Defending Morgan (Mountain Mercenaries #3)(33)

“We’re going to figure out who took you,” Arrow countered. “And if we can’t, so be it. I’ll be there to look over your shoulder with you. And I can handle your parents.”

They stared at each other for a moment before she asked, “So . . . are we going steady now?”

He chuckled. “I haven’t heard that term since middle school. I’ll dig out my high school class ring and letter jacket and give them to you so everyone knows you’re taken.”

“Thank you,” Morgan whispered. “Somehow talking to you always seems to make me less freaked out. You make me feel almost normal.”

“That’s because you are normal,” Arrow fired back. “We’ll make our own normal—together.”

“I’d like that,” she told him.

“Good. Now, turn around and let me continue working. I’ve almost got this one section done. It wasn’t as bad as I thought.”

It took another forty-five minutes, and by the time he was done, Morgan was shivering in the bottom of the tub, but he’d done it. Her hair was free of snarls and mats and fell freely down her back.

“Shower, beautiful. I’ll go get your clothes. You’re gonna feel like a brand-new person by the time you’re done in here.”

With that, he ran his hand over the top of her head and left the bathroom.

“I already do,” Morgan said softly after the door clicked shut behind Arrow.

She stripped off her shirt and jeans and stood in the warm spray of the shower for at least ten minutes before soaping up, rinsing, and shutting off the water. A pile of new clothes sat on the edge of the sink, and she stared at them for a long moment before drying off and putting them on.

She wiped the mirror and stared at herself. She looked much like she remembered. A little thinner, perhaps, but otherwise, no one would be able to tell what she’d been through simply by looking at her. That seemed like both a blessing and a curse, because she knew she was fundamentally changed by her year in Santo Domingo.

“One day at a time,” she whispered to herself, before opening the door to join the others.





Chapter Nine

Leaving Santo Domingo had been surprisingly easy. The private plane Rex had arranged for them was waiting at the airport. Morgan held Nina’s right hand in her left and Arrow’s left hand in her right as they boarded the plane.

Nina was still guarded around the men, but the Frozen toys, clothes, and movie had gone a long way toward loosening her up. The little girl still flinched around people she didn’t know, but holding on to Morgan seemed to help.

Arrow had told her that Black and Ball hadn’t found anything useful when they’d snuck back to the house where they’d found her and Nina. The two men said the house had been ransacked and pretty much destroyed from the inside out. All in all, it had been a frustrating dead end.

They landed at the small Colorado Springs airport after several hours in the air. Arrow had kept a close eye on Morgan, wanting to make sure she was all right with everything that had happened.

The second they landed, Black’s phone rang. He answered it, and the look on his face told Arrow that whoever was on the other end of the line was telling him something he wasn’t happy about.

He clicked off the phone and without beating around the bush said, “That was Rex. Morgan, he called and informed your father of your situation . . . and he’s here.”

“Rex?” Morgan asked, tilting her head in confusion.

“No. Your dad.”

Arrow put his hand on the small of Morgan’s back as they stood in the aisle of the plane, waiting to get off. He could feel her trembling, but when she spoke, her voice was strong and steady.

“Seriously?”

“Yes.”

“And my mom? Please tell me she isn’t here too. What a disaster that would be . . . to have both of them in the same place at the same time.”

Black chuckled. “No, as far as I know, she’s not here right now. Although Rex called and informed her of your well-being too.”

Morgan nodded and turned to Arrow. “My dad is here,” she whispered.

“You okay with that?”

She slowly nodded. “Yeah.”

“You don’t sound sure,” he noted.

“It’s just . . .” Her voice faded away. “I can’t explain how I’m feeling.”

“Excited to see him. Trepidation because it’s been so long. Nervousness about what he’s going to say?” Arrow asked.

Her lips twitched. “Yeah. That.”

“You’re allowed to feel all that and more. Don’t think there’s a correct or incorrect way to act and feel. You’ve been through a lot in the last year. You’ve changed. He probably has too.”

“Will you guys . . . will you guys stay nearby? Seeing anyone I knew from before makes me feel nervous. I mean, it’s my dad. He’s not going to pull out a knife and shank me in the middle of a public airport, but . . .” Once more, her words trailed off.

“Of course we will,” Ball said.

At the same time, Black exclaimed, “Damn straight we will be!”

Arrow leaned down and kissed her temple. “I’ll be right here by your side, beautiful.”

“Thanks,” she said, and Arrow felt good when she leaned against him subtly. “I don’t think my dad was the one behind my kidnapping, but I can’t shake the feeling that it has to be someone I knew well.”