Wicked Mercy Read online

  Wicked Mercy

  A Reverse Harem High School Bully Romance

  Rogues of Taylor Prep 3

  Mae Doyle

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  This is a work of art/fiction. Names, places, businesses, characters, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, actual events, or places is purely coincidental. Any persons appearing on the cover image for this book are models and do not have any connection to the contents of this story.

  All characters depicted in this work are unrelated consenting adults. This author assumes no responsibility for the use/misuse of this material.

  © 2020 Mae Doyle

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  Chapter 1

  When it was finally time for me to go back to school, I had a soft fluff of a halo around my head that I could at least make look like it was in intentional thanks to a little gel and some cute clips. Explaining to my mom what had happened to my hair and lying to her that I had meant to cut it off on purpose was difficult, but I knew that telling her the truth would result in her pulling me from Taylor Prep before I could blink, and there was no way that I was going to give up now.

  I was so close to the end. Just two more semesters – exactly the amount of time that I’d already been at school there – and I would have a diploma that would open doors for me around the world. This meant that I’d be able to get a job that paid enough for my mom to not have to work at the club anymore.

  I’d be able to build a better life for us, and all I had to do was survive the council and the harpies for a few more months. Hell, I’d survived the car accident that took my dad from me, so I knew that I’d be able to handle this. If not, then there was something wrong with me.

  Stepping back from the mirror, I swiped some mascara onto my lashes. There was something about using a little more eye makeup than usual that helped to draw some attention from the fact that I was almost bald. Grinning at myself in the mirror, I turned and ran down the stairs to the kitchen, where I knew my mom was waiting.

  “There’s my girl!” She stood up from the counter and threw her arms around me, pulling me in and squeezing me tight. “Are you sure that you’re ready to go back today? I bet that Mr. Taylor would let you start later in the week.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right. You and I both know that if I’m not there today then I might as well kiss my spot at his school goodbye. I’ve got to be there on time or I’m dead meat.”

  “Then are you sure that you don’t want me to drive you?” She stepped back from me, holding me at arm’s length while her eyes searched mine. “I really don’t mind making the trip and I can get someone else to cover my shift so that I can be the one to drop you off. Seriously, Rose, it’s no problem.”

  I knew that my mom would do anything to help me, which waqs exactly why I shook my head no. “Not a chance, mom. I know that the weekend shifts bring in the most money. Besides, I think that Harper was going to send a car for me this morning so I don’t want to try to cancel on her now and make it a huge mess.”

  “I’m sure it would be okay.” Even as she said it, though, my mom dropped her hands from my shoulders and stepped back. “You’re just such a good kid, Rose, and I want to be there for you if I can.”

  “But you have.” I hugged my mom again, a shorter one this time, then stole her coffee cup from the counter and took a huge sip. “You have been there for me, mom, and I can’t thank you enough. But now I have to go do this on my own, okay?”

  I knew that it was hard for her to let me go, just like it was hard for me to pull away from her. Since my dad died, we’d leaned pretty heavily on each other to survive. That wasn’t a bad thing, but it did mean that it was really painful to have to leave her when I just wanted her to hold me.

  “You got it.” She opened her mouth to say something else, but before she could, the doorbell rang. “That’s probably your limo driver, you want to answer it?”

  I did. I threw her one last grateful smile then ran to the door, taking a deep breath and throwing it open. It wasn’t that I was really excited to see the limo driver, but since they were here it meant that I was going back to seeing my friends after a long summer of being apart.

  They’d wanted to get together and had even offered to send the limo for me a few times, but unlike Harper and Maggie, I had to get a summer job. Hours scooping ice cream wasn’t the most exciting thing I’d ever done, but I knew that it would help my mom out, so I did it anyway. That meant that I hadn’t seen anyone from Taylor Prep since we were all at school, and I couldn’t wait to throw my arms around my friends.

  But when I swung open the door, it wasn’t Harper’s limo driver standing there, and it wasn’t her limo sitting out in the street.

  Brett leaned against the doorframe, his gorgeous skin darkened by the summer sun. His expression was careless, a grin splashed across his face, but I could see from how dark and stormy his eyes were that he was thinking about something.

  Immediately, I sucked in a breath, trying to rid my head of the dizzy feeling, but I was just wrapped in his exotic cologne. Stepping forward, I rested my hand on the doorframe, just inches from his, but he never moved. His eyes were locked on mine like he was seeing me for the first time.

  Or the last.

  The thought made me shiver. “Brett?” My voice was quiet, but it filled the silence between us.

  At that moment, my mom came down the hallway, carrying my backpack and pulling my luggage. She stopped up short when she saw him leaning in our doorway.

