Jackson (Mercy Ring Book 1)

Jackson squeezed River’s hand as he drove them to the gym in her car. “How are you feeling?”

He knew she hadn’t slept well last night, and any sleep she had gotten was restless. He’d offered for them to stay home today—hell, they’d stay home for as long as she needed if it helped her heal.

River said no. She wanted to be out of the house and focusing on something other than Ryker.

“Still confused.”

Jackson frowned. He’d been expecting her to name a million different emotions, but confusion wasn’t one of them. “Confused?”

There was a brief pause. “I just…I keep replaying those moments I saw him in my head. In his darkened bedroom the night he…died. Outside the boxing club when that guy attacked me.”

Jackson’s muscles tensed at the reminder.

She shook her head. “I was just so sure it was him. And even now, I just…I remember those moments, and it’s still him, every time.”

He swiped her thigh with his thumb. “Sometimes our mind tricks us into seeing what we want to see to protect us from the truth.”

They still didn’t know for sure who had stopped her attacker outside the gym. But they did know it wasn’t Ryker.

Her voice lowered. “Yeah. My mind must be really good at that.”

Jackson shot a quick glance toward her then looked back to the road. “On our last mission, after we were attacked and had to find our way back to the US military base, we weren’t in good shape. We were all injured and tired. We had no food or water left. The trip was slower than it should have been because we were trying to remain out of sight.”

Another swipe of her thigh. “There were moments I thought we wouldn’t make it, not while carrying Dec and Cole. My body was screaming at me to stop. Convincing me there was no end in sight. That’s when I forced my mind to go black. The mind is powerful, and I knew how easy it would be for my mind to convince me I was done.”

Her hand went to the top of his, and she started running a finger along his veins. That simple touch had his skin burning.

“I wish Ryker had spoken to me about that mission.”

“Ryker was never a talker when it came to pain. He’d internalize that stuff. Some people get loud when life gets hard. Others turn inward.”

She gave a small nod. “You’re right. He internalized it until he found the club. Then he used that ring as a way to release it all. The anger. The helplessness. The guilt. Is the ring a release like that for you too?”

“Yes. It’s an outlet. A relatively safe place to let everything out. It also allows you to switch off from the outside world.” He lifted a shoulder. “The hit of endorphins isn’t terrible, either.”

She nodded almost absently. Her finger started tracing the veins up his arm. “I hope the arrests go to plan. I hope they get locked away for the rest of their lives.”

He gave her leg another squeeze. “I’m sure they have it covered.”

He parked outside the gym, moved around to her side, and held her door open as she got out. Then he took her hand, almost unable not to touch her.

Declan and Cole were already inside the ring. Declan’s fist flew at Cole but he dodged it, stepping aside quickly. Cole was more of a defensive fighter, whereas Declan was a dominant aggressor. They were both dangerous. One just as lethal as the other.

The next punch was thrown by Cole. Declan ducked to avoid the hit, then almost immediately grabbed Cole around the middle, sending them both to the floor.

The two big men grappled for a few minutes. It wasn’t until Declan jumped to his feet and stepped back that they both stopped.

Cole shook his head, and rose to his feet slowly. “I could have had you.”

Declan scoffed. “Sure.”

Cole ducked below the rope, grabbed his towel, and glanced at Jackson and River. “Morning, guys.”

Jackson dipped his head. “Morning. Been here long?”

Declan scoffed. “Long enough for me to beat his ass more than once.”

Cole shook his head. “You wish.”

Jackson tugged his shirt over his head, meeting Declan’s gaze. “My turn.”

At the touch of River’s hand on his arm, he turned. “I might pop out and grab some coffees.”

“I’ll go with you,” Cole said, grabbing his shirt and tugging it over his head.

“Double shot for me,” Declan called from the ring.

Jackson pressed a kiss to her lips before handing her the keys. “Don’t take long.”

A small smile touched her lips. It was her first all morning, and it had a bit of the tension in his body releasing.

The second they left, Jackson stepped into the ring. “You need a break?”

Declan raised a brow. “No. You need to warm up?”

“No.”

“How are you doing?” Cole asked. “And don’t give me some bullshit answer about being fine.”

River leaned back in her seat as Cole drove to the Penguin Café. “I’m not doing fine. I feel like I need help just breathing right now. When I woke up this morning, all I wanted to do was forget.”

He nodded. “I get that. I lost my father when I was a teenager. He was my best friend. It hurt like hell.”

River frowned, studying the man. “How did you get through it?”

“I forced the breaths to flow in and out of my chest. I made myself get through each day, one at a time. And eventually, I learned to live with the pain.”

“That’s what Chele said. That one day I’d learn to live with it.”

The problem was, she didn’t want to live with the pain. She wanted to flick herself back to a few months ago. To a time when she didn’t know the torture of losing her only sibling.

“I’m sorry about your dad,” she said quietly.

