A Merciful Promise (Mercy Kilpatrick #6)(17)

They shook hands and then returned to Bolton’s Explorer.

“Had second thoughts about showing him the photo,” Bolton said as he started the vehicle.

“Same. He did okay, though.”

“Thought we might get lucky. Let’s try the next property.”

Truman nodded and turned his attention out the window, recalling Darrell’s shock at the photo. People believed they could handle the sight of death; they saw it in movies and on TV.

Death in real life wasn’t the same.

Not at all.





SEVEN

A few minutes after Mercy had arrived in America’s Preserve, she stood outside one of the larger buildings with Chad and Ed. “Why can’t you go with me?” Mercy asked Chad in a soft voice, looking from him to Ed and back, playing up the girlfriend role.

“Pete does the first interview alone,” Chad reassured her. He rubbed his hands up and down her upper arms as if she was cold. Which she was. It was easily ten degrees cooler in the hills than in the town. Reassurance shone in Chad’s gaze, and Mercy assumed it was for her as an agent and for Jessica as a newbie.

The compound’s buildings were a few hundred yards inside the gate. The roads had fresh gravel, and a few of the buildings had new coats of paint. The other buildings clearly needed their siding replaced and attention paid to their roofs. Mercy wondered if the new paint hid structural issues or if they’d been repaired first.

She reviewed the satellite map in her memory. Her perspective felt skewed. It was one thing to look at a picture and another to be standing on the grounds. Somewhere far to her left was the area with the new building and the carport. The structure she currently stood before was freshly painted and had a formal-looking placard on the door that read COMMAND CENTER.

Rather pretentious.

Ed opened the door and waited. Chad gave her an encouraging look and a long kiss on the lips and then stepped back. Mercy adjusted her duffel on her shoulder and followed Ed indoors. Inside was dark compared to the bright sunshine outdoors. The windows were small, and she suspected the faded plaid curtains had belonged to the original camp. It smelled slightly sour, as if someone had spilled milk and never cleaned it up. Ed helped her shrug off the heavy bag. “I’ll take your purse too.”

“Thank you.”

He took her phone out of her purse and handed it to her. “Hold on to this.” His eyes were earnest. “Remember. Impress him.”

She nodded and slipped the phone in her pants pocket.

He set the bags on a large table surrounded by mismatched chairs and then knocked on the door labeled COMMANDER.

Someone inside spoke, and Ed opened the door a few inches, waving her through.

Ed didn’t take my bags to be helpful; he’s going to search them.

Mercy entered the small office and recognized Pete Hodges from the ATF photos at her briefing. He stepped out from behind his desk and shook her hand, never breaking eye contact. His clear gray gaze was friendly, his face slightly battered by life, stating he’d earned the lines at the corners of his eyes and mouth. The ATF photos hadn’t indicated the intensity Pete projected. Every ounce of his focus was on her, and she couldn’t look away.

“Welcome, Jessica. You don’t know how much Chad has looked forward to this day.”

“Thank you, sir. I’m happy to be here with him finally.”

Pete Hodges wasn’t a big man. He was compact and trim, and she knew he was in his late forties. His gray hair was military short, and, like Ed, he was clean-shaven. He didn’t wear camouflage, but his pants and shirt were a dark olive green. A gun belt lay on a filing cabinet behind him.

Mercy felt naked.

She had rarely used her agency weapon, but its presence had always been reassuring. Now she was in the middle of hostile territory, and she suspected most of the people were armed.

As he studied her from head to toe, she shuffled her feet and took a quick look around the room as any nervous person would do. An American flag stood in the corner, a gold eagle at the top of its pole. A map of the local terrain hung on one wood-paneled wall, and impressive nature photos covered another. Purple flowers, towering pines, dusky waterfalls.

Is he the photographer?

“Everyone has a thirty-day trial period,” Pete began. “During this time you will be evaluated to see if you’re a good fit for the community we are trying to build.”

“I could be kicked out?” Mercy blinked several times to appear concerned. “Can Chad go with me if I have to leave?”

“If he wishes.” Pete’s tone was cautious.

“I get along with everyone,” Mercy said. “I’m a hard worker.”

“You have thirty days to show us that.” This time he gave a broad smile, and Mercy was shocked to realize how much she’d wanted his approval—and not buy-my-cover-story approval. Something about him made her want to work for him, stand with him. And she’d met him sixty seconds ago.

He had an unusual energy that attracted people. An X factor. It was why people had followed him to a remote camp and given up their cell phones.

“On paper you seemed like a good fit,” Pete continued. “That’s why I said you could come, but I am curious why you’d leave your old life behind.”

“I didn’t. Chad is here, so my life is here too.”