What the hell is going on?
“Derek? Drake? How can I help you?” I ask. My voice is brave, but inside my heart is going pitter-patter because these men are physically so gorgeous. Derek and Drake loom over me on our small front step, and I feel like I’m being cast in shadow. Their male auras are dominant and posessive, and I can almost feel the heat rising from those huge bodies. They’re dressed in plaid shirts and denim jeans, along with black work boots that look like they could kick holes in fences.
“Can we come in?” growls Derek. “We have some business to discuss.”
My hand grips the edge of the door.
“I’m sorry, but my dad’s not here right now. He’s out, but I’m sure he’ll be back soon. Do you want to leave a message?”
The men share a look and then shake their heads.
“No, that’s okay. Where’d you say your dad went again?”
I look at them.
“Well, I didn’t say, but Patrick’s out on a walk right now. He said he wants to enjoy the crisp weather and get some exercise. He’ll be back soon, I’m sure.”
The men share another knowing glance, and I wonder what’s going on. It’s as if they knew Patrick was going to be out. But how would they know my dad was going for a walk? Everything’s a bit strange.
“Maybe we’ll wait inside for your father to return. Is that okay?” rumbles Drake. His blue eyes flash and my knees go slightly weak. We don’t usually get visitors, so I’m tempted to say no. But at the same time, it’s not like Drake and Derek are strangers. They work with my dad, and I’ve met them a few times in the past, although we never said anything but hello.
“Um, I don’t know,” I hedge, biting my lip. “Can I call you after my dad gets back? He’s not screwing up at work, is he?”
The handsome men share another glance and I can tell that there’s some invisible conversation going on.
“No, not precisely at work,” begins Derek, his blue gaze direct. “But I’d say he’s had some trouble with business that’s work-adjacent.”
Oh shit. I don’t know what work-adjacent means, but it doesn’t sound good. Silently, I swing the door open to let the two men pass, and their huge forms move past me into our small living area.
Goodness. I didn’t realize exactly how huge Derek and Drake Stone were until they entered our trailer. Maybe it’s because the space is small, but it seems like the two men take up all the room inside. Their shoulders are so wide that they seem to block out the light from the windows, and they’re so tall that their black heads graze the ceiling of our trailer.
I smile weakly at them.
“Um, sorry about the mess. We weren’t expecting any guests.”
Our living area isn’t messy per se, but the problem is that it’s really small, so it has a cozy, jumbled look. We have one bigger sofa which can seat three, and it’s a homey, forest-green color with a knitted afghan thrown over the back. Then there’s a recliner off to the side where my dad sometimes catches the latest wrestling matches, along with a scratched brown coffee table and our boxy, forty-inch TV.
“It’s okay,” rumbles Derek, taking a seat on the green sofa. “This is fine.”
His brother also sits, and I try to stifle my laughter. The two men are so enormous that they make the sofa seem tiny and doll-sized. Their knees jut up and I swear, I can almost see the couch sag beneath their combined weight.
But there’s nothing I can do about it, so I merely smile and nod.
“Can I get you some coffee? I just put a pot on the stove.”
The men shake their heads.
“No coffee. Just water, if you have it.”
I smile slightly while making my way over to our tiny kitchen. It’s right next to the living area, and the counters are cheap plastic while the floor is an ugly yellow linoleum. But it’s clean and cheery, and the smell of hot coffee permeates our trailer, adding to the homey, welcoming feel.
Quickly, I pull out two glasses and fill them halfway before stepping back into the living area.
“Here you go,” I say. “I hope room temperature is okay. Our fridge is small, so we don’t any bottled water on hand because it would take up too much room.”
It’s true. My dad and I share a three-quarters sized fridge that jerks and hums a bit even as I speak. The men merely take large swallows and then put down their glasses.
“No, it’s fine,” growls Derek before fixing me with his blue eyes. “Water is water is water.”
“It tastes good, actually,” adds Drake with a puzzled expression. “This is from the tap?”
I nod.
“Yes, and it should be the same that you have over at your place. You guys live over on the east side of town right? I think because our town is so small, we’re all being supplied by the same aquifer.”
