Innocent Target Read online

  Her eyes snapped open, and he knew he’d blown it when she pulled away, putting distance between them. Regret was a gut punch, knowing he’d made a mistake, but it also gave him an insight into the woman he wanted.

  “Is it possible Beth paid the rent so nobody would look in the apartment?” she said ignoring his question before walking to the other side of the couch as if not trusting herself.

  He’d give her that for now, allow her to retreat but not for long. “My sister knows me. She knows that’s the first place I’d look.”

  “So is it possible she wanted us to find the drugs?”

  James tipped his head in thought. “Maybe but why not just tell us what’s going on?”

  “Maybe she’s ashamed? Or frightened or not thinking straight. We can’t know what she’s been through the last few months. Being pregnant and in an impossible situation, perhaps she thinks she’s protecting you too.”

  “That sounds like Beth.” He gave a humorless laugh. “She’s a free spirit, but she’s also protective of those she loves.”

  “So, it makes sense she’d want to keep you out of any trouble and leaving Abbie with you is her way of protecting her daughter.”

  His cell rang, and he answered it quickly, seeing Shane’s name on the screen. “Yes?”

  “We just had a call from the FBI, your sister has been working with them to bring down Scorpion and the Henchmen.” Shane, as always, didn’t pull any punches.

  James’s hand tightened on the phone at the news. “The fuck? Why would they make a pregnant woman an asset?”

  He heard Shane sigh. “It seems they turned her when she got pregnant, threatened to take the baby if she didn’t help them.”

  “I’m gonna fucking kill them,” James growled.

  “I have a call into the director. I’m trying to find out who’s working the case. As you know, this isn’t protocol, even for them.”

  “No, this feels more like something the CIA would do.”

  “Agreed.”

  “Let me know when you hear anything.”

  James hung up and threw the phone onto the couch, watching it bounce and land on the floor.

  “What is it?”

  James relayed what he knew.

  “No wonder she left Abbie with you. She loses either way with this deal.”

  “I know, and when I find out who it is, they better fucking run because nobody threatens my family and walks away.”

  Someone was manipulating his sister, and now she was running for her life but was it from Scorpion or someone else?

  Chapter Six

  Mercy’s eyes burned as the dawn slowly lit the horizon. The night had been a long one. After Shane’s call, James had paced the living room, worried sick about Bethany. Only Abbie brought him back from his rage and forced him to return to the present. Mercy told him to rest as much as possible while the baby was sleeping, promising to wake him if she received any information about his sister.

  It was clear he wasn’t happy about it and would have preferred to be the one heading the investigation. However, his desire to protect his niece, as well as being in a safe house, forced him to revise his priorities, for the moment at least.

  Mercy felt fatigue invade her body, but an incoming email from Imari pushed aside her desire to lie down and rest. She’d sent them a link to a secure folder containing the pictures taken in Bethany’s apartment. The drugs were secured at the Agency, and Shane had advised them that, until they had more information, they’d keep the details close to the vest. The fact that a government agency was involved in this mess didn’t bode well, but she kept that to herself.

  During her years with the New Orleans Police Department, the FBI had too often put their slimy fingers where they shouldn’t have and caused more harm than good. She’d written an email to Imari about digging into any possible investigations currently taking place in Florida about the Henchmen, and if she sniffed the stink of the FBI, to let her know right away.

  Hunched over the coffee table in the living room, she told herself to take a quick nap, but her fingers clicked on the next folder instead—more pictures, and this time, of the top of the dresser. One thing was for sure, Emme was thorough. Although they’d made certain to leave the apartment mostly untouched, they’d documented everything just in case.

  There was a pink notebook that looked a bit worn. Emme had even taken pictures of the few scribbled pages inside. Bethany listed things she needed for the baby. Notes about baby formula. Even ideas for the baby’s name.

  Mercy almost felt like an intruder looking into this very personal side of the woman. Still, as a former cop, she knew how a small, seemingly insignificant detail could be the key to an entire investigation.

  Page after page, she looked at the notes, doodles, sketches. At first glance, nothing had any real value or consequence, but something bugged her.

  With a foggy brain, she looked again, and on the third pass noticed it. Several of the pages contained a strange doodle. Sometimes it was well defined, others, half penned, almost as if she’d been distracted while drawing it.

  The symbol looked like three chopped mountains forming a big triangle as a group. Not certain she wasn’t imagining things, Mercy started from the beginning and saw the same pattern drawn with more or less accuracy over several pages. How strange.

  Was it something of significance or was her tired mind playing tricks on her? Elbows on her knees, she put her face in her hands and exhaled deeply.

  Data circled for a moment before it blanked. Still debating if she should lie down or just keep going, the choice was taken away from her by a low whisper.

  “Don’t tell me you haven’t slept yet. Damn, Mercy! I thought you went to bed after the last time I fed Abbie.”

  She allowed herself to wince before lifting her head to look at James. Wearing only pajama pants that hung low on his hips, his defined body out of a dream, Mercy wanted to moan, but instead, turned the screen so he could see it, thus avoiding a confrontation. “Have you seen this before?”

