Mercy

  “Okay,” he said calmly. “What did I win?”

  “You know what I’m talking about, but since we’re alone, why don’t I spell it out? This game we’ve been playing. You win. I honestly thought I was holding my own, but obviously I was wrong. I’m just not good at it. Okay? So you win.”

  “What exactly do I win?”

  “Sex.”

  He raised an eyebrow. “What?”

  “You heard me. We’re going to have sex, Theo Buchanan. Oops, I mean we’re going to have great sex. Got that?”

  A devilish smile crossed Theo’s face, and then he seemed to stare off into space. Was he already thinking about making love, or couldn’t he pay attention long enough to listen to her concede?

  “Michelle, honey —”

  “You’re not paying attention, are you? I want to have sex with you. The bad kind,” she qualified. “You know what I’m talking about. The hot, steamy, tear-our-clothes-off, mind-blowing, scream-out-loud sex. Like in the old song ‘All Night Long,’ that’s you and me, babe. All night long. You name the time and the place, and I’m there.”

  She’d apparently rendered him speechless. That had to be a first. Maybe she wasn’t so bad at this stuff after all. Theo just stared at her with that lopsided grin in place. She suddenly felt as cocky as a rooster getting ready to crow.

  She folded her arms across her waist and demanded, “So? What have you got to say to that?”

  He took a step toward her. “Michelle, I’d like you to meet an old friend of mine, Noah Clayborne. Noah, this is Michelle Renard.”

  He was bluffing. He had to be bluffing. She gave a tiny shake of her head. He nodded. She shook her head again, whispered, “Oh, God,” and closed her eyes. This couldn’t be happening.

  She didn’t want to turn around. She wanted to vanish into thin air. How long had he been standing there? Her face began to burn. She swallowed, then forced herself to turn.

  He was there, all right. Tall, blond, amazing blue eyes, and a killer smile.

  “It’s nice to meet you,” she stammered. Her voice sounded like she had laryngitis.

  Until she’d turned, she hadn’t thought it could get any worse. She was wrong about that. Her father was standing in the doorway, just a few feet away from Noah, and he was definitely close enough to have overheard what she’d said to Theo. Maybe he hadn’t heard, though. Maybe he’d just gotten there. She gathered her courage and glanced at him. Daddy looked thunderstruck.

  Michelle came up with a quick game plan. She would simply pretend it hadn’t happened.

  “Did you just get here?” she asked nonchalantly.

  “Uh-huh,” Noah drawled. “So, Theo, are all the pretty ladies in Bowen this friendly?”

  The door slammed shut behind her father as he rushed forward. Now he appeared mortified. “When I said ‘put out the welcome mat,’ I thought you understood what I meant. There’s friendly and then there’s real friendly, and I raised you to know the difference.”

  “Daddy, Theo was flirting, and I was simply calling his bluff.”

  “I wasn’t bluffing.” Theo shrugged.

  Her foot came down hard on top of his exactly one second later.

  “Yes, you were,” she said. “Honest, Daddy, I was just . . . teasing.”

  “We’ll be talking about this later, young lady,” Jake said as he turned and walked back inside.

  Then Noah piped in. “Theo was flirting? You’re kidding about that, aren’t you?”

  “He was flirting.”

  “We’re talking about the guy standing behind you. Theo Buchanan?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s hard to believe. I don’t think he knows how to flirt.”

  “Oh, he’s really good at it. Honest,” she insisted.

  “Yeah? It must be you, then. I was telling Jake that this is the first time in over five years that I’ve seen Theo wearing anything but a suit and a tie. He’s always been a workaholic for as long as I’ve known him. Maybe you bring out the bad,” he said, drawing the word out, “in him.”

  She took a step back and bumped into Theo. She wasn’t thinking about running, but she didn’t like knowing he blocked her exit. “Could we please change the subject?” she asked.

  Noah took pity on her. “Sure we can. Theo told me you’re a doctor.”

  “Yes, that’s right.” Good, she was back on safe ground. Maybe Noah had some kind of medical problem and wanted her advice. God, she hoped so.

