The Mercers and I sat and talked for what seems like hours. Saint Evelyn placed me next to Jack and Bobby gave me a pointed look that just screamed, "I told you so." I didn't mind. It's been a while since I'd had much human contact, even if I was faking most of the conversation. I made sure to look confused when Evelyn introduced her "sons." I feigned interest when Jerry told me about his kids and his business. It caught my attention when he claimed it was doing well though. Poor guy was probably trying to keep up the façade of a successful man in front of this bunch. After they had introduced themselves they started grilling me for information.

Evelyn passed me a coke, "Where are you from dear?"

I took a sip and replied, "I'm from Bradley County, Tennessee originally. I moved to Detroit to help out my brother and his wife."

Angel leaned over the kitchen table toward me, "Where they at now? We didn't see anyone move in with you."

Good thing I'm a fast thinker, "They decided to move back home, but I already had a job and enough money saved to get a house so I stayed."

The boys glanced at each other and seemed to accept my answer with a bit of exception. "You're here alone? In Detroit? Don't you know how dangerous it is here," Bobby asked.

"I'm aware of the crime rates." I wasn't going to give that bastard an inch on this one. His sexist attitude was quickly starting to grate on my nerves. He wouldn't have been the least bit concerned if I was a member of the opposite sex. Asshole.

Bobby sneered at me, "Being 'aware of the crime rates' ain't gonna save your ass if someone decides to rape you."

I somehow managed to smile, although I'm sure it didn't meet my eyes, "Being a meathead ain't gonna save your ass if someone decides to rape you either."

There was an awkward silence for a moment and then the other boys fell out laughing. Angel literally fell out of his chair. Saint Evelyn looked mildly amused and winked at me, and in that moment I knew I had been accepted into their world.

During his moment of mirth Jack had put his hand on my knee, and after the laughing died down he didn't remove it. It stayed there while we continued talking and exchanging insults. By the time I remembered to look at my watch it was 8:45. I had to get out of there. I made my excuses to Evelyn and headed for the door, but I sensed someone behind me. It was Jack, again. He smiled and shrugged into an old worn leather jacket, "Thought I'd walk you home." I nodded, even though my house was only about ten feet away.

On our way out the door I heard Bobby yelling, "Mom she went for it. You can celebrate now." Jack rolled his eyes and we continued until we got to my front door. I pulled out my keys and stuck them in the lock, but it wouldn't budge. I tried a second time with no luck. Jack was leaning against the wall with a lazy grin on his face. He thought that I was flustered by his presence. I'd show him.

I pulled my keys out of the lock and stepped back. Then I kicked the door, right at the lock. It swung open and smacked against the inner wall. I turned to a shocked Jack and smiled, "I've been meaning to get that fixed."

I stepped into the door and turned around only to be face to neck with Jack. I backed up a step and looked into his eyes. "I could come over tomorrow and work on it," he rumbled out. Smoker's voice, it was sexy as hell. That and the close quarters didn't go unnoticed by my body. "I'd hate to be a burden," I started to object, but Jack placed his index finger against my lips. "I wouldn't have offered if I didn't want to," he said pulling his hand away.

I tried to maintain some semblance of the independent, strong-willed young woman that I am. I failed. I heard myself say, "Okay," rather breathlessly. Jack smirked back at me and headed home. The view I got of his sweet ass was almost enough to make me forget why I was there. Almost. That is until I heard Tony's piece of shit car pulling up to the Mercer house.

I immediately divested myself of my jacket and keys and closed the door. Then I turned all the lights out and moved into my living room area that consisted of one couch and cardboard boxes and peered out the window. There he was, my little sweetheart, carrying that ragged bag that I had given him. Luckily he knew about what I was doing. Tyler's mother and father had explained it to him before he was taken. The little shit even started referring to me as his guardian angel. Avenging angel is more like it.

I watched my boy and Evelyn's boys until I fell asleep on my couch.

I awoke rather disoriented and there was a distinct pounding in my head. I tried to think back to last night to see if I had had anything to drink. Not that I could remember, then I realized that it wasn't my head pounding. Some moron was beating on my door at…6:30 in the damn morning.