  She could tell by the look on his face the topic wasn’t closed, but the disheveled agent did as she asked and crouched by the coffee table. A frown marred his face as he looked at the screen, giving her an immediate answer. “No. What is this?”

  “A notebook from Bethany’s apartment. It’s a drawing I found in numerous places in it, but nothing tells me what it represents.” Mercy rubbed her temple. “I may be overthinking this.”

  “Maybe, but maybe not. You won’t know if you burn yourself out from the start.”

  Annoyed, it was getting harder to speak softly. “I wanted to get a head start after Imari sent this over so I could update you when you woke. I know having to deal with Abbie you can’t be as hands-on as you like.”

  James’s expression softened. “I don’t want you to burn out. You know how much you need to keep your mind sharp to bring the bad guys down.”

  When he put his warm hand over hers, her cold fingers tingled. The fight fled from her. “Nothing fresh coffee won’t cure. It’s not as if we aren’t staying here for a while. I’ll have plenty of time to rest.”

  James didn’t answer at first and looked at his watch. Tightening his hold on her, he pulled her to her feet. Stumbling over the first few steps, Mercy dug her heels into the worn carpet. “What are you doing?”

  Instead of answering, he continued to pull her with him until they reached the bedroom. Abbie’s crib was against the wall and Mercy could see the little angel fast asleep.

  James turned instead of answering, put a finger to his lips, and continued pulling at her until she lay on the bed with him. Before she could react, he turned her over and pressed her back to his front, locking her in place with his arm around her waist.

  Dumbfounded, she tried to turn, but James didn’t yield and instead pressed his mouth against her ear. “I need to rest and not worry about your well-being. Indulge me for an hour, Mercy. Please.”

  It was the sincerity in his voice t
hat finally made her relax. He may not know it, but she was willing to do a lot for him.

  Silence surrounded them, and her body relaxed in the rhythm of his steady breathing and enveloping body heat. How many times had she imagined being in his arms?

  Mercy only allowed herself to close her eyes when his breathing slowed and his arm rested heavy over her hip, indicating he’d fallen asleep again.

  In the darkness, Mercy lowered her guard, confident James would protect her in this small cottage. She was floating on a cloud before cold rain whipped at her face.

  Fear coursed through her veins as she gripped her gun and went inside the shipyard. Protected from the elements, Mercy removed her earpiece, dismissing her boss’s commands to focus on the noises she could detect inside. With the downpour on the metal sheeting, it was almost impossible to discern any sound, but there was no way she’d walk away without her partner. She was part of NOPD SWAT, a remarkable achievement in itself, but Ian Guthrie would always be her partner.

  For her, loyalty was beyond a career choice, especially when true friendship was involved. Ian had been her rock from the moment she’d entered the force as a rookie. The experienced cop had considered her a valued member of the team, and not a fragile woman, as so many others saw her. He’d pushed her, encouraged her, and it was because of him that she achieved her greatest dream at such a young age.

  So, when she learned that a cartel had taken Ian and were holding him in a warehouse near the river, she’d barely taken the time to tell the SWAT supervisor of her intention before heading to help her friend.

  When she’d arrived, the rescue team was still debating the best entry point, but Mercy knew Ian was running out of time, and she wouldn’t wait while a bullet in the head killed him. Damn her job, damn her life, as long as Ian survived. He had a wife and kids and deserved to have a future.

  As she rushed forward, her eyes saw shadows moving on one side. From what she’d learned, the group was armed but small. She could take them down. That was her mantra. Kill them all so Ian could survive.

  Adrenaline sharpened her senses, steadying her hand. She had to move fast when one of the crew members headed in her direction. There was no hesitation when she brought him down, her eyes already on the next target. One by one, she advanced, taking down the bad guys, her only goal to save her friend.

  When she saw him, bloody and tied up on the floor, every ounce of control unraveled inside her. The last three men never saw her coming as she ended their lives way faster than they deserved.

  “Ian!” She dropped to her knees, untied him, and gently rolled him over. With trembling fingers, she called for backup, just as he opened his eyes.

  Tears wet her cheeks as Ian smiled despite his swollen face. “Are you causing trouble again, kid?”

  Mercy giggled and sobbed at the same time. “I learned from the best, old-timer. Don’t you dare die on me.”

  The man’s eyes twinkled in amusement until he looked away, and his expression changed to fear and fury.

  Time sped up, and Mercy could see one of the men she’d thought she’d killed aiming his gun at them with the cavalry coming in the distance. They would arrive too late, and Mercy reacted, throwing herself forward to protect Ian with her body. The sound of the shot reverberated through the space, immediately followed by a response from the incoming police force.

  Mercy half expected the impact of the bullet to end its course in her body armor and wasn’t prepared for the sudden explosion of fiery agony that made her topple forward.

  Stunned, all she could feel was pure fear as people surrounded her. When a paramedic arrived by her side and pressed a dressing to her stomach, she screamed at the pain until everything went black around her.

  Blinded by light, Mercy blinked several times, holding her belly as the phantom pain faded away. Disoriented, tears streaming down her cheeks, she looked around, realizing where she was. She was alone in bed and the crib was empty. In the distance, she heard the sound of James’s voice as he spoke to Abbie.

