Mercy and Mayhem Men of Mercy(4)

Reaper shook his head slowly, but he did not lift his hand. "You can trust me. I'll tell you everything you need to know. But only after you promise not to kill my team."

All eyes in the plane turned to Mack.

Motherfucker.

Mack's blood turned from boiling to ice, the way it always did when someone threatened him and his team. Because that was exactly what Reaper was doing. There was no way in hell Mack could make that promise and keep it. "You know I can't do that. If one of your men levels a weapon at one of mine, I'll have to order my guy to take him out."

Reaper shook his head slowly. "Then I can't help you. My duty is to my men first, yours second."

Mack glanced at Hunter, who stood catty corner to Reaper, and gave him a nearly imperceptible nod. If they had to restrain Reaper, it would definitely put a kink in their plans, but in this instance a kink was better than a death sentence. Hunter hadn't even inched his foot in Reaper's direction when Merc stepped between the two men, his giant body blocking them completely from each other's line of sight. "Wait a minute. There's got to be another solution. Reaper is obligated to protect his team, just like you, Mack."

Mack let his lip curl into the snarl that had been itching to break free from the moment he realized Reaper may have double-crossed them. "Exactly, which is why there's no way in hell I'm letting this man walk into a trap, however heroic his intentions may be, if it results in your death. It's not happening under my watch." 

Tension coiled in the small space, spiraling so tightly that it risked taking every man down when it broke. Hunter shifted onto the balls of his feet, as did his brother Ranger, standing right next to him. It was a stance that would allow them to launch into an attack easily and quickly. With the exception of Merc, the rest of the team also shifted into attack mode-and so did Reaper.

Merc lifted up his hands and begged, "What if we let Reaper go in first? I managed to break Reaper's programming and convince him that Mankel was bad, so maybe he can convince his team of the same thing. There's still a chance we can come out of this with everyone alive."

"Merc, I understand you don't want to lose this piece of the past you've just found, but if I let him go in first, and he warns his team about our approach. We might as well put our guns to our heads and pull the triggers."

Reaper straightened, his height reaching a full inch over Merc's towering six-foot-five frame. "I swear on my own life I won't betray you."

Mack immediately scoffed. "You couldn't give a shit about your own life, just like I couldn't give a shit about mine. If you want to have any chance of convincing me that's true, you'll swear it on your team's lives."

Reaper's blink was just as mechanical as everything else the man did. "I never bet on my men's lives."

Mack leaned forward, splaying his palms flat on the cargo crates. "Then you're not going on this mission."

A long pause followed Mack's statement while Reaper deliberated his words. All Mack had to do was give the command, and whether Merc liked it or not, he'd allow the others to restrain Reaper. They all lived and died by the team.

Seconds stretched out to a full minute, and Mack, impatient to get this show on the road, indicated for his men to move.

They closed in on Reaper like a tightening net. To his credit, the man didn't flinch.

Merc stepped out of the way, unwilling to participate and unwilling to stop his brothers.

"You win. I swear on my teammates' lives I will not seek to betray you or turn them against you. My only purpose on this mission is to protect them and get them out of Mankel's reach so I can save them before they self-destruct. You have my word."

Mack's hand shot up and everyone stopped in their tracks. "And you recognize that if I sense any hint of a threat to my men, I'll order the death of each and every person on your team."

Reaper nodded. "I do."

Mack waited a moment longer, turning over all the possibilities in his mind. With the plane still on the ground, all he had to do was cable tie the man's hands behind his back and toss him out. It would be a quick and clean break. It might sever any hope of Merc finding out more about his past, but it would guarantee Reaper would not have the opportunity to betray them.

It would also guarantee they would be going into the sublevel of Mankel's compound completely blind, which would put his men at further risk of death and ambush.

Mack shut his eyes and let his senses take over. His warning alarms didn't sound. The hairs on the backs of his legs stayed down.

His instincts never failed him.

Mack opened his eyes and stared at Reaper. "You can come. I'll do my best to ensure your team's safety, but not at the expense of my own. Now, fill us in on the subterranean level. I want to know every entrance, every room, every man, woman, and child who works there."