Mercy's Angels Box Set (25 page)

              When I woke it felt as though my head might actually split in two and my stomach protested severely at the slightest movement. Once again Rebecca had cast my body into a nightmare of a hangover. I silently cursed my boss as I hung my head over the side of the bed trying to find some release from my pounding frontal lobe. Jax chuckled as he climbed the stairs to the bedroom.

              “Good afternoon,” he said.

              “Must you be so loud,” I groaned. His laughter felt like a hammer on my skull. I looked up and took him in. Damn he was sexy. Faded blue jeans, white shirt, his blonde hair had that messy look that only fingers can create. He crouched down before me with a glass of water and two pills. I graciously took them and allowed my head to hang back over the bed. Jax carefully rubbed my neck.

              “Afternoon?” I mumbled

              “It is. You slept all day. I had to check your pulse twice just to make sure you were alive. Can I get you anything else?” He whispered and it still made my head pound. I groaned loudly.

              “Can you kill Rebecca for me? This is the second time I have woken feeling like this because of her.” Jax tilted his head in thought.

              “When was the last time?”

              “The night after the tree lighting ceremony,” I grumbled. Jax forced me to roll onto my back as he sat down beside me. His eyes carried the weight of regret as he gazed down at me.

              “I’m sor….” I quickly placed my hand over his mouth.             

              “That’s done Jax. We’re here now, that’s all that matters.” Jax’s hand roamed unhurriedly over my naked body.

              “Couldn’t even get me into pajamas huh?” I joked. He smiled, his dimples lighting his face with the boyish charm I adored.

              “I have a new rule. No clothes allowed in this bed.” I eyed his state of dress and he laughed.

              “I have to go to the shelter for a bit. Mercy wants me to pick up some supplies and drop them off. Dillon is in the study, he wants me to bring back some groceries, he’s craving pancakes.”

              “Mmmmm, pancakes.” It seemed to be the only thing my stomach was willing to tolerate. Jax kissed me but before he could draw away I pulled him closer and took the kiss deeper. He groaned loudly when we finally parted.

              “Fuck angel, I’m going to be walking around Claymont with a hard-on now.” He laughed.

              “I’m sure the chill outside will help with that.” He gave me another chaste kiss before leaving me to my suffering. I somehow slipped back into sleep, like my body was demanding nothing today except complete oblivion.

              When I woke some time later, the house was dark. I pulled myself from the bed and in the darkness found my drawstring pajama bottoms and a sweater. I pulled some fluffy socks on my cold feet and lifted my hair into a messy pony tail before tiptoeing downstairs. I wondered what time it was, had Dillon gone down for a nap? Jax was obviously not back from Mercy’s yet. At the kitchen I flicked the switch for the light and nothing happened. I looked about the room noticing the digital display on the microwave was also out. I made my way over to the fireplace, found the matches and lit a candle which sat on top of the stone hearth. I carefully lifted it and headed for the study to wake Dillon. He would surely know how to replace a fuse if that was the problem. I tapped on the door softly.

              “Dillon, are you in there?” When there was no answer I turned the knob and pushed the door open. The loud creak made me smile. The house was letting him know someone was intruding on his space. I loved noisy houses. “Dillon?” I crept into the room and used the candle to light up the space. It was empty. I rubbed at my chest nervously and picked up the phone at the desk. There was no dial tone, but if we were without electricity it might mean the phone didn’t work either. I checked the garage which was quiet and empty then made my way back upstairs to my phone which sat beside the bed. I flicked through the phone numbers until I found Jax and pressed the green ring button. I stood at the window looking out over the snowy back yard. Jax’s phone went to voice mail.

              “Hey, the power is out and I can’t find Dillon. I don’t know anything about these things, fuses are man’s business as far as I’m concerned. How far away are you?” I hung up and threw my phone onto the bed just as I noticed something glowing amongst the white snow outside with a neon brightness that only a phone screen can bring. I stood for some time watching, contemplating before noticing the dull light from the work shed. Maybe Dillon had made his way out there and lost his phone on the way. I grabbed my thick jacket and snow cap and climbed back downstairs, pulling on a pair of Jax’s boots that sat by the back door. They were way too big but they would protect my feet from the freezing snow. The early evening was still and silent, the only sound was the ice that crunched under the big boots as I crossed the big back yard. I stopped at the phone I had noted from the upstairs window. Picking it up I confirmed it was definitely Dillon’s. He had six missed calls and four text messages ranging from three hours ago to just now, all from the same number. I glanced nervously at the work shed door and when curiosity got the better of me I checked the messages.

              Answer you fucking phone

              Where the fuck are you?

