The Lies That Shatter by A.V. Asher

Chapter Seventeen

Mercedes paced the room, her stomach roiling. She was trying to right her tilting world ever since she’d seen Alec and his new woman stepped in front of the cameras.

The image of them together tormented her mind. The way he held his body when a reporter got close was one she knew well. He was protecting her, putting himself between them to keep her safe.

All this damn time she’d held on, confident he’d be waiting for her. She’d struggled so much to do it. But she’d pushed aside all her insecurities, believing he would love her through it all.

The idea that he’d shared himself with another was boring a hole in her head, tormenting her. That another woman could have ever taken her place hadn’t seemed possible, yet she was living it. And if he’d brought her with him, they were serious. This woman had been with him longer than Mercedes had.

What if he knew she was alive? What if he just didn’t love Mercedes anymore?

That was enough. Bile rose in her throat, and she made it to the bathroom just in time. When she’d finished, she sat on the floor, her elbow on the toilet, struggling to breathe through the heartbreak and nausea. It had been years since she’d let her emotions overrun her this way.

Mercedes finally hauled herself up and was rinsing her mouth when a knock came at the door.

Noah peeked his head in. “Lauren’s here and she brought Nick Kessler with her.”

Mercedes followed him to the living room, where the FBI agent waited. When Nick’s dark eyes landed on her, he stepped back. “Holy fuck! I thought she was kidding.”

The grief of the moment was stripped away, and anger filled its place.

“Hi Nick,” Mercedes snapped. “Weren’t you the one who convinced me to go into the program? Didn’t you tell Alec you would take care of us?”

Nick’s mouth hung open, his eyes wide.

Rage was working its way to the surface. “So maybe you can explain why Alec arrived for the trial with another woman on his arm?”

“Because . . . you’re dead, Sadie.”

“Clearly, I’m not dead.” The volume of her voice echoed off the wall. “And you were the one that was supposed to tell him.”

Nick shook his head. “I didn’t know until an hour ago. I swear.”

“How is that possible?”

Lauren, who had been on the phone, strode into the apartment. “I just got off the phone with Whitley’s team. They blew me off. Essentially, he said he is preparing for tomorrow’s testimony and can’t be distracted by the drama of a witness’s love life. He suggests you stay hidden until called.”

“That son of a bitch,” Mercedes growled. She turned back to Nick. “What about my sister? Was she told?”

Nick shook his head. “I don’t think so. Both she and Alec have been a mess for months.”

Mercedes stalked to her bedroom. She grabbed her running shoes and plopped down on the bed. With a jerk, she opened the laces and crammed her foot into it.

“Wait, Sadie,” Lauren said. “What are you going to do?”

With the laces tied, she set to work on the other shoe. “You think I don’t know how to get myself to Pacific Heights? It’s only about five or six miles from here.”

A look passed between Lauren and Nick.

“You can’t go to Pacific Heights,” Nick said.

“Why not? I’ll find my sister and she’ll find Alec.”

It was Noah that stopped her. “That’s not a good idea, Sadie.”

Mercedes stared at him. “What are you even saying? They lied to us. We trusted you and you lied to us!” She was screaming and she didn’t care.

Noah held up his hands. “I know, I know. It’s a clusterfuck. But give yourself a second to think about this. The sun has gone down, so you’ll be out in the city at night. And your leg is going to tire out real quick if you walk more than a mile or two.”

Mercedes strode out of the room, grabbing a sweater on her way out the front door. She’d be a limping mess by the time she got there, but who gave a shit. Anger fueled each stride she made.

She hadn’t asked for a lot. Considering the shitstorm the marshals let happen on their watch, she’d been ridiculously accommodating.

Two people.

Only two goddamned people had to be told she was still coming home, and she’d play along with the rest. Mercedes had lain there, her body broken from what their own fucking agent had done and listened to their promises.

Twilight had fallen over the western sky, filling it with a mixture of blue and pink on the low horizon and a gentle fog was rolling in, casting a glow around the city lights. Mercedes set out on a quick jog, the muscle around her injury already aching dully.

A car engine rumbled up next to her and the door slammed. She ignored it, making a left-hand turn to cross the street.

“Sadie, wait,” Noah called out. The even thumps of his feet as he jogged behind her echoed along the fences.

“Go away, Noah.”

“No, get in the car.” His usually gentle voice was firm.

Mercedes stopped, her chest heaving. When he caught up to her, she glared at him. “Did you know?” Tears stung her eyes, and she blinked them away. She didn’t know what she would do if Noah had betrayed them, too.

Noah shook his head. “I promise you, I didn’t. Get in the car. You shouldn’t run that far.”

Mercedes stopped, cursing that he was right. A deep throb was cutting through her anger-induced adrenaline. She’d probably already hurt herself. If she’d tried to go another five miles, she’d struggle to walk for the rest of the week.

“I can’t let this go, Noah. I have to see him tonight.”

