Page 56 of Liar's Heart
That realization is enough to shake me to my very core, challenging everything I thought I knew about my relationship with this man. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t afraid of him. Part of me has always been a scared little boy doing whatever he could to survive. It feels strange to be able to finally take that boy by the hand and tell him he doesn’t have anything to fear anymore. I’m going to make sure the monster never hurts anyone ever again.
It feels like a death, but one you’ve held your breath waiting for. One that’s far more beginning than end.
Alec looks around the room, weighing his odds. His eyes grow wilder as he does the math and finds it isn’t in his favor.Ro must see it, too, because his stance is no longer casual. He’s got both feet on the ground, leaning in like he’s ready to tackle him if he needs to. I let go of Merrick’s hands and prepare for the same. Alec, of course, clocks all of this. His eyes never stop scanning, not wanting to let any of us out of his sight for even a second. Smart man. “You have no idea what you’ll put in motion if you do this,” he warns. “No idea what fail-safes I have in place.”
He’s addressing all of us, but I’m the one who answers. “You’re right. We don’t. And that was enough to keep you safe for a long time. But frankly, I just don’t give a shit anymore. Whatever happens after you’re dead, we’ll figure out. The cost of letting you live is too high, and we’re not paying it anymore.”
He shakes his head, an unhinged smile creeping up his face. “You say that now. We’ll see if you still feel that way when it’s time to settle up.”
Len says, “Mmmm, here’s the thing.Wehave the backing of the Council because they’re sick of your shit too. Whatever ace you think you’ve got up your sleeve, they’ll be involved in dismantling. The new world order doesn’t involve you, old man. And thank fuck for that.”
A low growl comes out of my father right before he dives across the coffee table that separates us, aiming for Merrick. I throw myself sideways, tackling him. The air whooshes out of my lungs when I land on the stone ground, and anything left in them is forced out when Alec lands on top of me. I attempt to roll us and take the high ground, but we’re wedged in between the coffee table and the couch, and the only direction I can go is up.
Alec’s eyes light up as he reaches the same conclusion that he now has the advantage, and it’s going to make all the difference between us. He grabs my throat, wrapping his hands around it and squeezing, but it lifts him just enough for me to force my cuffed hands up through his arms and breakhis hold. His chest slams into mine as he falls, and I use the chain connecting my wrists to loop around his neck and pull him in tight to me, holding him as still as I can.
Len’s hovering over us, and I watch as she sticks a syringe between her teeth, clamping down on the cap before yanking it off and stabbing Alec in the neck with enough force I'm surprised the needle doesn't break. She pushes the plunger down and rips the syringe away, only to be replaced by Ro hauling Alec off me. Gasping for air as soon as his weight leaves me, my chest heaves with sweet relief.
Then Merrick is in front of me, roaming her hands over me while checking for new injuries. Her mouth is moving, and my brain finally catches up to make sense of the cacophony of noise. “Okay… You're okay.” She's saying it over and over, more to herself than me. I catch one of her hands and squeeze it, letting her know I’m fine as I sit up.
Low grunts and groans accompany the sounds of a fight. By the time I’m on my feet, Alec’s mostly limp from whatever Len shot into him, and Ro and Elliott are trying to control his descent so he’s more manageable when he’s fully under. Len’s standing by, hands up and ready to jump in where needed. I feel Merrick hug my waist as she tries to get into my arms, so I lift them up and over her, grateful to feel her tuck herself into my chest. We hold each other tight and watch Alec slowly stop moving when the drugs finish taking him under. Ro and Elliott work with practiced efficiency to roll him onto his stomach. A pair of handcuffs slides out of Ro's back pocket before latching around Alec's wrists.
They move him onto his side before standing up and stepping back, only to be replaced by Len. She squats down and checks his pulse, making sure we didn't accidentally kill him. Satisfied he's still breathing, she straightens, takes a step back, and kicks him hard in the stomach. His body jolts, a groan coming out as the air is forced from his lungs, but otherwise, he doesn't react. She then spits on him, wiping her handacross her mouth and glaring at the man at her feet. Elliott walks up behind her and clamps a hand on her shoulder, whispering something in her ear that makes her nod her head and back away.
Elliott picks up his mask and covers himself again before nodding to the Fury at the door. Ro comes over and undoes my shackles finally. I rub my wrists but don’t let Merrick out of my arms as another Fury enters the room, one I've never seen before. Elliott resumes that aristocratic voice he uses when masked. “Alec Sinclair is to be held at Ender Sinclair's discretion. Please set him up in a confessional and prepare it for Mr. Sinclair's use. Make sure it's one of the larger ones, as Mr. Sinclair's guest will not be leaving. The five of us are heading to the manor. Send someone to me once he's situated and conscious. Most likely in about four hours, give or take.”
The Furies bow in acknowledgment before hauling the limp body between them from the room, moving us from check to checkmate.
Merrick and I finally find ourselves in one of the suites in the Sanctum, all set up for us to bathe and eat and rest. Most importantly, we’re finally alone, behind a locked door and with the assurance that no one will disturb us but Ro, who will text me updates when I’m ready to read them.
