by Rebecca Deel
Once he tucked her inside his SUV, he turned to his teammates. “I want Mercy out of town before we stop for food. Suggestions on a place to stop?”
“Darlene’s Diner off Interstate 65,” Ben said. “Wide variety of food for Mercy to pick from.”
The rest of them didn’t have problems eating in the middle of stressful situations. Mercy might need something light, especially after the conference room scene. Nico scowled. What had Brent been thinking to get in his face like that with Mercy in the room? He’d upset her needlessly, a point he’d make to Brent at a later time.
“You don’t like the idea?” Joe asked. “Choose somewhere else if that famous gut of yours says Darlene’s isn’t a good option.”
Nico shook his head. “It’s not the restaurant. I’m still angry at Brent.” He hadn’t had the time and privacy to discover if his boss had scared her off.
Trace shrugged. “He’s looking out for your girl’s best interests.”
More like messing in Nico’s business. Of all people, Brent should know that Nico would never take Mercy’s choices from her, not after what happened to his sister. The ache in his chest at the thought of his sweet baby sister intensified. “Let’s go,” he said, his voice gruff.
He climbed behind the wheel and drove from the mall with his teammates tailing him in their SUV.
“What’s going on, Nico?” Mercy asked.
He glanced at her. “We’re stopping at Darlene’s, a diner in Hendersonville. The restaurant has a wide variety of good food.”
“I saw the sign for the diner when I drove down here a few weeks ago, but I didn’t have time to stop.”
“You were in town?” Why didn’t he know this?
“I was a guest lecturer in a fine arts class at Middle Tennessee State University. I drove down for the class and went right back home since I was working on the pictures for Sean.”
He grimaced at hearing the senator’s name from her lips. “Wish I’d known you were in town. I would have loved to sit in on the lecture and met you under better circumstances.”
Three hours after lunch, the caravan arrived in Sherwood. Nico liked the look of the town. Old-fashioned charm would be the best way to describe the place. A few traffic lights, flowers and trees planted everywhere, awnings fluttering in the spring breeze. As they drove through town, pedestrians turned their heads to watch their passage.
Good to know they noticed strangers in town. Would they have noticed the people who broke into Mercy’s house? “How long have you lived in Sherwood?”
“I grew up here. I met Aiden in college and became a military wife who traveled from one base to another after we graduated. When he died, I came back home. People think I took a step backward, but moving home was right for me at the time. I needed a place to heal and rediscover who I was without Aiden.”
“Are you open to moving away from Sherwood?” He felt Mercy’s gaze on him. He shouldn’t have asked this soon, had promised himself he wouldn’t push. Nico couldn’t help himself.
“If I had a good reason.”
Would she consider him a good reason? He’d make the commute as long as she needed but would burn many hours driving to and from Sherwood. While on call, Nico couldn’t be more than an hour from Nashville which drastically cut down on time to spend with her.
Man, he was in over his head. No question about it. His only hope to survive with his heart intact was if her feelings were as tangled about him as his were about her.
“Take the next right. My house is in the middle of the cul-de-sac.”
When Nico parked, he evaluated the bungalow. The small yard had an abundance of flowers and shrubs, none too close to the house which was good for security. He could see her living in this quaint, well-loved space. Small and beautiful, like Mercy. Maybe it was petty, but he was glad she moved from the home she shared with Aiden, giving Nico hope she had healed enough to move on. Perhaps with him.
Mercy twisted in her seat. “I don’t have keys. We’ll have to break a window.”
Amused, he shook his head. “I’ll take care of it.” Nico located lock picks in his Go bag and helped Mercy from the vehicle.
“I hope the rest of Shadow arrives soon. Based on the pictures you showed me, I have a lot of cleanup to do.”
“We’ll help. Remember, we can’t stay here for long.”
“The person who broke in must be gone by now.”
“Perhaps.”
“Way to encourage me, buddy.”
He chuckled as they reached the sidewalk leading to the porch.
