Wicked Mercy Read online

  “Something wrong, Amelia? You look more constipated than normal this morning. I’m sure that I have something for that if you want me to help you out. It’ll get things moving in no time.” I knew that she had figured out that I was the one who put the glycerine in her coffee on the junior beach trip, but she’d never confronted me about it.

  She smirked, her tight lips twisting into a smile. “It’s just a surprise to see you out of your gutter, you slut. You fucked up Sara’s life on Friday, you know that?”

  I took a sip of coffee before answering her, hyper aware that everyone in the dining hall was staring at us and listening to every word. “Looked to me like Sara did a good job fucking up her life on her own, Amelia. If I remember correctly, I wasn’t anywhere near her or the stage.”

  “We all know that you sabotaged her music, you bitch.” Amelia leaned forward before picking up my coffee and slowly pouring it into my oatmeal. I watched as the bowl filled with the murky liquid and as it spilled out over the rim and onto the table before pooling around the bowl.

  Shrugging, I put my napkin by my bowl and stood up before grabbing my oatmeal and throwing it in her face. She had a look of triumph on her face before the oatmeal splattered on it, coffee quickly staining her clothes and dripping down her chin.

  “You bitch!” She screamed and lunged at me, arms outstretched for my throat. I stepped back quickly, scooting behind my chair. Amelia’s face was red with rage and she put one knee on the table, ready to climb over it for me, but the rogues were there before she could.

  Brett stepped in front of me. “You need to leave, Amelia. You’d hate to get marks for not being dressed appropriately for class.”

  “Move, you bastard.” She hissed at him, trying to spot me over his shoulder. Before she could do anything, however, I darted to Brett’s side, casually resting my hand on his shoulder. His eyes flicked to me but then locked back on Amelia. “I’m going to kill your slutty little girlfriend. Maybe, if you’re lucky, I’ll let you go for a ride later so you can feel what real grade A pussy feels like.”

  Brett’s jaw twitched. I saw the movement and I immediately knew what it meant, but only because he and I had been friends for so long. He was pissed, and Amelia was the center of his ire.

  ***

  “Listen, Rose, you have to let me help you finish your revenge. I don’t care who it is or what you want me to do, but I’ll do anything okay?” Brett and I were walking after dinner, finally able to get a little alone time after what had to be the longest day ever at Taylor Prep.

  Not that any of the harpies had actually hurt me this year, of course, but they’d done their best to throw me off of my game. I was getting really tired of them calling me so many names, but until Amelia got her harpies back together and figured out a plan of attack, that seemed to be the best that they could do.

  “You weren’t even sure at first that I should go through with anything. Why the change of heart?” I knew exactly what had changed his mind, but I wanted to hear it from him.

  Instead of answering me right away, he turned, taking me by the hand and pulling me off of the path. My heart leapt in my throat as we entered the woods. It felt like forever since the first time he’d taken me to the bunker, but I had no doubt now that that was where we were going.

  I was right, and he didn’t answer my question until we were safely inside, the light on and the door sealed tight above us.

  “Listen, Rose, you and I both know that things here aren’t going to get any better. They’re going to get worse each day until something breaks and everything falls apart. You mean too much to me for me to allow it to be you that breaks, do you understand? If you need my help taking down the rest of the harpies so that you can feel better and can complete the year, then I’ll do whatever you need. I just…I just need you to promise me that you’ll try to stay safe, okay?”

  I nodded at him and sat down on the sofa, pulling my knees up into my chest. The joy that I’d felt over sabotaging Sara hadn’t dimmed exactly, but knowing that I was now the center of attention for all of the harpies again didn’t feel great.

  It felt like I needed to watch my back.

  Instead of answering him right away, I twirled my bracelet from Harper’s mom on my wrist. The chain caught the light and the stones flashed as I spun it around my wrist. It was the one thing I’d been given since coming to the world of Taylor Prep that wasn’t meant to hurt me.

