“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded.
“Your interest in her clearly goes far beyond ensuring the success of our organization. I think it’s personal now. Perhaps it has been all along.” He pinned me with his stare, as if he thought he could read the truth from my mind straight through my skull.
I did my best imitation of his hardened expression, shoving down my apprehension. The last thing we needed was him realizing just how much Mercy meant to me—and not just me but my friends as well.
“That’s not true,” I insisted. “All I care about is getting the Nobles through this unexpected war. I’ll use whatever I can, and she’s nothing but a means to an end.”
“That’s not how it looked to me when you told her to take off on us,” Axel muttered, and turned to my father. “He got awfully up close and personal with her, murmuring in her ear. Protecting her from us mattered more to him than facing up to how he went against your orders.”
My jaw set on edge. “No one asked your opinion.”
“But I’m glad to hear it, especially considering it supports my suspicions.” Dad pushed back his chair and stood up, bringing the full impact of his height to bear. We stood equally tall, but he had a little more heft to his shoulders and a weight to his presence that always made me feel smaller.
I remembered abruptly Mercy’s comments outside the arcade the other night—how she’d noticed one of Axel’s men there. I hadn’t really figured he was acting outside of Axel’s orders, but if I could use it to deflect even a little attention from this line of conversation, I’d take it.
“Maybe you should be aiming some of those suspicions at your right-hand man,” I said to Dad, motioning toward Axel. “He doesn’t seem to be keeping very good track of his people.”
Axel’s head jerked around. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
I met his gaze with my own accusing one. “We’ve seen one of the guys who reports to you in deep with the Storm’s people, acting all chummy with them. What’s that all about?”
To my surprise, rather than shooting back a quick retort, Axel’s expression twitched with what looked like surprise. Had he not actually known about his underling’s activities? But a second later, he was glowering at me again. “I’ve told my men to take the lay of the land and find out what we’re up against. They’re following their orders.”
“And what have they managed to uncover so far?” I asked.
“Enough with the interrogation,” Dad snapped. “I brought you here to get an explanation for your behavior, not put one of my most trusted men on trial.”
I spun back to face him. “This is what you’ve been training me for, isn’t it? To develop my judgment and trust my instincts. I’m telling you that Mercy is doing a lot more good than harm to our interests—yours and mine—and I wouldn’t have anything to do with her if that wasn’t true.”
“That’s not what I see,” Dad said, staring me down. “I see a child taking on decisions bigger than himself and putting us all in harm’s way just to satisfy his own ego and urges.”
How the hell did I get through to him? “You have to trust me on this,” I started, knowing I was losing the argument but refusing to give up.
Before I could go on, Dad stepped around the desk to loom right over me. “And why the fuck would I do that when you went behind my back and did the exact thing I asked you not to?”
“He’s still a boy,” Axel sneered. “Me and my men will clean up the mess in the Bend a lot faster than they’ve managed with all their running around with the girl.”
“Yes. I think if Wylder wants to prove what he’s really made of, he’ll need to start by cleaning up his mess.” Dad turned to Axel. “Where did Mercy go?”
“She took off running—I didn’t want to go after her when I knew it was more important we deal with our own.” Axel shot an accusing look at me. “I’d bet he knows.”
I didn’t, though. Mercy was smart enough not to go back to the new apartment, one that was in the Nobles’ name. I had no idea where she’d have fled to, and that realization made my heart sink.
Of course, it wouldn’t be that hard to find out. She’d still have her phone. I could reach out to her in an instant. No way in hell was I telling the men in front of me that.
“How should I know?” I said. “We met up at agreed spots. I have no clue what she was up to the rest of the time.”
“We’ll track her down quickly enough,” Axel said.
Dad made a dismissive gesture. “No need for that. Like I said, my son needs to clean up his own mess.” He lifted his chin toward me. “I want you to track her down.”
If my heart had sunk before, now it dropped all the way to my shoes. “What for? I thought you didn’t want me to have anything to do with her.”
Dad gave me a sardonic smile. “Oh, there’s one thing I’d like you to do with her, just to ensure that we’re still clear that family comes first. The girl has served her purpose. We can no longer allow her to undermine our standing in Paradise Bend. The sooner she’s out of the way, the less our association with her will injure us in the long run. Before she can become any more of a threat than she already is, you’re going to get rid of her.”
My throat constricted. “You want me to kill Mercy,” I repeated, with the faint hope that I’d somehow misunderstood his meaning.
No such luck.
“You heard me,” Ezra said. “Your defiance has put you on thin ice. Do this, and you’ll have started to earn my trust back. I need my heir to be ruthless and focused. I need to know that when the time comes for you to lead the Nobles, you won’t be taken off course by petty little distractions.”
He spoke as if Mercy’s life meant nothing at all. I couldn’t help arguing, even as a wave of hopelessness crashed over me. Once Ezra Noble set down a decree, his mind wasn’t going to be changed. “But if you just—”
He held up his hand to stop me, his expression as foreboding as I’d ever seen it. “I don’t want to hear another word about it. You say she’s just a means to an end to you? Then make her a means to getting back into my good graces. Kill her, and bring me the proof. You have five days.”