“I want to check my backyard garden. When you open the door, unlock the French doors at the back of the house for me.” She frowned. “If the burglar didn’t destroy my door.”
Although he was reluctant to let Mercy out of his sight, he couldn’t chain her to his side. From the looks of her door, manipulating the lock wouldn’t take long anyway. “If something makes you feel uneasy, even if you can’t see what’s causing the unease, call out.”
With a nod, she disappeared around the side of the house.
Nico dropped to his haunches and inserted the lock picks. He scowled when the lock gave within seconds. Mercy needed better locks. Hers wouldn’t deter a determined child much less a terrorist or burglar.
He made a mental note to contact Zane. Once Nico evaluated her security, he’d ask the Fortress installation teams to install their best system. He returned the lock picks to his Go bag and jogged to the porch.
Since the police had already been on scene, Nico didn’t bother with rubber gloves. The knob turned easily in his hand.
Inside the home, chaos reigned. He blew out a breath. Cleaning Mercy’s place would take more than the allotted hour, even with six of them working together.
Picking his way through the debris, he crossed the living room and dining room to the French doors where Mercy waited. The French doors were still intact.
Nico unlocked the door for Mercy and moved aside.
Even though she’d seen the photographs, Mercy gasped when she stepped inside. “Look at this place. My insurance company will have a fit when they see the damage.”
“We need to document everything before we clean.” He eased Mercy into his arms and hugged her. “We won’t be able to finish in the time we have available. We’ll return after you’re safe and help.”
“Won’t you have to go on another mission?”
He’d take a few days to help Mercy get her life back in order before he went after the Scorpions. “We’re overdue for a break. Brent called Shadow because your uncle asked for me specifically.”
Mercy leaned back to look into his eyes. “Why?”
Before he could answer, Nico heard movement in the living room. Not his teammates. He spun, weapon in hand, placing his body in front of Mercy’s.
“Police! Drop your weapon!”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
Nico slowly placed his Sig on the table and backed away, careful to keep his body in front of Mercy’s until he was sure the nervous cops wouldn’t pull the trigger. He needed to get this situation under control before his teammates arrived. Four more armed strangers would add to the tension in the kitchen.
“Flat on the ground, now.”
“Wait,” Mercy protested. “You don’t understand. This is my house, and Nico is my friend.”
“What’s your name?”
“Mercedes Powers.”
“Back away from him, Ms. Powers. Nice and slow.”
Nico sank to his knees, eyeing the policeman. “Mercy, do as he says.”
“This isn’t right. You didn’t do anything wrong.” She sounded as though she was on the verge of tears.
“He’ll come to that conclusion soon enough.” He hoped. Nico laid flat on the floor, arms spread, controlling a grimace when his stitches pulled tight. Yeah, this patrolman wouldn’t be happy when he found the backup weapons and Ka-Bar. Looked like his time in Sherwood might be longer than an hour.
“Nico.”
“Everything will be fine, kitten. Trust me. Go sit at the breakfast bar. He’ll be able to see you while he cuffs me. It’s standard procedure until he realizes I’m no threat to you or him.” Well, not to Mercy at least. As long as the cop didn’t make a threatening move toward Mercy, he was safe.
Nico kept his eyes on the twitchy cop as he cautiously moved closer. Not more than twenty-five, the red-haired officer’s gaze shifted between Nico and Mercy and back.
“Don’t move.” Red holstered his Glock and searched Nico for more weapons. He found Nico’s backup weapon and Ka-Bar. He missed the second knife in his combat boot and a few other surprises as well. “Hands behind your back.”
With a sigh, Nico complied.
A siren cut off on the street. A moment later, Nico heard another cop ordering his teammates to back up.
Red assisted Nico to his feet. “Sit at the table and don’t move.”
He considered refusing but didn’t relish a trip to jail. Nico chose the chair closest to Mercy.
A second patrolman came into the kitchen with his weapon drawn.
Red inclined his head toward Mercy. “Check her for weapons.”
“No.” Nico glared at Red. “She’s not armed.”
