There’s someone else sitting on the couch, and my eyes go to him last.
In the light from the TV that’s playing a football game, I realize I recognize the face.
“Dad!”
Suddenly, it’s like none of the others are even there. Dad gets to his feet, eyes wide as he looks at me, and I fly across the room to hug him. He sweeps me up into his arms, practically crushing me against his chest in a hug that should be too tight, but I don’t care.
He’s here. He’s here and he’s alive.
In reality, it’s only been several weeks since the last time I saw him, but it feels like much longer. It’s the longest we’ve gone without even talking on the phone, and I don’t care if that makes me seem like some kind of daddy’s girl. He’s all I have, and I’ve missed him so much.
Even here in this safe house, he smells the same. He’s just as solid and warm as he always has been, and the only thing that gets me to let go of him and pull back is the desire to see his face.
My eyes are wet, and I’ve probably cried more in the last twenty-four hours than I have in months, but that’s okay. I think this is worth it.
“You’re alive,” I murmur out loud, looking at his face. It’s so familiar, even if he does look like he’s tired. I have no idea what he’s been through while I’ve been working on the guys and failing in my plans.
“Of course I am,” he murmurs back. “I’m sorry if I scared you with that phone call. I was just worried, and I wanted you to know…”
He trails off, but I’m already shaking my head. That phone call, where he called and seemed like he was in trouble, seems like such a long time ago. Even though it was what sparked me to ask the guys to help him, it seems so far away now.
“No,” I say. “I mean… I saw you and Sloan.”
There’s a second where he looks confused, glancing over to Sloan who is leaning in the doorway with his arms folded.
“You saw…” And then it seems to dawn on him, and something like agony flashes across his face. “Oh, Jesus fuck,” he says. “Goddammit, Mercy, I never wanted you to see that. I never…”
He loses the thread of what he was going to say as his voice chokes off, and now he has tears in his eyes too.
Dad pulls me against him again, holding me even tighter for a second. He strokes a hand down the back of my head, the way he used to when I was a kid and would have nightmares, and it’s just as soothing now as it was back then.
“I never wanted to worry you,” he says softly, and it’s like none of the others in the room even matter. This is a moment just between us.
I pull back again, and there’s guilt all over his face. “It’s okay,” I tell him.
He shakes his head. “No, I scared you. You thought… Fuck. You thought I was dead. And I couldn’t get a message to you or tell you anything because I was supposed to be dead. I’m so sorry, Mercy.”
All the pain and grief and heartache I felt all that time seems to be melting away, just having him here. He’s the same as always, so focused on making sure I’m okay, and I want to tell the rest of the guys in the room to fuck off and let us have this moment together. I want to rest my head on his shoulder and tell him everything that’s happened since I thought I saw Sloan kill him. All the things I fucked up, all my conflicted feelings for the men who dragged us into this mess in the first place.
“It’s all gonna be okay now, all right?” he continues. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
And I believe him. How could I not? Whenever he’s told me that in the past, it’s always been true, and I know he won’t rest until he can make it true. That’s just how he is. How he’s always been.
So I nod, giving him a shaky smile. I’m just so fucking grateful that he’s alive. I believed Sloan when he told me that he hadn’t actually killed my dad. Well, I believed him eventually. But having him here and being able to see him and hold him and talk to him goes a long way toward healing the hole that’s been ragged and bleeding inside me for so long now.
I glance over at Sloan, still in his spot in the doorway. His face is just as impassive as ever, but it’s clear he’s watching our exchange.
Internally, I find myself softening toward him. Whatever tension there still is between us, it doesn’t matter right now. The only thing that matters right now is that he took care of my dad, and I’m so fucking grateful. He went out of his way to make sure that my dad lived, even when he was at risk of being killed by the Jackals.
I don’t know if he did it for me, or because my dad is valuable to the Black Roses or because he wanted to take something away from the Jackals, but either way the result is that my dad is here and alive and well. And that’s all down to Sloan.
“Thank you,” I say, meeting his eyes. I can hear the rough emotion in my voice, the relief, and I know Sloan can too.
He just nods and then licks his lips, considering his next words before he speaks. “For a while, only Gavin and I knew Oscar was alive,” he says. “But now more of the Black Roses are in on it. We still have to keep it a secret from the Jackals, though. Even bringing you here might’ve compromised the safe house.”
I can understand it still needing to be secret from the Jackals. If they found out Sloan and Gavin did this, shit would probably not go over well. But if it’s that dangerous, then why did Sloan even bring me here in the first place? I already knew my dad was alive, so it’s not like he had to prove anything to me.
As soon as the question occurs to me, the answer is right on its heels. It wasn’t to prove anything. Sloan brought me here so I could say goodbye.
Now that I know, now that other Black Roses members know, it’s too dangerous for Dad to stay here. The Jackals have eyes and ears everywhere, probably, and with what just happened with Alex, they’re all on high alert. So Sloan is clearly planning on getting my father even farther away from their reach. Likely outside of the city, if I had to guess.
“You’re taking him away,” I murmur, voicing my thoughts out loud.
Sloan glances away, and I can tell that means I’m right.
I can feel my father looking between the two of us, and I wonder how much he can piece together just by seeing us interact.
“No,” Dad says firmly. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“It’s too dangerous to stay here,” Sloan says. “If they find out—”
“I don’t care,” Dad cuts in. “I haven’t seen my daughter in weeks. I never meant for her to get caught up in all of this, and now there’s no telling how deep in it she actually is.”
Sloan glances at me, and it’s my turn to look away. I really don’t think it’s a good idea to tell Dad that I was made a full-fledged member of the Black Roses just a couple of hours ago. Especially not now when he’s all fired up.
“I have to protect her,” he continues. “From the Jackals, and from whatever else might want to hurt her. I don’t care if I’m in danger. I’m not leaving Mercy.”
Sloan looks tired, and instead of arguing back with Dad, he just nods to someone behind him.
Two of the Black Roses who were posted up against the wall move in and grab Dad’s arms, pulling him away from me.