  “What kind of a doctor are you?”

  “She’s a surgeon,” Theo answered.

  Noah grinned. “Aren’t you kind of young to be playing with knives?”

  “She operated on me.”

  Noah shrugged. Then he moved forward. “Dance with me. We’ll find a nice Willie Nelson song and get to know each other.”

  He draped his arm around her shoulder and led her back inside. Theo stood there frowning as he watched the familiarity. Noah was a blatant womanizer. He’d made more conquests than Genghis Khan, and Theo didn’t like seeing him work his charms on Michelle one bit.

  She perked up. “You like Willie Nelson?”

  “Sure I do. Everyone likes Willie.”

  She glanced back at Theo. “Your friend has good taste.”

  Then Noah drew her attention. “Could I ask you a question?”

  She was so thankful she’d gotten past her embarrassment, she said, “You may ask me anything.”

  “I was just wondering . . .”

  “Yes?”

  “Is there any other kind of sex besides the bad kind?”

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR

  Cameron knew he had screwed up, but he wasn’t going to admit it. He leaned against the paneled wall of John’s library, his head bowed, as Dallas and Preston and John took turns tearing into him.

  “How long do you think it will take the doctor to remember she saw you at Catherine’s funeral?” Preston asked as he jumped up from his chair. Slamming his powerful fist into the palm of his other hand, he paced back and forth across the room.

  “She won’t remember,” Cameron muttered. “I was never anywhere near her at the funeral. Besides, I was sick of waiting, and I think the risk was worth it.”

  Dallas exploded. “How could it be worth the risk, you ass? You didn’t get the package, and now you’ve got people looking for it. You’re a mess, Cameron. It’s the booze. It’s fried your brain.”

  Preston stopped in front of him. “Now you’ve put us all in jeopardy,” he shouted.

  “Screw you,” Cameron shouted back.

  “Calm down,” John ordered. “Dallas, get Monk on the phone. You need to read him that report.”

  Monk was sitting in his SUV waiting for the doctor and her lover to come out of The Swan. His vehicle was well concealed between two vans at the back of the parking lot. There were four cars in the next row in front of him. It was hot and muggy, but he didn’t turn on the air conditioner. All four windows were down, and he was being eaten alive by mosquitoes. Compared to standing in the brush watching the doctor’s house with bugs crawling up his legs, this watch was luxurious.

  He was thinking about calling to tell Dallas about the latest developments, but just as he decided to wait until he got back to the motel, his cell phone began to vibrate.

  “Yes?”

  “Buchanan’s a U.S. attorney.”

  Monk’s head snapped up. “Repeat, please.”

  “The son of a bitch works for the Justice Department.”

  Expect the unexpected. Monk took a breath and waited as Dallas read the report. What the hell had the Sowing Club gotten him into? He could hear voices in the background.

  “Where are you?” Monk asked.

  “At John’s house. We’re all here.”

  “Who’s shouting?”

  “Preston.”

  He heard another voice yelling. He thought it might be Cameron. Monk was disgusted. They were acting like rats turning on one another for a scrap of meat. If there hadn’t been so mu
ch money involved, Monk would have walked away from this mess. Cameron had already become a loose cannon, and from the argument he was listening to now, he knew it wouldn’t be long before the others began to disintegrate.

  “I can’t believe you didn’t immediately run the report,” Monk said. “You’ve wasted valuable hours.”

  “You told me he was a football coach . . . No, you’re right. I won’t make excuses or blame you. I should have run the report much earlier.”

  Monk was somewhat placated by Dallas’s taking accountability.

  “When can you kill him?” Dallas asked.

  “Let me think,” Monk said. “I don’t like to be rushed. These things take time to plan, and I refuse to go off half-cocked. Spontaneity leads to mistakes. But if your report is accurate —”

  “It is,” Dallas rushed out.

  “Then perhaps he’s in Bowen simply because of her. Men will do crazy things for —”

  Dallas interrupted him again. “A piece of ass? You think that after he gave that speech in New Orleans, he drove all that way just to get laid?”

