Page 78 of Shades of Mercy
Howie was driving.
Her breath became labored.
Had she made the wrong choice?
He pulled up and said through the open window, “Get in.”
Hesitation froze her to the dirt below her feet.
“Come on, Mercy. You didn’t come all this way to back out now, did you?” Howie smirked.
Seeing his cunning expression gave her a boost of bravery.
She climbed in and he reversed the car, backing out onto the narrow road.
“We’re not staying here?” she asked.
“I had to be cautious.” He drove south on a road that led them into an area where there were very few houses. “By now, you must recognize the car.”
“As the one who almost ran me over. Yes. I thought we were friends?” She wished she didn’t feel hurt by his reckless behavior.
“I had every intention of running you over, but at the last minute, I couldn’t do it. I still have a sliver of humanity remaining in me I guess.”
“At least you can be honest about something,” she said with a snort.
“There’s no reason for me to lie now.” He turned the car onto a dirt lane, following it to what appeared to be an abandoned house. “Leave the phone here.” He got out.
She still had a chance to…what?
She placed the phone in the console and stepped out. He’d already entered the house, and as she walked inside, a strong odor of mildew and mold overwhelmed her senses.
Howie was sitting in a chair, looking unwell. His hair was unkempt, his clothes were dirty, and he seemed very unhappy. “Have a seat,” he demanded.
She chose the cleanest-looking chair. “Why are we here?”
“This place belonged to my wife’s parents. All she ever wanted was to buy it and fix it up.” He grunted. “While some people turn to alcohol and drugs to self-medicate, my weakness is gambling. What began as an innocent way to cope became a monster I could no longer control. I spent every dime of my savings, and eventually, my wife’s savings, until she got smart and left me. Gambling became all I had, and before long, I found myself in debt beyond my ability to repay. Men like Cross aren’t as forgiving as banks.”
“So you owe Cross money?”
“Lots of money. Then I either had a choice to help him, or I was going to end up in the swamp. At that time, I felt like my hands were tied. I saw a chance that my marriage could be reconciled.”
“Why didn’t you say something? I could have helped in some way.”
He chuckled. “Mercy, I was a dead man walking the moment I took a loan from Cross. There was nothing you or anyone could do. But in the end, I couldn’t hurt you. You’ve been kind to me. Friends. So, I drove here and I’ve been waiting, hoping you’d get to the recorder before Cross did.”
“Help Mateo take down Cross,” she urged. “You can work things out with your wife. You can help yourself.” She didn’t like the hopelessness in his expression.
“It’s too late. I can get rid of Cross only to face others who have much more power than that bastard. However,” he reached over into a drawer and took something out, tossing it into her lap. “You might want to put that in a safe place. Maybe next to the taser in your pocket. The chip that contains every file, every document, every list that was on Cross’s system. I was smart enough to know it might come in handy one day.”
“This was a smart choice.”
“I’m certain you have a tracker on you.”
“I don’t.”
“It doesn’t matter at this point. The cavalry is here now.” He leaned forward in the chair to peek outside.
Mercy jumped up and looked. Her heart sank. Two black Escalades were flying up the lane. She swiveled to look at Howie in disbelief. “What did you do?” So he was going to feed her to the wolves anyway?
