs rippled beneath the shirt.
Nightshade licked her dry lips and glanced up, caught in the heat of his stare. There was no mistaking the desire heating his gaze.
She fought the urge to squirm and forced herself to break eye contact. She had no business thinking these lust-filled thoughts about him, especially now when she was so close to completing her mission. She’d made her choice. Team Mayhem and her sister. Merc would never have a future in that life.
“Caroline?” A soft melodic voice drifted across the room and her attention snapped to the right, taking in the frail presence of Celine Latimer. She hovered near Aaron’s arm, clutching his hand with a white knuckled grip. “Caro, is it really you?”
Oh crap. Celine Latimer. The tenacious blonde who’d been inadvertently kidnapped with Caroline. Nightshade hadn’t thought about her since arriving. Her close connection to Caroline, as evidenced by Celine’s constantly demanding to see Caroline when they’d been back at the palace, could be a problem for Nightshade.
Revenge River: Men of Mercy, Book 9 Page 17