  “Another thing, Rose.” Brett’s voice pulled me from my thoughts and I looked up at him. “You and I both know that my mom is working with the council to get you removed from school. I think that we need to take a trip to see her. Maybe we can clear the air and all get on the same page. If it means that I can protect you then I’ll do whatever I can, okay?”

  “You’re kidding. Your mom is behind these attacks and you want me to go and talk to her? Are you serious right now?”

  He nodded and sat next to me, pulling my legs so that they were stretched out across his lap. Quickly he flipped my shoes off of my feet and started to rub them. Normally, I would have melted into the sofa right there, but I was too focused on what we were talking about.

  “Brett, that feels great, but let’s be real. Your mom hates me and she wants me out of Taylor Prep. What in the world do you think that we can say to her to change her mind and make her decide that I’m not so bad? I just…I just don’t see a way that this would work out in my favor.”

  “You know that I wouldn’t let you get hurt, Rose. And you know that my mom wouldn’t hurt you, right?” His hands stilled on my foot while he talked and I kicked him a little to remind him to keep rubbing. I didn’t want to be having this conversation right now, but if I could get a foot rub out of it then I was going to milk it for all I could.

  “I know that you would do everything in your power to protect me.” I was treading on thin ice, and I knew that. Brett’s relationship with his mom was just as complicated as his relationship with me and I didn’t want to make him feel like I didn’t trust him. “But I also know that she’s a very focused woman and I’m worried that she would take our visit the wrong way.”

  He didn’t answer for a while after that, but his hands kept kneading my feet. I relaxed, closing my eyes, feeling the weight and pain of the day slip away. I could survive whatever the harpies tried to throw at me as long as I had the rogues with me, and that’s all Brett was trying to do.

  Let me know that he was with me. He was trying to help me see just how much I meant to him. If that meant that I needed to go and see his mom…then I could do that. It wasn’t high on my list of things that I wanted to do, but I would do it for him.

  “Okay.” I opened my eyes and looked at him, searching his face for his response. “Okay, Brett. If it’s that important to you then I’ll go with you. I’ll see if your mom will sit down and talk to us and see if we can make her understand that I’m not…I’m not out to get her. She was protecting you, Brett, and that’s all parents can try to do for their kids.”

  “Really?” He pushed my legs off of his lap so that they slid to the floor and pulled me closer, wrapping his arm around my shoulder. “You’ll really go with me to talk to her?”

  Swallowing hard, I nodded. I was afraid, sure, but of what? With Brett at my side I really didn’t think that anything bad could happen to me. He would do everything in his power to keep me safe.

  “Of course, I’ll go. I love you, Brett, and I trust you. If you think that this is the best way to stop the harpies and ensure that I can stay at Taylor Prep without any of the drama, then we’ll do it. But I want you to promise me one thing.”

  He didn’t even have to think about his response, which is one of the things that I loved about him. Brett Cox was passionate and broody, but when he was committed, he was completely there. “You name it, Rose, and I’ll do it. I’ll do anything for you.” He lifted my hand to his mouth and kissed the tips of my fingers, sending shivers down my spine.

  If I had any doubt before about wh
at I wanted, they were gone now.

  “I want you to promise me that you and I will have some time alone. Without your mother in the house. Just you and me, finally getting to be together. Can you make that happen?”

  Chapter 13

  Harper and Maggie were sitting on my bed watching me pack for the weekend away with Brett. I’d had to borrow an overnight bag from Harper since I didn’t have anything for carrying my clothes besides a backpack and I was trying to make a better impression on his mom than that.

  “Are you sure that you’re going to be okay spending the night in his mom’s house? I mean, if she’s the one who went to the council about you then you need to be really, really careful, Rose.” Harper was handing me clothes as I packed them and keeping up a steady stream of chatter. “I just don’t know if it’s really a good idea for you to go there or not. What do you think, Maggie?”

