Switching Mercedes [Wylde Shore 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage and More) Page 3

  “Before you decide what to do with me, though, I’d just like to say, if the situation arose in future I’d behave exactly the same way where Mercedes is concerned.”

  The truth was he’d initially approached the first officer in a polite and friendly manner, only to be told to unceremoniously piss off. Which caused him to changed tack and possibly overreact, but he achieved the goal he’d come here for. He now knew Mercedes was safe. If the mouthful of attitude and name-calling indicated anything, she appeared supposedly unaffected by the drama which, Zane realized, she needed everyone to believe. It was for that reason he hadn’t insisted she stay in his arms, or pressed her to allow him to help with the aftermath of this crime. He’d approach her again in private and try to get her to understand he’d do anything she asked of him. She just needed to tell him what it was she wanted him to do.

  “I’m not going to arrest you, but I do have one question. Where the hell did you learn to move like that, man? Those uniformed guys should have been able to take you down, but instead you plowed through them like they were toddlers in a day care centre.” A suspicious glare accompanied Christian’s question.

  “I had a life before I became a business owner, a life I’m not able to discuss with you, so don’t ask me anything further.” The simple answer would have been “yeah, man, I used to be a mercenary,” but that response could pose further questions he wasn’t willing or able to answer.

  “Or what, you’ll have to kill me?” Christian joked, but Zane didn’t laugh. “I assume you’ve had some sort of military training, so I’ll let you keep your secret for now. It doesn’t mean I won’t find out eventually, though.”

  The truth was, there was a high likelihood Christian knew his old boss. Marcus Delany’s reach extended into law enforcement, and Zane knew for a fact that Christian’s brother-in-law and good friend to both men, Steve Jax, had been police liaison for more than one of his old teams operations. Chances were, considering Christian’s ranking within the police force, he’d also been a contact at some stage for the covert group. Steve or Christian would never have met Zane or his brother Ash, who still worked for Marcus. They were nameless faces within the organization, kept so for a reason, with Marcus being the only identifiable one among them. It was this anonymity that allowed Zane to maintain business dealings in the community, enabling him to return to civilized society when the time was right. That time had been three years ago, after an incident in which he almost died. At the then relatively young age of thirty-four, he decided to stop playing Russian roulette with his life and settle down. After all, his brother showed no signs of slowing down and one of them needed to live long enough to carry on the family name.

  “I’m sure your death would never be necessary.” Zane smiled now knowing that, if anything, Marcus would recruit Christian, not kill him. “Now, I believe you wanted me to tell you how I knew your sister was here.”

  “Well, given no announcement has been made about this incident, it does beg the question.” It was Zane’s turn to laugh now, while Christian remained stone faced.

  “You have a point.” Zane folded his arms over his chest and decided to get serious. “My second in charge, Mick, showed up early for work today when his scheduled session with Mercedes was mysteriously cancelled. I became concerned that something might be wrong, especially when I couldn’t get your sister on the phone and she wasn’t at the club. After some gentle persuasion and lots of reassurance, her receptionist finally told me what was going on and where I could find your beautiful sister.”

  “Thanks for looking out for her.” Christian looked toward his sister with fondness, but Zane heard concern in his voice. “It’s good to know you’ve got her back, even if she doesn’t want you to.”

  “Yet…even though she doesn’t want me to yet.” Christian smiled in response. Everyone knew how Zane felt about her, including Mercedes. It wasn’t a fact he hid from any of their family or friends. “I would do anything for her. You know that don’t you, Christian?”

  “I know that without a doubt, man.” Christian’s gaze remained on Mercedes as he replied.

  “Then you won’t object when I tell you that, provided you’ve finished asking her everything you need to, I’m taking her with me.” The puzzled look on Christian’s face gave no indication of whether he would object to Zane’s demands or not, so he continued talking. “There are things she needs to take care of. The Gentleman’s Club staff need to be informed of what’s gone on. Their reaction to the news will determine if she needs to halt business for a few days until the shock passes. If she closes the club, then notifications to clients will need to be made and, knowing her, she will undoubtedly want to begin funeral arrangements immediately. She’ll also need to eat, even though I doubt she’ll have an appetite, and sleep. I can help with all of that.”