  “You haven’t seen her,” Monk said. “She’s quite . . . lovely. Beautiful, in fact.”

  “Okay, so what you’re saying is that this Justice guy is in town just to see her. Right? I mean, it does make sense, doesn’t it? She does his surgery, saves his life, so he falls for her, and since he has to return to New Orleans anyway, he figures he might as well drive out to Bowen and screw her.”

  Monk puckered his lips in disapproval of Dallas’s vulgar vocabulary. “Have you reevaluated, then?”

  “Hold on,” Dallas said. “John’s saying something.”

  Monk patiently waited. He heard Preston arguing, shook his head, and reminded himself once again how much money was at stake.

  “The doctor’s got to be killed before she remembers where she’s seen Cameron before,” Dallas said. “Buchanan has had death threats, so John thinks we could make it look like a hit on him.”

  “And the doctor just happened to be with him and got in the way?”

  “Exactly,” Dallas said. “We’re coming to Bowen tomorrow. You stay on the doctor until I call you. And watch for that package.”

  “Of course,” he said smoothly. “And, Dallas, just so you know, I’ll be reading those files before I hand them over.”

  “You’re still concerned your name is there? It isn’t. I read the damn thing twice. When this is over, you’re going to be set for life. You know that, don’t you, Monk?”

  “Yes,” he said. “I am curious about how much money is in that account, however. If it’s as sizable as I imagine, I do believe I’m entitled to a percent. Call it profit sharing, if you like, but since I’m taking all the risks . . .”

  Dallas responded to the greedy bastard’s demand by hanging up on him.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

  Theo certainly wasn’t jealous. Teenage boys got jealous, and he was way beyond that stage in his life. He was getting irritated, though. Michelle was laughing and having a good old time dancing with Noah. Theo sat at the bar making notes while a man explained his problem. The guy had purchased a used car that had a thirty-day guarantee. The man paid cash, drove the car off the lot, but two blocks later the muffler fell off and the radiator exploded. Since he hadn’t owned the vehicle for thirty minutes, he had it towed back to the lot and demanded his money back. The owner of the lot explained that the guarantee of satisfaction only covered the tires and the engine. He also suggested that, next time he purchased a car, he read the fine print before signing.

  Michelle laughed again, drawing Theo’s attention. He loved the sound of her voice, and from the way Noah was smiling at her, Theo figured he was enchanted too.

  Once again turning back to the man sitting next to him, he tried to concentrate. When he glanced over at the couple for about the hundredth time, Noah had pulled up his T-shirt and was showing Michelle the ugly scar on his chest.

  He muttered, “Enough,” dropped his pen on the counter, and went over to put an end to the dance.

  “You trying to impress Michelle with all your bullet holes?”

  “I already impressed her with my wit and charm,” Noah said.

  She shook her head. “You were very lucky. That bullet should have killed you.”

  “I was lucky,” he agreed. “God was looking out for me, I guess,” he said. Then he laughed. “I was in church when I got hit.”

  She was sure he was joking. “Did you fall asleep during the sermon and make the minister mad?”

  “Something like that.”

  “Daddy will want to hear that story,” she said. “Where is he?”

  “He’s in the kitchen making sandwiches,” Theo answered.

  “You can’t still be hungry after the catfish.”

  “He offered, said he was making one for himself. He’s making one for Noah too.”

  Thinking to help her father, she went around the bar and headed to the kitchen. She heard Noah say, “By the way, Theo, you might want to look at the sign-up sheet for the fishing deal Saturday. The sheet’s tacked to the wall over there.”

  “Why do I need to look at it?”

  “You’ve been bumped.”

  “No way.” Theo refused to believe him . . . until he looked. His name had been crossed off, and Noah’s was written above it.

  Michelle hurried into the kitchen. Her father handed her a paper plate filled with a double-decker turkey sandwich swimming in mayo and a huge mound of greasy french fries. He carried an identical plate out and set it on the counter.

  “If Theo stays another couple of weeks, he’ll have to have a bypass,” she said. “You’re killing the man with kindness.”

  “Turkey’s not bad for you. You said so yourself.”

