Fallen Empire (Dirty Empire)

How quickly that woman has become my heart, my home, my life.

I’ll never deserve her, but I’ll kill myself trying to change that. That’s my new mission in life—being good enough for her.

Our appearance disturbs her drift. She rolls and repositions, until only her head is visible. Her dark brown eyes scour over us—over Caleb’s bloody knuckles, over the gun at my side—and her brow furrows deeply. She may have told me to do what we need to do, but I know her well enough to know that she’ll never condone it.

Ava is approaching from the far side, a champagne flute in her hand. She draws every man’s attention, except mine.

I watch Mercy’s gaze shift from us, to Ava, back to us, and to Caleb’s hands again. Abruptly, she turns and swims away, slipping beneath the manmade waterfall and disappearing into the pool cave.

“Been a real fucking rollercoaster these past few days, huh?” Caleb murmurs, watching Mercy vanish.

“It’s not over, yet.”

Caleb sighs heavily. “You know what? We’ve spent a lifetime dealing with that hateful fuck. Why would we waste another goddamn minute catering to him and his never-ending bullshit? Why give him a chance to fuck us over again?” Caleb looks to me. “Forget what I said before. This ends tonight.”

I take a deep breath. An odd, numbing sensation passes over me. “Tonight.”

His eyes rake over Ava’s lean, tanned body “I’ll tell her to get it done.”

Ava stops a few feet away, halfway between Caleb and Merrick. “I’m glad that dirty business is finished.” Her red-painted lips settling onto the rim of her glass as she takes a dainty sip.

“Seems like all your plans went off without a hitch.” And dove-tailed perfectly into ours.

She dips her head. “So far, yes. Tomorrow, I’ll fly back to Hermosillo to tie up some loose ends. And then I’ll be in contact with you all to sort out details, stateside. If you’d like to leave, I think it’s safe now. At your leisure, of course.”

“I think Mercy’s ready to sleep in her own bed,” I admit. And so am I.

“Not before I collect that drink Ava promised,” Caleb drawls, offering her her a roguish smile, one that pops those deep dimples women seem to melt over.

She answers with a secretive smile. “Did I promise a drink?”

Caleb smiles. “I’m sure of it.”

Ava tsks, collecting his bloody hand in hers.

“It’s fine. Nothing some soap and ice can’t fix.”

“I have plenty of both inside. If you need a second helicopter, my pilot will gladly take you wherever you wish to.” She says this to me, and I hear her meaning loud and clear: “If you and Mercy want to leave while I let your brother violate every orifice in my body, here, take my ride.”

“If you’ll follow me.” She begins walking toward a set of double glass doors, expecting Caleb to follow.

“Give me an hour and then I’ll head back with you guys.” He’s talking to me, but his eyes are on her ass.

“An hour?”

“Yeah. Go for a swim.”

I just want to go home, but I’m not leaving this idiot here to get cut up into pieces by Ava’s men because he does something to make her angry. “An hour.”

Merrick quietly falls into line behind Ava, stealing a glance Caleb’s way.

The tiny smile that curls my brother’s lips tells me he was hoping for this turn of events. “Maybe two.”

Vince, also seeing where this celebratory drink is heading, hangs back, digging his phone out. “I’ve got some calls to make.”

“Cale…” With all the blood rushing to his dick, there’s a good chance he’s already forgotten what we just agreed on.

“Fine. An hour. It’s all I ask.” He turns to walk backward toward the house, nodding toward the pool. “Go on and celebrate, ‘cause it ends tonight.” He gives me a knowing look before disappearing into the house.

22

Mercy

The tranquil sound of the waterfall muffles out all sound from the outside world.

Which is exactly what I was hoping for when I slipped into this little cave and crawled up on the ledge in a nook. I don’t want to see or hear details about that man’s murder, whether he deserved it or not. There’s no question Caleb beat him—the evidence is all over his fists.

But what part did Gabriel play? Is he the one who shot him?

I shudder. Half of me wants the answer; the other half never wants to think about this day ever again.

“Mercy?” Gabriel calls out, a second before he appears through the waterfall.

Despite my trepidation, my heart begins to flutter at the sight of him. He’s stripped down to nothing. “Should you even be in a pool? Those stitches are fresh.”

“There’s a lot of things I probably shouldn’t be doing.” He swims up to where I’m perched, pushing my thighs apart to fit his torso in between. He hooks his thumbs through the strings in my bikini bottom but doesn’t attempt to tug them off, seemingly content to rest his chin on my thigh.