Chapter Twenty-One
Mercy emerged from the bathroom wearing a robe that engulfed her.
His heart slapped against his ribs. His mind had been racing since he picked her up off the sidewalk. If he found out who almost hit her, he wouldn’t be responsible for what he did to the person.
He crossed to her and took her hands into his, examining the scrapes on her hands from hitting the concrete. They looked better now that the blood and debris had been washed away.
Her damp hair stuck to her forehead and cheeks, and her eyes were huge. She was beautiful, and he wanted her so badly that it hurt.
“They’re not too bad,” she said.
“No, they’re not.” He yanked her to him, feeling a conflict between worry and gratitude pulsating through his veins. “Fuck,” he said into her hair.
She wrapped her arms around him, hugging him back. “I’m okay, Jag. My adrenaline is back to normal. For a while there, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to cry or get angry.”
“Fuck!” he repeated it. He lifted her chin with his thumb. “I’m still reeling.”
“It’s a relief to be here, with you,” she said.
Something feral took over and he couldn’t fight the need.
He lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her.
She made a sound from deep within her throat and opened her mouth to him.
He poured the rush of adrenaline into that kiss. Every worry. Every slice of anger. He sank his fingers into her hair and slipped his tongue inside her mouth, stroking her tongue. She tasted good—a heady combination of woman and desire.
When he pulled back, he stared down at her, thankful that she was okay.
She gave a shiver.
“Are you cold?” he asked.
“I think it’s my nerves. Maybe I’m not as steady as I thought I was. Or maybe it's from the kiss. Both were mind-blowing in different ways.”
“Come and sit down. Let’s get you covered up.”
Treating her like a precious jewel, he led her to the sofa, and once she was seated, he covered her with a soft throw. He sat down next to her. “I called Puma and told him what happened. He’s going to check with the neighbors to see if they have cameras that captured the incident. Unfortunately, you were out of range of his outdoor camera.”
Jag stilled. The front of her robe had gaped, just enough to expose the valley between her breasts. Shit.
His hands clenched, and he swallowed hard. “This wasn’t Cross’s MO.”
“He doesn’t try and run people over,” she said. “He would have shot me.”
“Something doesn’t make sense here,” Jag rubbed the creases from his forehead. “I agree.”
He couldn’t quite process his thoughts because he couldn’t stop inhaling her scent.
“Nearly running me over seems threatening, and not exactly wanting to kill me.” She searched his face. “Are you okay? You seem off?”
“I’m okay. Just trying to put the puzzle pieces together.” And adamantly refusing to admire how she pulled her bottom lip between her teeth when she was in deep thought. “I failed in keeping you safe.” His voice sounded unsteady even to his ears. “This could have been much worse. Mateo wouldn’t have killed me because I would have tortured myself.”
She rolled her eyes. “Wow, it’s great that you realize you’re in charge of all the bad people in the world.” She laughed. “But I do have something to tell you.”
“Am I going to be upset?”
“You shouldn’t be because I’m telling you. I’ve had contact with Howie and McKinley.”
“Of course you have. When was that?”
Over the past few days.
He narrowed his gaze. “How? By using the computer?”
“No, I had a burner phone that I bought at a gas station that Mateo had stopped at. I knew I couldn’t use my phone, and I needed to have something just in case.”
“Why am I not the least bit shocked?”
She waved the question away. “McKinley sent me the photos of the night of Cross’s party. Unfortunately, my phone met with a premature death.”
“Are you thinking there’s something in the photos?”
“I have a question that I need answered, and the only way I’m going to find out if my instincts are accurate is by doing some investigating.”
*****
Mercy sat behind the computer in the security office, with Jag over her shoulder as they viewed the photos the drone had taken.
She looked up at him. “I knew it.”
“Knew what?”
“Howie said that he came looking for me at the billionaire party, and during that time, the mobile unit had been ransacked. He’s in none of these photos, and he would have been.”
“Maybe the drone didn’t catch everyone.”
“McKinley had the drone going over the warehouse. It’s heat-sensored, which means it detects people within a hundred-foot radius and takes a photo. Howie would be in one of these shots. He lied.”
“What are you thinking then?”
She rubbed the ache from her temples. “If he didn’t come in search of me, that meant he knew what was happening because he tipped Cross off. And if he didn’t leave the mobile unit, then he was the one who had ransacked the place, probably to destroy any data saved to my computer and to swipe the chip.”
“That’s a huge pill to swallow, but it makes sense. That’s how Cross was one step ahead of you.”
She jumped up from the chair, pacing the office floor. “It does make sense. Someone tipped Cross off that I would be at the party. He targeted me. The only people who knew outside of me were McKinley and Howie. The only one who had access to the mobile unit in that period was Howie.”
Jag dropped down into the chair. “What would he gain?”
“I don’t know, but I’m following my instincts and they’re telling me Howie knows something more.”
“Then what do you want to do?”
“Do you want to know?” She held Jag’s gaze.
“I do.”
“I’m going back,” she said. “I think it’s time I switched who the target is in this.”
Jag chuckled. “Mateo won’t agree.”
“You said yourself that it was time I stopped listening to Mateo.”
“That’s not what I said,” he stated firmly.
She crossed her arms defiantly. “I am going back. I’d like you to go with me, but even if you choose not to, I’m still going. Howie is my responsibility. I plan to get the information that will help put Cross away for good. Are you in?”
“Mateo is going to kill me,” he muttered.
“You know this is our only way. I saw the dream for SMH. I won't sit back and allow it to be destroyed.”