  “You’re mad to believe she’ll let you take over and do all that, Zane.”

  “You didn’t hear me, my friend. I’m not going to do it, Mercedes will.” Christian nodded, the expression on his face changing as the light of what Zane intended to do obviously dawned.

  “I can’t believe I’m going to agree to this. She’ll be furious.” Christian smiled.

  “It’s the only way she’ll get through this evening and accomplish everything that needs to be done. You saw her in my arms. She didn’t even fight the embrace. Now, as much as that pleased me, it’s not her normal reaction, which means she’s vulnerable at the moment. It also indicates how close to the emotional edge this incident has taken her. Her nature is to not show vulnerability, especially in front of me, and certainly not twice in a day. Her annoyance with the fact that I’m trying to take charge will keep her defiant enough to do what has to be done. Once I get her home then, if she needs to break, she can do it in privacy.”

  “Agreed.” Christian held out his hand and the two men shook on it, as if they’d bought and sold a prize bull. “Promise me though, if you think she shouldn’t be alone tonight, you’ll stay with her, at least until one of the family can arrive to be there.”

  “Deal.” Zane liked the stay-with-her-tonight idea, and it was an action sanctioned by her big brother. Mercedes was going to love it when he informed her of that fact. “Now, will you break the news about what’s been decided or will I?”

  “She’ll be pissed off either way. Maybe we should toss for it,” Christian joked.

  Zane let his gaze drift over to Mercedes, who watched the two of them with an intense glare. Even with a creased brow and suspicious expression, she still melted his heart and stirred feelings he never thought possible. She was strong, determined, and focused, with a feisty, no-nonsense attitude, all traits he admired in a woman. Balancing the robust qualities was a softer side, one he knew she let very few people see. She was kind and caring, protective of her family and friends. Most importantly she was loyal to those she loved and cared for. Zane longed to be included in the select few she lowered her guard around and today had given him a glimpse of what that would be like, but he wanted more.

  Patience and increased familiarity will eventually allow her trust to blossom, just be patient, dude.

  “I’ll do it. She seems to like finding things I do and say annoying.” Zane laughed when Mercedes raised her hands in a questioning gesture and mouthed the word what? “Let’s put her out of her misery, it’s obvious she knows we’re discussing her.”

  Zane continued chuckling as curiosity got the better of her, and she started to walk toward them, that adorable frown of frustration still firmly fixed on her face. His body fired with desire as he watched her approach. The seductive sway of curvaceous hips and the bounce of her full breasts beneath the tight black leather skirt and fitted white blouse drew attention from more than his gaze. Her stiletto heels clicked rhythmically against the pavement, evidencing her determined stride.

  “Showtime,” Christian discreetly commented.

  “Don’t you two know it’s rude to stare?” Mercedes stated indignantly. “It’s al
so rude to talk about people in front of them. Whatever you two are discussing I’m entitled to know what it is, especially since it obviously concerns me.”

  “Now, sweetheart, what makes you think we’re talking about you?” Zane intentionally used the endearment he knew would rile her up.

  “Well for a start, I’m not an idiot,” Mercedes snapped. “Then there’s the fact that both of you were looking over at me while you spoke, and once you started watching me the volume decreased and the bravado of your initial conversation, which I heard by the way, disappeared. Don’t worry, gentlemen, you don’t have to look out for me, I can do that myself.”

  “I don’t doubt that for a minute, sweet―” Fire ignited in Mercedes’s eyes as she cut him off. She was too sexy for words.

  “Call me sweetheart one more time today, Zane, and I’ll hit you. Now what were you two talking about?” Mercedes looked impatiently between the two men. “Well?”

