Chapter 41
CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
MERCER
The call came in the middle of the night, right when I was ready to settle in and join the pile of bodies in our bed. It wasn't a call I was expecting, one I never thought to worry about, but still, it had my anxiety high with fear.
"Take Ace." Adam nodded, more so to himself, as if he was convincing himself it was a good idea.
"I could go by myself. It was electrical, nothing major."
"Nothing major except the complete destruction of her home and company," Adam pointed out. "We'll put her up at a place if she'd like, or she's welcome to a spare room. Our old one doesn't seem to get used these days."
How could it get used when all our waking moments were spent fawning over Bellamy? Needing to be close to her, savoring the love we clearly had been deprived of for so damn long.
"If you're sure having her here won't be a bother..."
"Hardly. Go wake Ace. You'll need him in case she needs some things moved. Take Max and Drew too. We'll get all she needs replaced tonight."
"If you're sure." I had already turned away.
"I'm always sure when it comes to family," Adam stated as I left.
Upstairs in our bedroom, Ace and Bellamy were sprawled out. She looked so peaceful sleeping against his chest that I hated to disturb the image. The image of my family just enjoying each other was all I ever wanted from here on out. It was what we deserved. We'd lived a hard life, partly because of our own choices, but I learned this morning, while I was gutting a man for trespassing on our loading docks, that I didn't enjoy this anymore. I didn't enjoy the kill like I once had.
In fact, maybe it was a phase, but I somehow felt that if I didn't kill a single man again and just stayed in the little bubble my family created, I'd somehow be content and happy. I'm a sucker for a happy ending, I guess, because deep down I felt like this girl was mine. Our happy ending.
My hand hovered over Ace, hating to wake him, but knowing I'd need the help. It would be fine in the end, and he'd be right back here as Bellamy's personal pillow before she even batted those beautiful eyes of hers. Still, I didn't want to break the peace, not yet.
He jumped when my hand landed against his skin. His body tensed before relaxing when he saw me. "You good?"
His groggy voice was coated with worry. It had been there since the night I got shot. "Mimi's bakery went up in flames. She got out of the apartment, but it's toast."
I could tell he was fighting not to move, not wanting to wake Bellamy, even for the current circumstances. "How is she?"
"Devastated. The fire team is there now. I'm taking Drew and Max over. Adam said to take you too. But if you'd rather stay..." Please stay, I wanted to beg. Something deep down in my soul suddenly felt the importance of it.
"I'll go." He wiggled a little, extracting himself from our girl before sitting up. "Give me five minutes."
"If you'd rather?—"
"I want to go," Ace growled. "Mimi is like family to us all, you know. I may not be as connected as you are to her, but I'll help any way that I can."
"I'll wait outside then." I gave one long look at Bellamy. "She's so fucking pretty."
"Shhh." He glared. "You'll wake her."
I held my hands up in surrender and whispered, "I'm leaving."
I sent Max and Drew a message, waiting for a response before I went outside and waited. The cars were already pulled close, a plus for us being lazy earlier when we returned from shopping. When everyone gathered, we left for Mimi's, my stomach balling the further we got from our estate.
"I don't like this," I finally blurted out, glancing at Ace in the passenger seat.
"Do you want to stay back? I can go," he offered.
I wish it was that easy. But I couldn't leave him to handle Mimi and the devastation alone. Mimi was my family long before I met Ace and Adam, and I needed to be there for her.
I watched the road. "I have to go."
"Do you want me to stay?" He gave me another offer.
I wish I had forced the issue earlier. "No. We can't waste any more time. I don't know how bad the damage is, but I don't want her to be alone."
"Okay." He didn't speak further. Just let me stew in silence as the pit in my stomach rumbled and rolled uncomfortably, like a warning I refused to acknowledge.
When we pulled up, the fire was still blazing, though it had mostly died down. The building was toast. If we had thought she would have something to salvage, we'd been wrong. It was crumbling on its foundation, the smoke still thick in the air. I pulled off to the side, seeking her out in the chaos.
I found Mimi hunkered under a blanket further down the street. Her face told the story of devastation as she watched her life and all she worked for disappear to ash. Above us, the sky rumbled its displeasure, and I looked up as I exited the car, taking in the angry clouds. How fucking fitting that the world would reject the misfortune of such a kind woman, screaming its displeasure for all to hear.
"Mimi," I whispered as I got closer, not wanting to speak louder and scare her.
The old woman looked up in a daze. Her hair, which was normally neatly in a bun, was sticking up haphazardly. A line of soot streaked her cheek, and her eyes filled with tears the second she saw me. I crouched down to her level and kissed her forehead as her tears fell. "It's okay, Mimi. I'm here."
She shook her head as she buried her face into my chest, and I'd never felt so helpless in my life. I wasn't sure what to say to a woman who just lost everything. What words would rectify the pain she was going through as she watched her home and her life’s work reduced to kindling and feeding the flames in front of her?
"She almost didn't get out." I tore my attention to the voice, spotting a lady a few feet away. "I'm her neighbor. You must be a son."
