Imari slipped into the seat, her fingers flying over the keys as he spoke.
“When are you leaving?” Alex asked as he took a seat beside Imari, bracing his hands on his legs.
“As soon as we have what we need.”
The door swung open, and Emme walked into the room. “Cleo just called. She said to email her the list of what you need, and she’ll have it here before you leave in the morning.”
Mercy grinned. “That woman is a saint.”
Abbie wriggled beneath his hand, and he lifted her to cradle her in his arms. Worrying about her being cold, he reached for the blanket in the bag Beth had left and pulled it out. As he did, a note dropped out.
“What the hell?”
He reached for it, but Mercy beat him to it, picking it up and passing it to him as she came to sit beside him.
With quick fingers, he unfolded it and began to read.
James,
I know this is a shock, but Abbie isn’t safe with me. I heard something I shouldn’t have, and now my only option is to run. I give you full power of attorney over Abbie. Her father is a dangerous man called Scorpion. I made a mistake getting caught up with the Henchmen, but now I plan to put it right. Keep my baby safe and tell her I love her always.
Love,
Beth
xx
James felt his stomach churn with fear for his sister. Mercy took the letter and read it aloud for the others. He tried to process the words and struggled. He could practically taste the terror and pain in his sister’s note.
“So, Scorpion is where we start.” Imari glanced at Alex, who pulled himself to the keyboard and began to type.
The two seemed to have some hidden rhythm that worked between them. Only a few weeks together and they already worked flawlessly as a team.
“Why don’t you get some sleep? I can watch Abbie,” Mercy offered.
James shook his head. “I won’t sleep anyway. I’d rather stay here and find out what I can before we leave.”
Mercy smiled at him, and his heart constricted. He wished she could see how much he cared for her, but maybe a few days alone would give him the time he needed to turn this around. However, his priority was Beth and Abbie right now. Finding Beth and keeping his niece safe was imperative. First though, he needed to warn his family.
“I need to call Mel and my parents.”
“Do you think Beth will go there?”
“Doubtful, but Scorpion might if he’s looking for my sister. I don’t want them in danger or blindsided by the fact they have a granddaughter.”
“I’ll have Cain and Caitlin fly up and keep an eye on your parents,” Shane said from the doorway.
James felt relief fill him and dipped his head. “Thank you.”
“No problem. I told you, we’re family.”
James had never been more grateful than he was right now for Alliance.
Chapter Four
Not a sound came from the bedroom where James was trying to lull Abbie to sleep and Mercy thought it was a good sign as she emptied the food Cleo had packed for them into the fridge. Cleo, true to her word, had by some miracle got everything they needed delivered within two hours and then they had hit the road. They had food enough to avoid going into town for several days. Since they’d left the Agency in the early hours of the morning to head for the safe house, the three-hour drive had been anything but peaceful, and as James had his hands full, Mercy had made sure the area was secure as they settled for the night.
Abbie had slept at first, but at the planned stop to feed her, it took some time for her to latch on to the bottle and when she did, she was so hungry, she guzzled it and ended up spitting the entire bottle over James’s chest when he burped her. Mercy tried her best to help him, cleaning everything up and resuming Abbie’s feed while he changed in the truck stop parking lot.
Back on the road, Abbie calmed down for a while before she started wailing once more. They stopped again, and despite changing her diaper and offering her the bottle, nothing seemed to calm her down. They’d agreed to get to the destination as quickly as possible, Mercy behind the wheel and James in the backseat, trying to soothe the infant.
The cottage was just north of Sebring, near Avon Park. As James went inside with Abbie, Mercy had taken care of emptying the car and settling in, making sure everything was ready and at hand for the baby.
It was dark now, but the cottage was secluded enough that they wouldn’t draw attention. The house was small, but warm and comfy, as any vacation home should be. There was a lake nearby, and through the windows, the moon was reflecting on it like a mirror.
Her stomach growled, and she’d gathered the ingredients to put sandwiches together when James reappeared. The man was clearly tired with worry lines etched even deeper on his handsome face. How she wanted to take him in her arms and tell him that everything would be okay. His crooked smile brought her back to the present.
“I’ve connected the baby monitor. Do you mind listening out for her while I take a quick shower? I don’t know if she’s crying because she’s hungry, or because I stink.”
“Sure. I was about to make sandwiches. Is that okay?”
He nodded, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah. If I can get the smell of sour milk and poop out of my nose, I’ll probably be starving. Be right back.”
It was his smell that lingered, and it’s wasn’t the stink, but instead, it was the smell of his warm skin she inhaled when they were training or working together—her only indulgence and one that annoyed her now. Berating herself, she returned to the task at hand. She wasn’t here on vacation or to fantasize about her work colleague, but to protect him and Abbie. In a friendly, G-rated manner.
The only solution was to keep busy and not let her imagination run wild wondering how James looked naked in the shower, how the water slid over his skin, over every dip and crevice as his muscles rippled as he soaped himself.
“Damn it!” She kept her curse low enough not to be heard beyond the kitchen and finished preparing their late meal.
Once everything was on the table, Mercy could still hear the water running, so she went into the living room, watching the area through a crack in the drawn curtains. Everything looked calm and peaceful. There were still lights twinkling nearby from the neighbors. They weren’t as isolated as she would have liked, but sometimes, it was preferable to hide in plain sight.
As she moved to the other window, comforted that they were as safe as could be, a too-familiar burning sensation started in her side, just above her hip, right where a knife sliced her during a mission. An unlucky blow as she was carrying an abducted child to safety and she couldn’t deflect. Not that she regretted it, on the contrary, she was ready to protect the weak at any price. Only this time, the repercussions took a little longer to disappear. The annoying sensation happened every time she stood for too long. The doctor said it was due to sectioned nerves, and there was nothing else to do but wait. The doctor seemed more concerned about the scar, but Mercy didn’t care. It only added to her collection. It wasn’t the first and it wouldn’t be the last.
Absentmindedly, she rubbed her side above her hip, willing the discomfort to go away.
“Is that where you were wounded?”
So focused on the outside, she almost yelped at James’s deep voice so close behind her. “Damn it! Why are you sneaking up on me!”