Cole dipped his head. “Thank you. I was lucky to have had him for sixteen years. Others aren’t so lucky.”

Others being Jackson. Cole didn’t need to say his name for River to hear it.

When the sun glared into her eyes, she pulled the sun visor down, and immediately her attention went to her reflection in the small mirror.

Yep, just about what I expected you to look like, River. A mess.

She’d barely slept last night, and it was written all over her face. The circles under her eyes were dark. Her skin was pale.

Sick. That’s what she looked like.

Sucking in a deep breath, River was just glancing back to the road when she noticed the muscles in Cole’s arms flex. His hands tightened around the steering wheel.

“What is it?” she asked.

“That truck a few cars up…” River glanced through the windshield, spotting the truck immediately. “It’s the one from Mickey’s bar.”

River’s lips slid open. “Is it supposed to be on the road? I thought the next shipment was Friday?”

“I don’t know.” He grabbed his phone, pressing a button before putting the call on speaker.

“Agent Widow speaking.”

“This is Cole Matthews. I’m driving through Lindeman and I can see the truck Elijah’s been using up ahead.”

A pause. Then Dwight cursed. “Shit! I need you to follow it in case they’re moving early. I’ll trace your call and come to you.”

The muscles in Cole’s arms tightened further, and he shot a quick look at River.

“I’ll be okay,” she said quietly, knowing she was the one he was worried about.

Cole continued to tail the truck, always remaining at least a car behind. River quickly pulled out her phone and sent a text to Jackson.

River: Cole spotted the truck. Agent Widow asked us to follow.

She waited for Jackson’s response. Her phone just started to vibrate with an incoming call when Cole turned a corner.

The truck was right there, stopped in the middle of the road.

Cole slammed his foot on the brake and wrenched the wheel. The tires squealed as the car slid sideways.

Suddenly, the back of the truck opened, and four men jumped out, all armed.

At the sound of guns firing, Cole’s hand shot to her head, pushing her down. He cursed loudly. “They’re shooting the tires.”

He reached beneath the driver’s seat, pulling out a gun Jackson must have stored there. “It’s not safe in here.” He tugged off his seat belt then reached across for hers. “Hide behind the car. Don’t move unless I tell you to.”

River’s mouth opened and closed a couple of times before she forced her voice to work. “Okay.”

Cole reached across her body, opening the door, and pushing her out on the side facing away from the shooters. She just about fell on her ass. Would have fallen on her ass if Cole hadn’t grabbed her.

They both ducked behind the car, and she could hear footsteps.

“That side street to our right,” he whispered, gun drawn to his chest. “If I tell you to run, that’s where you go.”

She didn’t have a chance to say a word before Cole rose, pointed his gun, and was shooting. River heard a grunt then the thud of a body hitting the road. Cole ducked again. He waited a few seconds before rising once more, another gunshot fired. Another body down.

“Two to go, but more in the cab of the truck,” Cole said as he slid behind the car yet again. “They haven’t gotten out yet.”

Bullets peppered the metal of her car. She sucked in deep breaths, her fingers shaking.

The next time Cole rose, he swore loudly before lunging and grabbing a guy. Punches flew.

River’s mouth opened to scream when she was suddenly grabbed from behind and tugged to her feet, a gun pressed to her head. She tried to fight, but she was pulled backward, her body used as a shield in case Cole decided to shoot. She kicked and punched at the guy behind her, but it did nothing.

When he reached the truck, dragging her up and inside, she fought harder.

What the hell did he plan to do? Use her as a shield before shoving her out when they started driving again? Take her with them? Kill her?

The guy was just stepping backward when Cole snapped the neck of the man he was fighting and quickly snatched a gun from the ground.

For a split second, the man behind her trembled, then Cole shot him dead, the bullet narrowly missing River’s head.

She took a step forward to jump out of the truck and run back to him when new gunshots sounded from either side of the vehicle.

Oh God. The men in the cab.

Cole ducked behind the car. When footsteps sounded from both sides of the cargo hold, growing closer to the back of the truck, River panicked, knowing they’d shoot if they saw her. She had to hide. The only place to go was behind the kegs.

Sucking in a sharp breath, she quickly moved to the back and crouched behind the tallest kegs. Sweat beaded her forehead. More gunshots fired, and she almost cried out at the possibility that Cole had been shot.

Suddenly, the sound of police sirens grew near.

“Leave him!” someone shouted.

River gasped, ducking lower. She heard two men jump into the back and the door being pulled down. Then the truck was moving.

For a moment, there was only the sound of heavy breathing. Then a man spoke.

“Fuck!”

“No shit.”

River tensed. She knew that second voice. It was Jackson’s father, Brian.

“The guy killed four of our fucking men! I wanna go back and bury him and that bitch!”

River’s eyes shuttered. They didn’t know she was here. And it sounded like Cole was alive.

“I think we need to focus on what we’re going to say to Elijah,” Brian said. “The guy’s going to murder us.”