Mercy's Magic by P. J. Day Read Free Book Online Page A

disbelief.
    “Well,” Mercy said. “Isn’t that good news for you? I mean, you can do your thing, arrest them. I’m giving you good information here.”
    Joe Patterson straightened his coffee cup into position, thinking hard. “Mercy. Do you know how much danger you could have been in?”
    “Yeah, but as a P.I. I kind of expect it.”
    “You know that now, with your information, you’re going to have to make a report, with your P.I. credentials, under oath? This is a huge deal, if what you’re saying is true, then we’re gonna have to get the Feds involved.”
    “Do it,” Mercy answered. She leaned back in her chair and leveled eyes with the Detective. “Do whatever you have to do. I swear to you, I’m telling the truth and I know what I saw. This is a big deal.”
     
    Chapter Fourteen
     
    It took two days for Detective Patterson and Mercy to get through the red tape of being granted warrants and presenting enough evidence to the F.B.I. for cooperation. They worked as a team, close together, with all the information Mercy had gathered.
    Finally they were ready to convene at the so-called print shop and carry out their plan of action with the help of local and federal law enforcement.
    Mercy and Joe watched from the train tracks as every official, brave enough to agree, or skilled enough to be chosen for such a dangerous operation, assume their coordinated positions. From a distance, a crew of well-armed police, US Marshals and FBI crew surrounded the site. All waiting with baited breath for their signal.
    “What are they waiting for?” Mercy asked. She felt overwhelming tension, but she couldn’t tell if it was because she was witnessing her first raid ever or because there was something off about the operation.
    “It’s the Feds. They’re the ones with the thermal night vision goggles and the snipers —the ones that call the initial order,” Joe answered. He was excited to be involved with the case, and also, next to the woman who so far hadn’t said yes—or no, for that matter—to a date. “It’s just a matter of time. It won’t be long now.”
    Mercy nodded and focused on the plant. She recognized the same aura of intrusion from the time she was up on the ladder, as if someone was trying to probe her from afar. She kept quiet about it, and did her best to keep her thoughts contained. Waiting was the worst. Worse than the probable gunfight she was certain was a few minutes away from happening.
     
    * * *
     
    Ariel waited and watched, hidden on the roof of his plant, as law enforcement surrounded the building. He saw Mercedes Cruz, the same nosy woman with the wild hair who leaned in from the ladder outside the window, crouching next to another man, waiting for the action to take hold. He grinned, held out his arms and wiggled his fingers with a wave-like rhythm.
    The small law army, some dressed in night gear, others still in suits, approached cautiously. Ariel took in the encroachment, knowing that show time was near. His fingertips flickered a dull, reddish glow; a form of bio-luminescence that shone through skin and in stark contrast to the darkness permeating the lightless rooftop .
    Mercy held her breath as the various officers made their way closer to the building. She felt herself sweating, her heart racing. Stronger forces were at work here.
    “You okay?” Joe asked.
    “Yes, and no, actually…no. I have a bad feeling about this, Patterson.”
    “Just wait,” he told her. “These guys know what they’re doing. Trust me,” he grinned. “They’ve done this before.”
    But she didn’t believe him. She knew he wouldn’t understand what sort of powerful forces she could feel gathering. And her intuition felt off. But Mercy owed it to Joe. She waited.
    As the men assumed strategic placement for forced entry,   Ariel Caliban lifted his arms in the air, and the subtle glow inside his fingertips gave way to a pulsating splash of energy that coiled itself around the sleeves of his