29
Wylder
As the vanclimbed up the hill to the Noble mansion, I glanced at Mercy. She had a speck of mud on her cheek that I instinctively reached out to flick off. Mercy looked at me, a wicked smile crossing her lips, and for a moment I almost forgot about where we were and the fact that we were about to confront my Dad.
Almost, but not quite.
Just hours ago, I’d had my cock balls-deep in her tight asshole as she writhed between me and the only guys I trusted in this world. It’d been some kind of heaven watching her come apart for us. But I didn’t deserve any kind of heaven if I couldn’t also make sure she was safe from my own family.
Rowan parked in front of the mansion. Immediately, the atmosphere in the van turned somber. Tight lipped, Mercy got up and shoved her gun in the back of her jeans. She touched her pocket where I knew she kept the little bracelet she always carried on her.
The rest of us kept our weapons in our hands. We weren’t going to go in instigating a fight, but we’d be ready to defend her the second we needed to.
Anthea’s favorite Mercedes was parked in the circular drive already. She got out when we did, moving to join us. I’d texted her letting her know we’d be coming, and she’d wanted to show her support.
We fell into a ring around Mercy, me in the front, Rowan and Gideon on either side, and Kaige behind her. Anthea stayed beside me. We marched through the crisp evening air up the stairs and into the stark light of the mansion’s foyer.
Axel was already standing there, a cigarette dangling from his mouth. This time it was lit. A few other guys were hanging back closer to the wall.
“So the kid’s come back,” he said around the cig. “Your dad’ll want to see you in his office.” Then his gaze caught on Mercy, and his eyes narrowed. “What the fuck is she doing here?”
“She’s with me,” I said, firm but even. “And how many times have I talked to you about smoking in the house?”
Axel snorted. “What are you going to do about it?”
I walked up to him, snatched the cigarette from his lips, and crushed it under my heel. As I stepped back to rejoin the others, Axel scowled at me. “He’s not going to want her getting any farther into the house.”
“Then I guess we’ll just have to talk here,” I said. “It’s up to him. Are you going to tell him I’m back, or should we all go see what he has to say for himself?”
Before Axel could answer, Dad appeared at the top of the staircase. “I’m more interested in hearing what you have to say for yourself,” he said in a cold voice that carried through the high-ceilinged room.
Apprehension prickled over me, but I held my ground. Dad strolled down the stairs as if there was nothing all that urgent about this confrontation, but I saw him take note of Mercy and watched his gaze harden even more.
It really was up to him whether we hashed this out here or in the greater privacy of his office, but I wasn’t walking away from her, that was for sure.
“I had business to take care of,” I said. “Protecting our interests. And that included making sure we have Mercy Katz on our side, no matter what you say about it.”
Dad came to a stop at the bottom of the stairs. He made no move to usher us elsewhere. His hands were empty, but I knew he’d have at least one gun on him somewhere. I wasn’t going to give him a single clear shot at Mercy.
“I decide what protects the Nobles’ interests,” he said in an icy tone. “You don’t have that authority yet, as you’ve apparently forgotten. Or have you simply chosen this whore over your other loyalties? She opened her legs to you, and you forgot about family, just like that?”
Mercy shifted her weight behind me but stayed silent. I’d asked her to let me handle my dad, but I had to imagine that promise was burning her up inside now.
I raised my chin. “I haven’t forgotten my place. I’m here, aren’t I? We’ve been in the Bend fighting against the Storm’s forces, and Mercy’s been with us every step of the way.”
Ezra snorted. “How honorable of her, considering the fact that she’s the one who brought that psychotic man of his to our door in the first place.”
“Her leaving hasn’t stopped the Storm’s people from targeting us,” I pointed out. “We’ve been able to weaken their resources and steal valuable intel on their operations with her help. Help we’re lucky she’s willing to give, considering that you’ve been trying to get her killed one way or another for weeks now. She’s shown more loyalty to the Nobles than practically anyone around here even with you treating her like crap.”
“I don’t owe anything to a stray who came begging for charity,” Dad said even more coldly than before. “Besides, you haven’t made all that much progress, have you? Xavier isn’t dead, is he? And we’re no closer to finding out the reason he and his people are here.”
“Maybe not,” I said. “But we’ve weakened them and we showed them we aren’t going to go down easy. We’re already putting together a plan to get them out of here for good.”
“None of that matters. I gave you an order, Wylder. You went against my wishes and continued to align yourself with her. You have one last opportunity to rectify that now.”
“No,” I snapped. “You have the chance to get your head out of your ass and start treating her like the valuable ally she is.”
“Or what?” Dad demanded. “You’ll run off again like the spoiled brat you apparently are? I raised you better than this.”