Chapter 9
Vin lounged back on the living room chair. He could hear doors slamming upstairs, laughter and squeals as the girls…did whatever they did to get ready to go out.
He had made the mistake of sitting on the couch earlier. And had ended up with one college girl on each side of him, uncomfortably close, uncomfortably flirty, heavy perfumes threatening to choke him. Not like Morgan's perfume that was light and made him think of the rose bush that grew out in front of the foster home he had been in when he was in third grade. He had wanted nothing more than to get out of the house, away from Morgan's housemates, but after the stunt at her ex's earlier, he wasn't willing to risk moving too far from her side.
The giggles and voices grew louder and Vin tossed aside the fashion magazine he had found, vowing to ask Morgan what a juice cleanse was.
There was a clatter of high heels on the stairs as Esme, Kat, Charity, and Kennedy came down in a flurry of glitter, skin, and jewelry. Vin's attention was immediately pulled to Morgan, at the back of the group. She wasn't giggling, but her smile lit up her face. She met Vin's eyes and her smile morphed into the look that was pure Morgan, part rebellion, part amusement, and way too much seduction.
She had her hair gathered loosely at the back of her head, wisps falling free around heavily lined eyes and red lips. With her hair up, there was nothing to cover her bare shoulders, and when she turned to say something to Kat, her back.
"You ready?" Charity asked.
Vin had to force himself to look away from this new side of Morgan. He met Charity's knowing smile.
"Yep. Ready as soon as you ladies are."
This time, no one claimed his arm, the group heading toward the door with raised eyebrows and smirks for Morgan.
"You look…real nice," Vin said, feeling as tongue tied as a kid at a junior high dance.
Morgan swept her gaze over him. "You didn't bring clubbing clothes?" she asked, the grin on her face saying she knew the answer.
Vin kind of liked her in heels, the way it brought her closer to eye level with him.
"I brought what's important," he managed to say, reminding himself why he was there.
Morgan came close enough that she was in his personal space, her hand brushing back his plaid shirt and heat flared in Vin. Morgan tapped her hand against his gun, holstered under the cover of the shirt.
"The essentials," she said, lifting an eyebrow.
Vin caught her hand before she could take his gun from the holster. "I ain't gonna let anything happen to you."
Morgan grew serious then, drawing back slightly. "It's already happened," she said.
Vin saw then, what the make up covered up. The eye make up drew your eye so you didn't actually look in her eyes. And if you didn't actually look, you didn't see the shame there. The dark gloss on her lips kept you from noticing the way they pressed together in regret.
A horn sounded outside, followed by laughter.
Morgan took another step away. "We better go," she said, turning.
Vin didn't let her get too far ahead of him.
"Hey, can you tell me something?" he asked, following her from the house.
Morgan glanced at him, one eyebrow lifting in question.
"What's juice s'posed to cleanse you from?"
#
The heavy beat of the music resounded in Morgan's chest. It pounded out her own heartbeat, leaving nothing else. No worries, no thoughts, just the music.
Lifting her arms over her head, Morgan ignored everything else, singing along, moving to the rhythm. She felt someone come up behind her, press against her and turned to find some frat boy who had probably got in with a fake ID trying to grind against her.
With a look of disgust, Morgan shoved him away, Kennedy and Kat closing in on her sides. Their message suitably sent, they turned their backs on him and his friends, Kat letting out a laugh.
Morgan caught Vin's eye from the corner table where he had been most the night, the same beer in front of him. His glanced from her to the frat boy, tracking his progress away from Morgan and her friends.
"Get him to dance," Charity said, with a nudge to Morgan.
"No," Morgan said automatically. "It's not like that."
"It could be," Charity said, a grin splitting her dark face.
Morgan opened her mouth to say something more, but a hard grip on her upper arm had her breath catching in her throat, everything in her seizing up at the familiarity in the grasp.
A sharp tug turned her around and Morgan felt herself face to face with the one person she never wanted to see again.
"Chad," she said, shock and the initial spark of panic leaving her speechless.
"Morgan," he said, his face hard. His fingers tightened on her arm. And then he was pulling her through the crowd on the dance floor.
Morgan's stumbled forward in her tall heels, trying to free her arm until he had her in a dark hallway at the back of the club and released her arm to give her a shove against the wall.