  Still in the throes of what she wished was only a nightmare, hearing everything she could never have in the kitchen, Mercy buried her head in the pillows to muffle the sound, and cried.

  Chapter Seven

  James studied her closely as she walked from the bedroom where he’d left her sleeping. Mercy looked exhausted, but the dark circles had gone, proving that she’d got some rest at least, but they had been replaced by redness and he knew she’d been crying and wanted to know why but didn’t want to push too hard. James had held her when he’d woken to find her head on his chest. It had been the most settling thing he could remember doing in a long time.

  Even as she slept, something plagued her. A nightmare stalked her as she whimpered, her body tensing. It was another feeling of helplessness, and yet, her trust in him was a gift he treasured. Mercy never allowed anyone to see her weakness, or at least what she perceived as one.

  Once she was sleeping soundly, he’d slid from beneath her body and taken Abbie into the central part of the house. He’d put in a call to Shane who’d updated him on everything they’d found so far.

  It was a strange, almost surreal situation to be in. He was an uncle to a newborn, who was entirely in his inexperienced care. His sister was missing and in danger, and instead of being in the thick of the investigation, he was in hiding.

  Not being part of the action didn’t sit well with him, but he couldn’t regret this time he got to spend with Mercy and Abbie. He’d seen a side to Mercy he knew few people had, and the fact she’d showed it to him said more than her words ever would.

  “I’m making scrambled eggs, bacon, and toast. Do you want some?”

  A small grin lit her lips, making his heart jump at the sight. “Yeah, that’d be good.”

  She walked around behind him and peered at Abbie, who was sleeping in her bassinet, which he’d brought from the bedroom and set up in the living room. It was cozy in here now, and he wanted her where he could see her.

  “She looks so peaceful. I wonder if babies dream?”

  James snorted. “Probably about milk and what a weird place they’re in now.”

  Mercy walked back toward him, and he saw the dreamy expression leave her face to be replaced by her business one. “Any word from the team?”

  James stared for a second before he turned to the hob, willing to let her hide this time. He wanted much more from her than a quick fuck, and he was a patient man when he needed to be. “I spoke to Shane and he gave me the update. He also said my family hasn’t heard from Beth, but they’re all safe. He and Nick have a buddy who’s ex-FBI and a profiler. They’re going to ask him if anyone springs to mind. They think they’ve narrowed it down between two field offices.”

  “Which ones?”

  “Not sure. He said he’d update me when they know more.”

  “What about Scorpion?”

  James’s lips thinned as he popped the bread in the toaster, feeling fury ripple through him as he turned his back to Mercy, not wanting her to see the monster he was when he thought about the man who’d fathered his niece.

  “Hey.” He felt her hand on his back and stiffened. “Don’t hide from me, James.”

  He gave a short, humorless laugh as he glanced at her. “Only room for one of us doing that, hey, Merc?” He saw a flicker of pain cross her face before she shut it down and backed up.

  He grabbed her arm and pulled her into his body. “I’m sorry, that was out of line. I just feel so fucking helpless.” He let the impotence he felt show, allowing her to see him and the fear he experienced for his sister.

  Mercy raised her hand and stroked his cheek, the bristles catching on her soft skin. “I understand what it is to have someone you care about missing. The fear, the anger, and the heart-stopping impotence that you may not find them in time. I get it, but we have to be a team on this, James. Don’t shut me out.”

  James slid a palm to her back pulling her closer, so their bodies were touching, her hands s
liding to his chest. “Are we a team, Merc? Is it me and you?”

  She stared at him, her tongue poking out to lick her bottom lip, the pulse in her neck hammering faster. “I can’t give you what you need, James.”

  “How do you know what I need?” His hands held her upper arms, the skin soft under his touch.

  Mercy looked up at him, the height difference making her tip her head back to look at him. “I have eyes. I see the love you have for your family, for your friends. You’re a family man at heart, James.”

  He tipped his head. “You don’t want a family?” Maybe he’d read her wrong, but his gut told him she did, despite her outward attitude.

  She pulled away as the toast popped and he let her, knowing she needed space and hoping he could get in her head and find out what was going on, and something was definitely going on with her. He plated up the bacon, eggs, and toast and brought it to the table where Mercy had taken a seat next to the bassinet without seeming to realize.

  They began to eat before Mercy spoke. “I want a family, James. I want what everyone else does, but it just isn’t on the cards for everyone.”

  His fork stopped halfway to his mouth at the sad acceptance in her voice, making him ache to hold her.

  Her eyes were on Abbie as she spoke again. “I got injured on an op and lost my left ovary. Which in itself is bad enough, but I also have a condition called endometriosis which causes tissue to grow on my fallopian tubes and ovaries. It makes having a family of my own difficult. I may never be a mother, James. Do you understand what I’m saying to you?” Her eyes raised to his then, and the anguish there almost leveled him.

  Standing, he crossed to her side of the table and crouched next to her, taking her hand. “Mercy, I’m so sorry. That must be awful, and I know from what my sister has said it causes a great deal of pain.”