by A. V. Asher
He frowned. It wasn’t like Luke to keep on ringing him. “Better take this.”
Mason reached out and turned down the music.
“Hey, Luke. You’re on speaker. You’ve interrupted an epic battle between Sinatra and Martin. Mason’s having his arse handed to him.”
Mason made a “humph” noise and shook his head.
“Alec.” Luke’s manner was subdued. Alec sat straighter in alarm. Mason frowned and turned the stereo off.
“What is it?”
“I have Charlotte on speaker with me.”
“Hey, Alec,” she said. There was a strain in her voice. A shot of nervous energy shivered up his spine.
“Is everything okay, love?” Alec said. “Has something happened?”
“We were hoping you’ve seen Sadie. Today, or maybe yesterday?”
“No, I’ve been in Manchester. I had coffee with her on Tuesday.”
Charlotte sniffed, and Luke’s gentle voice whispered to her. Alec’s heart picked up its pace.
“Guys, what’s going on? Is Sadie okay?”
“We aren’t sure. Charlie got a message from Sadie’s boss. She’s missed work for the last two days. No call, no show, and she’s not answering her cell phone.”
Alec frowned. “Perhaps she and the boyfriend ran off for a holiday.”
“No way,” Charlotte said. “Sadie’s a planner. She’d have asked for the time off weeks ago. And she’d have called in if she were sick.”
“So, what is it you think happened?”
There was a stifled pause. “There’s something I didn’t want to mention,” Luke sighed. “Honestly, we thought things had changed . . . but maybe not.”
“Right, so tell me now.” Alec’s jaw clenched, unease curling in his gut.
“Her boyfriend . . . The bastard’s sent her to hospital in the past. Twice, that we’re aware of.”
“What?” Alec’s stomach lurched. “Christ, Luke. Why the hell didn’t you mention this when we spoke?”
“It wasn’t something Sadie wanted announced. Charlie found out by accident.”
“What would you have done, Alec?” Charlotte asked.
“I don’t know.” He ran his hand through his hair. “Why does she stay with him?”
“She’s tried to leave,” Charlotte said. “He always finds her and convinces her he’ll change.”
“It’s more than him just finding her,” Luke added. “One time, he showed up about thirty minutes after she checked into a hotel. He has surveillance and hacking experience, and I know for a fact he’s planted listening devices on her and has her followed by a few of his friends.”
Christ, that’s crazy. “I’ll contact my team and set up a search. It’s faster if I have them do it rather than you making calls to every police station and hospital in the city. If we can’t locate her, someone will go to her flat and check on her.”
“Thank you, Alec,” Charlotte said. “And please be careful. He knows who you are and what you look like.” The warning in her voice didn’t go unnoticed.
Let the bastard try something. “Thanks, Charlie, but I’ll be alright. Tell me everything you know about the boyfriend.”
Alec gathered what information Luke and Charlotte had on Mercedes’s boyfriend, Jason Marsh. He promised to ring them as soon as he heard anything. Hanging up, he took a breath, letting it out slowly.
His mind raced, prioritizing. He needed Declan on this. He slid over to his message app and punched out a text to his cousin:
Emergency call ASAP. I need you. Confirm.
Relief washed over him when the speech bubble popped up immediately.
Whenever you’re ready
“You okay?” Mason asked. “What do you need, man? Should I pull over?”
“No, I have to get to London. I need to find her. I’m pulling Cress and Shake from their assignments. This’ll take priority.” He was already dialing Shake’s number.
“Yo, what up, boss?” The ring of Shake’s voice came across the line.
“Where are you?”
“Finishing up at the office. Me and Cress are headed out. Lost a bet, so I have to take her to the chippy.”
“I need you to put off dinner for a tick. There’s an emergency. Have her join, please.”
“Oy, Cress. Alec has somethin’. Hand me a pen and get over here,” Shake called.
Alec conferenced in Declan while he waited for them to settle. He took a deep breath to help focus his scattered mind.
“All right, go,” Cressida said.