  “Brett Cox? Are you serious? It is really you?” Her voice was heavy with surprise, and I heard her drop my backpack and walk faster down the hall to us. It took me a moment to remember that my mom hadn’t seen Brett since he moved away when he was a lot younger. I’d mentioned his name in passing to her this last year, but I hadn’t told her that it was that Brett. Brett from my childhood. The first boy I ever had a crush on.

  The one I wanted to kiss right now.

  The magic broken, he tore his eyes from me and locked them on my mom before breaking into a grin. “Mrs. Bennett! It’s been far too long.”

  My jaw dropped open as he walked through the door, past me, and hugged my mom. She looked tiny next to his big frame and his incredible muscles, and I felt a twinge of envy that she was the one wrapped in his arms, not me.

  That was ridiculous. It was my mother, for goodness sakes.

  “What in the world are you doing here? We haven’t seen you in years! Rose told me that there was a Brett at Taylor Prep, but I never imagined that it would be you and that I’d get to see you!” She laughed and then immediately became a bit more somber. “I’m so sorry about all of the things that you went through with your dad, Brett. But I’m really glad that your mom found someone new.”

  “Don’t worry. It’s so good to see you, Mrs. Bennett.” Brett stepped back, still sm
iling at her, then turned to me. “I was thrilled to get to reconnect with Rose at Taylor Prep. In fact, I told Harper that I’d be the one coming to get her for school today. She put up a bit of a fight, but I won out.”

  “You always do.” My mom glanced curiously between the two of us when I said that, but I ignored her. In truth, I couldn’t take my eyes from Brett. The summer had been good to him. He’d let his hair grow out a little longer and had gotten taller – if that was somehow possible.

  “Then are you ready?” Stooping, he grabbed my luggage and backpack and brushed past me again, carrying everything out to the car he had parked outside.

  “I didn’t think that students were allowed to bring cars onto campus!” I yelled after him as he loaded my things into his car. It was a two-seater with the top down, a deep navy blue that glittered in the sun and all-leather interior. The smooth and sexy curves of the car told me all I needed to know about how much it cost – more than we paid for our rent in a year. Two years. Hell, probably more than we paid for our rent in five years.

  “We’re not. I’m taking us to meet the rest of the rogues and then we’ll go in together in a limo. That sound okay to you?” He shut the trunk and turned to look at me, lifting his hand to block his eyes from the early morning sun.

  My heart flipped in my chest.

  I was not mentally prepared to spend the day with all three of my rogues. I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to handle myself around them. Even the thought of being near them gave me shivers and I knew that I had to focus hard if I was going to make it through the day without looking like an idiot.

  “You okay, sweetheart?” Slipping her arm around my waist, my mom pulled me closer. “I know that this isn’t what you expected, and if you’re not okay with it then I can still see about taking the day off.”

  I shook my head. “It’s fine, mom, really. I’m just surprised.” That didn’t even touch how I was feeling. Not only was I surprised, but the thought of riding in Brett’s car with him – alone! – and then meeting up with the rest of the rogues before we headed into school was enough to make me feel giddy.

  Even though the three of them had texted and called over the summer and had even asked to come and seem me, I’d made it clear that they couldn’t. I needed to be with my mom, not distracted by the rogues, even though I wanted nothing more than to see them.

  So they all had their ways of coping with it. Jackie sent flowers to the house every single week. The first time, my mom had been a little confused, but by the end of the summer, she looked forward to seeing what type of flowers he would send.

  Kaleb wrote me bits of poetry. Even though he was known for being a math genius, there was an incredibly soft side to him, and he tapped into it while we were apart. The poems arrived one a week, just like the flowers, but I didn’t share them with my mom.

  She didn’t need to know that a lot of them referenced our time together on the beach trip.

  And Brett? He’d not done anything, really, besides a lot of texting and sending me pictures of his trips and travels. But that didn’t matter to me, because he was the one who showed up to take me back to school. He was the one that I knew would have more trouble forming a connection with anyone, so this was a huge step for him.

  And for us.

  “Stay in touch.” My mom held me at arm’s length, and I saw the tears shining in the corners of her eyes. “A senior! I wish your dad could be here, darling, he’d be so proud of you. Just like me.”

  “I know, Mom. Thank you.” We hugged one more time then I turned to look at Brett. He was leaning against the car, waiting on me. As soon as I walked up to him, he swung the passenger door open for me and gestured.

  “My lady.” I laughed and slid in, running my hands all over the leather. He slipped in next to me, eyeing me. “What do you think?”

  “I think that I could get used to this. I mean, I love the limo, trust me, but this is different. This is…nice.” Even though I was sad about leaving my mom, I was thrilled to be going back to school, especially because I knew that I was going to get to see my rogues.

  The harpies and the council were the farthest things from my mind right then, even though I was sure that I would have to deal with them before the day was over.

  But right now, there was nothing that could stop me from enjoying my time with Brett. The promise of getting to see my other two boys made going back to school even sweeter.