Morgan rebounded immediately. She wasn't doing this with him. Never again. "Get away from me," she ordered him.
"You're the one who's supposed to stay away from me," Chad said, every muscle in his face a tightly coiled threat.
"I'm trying to," she said, trying to get around him. She hoped Vin had seen Chad grab her. Hoped he was making his way through the crowd.
"Trashing my room? Real mature, Morgan," he said.
She had spent so many months trying to fight back, then telling him they were over, finally listening to his apologies and excuses and falling right back into her life with him. The rage she felt was equally for herself as much as it was for him. She pushed against his shoulder, trying to get him to move.
"You weren't supposed to come back here," he said through clenched teeth. "If you try to talk to anyone about what you saw, they'll think you're crazy. Some scorned slut trying to ruin me."
For the first time, fear started to roll into Morgan. "I told you I won't tell anyone."
"Like I'm going to believe the nutcase that trashed my room?" He put a hand around her wrist. "You saw too much while you were with me."
"Let. Me. Go," she forced out through clenched teeth.
"Not until I know you'll keep your mouth shut."
"She said let her go." Vin's voice was low. Dangerous. Morgan couldn't see him around Chad's frame, but almost sagged back against the wall with relief that Vin was there.
Chad glanced over his shoulder. "This isn't any of your business. Get lost."
Then Chad wasn't blocking her anymore. Vin had hauled him away from her and was shoving him away.
Chad stumbled backwards in the hallway, Vin shoved him again, and another time, keeping the perfectly groomed younger man from gaining his balance or slowing.
Morgan placed a hand on the wall to steady herself and drag in a breath.
"What's your name?" Vin was asking.
Chad made a comment that Vin didn't like, because then Vin hauling him almost off his feet to pin him against the wall.
"Chad Lowell," Chad said. But he wasn't penitent. He shot Vin a glare. "My father's Hamilton Lowell. Senator Lowell. So if you don't want to end up with him digging up every charge he can possibly find on you and ruining your life, you'll let me go."
Morgan got her legs under her and hurried to Vin's side. "Let's go," she said.
Vin didn't look away from Chad. The threat had no effect on him.
"Come on," she insisted. Vin had done what she hired him for, he had protected her. But now she needed to protect him before he got thrown in jail for assaulting Chad.
Vin let Chad go with a rough shake. "If you so much as look at her again—" Chad opened his mouth to argue, but Vin cut him off with a firm hand to his chest. "I don't care what you think she did to your room. If you breathe too close to her, I'll find ya and kill ya." There was no doubt that Vin meant every word.
He held out an arm to get Morgan ahead of him, keeping himself between Morgan and Chad.
Chad straightened up from the wall and called Morgan a name under his breath.
Morgan whirled around, making it past Vin's barrier and lunging for Chad. She landed a knee to his groin and he doubled over. She lifted her knee and connected with his nose, feeling it crunch.
"You dumb bi—" he yelled, both hands moving up to his nose as blood spurted out.
Vin put a hand on Morgan's lower back and hurried her away. Instead of heading back into the club, he headed for the back door.
He got her outside and kept her moving. "Does Kennedy have her keys?"
Morgan nodded.
Vin let out a breath between his teeth, scanning the parking lot. "Call her. Get her out here and have her take you somewhere else. Not the house. I'll get inside and make sure he doesn't call the cops on you right away."
Morgan nodded again. She hadn't even thought of the cops. Of how it would look, attacking Chad when he had a restraining order against her. She lifted a hand to her forehead. Chad had worked it all out perfectly to make sure she never could fight back.
"Hey," Vin said.
Morgan looked at him.
"It's gonna be ok. Call Kennedy."
Morgan nodded, pulling her phone from the pocket of her fitted jeans.
Vin waited with her long enough to make sure Kennedy answered, then went back into the club.
Morgan hung up with Kennedy, heading towards the Jeep, hoping Vin could help her like he promised.
#
Vin waited until the cops showed up. He hadn't been able to slow the arrogant little rich boy down much in making his call. But he had been able to make sure Chad didn't go after Morgan himself. Slipping out the back door again, he glanced down at his phone. Morgan had texted an address.
Vin looked for Kennedy. She had come back to pick him up.
He fastened his seatbelt. Any of Kennedy's flirtatious lightheartedness from earlier was gone. She had a white knuckle grip on the steering wheel.