  Maggie shook her head. She was perched on the edge of my bed flipping through pictures on her phone while listening to the two of us bicker. “I kinda agree with Harper, Rose. How in the world do you know that she’s not going to do anything to you to hurt you? I mean, she thinks that you saw her hide her husband’s body, right? How is that going to get brought up at dinner? Sounds awkward to me. Stay here.”

  I rolled my eyes and shoved a strappy tank into the bag. “You guys, I think I really need to do this. Talking with his mom could be the best way for me to get the rest of the Taylor Prep bullies off of my back. And with Brett there…well, I’m sure that I’m going to be okay. You honestly think that he’s going to let anything bad happen to me?”

  “Not on purpose, no, but he can be hot-headed, and you know that.” Jackie’s voice from the door made me look up. He and Kaleb were standing there, each holding something. “That’s why we wanted to come talk to you, Rosita.”

  I sighed and stood up from the floor, leaving the overnight bag behind. “Are you guys coming here to try to talk me out of going, too? Because I’m gonna go, and I’m gonna try to work things out with her. Remember that she and I go way back! She’ll probably remember me fondly as the little kid who was always eating cookies in her kitchen.”

  Even though I was a little grumpy with the boys for trying to stop my trip, I still walked over and gave them each a kiss. Their lips were warm, and Kaleb’s lingered as he grabbed my hip and pulled me closer. Laughing, I leaned back to look at him.

  “You sure you don’t want to stay here with us? I bet that the four of us could get into something here if you wanted.” His tone was suggestive and I felt an immediate twist in my stomach.

  Was he suggesting what I thought he was? Before I could give it much thought, though, Harper cleared her throat behind us.

  “We’re right here, you guys. No need to get all gross when you have an audience.”

  “A captive audience,” Maggie piped up, laughing a little. “So keep in mind that you guys are blocking the door. We can leave, though, if you want some alone time before the weekend.” She slid off of the bed but I waved her back.

  “No, no, just give me a minute to talk to them, okay? I still need you two to help me pick out the rest of my clothes.”

  “How about no clothes?” Harper started giggling as soon as the words left her mouth, and both Jackie and Kaleb raised their eyebrows.

  “That sounds like my favorite type of outfit.” There was a grin playing on Jackie’s lips. “I vote for that. No clothes for Rosita. What do you think, Kaleb?”

  Kaleb’s eyes swept over my body and I had the distinct feeling that he was remembering what I looked like naked – and he was enjoying the memory. “I definitely think that naked Rose is my favorite Rose. You sure that you don’t want to stay here and model that look for us?”

  The twisting in my stomach was now a full-on burn in my core. My entire body ached for the two of them and I had to bite my lower lip, taking deep breaths, before I could think straight again.

  “I think,” I said slowly, my eyes locked on theirs to see their response, “that maybe when I get back I can model that look for you. For both of you. For all three of you.”

  Jackie sucked in a breath, his cheeks suddenly flaming hot red. Unable to help myself, I leaned up on my tiptoes so that I could reach his ear. My breath was hot on his skin, I could tell by the way he pulled away a little, but snaked his arm around my waist at the same time.

  “I want you to do one thing for me, Jackie Broylin. I want you and Kaleb to think about what exactly you want from me and if you think that you can handle me in your favorite outfit at the same time. Are you a good sharer, Jackie? Or do you need lessons?”

  My lips lingered by his ear for just a moment before I pulled back. It felt like we were two magnets being drawn towards each other and I had to physically force myself away from him.

  His eyes were wide but they darkened when he looked at me. “I think, Rosita,” he finally responded, after swallowing hard, “that you need to decide for yourself if you can handle it.”

  The implications were clear, and I glanced over at Kaleb to see his eyes locked on me. He looked like he was holding his breath and waiting for an answer.

  I knew what I wanted to say to him – what I wanted to say to them both.

  But first I needed to get through this weekend.

  I needed to be with Brett.

  I needed to see that we really were okay.

