Page 8 of Shades of Mercy
She stepped outside.
“I’m sorry—”
Mateo stopped her. “I don’t want an apology.” He tore a hand through his hair. “Cross isn’t a man who will let this slide.”
She nodded. What could she say? He was right.
“Get in my truck,” he demanded.
She gave no argument but climbed into the passenger seat.
He settled into the driver’s side, and some of the tension was missing from his expression. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Just shook up. You have every right to be angry with me but in my defense, I wanted to nail those assholes who are taking advantage of women and getting away with it. I had to take the risk.”
“You didn’t need to do anything, Mercy! You’re not undercover. I assigned you a task, and you chose to take a risky approach.” He shifted uneasily. “Tell me exactly what happened.”
She told him in detail from the beginning up until she called him.
“There’s something I didn’t want to say in front of Howie and McKinley. I don’t plan to leave the case. My cover’s blown, so I’ll have to figure out another way to bring Cross down. Your life is in danger. Cross won’t stop until he finds you. There’s too much at stake. Too many powerful people can go down.”
She lowered her eyes to her clasped hands. “There’s also something I want to tell you, or rather, give you.” She reached into a hidden pocket on the dress and took out the chip, holding it up for his view.
“What the hell?” He took it from her.
“The chip was my responsibility, so I wanted to keep it close. Hart mentioned that the hidden pocket in this dress is excellent for holding items. It turns out to be as secure as Fort Knox.”
“Smart move,” he whispered. “Let’s hope we have enough here to nail Cross.”
“Hopefully, it’ll help you forgive me a little for making such a dumb move.”
“When I tell you what’s going to happen, remember you only have yourself to blame.” He secured the chip in the console. “Now that you’re in danger, you have no choice but to disappear until I can put Cross where he belongs.”
“What are you talking about? Disappear?”
“I’ve set up a safe house for you. You’ll be leaving tonight.”
“I refuse to run. Why are we allowing a criminal to disrupt my life?”
Mateo sighed in exasperation. “I’ve already explained this to you. You’re not safe right now.”
“I know what I did was…careless, but I can’t just up and leave. I have a life here.”
“A man like Cross doesn’t know how to let things go. He knows you’re not working alone.”
As much as she wanted to argue, she knew she didn’t have a leg to stand on. She’d made a risky decision to enter the club, and it'd backfired. Her desire to see a man like Cross brought to justice outweighed her sense of safety. She'd intended to gather enough evidence that a wealthy lawyer couldn’t come along and get Cross a reduced sentence.
“I’m grateful that you’re not giving up on nailing Cross.”
“He fucked up, royally. Even when you don’t listen to directions, I still have your back. I’ll be going rogue, so that means I’ll be laying low myself for a while. I need to know that you’re safe. Instinct tells me that Cross was tipped off. From your version of events, he knew from the very beginning you were undercover.”
“You’re thinking someone from SMH is working for Cross?”
“He hasn’t gotten this far without stoolpigeons. There’s a lot at stake here for a lot of people. Cross’s reach is like the gnarled roots of a tree. They continue to grow and spread.”
“You’re pointing fingers at McKinley and Howie.”
“Who else knew you were going there? You said Cross knew your name.”
