Chapter 33
Sean
I’ve only heard a shriek like that twice in my life, and both times have come from Louhi. My own chest aches as I bleed for her internally because, like a beast in the wild, I’ve mated for life, and my other half is howling in agony.
A man who looks eerily familiar, though I’m sure we’ve never met, is sprawled out on the gray, mauve, and black floral couch.
The fabric appears to be smeared with something that looks a lot like blood.
Removing that will be a nightmare. His body is as still as a statue, as though he’s stuck in a blip of time.
Louhi rushes over to him, her knees hitting the floor with a heavy thud. She frantically taps his cheek. “Mercer, Mercer, it’s me. Wake up.”
Fucking shit. My breath and words catch in my throat.
I grind my teeth and tighten my grip on my firearm as I fight the impulse to reach for Lou.
She can take care of herself, but the possessive urge to protect her from every threat is strong.
And innocent people don’t typically end up looking like that.
The sidearm resting on the cushion next to him doesn’t ease my concern either.
I blow out a breath as she tosses the firearm aside.
Jace steps next to me, and as my impossibly wide gaze shifts to meet his, we share a thousand unspoken words.
Louhi’s missing brother looks like he’s dead.
How did he get those injuries? Thank fuck, we don’t have to go to Kazakhstan. Is he here alone?
He nods, responding to the imminent threat, his loaded gun in front of him as he begins to sweep the place.
My girl presses her index and middle fingers to the too-pale olive skin of Mercer’s neck, a relieved exhale falling from her open mouth. “He’s alive.”
While I’d never tell Louhi this, it sure looks like her brother might not want to be.
His right eye is so swollen and purple that I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s permanently lost his vision.
His lip is split, and his jaw is the muted shade of yellow that only comes with getting decked in the face, probably repeatedly. Those aren’t his worst injuries.
He’s missing his left ear, or at least that’s what I’m assuming, since he’s got it wrapped in gauze that’s now completely soaked through with blood.
The hand that’s palm up on the couch is missing three fingers, and his arm is positioned at an unnatural angle.
There’s also a deep gash in the left side of his neck.
Lou’s voice cracks, panic having washed over her face. “Mercer.”
I crouch next to her, careful to set my gun on the floor at my feet. I reach up with my good arm and feel his neck for myself in case Lou found what she wanted to find. Sure enough, there’s a pulse. It’s far stronger than I thought it’d be considering the way he looks—
An iron-tight manacle clamps around my wrist, and I grit my teeth as I pry the mangled fingers away. “Lou,” he croaks.
She throws herself onto the couch, her arms flinging around her brother. “Mercer.”
Finally, he groans and returns the hug as best he can, with his one good eye trained on me now. I hold his brown gaze that’s a shade darker than his sister’s.
Stretching to my full height, I step back, taking the handgun he had with me. I give them some space as the siblings murmur in what I’d guess is Finnish. I don’t care who this man is; I’m not leaving him alone with Lou until I feel comfortable doing so. Right now, I don’t trust this guy. At all.
I’m leaning against the back wall when Jace returns, stuffing his black beanie into his front pocket.
His eyebrows are knitted as he surveys the reunited duo before turning his back on them.
I know even before he whispers a single word that it’s so this man won’t read his lips.
“He’s here alone, but you need to see the bedroom he’s been sleeping in.
First room down the hall on your left. I’ll stay here. ”
I jerk my chin in a short nod before striding from the room. It’s clear Jace trusts Mercer Koskinen about as much as I do.
I find the bedroom without trouble, my forehead creasing as my eyebrows shoot to my hairline. Holy shit.
On the bare wall are maybe a hundred ripped and taped shreds of paper with names, places, and arrows connecting them—some of the names familiar. It fills nearly the entire space. I step farther into the room and find Louhi’s bolded name followed by a question mark circled three times.
Just what the fuck is this guy planning? How long has he been here? From the looks of it, Mercer’s been busy.
The rest of the bedroom is bare except for a mattress on the floor and an unassembled bed frame in the corner. I decide to poke my head into all the other bedrooms, where I find unassembled frames and mattresses in each one.
When I make it back to the living room, Louhi is unwrapping the bandage on her brother’s ear. I lock eyes with Jace, giving him a look that says, what the fuck is this guy’s deal? He lifts a shoulder.
