Defending Morgan (Mountain Mercenaries #3)(75)

Arrow nodded, and asked, “Have we had any luck looking into Sarah’s and Karen’s connections?”

“Nada,” Meat said. “I mean, I looked into them, but those bikers are more interested in smoking dope and laying as many women as possible than a long-term kidnapping.”

“Fuck,” Arrow swore.

“We’ve upped surveillance around Morgan, just in case,” Meat told the team. “Everyone needs to be more vigilant, especially you, Arrow. This might not have anything to do with your girlfriend, and everything to do with the Mountain Mercenaries. I know Gray and Ro’s houses are covered, but the rest of us need to be on alert as well. The last thing any of us needs is an ambush.”

Everyone nodded. Whoever had attacked Dave had seemed like an amateur, but even assholes got lucky . . . as evidenced by the fact the team still hadn’t been able to track him down.

“Has anyone talked to Rex?” Arrow asked. “What does he think about this?”

“He’s pissed,” Black said. “I spoke to him last night. He was preparing a mission for the team, but after what happened to Dave, he said he’s putting that on hold for the time being. He’s also concerned about leaving Morgan vulnerable. If we all head out on a mission, she could be a sitting duck for whoever took her in the first place.”

Arrow fisted his hands. Just the mere thought of Morgan being taken again was enough to make him want to kill someone. He knew he’d have to leave her alone at some point, but today wasn’t that day. “Speaking of Morgan, I need to get going,” he told his friends.

“How’s she doing?” Ball asked.

“She’s upset and frustrated. She thinks she should’ve recognized whoever attacked Dave. I dropped her off at her therapist’s office before I came here. Then I’m going back to the apartment and meeting her mom.”

“Ellie? She’s here?” Black asked, his brows raised in surprise.

“She will be. I called her last night. I told you Morgan wasn’t doing well. She said she missed her mom and wanted her.” He shrugged. “So I got her for her.”

Black, Ball, and Meat rolled their eyes, but Gray and Ro merely nodded. They understood. Arrow knew they’d do anything for Allye and Chloe as well. The others would figure it out . . . one of these days, when they met the women who were meant to be theirs.

“Anyway, Ellie is driving up from New Mexico right now and will meet me at the apartment. I thought I’d surprise Morgan.”

“Chloe’s picking her up from her therapy session, right?” Ro asked.

Arrow nodded. “Yeah. I called her this morning, and she said she was happy to do it.”

“I was there,” Ro said with a smile. “You should know, we didn’t realize Ellie would be in town when we made plans, but Chloe is going to ask Morgan if you guys want to come over for dinner tonight.” He shrugged. “We can do it some other time, though.”

“Appreciate it. I’ll see how things go. Morgan loves her mom, but I think she feels suffocated around her lately too. We might need the break.”

“Her mom can come too,” Ro offered.

“Now that’s the sign of a true friend. She didn’t exactly give the best impression the last time she was here, did she?” Arrow asked.

“Nope. But I try not to judge anyone until I’ve walked in their shoes,” Ro said diplomatically.

“If anyone has any great epiphanies, make sure you call me,” Meat said. “I know I’m missing something, and it’s going to bother me until I figure it out.”

Everyone agreed and headed out.

Meat called Arrow’s name before he could leave.

“Yeah?”

“Stay on your toes,” he said earnestly. “I don’t know why, but just like when something’s niggling at the back of your brain, something’s telling me the shit’s about to hit the fan.”

“I’m not sure if I’m relieved I’m not the only one who feels that way, or if I’m pissed,” Arrow told his friend.

“We’re gonna figure this out,” Meat said.

“I hope it’s sooner rather than later,” Arrow said.

“Me too. Later.”

“Later.” And with that, Arrow headed out of The Pit, nodding at Noah on his way out. He wasn’t sure how long Ellie was going to stay, but if Morgan wanted her to spend the night at his apartment, he needed to grab some food to stock up, not to mention the ingredients for the cheesy chicken he’d promised to make.

He loved having Morgan in his apartment. Loved cooking for her. Loved hearing about her plans to get her bee business back up and running. Loved being able to talk to someone about his own job, even though being an electrician wasn’t nearly as exciting as bees. Basically, he loved everything about sharing his space with her. His apartment was no longer so neat—his old drill sergeant would be appalled—but Arrow loved seeing her dirty clothes mixed up with his. Loved seeing her shoes in the middle of the floor. Even the blanket and pillow on the couch didn’t bother him . . . because he knew they belonged to her.

Making sure to scope out his surroundings, and seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Arrow climbed into his truck and headed for the grocery store.



At one o’clock, Robert buzzed Arrow’s apartment, letting him know an Ellie Jernigan was there and requesting permission to come up. Arrow told Robert she was good, and took a deep breath.