26. Chase

"Where are we?"I asked, sighing at the feel of the cold rag pressed to my forehead.

"Someplace safe," Mercy's sweet voice answered. "You know, for a smart man, you sure are pushing the boundaries of stupidity."

I cracked a smile, though my eyes were still shut. "I'd do anything for you. Haven't you realized that yet?"

"Yes," she sighed. "Practically killing yourself shouldn't be the solution to the problem."

"I had to get us out of there." Slitting my eyes, I stared up at my beautiful Mercy. "Where's Asher?"

"Getting supplies," she responded, swiping the rag across my forehead again.

"You know, I had a dream about this," I grinned. "Only you were wearing a very naughty outfit."

"And if it weren't for the fact that I just stitched you up, I might let your fantasies play out. But, as it is, I think this will be your punishment."

I pouted, just to see if I could get her to change her mind, though I was pretty sure I couldn't participate even if I wanted to. "I take all forms of punishment."

"Nice try," she smiled. "Just lay here and play dead."

"That shouldn't be too hard."

"I'll get you some broth. We need to start getting your strength back."

I grimaced at the thought of having a liquid diet. "How about a chicken or a cow?"

She spun at the door, pressing her hand to the frame. "I'll cook it for you if you slaughter it."

Her wicked grin nearly had me pushing up to try, but I knew there was no way in hell I was going to be leaving this bed today. Maybe tomorrow. My whole body ached and despite just waking up, I felt like I could go back to sleep for another ten hours.

"That's what I thought. I'll be back soon."

I nodded and let my eyes drift closed. My head was heavy as I drifted in and out of consciousness, but I could still hear the conversation going on around me.

"We're safe for now, but we can't stay here too much longer."

"He can't be moved, Asher. He's not stable."

"He walked out of the fucking hospital."

"And collapsed in the truck. Do you even know who's chasing us?"

"No, and that's the point," Asher snapped. "Without knowing for sure who's after us, I can't protect you the way I should. We need to get him to OPS."

"I won't allow you to move him until he's had some more rest. If you want to leave, that fine, but we'll be staying here."

I struggled to hear the rest, forcing myself to wake up, but by the time I was sitting upright in bed, they'd stopped talking. Mercy walked in, shaking her head at me.

"I thought I said for you to rest."

I grunted. "Did you think I really listened?"

"Part of me hoped you would. Is it really too much to ask that you give your body a chance to heal? After all, you did nearly die for me. It would be nice to get to spend a little time with you before you croak."

"I'll do my best, but I make no guarantees," I said with a strained voice as I fought to sit up further. She immediately placed her hand behind my back, helping me up.

"You're so stubborn."

"Tell me something I don't know."

Her face flickered with something I didn't understand. It almost looked like worry.

"What is it?"

"It's nothing," she said, smiling brightly at me.

"Yeah, now I know something's wrong. You have that look of constipation on your face."

"Wh—I do not!" she yelped.

Laughing turned into groaning as I fell back to the bed, barely able to control that laughter that was ripping my body in two. "Fuck, that hurt."

"Serves you right. You shouldn't have been mean to me."

"I wasn't mean. I was honest."

"And whoever told you to be honest with a woman?"

I wanted to run my finger over the quirk of her eyebrow just to smooth it out and watch her melt from my touch. Sadly, any touching would only come from her. I was already feeling like I'd had my ass kicked for the fourth time today.

"Asher said he wants to move."

There was that worried tone again. "We'll move when he says it's safe."

"If we move you too soon…"

"I'll be fine," I said, trying to soothe her. I grabbed her hand, hoping she believed me. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to driving in a truck all day, but if Asher said we needed to move, I trusted him completely.

But as I looked at Mercy, I knew there was something else on her mind.

"Tell me," I said, tugging on her hand.

Flushing, she continued. "Are you sure Asher is up to this?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't he be?"

"Because…he's behaving strangely. It's almost like he's talking to someone who isn't there."

"That's not unusual. He lost his wife. I'm sure he talks to her to…reassure himself."

"Chase—"

"Mercy, don't dig into this. He's fine."

"He's fine. You're fine," she huffed, pushing to stand. "Why is it that everyone's always fine? Why can't you just admit that something's wrong?"

"You already know what's wrong," I said in frustration.

"You're right. I do, but I need you to see it."

"I do. I'm in bed right now resting."

"Chase…" She shook her head as tears slipped from her eyes. "I need you to see. Open your eyes."

