Chapter Twenty-Five
Once Mercy exited the Uber, she quickly took stock of her surroundings.
The secluded farm appeared to be something out of a horror film.
As she began to ask the driver a question, the car pulled away.
She held the burner phone in her hand. At any moment, she could call Jag or Mateo, but she wanted to be brave. She needed to show her brother that she was a grown-up, capable of handling difficult situations as well.
This need to be seen encouraged her to call Howie. “I’m here at the farm,” she told him when he answered.
He gave her instructions and she started walking up the dirt drive
She heard the rumbling of an engine and used her hand as a visor against the bright sunlight, watching the car turn into the lane, kicking up a cloud of dust. As it got closer, she recognized it as the car that almost hit her in Shades Cove.
Howie was driving.
Her breath became labored.
Had she made the wrong choice?
He pulled up and said through the open window, “Get in.”
Hesitation froze her to the dirt below her feet.
“Come on, Mercy. You didn’t come all this way to back out now, did you?” Howie smirked.
Seeing his cunning expression gave her a boost of bravery.
She climbed in and he reversed the car, backing out onto the narrow road.
“We’re not staying here?” she asked.
“I had to be cautious.” He drove south on a road that led them into an area where there were very few houses. “By now, you must recognize the car.”
“As the one who almost ran me over. Yes. I thought we were friends?” She wished she didn’t feel hurt by his reckless behavior.
“I had every intention of running you over, but at the last minute, I couldn’t do it. I still have a sliver of humanity remaining in me I guess.”
“At least you can be honest about something,” she said with a snort.
“There’s no reason for me to lie now.” He turned the car onto a dirt lane, following it to what appeared to be an abandoned house. “Leave the phone here.” He got out.
She still had a chance to…what?
She placed the phone in the console and stepped out. He’d already entered the house, and as she walked inside, a strong odor of mildew and mold overwhelmed her senses.
Howie was sitting in a chair, looking unwell. His hair was unkempt, his clothes were dirty, and he seemed very unhappy. “Have a seat,” he demanded.
She chose the cleanest-looking chair. “Why are we here?”
“This place belonged to my wife’s parents. All she ever wanted was to buy it and fix it up.” He grunted. “While some people turn to alcohol and drugs to self-medicate, my weakness is gambling. What began as an innocent way to cope became a monster I could no longer control. I spent every dime of my savings, and eventually, my wife’s savings, until she got smart and left me. Gambling became all I had, and before long, I found myself in debt beyond my ability to repay. Men like Cross aren’t as forgiving as banks.”
“So you owe Cross money?”
“Lots of money. Then I either had a choice to help him, or I was going to end up in the swamp. At that time, I felt like my hands were tied. I saw a chance that my marriage could be reconciled.”
“Why didn’t you say something? I could have helped in some way.”
He chuckled. “Mercy, I was a dead man walking the moment I took a loan from Cross. There was nothing you or anyone could do. But in the end, I couldn’t hurt you. You’ve been kind to me. Friends. So, I drove here and I’ve been waiting, hoping you’d get to the recorder before Cross did.”
“Help Mateo take down Cross,” she urged. “You can work things out with your wife. You can help yourself.” She didn’t like the hopelessness in his expression.
“It’s too late. I can get rid of Cross only to face others who have much more power than that bastard. However,” he reached over into a drawer and took something out, tossing it into her lap. “You might want to put that in a safe place. Maybe next to the taser in your pocket. The chip that contains every file, every document, every list that was on Cross’s system. I was smart enough to know it might come in handy one day.”
“This was a smart choice.”
“I’m certain you have a tracker on you.”
“I don’t.”
“It doesn’t matter at this point. The cavalry is here now.” He leaned forward in the chair to peek outside.
Mercy jumped up and looked. Her heart sank. Two black Escalades were flying up the lane. She swiveled to look at Howie in disbelief. “What did you do?” So he was going to feed her to the wolves anyway?
He reached into the drawer, and this time he took out what looked like a contraption a kid would put together in art class. She looked closer and realized it was a bomb.
He pressed a button.
“What are you doing, Howie? Don’t do this?” Fear raced through her.
“Here’s what’s going to happen. You have about sixty seconds to get out the back door and run, as fast as you can, before I blow this sum’bitch up. Pray I take Cross and his men with me.”
She stared in disbelief as the SUV's tires grew louder outside.
“Howie, please,” she begged.
“You’re a kind woman and the smartest one I've ever met. Now take that chip and get the hell out of here.”
A door slammed outside.
She realized Howie had made up his mind.
She raced down the hallway, into the kitchen, and felt her stomach drop. The door was barricaded with two-by-fours.
She scanned the dilapidated room and saw that one of the windows was open. The screen was ripped as if someone had entered that way a few times.
Hearing the screech of the front door open, she climbed out onto the back porch as quietly as possible.
Mercy didn’t have time to think where she was going. She ran. Fast.
She didn’t get far before she heard the powerful engine of one of the Escalades coming toward her. There was nowhere for her to go. Eventually, she couldn’t hear anything but the sound of her heart beating faster.
She remembered Jag telling her, Sometimes a hunted person must stop and become the hunter.
Looking over her shoulder, she saw a man barreling down on her. It was Cross’s bodyguard.
No way could she outrun him.
She stopped, taking the taser from her pocket. It was her only chance.
He was panting and out of breath by the time he got close. “You’re going to pay for making me run, bitch.”
She looked past the man’s shoulder and saw Cross coming toward them. His smile spoke volumes about how proud he was of himself.
“Well, well, well. You aren’t as smart as Howie made you out to be—”
A loud blast filled the air. The house exploded, sending debris flying. The force of the bomb knocked Mercy to the ground onto her back, nearly knocking her out.
Moaning, she lifted onto one elbow. The house was engulfed in flames.
It took all her strength to push herself to her feet.
The bodyguard was also on the ground, shaking his head as if trying to regain his bearings.
“Get her!” Cross yelled from where he lay on the grass. Blood was oozing from a wound on his head.
The bodyguard wobbled to a weak stand. He, too, had suffered minor injuries.
Mercy took backward steps. She no longer had the taser. It lay on the ground, out of her reach, between her and the thug.
The putrid smell of the old house burning seared Mercy’s nostrils.
She felt sick. Her head hurt. She couldn’t think clearly.
Where could she go?