Page 28 of Merciless
“But if he’s regressing as you say,” Gunner began, but Mari cut him off with a sharp wave of her hand.
“It was just a guess, I could be wrong. Give him a minute.”
“Mariposita,I’m gonna have to agree with them.” The regret was heavy in my voice. Fuck, Javier and I were just having a nice chat. What the fuck happened?
“I said, give him a minute.” Mari’s eyes snapped up to mine. “Just trust me, please.”
“Okay.” I glanced at Gunner, who nodded his agreement. But both of us tightened our grip on the man’s arms.
Mari continued tending to her dad’s nosebleed while also checking his pulse and focus of his eyes. She asked for her penlight, which Lis scurried off to find for her. Feeling something near my pant leg, I glanced down to see Freyja winding around the chair legs and Javier’s feet. The cat jumped into Javier’s lap, purring up a storm as Lis returned with the light. When Mari shined it into her dad’s eye, the response was immediate.
“Ah, fuck! You trying to blind me,mija?”
The light fell to the floor with a clatter, and I felt every bit of relief that took over Mari’s face.
“You’re back!” she cried, reaching forward to hug him. “Holy shit, I thought I lost you again.”
“Is that why your husbands got me in a headlock?”
Mari laughed, quickly wiping tears as we released him. “Don’t be dramatic. Now what the fuck was that?”
Javier rubbed his eyes. “I don’t know. Feels like I blacked out.” He glanced up at me and Gunner on either side of him. “You guys look like a couple of bouncers about to toss me on my ass, so it couldn’t have been good.”
“Dad.” Mari touched his face to bring his attention back to her, carefully inspecting around his eyes, nose, and mouth. “Has this happened to you before?”
“Yeah,” he remarked casually. “Couple times in the hospital.”
“When was the last time?” Mari picked up her light from the floor and shined it into his mouth.
Javier smiled when she finished inspecting him and allowed him to close his lips. “Right before all my memories of you came back,mijita.”
Mari sucked in a breath, eyes widening with a glance up at us before looking at her father again. “Do you remember anything new now?”
He thought for a moment, frowning. “I don’t know.”
“Mom?” Mari asked hopefully.
Javier’s frown deepened. “Not…really. I’m sorry.”
Mari was quick to cover up her disappointment with a tight smile. “Don’t be sorry, Dad. You can’t force these things.”
“What about…” Gunner’s eyes flicked to her in a silent request for permission. When she nodded, he continued. “New Ireland? Your time there?”
“New Ireland?” Javier rubbed his jaw. “You mean the fortress? That’s what everyone called it.”
Everyone froze in temporary shock, then me and Gunner were scrambling to pull up chairs and sit facing him.
“The fortress?” I repeated. “You mean the place you were deployed from?”
“Yes, I think so.” Javier sounded unsure at first, then he nodded more confidently. “Yes, it used to be New Mexico.”
“Do you remember the inside of the fortress?” Gunner gripped the edge of the table, as if holding himself back.
“Yes, of course. I never left before we were sent out to attack.”
“Javier.” I put my palms together as if in prayer. “We need to know the layout of that fortress. It could be our only chance to get Reaper and Shadow back.” I looked at Mari, knowing she wouldn’t disagree, but her dad’s recovery was important too. Trying too hard to remember things gave him intense headaches and fatigue.
“Jandro’s right, Dad,” she said quietly, taking one of his hands. “They’re my family, and we need you.”
