James locked eyes with her. “No, Shane. You’re right. We need insight with the Henchmen, and we don’t have enough time to dig into everything on our own. Call the man, set up a meeting.”
Abbie stirred through the baby monitor, and Mercy took it as her cue. She rushed to get herself decent and scooped up the now wailing infant as James wrapped up the call.
A quick sniff told her it wasn’t a case of Abbie needing a diaper change so Mercy headed to the kitchen with her. Abbie had no intention of calming down and was wriggling like a pink worm. “Easy, Abbie, I’m gonna find your formula and heat it in a second.”
Ian rolled into the kitchen, a ridiculous and amused grin on his face. “Hey, kid! Busy morning, I see.”
“I can’t hear you over the screaming banshee here.”
Ian grabbed one of the bags and put it on the table, checking inside. He pulled out a bottle of formula. He didn’t say a word, and like a pro, proceeded to warm up the bottle, as Mercy tried her best to appease Abbie.
It seemed like an eternity, but when Ian finally handed her the formula, Abbie latched on, looking up at her with big blue eyes still full of tears.
James arrived, having donned gym shorts and a t-shirt, his cell phone in his hand. “Whoa, thanks for taking care of Abbie. Shane wanted to give me a heads up about security.”
Mercy went to the living room and gently lowered herself on the rocking chair in the corner. “I think she shattered my eardrums. If you need to invest in her education, I’d put my money on an opera singer for her future career.”
With a snort, James turned to go back to the kitchen, but Ian told him to stay put. “I’ll go make coffee and breakfast. Relax, take it easy. Those moments don’t last.”
James sat on the sofa in front of her, leaning back with a sigh. “You’re a natural, Ms. Broussard.”
“I don’t think so. I just got her a bottle. If she starts crying again, you’re up.”
Her attention was on Abbie, but she could feel James’s eyes on her.
Ian came back with a tray on his lap, carrying three cups. “I know how this one takes her coffee, but I didn’t know about you, young man.”
“Thanks, Ian. It’s fine, as long as it has caffeine in it, I’ll take it any way I can get it.”
Ian put her cup beside her, but her hands were full, and she didn’t mind delaying her morning fix for this little one.
“I know what you mean. I had both my kids one after the other, and I was working shifts. Marnie had her hands full, and sleeping was so far down our to-do list, I have almost no memory of that part of my life.”
Mercy snickered. “Not that you had a brain to start with.”
“Ha, ha, Miss Smart-ass. Be careful what you say, I might be tempted to reveal humiliating and hilarious secrets of my own.”
James wagged his eyebrows. “I’m so interested. I think that I might take you up on that offer, Ian. And for a beer when everything is over. I don’t think we’ll have much time before the meeting with the FBI is set.”
Mercy was grateful as James brought Ian up to date. Her former partner was a smart man, and his experience was invaluable.
“I never liked the FBI. I know there are good agents there, but they often have ulterior motives. Mercy and I had more than a few problems with them in New Orleans.”
James took another sip. “I know. I need to find my sister though, and if I can get anything from the FBI, even if I have to sell my soul, I’ll do it for her.”
Mercy wished she could do more to alleviate his worry and fear for his family. “I’m sure the meeting will give you answers. I’ll take care of Abbie with Ian. She’s safe and you can focus on finding Bethany.”
James relaxed a little. “That’s what Shane wanted to talk to me about. He’s sending more reinforcements. If Ian is okay with it, you’ll come with me to the meeting. Abbie will be safe with him and the team.”
Leaving Abbie behind made Mercy uncomfortable. Not that she didn’t trust Ian with the baby, he was the most resourceful man she knew, but something kept gnawing at her gut. “I think it would be better if I stayed to take care of Abbie.”
James frowned, but Ian interrupted. “I understand, Mercy, but this isn’t a normal situation. Time is of the essence. Of all the people I know, you have an infallible instinct for bullshit. And with the FBI, you need a sharp one. If this is the one chance to bring back the mother of this little angel, I think you need to do everything you can.”
Mercy didn’t like it, but she turned to James, as it was his call.
For the longest moment, he didn’t say a word, looking at her as if she could provide an answer, but this was a call only he could make.
He was clearly conflicted as he rose and went to the window. So much was on his shoulders, she desperately wanted to alleviate his worry. All she could do was offer her help and her loyalty.
“I need you by my side for this, Mercy. I know you trust the team as I do, and if you trust Ian, he has my trust too. I know that if we all work together, we can see this through.”
Mercy nodded, tightening her hold on Abbie a little. James might not know it, but Abbie had her loyalty too, and she was pretty much ready to do anything for her, and her handsome uncle.
Chapter Thirteen
James sighed in relief when Mercy agreed to go with him to the meet. He wasn’t needy, but he trusted her judgment, and he also trusted the team to look after Abbie. Mercy was taking a nap while Abbie slept, the sudden plunge into parenthood hitting them both like a ton of bricks.
It was the most intense thing he’d ever encountered, a learning curve like no other, and they were doing it while on the run and trying to investigate his sister’s disappearance. James looked out onto the gorgeous vista at the back of Ian’s home. It was elevated, a valley of color below that was breathtaking and yet calming.
“It takes your breath away, don’t it?”
James turned from where he stood, his hands in the pockets of his jeans to look at Ian before turning his eyes back to the view. “Sure does.”
“That’s the charm of this place. It has calm beauty with a steel core running through it.”
James got the feeling they weren’t really talking about the view. Part of him bristled that a man who hardly knew him was warning him about Mercy, but the other half was glad she had someone looking out for her. Mercy was closed off about her family, and he knew they weren’t close.
James glanced at Ian “Even steel can bend under enough pressure. It’s up to us to protect all the beauty around us.”
Ian regarded him with a clear, purposeful look before he gave a slight nod and smiled. “Knew I liked you, lad.”
“Mercy likes you, and that’s good enough for me.” He realized it was true; James trusted her judgment.
At that second the woman they’d not so subtly been discussing walked out onto the deck looking bleary-eyed. Seemingly without thought, she walked to him and slid her arms around his waist as he lifted his own to wrap it around her. Her head rested on his chest as her body relaxed into his. This was her way of showing him she was all in and not about to run. Being open in front of Ian when she was usually so private was a statement, and one he appreciated more than he had known.