I laughed, giving him a once over. When he’d opened the car door for me outside the mansion dressed this way, I was surprised. He could clean up better than I’d thought.
Mercer was wearing a pair of dark jeans without a single rip in them, a burgundy long-sleeve button-up tucked in at the waist. The top few buttons were undone, baring just enough skin to tease me into wanting more.
He’d kept his hair and stubble as it was. I was glad, because it would be like looking at a stranger if he’d decided to shave or add gel to his hair.
“Next time, we’ll go somewhere that’s a leather and jeans kind of place,” I said. “I can get a leather jacket too.”
“No way. Why buy a leather jacket when you can just wear one of ours?”
Stealing one did sound like a much better idea, except for the fact that I would be horny all night wrapped in their scent. Then again, it was hard not to be aroused when they were taking me on cute dates. I’d have the problem regardless.
“I’ll get a cute leather bag to go with the jacket, then. So I’ll have something leather of my own.” I laughed.
Chuckling, he pointed across the street. “The cabaret is right there, but we’re early. Want to stroll down a little…”
He trailed off. I looked up at him. His jaw was clenched as he stared across the street, and when I followed his gaze I spotted an older man in a leather vest. The man’s face was pale, like he’d seen a ghost.
I clutched Mercer closer, leading him on. “Let’s stroll.”
The vest was a motorcycle club cut, but I could tell even from here that it didn’t have a patch sewn on. It probably had one a few weeks ago.
But the Alpha Chariots didn’t exist anymore.
Everyone knowingly involved in the production and distribution of the feral bullets had been dealt with by a combined effort from Brooks and my fathers. Mercer’s father was rotting in some basement prison somewhere, or already dead. Same with Willard, Benjamin’s father.
The rest of the club had been given a choice: disband or die.
I probed my bond with Mercer, trying to send him some calm. As he’d gone through the shattering of the club he’d spent his life building up, our bond fresh and open, I’d realized howmuch guilt he truly felt. So much guilt and shame. He’d tried to hide it from me, but that was impossible when I could feel him through the bond.
Those emotions were coming through again, so I knew the man we’d seen across the street had to be a former club member.
Someone Mercer had trusted and been betrayed by in the end.
He watched back over his shoulder. I made us turn a corner, heading down a quieter, more residential street. His silence extended until I stepped in front of him, my arms crossed over my chest. “They don’t deserve your guilt.”
He shrugged, avoiding eye contact. “I know. Let’s head back now, princess, and focus on the date.”
“You said we had time. Take a minute.”
I placed my palms on his chest, going up on my toes to kiss his cheek. His hands went down to land on my hips, and he finally made eye contact.
The loss reflected in his brown eyes was the same as the loss I felt from our bond.
“You’re allowed to be upset about what happened,” I whispered.
“I know. I’ve got better people around me now, though. A better future than dealing with those assholes who never saw me as a good leader. I want to move on,” he admitted.
“Not always that easy.”
I would know.
Memories of Benjamin came roaring back sometimes, shattering my peace. I’d gone out to the entryway in the rain once, and the headlights of a car coming up the drive had me collapsing to the ground in a heap of tears.
He wasn’t as gone as I wanted him to be, but I had my mates to help me through it all.
I wanted to help Mercer too, if he would let me.
“If only it was.” He sighed and took a few deep breaths. Then, he grabbed my hand and started leading me back the way we came. “We’ve got a show to see tonight, sweetheart, so I’ve spent enough time wallowing. Conrad is going to be devastated to know my date was better than his.”
