Page 9 of Going Down Smooth: Part One

Mercy’s entire body tenses underneath my hand as the lawyer finally gets to her in the will. I guess Benjamin saved her for last and I am sure there is a reason for that. From the moment she sat down I had put my hand in place on her shoulder to give her as much strength as I could offer. She can have it all. To have her here, after all this time. . . God, I missed her. I know I shouldn’t risk my heart again, but this stupid organ pumps a wild staccato beat in my chest and has its own ideas. Mercy Smooth has had me strung out for as long as I can remember. Nothing has changed, nothing but time. In all those minutes, hours, days, months, and years I’ve done nothing but wallow in misery, searching for my contentment. Mercy is where I find my pleasure, my happiness.

“Give me your hand, Nathan Biggs. I’ve got you. There’s no need to be afraid. You are my family now. You and Knight.”The memory of the day my parents died comes to me uninvited, but Mercy’s words back then had chased away the pain. Our families had always been close, so it was normal for us to spend time with Mercy and her sisters.

I remember the smell of yeast and vinegar as we played amongst the barrels of fresh batches of bourbon. I remember the police showing up to speak to Benjamin Smooth, the burden placed on Knight’s shoulders as we were given the news, the sad reality as I watched my brother grow up in a matter of minutes. I remember running and hiding, hoping, wishing, praying that my parents weren’t really gone. Everyone searched for me, but it was Mercy who found me in the end. She brought me back. Now it is time for me to do the same for her. It is time for her to come home.

Out of all of us, I am the one that stalked her social media, who figured where she ended up after she left us. I refused to stop, even after Knight tried and failed to enforce his will on me. Hell, I am just as much an Alpha as he is, commands be damned. This woman next to me is mine, and now that she is back, I will do whatever I can to make things right between us. I know I am not the only one. Lox all but admitted it earlier. Miscommunication is the key to all failed relationships; five years ago we didn’t have the words. Knight, our fearless leader, the king of grunts hadn’t tried to stop her.

“I leave sole ownership of Smooth Bourbon.” The entire room gasps, breaking me from my thoughts as Mercy finally blows out a breath. Soft murmurs of disapproval erupt around the room, mainly from Faith’s Alphas and Christopher. Everyone turns their attention to Mercy, especially Christopher, who doesn’t look pleased by this in the slightest.

“You’ve got to be kidding. Why would Benjamin leave—”

“I’m sorry, I’m not quite”—the lead lawyer holds up his hand to interrupt Christopher—"finished. There is a list of stipulations that must be followed to the letter by Miss Smooth or she will have to forfeit her sole ownership, and everything will be passed on to her parents to sell the company to the highest bidder,” he continues, and Mercy seems to deflate, curling in on herself as if she knew this was coming.

“What stipulations?” She sighs softly, suddenly sounding so weary that I can’t help the deep rumbling purr as I attempt to soothe her. Knight shoots me a warning glance, but I ignore him.

“It is my dearest wish that my daughter completes her mating ceremony with the Biggs Pack. If she can do this, then the company is hers. She will have the backing of a strong Pack to support her, and that is all I want for her in the end.” The lawyer reads Benjamin’s wishes, and my mouth drops open. Lox and Trey mirror my surprise, while Knight’s face remains impassive as Mercy shrieks in anger. I narrow my eyes in Knight’s direction. Why the hell is he so calm about finding this out?

“I fucking knew it. Even in death he wants to control the narrative!” Mercy stands throwing her hands up, betrayal and hurt written all over her face. My heart breaks for her. This is not how things should be going down at all. She steps away from me. I can already feel her slipping away from us yet again as her eyes sweep over the rest of my pack then back at the lawyer. “If I refuse, I lose everything, right?”

“There’s more to his request than—”

“Answer my question, please.” Mercy clenches her fists at her sides. There’s stunned silence around the room, no one speaks. Mercy’s mother, Seneca, silently cries as her mate, Edward, holds her close. He eyes his packmate, Christopher, warily but stays silent.

“You have a month to make a decision. You must stay with the Biggs Pack in their home until the time the decision needs to be made. You have one hour to decide to accept this choice. Your father also made it clear that your month starts as of today. If you fail to go along with your father’s plans, then you forfeit your inheritance. . .and, well, you know the rest.” The lawyer reads the rest of the will. In conclusion he offers Mercy and the entire room a sad smile. He hands the papers back to the other lawyer, who is still standing behind the desk. They both wait, looking at Mercy expectantly to make a decision. All of Benjamin’s other assets had been divided between his other two daughters, with his packmates taking the majority of it. All except Smooth Bourbon. What was Benjamin playing at here?

Mercy releases a whine so quietly that I would have missed it if I hadn’t been so close to her. She shifts from foot to foot, and I can tell she is ready to march out of this room. But then she stops, plants her feet firmly on the ground and stands as tall as she can against all the stares. “So, was this the plan all along? Get me back here. Force me into something I don’t want. Dangle my inheritance in front of me. The one thing—the one thing—he knew.” She stops to collect herself; her pain is so thick that her scent turns sharp and tangy. Grace, Faith, and even her mother’s noses scrunch up from the smell, their Alphas move in closer, as if they can physically block her scent. Trey stands waiting, I can tell he wants to go to Mercy, but he looks down at Knight, who’s still said nothing. Lox’s jaw is clenched so tight he’s probably cracked a tooth. This is indeed a surprise to us all. As much as I want Mercy to stay, this is not what I wanted. None of us for that matter. If she stays and sees this through, she will resent us, and I can’t stomach the thought of it at all.

