Mercy for the Damned Read Online Free PDF

actually have been jealous.
    Too much drama.   I wasn’t about to acknowledge the date line from Sam, instead I distracted her with the bit of Parker gossip.  “That’s what I told the Detective when she grilled me on who I broke up with Ben to date.  I couldn’t exactly tell her I was seeing Adam, could I?  Oh, that reminds me, Sam, do you know what last name Adam uses?”
    “I don’t,” he replied after a moment’s thought.  “Why, is that important?”
    “Oh, just one of those things a girl likes to know.  What last name do you use, by the way?” I asked out of curiosity.
    “That’s right, what name do you use on your apartment lease and your bank account, stuff like that?” Daphne chimed in, but Sam stared at us blankly.  I recalled him telling me that Adam set all of that up for him.  What was he going to do about rent and money with Adam stuck in Midian?
    “What are you going to do this year without Adam taking care of your business arrangements?”
    “Adam is often gone for long stretches of time,” he shrugged as if it didn’t concern him. 
    “But what about money to live on?” Daphne pressed. “You’ve been spending so much lately.”
    Had he?  I didn’t want to know on what, and Sam didn’t seem to think it was a big deal.  “Don’t worry your pretty head about it,” he stole a line from Adam, his smile holding no trace of misogyny.  I hated it when Adam said it to me, but Daphne gave him a sunny smile. 
    “I’ll see you tonight then, Sam.  And any help you can give me with the mention of another way in to Midian in your books would be great.”  I almost felt like we had a handle on things, it helped to have a plan of action.
    “I can help you with looking through all those prophecies if you want,” Daphne volunteered, but Sam looked less than thrilled by the idea.
    “Thank you, no.  There are some passages that are not meant for human eyes.”
    I remember when he used that line on me, but Daphne accepted it better than I did.  “I can use your help on a couple of things, Daph, if you’ve got some time.” I kept it vague on purpose.
    “Sure, I’ve got time, I don’t go in until four today.”
    “I’d better get cracking then, those books ain’t gonna read themselves,” Sam smiled broadly, and I wondered if he’d been watching Westerns lately. 
    I left them to their goodbyes, trying not to watch as their heads bent closer together, though they never actually got more than a few inches apart.  I felt a lump rise in my throat, thinking about the last time I’d seen Adam.  The way he’d touched my face, the look in his eyes, the longing, the regret, and most of all the love.  I saw that in Sam’s face when he looked at Daphne. 
    Making a cup of instant coffee, I waited for Daphne to come back to me, her face all dreamy and soft as Sam left.  I knew I should say something to her, a warning or caution at the very least, but what good would it do?  She could no more help who she fell for than I could, and she knew the risks involved. 
    I started to lose the momentum I’d been slowly gathering since the meeting, doubt and worry plaguing me as I tried to picture what Adam might be going through that very minute.  Time didn’t pass the same way in Midian as it did in the regular world.  That meant that what seemed like days to me since he’d left might feel like weeks or months to him and for Ben too.  Even if Azazael was in control of his body, who knew how much Ben was conscious of?  Months of torture already… I couldn’t bear to think of it.  
    “Penny for your thoughts?”
    “Just thinking about what horrible things Adam and Ben are probably going through right now.  I can’t stand the thought that they’re suffering because of me.”
    “They’re not suffering because of you, they’re suffering because of the deal Adam made.  You didn’t even know about it.”
    “Yeah, but he only made it to keep me safe.”
    “It’s okay,