The men nod and think for a moment. It’s actually nice to have company because most days, I just go to work and then come home. But what do they want?
“So is there anything I can help you with?” I ask, looking at my watch again. “My dad will be home in no time, I’m sure.”
Derek and Drake share another somber look before piercing me with their blue eyes.
“Mercy, before we begin, we want you to know that you’re not responsible for anything that happened.”
My mouth drops open.
“Wait a minute, what are you talking about? What happened? How did I get involved? Or does this have to do with my dad?” I ask, my voice dropping to a whisper.
The men nod somberly, their big forms still. However, I can feel the tension because the air between us is practically vibrating. I want to say it’s because it has to do with Patrick, but I know there’s electricity floating between us that has nothing to do with my father. It’s these men. They’re so alpha and dominating, and any woman in their path would be trembling with need.
But I have to get a hold of myself because it sounds like they’re here with serious news.
“What did my dad do?” I finally ask in a whisper.
The men share another look.
“You know that Mr. Posner hasn’t been around for a while now, right?” Derek growls, his hands reflexively gripping his glass.
I nod.
“Yes, my dad told me. He’s in the hospital right? I hear it’s because he’s got lung cancer. Is he doing chemo?”
Drake nods, his bronzed throat flashing beneath the plaid of his shirt.
“Yes. Herb Posner’s in a bad way. The man’s got stage four lung cancer, and he’s actually been in the hospital for a while now. He’s doing chemo, radiation, and everything that comes along with aggressive treatment, but Herb’s sixty-five now. His body is weak and the news on the grapevine is that he’s not tolerating the treatments so well.”
I stare.
“Okay, but did my dad do something crazy because of Mr. Posner? Is he … I don’t know, giving blood or something?”
The men let out a bark of laughter.
“No, it’s not that, although at this point, I think Patrick would willingly sell blood if it could make him a buck. The thing is, Mercy, that without Herb, the Drunken Rabbit has been lost. Things have been getting out of line.”
I squint at them, my heart pounding.
“But how so? Patrick hasn’t mentioned this at all.”
The men shrug their huge shoulders, expressions somber.
“No, he wouldn’t, would he? The long and the short of it is that Herb’s son, Mickey, stepped in and he’s taken the Drunken Rabbit in an unfortunate direction.”
I stare at them.
“Yes, but my dad’s the janitor, so I’m not sure how we can help. Did you want him to work more shifts?”
Drake lets out another bark of laughter.
“No, your dad’s more than just a janitor now. Basically, Mickey’s a rat bastard who’s turned the Drunken Rabbit into an illegal gambling den. There’s still the regular bar in the front room, but below ground, he’s opened up private gambling quarters for members only. Your dad’s part of that pack.”
My heart sinks because this sounds like something Patrick would do. My dad has never had a good radar for danger, and while he’s never been addicted to anything per se, I know he likes a good card game. I thought he got his fix from playing poker with the boys over on Turner Street every first Tuesday of the month, but evidently not. Patrick probably thinks he’s some kind of card shark, and loves being part of this underground club.
“Give it to me,” I say in a tight voice. “What has my dad done?”
The men look at me again.
“Well, he’s in some deep ka-ka.”
“How deep?” I ask sharply.
Derek and Drake share another glance.
“He owes twenty thousand dollars to a number of different people.”
I gasp, all the color draining from my face.
“What? That’s such an ungodly sum! How the hell did that happen?”
Drake’s expression is grave as he tells me, his large fingers still wrapped around the water glass.
“Your dad’s known in these parts,” he says simply. “Patrick’s lived here his entire life, and he can be charming when he wants. Everything was going fine for a couple months, but then the debts started piling up, and pretty soon your dad owed everyone money.”
I can barely breathe and try to inhale through my mouth even as my heart convulses painfully.
“But who does he owe this money to?” I ask in a whisper. Tears fill my eyes. “We don’t have twenty thousand,” I say bitterly. “We don’t even have one thousand. My dad makes ten dollars an hour at his job, and I make about the same. We both work full time, but our combined incomes are just enough to pay for rent on this place and not much else.”