See what I was doing to her? Yeah, I was well aware of that. Since being with me, she was in more danger than ever before in her life. Granted, the first time wasn't my fault, but everything after that was because of me. Maybe I had been wrong to run with her after the building exploded. If we had gone to the police, they could have kept us at the station with them until Cap could get a team out to us. That would have been the smart thing to do, but hindsight was always twenty-twenty. All I could see in that moment was getting her to safety.

"Whatever you need," I said, trying to reassure her. I wasn't sure it would work, but I had to try.

"What I need is for you to be okay. Can you promise me you'll take care of yourself?"

I didn't understand why she was so insistent on this point. Then again, we'd been here before, only our situations were reversed. I was begging her to be okay. I was pleading for her to tell me just how bad her heart condition could be. The thought of losing her terrified me. Was it really that big of a surprise that she would feel the same way?

I took her hand in mine, doing my best to reassure her. "Mercy, I promise you, I will do everything to take care of myself so I can come home to you."

Her lips tilted in a smile. "Thank you. Because I plan on spending a lot of time with you."

"Yeah? And how will that work?"

"Well, I assume one of us will have to make a change," she sighed, almost comically. "And we both know I can't leave my job. You can fight bad guys anywhere. But I'm instrumental where I work."

"Mercy," I cut her off.

"Oh, stop it," she grinned. "Of course, I'm coming with you."

"Are you sure? This is moving really fast. I want you to be sure."

Her eyebrows shot up, half in anger, half in determination. "Chase, if I didn't know better, I would guess you're trying to persuade me to stay as far away from you as possible."

"Not on your life," I said, staring her in the eyes. "Besides, who's going to sew up my battle wounds?"

"Asher can do it."

"I doubt he has your gentle touch."

"No, but he won't consider murdering you every time he adds a new stitch because you were too stupid to get injured."

"I think I should be offended," I grunted.

She smirked at me and backed away, fading into the darkness of the room. "Sleep. I'll be back later."

A bad feeling rushed through me as her image faded. I wasn't sure why, but an overwhelming fear had me struggling to get out of bed. But all too soon, lethargy swept over me and I faded into the black.

I wokein a sweaty mess with my heart pounding out of control. I had to get to Mercy. How much time had passed since I last saw her? I shoved the blankets off the bed and winced as I grabbed my jeans that were tossed over the back of the chair. Moving as quickly as possible, I finished dressing, then grabbed my gun off the table beside the bed.

Finally feeling a little clearer than I had in days, I stormed to the door, ignoring the pain in my stomach and my leg. Mercy was the only one that mattered right now, and while I knew she could take care of herself and that Asher was here to help, this came down to me. It was my job to protect her.

As I pulled the bedroom door open, silence greeted me, setting me on edge. I slowly crept down the hall, keeping my back to the wall and I tightened my grip on my weapon. With a quick peek around the corner, all I saw was the empty cabin we were staying in. There wasn't a soul in sight.

Dishes were stacked in the sink, but other than that, there was no sign of life. Ever so slowly, I stepped out of the hall, and that's when I saw something that chilled me to the bone. The front door was busted in and hanging off the hinges.

Had I really slept through all that?

Rushing to the door, I swung my weapon up and cleared the deck just outside, but all was silent. Daylight was fading as dusk approached. If I didn't find Mercy soon, my chances of getting her back were slim to none. Not even the vehicle was parked in the driveway. Where the fuck was Asher? He was supposed to protect her.

I took the steps two at a time, stopping at the bottom of the deck to check the footprints. They led off to the woods on the left. I headed back inside and grabbed a few spare magazines and a sheathed knife to slide into my boot. Without backup, I was all that stood between Mercy and the men that dared to touch her.

I started out at a fast clip to the trees, but had to slow when I reached the wooded area. Whoever took her did an excellent job of hiding their tracks. Using only small clues like bent branches and scuffs in the dirt, I moved in silence through the trees. I stopped for a breather after about a half hour, bending over and wincing in pain as I pressed my hand to my wound. Blood seeped through my fingers and the smell of iron filled my senses. None of that mattered if I didn't have Mercy.

Pushing aside the pain, I continued through the woods, hoping to find any sign that she was still alive. In the distance, I thought I heard a river and stopped to listen. Closing my eyes, I pinpointed where it was coming from. In a hurry, I rushed in that direction, shoving branches out of the way. Voices echoed through the trees the closer I got and hope filled my chest that she wasn't out of my grasp yet.