"I didn't think he'd be here tonight," Kennedy said.
Vin looked at her. She looked like she was fighting back tears. "He hates this club," she said.
"It ain't your fault," Vin said.
Kennedy swallowed hard, blinking. "He…the things he did to Morgan…" She drew in a breath, glanced at Vin. "We kept telling her to leave him, but it was like she was so stubborn, she wouldn't quit. She was going to prove she could handle it, or change him, or something."
Everything in Vin felt sick at Kennedy's words. And it took everything in him to not turn around and head back to the club and do to Chad everything he had done to Morgan.
"She's lucky to have a friend like you," Vin said. He knew the value of friends you could trust with your life.
The ride back to the sorority house was quiet. Vin was going to get Morgan's car and get her out of Vegas before the police knew where to look.
Her car was packed with her boxes already. Vin turned on his phone's map app and followed the directions.
He left the campus, heading towards the city, skirting around the strip and downtown, and to the other side. Quiet streets, lights out for the night in the houses, yards filled with rock and sand. He slowed until he reached the right house. Lights were on inside, but the curtains were pulled.
He knocked on the door and it only took a moment for the door to open. A woman in her fifties looked out at him. Age hadn't dulled her beauty, but the cigarette she held in her hand probably accounted for a fair share of her wrinkles.
"Is Morgan here?" Vin asked.
The woman nodded and opened the door wider.
Morgan was pacing the tidy living room. Two beers were open on the table, an ashtray next to them. She stopped her pacing when she saw Vin. Relief flooded her face.
"You're ok," she said, closing her eyes for a second.
"I'm fine," he said.
Morgan opened her eyes and looked him over. Vin held his arms out to his sides, showing her he was unharmed.
"This Bucky's friend who's helpin' you out?" the older woman asked.
Morgan finally looked away from Vin and nodded.
"Real grateful to you," she said to Vin. "I'm Morgan's Aunt Tish."
Morgan seemed to gather herself more. "Aunt Tish took me in after my mom…" she glanced at Tish and the woman gave her a sympathetic look.
"You goin' up to Denver with Bucky?" Tish asked.
"I'm going to Denver," Morgan affirmed. Vin wondered at the unspoken clarification.
"It's real nice to meet you, ma'am," Vin said. "But we should get goin'. I don't know if the police will know to look here for Morgan."
Tish nodded. She turned to Morgan with a sigh. "You know you're welcome here any time."
Morgan nodded, her eyes growing bright with tears.
"And I'll come up and see you and Bucky this winter. Maybe do some skiing," she smiled.
Morgan nodded again and Trish pulled her into a tight hug, one hand out to keep her lit cigarette from getting too close to Morgan.
"Text when you're out of the state. Let me know you're ok," Trish said.
Morgan rubbed a hand under her eyes, careful not to smear any makeup.
Vin didn't rush her, but kept an ear toward the road, worried there would be lights and sirens soon.
Morgan finished her good bye and left the small home with him. Vin held open her door without a word.
He took the quickest route out of Vegas, straight onto the interstate. Once they left the city limits, he settled back in his seat, satisfied they had some distance between the mess Morgan was leaving behind.
Morgan slipped her high heels off wriggling her painted toes. She rubbed her hands absently over her arms. Without a word, Vin flipped on the heat.
Morgan glanced at him. "You're quiet," she commented bluntly.
Vin kept his eyes on the road, the desert on both sides of the strip the headlights lit up. He worked his grip on the wheel, trying to figure out how he had missed so much.
"Chad Lowell," he finally said.
Morgan stiffened.
When she didn't say anything more Vin cut his eyes to her. Her lips were pressed tightly together in defiance.
"You didn't want me to tell him I'm with the ATF."
She still didn't say anything, but Vin saw her fingers move uncomfortably with the direction he was heading.
"You know Senator Lowell's under investigation by the ATF?"
"I didn't at first."
Vin schooled his face to not show his reaction. "How deep are you into this?" he asked.
"I'm not," she denied vehemently. "I don't—didn't—have any part in what Chad's dad is doing."
Vin remained silent. Morgan matched his silence.
Vin realized Morgan would outlast any interrogation technique used on her. She would make it all the way to Denver without saying a word if she had to. He tried to calm the worry that was setting in more with every answer Morgan gave him.