  “I’ve just finished telling Christian that I’m going to take you with me. We’ll go to the club, inform the staff what’s happened, organize anything needing to be taken care of, and then we’ll eat and I’ll take you home and tuck you into bed.”

  “You’ll do no such thing.” Her tone was indignant, just as Zane expected it to be. She’d need that fire to see her through the rest of the night. Mercedes directed the next comment to her brother. “What do you think about this? I take it you’re in agreement with his stupid plan?”

  “I am.” Christian said, backing Zane up. “When I leave, it’s more appropriate for me to go back to the station to coordinate the case. I don’t want you on your own, so Zane offered to assist and I agree he’s the perfect choice. If you’re not happy to go with Zane, I could always call your mother.”

  Zane looked away so Mercedes wouldn’t see the smile on his face. Christian certainly knew what he was doing by playing the mommy-dearest card, there was no way Mercedes would allow Denise Harris-Shore to come and help her. The woman drove her crazy so she wouldn’t want the added stress. Zane knew Mercedes and her mother had a tenuous relationship, one that he didn’t completely understand. He’d met Denise on a number of occasions, and although the woman was somewhat critical of Mercedes and her life choices, he was convinced her mother’s attitude stemmed mainly from loving concern, although Mercedes clearly didn’t see it that way.

  “That was a low shot, Christian.” Mercedes breathed a distinctive sigh of resignation. “All right, Zane can accompany me, but you don’t interfere, do you hear me?”

  Mercedes pointed her finger at Zane as she issued her orders. He really wanted her to start poking him in the chest so he could grab her finger and bite it, just to see her reaction.

  “Of course, I have perfect hearing.” Zane chuckled. “Now are you ready to leave?”

  “Do I have any choice?” Mercedes quipped.

  “Nope,” Zane and Christian answered in unison, resulting in Mercedes turning and stomping off toward her car. Zane couldn’t hear exactly what she mumbled to herself, but he assumed it involved cursing about what dominant assholes he and Christian could be or currently were.

  As he watched her fumble with the keys, drop them, retrieve them from the gutter, and look around nervously, his senses went on alert. She opened the car door and looked into the backseat. She ran her hands over her arms as if it were a cold day then reached one hand up to rub at the back of her neck. He recognized the urge to do the same, rub his neck to ease the tingle of hairs standing upright in warning. Danger was present, and at a crime scene saturated by police, that shouldn’t be the case. Whether she realized it or not, Mercedes sensed the malevolence in the air. He couldn’t believe he didn’t notice it sooner. Someone was watching the proceedings, possibly taking undue interest in his woman.

  “Have your guys done a search of the surrounding area? Checked the killer isn’t still hiding somewhere?”

  Christian looked slightly offended by the question, but Zane didn’t care.

  “Yes, and all bystanders have been moved on as soon as they’ve appeared. You can feel it can’t you, like someone’s watching everything that’s happening?”

  Zane nodded, relieved that Christian sensed the same thing.

  “Is she in danger?” Zane smiled over at Mercedes who was now seated in the passenger side of her car. He noticed the way she’d folded her arms across her front, one hand resting protectively near the base of her throat. Her body slouched slightly in the seat. She was scared and he needed to get her to safety.

  “I don’t believe she’s under threat…at this stage.”

  Zane tensed on hearing Christian’s final words.

  He understood the uncertainty of what the police faced. They were dealing with the unknown at this stage. Mercedes didn’t appear to be in the murderer’s line of vision now, but that may change. Zane hoped for both their sakes it didn’t. He knew exactly what he’d do if that happened, and the consequences be damned. If Mercedes ended up in this predator’s sight, he’d turn the tables on him and the creep wouldn’t make it out alive.

  * * * *

  So much fuss for such a little whore. Isaac watched the proceedings at young Samantha’s home from inside the house across the street. It was generous of the family who lived across from her to go on holiday just days before it was Samantha’s appointed time to die. Not that they knew he was using their home, but he was thankful nonetheless. Isaac took it as a sign he’d done the right thing by removing her from the world. Unfortunately, it was an action too late to change the damage she’d caused.

