by A. V. Asher
“How long would she be in the program?”
“Depends on how long until the trial. Could be as long as a year and a half.”
Unacceptable. “Can I go with her?”
“Not unless you get married, but in your condition, you’d be a liability.”
Alec would marry Mercedes in a heartbeat, but Nick was right. He could barely stand, much less fight off an attack. And he was going to need a lot of therapy to get his body functional.
Nick walked to the door. “Please think about it. I know you want what’s best for her. That’s what I want too.”
Alec sat in his quiet room, heaviness pushing him down. When Mercedes breezed in carrying takeout containers, he smiled at the brightness of her eyes and the flush in her cheeks. She was so beautiful. He ached to touch her, to be with her for every painful moment. But he had to do what was best for her.
“Hey, you.” Sitting on the bed next to him, Mercedes leaned in for a kiss. Alec pulled her to him, letting the kiss linger. She snuggled up to him, careful not to jar the bed too much.
Something must have looked off in his face because she paused and frowned.
“Everything okay?” She pressed her hand to his forehead. “Are you getting chills?”
“Darling, I’m alright.” Alec took her hand and kissed it. “Nick came by.”
“Did he?” Her tone darkened as she read his face. “And what did you two decide?”
“Sadie . . .” She pulled her hand away from his and looked away. “I can’t decide anything for you.” He cupped her face, guiding her to look at him. “But I also can’t protect you. I don’t know what I’d do if something happened to you because I was too laid up to stop it.”
“So, you want me to leave then?” Mercedes blinked away unshed tears.
Alec thought his heart would break. “I don’t want you to leave. God, it hurts to even think about it. But I think you have to. Cooper isn’t going to let it go.”
“I can’t,” she whispered, her hazel eyes wide with pain.
“You can.” Alec pulled her to him. “You’ve been through so much. Asking you to do it isn’t fair. But you can do this.”
Mercedes sniffed, burrowing against his shoulder.
“Will you think on it tonight? You’d have to leave tomorrow night.” His voice broke.
She shot up. “Tomorrow?”
Alec’s throat tightened. “Aye.”
“I’m not leaving you tomorrow.”
“Sadie, I’ll be okay, but I have a long road to recover from this. If I can’t keep you safe, I have to give you to someone who can.”
Mercedes lay against his chest. “Can’t we go back to Scotland?”
“I wish we could.” There was nothing he wanted more. But they had to face reality. There was no other option but to put their lives on hold for a little longer.
Chapter Fifty-Nine
It was the end. Mercedes had denied it as long as she could, but the truth was clear. She’d have to go.
Mercedes stood in Alec’s bedroom, her heart weighed down, knowing it would be months, maybe years, before they shared a bed again. The hollowness was more than she’d expected.
In her hand, she held the neck of her violin. It seemed heavier than usual. There would be a lot of goodbyes today.
Last night, after she left the hospital, she spoke to Nick and two federal marshals who would escort her to her new life. The rules were explained. Her cage was primed. She only had to step into it.
Mercedes Elliott would be scrubbed away. Music, in general, would be kept to a minimum. The violin was not to be used at all. Too identifiable.
She placed the instrument against Alec’s pillow. If she couldn’t be herself wherever she was going, she might as well leave that piece of her here. Alec would take good care of it.
Once she’d made the decision, everything moved quickly. She was grateful for Declan’s quiet presence as she processed how much was changing overnight. Again.
When they arrived at the hospital corridor, Declan stopped and turned to her. “I arranged for the family to be away, so you’ll have him all to yourself. Nick and the marshals will be here soon to take you to the airport.”
It wasn’t enough time. The anticipation of it was nearly as hard as the thought of getting on that plane.
She gave Declan a hug. “Thank you for everything you’ve done,” Mercedes whispered into his shoulder. “You’ll take good care of him?”
“Always, lass.”
Alec was reading when she came into the room. “Ah, there you are.” He grinned at her from over his book. “I thought you’d decided not to come back to say goodbye. Glad I was wrong.”
Mercedes bit her lip, tears tingling in her eyes. They had this one final moment before their worlds shifted apart again.
Alec’s smile faded, and he reached his hand out to her. Gently, she snuggled next to him, his arms wrapped tight around her. “If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?” Alec said.
“Are you coming with me?”
“Of course.”
“Mmm…I don’t know. There’s this lovely little river house in Scotland I know about.” Mercedes tilted her head up to look at him. A smile played on his lips as he considered this choice.
“I’m pretty partial to that particular place as well.” His eyes lost in a thought.
“What about you? Where would you want to take me if you could pick anywhere in the world?”
Alec’s smile became wistful. “I’d want to go to see where you grew up.”
“San Francisco?”
“Aye, I missed out on that trip. I’ve always wanted to be there with you. To see where wee Sadie Elliott played violin in the park. Visit all your favorite places. It would be like a little look into you.”
“That sounds amazing.”