  “A jar of mayonnaise on it makes it bad,” she said. “And there’s a gallon of oil in those fries.”

  “That’s what makes them good.” Turning his back on her, he called, “All right, boys, here’s your snack. I made the sandwiches without any of my hot barbecue sauce, Theo, just in case you were worried.”

  Noah and Theo were looking over the list. She nudged her father and whispered, “Did you trade Theo for Noah as your partner in the tournament?”

  He looked guilty as sin. “Honey, I had to.”

  Incredulous, she asked, “Why?” She didn’t give him time to answer. “How friendly was that, making a promise and then breaking it?”

  “I was being practical.”

  “What does that mean?”

  She followed him back into the kitchen. “Wrap up my sandwich for me, Mike, so I can take it home with me.”

  She got the foil out and did as he asked. “You still haven’t answered me,” she reminded him.

  Jake leaned against the island and folded his arms. “The way I see it, we stand a better chance of winning if there’s four of us trying for the prize instead of just two, and Noah was going to sweet-talk you into partnering with him. I didn’t figure Theo would appreciate hearing that, so I told Noah I’d be his partner. Now you and Theo can spend the whole day together. You should be happy to be included.”

  He was exasperating. “In other words, that means you think Noah might be a better fisherman?”

  “He did mention he’s done a whole heck of a lot more fishing in the past four years, but that isn’t the reason why I switched,” he hastened to add when he saw that stubborn glint come into his daughter’s eyes. “There isn’t any reason to get in a snit about this. You should be thanking me for paying your fee.”

  “I don’t want to fish Saturday. I have a hundred other things to do.”

  “You could win the prize. Everyone knows you’re a better fisherman than I am.”

  She wasn’t buying it. “That’s not true, and you know it. Are you trying to play matchmaker? Is that why you want me to partner with Theo?”

  “After the way I heard you talking to him? I don’t need to do any matchmaking. You’re holding your own just fine.”

&
nbsp; “Daddy, I was teasing . . .”

  He acted as though he hadn’t heard her. “Noah might be doing a little matchmaking. He told me he’s never seen Theo acting like he does around you.”

  That remark got her full attention. Her father nodded, then went to the refrigerator to get some milk. He poured himself a full glass and took a long swallow.

  “How does Theo act?” she asked.

  “Noah says he’s smiling a lot. I got the feeling that’s a rarity.”

  “The man’s on vacation. That’s why he’s smiling. Is your stomach bothering you? You only drink milk when you have indigestion.”

  “My stomach’s just fine,” he said impatiently, and then went right back to the subject at hand. “And when it comes to Theo, you’ve got a reason for everything. So explain this: How come he can’t take his eyes off you? Noah noticed, and after he pointed it out to me, I took notice too.” Before she could argue, he said, “Did you know that Noah works for the FBI? He wears a gun, just like Theo’s. I saw it clipped to his waistband. I’m telling you, Theo has some real influential friends.”

  “And you know a lot of people who need help from influential friends.”

  Jake finished his milk and set the glass in the sink. When he turned around, she noticed in the harsh overhead light how tired he looked.

  “Why don’t you go home now and let Theo and me close up.”

  “I can see to it.”

  “I know you can, but the next couple of days are going to be busy.

  People are going to be stopping in to sign up and eat, and you know how crowded it gets in here on Thursday and Friday. Go home, Daddy. Get off your feet and rest.”

  “You need your rest too. You’ve got to start working on those papers at the clinic.”

  “I’ll have help.”

  “All right, then,” he said. “I am tired, so I’ll go on home. You shut down at one instead of two.”

  He leaned down and kissed her cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  He opened the back door, then closed it. “Oh, I forgot to tell you that Ben Nelson called looking for you. He still doesn’t have any news or any suspects, but he’s going to keep an eye out just in case something else bad happens. Now, I ask you, is that something you want to say to a father? He had me worried sick about you, but then I remembered Theo is staying with you. You turn your deadbolts tonight.” He reopened the door and stepped out into the moonlight. “It’s a comfort,” he said.