I charged off the couch intent on giving the piece of shit a tongue lashing he or she wouldn't soon forget, and I tripped over some boxes. The pounding continued as I pushed myself off the floor and ran toward the damn door. I yanked it open to find all four of the Mercer brothers standing on the other side; Bobby's hand was in mid-knock. Jack looked apologetic. Angel smiled and opened his mouth just as I was slamming the door.

I leaned back against the closed door and listened to what they were saying.

"Damn Jackie, you must have made quite the impression last night. What'd you do to put her in such a foul mood?" That voice definitely sounded like Angel.

Jack replied, "I think this asshole is the one that put her in the bad mood."

"What? All I did was knock on the door."

Jerry's voice joined in, "Yeah, for ten straight minutes."

All of them started arguing loudly over whose fault it was, and I opened the door again. "As fascinating as it is to listen to this…conversation at an ungodly hour I hope you won't think I'm rude if I ask, WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING?"

That shut them all up. Their mouths all dropped, and I suspect many flies would love to be me at the moment. If I were a fly I'd buzz down the back of one of their throats just to get the satisfaction of hearing them choke.

Silence continued to greet me, "No takers? Great, then get off my porch. You can come back when other humans are actually awake and moving around." I started to close the door, but Bobby's hand was in the way. Usually that wouldn't have stopped me, but I couldn't hurt them unless I had a very good reason to.

"We need your car."

The words came out of Bobby's mouth but I couldn't comprehend them. It was early in the morning, I hadn't had any coffee, and my nipples were hard. WHAT? Sometime during the night I had stripped off my sweater and was standing in front of the Mercer brothers in my bra. At least I still had my pants on. No wonder they were staring. I crossed my arms over my nearly naked chest and raised an eyebrow.

"Our car won't start and we need to take the squirt to school," Bobby continued all the while grinning like the proverbial cat. The squirt, Tyler's there less than 24 hours and already has a nickname.

I leaned back and reached my jacket where it was hanging. After I finished fishing in the pockets I handed Bobby the keys and rolled my eyes at his offer of "Thanks, sweet cheeks." Angel and Jerry flashed me smiles as the exited my domicile, but Jack lingered. I raised my eyebrows again, being unable to speak after standing in the cold. He motioned to the inside of my house and I nodded quickly.

We walked in and I grabbed for my sweater at the same time that he did. My hands got tangled in the fabric and he used that as leverage to pull me toward him. "Raise your arms over your head," he said quietly. I put my hands on my hips, "Jack Mercer, I'll have you know that I've been dressing myself for a while now." He just grinned and pulled my arms up anyway, "Right now you're too tired to dress yourself, so I thought I'd save you the effort."

"Aw, thanks Dad. You going to tuck me in too?" His grin got wider as he pulled the sweater down over my arms, "If I did I wouldn't want to leave." The sweater's path down my torso was agonizingly slow. Jack's fingertips brushed slightly over my ribs before the soft fabric followed, "You're too damn skinny." I couldn't really say anything; I still had a sweater in my face. Finally, he pulled it the rest of the way down, but left his hands underneath it, resting softly on my sides. My skin felt like it was burning where he touched it. I was warming up quickly under his ministrations.

"Where's your bedroom," he whispered into my hair; hands rubbing on my agonized skin. I grimaced and looked at the couch, "This is it, until I get everything unpacked, and the bed put back together." I couldn't see his face, but I knew his forehead had wrinkled, and that he was about to offer assistance. Assistance that I couldn't accept; what if he saw the files? I quickly continued, "Shouldn't be hard, I've done it all before. I could probably get the whole house put together in less than a day. After a good night's sleep of course." He chuckled into my ear, "That day starts tomorrow, so you can get your sleep, but if you don't get it all done…"

I pulled away from him and tilted my head back, "What, you'll spank me?" Jack threw his head back and laughed, "Only if you want me to." Then he looked me in the eyes and things got serious. I recognized every emotion I saw there: lust, confusion, and a tinge of fear. I recognized them because I was feeling each and every one of them.

I broke eye contact first, and started walking toward the door. Jack followed and opened it, "I'll be by later today to fix this." I smiled sleepily and nodded, "Okay, but don't wake me up."

He started across the snow-covered grass to his house, but stopped and turned back to face me. "I expect a reward for being so nice."

"Really? What would you like?"

"I'll tell you after I fix the door." With that he continued on his way. I watched for a moment and ducked back inside. Once the door was securely locked I leaned against it and sighed. I know what I wanted that reward to be.