When he spoke again, his voice no longer held the mirth it had before. “I didn’t think this would be so hard.”
Mercedes sat up on her elbow facing him, her fingers laced in his. “We should probably talk.”
Alec’s eyes shifted to wariness. “About what?”
Mercedes took in a breath and hoped it was enough to give her the courage she’d need for what came next.
“A case like this can drag on for at least a year, if not two. I won’t be able to call or even write a letter. You and I wouldn’t have a real relationship.” She took a shuddering breath. “I think we should end this now.”
“Is that what you want?” Alec’s voice had grown husky.
“God, no.” A tear left a trail on her cheek.
His brow furrowed. “Then why?”
“Because what I want doesn’t matter. If someone else came into your life. Someone you wanted to be with…” Her throat tightened. “It’d be selfish of me to ask you to wait.”
Alec’s gaze fell to their hands. “Alright,” he agreed.
The finality of it cracked Mercedes’s heart into a thousand pieces.
“Okay.” She shifted, ready to let him go, but Alec tightened his hold, keeping her close.
“Then I’ll be the selfish one,” he said, his voice thick with emotion. “Stay in love with me. Tell me you’ll be mine through it all. And when it’s over, come home.” The anguish in his cobalt eyes was more than she could bear.
Tears blurred her vision. “Alec…”
“I won’t want anyone else.” His lips brushed hers. “I love you, Sadie.”
“I love you.” She held back a sob. “So much.”
“Then I’ll wait forever, aye?”
At her nod, Alec exhaled sharply, and he kissed her, slowly at first. Heat ignited through her body. He groaned and deepened it, stroking her tongue with gentle lashes.
He pulled away, his breathing rough. “I have to stop. Otherwise, I’m afraid we’ll scandalize the nurses.”
Mercedes laughed and curled up against his chest, careful not to jostle him.
A soft knock at the door dropped out her heart. Alec�
�s arm tightened around her. Nick Kessler opened the door and peeked his head in.
“I’m sorry, guys, but we need to be going.” Mercedes felt Alec nod, and the door clicked closed. She was slow to move away, wanting each touch to last.
Alec’s blue eyes were glossy with tears. “You’ve been through so much, but you are stronger than you know. We’re going to get through this.”
Mercedes kissed him one last time, memorizing the feel of him. Then she sat up and slipped off the bed. She looked back at him, still paler than she’d like to see him, but beautiful. Strong. Alive.
“I love you.”
Alec’s smile broke. “I love you too.”
Mercedes turned and walked out the door, leaving a piece of her behind. The click of the latch rang out, snipping the final thread to her old life.
Mercedes and Alec will return in “The Lies That Shatter”
Autumn 2021
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The Lies That Shatter On Amazon
Acknowledgments
What a crazy ride this has been!
Back in the summer of 2019, I finally broke down and started writing one of the stories in my head. For some reason, Alec and Sadie would not stop nagging me!
One on-going pandemic later (suck it 2020) and I’m finally taking the huge step of putting my book baby into the world. Eeek!
There are so many people to thank for helping me along the way. It’s hard to know where to start.
I think I’ll start with my amazing Alpha readers. Without you, I never would have braved letting anyone read my work. Like, ever. Your encouragement meant everything to me and I can’t thank you enough for wading through all the rookie mistakes and plot holes.
My angel Alphas are; Greer, Garnet, Renee, and Hope. I love you ladies so much!
Then there are my lovely Beta readers. I can’t thank you enough for volunteering your time to read a new author’s work and provide feedback on it. I am so grateful for your amazing words. Some of you legitimately made me cry.
I want to send a special shout out to my British beta readers, without whom, Alec would have talked about jello and had a garbage disposal.
My beautiful Betas were; Emily, Jessica, Dixie, Mary, Maxine, Ashlyn, Charlotte, Crystal, Natalie, Chantice, Sara H., Colette, Nerys, and Sarah R. I can never thank you all enough!
Thank you to my editors, Stefanie and April at Salt and Sage. I appreciate your attention to detail. Especially since I am so bad at using commas properly.
Thank you to Robynne and Damon at Damonza for the beautiful cover. It’s a perfect blend of romance and suspense. I love it!
To my kiddos- Thank you for not laughing too hard when you’d find me snoozing at my desk in the middle of the night and for just being amazing all the time. This year has been really hard and I love you all for your strength.
To my husband Dominic for encouraging me to pursue this crazy path. I honestly don’t know what I would do without you. I love you.
And to the readers- Thank you for taking the time to read this labor of love. I truly hope you enjoyed it. I can’t wait to share more of Mercedes and Alec’s story with you all soon!
About the Author
American writer AV Asher (Avie) was one of those kids always who got in trouble for reading in class. She has been creating stories since childhood, but only recently began writing them down. The Truth Keeps Silent is Avie’s debut novel. The second book in the duet, The Lies That Shatter, is expected to be released in the Autumn of 2021. Avie lives in Northern Nevada with her husband and three children.
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