Gideon looked impressed. ‘Nice job. I think that’s exactly where he learned his skills. He knew enough to aim for the exposed area of the neck, because Molina and the SWAT team were wearing tactical armor. Same with Schumacher. And Amos.’
And me. He was aiming for me.
Nope. Not thinking about that. Shove it into the box. ‘It doesn’t explain how he knew we’d be there, though.’
Rafe stirred in the recliner. ‘He had to have been tracking Ephraim,’ he said with a yawn. ‘He made sure he killed Ephraim before he started on the rest of us. Well, after he stopped Molina and the SWAT team.’
Mercy shuddered at the thought of Amos lying on the ground, bleeding. So much blood. ‘Thank goodness for Daisy. If she hadn’t shot him, he might have killed all of us.’
‘She’s upset that she didn’t kill him,’ Gideon said wearily. ‘She’s afraid he’ll be back and she’s right. But he’s gone for today. We’ll have to regroup and manage security, though. But I’m going to let the Bureau handle it for now. I’m too tired.’ He rubbed his temples. ‘But you’re right, Rafe. DJ was tracking Ephraim. The Escalade that Ephraim was using had a tracker stuck to the undercarriage.’
‘How did DJ get a tracker on Ephraim’s vehicle?’ Mercy asked. ‘And how did he get an Escalade?’
Gideon sighed. ‘The Escalade belonged to Belinda Franklin’s doctor. Police found him dead in his home. Broken neck, same as Ephraim’s other victims. Ephraim’s prints were on a coffee cup in the doctor’s house, so he was definitely there, but we don’t yet know how DJ connects.’
Mercy couldn’t think about how close they’d come to losing Farrah, André, and Damien, so she shoved that fear into the box, too. Hammered the lid. Focus on facts, not fear. ‘But that means DJ knew Ephraim would be visiting the doctor at his home.’
‘We recovered the doctor’s cell phone,’ Gideon said. ‘It’ll take a little time to unlock it, but we’ve got software to do the job. We’ll figure out who called him and when.’
‘What about the safe-deposit box?’ Mercy asked. ‘The key I got from Ephraim’s mother.’
Gideon’s grin was feral. ‘We got the warrant and will be opening the box first thing in the morning. I’ll let you know as soon as one of them tells me what’s in it.’ His grin became a scowl. ‘I’m officially not permitted to even be in the room when they search the contents of the safe-deposit box. I’m too close to the case. Had to recuse myself. Again.’
‘So what will you do?’ Rafe asked. ‘Go back to work and try to find someone to leak you info?’
‘Yes,’ Gideon said simply, then smiled when Rafe snorted. ‘Seriously, someone will give me the basics on what they find. In the meantime, I’m going back to my normal job, translating chatter, but I’ll keep my ears open for mentions of psilocybin sales.’
Mercy leaned forward in her chair to lightly clasp Amos’s hand. ‘Thanks for that tip, Amos. We owe you one for that.’
‘Yeah, thank you,’ Gideon said gruffly. ‘And I’m sorry that I thought you killed Ephraim.’ He sighed heavily. ‘And thank you for saving Mercy. For that I owe you everything.’
Mercy rested her head on Gideon’s upper arm. ‘I owe everybody,’ she said lightly, ‘because all of you have saved me at least once.’
Rafe met her eyes across Amos’s bed and gave her a slow wink. ‘Worth it.’
Gideon hesitated, then hugged Mercy to his side, hard enough to make her wince. ‘Worth it,’ he whispered. ‘I’m so damn glad you’re here.’ He cleared his throat. ‘You too, Amos. I’m glad you left Eden. I’m glad you got Abigail out. I’m glad you’re with us. So . . . don’t go anywhere, okay? And, just so you know, we will make sure Abigail is safe and cared for until you get out of here.’
Mercy leaned up to kiss Gideon’s cheek. ‘That was sweet.’
Gideon tightened his hold on Mercy until she let out a little yelp, then abruptly let her go, looking a little embarrassed. ‘I’m sorry. You two should get some sleep. Like in a real bed, not in hospital chairs. I’m headed out now. You should, too. Rafe’s place is less than ten minutes from here. If Amos wakes up, they’ll call you.’
Mercy stroked Amos’s hand lightly. ‘I don’t want him to wake up alone.’
‘But if you get sick because you’re not sleeping, the ICU won’t let you in at all,’ Rafe commented.
Gideon gave him a less than discreet thumbs-up. ‘Good point. Mercy?’
Mercy rose reluctantly. Rafe really did need to sleep in a real bed. ‘All right. But if the nurses call, you have to agree to bring me back, even if you were sleeping. Unless you’re okay with me taking an Uber.’ Because the only car they actually had left at this point was Sasha’s Mini. All of their other vehicles had been taken into evidence or destroyed by Ephraim. They’d get Rafe’s Subaru and Gideon’s Suburban back in a few days, but for now they were dependent on others. Considering the DJ threat, it would probably be the FBI they depended on for a little while longer at least. The Uber was really a joke.
By the way both Gideon and Rafe glared at her, they didn’t think the joke was very funny.
‘No Uber,’ Rafe said, grabbing the aluminum cane he was using once again, his second wooden cane having been taken as evidence. ‘But I will wake up to come with you, however we get here.’
Mercy leaned over the bed rail and pressed a kiss to Amos’s forehead. ‘Wake up soon, Papa,’ she said softly. ‘Abigail needs you. So do I.’
Gideon brushed a hand over Mercy’s hair. ‘Daisy’s with Molina. I’ll get her, then we can go.’
Sacramento, California
Thursday, 20 April, 1.40 A.M.
Mercy hung her coat in Rafe’s closet wearily. Molina’s temporary replacement had arranged protection for them, but it had taken the agent a while to arrive. Now he sat outside on the curb, keeping watch. Because of fucking DJ.
Mercy still couldn’t think of DJ Belmont or she might shatter into a million little pieces. Instead she focused on the small things that she could control. ‘I want to eat your mother’s food. And then I want a long hot shower with soap that doesn’t smell like a hospital, and then I want to sleep for two or three days.’
Rafe dropped onto the sofa, pale with exhaustion. ‘I like that plan. I’ll microwave the leftovers.’
‘No, you stay put. I’ll stick a casserole in the oven and then I need to wash my hair again.’
His grimace said that he understood. Rafe’s sister Meg had been their savior, stopping by Rafe’s to get them clean clothes while they’d waited in the hospital. The hospital had allowed them to shower because they’d all been wearing some of Ephraim’s brain matter. Mercy was overjoyed that Ephraim was dead, she just wished that it had been less . . . nauseating.