“About five minutes ago, I received a missing persons report. The victim is high risk for domestic battery. We’re looking for a white female, 32 years old. American. Long dark brown hair, hazel eyes, approximately five feet, five inches tall, medium build. Name is . . . Mercedes Rose Elliott.”
“Oh shit,” Declan said. “Are you serious?”
“Aye,” he confirmed. “Last known sighting was Tuesday afternoon at the Cap and Vin Coffee and Wine Bar. She didn’t come in for her expected shifts on Wednesday and Thursday. No call, no show.”
He gave the description of Jason Marsh to the team. “White male, blue eyes, blond hair. Medium height and athletic build. He has a significant background in surveillance and IT. The extent of this knowledge is unknown. This man may have access to equipment and have abilities to commandeer security footage. He’s kept her under surveillance in the past.”
“Got it. Where should we start?” Cressida asked.
“I need a run of all hospital and police records for the past three days in the greater London area.” He swallowed hard. “Better check the morgues too.”
“Alright, it shouldn’t take long.”
“I’ll also want a complete work up on that piece of shit boyfriend if possible. But find her first,” he stressed.
“No problem. Have we confirmed the authenticity of the last seen report?” Cressida said.
Alec let out his breath. “I should hope so. It’s mine.”
“You saw her?” Declan asked, surprised.
“I did.” His heart ached to think of her sad smile. Now he knew why. He cleared his throat. “I know this isn’t something we usually do, but this is an important exception. Relay any news immediately and keep this locked down to the five of us. All other projects are on hold. Dec can reassign anything immediate if needed. I think Mariah is finishing her last case and is free. Any questions?”
“Nope,” Shake said. “Cress and I are already working on the run. If she’s there, we should know in the next ten minutes.”
Declan stayed on the line after the others hung up. Alec took the call off speaker and brought it to his ear.
“You okay?” Declan’s voice was somber.
“I will be when I know she’s okay. Christ, Dec. What will I do if she’s . . .” Alec’s throat clenched.
“She’s not,” Declan said. “We’ll find her. If things get to be too much, I’m here. I’ll run point if needed.”
“Thanks, mate.” Alec disconnected the call. He couldn’t ask for better back up on this. Declan was the only one who knew what Mercedes meant to him.
The meeting at the coffee shop had only lasted a couple of hours, but it was enough time to remind him of what it was like to be near her. Her beautiful, amber-flecked eyes held such sadness in them. Alec had fought the urge to draw her in his arms and erase the pain. Thoughts of her occupied his mind often. What if, while he daydreamed about her, she’d been lying in a morgue?
Alec set his head against the seat, his nerves thrumming. He wasn’t used to feeling like this. Most of his adult life had been spent hanging out of helicopters and working covert missions in foreign countries. He’d grown accustomed to stressors from that way of life. But this was different. This was a fear he didn’t know what to do with.
It seemed a lifetime before his phone buzzed again, and a grinning picture of Shake came up on his screen. He answered it on speaker. Shake had already conferenced in Cressida and Declan.
“We found her,” Cressida said.
Alec’s heart thundered. He took in a deep breath, not wanting to ask but knowing he must. “Tell me,” he choked out.
Please don’t let her be dead.
“They admitted her to Chelsea and Westminster Tuesday night. She’s alive and in stable condition. An anonymous caller alerted emergency. She lost a lot of blood. Multiple transfusions helped to stabilize her.
“Her chart notes a concussion and extensive contusions, most notably on her face, neck, and abdomen.” She paused. “It gets worse, I’m afraid. She has a twelve-inch knife wound running along her midsection. Luckily it was shallow. He missed her vitals.”
Bile rose in Alec’s throat.
Luck had played no part. That kind of surgical wound served a purpose. Although torture wasn’t something he’d ever personally administered, Alec was familiar with the various techniques available to those with the stomach for it.
He pressed his head into his hands as Cressida continued her report. “She has another gash across the inside of her right arm, which resulted in significant blood loss. There was a rudimentary tourniquet applied when they found her, but they came close to losing her. A few minutes longer, and they would have.”
