Defending Morgan (Mountain Mercenaries #3)(55)

Arrow: And?

Morgan: My mom suggested that it’s just because you saved me. That it’s some sort of savior syndrome. That I’m latching on to you because you swooped in and rescued me.

Arrow: What does your psychiatrist say?

Morgan: That it’s possible.

Arrow: We’ll talk about that tonight too.

Morgan: Bossy.

Arrow: :)

Morgan: Okay, I have to go. My appointment is in an hour, and I have to call for a ride.

Arrow: Be careful.

Morgan: I will.

Arrow: Text me when you get home so I know you’re all right.

Morgan: Okay. Have fun at the store.

Arrow: It’s shopping. There’s no fun to be had.

Morgan: You’ve never been shopping with me. :)

Arrow: It’s one of a million things I’m looking forward to doing with you, beautiful. Have a good day and try not to worry. Remember, you’re a kick-ass, strong woman who has the rest of her life ahead of her.

Morgan: I’ll talk to you later.

Arrow: Yes, you will.

Morgan stared at her phone for a long moment before putting it aside. She really did need to leave if she was going to make it to her appointment on time, but she couldn’t resist a few more minutes thinking about Arrow . . . and how much she’d already grown to like him.

He’d been a lifeline the last week. Her mom was excited to have her home, but her overprotectiveness, always a bit much, was now almost oppressive. She’d taken the first couple of days off work, and then she’d arranged to work half days for the foreseeable future. Morgan felt terrible, already wanting space from her mom, but she could only take so much.

Ellie constantly asked how she was doing and if she wanted to talk about what happened. She kept telling Morgan that it wasn’t healthy to keep everything inside, that she needed to talk. And Morgan was talking . . . to a therapist. She didn’t have the energy to rehash everything with her mom because she definitely wasn’t comfortable telling her about some of the awful things she’d endured. She was working to put the past year behind her and get on with her life, but that was difficult to do when her mom was constantly asking if she was all right and if she needed anything.

Morgan didn’t have any friends in Albuquerque she could talk to or hang out with, and she missed Arrow even more than she wanted to admit. Their text conversations and the nights she’d called him had been the highlights of her week. She wanted to ask if she could come back up to Colorado Springs, but felt that wasn’t fair to her mom.

Ellie was a grown woman with her own life. Living with her adult daughter, who was dealing with some pretty serious issues, had turned out to be a little harder than either of them had imagined. Morgan wasn’t an idiot; she knew her issues wouldn’t magically disappear if she was closer to Arrow, but she honestly felt he was better equipped to deal with them because of his experience with kidnapping victims.

Sighing, she forced herself to get up. She pulled up an app on her phone and ordered a ride downtown. She was dreading the appointment, but until she reconfirmed that none of the men had given her a sexually transmitted disease, she wouldn’t be able to relax.



Arrow paced his apartment and ran his hand over his closely shorn hair for the tenth time. He was trying to be patient and wait for Morgan to call him, but he kept finding his phone in his hand. He could tell she wasn’t happy staying with her mom. It sounded like the woman meant well, but it was obvious she was smothering her daughter.

He’d planned on asking Morgan to come back up to Colorado Springs even before he’d met with Meat and the rest of the team, but after the phone call Rex received today, he had even more reason to see if Morgan would consider it.

The second his phone rang, Arrow clicked on the button to answer without letting it ring a second time.

“Morgan?”

“Hey, Arrow.”

“How’d the doctor visit go? What’d they say?”

“Wow, just jumping right to it, huh? No asking how I am, or telling me to say hi to my mom for you?”

“Morgan . . . ,” Arrow threatened. “Just tell me.”

“They went over the results I got from the clinic there, and they said there wasn’t anything that alarmed them with my blood work. But they went ahead and retested me for herpes, HIV, hepatitis, chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis again. The fastest they can have most of the results is tomorrow afternoon sometime, but they said that I wasn’t exhibiting any physical symptoms, so they’re pretty sure I’m in the clear. The doctor suggested the stomachache and headaches were most likely a result of the stress I’ve been under. He said if they don’t get better to come back and he’d do more tests.”

“Thank fuck,” Arrow breathed. “I’m sorry you’re still feeling sick, but I wouldn’t care if the doctor had said you had all that shit. It wouldn’t change the way I feel about you. But I’m glad for your sake that everything looks like it will turn out all right.”

“Me too,” Morgan whispered.

“Now that that’s pretty much out of the way . . . how’s your mom?” Arrow asked.

“Good, I guess. We were watching TV tonight and a commercial came on for Oreo cookies. I made a comment that I hadn’t had them in forever, and the next thing I knew, she had her keys in her hand and was on the way out the door to get some for me.”