Page 24 of Burned in Stone
Stone looks at Bones. “You agree with this?”
Bones shrugs. “Kid’s already made up his mind. Besides, this Gabriel asshole is coming whether we protect her or not. At least this way, we control the field.” Kid. The man is only four years older than me, so it’s not like he’s got a hell of a lot more wisdom. But his position in the club as intelligence officer does give him a little strategic insight, so I’ll give him that.
Stone drums his fingers on the desk, thinking. Finally, he nods. “All right. She’s one of us. But we do this smart.” He points at me. “You and Bones are on watch. I want eyes on her at all times.”
“Already planned on it.”
“And Cash?” Stone’s voice stops me as I’m standing to leave. “She know about any of this? About her husband being here?”
“No.”
“You planning to tell her?”
Mercy’s fear flashes through my mind. The way she turns on every light, the way she said ‘stop calling me’ with such desperation. “I’ll talk to her tonight. After work.”
Stone nods slowly. “Your call. But don’t delay too long. Secrets have a way of blowing up in your face. Especially with women.”
“I’ll handle it.”
“You better.” He turns to Bones. “Get me everything on this Gabriel Rogers. Financial records, disciplinary actions, anything we can use. If he wants to play dirty, we’ll bury him in his own shit.”
“On it,” Bones says.
As we’re leaving Stone’s office, he calls out one more time. “Cash?”
I turn back.
“She better be worth it.”
The weight of his words follows me out. I’ve been patched in for years, but this feels different. This is me putting everything on the line for a woman who doesn’t even know I’m saving her yet.
And that should terrify me. Giving someone this much power. Making myself this vulnerable. But instead, I feel... solid. Like I’ve finally figured out what the point of all this was.
“You good?” Bones asks as we head back to the main room.
“Yeah.” I flex my bandaged fingers again, feeling the sting. “Just thinking.”
“About?”
“About how I’m gonna be at Devil’s tonight without letting Mercy know I know who her husband is.”
Bones claps me on the shoulder. “Same way you’ve been pretending not to be completely gone for her for months. You’re good at playing the long game.”
“This is different.” She’s mine now.
“Is it?” He stops walking, turns to face me. “You’ve been protecting her from the shadows since she got here. Warning off other men, and more recently—following her home and watching over her.”
“You know a bit about watching over women, huh?” I tease, and Bones rolls his eyes.
“This isn’t about me. We’re dealing with a real threat on our doorstep.”
“Gabriel Rogers.” I taste the name like poison. “Decorated cop. Summit’s new weapon.” Another authority figure with power he’ll abuse. Another predator who thinks his badge makes him untouchable.
“And Mercy’s monster,” Bones adds quietly. “Don’t forget that part.”
I won’t. Because I know exactly what it’s like to have monsters with badges. And this time, I’m not a scared kid on the streets. This time, I’m the one with the power. And I’m not letting her face this alone.
9