"I…" I paused for a moment, trying to think of what to say. Mimi never had children. At least, I didn't think so. But I sure as hell wouldn't mind calling her ‘Mom,’ since she was the woman who offered me the only olive branch she could when I was just a child. "Yes."
"You're so lucky to have her," the neighbor offered, and she couldn't know just how true that was.
I hugged Mimi tighter. "I am. I'm grateful."
"Her door was jammed. It took my husband and my son all their strength to pry it open. She’s lucky they could because the bars on the window meant she couldn't escape otherwise." My stomach sank.
"The door wouldn't open?" I was an idiot; that’s why I repeated her words.
"None of them would. That's some sturdy lock she has. She chained them from the outside even. Well, all but one at least. I guess you can never be too careful in protecting what's yours these days."
No.
This couldn't be true.
There was no fucking way.
And yet...
My stomach tightened, that feeling I had this whole time intensifying and screaming at me that something was wrong. Everything was wrong. As long as I'd known Mimi, she'd chained none of her doors. She'd always felt safe in this neighborhood, even when this neighborhood had slid downhill before the movement to preserve the buildings took place. Years. I'd known Mimi for years and she never chained her doors.
"I'm sure she was only trying to keep herself safe," I mumbled, and I couldn't help but squeeze her tighter.
I talked for a few more minutes with her neighbor before I could pry myself away. When I was alone with Mimi, I bent down. "Mimi, did you chain those doors?"
"I… No. I don't know how that happened. I think I would remember if I'd done that." Her tears that had dried momentarily resurfaced, and a sob escaped. "What am I going to do now?"
"Let us worry about that, Mimi." I gave her another squeeze. "I'm going to get you snug in the backseat of our car. I'm leaving my good friends Max and Drew to look over your place, and I'm taking you home. No use sitting around watching the destruction. It will only hurt you more."
"I can't go to your home." Another sob escaped her. And this must be what it feels like when your heart breaks.
"You can. In fact, Adam himself insists." I helped her take a seat in the car and then leaned in to kiss her forehead. "Bellamy would love to wake and find out we've got company."
"If you think she won't be mad..."
"Mimi, I've not seen her mad a single day in all the time I've known her." Granted, I'd not known her long, but she'd had plenty of time to be angry. Every other emotion I'd seen, though. My favorites: lust, euphoria, and love.
Love .
Fuck if that wasn't my favorite expression that she wore. Every single time she graced me with it, I wanted to cup her cheeks in my hand and pepper her with kisses while I scream that I feel the same. Until Belle realizes she is it for us. Always. Ours.
"Okay." Mimi's lip trembled as she agreed, "Just for tonight."
I sighed. "We’ll figure it out tomorrow," I promised, before slamming the door. I knew damn well that tomorrow she'd be at our place still, and the next, and the next. I'd not planned to put her anywhere else, and if she disagreed, well, we could fight over that fact.
I searched for Ace, who stood with his arms crossed over his chest and his legs set wide as he stared at the fire, still burning, despite the best effort to snuff it out. Coming up to his side, I spoke. "I don't like this."
"Me either."
"Her doors were chained."
"Fuck," he growled. "I talked to the crew. Said it wasn't electrical like we'd first been told when you got the call. It was set. There were scorch marks from the accelerant by the alley. They think it started in the kitchen."
"Fuck." This time it was me who cursed. "They tried to kill her. An innocent old lady."
"I knew he'd been too fucking quiet after the shit we pulled a month ago." Ace's face reflected the rage I felt. "I knew he wouldn't let it go. Let us call shit even for all he'd done to our family."
"That was never an option." Nerves danced inside of me. "Listen, I'm uneasy. I have been since the start of this evening. We need to get home. Something is not right, and I can't just leave our girl unprotected. Mimi is in the car; we're taking her too."
"You think he'd strike our home?"
"I think he's unstable and fucking insane." I closed my eyes. "I just hope I'm wrong."
Ace looked at the fire for a long moment, not daring to talk, then he broke the silence. "This needs to end."
"It will," I promised, before turning away from the flames and finding my way back to my car. I climbed into the driver's seat and waited for Ace, who joined us a minute later. Trying to play it cool, not letting on to my turmoil, I glanced at Mimi. "Buckle up, buttercup. We're heading home."
Then I put the car in drive, trying to ignore the nausea that was rolling through me the closer we got. I was never one for uneasy feelings. Except in this moment, my mind rushed to everything that could happen. I was conditioned to expect the worst, but with Bellamy in our lives, I should expect the best of everything. That's what she brought us. The best.
It took thirty minutes before we could see the property in the distance. The rain had begun to fall, the thunder tearing through the sky. The water splashing off the windshield distorted my view. Still, I could see the looming mansion, illuminated by the lights.
We were closer and I couldn't stop the tap as my fingers danced against the steering wheel.
Ace turned in his seat and offered Mimi a smile. "Five minutes to home. Do you see it in the distance?"
She squinted, "I think?—"
Sirens hit my ears, the sorrowful alarm of panic assaulting me, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. My foot pressed down on the accelerator, my eyes only on the house in front of me, as I sped the rest of the way home.