He cut me off smoothly. “Ah, yes, the Claws heir under my roof. Maybe you can explain why we’re still entertaining her.”
“She’s quite a handful,” Axel put in before I could reply. “Feisty little thing. You’ll like her, boss.”
One of Dad’s eyebrows arched. “Will I?”
I cursed Axel silently, my stomach lurching. My father’s interest in Mercy was the last thing I wanted.
Reining in my temper, I groped for the clearest, most dispassionate account I could give before this meeting went completely off the rails. “As I mentioned before, she’s the one who made the connection between Titus and Gia. And the Claws don’t exist anymore. She came to us because Colt Bryant, the leader of the Steel Knights, murdered her family and her father’s closest associates.”
Dad regarded me without any visible reaction. “And how does that affect us?”
It affected me, more than even I was really comfortable with. Even hearing him question it set off a fresh flare of anger, spurred hotter by the memory of finding Mercy scratched up and blood-splattered in the Bend yesterday. That fucking asshole had destroyed everything she had and then come back to finish the job by tearing her apart too—
I caught my hands just before they clenched and gave away my fury. Mercy was ours now. It was that simple. And Colt needed to find out exactly what happened to people who messed with what belonged to the Nobles.
I just couldn’t put it to Dad quite like that without putting her at even more risk.
“Bryant’s move on the Claws was the beginning of a hostile takeover,” I said. “He’s rapidly been expanding his territory throughout the Bend, and he’s made it clear that he isn’t going to stop there. He has plans to take Paradise City as well.”
Behind me, Axel snorted. Dad raised both eyebrows. “And you feel this is a legitimate threat?”
I had to walk carefully here. I couldn’t make it sound as if I doubted his hold over Paradise Bend, but I still had to make it clear that we needed to take action.
“Bryant has proven that he’s ruthless and committed, and we’ve gotten reports of massive weapons shipments that he’s brought in. He’s been adding to his manpower as well, taking on new recruits. The Steel Knights’ mark is all over the Bend, with none of the other gangs out there strong enough to contest his invasion into their territory. I’m sure we can stamp out his insurrection, but there’ll be less bloodshed on our side if we crush him quickly and decisively before he’s gained any more ground.”
While I spoke, I eyed my father carefully. Mercy’s suggestion that he might have encouraged Colt to snatch her off our doorstep had made me balk instinctively, but could I say absolutely for sure Dad wasn’t playing some kind of long game I didn’t know about? Nothing was ever completely off the table when it came to Ezra Noble. If he felt it’d advance his plans in some way that hadn’t occurred to me, it was possible.
“And?” he prompted, giving away nothing.
Frustration raked through me. “Isn’t that reason enough? He’s openly defying our authority. How can we let that stand?”
“Watch your tone,” Dad said in a low voice, and my mouth snapped shut. I hated how quick I leapt to obey him, but I was well aware of the potential consequences of defiance. Questioning his judgment was only a short step from mutiny in his eyes, and he’d be a hell of a lot angrier about that from me than some small-time gang leader from the Bend.
“None of this explains why we’re keeping this girl around,” Dad said. “We’re not a charity. If her father did his job right, she can fend for herself. Why shouldn’t I have her escorted off the premises right now?”
I flinched inwardly. Because there were men crawling all through the Bend waiting for the chance to gut her for Colt’s good favor. Because she’d proven she could stand with us, and I’d promised her my help—sworn it on my blood.
Because the thought of her vanishing from my life like she almost had yesterday set all my nerves on edge with the desire to rip apart whoever was responsible. Even if it was my father.
The strength of that reaction hit me like a cold slap, bringing me back to reality. Nothing could matter that much to me—definitely not some gang princess who’d turned up at our door like a lost kitten, no matter how capable she was. No matter how much space she’d somehow taken up in my head. This was just business.
It had to be, as far as Dad was concerned.
“She’s had an inside view on Colt’s operations, and she’s eager to see him taken down after what he did to the Claws. I believe she’s a valuable asset. She’s proven herself loyal to us throughout the tests I’ve put her through. You know I wouldn’t trust an outsider without good reason.”
The look Dad gave me suggested he didn’t actually believe he knew that for sure, even though I’d never given him any reason to doubt me. My teeth set on edge.
“Is that all there is to it?” he asked. “You have no other attachment to her?”
“No,” I said, keeping my voice as firm and flat as I could. I couldn’t afford for him to even consider that Mercy was more than a useful chess-piece. “I barely know her. I simply believe in making use of what we can while we can. Her father has trained her well. She’s the one who discovered the weapons shipments. And she brought Titus’s murderer to justice. Don’t you think she deserves some recognition for that, not to be tossed onto the street? We wouldn’t have much more honor than Bryant otherwise.”
Dad rubbed his chin and glanced past me to Axel. “What do you think?”
Irritation flared through me. Why was he pulling the other man into this? Axel hadn’t gotten involved in anything to do with Mercy other than to make accusations at my men and sneer at her.
Axel shrugged. “I think Colt is a fool, and sooner or later things will blow over. We’ve seen minor uprisings in the Bend before, and they’ve never come to much.”
“This isn’t the same as before,” I said. “It’s definitely not minor.”