“Keep your mouth shut.” Red’s hand rest on his holstered weapon. “Do it, Fletch.”
Gritting his teeth in anger, Nico shifted his weight, preparing to intervene and wondering if he would have another bullet wound to add to his collection.
Fletch cast a wary glance in Nico’s direction. “On your feet, ma’am.”
Nico watched Fletch’s every move as Mercy slid from the stool and turned to place her hands on the breakfast bar. The cop felt along her legs, then moved to her torso and paused when he felt the bandage on her shoulder. He poked at it, causing Mercy to catch her breath.
Scowling, Nico surged to his feet.
“Sit down,” Red ordered, his voice filled with tension.
Mercy glanced over her shoulder at Nico. “I’m fine. Please, Nico.”
With a warning glare at the ham-handed cop who had hurt his girl, he returned to his seat.
“What’s the lump?” Fletch asked Mercy.
“A bandage. I was injured a few days ago.”
“Got proof?” Red asked.
“I was treated in Texas at a private clinic.”
Although he didn’t look convinced, Fletch turned to his friend. “No weapons.”
A nod from Red. “Sit down, ma’am.” He turned to Nico. “Name?”
“Nico.”
“Nico what?”
He stared at the policeman. If he wanted more, he’d have to arrest him and try to run his prints through the system. He wouldn’t get anything.
With a huff, Red said, “A neighbor reported seeing you break into this home.”
Mercy groaned. “Mr. Stonebridge. I asked Nico to help me get inside the house. I was in Mexico for a funeral and was taken hostage. That’s when I was hurt. I don’t know what happened to my purse and keys.”
Red looked skeptical. “How did you escape from your supposed kidnappers?”
“Nico and his friends rescued me.”
“Pretty far-fetched story, lady.”
Mercy gave a shaky laugh. “True enough. I can provide proof of that at least. Do you have a cell phone?”
Narrowed eyes. “Why?”
“Write your number down for me, please. You can have the paper after the phone call you’re going to receive.”
Still suspicious, he yanked out a small notebook and scribbled his number.
“Mercy, tell the officer what you plan to do so he won’t think you’re pulling a weapon his buddy missed.” Like Red had missed some of Nico’s weapons.
She blinked. “I’m getting my cell phone from my pocket.”
Hand on his weapon, Red said, “Take it out, slow.”
She glanced at Nico who nodded. Mercy placed her call. “Uncle William, I need you to call a police officer in Sherwood, Kentucky. He thinks Nico broke into my house and doesn’t believe my story about the kidnapping.” She rattled off the number. “I’d rather my protection detail stay out of jail. Thanks, Uncle William.”
In less than a minute, the policeman’s cell phone rang. He frowned as he stared at the screen, showing it to Fletch. “It’s a blocked number.”
Nico raised an eyebrow. “Are you going to answer it? Trust me, you don’t want to miss this call.”
With a suspicious glare Nico’s direction, Red answered his phone. “This is Officer Adam Gates.” He listened. His face paled as he straightened and remained silent for a few minutes. “Yes, sir.” A pause. “I understand, sir.” He swallowed audibly. “Thank you for calling, Mr. President.” When Gates’s hand dropped to his side, he stared at Mercy, shell-shocked. “Your uncle is the President of the United States.”
She smiled. “I know. Will you remove the handcuffs from Nico’s wrists now?”
Fletch groaned. “We are so screwed.”
“Of course.” Gates retrieved the key and unlocked the cuffs.
Nico flexed his wrists. “Any other questions, Gates?”
“When did you arrive in town?”
“Fifteen minutes ago. I’m sure the folks downtown will corroborate the time. They turned to stare as we drove through town.”
“My apologies for inconveniencing both of you.”
Mercy slid from the barstool and moved to Nico’s side. He wrapped his arm around her, able to draw a free breath for the first time since Gates and Fletch had arrived on scene.
“Thanks for the quick response,” Mercy said. “I appreciate your service to Sherwood.”