              Dillon, I’m not shitting you, we need to talk

              Fairmont has left!! Fucking call me

              Fuck it, I’m on my way

              I glanced to the door of the shed again. My sixth sense was screaming, demanding I return to the house. What if Dillon was in there just chilling out though? What if Dillon was in there and needed my help? My hand shook as nerves racked my body but I still took purposeful steps to the shed and turned the latch, pushing the heavy timber door open. I hadn’t yet been inside Jax’s work shed and the size surprised me, it was large and clean. The scent of timber filled my lungs. A lamp was glowing from a desk on the opposite side of the room, but other than that the place seemed quiet and empty. I took a few steps inside.

              “Dillon, where the fuck are you?” I called out as I neared the center of the room. The gentle click of the door closing behind me sent a splinter of sharp fear through my body. I wanted to run while the need to turn around and face the possible threat was just as consuming. The stand and fight nature of my being won as I turned around and was confronted with my demon, my nightmare, Marcus Fairmont who stood with a gun pointed level at me.

              “You always did have a dirty mouth Ella,” he drawled. The sight of him standing before me after so many years was as terrifying as I imagined it would be. I stiffened, paralyzed with fear. He had not changed a bit. His perfect blonde hair styled into a perfect GQ magazine cut. His hazel eyes still filled with hatred and loathing as he looked me over. He wore a sharply pressed chocolate brown suit for fucks sake with perfectly polished brown Salvatore Ferragamo’s. He was dressed for a boardroom meeting while standing in a dusty timber work shed in Claymont, sixteen hours away from his home and business during the middle of winter. All for me, why the fuck couldn’t he just leave me alone? Anger thrummed like an electric charge through my body as I faced him.

              “Found me huh?” I said, my voice calm, betraying the anger and fear that swirled like a tidal wave inside me.

              “I believe I told you I would. I can find a needle in a hay stack if I so wish. Remember that Ella?” My fists clenched at the memory of that night. Marcus sighed and took a few steps forward. He was a tall man, but for some reason I didn’t find him quite as intimidating as I did all those years ago. Perhaps I had grown, found my strength and was no longer afraid of him like I used to be, or perhaps I had gotten used to Jax who literally towered over Marcus.

              “Your lover is out back, gunshot wound to the back, likely dead by now. Unfortunately he shot Tom first, but it’s no big deal, works in my favor really. Looks like Tom came here with nefarious intentions, cornered your boyfriend, there was a shootout they both died, tragic story for a small town like this and right on the eve of Christmas.”  Jax couldn’t be dead, he wasn’t even here. It must have been Dillon and I ached with the urgency to go check on him, to get him help, but for now I could do no more than stay away from Marcus and stay alive.

              “All this just for me? To get me to come home with you?” Marcus laughed and the sound sent a shiver down my spine.

              “I don’t want you to come home with me Ella. I am here to finish this. We didn’t get the chance last time.” I balked at his statement.

              “So you just want to fuck me?” I screamed. He shook his head, slipping the gun into the back of his pants.

              “Fuck you and,” he paused, “cut you.” He took another step forward and I backed away.

              “None of this went the way it was supposed to, right from the day your daddy died of a heart attack. That wasn’t meant to happen Ella. He was supposed to live, live and see the destruction of his family. All this,” he waved his hands to encompass him and I, “this isn’t really as rewarding without him watching. I guess though, if God and heaven does exist he will be watching. He will watch me fuck you, then cut your scarred little wrists and you will bleed out. Tragic little broken fuck up from Duntson who already tried to take her life once finally does the job right after her lover is killed in a shootout with a corrupt police officer. Poetic, don’t you think? Has that Romeo and Juliette heartbreaking ending that all good romances need.” My mind raced with confusion trying to process Marcus’s words. I didn’t know what he meant by his reference to my father and Marcus obviously thought Dillon was my lover. He didn’t realize that Jax was alive and well and likely minutes away from getting home. I just had to stall Marcus and keep enough distance between us until he did.

              “Why did you want to hurt my dad?” I asked.

              “Because Ella, he took what was mine. He stole from me one of the biggest clients in the northern hemisphere, worth literally billions of dollars. It was supposed to be mine, that belonged to my firm and he lied and sniveled his way into my clients lap and then he had the fucking nerve to die! It was too late of course, I was already fucking his wife and thought what the hell might as well keep on going and destroy his only daughter too.” Marcus was yelling, his eyes filled with manic rage and then without warning he leapt at me. I tried to back away but Jax’s heavy boots got caught and I fell back with Marcus on top of me. He hit me hard and I brought my knee up connecting with his balls. He yelped, clutching at himself and rolling as I scrambled out of the massive boots and made for the door. His hand pulled at my hair, ripping me backwards. I ducked and turned escaping his large arms and another blow landed on my face. I punched blindly hitting his throat which caused his grip to loosen as I scrambled away once more. I barreled out the door into the freezing snow, my feet aching with the bite of the ice surrounding them and I slipped and struggled my way across the back yard toward the house. From behind I was tackled, my body forced down into the frigid ice. Winded my lungs burned for air as Marcus ruthlessly rolled me over. In one hand was the gun pointed straight at my head, in the other hand was the knife, after all these years he still had the same fucking knife.