“Yes, he knew. It’s always been his intention, but as I told him, he may as well have left the company to me to sell. You’ve never been obedient. I blame Benjamin for raising you to believe you were above what you are.” Mercy steps back, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, as if Christopher had slapped her.

Seneca gasps and stands. “Why would you say that? Why would you say this about our daughter? Christopher, my heart is already broken, must you tear it to shreds?” she cries, her face pale, her body shaking with fury at her mate.

“I’m only stating the facts, Sen. Mercy is spoiled. She should never have been allowed to leave. Or we should have done what I suggested and brought her back in the first place,” Christopher replies. We all watch the exchange, helpless witnesses in an ugly exchange, and no one really knows what to say. Stunned silence dominates the room. Grace rubs her belly, looking more anxious by the minute. Faith’s head is still down, she has barely glanced up during the entire reading. Derrick and his packmates seem pleased at Christopher’s words, and all I want to do is walk over there and wipe the floor with their faces.

“I’m sorry, Mercy baby,” she says softly before she storms from the room with an outraged Edward behind her. I can tell Christopher regrets what he’s done to his mate, but he quickly turns back toward Mercy, as if she’s to blame for everything that’s transpired today.

“Why don’t you just leave. Leave, Mercy. Two daughters are more than enough for this family. We all know the company will eventually belong to me. I will sell it and put the money to good—”

“I think that’s enough, Christopher. I think Mercy knows all too well how you feel about her. I don’t think she needs you to hammer it home any further,” Knight bites out, his voice lethal as he barely contains himself from launching at Mercy’s father. Well, it’s about damn time.

“I don’t need you to defend me, Knight,” Mercy cuts in, narrowing her eyes at Knight, then at Christopher. “Don’t worry, Dad. I promise to make you eat your words.” Mercy walks past the entire family as she approaches the lawyers. It’s like watching a tennis match as our heads turn with each action. All we can do is watch it all play out. “Do you have a card so I can contact you?” Mercy asks, holding out her hand to the lead lawyer, who promptly reaches into his pocket and pulls out what she asked for. He checks his watch.

“You have forty-five minutes, Miss Smooth. I am sorry, but it is my duty to follow through with this,” he says as Mercy takes the card and tucks it into the pocket of her pants suit.

“I understand, Mr.?” She inclines her head asking the question.

“Mr. Brock, and this is my associate and packmate, Mr. Stevens,” he replies. “I will await your phone call, Miss Smooth.” He tilts his head as Mr. Stevens collects their belongings, and they exit the office. Christopher says nothing to any of his daughters as he quickly leaves us. Possibly to go in search of his mate to grovel at her feet in apology. I hope she fucks him up for the shit he just spewed in this room.

Mercy turns and ignores the room as she begins to leave. Her head is down, as if she is marching to her own death. Maybe to her she is, and it kills me to see it.

“Mercy, wait,” Grace calls for her, making her pause. Mercy turns at the door, focusing on her younger sister who is silently imploring her sister to stay. I am sure Grace wants to catch up, but with the state of things it would all be one awkward moment.

“I’m sorry, Grace. I promise I will make it up to you. I need—I need to get out of here.” Mercy tries to offer her sister a smile, but it falls flat, her nostril flare and her eyes widen in panic as she turns on her heels and leaves. Again. Lox, Trey, and I all get up to follow. Her decision will affect us all, but before all that I just want to make sure she’s OK.

“Well, that was a shitshow. Why Benjamin would leave anything to her is beyond my understanding,” Derrick says in disgust. I’ve had just about all I can take from him but before I can make it across the room Lox beats me to it. It all happens in slow motion. Derrick jumps up to meet Lox but meets his fist instead. Faith screams in horror as Derrick crashes into the glass coffee table. Chasson and Faith’s third mate, Mal, jump up to defend their brother, but Lox is a beast. He lives to fight, and this is nothing but a much-needed release for him as he collides with the other two Alphas, taking them both down, his eyes wide, chest heaving, and teeth bared.

“Speak about Mercy like that again and all three of you will be pissing through fucking straws. I’m sorry, Faith, but maybe I’ll be doing you a favor.” Lox stands over Derrick, Chasson, and Mal, who all scramble to their feet to retaliate. Grace’s mates all create a protective barrier around her as they escort her out of the room. Alister, one of her Alphas shakes his head in disapproval as he follows behind them.

“Lox. Enough,” Knight finally speaks, and I look at my brother incredulously. He has been awfully quiet through all of this, and I am not the only one who noticed. Trey eyes him too with a knowing frown. “Derrick. You don’t want this. Your Omega is shaking like a leaf, get her out of here. Today is her father’s funeral, if you don’t respect anything else, respect that,” Knight says authoritatively as he stands and begins to leave the room.

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