My best friend and I approach the couch again, and Louhi’s eyes meet mine. The chocolate irises that stare back at me hold a mixture of relief, joy, and love. “Mercer, meet Digs and Jace.”
His good eye flicks between me and my best friend who stands at my side. “You’re with Louhi,” he asks me directly.
“She’s mine, yes.”
His single bloodshot eye bores into my face. When he still hasn’t spoken half a minute later, Lou whacks him lightly on the shoulder with the back of her hand.
“It’s nice to meet you.”
His British accent isn’t quite as thick as hers, but there’s a distinguished lilt to his words. He eyes Jace next, but the two don’t exchange words.
There’s something I don’t like about Mercer. It goes beyond the bizarre string board. What kind of brother abandons his sister in a place like Ex-I? He’s alive, so whatever excuse he has is piss-fucking-poor. What if I’d followed orders and executed her? What if she never got out?
If someone else hadn’t beaten him to shit, I would’ve done it myself.
Lou leans over and presses a kiss to her brother’s forehead, then leaps to her feet excitedly. “If Conall and Viktor were here, all my favorite people would be together in one room.”
Jace and I both saw those familiar names on that wall. We look to Mercer to make an assertion. He doesn’t. Interesting. I’m not going to say anything yet. I want to see how this plays out first. But when Lou finds out, she’s going to go ballistic.
“Alright, I’m going to pop out to the store to get some food, then I can make some lunch.”
“I can go,” I volunteer. I’d rather be the one to risk a public outing, even if Russia is the safest place for us right now. Then there’s the added benefit of avoiding Lou’s brother while she spends time with him. That’s the best option to ensure everyone keeps their limbs intact.
“But you don’t speak the language.” She scrunches her nose as though she smells something sour. “What if you come home with stale meat? Or if you choose a subpar wine?”
Well, shit. I hadn’t considered that. If we’re going to be here for any amount of time, I really need to learn the language beyond phrases like vittu or pilu. Or maybe that’s Finnish. I’m not sure. I only know that Lou uses them.
Jace shudders, then pulls a face. “It’s settled; Lou’s the one making the supply run. We’ll assemble the bedframes and dust off things while you’re gone.”
I internally cringe at the prospect of Jace with construction tools. He’s liable to remove a finger or two in the process.
Lou looks a little wary as she pads over to me, and I cup the back of her head. As I press her tightly to my chest, she melts. I soak in the way she fits perfectly against me, her head nestled between my pecs.
When I was being tortured and abused at Ex-I, all I wanted was to be free to live my life, but I was wrong about liberation. Freedom isn’t a place; freedom is Louhi.
She grants me the space to truly be myself; never balking at my dark, unsavory parts.
She pried open the sealed door to her heart and soul for me to make a home there.
She’s helping me—and my best friend—to build a new, safe life on our own terms. She’s the deliverance I’ve longed for, my redemption.
I don’t like the idea of being apart considering everything we’ve endured, but worrying about a professional killer is absurd. She’ll be fine.
Louhi scans all three of us, her gaze lingering on her brother for a moment. “Will all three of you still be alive when I get back?”
I’m not going to promise fucking shit, but I’ll do my best to leave her brother exactly the way she found him.
Jace to the rescue, though. My best friend tosses his arms over Lou’s shoulders and steers her toward the door.
“Leave it with me, Lou. I’m the greatest buffer in all the world.
I’ve won awards for it.” He swivels his head dramatically.
“Not to be rude, but this place could use a bit of sprucing. Did a gaze of raccoons move in?”
He’s right. It’d be good to bust out the mop and duster. Thankfully, no actual tools will be required. While I’m more than decent with a hammer, Jace is hopeless.
After Ex-I, this feels like a mansion, even in its current state. It’s more likely that the mess is due to months of neglect and Mercer squatting here for God knows how long without adequate supplies.
Lou stops in the doorway, her hands in her back pockets, and observes her brother intently.
I get the impression she isn’t thrilled about leaving him now.
Or maybe she’s just memorizing his face.
Even if I don’t trust the man, I wouldn’t hurt him while she was gone.
Not unless he came for me first, but he’s in no state to do that. Not successfully, anyway.
She disappears from view, and a second later, I hear the car start.
“A gaze?” I parrot. “How the fuck did you know what a group of trash pandas were called?”