Page 26 of Merciless
“Quit your fussing, you’re not my wife.” Javier smacked her hand away but he was smiling. At least he was, until a deep frown settled on his face and Mari took a seat on the bed next to him.
“Do you remember her?” she asked gently. “When you last saw her?”
Javier rubbed his forehead while Mari took his other hand. “I don’t…I don’t know. I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Mari assured him, though it only seemed to make him more frustrated.
“It’s not okay! It’s, shit, it’s like she’s right there but I can’t reach her.”
“It’ll come to you,” I said from the doorway, trying to be helpful. “Don’t force it.”
They both glanced up as if noticing us for the first time. Gunner thumped me once on the back before turning away from the room. “We’ll be right out here if you need us.”
“Shit, good call,” I muttered, following him out to the living room. I got so wrapped up in taking care of Mari, and by extension, Javier, that I didn’t stop to consider what they needed most was to be alone.
“They need their time together,” Gunner said, confirming that he was following the same train of thought. “And I’m sure our hovering doesn’t help him remember any faster.”
“You’re right.” I collapsed onto the couch with a sigh. “If hedoesremember the inside of the compound, you really think that’ll help us?”
“Fuck, anything is better than what we got now.” Gunner settled into an armchair, the one Reaper usually sat in, and stretched his long legs out toward the coffee table.
The front door swung open moments later, General Finn Bray coming through like a bull in a tea shop. He was disheveled lately, miles away from his usually clean-cut and polished appearance. His hair was mussed, his jacket wrinkled and buttoned incorrectly. Like us, he was barely sleeping and fraught with worry. The general paused at the sight of us, leaving the door wide open behind him.
“Well, I’m glad you two got some time off to relax,” he growled irritably, eyes narrowing at us. The stress and lack of sleep also contributed to him having less of a filter. He and Reaper had the same scowl and temper when things were this tense. Like father, like son.
Gunner started to sit up, but I got to my feet faster. “Mari’s dad is here,” I said, lowering my voice. “He remembers her now, and we just got him settled in. We’re giving them space, that’s all.”
Finn’s expression softened. “He does? Oh, that’s good…great, even.” A weak smile wobbled onto his lips. “I’m glad. That’s something, at least.”
Mari and her dad came out of the bedroom then, probably alerted to the noise Finn made when he got home. The prickly general softened even more at the sight of his daughter-in-law. “Hey, sweetheart.”
“Hi, Finn. I’d like you to meet my dad, Javier.” Mari stepped to the side, keeping a loose hold on her dad’s arm. “Dad, this is my father-in-law, General Finn Bray.”
“It’s a pleasure.” The two older men shook hands, with Javier throwing a teasing smile in his daughter’s direction. “You runnin’ an old folks home out of here, girl?”
Mari glared and slapped his arm that she was holding while Finn released a bright laugh. It seemed like everyone was put in a better mood now that Mari and her old man were reunited.
“So is one of them yours?” Javier nodded at me and Gunner.
“Thankfully not,” Finn chuckled, but the brief happiness left his eyes at that moment. “My son is Rory—Reaper. One of the captured ones.”
“Oh, right.” Javier rubbed his forehead while glancing at Mari with a sheepish look. “You told me that. Sorry, General, my memory isn’t all there yet.”
“That’s alright. It’s a lot of new information to take in, I’m sure.” Finn straightened a little, a bit of the poised general returning. “And if you don’t mind me saying, Javier, you’ve raised an incredible young woman for a daughter.”
“She made it easy.” Javier nudged Mari with his elbow. “Most of the time.”
“Well, don’t let me keep you from getting settled in.” Finn started up the stairs toward his own borrowed room, which was Reaper’s personal bedroom.
With Mari, Gunner, and I never wanting to be apart for long, we spent most nights in my room, which freed up the rest of the bedrooms. Now that we had Javier staying with us, it was nice to have a somewhat full house again, even if it was under the worst circumstances.
Moving in and getting up to greet Finn seemed to zap most of Javier’s energy. He started leaning heavily on Mari as she guided him back to bed. Now alone again, Gunner and I exchanged a quick look.
“I really,reallyfucking hope he remembers,” Gunner confessed quietly, reaching up to stroke Horus’ chest feathers.
I nodded, choosing to keep my thoughts to myself. Javier’s memory of the New Ireland compound might be the one thing that could save Reaper and Shadow.
It was all we had and barely, at that.