  “It’s good to see you, Rose.” He started the car and it purred to life under us. Reaching over, he rested his hand lightly above my knee. I stared at it, feeling heat spread from his touch. “Are you ready for this?

  Was I ready? Was I ready to not only see my rogues and my two best friends, but also the other students who thought that I had no business being at the school? As much as I loved the classes at Taylor Prep, they were ridiculously hard, so was I ready to deal with that?

  Without a doubt. “You know it.” I took his hand, linking our fingers together. “I’m ready. I know that I have you, Kaleb, and Jackie as well as my friends, and we’re going to make it through, right?”

  He nodded, not taking his eyes off of the road. The way he drove was slow and lazy, hugging all of the curves as he moved the wheel back and forth. It was mesmerizing, like everything else about him.

  “I can’t wait to be with you, Rose. That’s all I care about right now.”

  There wasn’t anything else for me to say, so I just waited while we drove. It didn’t matter to me where we went – we were going to see my other two boys, and that was all that I wanted right then.

  Chapter 2

  We spent almost two hours in the car together before pulling into a gravel parking lot. If I hadn’t been paying attention, I would have missed where he was going to get off of the road, but I caught it at the last second. The parking lot was tiny and snuggled tight in some trees, but he managed to get his little car up into it without any problem.

  My jaw dropped open when I saw that the only other vehicle in the parking lot was a limo. Kaleb and Jackie had beaten us there, and my heart started to pound in my chest as I thought about being reunited with my boys.

  “I had really hoped that we’d get here first and I would have some time with you to myself. But I think that the guys were just as eager to see you as I was.” Brett grinned at me as he pulled smoothly into a spot by the limo, then leaned over and took me by the chin. “You have no idea how good it is to see you, Rose, really.”

  I leaned forward, not even knowing what I was doing, and I brushed my lips against his. He sucked in a breath then snaked his hand from my chin around to the back of my neck, pulling me closer and deepening the kiss.

  My heart was pounding so hard that it felt like it would burst in my chest, but neither one of us pulled back until there was a rap on the hood of the car.

  Gasping, I sat up, looking straight ahead to see who was there. Jackie and Kaleb were lazily leaning against the hood, watching us.

  “My rogues!” I unbuckled as quickly as possible and threw open the car door, my feet skidding on the gravel as I ran to Kaleb and Jackie. Jackie was closest, and he swooped me up in his arms, spinning me around and then pulling me close. I tilted my head to him, wanting to catch a glimpse of his gorgeous blue eyes, and I was rewarded with a kiss.

  When I pulled back from him, my head was buzzing and light. Kaleb looked shy, and I walked up to him, wrapped my arms around his neck and leaning my head on his chest. His heart beat out a steady rhythm and I snuggled closer, enjoying how it sounded.

  “I have missed you so much,” I told him, finally looking up at him. He leaned down and lightly kissed me. “But I loved the poetry,” I continued, when he pulled away. “Thank you.”

  “You are worth every word and more.” He slipped his arm around my shoulder and I turned to face the other two rogues. Brett had gotten out of the car and he and Jackie were leaning against the hood watching us, both of them smiling.

  “So where are we? What’
s the plan? And where in the world are we?” Even though I’d tried my best to pay attention when we pulled up, all I knew is that we were in some kind of forest. Or, rather, the parking lot that people would use to go hiking in a forest.

  The trees were huge and very old, forming a complete canopy over the parking lot. All around us I could hear birds singing, and leading off of the parking lot were a number of hiking trails. Some of them had blue markers, some red, and others yellow. I thought that I remembered correctly from when I’d go hiking with my dad that the colors had to do with how difficult the trail was, but that’s all I remembered.

  It had been a long time since I’d been hiking, and even though my feet itched to get on a trail, I wasn’t prepared. In fact, the last time I’d been out in the woods was at Taylor Prep when I’d run and hid, leaning up against a tree until I knew that it would be safe for me to go back.

  That was before the rogues and I really found each other. Before we knew that we could face whatever Taylor Prep threw at us and come out on top.

  “Well, we wanted to get some time alone with you before we went back to school.” Kaleb squeezed my shoulder as he spoke. “Even though we technically could get back to campus this morning, we figured that some time alone with you was a much better option than getting moved in and dealing with the harpies.”

  “Do you mean that we get to spend a few hours out here together?” The thought was exciting, and I stepped away from Kaleb, taking a deep breath of cool and crisp air as I did. “Whose idea was this?”

  They all looked sheepish for a moment, then Kaleb raised his hand a little. “I thought about it while I was writing you one afternoon, Rose. I thought that getting to spend time with you in the woods, away from everyone, would be…”

  “The delight of my soul, the thing that made my wandering heart still. To spend time with you, alone in the woods, would bring me a happiness that I’d never had,” I finished for him. I’d read the poems that he’d written me so often that the words were practically engrained on my heart.