Page 131 of Lord Have Mercy Part Four: Big Son

“And,” Mercy continued, moving to stand between Boyle’s spread legs, shouldering the hammer, “he’s been obsessed with me for most of his life. I guess it’s flattering.” He smiled again, black spots pressing at the edges of his vision. “What do you say, Hank: you want the full Mercy experience?”

Boyle’s eyes bugged.

Mercy brought the hammer down, one clean, well-practiced arc, and shattered Boyle’s kneecap to shrapnel.

He didn’t even scream; he simply passed out.

Walsh lifted his foot with a disgusted sound, then spat on him.

Crassus panted happily.

The chug of a motor reached them, the flicker of a light. A boat approached. And when it was close enough, it was Devin’s voice that called cheerily over the radio intercom: “You boys need a lift?”

~*~

Mercy looked like hell. Toly spared him a glance from the boat he was in with Gray, willed his gorge to stay the hell down, and then did a double-take when he saw all the blood that slicked the big man’s arms. He wavered on his feet, and Colin and Alex both moved to support him as he stepped from Devin’s boat into the one where Ava and Maggie sat bracketing Remy.

“Daddy!” Remy shouted, and lunged for him, and even if he was waxen and half-dead on his feet, Mercy grinned at his son, and pulled him into a big bear hug.

Ava got up and went to them, and was enfolded into the embrace.

Toly glanced away to give them privacy, and swallowed hard when the boat rocked slightly.

“Do you need a Dramamine?” Gray asked.

“Niet.” Toly adjusted his grip on the dead man’s feet; Gray held him by the shoulders. “I don’t want to pass out and fall in.” Becauseinwas boiling with gators, happily disposing of the bodies they kept heaving overboard. “Let’s finish. One, two–”

They both lifted, and the dead man went up, and over, and splash, and a gator grabbed his arm and towed him into the frenzy.

~*~

Ava could hear conversation behind her, and registered it as she would dialogue in a movie left running in the background.

Devin: “Sure you don’t want more of us to come along? The big man doesn’t look like he’s got more than an hour of consciousness left in him.”

Colin: “Yeah, we’re sure. Reese bandaged his arms. That should hold. But, hey, Dev: thanks, man. Seriously. For everything.”

Devin: “Ah, o’ course. Like this was a party I didn’t want to be a part of? I get it: this last thing needs to be family. Take careof him, though, yeah? And get them all back to the rendezvous point?”

Colin: “Yeah, of course we will.”

Sound of a hearty handshake that turned into a man-hug.

Reese: “You’re going to the hospital.Now.”

Tenny: “And do you see a bloody hospital out here? We’re all going back together, and I’m not going anywhere after that until we’ve got Mercy back again.”

Others spoke, voices overlapping and indistinct. But all Ava could focus on was Remy, in an uncharacteristic panic, face screwed up and eyes fever-bright after she and Mercy told him to stay with Grammie and Uncle Aidan because they had one last thing to take care of before they went back into town.

“No, no, no, no, no!” he cried, hands twisting in the sleeves of her jacket. “No, you can’t – no – Daddy’s hurt – Mama,no.”

Her heartached. “Shh, baby, it’s okay–”

“Don’t leave me! You can’t leave me!”

Oh, God. No, no, she really couldn’t. But they couldn’ttake him…could they?

“Hey.” Mercy crowded in next to her, not flinching when his injured arm pressed against hers. “Hey.” He reached to lay a hand on the side of Remy’s face, and his vast palm swallowed it up. “Bud, it’s okay. We’ll be okay. I’m not hurt that bad.” Ava could hear the smile in his voice – and the pain. The exhaustion.

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