“Listen to me, mi cielo. Seeing him tonight will do him more harm than good.” He glanced at the car, slowly following them. “Get in, and I’ll make sure Nick takes you to your sister’s house. But I want you to listen before you go in, okay?”

“Fine.” She wrenched open the door to the back seat and climbed in. As soon as her door was shut, Nick pulled away from the curb.

Lauren was the first to speak. “Sadie, I can’t imagine what you must be feeling, but Nick and Noah are right. Telling Alec and Charlotte tonight will do a lot of damage.”

Mercedes jaw ached from clenching her teeth. “If I thought either of them was gone, for even a day, it would be agony.” She thought of the few hours in London, when she’d convinced herself Alec was dead. She’d wanted to die with him.

Nick looked back at her in the rearview mirror. “Sadie, Alec has to testify tomorrow, in one of the biggest cases in a century. He’s primed and ready to go to war for what happened to you. If you show up tonight, it will throw him into absolute chaos. He’ll be a mess tomorrow. It might even put the case into jeopardy.”

“Maybe I don’t care about that anymore.”

Noah piped in. “You have spent way too much time hiding because of this. Are you really ready to let it burn for one more day?”

The car turned down a familiar road. The tree-lined streets were quiet in this part of the city. Nick parked across the street from her house. Several lights were on. Alec might be in there right now. She could jump out of the car and be up the stoop before they could stop her.

If you show up tonight, it will throw him into absolute chaos. He’ll be a mess tomorrow.

They were right, which is what kept her from wrenching open the door.

“Tell me about her,” she croaked.

“Her name is Kristin,” Nick said. “I briefly met her on a trip to London a month or so ago. She’s a receptionist. They’ve been seeing each other for about five or six months. They go to sporting events together and hang out on weekends. She seems nice.”

Mercedes hadn’t had five or six months with him. She’d had three days. “And normal. There isn’t an organization of assassins trying to kill her.”

“There’s someone coming up to the side,” Noah said.

Nick rolled down his window and greeted the man who came to the window. Mercedes didn’t listen while Nick spoke to him. Instead, her mind spiraled in and around itself, trying to find a path that brought Alec back to her. No matter how hard she tried, there was no way she could negotiate a different reality.

Once the man left, Nick rolled up the window and looked at her in the rearview mirror.

“When will he be told?” she choked out, her heart breaking to make such a concession.

Nick’s words were filled with sympathy. “Once his testimony is over. I’ll tell him myself.”

She wiped her face with the back of her hand. It could be tomorrow or a week. Mercedes would have to keep silent until then.

“Damn,” Noah hissed.

Mercedes looked up to see Alec and the blonde woman walk down the steps. She played with his collar and Alec leaned down to kiss her. It wasn’t a long kiss, but it was gentle. When he drew back, he was smiling.

Grief slammed into her chest, suffocating her in its grip. It was already too late.

They walked together to Luke’s car, but Alec’s attention had turned toward them. After he made a brief call, he walked toward them.

“Shit, he’s coming this way.”

She could do it. Step out of the car and show herself to him. It was nothing more than a simple tug on the silver knob, and he’d be right there.

“Go,” Mercedes said, her very soul shredding in her chest. “Just go.”

Nick started the engine and accelerated away from the curb, leaving Alec alone in the fog-laden street.

There was still a chance. He could choose her once he knew. Until he was done with her, there was hope.

Nick’s phone rang. “Damn, it’s Alec.”

Mercedes sucked in her breath while Nick answered it. The call automatically transferred to the car’s audio system.

“Hey Alec, how ya doing?” Nick said.

“I’m doing fine. Are you avoiding me, mate?”

Oh, god, that voice.

Mercedes pursed her trembling lips. Every word pierced her battered soul. She leaned forward to keep the sob from escaping. Noah reached over and rubbed her back.

“Nah, I just came by for a quick patrol to see how things are. I talked to your boy, and he said everything’s been quiet. I have a couple of analysts in the car, and I need to get them back to their assignments.”

There was a heavy pause. “Is that the story you want to go with?”

“I don’t know what you mean, man.”

Alec’s tone was laden with suspicion. “Alright mate. I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

“Yeah, I’ll be there.”

Nick disconnected the call, and Mercedes fell apart.

When they returned to her rental, she didn’t say a word to the others. There was nothing more they could do for her, so she was done with them all.

Mercedes thumped up the stairs, the pain radiating up her leg with each step. Her logical mind told her to ice it, but she didn’t care. The heaviness in her chest was the only thing she could track.

Opening the door to the lovely room, she let the numbness wash over her. Alec should be here with her now, not in the arms of a stranger.

She dropped onto the bed, her body listless.

What was she going to do now? Alec was supposed to be her haven. Her home.

She was lost without her anchor. The light guiding her to the life she’d dreamed of was gone.

Mercedes kicked off her shoes and crawled into bed, not caring about changing her clothes. Tomorrow, she would fight. But not tonight.

For the first time since the attack, she wished Noah hadn’t saved her.