Relief flooded his face. “Thank you, ma’am.” With a nod to Nico, he turned on his heel and left, followed quickly by his friend.
Soon, the rest of Shadow walked into the kitchen. Trace set bags from a local store on the table. “We leave you two alone for fifteen minutes, and you get in the faces of the local cops.”
“I don’t think they’ll bother us again.” Nico holstered his weapons and helped Joe set out cleaning supplies and trash bags. “President Martin had a talk with one of the officers. Otherwise, I think Officer Gates intended to haul me to jail. Let’s split up. The house isn’t that large. I’ll help Mercy with her bedroom. The rest of you choose a room and get started. Document the damage first before staring the cleanup. No more than forty minutes.”
He escorted Mercy down the hall to her bedroom. She paused at the doorway.
“Oh, wow.” She eased past him to stand at the foot of her bed and turned in a slow circle, surveying the damage.
Nico moved behind her and drew her against his chest. “I’m glad you weren’t here.” Based on what he saw, the people who broke in would have hurt or killed Mercy if she had been there.
Nothing was left untouched. Even the mattress hadn’t escaped the blade of a knife. Her wardrobe was in shreds. Good thing he’d insisted Mercy buy clothes for a week.
“I need to check my drawings.” Mercy’s voice sounded choked. “They’re in the second bedroom along with the safe.”
“Go ahead. I’ll start in here.” Nico took pictures of the room from every angle, then started filling trash bags. If he thought an item salvageable, he set it aside for Mercy to evaluate. By the time she returned with her camera, the saved pile he had accumulated was small. “Did your art survive the break-in?”
Mercy frowned. “Months of work is gone.”
“The perps destroyed it?”
“No. They took the art with them.”
Huh. Not what he’d expected to hear. “Did you find the memory card?”
She handed it to him. “I don’t understand what they wanted with the studio artwork.”
“We’ll figure it out, learn who stole the drawings, and return them to you. Do you have a list with descriptions?”
“I took photographs of the finished work. I would show you on my laptop, but they stole that, too.”
“We’ll use mine when we
’re in a secure location. Here.” Nico handed her empty trash bags. “Let’s see what’s left of your wardrobe, if anything.”
They worked in silence for a few minutes. Finally, Mercy said, “They slashed everything, even my shoes. Who does that?” She walked from the closet with a disgusted look on her face.
“People furious with you. Anyone besides the Scorpions have a reason to hurt you?”
“I’m not a social butterfly, Nico. I don’t go out much. My biggest outing each week is to the grocery store or church. I didn’t think I had enemies until this happened.”
Joe appeared in the doorway. “Nico, company.”
“More cops?”
“An older man and two other men just parked in the driveway.”
“What are they driving?” Mercy asked.
“A black Silverado.”
“It’s my father and brothers.” She hurried from the bedroom with the two operatives on her heels. When Mercy reached for the doorknob, Nico caught her hand.
“Let me.”
“They won’t understand why you’re here.”
“Safety first, always.” He urged her to stand at the hallway entrance. Mercy’s family could see her from the doorway, but she wouldn’t be in a shooter’s line of sight.
The doorbell rang.
He flicked a glance at Joe who shifted to stand in front of Mercy. Nico opened the door. Three men eyed him with varying degrees of hostility and suspicion.
“Where’s my sister?” the tallest man demanded. “If you’ve hurt one hair on her head, you’re a dead man.”
“I’m here, Chris.”
The three men stared at Mercy. “Why didn’t you answer the door?” her father asked.
“It’s not safe for her.” Nico allowed Mercy’s family inside the house and locked the door behind them.
“Who are you?” the second brother asked.
“Nico. These are my teammates Joe, Sam, Ben, and Trace. We’re Mercy’s bodyguards.”
“Friends who happen to be trained security specialists,” Mercy corrected. She turned to Shadow. “This is my family. My father, Patrick, and my brothers Chris and Wyatt.”
“Why do you need the protection of five people?” Wyatt asked.