  If someone had removed her and others like her then perhaps his childhood would have been different. Not that it was a bad one. After all, he never wanted for anything, and he still didn’t, but the fights and absence of affection in his home didn’t bode well for two children struggling to make their way in the world. It also didn’t help him learn how to be a father to his own two boys, now living with their mother in a plush suburb on the northern beaches. The sole custody arrangement wasn’t his preferred choice, but it had been ordered by the courts. He did have visitation rights, which wasn’t the perfect way to raise children, but it was better than not seeing them at all.

  Despite his best efforts and because of today’s events, life now found him on the wrong side of the law, yet another man fallen from grace because a woman couldn’t keep her legs together. Not that he lay with Samantha before her death, the thought of such an action too abhorrent to contemplate. Still, she remained the reason for his demise.

  This wasn’t the first crime scene Isaac had witnessed, although the first wasn’t one of his making. At that scene, he’d been the anonymous savior of an innocent woman. In one way he was a savior here, too, but for a different reason. He’d saved the men Samantha led into damnation, the wives whose marital neglect would leave them bitter and unable to stand the sight of the offspring they bore to a husband who’d betrayed them with another woman. One death to save many seemed more than worth his effort. Isaac glanced at his watch, if he was going to make it to his ex-wife’s in time for dinner with his children then he should leave soon.

  The bitter taste of black coffee filled his mouth. He made a mental note to be more prepared next time. Using this house as a viewing platform offered him shelter but a vacated home didn’t hold fresh milk in the refrigerator. He headed for the laundry. His clothing would be dry by now, enabling him to leave the scene unnoticed or at least free of blood splatter so he didn’t draw attention from any prying eyes across the street. The family’s upstairs bathroom had been well equipped with soaps and shampoos, allowing him to freshen up from today’s job. Of course he’d cleaned the facility after using it. He didn’t want to leave anything behind that may identify him to police should the family realize the home had been used in their absence.

  Isaac dressed, collected the cleaned knife and mallet from the dishwasher, and packed them in his briefcase along with his gloves. He washed the mug he’d been using and placed it back in the cupboard then wi
ped down the kitchen benches. The home looked just as it did when he arrived this morning. Perfect.

  As he walked back to his vantage point near the large front window, his cell phone buzzed on the coffee table. Isaac smiled, happy that his sons felt comfortable calling him whenever they wanted, unlike he had been as a child with his father.

  “Hello, Luke. How was your day?” He hoped the pleasure of speaking with one of his children reflected in his voice.

  “Yeah, good, are you still coming for dinner?” Luke was his oldest at nearly thirteen. Mark, his other son, would turn eleven this year. How time had flown. He remembered when they were just babies as if it were yesterday.

  “I am, why do you ask, Lukey?”

  “Dad, please, it’s Luke, I haven’t been Lukey since I was like two or something.”

  His son was right, he was grown now. “Anyway, Mom says can you grab some salad dressing on the way over, any sort is fine apparently. Also, Mark and I were wondering if you might like to take us to the movies tonight after dinner, there’s a new sci-fi movie out that we wanna see. What do you think?”

  Isaac thought it was wonderful his sons wanted to spend time with him, especially after the divorce from their mother.

  “Want to, a movie you and your brother want to see, Luke. Please speak proper English.” It probably wasn’t the most appropriate response, but he hated having either of his sons speaking like uneducated losers.

  “Yeah, whatever, do you want to go?” The sarcasm in Luke’s voice was clear, as was the hint of disrespect. Isaac drew in a deep breath remembering his psychologist recommended not nitpicking over things that were simple traits of childhood. He’d been assured that, given time, the boys would eventually grow out of these annoying behaviors. He wished he’d remembered that before correcting Luke’s speech.