              His eyes quickly took in the blade before his gaze switched back to me. “I killed your mom with this,” he admitted. “And my own mother. This knife and I have history and you Ella, are about to join the prestigious list of pathetic women who have died at its sharp edge.” He shoved the gun into the back of his pants and grabbed my wrists, one of his large hands easily holding both of mine above my head as I attempted to buck him off me. “I’m going to cut you, then fuck you to death, quite a beautiful and fitting ending really.” He lifted the knife above me and I felt the blade cut into my flesh. Like before, the knife slicing into my wrist burnt with pain and became a curious throb immediately. I awkwardly glanced above me and watched the bright red blood seep quickly into the snow, too quickly, too much blood. Marcus’s eyes were filled with manic excitement as he watched my face carefully. I fought the darkness and lethargy that was beginning to take over my body. Marcus pressed down against me, his sickly arousal pushed against my thigh. My mind raced with images of Jax finding me like he had found Sarah, wrists cut in a pool of blood. I sobbed at the thought and tears began to fall down my face. Marcus’s eyes glistened with excitement.

              “I finally found a way to make you cry,” he murmured with disbelief.

              “Nooooooooooo!” Jax’s roar was frightening enough to raise the dead as I heard him smash through the back door and out into the snow. The look of surprise in Marcus’s cold eyes made me smile. He reached back and grabbed for his gun, pointed and fired, just as my world fell into dark oblivion.

              When I had received Ella’s voicemail I had literally dropped the box I was unloading and I ran for my pickup. I knew something was up. When I got a hold of Braiden he had told me he’d been trying to get hold of Dillon for the last three hours and Marcus was AWOL, I knew right away that the shit had officially hit the fan. I quickly gave Braiden Frank’s number and told him to ring and explain the situation, I told him to call the national fucking guard if he wanted, but I needed backup, like yesterday. Arriving at my house which was still in darkness I grabbed the gun from under the seat of my Dodge. I had started carrying it everywhere I went almost two weeks ago. The house was quiet and seemed empty and an unfamiliar voice from out back caught my attention as I crept silently to the kitchen and peered out the window. Seeing Marcus lying on top of Ella’s limp body in the back yard triggered a switch and without even thinking to open it, I smashed my way through the closed kitchen door that led outside. The stunned look on Marcus was pure ecstasy as I raised my gun and he fumbled for his. While still running through the snow I fired, no hesitation and I knew my weapon would find its target, I rarely missed and when it was Ella’s life on the line, I wouldn’t miss. I felt the bullet hit my shoulder, flesh wound. It stung like a bitch and burnt but didn’t stop me as I continued to race towards Ella. When I reached her I pulled Marcus’s heavy limp body up by the jacket and simply threw him to the side. One shot right through the eyes. The fucker was dead; he was as good as dead the first time he decided to lay his hands on my angel.

              Ella was still as I sunk to my knees beside her. I ripped my shirt and quickly wrapped it around her wrist tightly and gathered her into my arms trying to instill some heat into her freezing body.

              “Come on angel, open those pretty eyes,” I demanded. After a few moments they flickered open and I sighed loudly with relief.

              “You scared the shit out of me baby.” She glanced at my face, then took in the blood that had seeped through my shirt from my shoulder. “It’s nothing, just a scratch.” I pushed the hair back from her face and noted the bruising. The fucker had hit her and I suddenly wanted to kill him all over again. There was movement from behind me and I swung around, clutching Ella to me with one arm while my other hand held my gun poised and ready to take down the new threat. My finger immediately withdrew from the trigger.

              “Fuck Dillon, I nearly shot you,” I growled. He looked like shit. He was too pale as he collapsed to his knees beside me.

              “Someone beat you to it,” he groaned.

              “You gonna’ live soldier?” I demanded.

              “Course Sarge,” he panted, knowing better than to give me any other answer.

              “You’re hit,” he noted and I shook my head ignoring the irritating ache from my shoulder.

              “Flesh wound.” Dillon checked Ella’s pulse.

              “It’s weak.” He pulled off his jacket and I helped him wrap her in it. “Police?”

              “On their way, you’ll hear sirens any minute,” I said gruffly. I heard Ella sigh then and I pulled her closer to my chest, kissing her forehead.