She’d been bleeding out. Holy god.
The ache that had formed since hanging up with Luke was becoming more and more unbearable.
“Is there more?”
“Yeah.” Cressida hesitated. “There’s evidence of sexual assault. Her shirt had been cut away, and there were bite marks. Some broke the skin. They performed a rape kit. The results have yet to come in.”
Alec could no longer hear the sound of the road. The thundering in his ears drowned it out. Mercedes had been beaten, tortured, sexually assaulted, possibly raped and left to bleed to death. The image of her living through that agony and fear made his gut churn. How could anyone do such a thing?
“Jesus. Poor little Sadie lass,” Declan murmured, cutting into the silence.
Alec blinked hard to keep his eyes from spilling unshed tears. He cleared his throat. “What are the visiting hours? I’ll have Mason drop me off as soon as we get to the city.”
“Hold up, Alec,” Shake said. “You can’t walk in there blind. The fuckwit might be there with her. Even if he isn’t there himself, Luke said he’s kept her under surveillance before.”
“Which is fucking weird,” Cressida chimed in.
“You might make things worse if you show up in her hospital room uninvited,” Shake finished.
Shake had a point. If that bastard was there with her, Alec wouldn’t be able to restrain himself.
But he wouldn’t stay away either. Mercedes needed to know she wasn’t alone. “Okay, what do you suggest?”
“Let me go in there and take a lil’ peek. I’ll clear the room and make sure she doesn’t have company. I think I have a disguise that’ll work brilliantly.”
“I’ve already gained access to the hospital’s security footage, so I’ll do a review of anyone coming and going from her room. It won’t be too long. If he’s been there, we’ll see him,” Cressida said.
“Yeah, all right. Let’s do it,” Alec said. “While you’re in there, I want a workup of an extraction plan. I’m not leaving her stranded, thinking she has no way out. Give me something to offer her.”
“You got it, man,” Shake said. The Bennetts were by far the best support staff he could have with him. Cressida was the strongest overwatch he had, and Shake could adapt to pretty much anything. He’d trusted them with his own life. He could trust them with Mercedes.
While the setup was taking place, Alec called Luke and Charlotte. He was honest but didn’t go into the details. Charlotte’s quiet sniffles pierced his soul. Luke asked him to stay on the line while he stepped outside, no doubt protecting Charlotte from what he wanted to ask.
“How bad is it? Truly?” Luke asked when Charlotte was out of earshot.
“He fucked her up. It’s bad.”
“Fuck. Any way you can take the bloody bastard out? It’d be like riding a bike for you.” Luke seldom mentioned Alec’s training or his time in the service.
“I’d love to, trust me,” Alec said. Luke had no idea how much he wanted to put a bullet in the fucker’s face. “But getting eyes on Sadie is our priority. I’ll let you know when it’s done.”
He disconnected and sat back, his mind running through the outcomes of seeing her again. What would he say to her? What could he offer her to keep her safe? Would she even want his help? What if she refused?
Jesus, the thought of leaving her in the hands of that piece of shit turned his stomach. But it wasn’t up to him. She had to choose. The only thing he could do was make the offer.
Chapter Ten
Exhaustion made Mercedes want to weep. She hadn’t a moment of sleep since the night they admitted her. Every injury throbbed. Her muscles ached from the hospital bed. There was no way to get comfortable.
Constant noise kept her wrecked nerves fully activated. The staff came and went from her room at all hours. Nurses changing shifts came to poke at her stitches or check her heart monitor. A sweet-faced custodian named Sandy felt it necessary to empty her trash can in the middle of the night. He apologized profusely, and she found it hard to stay annoyed with his puppy-dog brown eyes and crooked smile.
Anxiety kept her head spinning. What was she going to do? Where could she go? She’d have to decide soon, and none of the options were ideal. Counting out her breaths to relax, she hoped for at least a few hours of sleep to think straight. She was drifting off when a soft rustling woke her.