  Then I could think about what was implied. After I was with Brett and we tried to work things out with his mom, I would let myself think about what could possibly happen between all of us.

  The idea gave me chills.

  ***

  I shouldn’t have been surprised that Brett wouldn’t hire a limo for our trip. Instead, when we finally made our way to the front of Taylor Prep Friday afternoon, there was his deep navy-blue two-seater parked out front.

  “Did you just leave this thing in the forest? How in the world does it keep showing up when you need it?”

  Brett laughed and grabbed my bag, tossing all of our things into the back before opening the door for me. I slid in, sighing at how comfortable the seat was. I wasn’t used to this type of luxury back home, but I could really get used to it if I wasn’t careful.

  And, right then, I wasn’t sure that I wanted to be careful.

  “I have a driver who will come and move it for me. Two of them bring a car and then one drives it while the other follows him.” He shrugged and turned the key, making the engine rumble.

  “Sounds decadent.” I traced a finger along the front dash, lingering it near the radio. “Music on or off?”

  He glanced over at me for a moment before reaching out and pushing the knob. “You gonna sing for me? We can make sure that you have backing tracks if you want or…” he raised his eyebrows at me.

  Sing for him? The last time that I sang for anyone in the car was when…well, it was when my dad and I were in our accident. Ever since then I’d either listened to the radio or keep it quiet so that I could be alone with my thoughts. I loved Brett, but I wasn’t sure that I was ready to do that just yet.

  “I think just music then.” I grabbed the knob and twisted it hard, filling the car with music. It pumped out of the speakers and I relaxed as I felt the bass throb through my body. Someday I would want to sing in the car again, but I wasn’t there yet. Not when I could still hear my dad screaming when I closed my eyes. Not when I hadn’t yet forgiven myself completely for the accident.

  Maybe if I hadn’t been so distracting…I shook my head. It wasn’t the time to try to work through those feelings. I forced myself to look over at Brett. He was not my dad. He was alive, breathing, hot-blooded. Brett loved me and wanted me with him. He deserved more than for me to curl up in my shell while we were on our trip.

  This weekend was supposed to be about us, and I wasn’t going to let myself turn it into a one-girl pity party.

  “Music it is.” He shifted and we pulled smoothly away from Taylor Prep, stopping to get let out of the main gate. I knew that we had abo
ut an hour to go to get to his mom’s house, and I knew that with the music as loud as it was, we wouldn’t be able to talk easily, but I didn’t care.

  I just wanted to be there, figure out what we could do about the council, and then hopefully get some time alone with him.

  Taking a deep breath, I closed my eyes and leaned back. The wind whipped around the inside of the car, fluffing my short hair around my face. I felt myself relax and sink back into the leather seats. Music swirled around me, but instead of keeping me awake, it was soothing.

  I relaxed more.

  Chapter 14

  Brett was reaching for the handle on the front door when it swung open. I braced myself, preparing to be face-to-face with his mom for the first time in years, but it was a butler, not her, who opened the door. He was wearing a full suit and looked tired.

  “Can I help you?” He addressed the question to Brett, barely looking at me. That was okay with me, since it gave me plenty of time to look past him into the house. Even though I couldn’t see very far, I could easily tell that it was huge. There was marble flooring and I could see a huge chandelier hanging behind the butler.

  “I’m Brett. Didn’t my mom tell you that I was coming home for the weekend?” Brett shifted uncomfortably next to me, and I got the feeling that he and his mom weren’t as close as they had been when we were younger.

  “She did, but she didn’t tell me that you would be bringing a…friend.” He paused while he spoke, looking at me, one eyebrow raised. I felt a flash of anger shoot through me, but I held my tongue when Brett reached out and took my hand.

  “This is Rose. My mom knows her. Our bags are in the car, so excuse us.” He pulled me with him and brushed past the butler, who opened his mouth to say something, but wasn’t given the chance. “Come on, Rose, let’s find my mom and then get something to eat. I’m starving, and I know that she has snacks here somewhere.”