I burst into a clearing, drawing my weapon as I faced the men holding Mercy hostage. Covered all in black, I couldn't tell a single distinguishing thing about them.

"Stop!" I shouted, finally drawing their attention.

Mercy turned to me with tears in her eyes as she struggled against her captor. "Chase!" She shouted just as one of them hit her over the head. She collapsed in their arms, her head lolling to the side as he struggled to stay awake.

"Who are you? What do you want?"

"You," the man chuckled.

"You have me. Just let her go."

"How do we know you'll come willingly?"

I would never go willingly, but if it meant keeping Mercy safe, I'd hand over my life right now. I instantly raised my gun, pointing it up to the sky. "Fine. If you want me, come get me."

"Drop the gun and walk to us."

"Chase, give them what they want," Mercy slurred.

I fully intended to. "You've got me." I tossed my gun to the ground and slowly walked toward them. "Just let her go and I'll give you whatever you want."

The leader stepped toward the cliff with Mercy, holding her by her hair as she cried out in terror and tears leaked from her eyes. My heart thundered in my chest as I saw how close to the edge she was.

"You have me. You don't have to do this."

"You need to give in completely," the man said. "That is the only way you'll live."

"I don't care about me," I snapped. "She's the only one who's important."

"The only way she lives is if you fully hand yourself over. Give in and open your eyes."

My eyes were perfectly open. I saw this for what it was. For whatever reason, these men wanted me, and Mercy was a bargaining chip. As long as I did what they wanted, Mercy would live.

"Okay," I said placatingly. "Just tell me what you want me to do."

"Walk over to the edge," the man, jerking his head at the cliff.

"Okay," I said, slowly walking over.

"Chase!" Mercy called.

"I'm going, but you have to let her go."

"As soon as you jump," the man retorted.

"Why? Tell me who you are. Why do you want me to do this?"

"Because it's the only way you'll know."

"Know what?" I shouted. "Tell me what this is about!"

"You have to give in to find the answers," he said cryptically.

I peered over the edge, shaking my head. The man was insane. The cliff was steep and filled with rocks at the bottom. There were no answers down there, only death. He wanted me dead, which I would happily give him if only I could be sure Mercy would live.

"If I jump, you have to give me what I need first."

"There are no negotiations."

"There has to be. If I jump, you'll kill her after. I can't let that happen. So, you let her go right now, and I'll do whatever you want."

I had a knife on me. That would at least give me a chance to fight back against them.

"She doesn't go until you do. Prove that you really love her. You swore to protect her, but the only way to do that is to surrender."

This man was rambling in circles. I didn't know what he needed, but this wasn't going to end the way I wanted. I was all alone out here. Asher was gone and I was the only thing standing between Mercy and death.

"Let's just talk?—"

I didn't get to say anything else as the man shoved Mercy hard to the edge of the cliff. I saw the terror in her eyes as she stumbled backward and started to fall. I leapt forward, grasping for her hand as she tipped over the edge. Landing on my stomach, I held the tips of her fingers, straining to hold on as she flailed over the edge.

"Chase!"

"Hold on!" I cried out, feeling her slip. If I let go, that was it. She'd be gone. I couldn't lose her again.

"It's okay," she said softly, realizing there was no way I could pull her up. "Let go. It'll be fine."

"No," I grunted. "I'll never let go."

"Chase," she said softly. "It's the only way forward."

I stared into her gorgeous eyes, wondering how she could be so calm in this moment. Straining my other arm over the edge of the cliff, I stretched as far as I could. "Take my hand."

"It's okay. It's meant to be this way. Now you can move on."

I ignored her and kept stretching. I would not lose her. But my fingers were slipping from our combined sweat. Any second now, she would be gone.

"Reach up and take my other hand," I growled.

She closed her eyes, looking more at peace than I'd ever seen her. "It's okay to see."

I ignored her and tried to maneuver my body into a better position. That single move ended up changing the course of my life forever. Her eyes flew open as three of my fingers slipped. With just a single finger, I held her life in my hands, and that beautiful life was about to slip away.

"Mercy," I pleaded.

She smiled just as her finger slipped from my grasp and disappeared into the darkness below. I didn't call out for her or scream. All I could do was stare into the vast depths below and wonder how it all went so wrong.

I felt a hand on my shoulder and spun, ready to attack, but it was only Asher. Scrambling to my feet, I glared at him. "Where the fuck were you?"

