Without Mercy (Mercy 1)

Maeve looked peeved.

“She was in the admin building,” Wade announced.

“What?” Ethan’s gaze clouded. “Why?” he asked Shay.

“She couldn’t find the women’s room here,” Missy said, her pale eyebrows shooting up to indicate she smelled a lie.

Ethan got the message. “But—”

“Yeah, I know,” Shay said, cutting Ethan off. “I missed it, okay? Geez, everyone’s acting like I committed some major crime or something. I just needed to pee!”

Wade’s scowl deepened. “Just keep an eye on her,” he told Ethan, then went across the hall, toward the thermoses of tea and hot cocoa.

Shay wasn’t exactly sure of all the dynamics, but it was obvious Maeve was pissed. Did she have a thing for Ethan?

Missy leaned close to Ethan. “If you can’t watch her, I will.”

“Hey! I don’t need a keeper!” Shay had heard enough. She didn’t want any more attention thrown her way. “I made a mistake. Sor-ree. Let’s not make a federal case of it.”

“I got it!” Ethan said to Missy, and the girl actually smirked a bit, as if she couldn’t wait to put Ethan in his place. In a hit of recognition, Shay decided that these two had once hooked up, but something had gone wrong. Maybe the woman-scorned thing? Missy was all about rubbing Ethan’s nose in his mistake.

A few heads turned. Nona’s group was suddenly all ears, and Keesha Bell, the sole African American girl in Shay’s pod, quit paying so much attention to Benedict Davenne. Keesha had big brown eyes that didn’t miss much and cornrows so perfect they reminded Shay of an aerial view of suburban streets. Keesha and BD were tight, and even though there was a rule against getting romantically involved with anyone on campus, it was broken all the time. But now, for once, Keesha and BD were tuned into something besides each other.

“Is there a problem?” Shay’s group leader, Cooper Trent, cut away from the bunch of boys he’d been talking to and strode across the room.

“Yeah.” Shay held up her hands in surrender. “I guess I broke the rules.”

“We caught her in the admin building,” Missy said smugly.

“I was looking for a bathroom, didn’t see the one in here, went next door, and got caught in a fu-frickin’ toilet sting.”

Missy gasped.

A couple of kids chuckled.

Shay was surprised to see Nell actually grin.

Dr. Burdette shook her head as she passed by, frizzy red hair sprouting from her ponytail, but she didn’t stop to chastise.

“It’s all my fault,” Shay continued. “I don’t know what the punishment is for using the wrong bathroom, but I’m guilty as charged.”

Keesha giggled, then put a hand over her mouth to keep from laughing out loud.

“It’s getting a little loud over here.” Wade strode over, a steaming cup in hand. “Let’s pipe down.”

“Yes, let’s move on.” Trent said to Shay, “Why don’t you go back to studying? You know where the restrooms are now, right?”

Shay nodded. So this dude had her back. Or did he? Maybe his ass was on the line because he was her pod leader. If he really wasn’t on her side, she was pretty sure she could count on Father Jake. Or was she kidding herself? Sheesh, this place was nuts!

“Good.” Trent glanced up at Ethan, a quick, silent reprimand, then said to Shay, “If you have questions, talk to me or Ethan … unless you’d prefer to have a female TA.”

Like Missy Albright? Save me! “I’m cool with Ethan.”

Keesha swallowed a smile, and Lucy Yang actually had the nerve to give her a thumbs-up.

“Good.” Trent met Taggert’s unhappy glare. “No harm, no foul, right?”

Taggert looked about to argue, but the main doors opened and Reverend Lynch walked in on a gust of cold air. Wearing a long black coat, he strode to his favored spot in front of the oversized fireplace. He stretched his arms out like an eagle spreading its wings—the motion for everyone to gather closer.