Page 24 of Wyoming Cowboy Undercover

But something terrible occurred to her. She looked at Sophia, who was watching her expectantly. “Why did you come here to tell me all this?”

The notion that this could be a setup, contrived to get Mercy in trouble and drive a wedge between her and her father, couldn’t be dismissed.

“You’ve never liked me, have you?” Sophia asked.

There was no regard or even shared interests between them. That was a truth Mercy had not bothered to hide. Sophia came to them as Enid Stracke, aka Candy, a junkie and a stripper. Mercy was not one to judge her previous profession or her addiction, but she hadn’t taken kindly to how the woman, only two years her senior, had ingratiated herself with Empyrean. Climbing into his bed as soon as she had been reborn.

And Mercy hadn’t been blind to the fact that her father had taken advantage of this woman, lost and susceptible, empty and longing for something to fill that void, replacing what she had left behind in the outside world.

The reality of Sophia and her father being together repulsed her.

“It’s not that I don’t like you,” Mercy said. “It’s that I don’t trust you. What’s your angle? What do you get out of helping me?”

Sophia came around the desk and stepped in front of her. “We’re going to be family, and I don’t mean in the sense of the commune family.” She took Mercy’s hand and placed it on her stomach. “I’m pregnant.”

The words hit Mercy like a physical blow. She reeled back, pulling her hand away.

“I know you’ll never look at me as a stepmom, but maybe we can be sisters.” Tears glistened in Sophia’s eyes. “Or at least friends. I’m telling you all this to show you that you can trust me. I can be Empyrean’s wife and be on your side.”

Mercy’s stomach roiled and it was all she could do not to roll her eyes. She might not remember her dead mother, but she did know that Sophia was no substitute. This was not the time to think about her father marrying this woman, so she shoved the image aside. “Prove I can trust you.”

The woman’s eyes brightened as her tears dried up. “How?”

“Create a distraction for me. Something to draw the attention of security.” If Sophia agreed, then they’d be in this together, both culpable of helping Rocco escape.

“Okay.” Sophia took her hand again. “But if I do it, promise me that we’ll be sisters.”

Not all sisters had a harmonious relationship. From the stories the novices had shared with her, some families barely tolerated one another. But she understood what Sophia was asking—to be Empyrean’s queen and have the princess fall into line with the new world order.

Mercy never imagined she’d be the type to sell her soul for anyone’s favor or help, but the one thing she wanted even less than playing nice with Sophia was for her father to hurt Rocco. He’d overstepped and made a mistake, perhaps out of curiosity. She knew he was a good man, and she refused to believe he’d done anything maliciously wrong. This was probably more about her father wanting to demonstrate to her who was in charge, teaching her a lesson about standing up to him, using Rocco as a pawn. No matter what he was guilty of, she wouldn’t stand by and allow him to be drugged and beaten.

“I can promise to be your friend and a sister to your baby,” Mercy said, for Rocco and the sake of the unborn child. She’d grit her teeth, swallow her displeasure and embrace this. No matter how much it sickened her.

Sophia nodded, a smile tugging at her mouth. “Good enough for me. Get ready for my signal. I’ll need twenty minutes. But that will still leave the guards at the front and back gates.”

“They won’t matter.”

“Once you get to Rocco, how will you sneak him out of the compound?”

They weren’t friends yet, and clearly her father hadn’t entrusted Sophia with all their secrets.

“Don’t worry about that,” Mercy said. “Leave it to me. Just hold up your end of this deal.”

“I will.” Sophia opened the office door and bolted from the room.

Mercy hauled in steadying breaths, trying to ground herself. Regardless of her reservations about going against her father’s orders, she had to do the right thing and put a stop to this.

Not wanting to appear as if she was rushing, she took her time locking up the office. Her keys jangled in her trembling hands. She crossed the quad toward the sanctum where they worshipped. Behind the building were the unburdening rooms that were little more than modified shipping containers on cinder blocks with climate control, stairs leading up to the door and bars on the windows. Each one had a desk, two chairs, a toilet and bed. Sometimes unburdening took hours, but it always took a toll on the body, requiring undisturbed rest afterward.

Forcing herself to stroll rather than run, she mentally kept track of every minute that ticked by. The air was cool and clammy. There would be rain. On the horizon, dark gray clouds rolled through the sky over the town, moving toward the compound. A bad storm was brewing.

With each step, her pulse quickened. The chance she was taking, the risk—reputation, retribution, her father’s wrath—was immense.

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Alex. He was on a trajectory headed straight for her like a mayfly drawn to light. Any second he’d be a nuisance, buzzing in her ear.

Best just to get it over with. The faster the better.

Slowing her pace, she allowed him to intercept her.

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