Ride of Desire

Mercy was exhausted when she pulled into work the next night, but her mood perked up as the hours rolled by and the tips came in generously.

At this rate, she would be able to afford the repairs to her childhood home sooner than she had anticipated.

By the time the last call came around, Mack was grinning and heading her way, clad in a black tee and dark blue jeans.

His onyx boots were worn in and scuffed up, but they had a lot of years left in them. They showed off the man’s rough past and promising future.

He landed a soft blow with a flat palm between her shoulder blades, making her eyes widen as he grinned and hitched a thumb over to Jackson.

Jeez, did the guy know he almost knocked the skeleton out of her skin?

“Look at you go! My boy swears you're on something, moving around this place like a bat out of hell. I was a little worried at first, cause you look too damn soft for a rough place like this. If you keep this up I might just fire the youngin' over yonder and give you a raise.”

“Dad!”

Mack bellowed with a laugh, head falling back as Mercy shook her head at the fun the old man was having at his son’s expense.

Of course he wouldn't really give the young man the boot, but it was a nice compliment nonetheless. She waved off Jackson's concern.

“Oh please, I'm not nearly as good as Jackson. Give me a while under his wing and maybe I can compete, but that's a long shot.”

Jackson came toward them, his lips turned up in a grin as the last customer headed out the door.

They were alone now, two large men blocking her exit, but she didn't feel uncomfortable or scared.

The atmosphere was homey in a way that caused her chest to grow heavy with yearning.

“All the guys had to talk about was the sweet new thing serving beers. I swear Ricky described your backside in detail at least a dozen times before his buddies had to drag his ass out of here. Trust me when I say we'd be shooting ourselves in the foot if we didn't keep you on.”

Mack laughed again, shaking his head but not arguing.

He didn't agree with the way the men looked at her like horny teens, but it was all in good fun and she knew that if she ever felt uncomfortable he would step in.

Still, the way he watched over her sometimes had her wondering if he knew more about her than she wanted him to. Jackson even treated her more like a friend than just a coworker.

It was like they knew how harsh her life had been and they were trying to treat her gently.

In a way, it worried her, but not nearly as much as it made her chest full with happiness.

“Thank you guys for everything. I'll be heading out now.”

They both nodded, but as she left the building a large figure caught up with her. Her heart sped up a million beats a second.

In the darkness, he could so easily slip out and slip right back in without anyone noticing.

She had seen him almost every night within her dreams, bloody nightmares she couldn’t escape.

“Hey Mercy!”

She frowned, coming out of her own head and turning to face the younger version of her employer. A sense of relief and disappointment flooded through her veins.

“Jackson? Everything okay?”

He nodded, hitching a thumb over his shoulder at the bar.

“Everything's fine, but Mack thinks it'd be a good idea for someone to walk you to your car after your shift. We didn't catch you in time last night, I'm sorry. The guys that come in here can be trusted for the most part, and are usually harmless, but we don't want to take a chance with ya. Okay?”

It was surprising to feel as if she actually meant something to these people, enough to have them act so protective.

There had been moments in her past when her father had been protective, but it had been early on and that didn't last long.

She couldn't help but smile, nodding as she hooked an arm around his as if he were courting her in olden times.

“If that's not the sweetest thing I've heard in a long time, I don't know what is.”

His grin grew from ear to ear as they walked to the back of the parking lot.

With no streetlights it was almost too dark to see a hand in front of your face, but the stars overhead provided enough of a glow to get them where they were headed.

When she stopped to unlock the truck it felt almost like she could stay there. Maybe this would really work out.

She opened the door, turning to thank Jackson. Mack had raised a gentleman, and she had a newfound respect for the man’s deceased wife.

She really must have been something. Moving up onto her tiptoes, she planted a light kiss on his cheek.

“Thank you for being so thoughtful.”

He looked dumbfounded, nodding as a light blush took hold of his tanned face. He adored the woman, as did his father.

When Mack had asked him to walk her to her car the night before, he had agreed but forgotten at the last second.

His father had gone out to make sure she got to her truck safely.

Jackson thought nothing of the mask his father wore when he came back inside a second later. The old man was always pretty serious.

He had looked his son in the eye and told him that if he forgot to walk Mercy out again he'd be scrubbing the bar floor with his own toothbrush for a month.

Jackson was unsure why his father felt such a strong desire to protect this woman, but he would do what he was told. His father's word was practically law around here.

As Mercy drove out of the parking lot she felt a shiver run up her spine, but a quick peek made certain that Jackson was the only one there. Still, the shadows seemed to creep in around her.