Chapter Forty-Three

Zach

Zach was tense. He was filling his truck with weekend bags and other things they may need. He felt like the coming hours, maybe even days, were going to be decisive. That everything would depend on the decisions being made now.

He told the guys that Mercer wanted to meet. They discussed it together and decided that Ethan and Adrian would go with him to meet with Mercer again.

Jackson would follow with his soldiers, to shadow Mercer and see where the guy went.

Jackson Vance would stay here to look after the family.

What happened next depended on whether Mercer led Jackson and his men to their father or not. If he did, they would prepare for a raid and the rescue of their father.

He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned around.

“Do we have everything?” Adrian asked him.

“I think we do. I really hope so,” he answered.

Ethan and Jackson joined them.

“Are you ready?” Jackson asked.

“No, not really.” Zach gave him a crooked smile. “But I guess I am.”

“Well, let’s go then,” Ethan said, and he turned to kiss Joanna goodbye.

Adrian walked to Rose, who was standing on the porch steps to wave goodbye to them, and he gave her a passionate kiss.

Zach turned to Jackson, who stood next to him, and shook his hand. He looked around to see if he saw Irene, but he didn’t see her anywhere.

Not that he’d expected her to say goodbye, but he couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed.

What did he expect really? Especially after what he’d heard her say to Jackson that morning.

The drive to the city was long and boring. Traffic was a nightmare and way too slow.

After what seemed like forever, Zach, Ethan, and Adrian finally arrived in the city. They decided to meet with Mercer at once, to get it over with.

Adrian walked closer to Zach. “Are people always this way when you walk to your office?”

Zach turned his head and laughed. “What, like they fear the big bad boss? Yes, they do. They’d all crawl for me, they are all scared as fuck.”

“Wow, I never knew.” Adrian looked around.

When they arrived at his office, Zach immediately walked over to Christian’s office and knocked on his door. He opened it and barged in right away, not caring if Christian was busy with something or not.

Jerking up, Christian’s eyes grew wide when he saw the three giant men walk into his office. “Mr. Hunter, Mr. Harris, and er, I don’t think I’ve met you before.” He got up from his chair and shook Adrian’s hand.

“This is my brother Adrian.” Zach introduced the men. After that, he dropped down on Christian’s sofa. “So, let’s get straight to business. Mercer—when will he be here?”

Christian seemed a little nervous with the three tall men in his office. “Er, gentlemen, please sit down.”

He gestured to Ethan and Adrian to sit on the other seats. He scratched the hair on his neck, then looked at Zach. “Mr. Mercer will be here in about thirty minutes, so we have a little time left.”

After a while, there was a knock on the door. The three men sat up with their attention on the door. Christian got up and opened the door. “Mr. Mercer, come in. Mr. Hunter is already expecting you.”

Mr. Mercer entered the room and sat down on one of the vacant seats. “Good day, Mr. Hunter,” he greeted. “I see you have some reinforcements with you today. Are you that scared of what I am going to offer you?”

The man smirked at them.

Zach didn’t even bother introducing the guys to Mr. Mercer. “I don’t need reinforcements for myself. I have them here to protect you from me. I have a feeling I am not going to like whatever shit you are going to throw at me.”

Christian’s face paled, noticing Zach’s rude attitude toward Mercer. “I-I don’t think Mr. Hunter meant it that way. Right, Mr. Hunter?”

“Oh, I think he meant every word of it,” Adrian joined in as he leaned forward in his chair, his elbows on his knees. “Exactly like that. Now, Mercer, come to the point, and tell us what you want from us.”

Mercer looked around with a smirk on his face, seemingly unfazed by the men surrounding him. “I think I may have something of great interest to you.”

He reached into his jacket and pulled something out of his inside pocket. He handed a photo to Zach. “Here, I think you may know this man.”

When Zach took the picture from him and looked at it, he clenched his teeth. His jaw became a hard line, his eyes blazed fire. Adrian leaned over to look over Zach’s shoulder and instantly got the same expression.

“Looking at your faces, I guess I am right.” Mercer smiled, thinking he’d just won the jackpot.

“The resemblance to the man in the picture is striking if I may say so. Even with the man behind you. I guess you are siblings?”

“Who my siblings may or may not be is none of your business.”

Mercer devilishly smiled again. “But I think you know this man, don’t you? I think he is your father, isn’t he?”

“And what if he is?” Zach shrugged, his eyes piercing into Mercer’s. “My father passed away years ago. Died in a fight. What do you want from him?”

Zach was acting as if he didn’t know anything about the whole situation. He was also pretending not to know the mob was involved.

“I know your father is still alive. He’s been hiding from you. I think he didn’t want anything to do with you anymore. He pretended to be dead so he could escape from you all. How’s that? How much did he mean to you?

“Do you feel betrayed now that you know the truth about him?” Mercer leaned back with a smug smile. “I had a relationship with your mother, right before your parents got to know each other.

“Did you know he tried to kill me, an innocent man? All because he saw me as an enemy.” Mercer shook his head.

Adrian took a step forward, furious. Zach got up from his chair and walked over to the window so he didn’t have to look at Mercer. He didn’t turn around when he spoke.

“I know you’re trying to provoke me, to get a reaction out of me, but you won’t succeed.

“Now, if you’re here to reminisce about my parents, I suggest you leave. If not, then I would get to the point if I were you. I have other things to do.”

“Like what?” Mercer stood up and walked over to Zach, standing about three feet away from him. “Looking for your father’s hiding place? I may be able to help you with that.”

Zach turned around and looked Mercer in the eye. His deadly gaze seemed to go through him, and the man in front of him seemed to shrink. “What do you want in return?”

“That you give up your land and your people and leave. And, most of all, that you let my son and daughter-in-law go.”

Again, Zach pretended to not know what Mercer was talking about. He shrugged. “Who is your son? Do you have a son? And who is your daughter-in-law?”

Mercer’s eyes seemed to blaze with fire. He folded his arms.

“You know who my son is! Angelo Romero and his wife Lara—you have captured them! You have them locked up somewhere in those dungeons of yours! Let them go, you bastard!”

Zach took a step forward, bending down a little so his face almost touched Mercer’s. “No! I won’t let them go!” he roared.

“Lara pretended to be loyal. I was there when she needed help, but she stabbed me in the back when I turned around. Your son has tried to kill me and the rest of my people more than once!

“There’s no way I am letting them go! The only way you’ll see them again is in a body bag, delivered by mail!”

Mercer didn’t back down, unfazed by the roaring boss in front of him. “Well, you just signed your father’s death sentence then.” He turned around and walked out of the office, slamming the door shut behind him.