Page 11 of Innocent Target

“I know, and when I find out who it is, they better fucking run because nobody threatens my family and walks away.”

Someone was manipulating his sister, and now she was running for her life but was it from Scorpion or someone else?

Chapter Six

Mercy’s eyes burned as the dawn slowly lit the horizon. The night had been a long one. After Shane’s call, James had paced the living room, worried sick about Bethany. Only Abbie brought him back from his rage and forced him to return to the present. Mercy told him to rest as much as possible while the baby was sleeping, promising to wake him if she received any information about his sister.

It was clear he wasn’t happy about it and would have preferred to be the one heading the investigation. However, his desire to protect his niece, as well as being in a safe house, forced him to revise his priorities, for the moment at least.

Mercy felt fatigue invade her body, but an incoming email from Imari pushed aside her desire to lie down and rest. She’d sent them a link to a secure folder containing the pictures taken in Bethany’s apartment. The drugs were secured at the Agency, and Shane had advised them that, until they had more information, they’d keep the details close to the vest. The fact that a government agency was involved in this mess didn’t bode well, but she kept that to herself.

During her years with the New Orleans Police Department, the FBI had too often put their slimy fingers where they shouldn’t have and caused more harm than good. She’d written an email to Imari about digging into any possible investigations currently taking place in Florida about the Henchmen, and if she sniffed the stink of the FBI, to let her know right away.

Hunched over the coffee table in the living room, she told herself to take a quick nap, but her fingers clicked on the next folder instead—more pictures, and this time, of the top of the dresser. One thing was for sure, Emme was thorough. Although they’d made certain to leave the apartment mostly untouched, they’d documented everything just in case.

There was a pink notebook that looked a bit worn. Emme had even taken pictures of the few scribbled pages inside. Bethany listed things she needed for the baby. Notes about baby formula. Even ideas for the baby’s name.

Mercy almost felt like an intruder looking into this very personal side of the woman. Still, as a former cop, she knew how a small, seemingly insignificant detail could be the key to an entire investigation.

Page after page, she looked at the notes, doodles, sketches. At first glance, nothing had any real value or consequence, but something bugged her.

With a foggy brain, she looked again, and on the third pass noticed it. Several of the pages contained a strange doodle. Sometimes it was well defined, others, half penned, almost as if she’d been distracted while drawing it.

The symbol looked like three chopped mountains forming a big triangle as a group. Not certain she wasn’t imagining things, Mercy started from the beginning and saw the same pattern drawn with more or less accuracy over several pages. How strange.

Was it something of significance or was her tired mind playing tricks on her? Elbows on her knees, she put her face in her hands and exhaled deeply.

Data circled for a moment before it blanked. Still debating if she should lie down or just keep going, the choice was taken away from her by a low whisper.

“Don’t tell me you haven’t slept yet. Damn, Mercy! I thought you went to bed after the last time I fed Abbie.”

She allowed herself to wince before lifting her head to look at James. Wearing only pajama pants that hung low on his hips, his defined body out of a dream, Mercy wanted to moan, but instead, turned the screen so he could see it, thus avoiding a confrontation. “Have you seen this before?”

She could tell by the look on his face the topic wasn’t closed, but the disheveled agent did as she asked and crouched by the coffee table. A frown marred his face as he looked at the screen, giving her an immediate answer. “No. What is this?”

“A notebook from Bethany’s apartment. It’s a drawing I found in numerous places in it, but nothing tells me what it represents.” Mercy rubbed her temple. “I may be overthinking this.”

“Maybe, but maybe not. You won’t know if you burn yourself out from the start.”

Annoyed, it was getting harder to speak softly. “I wanted to get a head start after Imari sent this over so I could update you when you woke. I know having to deal with Abbie you can’t be as hands-on as you like.”

James’s expression softened. “I don’t want you to burn out. You know how much you need to keep your mind sharp to bring the bad guys down.”

When he put his warm hand over hers, her cold fingers tingled. The fight fled from her. “Nothing fresh coffee won’t cure. It’s not as if we aren’t staying here for a while. I’ll have plenty of time to rest.”

James didn’t answer at first and looked at his watch. Tightening his hold on her, he pulled her to her feet. Stumbling over the first few steps, Mercy dug her heels into the worn carpet. “What are you doing?”

Instead of answering, he continued to pull her with him until they reached the bedroom. Abbie’s crib was against the wall and Mercy could see the little angel fast asleep.

James turned instead of answering, put a finger to his lips, and continued pulling at her until she lay on the bed with him. Before she could react, he turned her over and pressed her back to his front, locking her in place with his arm around her waist.

Dumbfounded, she tried to turn, but James didn’t yield and instead pressed his mouth against her ear. “I need to rest and not worry about your well-being. Indulge me for an hour, Mercy. Please.”

It was the sincerity in his voice that finally made her relax. He may not know it, but she was willing to do a lot for him.

Silence surrounded them, and her body relaxed in the rhythm of his steady breathing and enveloping body heat. How many times had she imagined being in his arms?

Mercy only allowed herself to close her eyes when his breathing slowed and his arm rested heavy over her hip, indicating he’d fallen asleep again.