"I've always been here."

"You weren't!" I accused. "You were supposed to protect her, but you weren't there when she needed you! What's the fucking point of you staying if you weren't actually going to protect her?"

He cocked his head as he considered this, standing calmly in front of me as if my whole world hadn't just been destroyed. "I was never here for her, Chase. This has always been about you."

My face pinched in pain at his words. "What the fuck does that mean? What am I without her? She's my whole life and she just—" On the verge of a breakdown, I spun and faced the cliff where she'd just fallen to her death. "She's gone."

"She's not gone," Asher said calmly. "You just have to see."

"See?" I yelled, spinning to face him. "See what? That my life is destroyed? Everyone keeps fucking telling me to see!"

"She's in here," he said, walking forward and pressing his hand to my chest. "She's always been in here, talking to you and telling you what you need to know."

Riddles. More fucking riddles instead of just speaking like a normal fucking human.

My nostrils flared in anger as the hurt and pain bubbled up inside me, ready to explode. Tears pricked my eyes, threatening to spill over as I finally came to terms with the fact that the love of my life was gone. I'd failed her.

"She's…"

But I couldn't finish the words. I couldn't think about her death without imagining the pain and terror she must have felt. It would be more than a miracle if she survived the fall. And the trauma would kill her before anyone could make it down to her.

"This is your fault," I said scathingly. "You told me to trust you. You said you had my back."

"I do. I need you to listen to me. Everything happens for a reason. She was with you for a reason, Chase. I need you to open your eyes and see?—"

"Stop fucking telling me to see!"

"Chase." I spun at the foreign voice, ready to fight whoever else was here.

Out of the shadows stepped Jason, his dark clothes making it nearly impossible to see him in the dark. He approached me with his hand out, acting like I was a wounded animal.

"What the fuck are you doing here?"

"We're here for you, man."

"For me?" I asked, my voice watery as I laughed. "Too fucking late. You're all too fucking late. It's over."

"It's not over."

I swiped at the snot dripping from my nose and laughed. "I failed her."

"You didn't."

"She just went over the fucking cliff!" I shouted. "She's dead and it's my fault!"

"She's not dead, man. She's okay."

I looked around me and laughed. This had to be some desperate attempt for them to keep me from throwing myself over the cliff to join her in the afterlife. Did any of it really matter at this point?

"Trust me, she's dead. Just ask Asher. He saw the whole fucking thing."

He quirked his brow at me. "Asher's not here."

I turned and motioned with my hand to the man standing right the fuck beside me. "Really? Then who the fuck is this?"

His eyes flickered slightly before he took another step forward. "Chase, there's no one here but you and me."

Wow, he really was losing his shit. "He's right the fuck beside me," I shouted, turning to face him, only he wasn't there. I spun around, looking for the slippery fucker. I couldn't believe he was leaving me alone right now to face this on my own.

"Chase, Asher is still hiding out. He's not here."

"He is here," I insisted. "He was with me the whole fucking time. Mercy spoke to him."

"Mercy is in the hospital."

My brows furrowed in confusion. "What the fuck are you talking about? I just saw Mercy go over the cliff."

"That was your imagination," he said carefully. "Mercy is not here."

This had to be some kind of fucked up game they were playing with me. Why the hell would they give me that kind of hope when I knew it wasn't true?

"Jason, no disrespect, man, but someone's been trying to kill us for a fucking week now. You don't get to walk in at the last minute and tell me what's going on."

"He's right," Johnny said, stepping out of the shadows beside him. "I can prove it to you."

I stared at him, wondering what the fuck he was trying to pull. "Get the fuck away from me."

"Chase, you need to come with us. Asher and Mercy aren't here."

"Yes, they fucking are! I have a fucking gunshot wound in my chest and leg. They were in the hospital with me."

"You were in the hospital," he agreed.

"And Patrick was shot in the head. He's probably dead, and they did this!" I shouted. "And for what? I still don't know why!"

"No one tried to kill you, Chase," he said slowly. "Patrick is alive and fine."

I started laughing again. Man, they really weren't going to let this go. But then Patrick stepped out of the shadows, watching me just as carefully as the others. Holding his hands out, he eyed me with caution.

"I'm fine, Chase. I was never hurt."

"Bullshit!" I snapped. "I saw you outside the hotel. You were lying in a pool of blood. Asher told me you'd been shot in the head and you weren't likely to wake up."

