Never Cry Mercy Read Free Page A

front of my mouth. "Then why'd you ask if I wanted sauce?"
    He chuckled, said, "'Cause you look like a city boy." He turned toward to the kitchen. "Just shout if you need anything."
    I didn't think I would. I had a beer, a steak, and a quiet place to eat.
    The only problem was the other patrons had plans to disrupt the serenity.

Chapter 4
    Crystal River, Florida, 1988
    Jack Noble stood on the front porch watching the sun descend into the trees. The air was thick with humidity. A sheen of sweat coated his brow. Behind him, his brother Sean and sister Molly laughed at a joke made at his expense. They had been born two years apart. Molly in '72, Sean in '74, and Jack in '76. Because of this, all jokes were made at his expense, and there was little he could do about it.
    "Just 'cause mom and dad ain't around don't mean you two can pick on me," Jack said.
    "Like hell it doesn't." Sean got up and threw a jab in Jack's direction. Jack feigned left and countered with a right uppercut that caught Sean in the gut. The older Noble boy didn't care for that and three seconds later had Jack pinned against the railing.
    "All right, you two," Molly said. "I will send you to your rooms."
    "Then what?" Sean said. "Gonna call Mike and have him come over?"
    The boys followed the comment with kissing sounds. At twelve years old, Jack had only had a girlfriend in the most basic sense of the word, and a real kiss was something he hadn't experienced yet. Nor did he care to. According to Sean, that would change soon.
    Molly disappeared for a few moments. The boys fell silent, both focused on the setting sun and the kaleidoscope of rays that filtered through the branches and leaves. It was a scene they'd watched hundreds, if not thousands of times. The home had been the only one they'd ever known. It was their sanctuary, a place where no harm had ever befallen the family. Not that they were free from grief and the negativity of the world. Those things occurred outside the walls and beyond the property lines. And pretty much away from Crystal River, Florida. Their father dealt with the world so they didn't have to.
    "Life, Monopoly, or Clue?" Molly said. "Jack, you pick."
    "Monopoly," Jack said.
    "You're not gonna cry again when I bankrupt you, are you?" Sean said.
    "Bite me," Jack said.
    The older siblings laughed as Molly set up the game board and distributed the cash.
    "What're we doing tomorrow?" Jack asked.
    "Fishing," Sean said. "Should be a good day. Dad said we can take the boat out as long as we stick to the canals."
    "I'll go," Molly said.
    "For real?" Jack said. It had been a couple years since their sister had joined for a day of angling. Pretty much since she started dating Mike her freshman year of high school.
    "Yeah, why not? Gotta find out what my little bros are really up to, and I know your inner most secrets come out while fishing."
    "Whatever," Sean said. "Not gonna find out anything about me."
    "I already know, Seanny-boy," she said with a wink. "I already know."
    "You don't know shit," he said.
    Jack and Molly shared a smile.
    "You little asshole," Sean said. "What did you tell her?"
    Jack shrugged, passed GO on the board and said, "Pay me my two hundred dollars."
    A banging echoed through the house and out to the back porch. The three stopped, looked around, waited.
    BANG-BANG-BANG .
    "Who do you suppose that is?" Jack asked.
    "Probably Aunt Jackie coming to check on us," Molly said.
    "Would she knock?" Sean said.
    Molly shrugged. "I'll go check."

Chapter 5
    The two biker-looking guys rose and crossed the room. The shorter of the two was about my height, but had at least fifty pounds on me. Fat, mostly. The other guy was three or four inches taller, lean like a flag pole, with long, rangy arms. From the front, neither appeared to be armed. But the mirror only told half the story.
    I cut into the steak and shoved another bite into my mouth, washing it down with a gulp of the stout. The head foamed up when I set the glass down on