It’s the older man who seems to be calling the shots here, his arms folded and eyes neutral as he looks down at Dad impassively.
“What the fuck was that, DeLeon? We had an agreement.” He shakes his head, his eyes narrowing just slightly. “You had one job tonight. You promised us that you would throw the fight, and you managed to fuck that up. You broke your word to us, and I’m sure you know how that usually goes.”
A couple of the men at the back finger their weapons threateningly, and I can barely hear the low words from the boss man over the frantic beat of my heart in my chest.
The man smiles, and it’s not a kind one. “I think I know why you did it, although that doesn’t make me any more inclined to forgive you. But in light of everything, we’ve decided to let you live if you do something for us.”
There’s a beat of silence, and my gaze darts around the room, trying to get a read on what’s going on here. Do something for them? What do they want him to do?
Dad stares up at the man for a long moment, and even though I can usually read my father like a book, I can’t guess what he’s thinking right now. I don’t understand any of this, but I can practically taste the danger in the air.
It’s a miracle the Black Roses haven’t killed him yet, but this could still easily turn on a dime. He could die. I could die.
As if my thoughts somehow draw his attention, my dad’s gaze shifts to me. The muscles in his cheeks ripple as he clenches his jaw, his lips pressing together. Then he sighs and turns back to the boss man, nodding his head. “Fine. Tell me what you want.”
“I will,” the man says. “And once you do what we ask, if you do what we ask, we’ll consider your debt cleared. But we’re keeping your daughter—Mercy, is it?—until you manage to fulfill your promise.”
Dad’s eyes go wide, fury burning in their depths. He opens his mouth, probably to argue, but the man just shakes his head and holds up a hand. For the first time since I entered the room, I see true anger on the man’s face.
“Save it, DeLeon,” he orders. “We know you’re untrustworthy now, so we need a guarantee that you’re not going to fuck things up the way you did tonight. Apparently, you need a little extra incentive not to double-cross us. So we’ll make that part easy for you.” His gaze flicks to me, his voice hard. “We’ll keep her as collateral.”
3
“No.” Dad’s voice is firm, his nostrils flaring. “No! She’s not—”
Before he can continue, I step forward as much as I can with Rory still holding me back, my jaw set. “Yes. Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll go with you.”
“Mercy, no!” Dad’s words are more urgent now, and he looks like he might try to get up and fight, no matter how stupid and reckless that would be. “This was my mistake. I fucked up. You shouldn’t have to—”
“Dad, it’s okay.” I cut him off again, desperate to get him to stop talking and calm down before he ends up with a bullet between his eyes. I don’t want to go with these men, but if it keeps my dad alive and gives him a chance to get out of this mess, I’ll gladly do it.
Besides, the guy said “collateral.” That makes it sound like they’re planning on keeping me alive, at least. I’m no good as a bargaining chip against my dad if I’m dead.
“I’d listen to your daughter, DeLeon. She sounds a lot smarter than you. She might just save your life.”
The older man smiles as he speaks, and Dad shoots me a look that just about breaks my fucking heart. Anger and regret churn in his green eyes, one of which is badly bloodshot, the skin around it swelling into a puffy mass. His head droops slightly, making me wonder again about his injuries. He had a tough fight and then got fucking jumped by almost a half-dozen guys, and I hope like hell that he’s okay.
He looks tired and defeated, like he knows there’s no way out of this for either of us. I want to ask him what this is all about, but I know there won’t be time.
“Fine,” he says again. “But let me have a minute with her. Please.”
I’m expecting them all to disagree, but instead, Rory lets me go at a nod from the one in charge, and they all draw away a bit, not letting us out of their sight but giving us some semblance of privacy. That’s more than I would have expected from assholes like this.
I can tell Dad’s hurt from the way he limps over, and the bruises on his face are probably only the tip of the fucking iceberg. But he puts his hands on my shoulders and looks into my eyes.
“Fuck, Mercy. I’m so sorry. I never meant for you to get dragged into this,” he murmurs. “Be careful. Please. I know you’re smart and quick, but—”
“It’s okay. I’ll be fine,” I promise him, leaning in to give him a hug that hopefully doesn’t hurt him too badly. “Just worry about you. Do whatever they want you to and get them off your back, okay?”
The Black Roses aren’t known for being lenient, and second chances are almost unheard of. It’s a miracle Dad got one, and there definitely won’t be a third.
“I love you.” His voice is strained as he hugs me tightly, and it feels so much like saying goodbye that my stomach twists.
“All right, let’s go. We need to move,” Levi says, coming back over and interrupting the moment. Once again, he’s flanked by his two buddies, and Rory winks at me when I glare at all of them. For someone so big and covered in tattoos, he acts like a giant puppy, and it’s fucking grating.
They don’t grab me, at least, I guess trusting that now that Dad is cooperating, I’ll have to do the same. And they’re right. If I run, there’s no guarantee they won’t just kill him anyway, so I let them lead me back outside to the car.
I keep my head up and my back straight, not letting any of it show on my face, but I’m fucking pissed and scared.
Fairview Heights is ruled by two gangs, the Black Roses and the Jackals, and they both have reputations for being brutal as hell. Probably well-earned. I know there’s a pretty damn good chance my dad won’t survive this, and thinking about that makes me want to punch out all three of these assholes, run back in there, and try to drag my dad to safety.
But we’d both end up getting shot if I did that. Bringing down the wrath of the rest of their gang would be a stupid idea, so I just clench my jaw and keep walking. What else can I do at this point? I agreed to go with these guys to keep my dad safe, and no matter how much I hate it—and I really fucking hate it—I have to go through with it.
“You know,” Rory drawls as we get to the car and he opens the door for me, this time letting me slide in on my own. “She’s pretty impressive. Not just anyone could dive into a fight like that and come out of it in one piece. She didn’t even hesitate. Pretty fucking badass, if you ask me.”
I glare at him harder, irrationally annoyed by the compliment and by the fact that he’s talking about me as if I can’t even hear him.
Levi snorts under his breath as he reads my expression. “Maybe you should be careful before she takes out all her badassness on you. You wanna drive, Sloan?”
The third one shrugs but goes around to the driver’s side, leaving Levi to take shotgun.