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It takes her a very long minute to drag her gaze to mine. Even then, she doesn’t speak right away. She searches my eyes for something I can’t give her.
“There are a few more in the bag. One should be enough, but to be safe…” I trail off.
“Oh. Okay, thanks, I guess.” She takes the pill and sets it on the counter.
“Don’t you want to take it?”
She forces a smile. “Are you going to watch me to be sure I do?”
“Mercedes, I came inside you. Multiple times.”
“I know how it works, Judge. But I also know my cycle, and you don’t have to worry.” She shifts her gaze slightly as she says it, and suddenly, I am worried.
“Take the pill.”
“You know I wouldn’t trap you. That’s not who I am,” she says to her own reflection as she applies moisturizer to her face. I recognize Solana’s label. I still have the bag she gave me on my bathroom counter.
I take her arm and turn her to me. “I won’t let you ruin yourself.”
She tugs out of my grasp with a snort. “Are you afraid Councilor Hildebrand will pin a scarlet A to my chest and make me stand on a scaffold in the courtyard? Shit, you know what? I wouldn’t be surprised.” She pops the pill out of its packaging and sets it on her tongue, then drinks a swallow of coffee. She opens her mouth to show me she swallowed it. “Satisfied?”
“This is for your own good, Mercedes.”
“Because you’ll never marry me.”
“I’ll never marry anyone.”
“Can you go? I need some privacy.”
I brush her cheek, but she pulls away from me. “I care about you. You know that, right?”
“I do, Judge.” She turns to me. “You just don’t care enough.”
That cuts deep, but it’s no less than I deserve. I open my mouth to speak, but the phone in my pocket dings with a message. I reach for it but catch myself because it’s her phone. Mine is silenced. Mercedes rolls her eyes and turns away from me.
“You’d better get that. I’m sure it’s important. Close the door on your way out.”
“Mercedes—”
A second message makes it chime again. I walk out of her bedroom to dig the phone out and read the new texts.
Cunt, you see how easy it was to get close to you? That was a trial run. The big event will be much more… hands-on.
By the way, that girlfriend of yours is pretty smokin’. She should know better than to leave her windows unlocked. People are too trusting these days.
“Fuck!” I text Raul to bring the car around and dial Ezra as I climb in. “The apothecary,” I tell Raul as Ezra answers.
“Judge? What is it?”
“Is security still in place for Solana and Georgie?”
“Yes, they’ve each got a man watching.”
“And where are they? Where’s Solana right now?”
“Just a minute,” he says, and I hear him have another quick conversation before coming back on the line. “They’re both at her shop.” I’m guessing Solana and Georgie have figured out that I have soldiers watching them, but I’m not sure they realize why. As far as they know, what happened to Mercedes was an accident. I don’t want to alarm anyone, but I’m also not taking any chances.
“You’re sure?”
