Defending Morgan (Mountain Mercenaries #3)(74)

Morgan smiled over at him. He was changing the subject again, but she appreciated it. “Sounds amazing.”

Arrow pulled into the parking lot of the medical offices and turned to Morgan. “I’m proud of you, beautiful, but I’m also worried. I need you to take care of yourself. I just found you, and I don’t want anything to happen to you. I love you and want to spend the rest of my life with you . . . so you need to do what the doctor says and give yourself a break. Okay?”

Morgan smiled wider. He didn’t seem to care that she hadn’t returned his words of love. She wanted to, but wanted to do so when she wasn’t so vulnerable. When she was stronger. “Okay.”

“Good. Now, come on. I’ll walk you up.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Morgan protested.

“Until we figure out who was behind your kidnapping, I do,” Arrow countered. “Now, stay there until I come around.”

Morgan rolled her eyes but did as he asked. It was a long way down from his truck, and she loved how he took great pains to help her each and every time. They walked hand in hand to the entrance of the building, and Arrow held the door open for her. He refused to just drop her off there, insisting on coming up with her to the fourth floor and her therapist’s office.

“Remember that Chloe will be here to get you, so don’t leave the office until she’s here.”

“I won’t.” And she wouldn’t. Morgan wasn’t stupid. The last thing she wanted was to be one of those too-stupid-to-live heroines in the romances she’d liked to watch a year ago.

“Love you,” Arrow told her as he leaned down and kissed her.

While she wasn’t ready to return the words, that didn’t mean she couldn’t show Arrow that she cared. She put her hand on the back of his neck, holding him to her as she plunged her tongue into his mouth. He immediately reciprocated. They made out in front of her therapist’s door for a long moment until Arrow finally pulled back. He licked his lips, and even that was sexy.

“I’ll see you later,” she said softly.

“Yes, you will,” Arrow returned. “God, you’re beautiful,” he said reverently, before getting himself together and stepping away from her. “Later.”

Morgan stood outside the door and watched Arrow walk down the hall and disappear into the stairwell before she turned and headed inside for her appointment.



“I’ve watched this tape until I’m blue in the face, and nothing is clicking,” Meat complained.

They were all at The Pit, and Noah was behind the bar. Dave had been discharged from the hospital with some bruises, a couple of stitches, and a cracked rib. He’d been very lucky in that whoever had attacked him had given up so quickly. Even the first blow he’d taken hadn’t done much more than stun him. Dave was pissed he’d been ordered to stay off his feet for a week. He wanted to come back and work “his” bar, but Meat had promised retribution of the electronic sort if he dared show his face a minute before he was cleared by his doctor. What that meant, no one knew, but Dave wasn’t stupid enough to test it.

“He was smart enough to keep his head down the entire time, as if he knew where the cameras were,” Meat went on.

“He probably did,” Gray agreed. “I mean, if he was smart, he would’ve cased the place before making his move.”

“But if he was so smart, why attack Dave? We all agreed that he probably wasn’t his main target. It doesn’t make sense,” Black added.

Arrow paced beside the table, too keyed up to sit and discuss this calmly.

“So it’s not either of the Buswells,” Ball mused. “They checked out and were seen on video surveillance entering and leaving their jobs yesterday.”

“And Carl?” Arrow asked.

“Not him either,” Ro said, piping up for the first time. “I personally spoke to the human resources director yesterday and convinced her to walk down to his office and see with her own eyes that he was there. He was. There is no way he could’ve gotten from Georgia to Colorado and back.”

“He could’ve hired someone to do his dirty work,” Gray said.

“Right, but I honestly don’t think this is him,” Arrow said.

Ro nodded. “I agree. Arrow might be biased since this is his woman’s father, but I’ve studied the man in some of the old news clips, pleading for his daughter’s safe return. He looks and sounds genuinely distraught.”

“He could be a good actor,” Ball said, playing devil’s advocate.

“Maybe,” Ro conceded, “but I don’t think so. Pretty much every emotion is right there on his face for everyone to see. You saw him when he was here with his ex. He couldn’t stand being in the same room with her.”

“I suppose the same could be said about her mom,” Arrow threw out.

“True. If we considered the fact that her dad could’ve hired someone, then I suppose we have to do the same with her mom,” Black mused.

“Out of everyone involved, her mom’s been the most concerned about her, though,” Ball said.

“True, although that could be an act as well,” Arrow said.

“I have serious doubts that a mother could do something as heinous as having her own daughter kidnapped. And for what reason? It doesn’t make sense,” Meat said. “But I get your point, Arrow. I’ll see what I can dig up about her too.”