The Rules of Survival (Mercer #1)

RoS Chapter Seventeen

This was as prepared as I could get. If someone was attempting to break in that door to get to me, I was ready to do whatever damage I could to save my sister. Owen, who'd also back-pedaled in alarm, swallowed audibly and glanced at the door in apprehension. In my peripheral, I caught sight of his mother down the short hall, a cell phone in one hand, a sharp kitchen knife in the other. She looked more annoyed than anything else, like having unruly and dangerous people interrupt her evening was nothing more than a nuisance.

"Owen," she called in question. Translation: Do I need to call the cops?

He got himself together enough to say something, but was cut off by more pounding.

"Ioney, are you there? It's Montoya. Open the door."

I actually sagged in relief, and managed to pull Tanner down with me. Taking in my change of body language, Owen reached for the door and reassured his mother at the same time. He released the deadbolt and swung the door inward, then stepped out of the way. Without any conscious thought I was moving. It took three long strides for me to reach him. I don't know who was more astonished, because for the first time in nearly a month I wasn't trying to do Justice grievous bodily harm. I wasn't calling him names or holding my brother's death over him.

Instead, in a rare moment of selfishness, I crashed into him and flung my arms around his neck. I held on so tight my arms ached. Burying my face in the hollow of his throat I breathed him in. I was safe, and now, so was Tanner.

I had no right, I was well aware of that. After everything I'd put Justice through, it wouldn't surprise me if he pushed me away and reminded me of how ungrateful I'd been . That I had my reasons didn't count for anything at the moment.

Justice didn't disentangle himself from me. He didn't scold me and lecture me on double standards. With great hesitance, he brought his arms up and wrapped them around me. I made a noise somewhere between a moan and a sob. It was supposed to be something coherent conveying my gratitude.

"I've got you, Een," he murmured into my hair, backing me into the house and shutting the door behind him. "You're okay. I've got you."

"I'm sorry," I finally choked out, my lips brushing his throat with each word. "I didn't know what to do. I had nobody to call."

"I know." Justice pulled back so he could see me, his expression indiscernible. Tiny frown lines appeared between his brow, and his lips were set in a grim line. "And now you need to tell me what's going on."

He had hold of my upper arms, but that didn't stop me from waving my hand at the door behind him. I took a deep, steadying breath. "There are people outside waiting for me. Tanner and I were walking home and they just came out of nowhere and - and one of them had a knife! And I - and Tanner - she was running, we both were. He actually used the knife on me... kicked somebody...there was a garden gnome, a Smurf, maybe -"

Justice's hand came up to cover my mouth. Oh, so I was rambling. I thought the ramble had been in my head and that I was communicating the sane, makes-a-lot-of-sense version.

"Wait a second," I blurted, smacking his hand away as something occurred to me. "How did you get in here?"

Deadpan answer. "I got out of my car, walked up the front path and knocked on the door."

"No, I mean, weren't there people out there? Three guys. They said they would wait for me to come out."

Justice was already shaking his head. "No, there was nobody there."

"But they said -"

"Ioney, nobody's outside. I checked. Now, are you hurt? What about Tanner?" His question threw me for reasons unknown. I mean, normally after you tell someone you were in a fight involving multiple assailants, a garden gnome and a knife, the next logical question was