"If that were true, would I be here right now?"

Confusion swirled in my brain because he was right. If Patrick had been shot in the head, he would at the very least have a bandage on his head. I took a hesitant step forward, moving until I was close enough to examine him. He pulled off his hat and showed me his head. There wasn't even the slightest scratch on his head.

Asher was wrong. "Then you were hit somewhere else. You were shot…"

He shook his head slowly. "No, only Mercy was hit. You weren't hit."

"Then what the fuck are these holes in my body?" I asked, pressing my hand to my chest. Except, nothing hurt when I did it. I slowly looked down and lifted my shirt. There was no bandage. My chest was unmarred, except for the few scratches I got when Mercy's building collapsed.

I stumbled back a step, feeling like the whole world was collapsing around me. I quickly pressed my hand to my thigh, but there was no pain there either. "What's happening?"

"Chase…" Patrick said carefully, "You need to see a doctor."

My eyes met his in fear as everything started collapsing in on me. But even though he'd proven I was wrong about some things, I hadn't imagined Mercy falling over the edge of that cliff. The pain and heartache was real. There was no way I'd imagined that.

"Mercy…"

"She's at the hospital. She's waiting for you."

"Waiting for me?"

Patrick nodded slowly. "She wanted to be here, but…we thought it might be too much for you."

I swallowed hard, my head swimming as each new word pierced my brain. What was wrong with me? "She's not safe."

"She is safe," Patrick reassured me. "No one was chasing her."

My head snapped up and I glared at him. "Of course someone was. I was there. I…I saw them. There was someone watching us."

"Is that why you ran after you escaped the building?" Patrick asked.

I nodded slowly.

"And you stole a police car."

"I needed to get her to safety."

"And you were chased until your car went off the road. You crashed."

"And we were chased through the woods. I didn't imagine any of that!"

Still holding out his hand, he stepped forward again. "No, you didn't. But it was an undercover cop. He was chasing you because you stole a cop car."

My mind swirled with the new information. "But…at the motel…Asher was there. He brought me a car. He provided me with weapons."

Jason was already shaking his head before I finished. "You took the car from the motel owner. You beat him and stole all his money. We tracked you there and talked with the owner."

"Of course he would say that!"

"We checked the car. It was registered to him. He had hidden cameras behind the counter. We have the footage of you attacking him."

I squeezed my eyes shut and that night played through my mind.

Mercy was asleep in bed and now was my chance to move. I unlocked the door and slipped out into the night, strolling to the office. When I opened the door, the man behind the counter scowled at me.

"What the fuck do you want?"

"A vehicle."

"Good luck with that."

"You have one and I need it."

He scoffed at me. "Listen, buddy. You're already staying here for free?—"

I grabbed him by the collar and dragged him over the counter, slamming his head to the ground. "I don't have time to fuck around. Give me the keys now."

With blood dripping from his head, he pulled out keys with a shaky hand and tossed them to me. Snatching them off the ground, I stood and gave him a swift kick to the chest, then walked out to the car and checked it out. It wasn't much, but it would get us where we needed to go. Then I headed back into the hotel room and laid down beside Mercy until the early morning light woke me.

I squeezed my head and the vile images running through my mind. "No, that's not…that's not what happened. It was Asher. He's the one who brought the car. He was there."

"Asher was nowhere near you. We got ahold of him. He's still drunk off his ass, hiding out from the world."

"No," I yelled, turning away from them. I couldn't believe that. They were telling me I had imagined all of it, but how was that possible? "He was there every time I needed him."

"He was there because you needed him," Johnny said calmly.

I slowly turned to them. "Jones's house blew up," I argued, still convinced there was a way to prove my point.

"Jones has an automatic trigger on his house when he's out of town."

"The gunfire at the hotel," I replied quickly. "You said Mercy was shot."

"Gangbangers," Patrick answered, shaking his head. "Wrong place at the wrong time."

I swallowed hard as fear settled deep in my gut. Stumbling back a step, I plopped on my ass as the world began to tilt around me. I was wrong about it all. I put Mercy in danger and…why?

Patrick knelt beside me, placing his hand on my shoulder. "Come on. We need to get you to the hospital."

I wanted to argue with him, but what was the point? I was going fucking crazy. I belonged in a hospital. Hell, I belonged in a mental institution. If they had any common sense, they'd lock me up and throw away the key.

I looked up at him and swallowed hard. "I don't want to see Mercy."