Bad Boy Brody(73)

She grabbed for my hand on her shoulder and squeezed it back. “I was there for you after Kyle. I’ll be there for you after . . .” She cleared her throat. “After you finish shooting Unbroke.”

I put on my hat, pulled it low, and then put on the sunglasses. I had one bag and was wearing jeans that were ripped at the knees and a T-shirt. I had my wallet, my phone, and my keys. If Morgan could live in the woods for weeks with almost nothing, I could fly over a few states with the same.

I flashed Gayle a grin. “I know you will.” I caught her hand once more and then went to open the door.

I left Gayle in the house because I trusted her. She was still one of my people.

The driver was there, the same one I always used. He took my bag for me as we went to the car.

“Thank you, Conlin.”

He nodded to me, and I got into the car.





Morgan



I was returning from seeing Shiloh and riding with the herd and had decided to take a detour through the now-empty barn. They had sent the horses back to their original ranch once the movie crew left, but I still enjoyed walking through it versus going through the normal gate. I was reaching to open the barn door when I heard cars approaching.

Finn always wanted me to stay hidden when people arrived. He checked them out first. So, when the door was open just enough for me to slip through, I did and shut it quickly behind me. I remained in the barn, following his wishes and waiting for whoever it was to either leave once they realized no one was home. Minutes ticked by slowly, and eventually I heard Matthew’s voice, which drove me deeper into the shadows.

“I thought Finley and Abigail were still here.”

I shrank farther back. That was Peter as well.

“No. They’re in town for a meeting with a few other developers I had flown in. They think they’re going to start looking for new projects in the area.”

“Well, you never know. They might be.”

“True.”

They laughed together, drawing closer to the barn.

“Are you sure Morgan isn’t here?”

“Are you serious? Morgan’s always out there with the herd. I promise.”

I tried to make out if there were any others with them, but there were only two sets of footsteps. They went to the gate, and I waited to see if they would free the latch.

“So this was your brain child. The movie people are coming back. Are you ready to pull the trigger?”

Matthew laughed uneasily. “There was a problem with the initial paperwork Morgan signed.”

“What?”

Peter sounded angry and harsh.

“It’ll be fine. I promise. I’ll get her to sign another. I’ll just say it’s paperwork to allow the movie to finish filming here. It’ll be like an addendum or something. She’ll have no idea.”

“What if she doesn’t sign?”

“She will.”

“What if she sees it as a way to keep the movie from happening? Her lover boy was adamant about that.”

“I talked to Finn. Asher hasn’t been in contact with Morgan, and we know he’s been in Los Angeles, lining up his next projects. We’re good. And Morgan will sign. I’ll tell her she has to or her lover won’t be coming back.”

“You underestimate her.”

“No.” Matthew’s reproach was swift and firm. “You underestimated Karen.”

“I didn’t know she would put in that clause. The land and inheritance should’ve gone to me.”

“You’re the one who sent him.”

“He was supposed to take the kid with him. He wanted Morgan.” Peter’s tone was hard. “I never told him to kill Karen. I’d have time to get her to put me in the will, not leave everything to her kid.”

I sucked in my breath. My heart was beating too fast.

No.

I wasn’t hearing this.

“I would never want my own wife dead.”

I heard car tires on the drive, and I wanted to see who was coming home. It could be Matt or Finley, maybe even Abby.

“But you were okay with him taking Morgan?” Matthew’s voice broke.

There was silence.

Then a quiet, “You’re still hung up on the girl? She’s a freak of nature, Matthew. Let her go. She’ll move on. She’ll be fine.”

My mother knelt before me. She held a finger to her mouth and whispered as tears fell down her face. “We’re going to play hide-and-go-seek, okay? Okay, Morgan?”

“She’ll have no home. You want to sell this land out from underneath her.”

“You’re in this too, pup. Don’t stand there all self-righteous. The movie was your goddamn brainchild. Slip an extra piece of paper in with her contracts so she thinks she’s signing her approval for the movie when she’s really signing away her rights to the land.”

Someone was knocking on the door. This person was knocking harder and harder on the door. They began yelling. It wasn’t Matt or Finley or Abby.

More silence.

Then a more subdued Matthew said, “Let’s just take the specs we came to get and go.”

“Fine with me.” Peter paused a beat. “She will be fine, Matthew. You can take care of her if the actor doesn’t. She’s a survivor.”