Defending Morgan (Mountain Mercenaries #3)(35)

And just like that, the bluster faded from Carl’s eyes. “Okay, baby. Whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Dad,” she said, and hugged him tightly.

Carl cleared his throat as he pulled back. “We need a diversion. I’ll go out there,” he said, indicating the doors that led to the public part of the airport, “and handle the press. Would you . . . maybe call me later?”

“Of course, Dad.”

“I love you, baby. I hoped I’d see you again, but I wasn’t sure I’d ever get the chance.”

“I’m here, and I’m going to be okay,” Morgan told him.

Nodding and pressing his lips together, Carl tugged on the suit coat he was wearing and marched toward the double doors to face the relentless media. Nina and her mom had been escorted away while Morgan had been talking to her father. Arrow knew Rex would follow up with the mom to make sure Nina was doing all right. He also most likely had already arranged for Nina to meet with the best child psychologist in the city.

“Ready to go?” Arrow asked Morgan.

“Yes.”

“You didn’t ask where we were going,” he observed.

Morgan shrugged. “It doesn’t matter. I trust you.”

That. There. It was reason four hundred and twenty-seven why Arrow was falling head over heels for Morgan Byrd. She had no idea how much her words meant.

He curled his fingers around hers and squeezed. Then they followed Black and Ball in the opposite direction from where her father had gone.



Morgan was exhausted. She hadn’t really slept on the plane, and the emotional reunion with her father had only drained her energy further. She didn’t care where Arrow was taking her, as long as he’d be there.

When her dad had suggested that she stay with him in his suite at the iconic Broadmoor hotel, she’d internally panicked. She wasn’t ready to be separated from Arrow. She wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened to her, certainly not with her dad. His honest reaction to seeing her made her believe it hadn’t been him who’d had her kidnapped, but she had a feeling whoever it was, they knew her well. Which made her leery of being around anyone she used to be close to.

Luckily, Arrow had come to her aid again. She didn’t know if they really needed to talk about her rescue or the time she’d been in captivity, but at this point, she didn’t care.

They’d made it out of the airport without being spotted, thanks to her dad, who had distracted the members of the media who’d gathered, and with the team, she was now inside a long black limousine.

“So where are we going?” she asked once they were settled and on the move.

Black and Ball had jumped into the limo with them. For someone who had been terrorized and abused by men for the last year, Morgan felt surprisingly at ease with the Mountain Mercenaries.

“Gray’s house,” Black said.

“Shit.” Arrow sighed.

Morgan looked at him with concern. “What? Is that bad?”

“No, not at all,” he soothed. “But I’m guessing Allye and Chloe will be there as well.”

“And Ro and Meat too,” Ball added.

“This isn’t a good idea,” Arrow mumbled.

“Why?” Morgan asked, clasping her hands together tightly in her lap.

Arrow noticed—of course he did—and put his hand over hers, squeezing lightly. “I’m just not sure on your first night back in the States that you need to worry about meeting everyone. That’s all.”

“Apparently, Allye is hoping for Morgan to stay the night,” Black went on to explain.

“What the fuck?” Arrow asked. “She needs to relax and acclimate. Not have to worry about being a houseguest and being polite and shit.”

“Again, she is sitting right here,” Morgan said a little testily. “For the last year, I’ve had to deal with people talking about me when I was right in front of them. They made decisions about my life without getting my input or caring what I thought. Granted, I couldn’t understand them, but I can understand you. I’d appreciate it if you guys would stop.”

“You’re right, sorry,” Black said immediately.

“Sorry,” Ball apologized.

She looked at Arrow expectantly. He stared at her for a long moment before nodding.

“Right, so . . . I’m okay with meeting everyone. I don’t really want to be treated like a piece of fragile glass. I’ll admit I’ve been curious about your friends since talking with them on the phone. And being around people . . . your friends . . . makes me feel safer at this point. I’m assuming Allye lives with Gray at the house we’re going to? And Chloe is with one of your teammates, right?”

“You assume correctly,” Arrow told her. “I’m sorry we didn’t discuss with your dad where you’d be spending your first night back. In fact, I’m sorry we didn’t discuss it with you. Honestly, we’re so used to making decisions in cases like this, I didn’t even think about it. So . . . here’s the deal. We’re going to Gray’s house. He lives with Allye. The house is huge; it has a million bedrooms and enough security that Gray knows if a squirrel farts on his property. I know Allye would love to have you stay the night. She was in a situation similar to yours, but not exactly—”