Chapter 14

Morgan dug in her locker for the book she needed for her last class. She pulled out the book and tried to keep the avalanche of her other books from falling out onto the ground.

Down the crowded hallway a group of guys shouted, shoving each other and laughing. One of them laughed, his stringy hair falling in his face as he took a light hit from his friend.

Morgan's blood chilled in her veins. Two textbooks fell from her locker, landing on her foot.

Morgan jerked her attention away from the guys and grabbed at the loose books. She shoved them in her locker.

She had made it through two classes. That would be enough to appease Sam.

The guy with the stringy hair shouted something to his friends. His voice made Morgan's muscles stiffen. Her breaths grew shallow. She shoved all her books in her locker, no intention of bringing anything home for the sake of homework. She slammed her locker shut.

"Going somewhere?"

Morgan tried to catch her breath, move her muscles. She clenched her jaw and faced Sam.

"Home," Morgan she said stiffly. Then pursed her lips as she realized that didn't mean the house on five acres with Buck. "To Vin's," she corrected herself.

The guys shouted again and Morgan moved past Sam. "I gotta go," she said.

Sam looked over her shoulder at the crowded hallway. "What's wrong?" she asked, falling into step with Morgan.

"Nothing," Morgan snapped. "I just gotta go." She picked up the pace, needing to move before she saw him and had to look him in the eye. Had to pretend she wasn't trying to keep from caving in on herself if she faced him. To keep from looking at him and seeing his face over hers as he shoved her down, held her down, abused her in the worst way Morgan could have ever imagined.

"Slow down," Sam said.

Morgan shoved past a couple girls blocking the exit from the school. One of them yelled at her, but Morgan ignored her. She just needed to get out of there. Get some air. Get where she could breathe.

She stumbled outside through the door. She clawed at her chest, she couldn't breathe.

"Whoa, hey, slow down," Sam said. She gripped Morgan's arms. Her fingers were steady against Morgan. Morgan focused on the security of Sam's grip. "What happened?" Sam asked.

Her green eyes were distressed, sharing in Morgan's emotion. Making Morgan feel less alone. But she was alone. She had been the one to get dragged into the back bedroom at a party, not Sam. She had been the one to fight and struggle and get used, not Sam.

No matter how much Sam wanted to be there for Morgan, she would never be able to live through it with Morgan. Morgan would always carry the memories alone.

"You know what happened," she said to Sam. Sam might not be able to carry the memories with Morgan, but she shouldn't have to ask what was wrong.

Sam's lips thinned, her eyes softening with shared hurt. "I know," she whispered.

"I need to get out of here," Morgan said, pulling free from Sam.

"Ok," Sam said. "Let's go."

Morgan nodded. Let's go. It was that easy. Just leave. Get away from the memories. From him.

Morgan started to walk, picking up speed. Sam fell into step with her. Morgan assumed Sam's car wasn't fixed yet. She didn't know where they were going. But they were moving. That's all that mattered.

"Hey!"

Morgan didn't slow at the familiar voice. She had to move, to get some distance.

Vin fell into step on her other side. "School's over?" he asked.

"It is now," Morgan said. She let herself relax slightly with the security of being flanked by Sam and Vin.

"Sounds good to me," Vin said.

Morgan looked over at him. He looked relieved to be out of there and for the first time she realized what it may have cost him to show up in school.

"You both want a ride?" Vin asked, looking across Morgan to Sam.

"Where are we going?" Sam asked.

"To Vin's," Morgan said, feeling steadier the farther away they got from the school and him. Choosing to go to Vin's made her new reality—a reality that was going to leave behind what happened to her—more tangible. And it was a show of solidarity with Vin. A way to say she didn't judge where he lived or how he lived. It was his home and that made it hers.

She saw Vin look down at her, silently questioning if she was sure she wanted to bring Sam there.

Morgan tilted her head in a silent dare for him to give her a reason she and Sam shouldn't go there.

"We should get some food on the way," Vin finally said. "Not much in the cabinets."

Morgan saw his mouth twitch and the faint hint of red on his neck. She didn't miss the judgment on Sam's face when she frowned at Vin's admission.

Morgan reached a hand up to lightly tug Vin's overgrown hair before she looped her arm through his and linked her fingers with his. "I was living with a bachelor, remember?" she said. "Bare cabinets and takeout food are a way of life for me." It was a lie, but her show of solidarity had Vin's face relaxing slightly.

"I'll hit the grocery store on my way home from work," Vin said. "Make sure there's food for you in the house."

Morgan relaxed slightly when she saw Sam's frown ease at Vin's words. Vin let go of her hand to open the passenger door of the car for her, surprising her when he also opened and held open the door for Sam.

Sam slid into the backseat without a word. Morgan got in the passenger seat and looked back at the school. Her gut clenched and she quickly turned to face forward.