Derek and Drake’s blue eyes flash and they sit back, their forms tense.
“Well, the fact is that your dad owes a lot of that money to us. You see, we bought up his debts so that he doesn’t owe a bunch of stuff to a bunch of different people. Most of that twenty thousand belongs to us now.”
I blink, gasping a bit.
“But why would you do that?” I ask plaintively. “Is that even good or bad? I don’t get it.”
Derek nods, his square jaw chiseled.
“It’s good, for the most part, because it helps Patrick stay organized. It’s just like having a dozen credit cards. When you have that many, it’s impossible to even remember how much you owe and to whom. This way, he knows he owes about twenty thousand to my brother and I.”
I stare at them before gulping heavily.
“Yes, but are you basically charging him crazy interest? Is that why you bought it?”
The brothers share another glance.
“No, not exactly. There is interest yes, but we’re in fact offering a very fair rate so long as certain measures a met.”
“Let me guess,” I say in a bitter tone. “He has to make installment payments of a thousand dollars every month. Well, I can tell you right now that he won’t be able to do it. My dad and I don’t have a dime leftover to spare once all the bills are paid, and we’re just getting by as it is. We couldn’t even spare a hundred bucks, much less a thosuand.”
Drake and Derek share another knowing glance.
“Who said anything about installment payments? Well, at least not the cash kind.”
I stare at them.
“But what else is there?”
At this, the two men lean forward on the couch, their eyes intense. Something in the air crackles and a hot shiver runs down my spine. They’re insanely gorgeous, but I haven’t been able to focus on that because the truth is that despair is muddling my thoughts. Patrick’s gotten us into a bad place, and I have no idea how we’re going to make our way out of this. What can we sell? I suppose we’ll have to move to a smaller trailer, or maybe leave town altogether. There aren’t a lot of possibilities, and my eyes fill with tears again.
“Don’t cry, honey,” Drake says in a low voice, reaching forward to take one of my hands into his own. “There’s a solution for everything.”
“But what could it be?” I ask plaintively. “My dad’s been so stupid and he’s gotten himself into this mess without even thinking about the consequences. Now we owe you five figures, and I have no idea how we’re going to pay that amount. What do you want from us? How can I make it up to you?” I ask, my eyes watery with a sheen of tears.
I hate the desperate tone in my voice, but I just feel so hopeless because things had been looking up for me and Patrick. We were both in stable jobs, and although we didn’t have much, we had enough stability so that I could begin to dream. I spent more than one happy afternoon planning out Mercy’s Mindful Treasures and how I would bring joy to countless children around the world. But now, that’s all gone. We can’t plan for the future because we can barely even make it past the here and now.
But the men in my living room don’t look put out. Instead, Derek and Drake lean forward again, those broad shoulders straight and set with confidence.
“You have something that you can pay us with,” Derek begins, his blue eyes gleaming.
His brother squeezes my hand again.
“Something sweet, innocent, and all yours,” Drake adds. “Would you consider it?”
I stare at them, not understanding.
“What do I have?” I ask plaintively. “I have a high school education, and I work at the craft store downtown. Do you want some baby beanies, or some yarn? Or maybe a sweater? I have no idea what I could offer.”
Drake and Derek merely share another look and shift forward once again. Suddenly, I’m aware that I’m alone with two gorgeous alpha males in the small confines of our trailer. Desire hangs in the air between us and I gasp silently. Oh my god, do they mean …?
The two brothers chuckle low in their chests again, reading my mind.
“Yes, we do mean that, Mercy. We met you two years ago, remember? When you came to the Drunken Rabbit after gym class that day, and we’ve wanted you since.”
“Buying your dad’s debt was the natural way to your doorstep because sweetheart, you have something that we want: that lush, nude body, along with your warm, willing cries. We promise we’ll make it good for you, Mercy. But the question is, will you hear the terms of our deal, or will you leave your dad to pay us with cold hard cash instead of that beautiful body?”
I gasp at the handsome brothers, shocked and more than a little scandalized. Is this really happening? Are the men offering to cash in the debt in return for my body? It can’t be … and yet it is.