              “I waited for sirens once,” she whispered, her eyes never leaving mine. “My dad was already dead on the kitchen floor while I waited for the sirens. When I heard them I thought they were the sound of angels, but it meant nothing, they couldn’t save him.” Her eyes were heavy and dull.

              “Fuck that angel, you’re not going anywhere, I won’t allow it, so keep your damn eyes open.” Dillon chuckled from beside me, looking worse by the minute. “You too soldier. I still have to kick your ass for letting someone shoot you in the back.”   The worshipful sound of sirens finally found my ears but I didn’t relax. Ella fought for consciousness in my arms and Dillon quietly tried to explain what had happened from beside me, his voice faint and weak.

              He told me how not long after I had left he spotted someone out back. He took his gun to investigate and was surprised as fuck to find Tom Brennan out back, blubbering about how he never wanted to hurt Ella. How he knew it was wrong but Marcus knew he had taken bribes, so he was black mailing Tom to help keep Ella under his control. Dillon was so shocked to see Tom and hear his sniveling excuses that he missed Marcus coming up behind him. He barely got off a shot before taking one in the lower back, but his shot found a mark, like all good soldiers, right in the center of Tom Brennan’s cold heart.

              When Frank finally arrived with backup and an ambulance he tried to call another stating there wasn’t enough room for all of us in one. Reluctantly I agreed to follow behind in Frank’s police car while Dillon and Ella rode in the ambulance. Ella’s eyes pleaded with me to stay close and it broke my heart, smashed it to pieces to see the fear in them and only when Dillon took her hand did she seem to settle a little. At the hospital we were separated briefly while I was stitched up, Dillon was taken away to surgery and Ella needed stitches and blood, she had lost too much. After a quick phone call to fill Mercy in and a lot of grumbling and bitching to a nurse who decided right there and then being a nurse wasn’t worth this shit, I finally found Ella. A doctor and two nurses hovered over her as I entered the room without even asking permission.

              “Jax?” One of the nurses asked. She seemed familiar, but I could barely take my eyes off Ella long enough to put a name to her face.

              “Is she okay?” I asked, my voice broken. The doctor nodded.

              “It looks like she’s tried this before,” he nodded towards her wrists and it pissed me off.

              “She didn’t do it. The fucker who did it is lying in my back yard with a bullet between his eyes.” The doctor went a little pale at my confession. “Frank Grier is outside, he can confirm everything.”

              “She’s lost a lot of blood, but we are already replacing it, she’ll most likely need a couple of bags. Some bruising, but other than that she’ll be fine. She’s obviously a fighter it will take more than this to get her down.” I nodded and approached Ella’s side while the doctor quietly left the room with one of the nurses. The one that had called my name checked the drip that fed the precious blood back into Ella’s body.

              “We went to school together,” the nurse said in a low and sympathetic voice. I finally dragged my eyes from Ella’s fragile beaten face to take in the woman standing before me.

              “Dee Witherborn,” I whispered, finally noticing her. She smiled and nodded.

              “Your friend will be fine, she just needs some rest. The loss of blood will make her weak.” I nodded woodenly.

              “She’s my angel. She needs her strength to kick my ass for not keeping her safe.” Dee smiled.

              “Seems to me if you shot the man who did this to her you did your job. She’s here, she’s alive.” I ran a finger carefully down the side of Ella’s face that wasn’t bruised and Dee slipped out of the room. I laid my head down on the bed beside Ella, holding her hand I closed my eyes, trying not to see her pinned under Marcus’s body as he cut her wrist again. I shuddered and lifted my hand, placing it over her heart. Feeling the strong steady beat there helped me to relax. A small weak hand covered mine and I glanced up to see Ella staring at me. She looked so tired.

              “Get some rest angel, I’m not going anywhere. Everything’s okay now.” She watched me carefully for a moment and moved her hand to my bandaged shoulder, the blood on my shirt revealing the evidence of my injury. I captured her hand and kissed it. “Another scar, nothing serious.” At that her eyes flickered to her heavily bandaged wrist.

              “Me too,” she said as her eyes rested sadly on the latest addition to her scars. “Dillon?”

              “He’s in surgery but he’ll be fine.” She nodded, her eyes closing.

              “Thank you.” She had been quiet and still for so long I thought she was asleep.

              “For what angel?”

              “For saving me again.” I shook my head.

              “I told you I would protect you, I promised you wouldn’t be hurt again.” My fingers brushed the bruises on her face.

              “What happened to him?” She shivered and I somehow managed to fold my large body into the bed beside her, taking care not to jostle her about too much. I pulled her close and she rested her head into the crook of my arm.

              “He’s dead. He’s gone from your life Ella, your free now baby.” Her hand settled over my heart and she seemed to gain just as much comfort from the steady beat as I did from hers. She took a long deep breath and slipped back into sleep.