Mercedes’s heart skipped a beat. Jason never visited. Doctors asked too many questions, so he stayed away. His friends often stood vigil, but always from a distance.
She braced herself and turned toward the noise. A man was occupying the lounge chair next to her bed. His broad shoulders bent forward, and his head was down, resting on his clasped hands. A black baseball cap obscured his face.
Scrambling for the call button, Mercedes winced as pain shot through her side. But then he looked up, and her heart stopped altogether.
Alec.
Her hand hovered over the switch as she stared into Alec’s vivid blue eyes. Mercedes cast her gaze away, afraid there would be a disappointment in their stormy depths. He was the last person who should see her like this.
Alec reached out, his hand gentle as he guided her chin to face him. Mercedes forced herself to breathe as she met his eyes again. He showed no hint of pity or disgust. She didn’t think she could bear either.
Instead, his piercing gaze roamed, taking stock of her injuries. Alec’s thumb grazed her jaw as he studied her, the emotions in his eyes saying what he had yet to voice.
Mercedes opened her mouth, but Alec held up a finger to his lips and shook his head. She frowned as he pulled a gadget from his pocket. A blinking light pulsed from the device. He flipped a switch, and the light went out.
In a low voice, he said, “Artemis, going dark. Check-in ten minutes. Copy.” He must have seen her confusion because he smiled at her. “We can speak freely now. You have a listening device planted somewhere in that bag of your things. I’ve disabled it.”
Of course, there was. Fucking Jason.
Alec leaned toward her and captured her hand between his. A bolt of electricity shot through her, his warm hands enveloping hers. She hadn’t realized she’d been cold until he touched her.
“Are you okay? Can I get you anything?”
Mercedes shook her head and tried to compose herself. “How did you know?”
“Your manager called Charlie. She called me. And, when they told me of your . . . friend’s tendency to put you in places like this, it didn’t take us long to track you down.”
Damn it.
She’d kept a lot of things from Charlotte, thinking she was protecting her. Apparently, she failed at that too. A wave of guilt washed over her. Her sister would be sick with worry.
“The police
are investigating this as a burglary and assault, but I think you and I both know they won’t find anything. Especially since you don’t seem be cooperating.”
To anyone else, she could downplay what happened. But she couldn’t lie to Alec. He knew the worst parts of it already. “They never believe me anyway.”
“Can you tell me?” When she hesitated, Alec squeezed her hand. “I’ll believe you,” he whispered.
Tears filled her eyes. “He came home acting a little off. Suddenly, he became irate and he . . . he just lost it.” She stared at their hands, a single tear traveling down her face. “It’s been bad in the past, but I’ve never seen him like that.”
“Why was he irate?”
Mercedes grimaced. “He found out I . . . met with you for coffee. He had pictures. He accused me of sleeping with you.”
Rage crossed his face. “That son of a bitch,” he hissed.
“I’m sorry,” she choked.
Alec’s head snapped up. “Why are you sorry?”
“Because I got you involved in this. That wasn’t my intention when I called you.”
“Stop. You didn’t do anything wrong.” His eyes were alight with emotion, but she didn’t flinch from him. Instead, she found herself unable to look away. “Christ, you’ve nothing to apologize for. You understand you’re the victim here, right?”
She nodded. Another tear escaped, creating a path down her cheek.
Alec’s eyes softened, and he wiped it away with a lingering stroke of his thumb. Mercedes touched his hand, turning her cheek into his palm. The warmth of his hand soothed and seared her all at once.
Closing her eyes, she breathed him in. Please don’t let me go.
“You have to leave him.” Alec’s voice was brimming with torment.
Mercedes’s eyes snapped open, and she pulled away. Panic welled in her chest. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can.”
“He’ll find me. It’s embarrassing how fast he is at tracking me down. He knows everything I do. I mean, he plants listening devices in my hospital room, for God’s sake.”
“I can help you.” Alec’s fingers tightened on hers. “We can get you out of here. Give you a safe place to recover. When you’re ready, we’ll get you home. Declan and I already have people ready to go.”
