Lori Armstrong - Merciless

Hope sighed. “That’s what Jake and I think, too. But you know how stubborn Sophie is. She has it in her head to spend every waking moment with Penny while she can.”

“I take it Penny doesn’t want that?”

“No. She told Sophie to worry about doing her job.”

“Which caused Sophie to quit that job.” I swirled the amber liquid in my glass. “How do you feel about her quitting?”

“Jake is worried she won’t be able to live on just her Social Security checks.”

My little sister wasn’t very good at evasion. “That’s how Jake feels. How do you feel?”

When Hope hesitated, I braced myself, anticipating she’d break down. Her curt response shocked me. “Look, I love Sophie. But after Levi… and during my pregnancy, she smothered me. I thought that after Jake and I moved into our own place, she’d keep working at the ranch like she always has and give us a chance to be a family. But she comes over here every day. Tells me how to do things. She basically tries to run my house. I can’t even watch the TV shows I want. And I can’t really talk to Jake about this stuff because she is his grandmother. So to be honest, I’m glad she’s quitting.” Another pause, and I could almost see Hope biting her lip. “Sounds horrible, doesn’t it?”

I tried to wrap my head around this side of my sister. Hope had never wanted to do things for herself.

Or maybe she had. But our dad and Sophie wouldn’t let her. They made her think she was incapable.

“Do you think I’m an awful person?” she whispered.

“No, sis, not at all. I’m just surprised. Sophie got pissy with me when I asked if she’d considered retiring.”

“That’s because it wasn’t her idea,” Hope retorted.

“When did she talk to you about this?”

“Today. And before you get all up in my face that she didn’t talk to you, she told me you’re under a lot of stress with Lex living with you.”

“Lex is one of the least stressful aspects of my life.”

“I’m happy to hear that. He’s a sweet boy. I like him. I liked Levi a lot at that age, too.” She cleared her throat. “Anyway, a couple afternoons when I’ve been over there doing books, he’s kept Joy entertained.”

Had I been so wrapped up in my day and making sure Mason’s needs were being met that I’d forgotten Lex was part of my life, too? Probably permanently. I needed to stop treating him like a guest and start thinking of him as part of my family. “Thanks. Sometimes I get the feeling he’s disappointed Mason and I won’t have other kids.”

She laughed. “That’s not true, trust me. He likes being the sole focus of his father’s attention. Anyway, I hear Little Miss screaming, but I wanted to run one last thing past you.”

“Shoot.”

“Sophie has asked for the rest of her yearly salary and her year-end bonus. Is it okay to cut her a check for fifteen grand?”

I whistled. “We can afford that?”

“Yeah. But…”

“Spit it out, Hope.”

“I think Devlin may be pushing Sophie to get the money. I overheard him in the background coaching her. She’ll probably give it all to him. And he’ll blow it all at the casino.”

Dammit. I’d gotten so busy I hadn’t dug into Devlin’s gambling issues. “Does Jake have any idea who Devlin owes money to?”

“No. He don’t wanna know. I don’t, either. And you should stay out of it, too.”

I’d heard Rollie mention Saro, but I wouldn’t get within a mile of that psychotic motherfucker if I could help it. Asking John-John wasn’t an option. The tribal cops probably knew who on the rez was in the business of loans. Maybe I could discreetly get the information.

“Mercy? You still there?”

“Sorry. Been a rough day. Nothing you can do but write the check. What Sophie does with it after that… out of our hands.”

“I hate that.”

“Me, too. Thanks for the heads-up. Give Poopy a kiss for me.”

“Stop calling her that,” Hope huffed, and hung up.

I returned to the kitchen and topped off my drink.

Everything in this kitchen had Sophie’s touch. The arrangement of the dishes in the cupboard. Where the utensils were placed in the drawers. Where the kitschy objects hung on the walls. The positioning of refrigerator magnets. The style of the tablecloths and the place mats. I didn’t remember much from when this space had been my mother’s domain.

I’d changed only one thing in this room in all the years I’d lived in this house-I hated the frilly, moth-eaten curtains that blocked the great view of the ranch, so last month I’d yanked them down.

Sophie had thrown a hissy fit, claiming she felt naked without the coverage the curtains provided. But I’d held my ground. And she’d backed off.

Even though she hadn’t been here every morning recently, she was around often enough. I couldn’t imagine Sophie not being here at all. Would I ever see her? Would she stop by to chat? Would she call me? Would she welcome me into her home? Or would the relationship end like every other working relationship I’d had? Where she’d become part of my past? Where she’d be gone like she’d never been there at all?

That thought sucked the air from my lungs. I’d already dealt with so much loss in my life. I couldn’t stand losing Sophie, too. But I couldn’t push her to stay. That would be awfully damn selfish.

“Mercy?” Mason yelled from the living room.

“Yeah. Coming.”

Apparently, this was our family bonding time: watching the boob tube together. I sat on the couch next to Mason, and we chuckled through an episode of The Simpsons. Then the Xbox came out, and father and son became embroiled in World of Warcraft.

Belly full, warmed by the booze, I allowed my eyes to drift shut. The sounds of Mason and Lex talking smack while doing battle faded into the background.

I stood on a hillside in the last dark moments of night before dawn teased the horizon. I wore combat fatigues. An M60 strapped over my shoulder. On patrol, on the prowl, but where was my partner? We weren’t allowed to go over the fence alone.

My feet wanted to pace, but I remained still. Watchful. I inhaled and got a nose full of the putrid, raw-sewage stench of Iraq. I glanced down to see sand blowing across my boots. The wind whipping against me didn’t cool my body. How could it be so hot at night?

A hum of approaching vehicles reverberated in the distance, and I automatically lifted the rifle toward the sound.

There, at the top of the hill. Three Humvees. They clicked their headlights on, blinding me. I squinted, my eyes watering at the searing light. I held my hand up and noticed what those lights illuminated.

Bodies.

The first set of headlights shone on Arlette Shooting Star. I could hear her screaming for help. Before I could move toward her, a javelin sailed through the air and pinned her to the ground, piercing her heart.

The headlights above her went out.

The second set of headlights shone on Verline. She was on her knees begging for help. Before I could move toward her, a red slice appeared across her neck. She reached up to stop the flow of blood and with another slice across her wrist, her hand fell to the ground.

The headlights above her went out.

The third set of headlights shone on Levi. I wanted to run up the hill toward him, but I looked down to see my boots mired in sand. My ankles disappeared, then my calves, then my knees. I screamed, helpless, wanting to save Levi from what I knew was coming. I glanced up but it wasn’t Levi on the hillside, dead. It was Dawson.

Shot through the head. Eyes blank. His light just… gone.