The school held too many chances for her to run into him. To have to act like she was fine when she was falling to pieces, and she was running out of strength to pretend she wasn't.

#

"Chris," Josiah said, catching up to Buck and Chris in the hallway of the police station.

Chris stopped.

"I found the information you wanted."

Chris didn't have to ask what information it was. He had spent the majority of his shift wondering if Josiah would have any luck, but he and Buck had been too busy with one call after another to ask Josiah. They had just finished booking a couple guys for theft when Josiah stopped them.

He glanced at the other uniformed officers around them and opened the door to a conference room. Seeing it was empty, he went in, waiting for Buck and Josiah to join him.

"Was there much on him?" Chris asked.

Buck tensed. Chris knew his partner had caught on to what information Chris had asked Josiah for.

"Some," Josiah answered.

It wasn't great news. No information would mean the guy—Morgan's husband, Chris thought incredulously—didn't have any record with the police. But no information would mean they would continue to be in the dark about who this guy was.

"He's in the system," Josiah said. "Or, he's supposed to be."

"Parole?" Buck asked, looking like he might be sick. Chris didn't blame him. The thought of Morgan with a criminal and them not able to do anything about it was enough to turn his own stomach.

"Foster care," Josiah said.

Chris shoved down any sympathy for the kid.

"What do you mean he's supposed to be?" Buck asked, no hint of pity or sympathy for the guy they didn't know.

"Ran away from his last home," Josiah said. "Sounds like they had trouble keeping him in any home."

"So he's trouble," Buck surmised grimly.

Josiah didn't agree right away. "More like he ended up in some bad situations. Got roughed up by the kids in a couple homes. Had a foster dad that put him in the hospital a few times. He must have figured being out on his own was safer."

Chris frowned. No kid should have to go through that. But it didn't make the situation any better for Morgan.

"So this guy's out on the street?" Buck asked. "Morgan's homeless with him?" His voice rose, he fixed Josiah with a look.

Josiah shook his head. "Got an address for him."

Chris narrowed his eyes while Buck paced away in agitation. "How did they find an address for him?" he asked suspiciously.

Josiah paused. "He's been picked up a few times."

Buck whirled around. "For what?" he demanded.

"Nothing big. Shoplifting. Truancy. Trespassing."

Chris waited. He could tell Josiah was trying to soften the blow for Buck. "And?" he asked.

"Carrying a concealed weapon," Josiah said.

Buck's eyes went slightly wild. "And Morgan's with him? With this felon that's armed and dangerous?"

"He wasn't charged with any felonies," Josiah said.

Buck didn't seem to hear him. "What's his address?" he asked. "We're going over there and we're getting her away from him. This is enough."

Chris wanted to agree with Buck. To go break down this guy's door and get Morgan back home. But he knew Morgan. And Buck just needed to slow down long enough to remember who he was dealing with. If they went and got Morgan, she would double down on whatever she was doing and her next move would be ten times more reckless.

The Wilmingtons weren't known for keeping a cool head and acting rationally when they got fired up.

Thankfully Josiah seemed to understand that and pulled the paper closer to him when Buck tried to look for the address.

"You don't need to get your own record when you go after this kid," Josiah said.

"'This kid'," Buck said, his voice rising, "deserves whatever he has comin'! This little felon took advantage of my sister and crossed state lines with her! Jail would be too good for him!"

Chris wanted to agree with his partner, but one of them needed to keep a clear head.

"Morgan was driving," Chris said.

"What?" Buck asked, turning to look at Chris, that half wild look still in his eyes.

"Morgan was driving the car," Chris said. "She's the one who took this guy across state lines." Not that it made Chris want to hunt the guy down any less. But he needed to talk Buck down.

"So what?" Buck demanded. "This is Morgan's fault?" He shook his head. "I know she's a handful. She's always been a little wild. And she's going through a rough patch the last few months." Chris waited to hear when Buck was going to get around to explaining how any of those were counterbalanced by something. "But she's not stupid, Larabee! And this was a stupid move!"

"I ain't arguing that," Chris said. "But that means you can't be stupid. You just gotta…you gotta be there for her. When this all falls apart, you gotta be ready to be there." He thought of Sam. How she had looked when he dropped her at school this morning. The silent treatment he had been given since bringing her back home from her little grand theft auto road trip with Morgan. He couldn't imagine Sam falling apart, but no matter what things looked like with her, he was going to be there. And make sure she knew that.

It looked like Buck was coming to the same conclusion.

"I'd rather go put that guy in his place," Buck said.

"I know."

"And he deserves it," Buck added.

"He does."

Buck let out a long sigh that sounded like it came from his toes.

"Come on," Chris said. "We're still on the clock."

Buck didn't look any happier than Chris felt about where things stood, but at least he didn't look like he was going to go find the guy Morgan said she was married to, and drag the guy out by the neck.

Chris couldn't guarantee it wouldn't come to that eventually.

#