Chapter 2
— Mercedes —
We reached capacity by ten p.m., and that was when my night turned to shit. I was in the midst of making another round of cocktails for a group of girls when a suppressive weight bore down on me out of nowhere. I instinctively knew without looking that the man I’d been avoiding for the last three months had picked this night to confront me, knowing I was cornered with nowhere to run.
My eyes lifted from the cocktails to find Landon standing before me. Thank God for the bar top being a barrier between us. Still, he was close enough to send a shudder down my spine.
His forced smile emphasized the ice in his glacial eyes. “I’ve missed you,” he stated without a greeting.
“That’s nice,” I snapped, not paying him any more attention. As far as I was concerned, those five seconds were more than wasted on him.
“I’m ready to try again,” he added.
I swapped positions with Amy, now covering her end of the bar. As I reached up to pull a fresh beer for Fields, Landon’s fingers wrapped around my wrist and bit hard.
“Didn’t you hear me, Mercedes? I said we’re going to try again. I’ve worked through my shit, and I’ve changed.”
I tugged, but his grip tightened. “Let me go,” I hissed through my teeth, flicking my attention quickly to Fields, who looked about to intervene.
“You don’t get a choice, Mercedes,” Landon spat. “Your games end tonight, and you’ll come home with me.”
My body heated with anger. “How many times do I need to tell you to fuck off before you understand? I’m never going back to you. You literally knocked out my teeth the last time I gave you a second chance. I’m not stupid enough to fall for your lies again,” I hissed.
Landon seemed to have zero situational awareness, and he took it a step further by roughly pulling me toward him, sending my free hand slamming onto the bar counter as I lurched forward.
“I’ll do more than knock out a few teeth if you don’t fucking wise up—”
The fury burning in Fields’s eyes intensified a thousand times over, and he moved without warning. Within a blink, he had his arm around Landon’s neck and squeezing the ever-loving fuck out of him. Landon’s fingers released my wrist and urgently scrambled at Fields’s arm, desperately trying to loosen the barring hold the youngest Gatlin brother had on him.
Fields didn’t let up until Landon’s eyes rolled back and his body sagged to the floor. Fields’s eyes then met mine. “He grabbed you with his left hand, right?”
Shaken, I nodded wordlessly and rubbed at my smarting wrist.
He moved around Landon’s still body and started stomping.
“Oh my God! Fields, what are you doing?” I exclaimed.
Reed, noticing the commotion, rushed over and manhandled his younger brother away from Landon. Fields shook out of his hold and held up his hands to convey he was done.
His emotionless gaze then met mine. “I broke his fingers, so he won’t be touching you again—any time soon, at least.”
I nodded and pressed a trembling hand to my lips. I didn’t know whether to be appalled or thankful.
Either way, Scout and Reed quickly dispersed the scene and dragged Landon from the pub by his wrists, then Reed appeared in front of me a minute later.
He couldn’t help but revert into police mode. “Did he assault you again?”
I grimaced and rubbed my wrist against my torso to try to remove the lingering sting. “Yeah. Minorly.”
His expression darkened. “Come by the station in the morning and file a report. I’m fucking sick of that asshole doing whatever the fuck he wants.”
My body tremored with a delayed surge of adrenaline. “O-okay.”
Despite trying my best to not let Landon get to me, I burst into tears. I’d been walking on eggshells for the last three months and it had worn me down. My confidence was at an all-time low when I used to be so self-assured I could have ruled the world.
I turned my back while fighting to pull myself together, focusing on inhaling long and slow. Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders and pulled me against a solid chest.
“It’s okay, Merce,” Scout whispered into my ear. “We’ve got your back.”
“I’m tired of being scared, Scout,” I admitted, unable to stop myself from falling apart in his arms.
“I know, Shorty. A whole heap of people saw what he did, so we’re gonna take him down together, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
Wendy came to our side and touched my shoulder. “Jesus Christ, Reed just told me what happened. Take a break out back, hon.”
Scout’s voice vibrated within his chest under my cheek. “Can I go with her, Wends?”
“Of course. Off you go. Anything she needs, drink or food, help yourself, Scout.”
“Thanks, Wendy,” he murmured, then escorted me into the back office.
As soon as we stepped into the quiet room and he clicked the door shut behind us, Scout’s arms wrapped around me and held so tight I could barely breathe.
“Fuck, Merce,” he murmured, tone filled with heartache and worry.
“I’m sorry,” I sobbed. “I’ve been trying so hard to avoid him and never thought he’d confront me at work.”
“Not the fucking point, Shorty,” Scout hissed. “I don’t know how Fields stopped at just choking him out. The broken fingers are nothing compared to what he deserves.”
I gently extracted myself from Scout’s arms. “I know. If I had it my way, I’d never see him again. Unfortunately, short of moving towns, there’s not much I can do.”
“He’s an abuser, babe. He’s the one that needs to be put behind bars.”
I snorted humorlessly. “Ironic, since I wouldn’t have met him if Beckett wasn’t in jail.”
Scout’s expression transformed from anger to remorse. “It’s a night I’ll never forget, no matter how hard I try.”
We’d both been in the car that fateful night. Along with two other friends, plus Beckett, who got behind the wheel. We’d been at a party and Beckett assured us he was okay to drive. But we hit someone. Someone who died from their injuries, and Beckett was jailed with a minimum sentence of nine years and eight months.
A shudder ran through my body as my stomach turned on itself. “I’m glad I don’t remember the actual accident. It sickens me enough knowing I was in the car…”
“I’m fucking glad you don’t, Merce.” Scout’s lip curled in revulsion. “I wish I could erase it from my memory. It still turns my stomach ill.”
While he remembered the accident, Scout had never discussed the details with me to shield me from the horror that plagued him. He once explained that he didn’t want it haunting me like it haunted him, so from that day onward, I never asked about it again.
“Thank you for always sticking up for me,” I whispered, and tried my best to smile.
A light fist bump landed on my shoulder. “Anytime, Shorty.”
I threw my arms around his neck and hugged him hard, filled with gratitude and affection. He hugged me back just as tight, then kept his hands on my ribcage when I eased away.
Dark-brown eyes bore into mine. “Doin’ okay?”
I nodded and ran both index fingers under my eyes, hoping to undo any mascara smearing. “I am, thank you. Too bad we weren’t catching up over less heavy matters, though.”
Scout popped a smirk. “Next time, eh?”
A half-hearted giggle escaped my mouth as I turned to the mirror hanging by the door. “Yeah… in another two years.”
He folded his arms over his chest and gave me a sassy look. “You could come visit me in Portland, you know.”
My gaze connected with his through the reflection. “You need to come home more often.”
He rolled his eyes. “Now you’re sounding like Mom.”
I turned and playfully patted his chest. “It’s only because we miss you. I’d better get back to work—walk me out?”
That created the wide grin I’d missed. “Fuck yeah. C’mon, Shorty, wanna get all nostalgic and do some Quick Fuck shots with me? Wendy said to get you whatever you wanted or needed, and in my professional opinion, you could use a Quick Fuck or two.”
I knocked the laughter out of him with a quick backhand to his stomach and snickered wickedly. “I need more than a quick fuck, Scout. Getting out of this freaking town is what I need. But for now, two shots, max.”