The debrief took us a while, as we had to sort through everything that happened between us from when we left Len and Ro back in Reddington and now, including when and how Elliott became involved. The plan was to lure Alec into making a move by forcing his spyware to flag Merrick’s updated medical records, which showed she knew about theIUD, courtesy of Ro. I had Logan send everyone home and keep the house empty for a few days as a safety measure.
Then it was a matter of hoping Alec would take the bait while Len and Ro tracked us. My wedding ring, apparently, has a tracker in it, courtesy of my wife’s espionage, and we were able to get a subdermal one into Merrick before we left for the airport. Len and Ro had eyes on us the whole time, waiting to see where and when Alec would take us.
Apparently, Elliott got involved when Len called in a favor to use their private plane, and, well, I’m glad he did. I’m still fuzzy on the details there, but despite my initial panic when a Councilman appeared in my cell, he definitely made Len and Ro’s side of things a lot easier, especially in gaining access to the audio recording from the Binding Chamber.
Part of the debrief was listening to Alec’s confessions and learning the truth about what he did to my parents. It’s a lot to process, and it’s going to take me some time to work through, but that will have to wait until later. Right now, the only things I want to work through involve me, a shower, this bed, and Merrick.
Toeing my shoes off, I turn to my wife. “I don’t know about you, but I’m desperate for a shower.”
She looks at me with weary eyes, the toll from the last several days evident on her face. “Can I join you?”
A corner of my mouth ticks up, the only smile I have the energy to give her right now. “Always, baby,” I tell her, taking her hand and pulling her into the bathroom with me.
Turning on the water, I adjust the dials until I’m content with the settings, letting the steam begin to fill the room. I turn my attention to Merrick, who's finishing setting out towels for when we’re done. I hold out my hand for her and murmur, “Come here.”
Pulling her into me, I take a moment to hold her tight, indulging in the comfort of having her in my arms again. I came entirely too close to never feeling her warmth like thisagain. Way too fucking close. My chest squeezes again at the thought before I manage to push it away. Now’s not the time to dwell on what could have happened, what almost happened. Not when we’re here and safe and so close to the end.
Merrick ends our embrace, pulling back enough to grab the hem of my shirt and start lifting it up. I let her take it off me, helping guide the fabric over my head to avoid the worst of my injuries, before I peel the cardigan off her shoulders and let it pool on the floor at her feet. I can tell she isn’t wearing a bra from the way the soft fabric of her dress stretches taut across her breasts, doing nothing to conceal the tight little peaks of her nipples. My cock stirs, and my fingers ache to pinch and pluck at the sensitive tips, to mercilessly tease Merrick into the frenzy she so often craves. To renew our connection physically as a reminder to us both that we’re still alive, still here and together. Still free.
She runs her hand down my chest, gently dragging her fingers down to my waistband, causing my abs to contract. Deft fingers work my button and fly before pushing both my pants and briefs to the floor for me to step out of. Kicking the discarded clothes out of the way, I peel her dress off, revealing nothing but bare skin underneath. The dress joins the rest of our clothes as Merrick takes my hand and tugs us both into the shower.
The hot water feels fucking awful on my face, the pressure of the spray too much with all the bruising, but so good everywhere else as we both rinse down. Grabbing the shampoo bottle, I squeeze some into my palm and begin working it into Merrick’s hair, massaging her scalp with my fingers and eliciting soft moans from her in return. When the suds are thoroughly worked in, she tips her head back into the spray and rinses while I work on my own hair, carefully avoiding my wound. She finishes, and we swap places while she works conditioner through her inky strands.
Our dance continues seamlessly, both of us soaping up the other, hands turning more and more explorative the cleaner we get. By the time she's pushing me into the spray to rinse off, I'm at full mast. I work so much soap into the slick skin of her tits it’s a miracle I can hold onto them well enough to caress my thumbs over her stiff nipples, barely visible through all the foam until it slides down the underside of her breasts, the curved planes of her stomach, her plump mound. Tracing the exact path I’m salivating to lick across her skin.
I finish rinsing and give her pussy one final pass with soap, feeling the undeniable slickness pooling there before pulling away and trading spots under the water. Leaning against a tiled wall, I drink in the view, enjoying watching the rivulets of water find different paths down her curves, pushing the suds down her body in an erotic tease. “You're so fucking beautiful,” I say. They're the first words either of us has spoken since we started undressing, lost in the peaceful quiet of just existing with each other, but these I couldn't hold back.
Her eyes are closed, her head tipped back as she rinses her hair, and a smile dances across her lips at my words. As soon as she’s rinsed clean, she breaks from the water, stepping into me so she can wrap her arms around my neck and kiss me. One arm wraps around her back, palming her shoulder blade, while the other hand cups her ass and pulls her tighter against me. I lick at the seam of her lips, and she opens in response, moaning softly as I gently explore her with my tongue. Her tongue strokes against mine, sending electric heat surging through my veins before settling in my aching dick. The kiss quickly turns frantic—messy and sloppy and potent—before Merrick pulls back with a gasp. “I need you. Please.” Then she plants her mouth on the side of my neck and sucks the skin there between her teeth.