"Are you a threat to 'em?" he asked. "With what you know? What you've seen?"
Morgan set her jaw. "I'm not going to say a word about what they're doing."
"Do they know that?"
This time Morgan's silence was an answer, not an avoidance.
Vin let out a long breath. He needed to figure this out. Figure out how to keep Morgan safe. And how to keep her out of the investigation into the Senator. The investigation that had landed on Team Seven's desks two days earlier.
#
"Morgan."
Morgan muttered something that she hoped was a threat and shifted, trying to get comfortable, willing whoever it was to go away and let her sleep.
"Morgan, wake up."
A light hand on her shoulder had her jerking awake, lashing out before her eyes were fully open.
She saw Vin as he dodged her blow. That was when the voice she heard sunk in. The voice had been gentle. And familiar. Vin's voice.
"We can stay here the rest of the night," he said, not commenting on how she woke.
She brushed back the hair that had fallen in her face and looked around. A low motel with six rooms lined up side by side was at the edge of the parking lot. Vin had pulled her car into a parking space in front of the small office. She moved to unbuckle and that's when she realized Vin's plaid shirt was draped over her like a blanket.
She made sure to not let him see how reluctant she was to give up both the warmth and the comfort it brought, holding it out to him. Vin took it and she moved away before he could drape it over her shoulders.
She looked around the nearly empty lot, the neon sign advertising vacancy reflecting off the hood of her car.
Vin pulled the shirt back on, effectively covering up the gun he still had holstered at his side. He held the door for her to go into the office before him.
The night desk clerk looked up from his book, his eyes going past Vin to Morgan and raking over her.
Morgan narrowed her eyes at him.
"We need a room," Vin said, reaching in his pocket and pulling out a worn leather wallet.
The clerk started shaking his head before Vin could produce money or ID. "We don't allow any of that here," he said. "Don't rent rooms by the hour."
Morgan saw the line of Vin's shoulders stiffen. Saw the offense he was taking at her being mistaken for a hooker.
It shouldn't have surprised her. She should have known anyone would look at her with Vin, with anyone really, and assume that's what she was. Morgan hardened her face so he wouldn't see how the assumption stung and gave the clerk a look like the one he had given her, eyes roving over him.
"Play your cards right and I'll give you a discount after I'm done with him," she said to the wrinkled man behind the desk. The man made a choking sound.
"Just a couple rooms for the night," Vin interrupted, his jaw tightening at Morgan's game. "We're passing through, not doin' nothin' else."
The clerk avoided looking at Morgan as he took Vin's money in exchange for two key cards. He slid them across the desk to Vin.
"Come on," Vin said to Morgan. "Don't pay him no attention."
Morgan let the insult of being mistaken for a prostitute settle into anger. It was better than hurt.
Vin stopped at her car and got out her bag, handing her the key cards to hold.
He didn't say anything until she opened the door to one of the rooms. Setting her bag inside the door, Vin straightened up and looked at her. "I'm sorry 'bout that. 'Bout what he said. What he thought."
Morgan shook her head, rolled her eyes. "It doesn't matter."
"Yeah, it does," Vin said, not letting her brush it off. His blue eyes searched hers and Morgan wanted to look away, not sure what he was seeing. But he reached a hand up to lightly brush her hair back from her face, letting it linger there, his thumb brushing across her cheek in soft strokes. "You're somethin' else, Morgan. Ain't a lot of girls who could do what you do."
Morgan scoffed and started to pull away. "Yeah. It takes real talent to get tangled up with an abusive jerk and get expelled from school."
Vin's other hand came up. The way he framed her face gave her room to back away, it didn't restrain her. But Morgan found she couldn't pull away. She looked at his eyes, the way he looked at her like she was something really special.
"It takes a lot of grit to get away from him. And then to teach him a lesson like ya did." The corners of his mouth lifted slightly, before growing serious again. "To come up to Denver and start over. To leave everything, everyone, that's important to ya."
Morgan blinked rapidly at his words, wanting to look away, brush off what he was saying, but his eyes held her.
"You're real special."
Vin leaned in and pressed a kiss softly to her forehead. "Get some sleep," he said. "We'll head out whenever you're ready tomorrow."
And then he was out the door, pulling it closed quietly behind him. Morgan stood still, replaying his words in her head. Feeling his lips on her.
It was a long time before she moved.
#
