24. Morgan
MORGAN
I press my hand against the glass. “Where is he going?”
Neither answer me. Dodge’s hands tighten on the steering wheel, Autumn’s gaze watching as Viper takes off after Creed.
Tingles start to dry my tongue. Deep down I know. I’ve lived in this town long enough now; I know where that street leads.
The car doors lock, and my gaze snaps up to meet Dodge’s in the mirror.
“Creed can handle himself. You’ll only distract him if you’re there. The best place for you is the hospital.”
Tears blur my vision. “He’ll kill him. Please. I can’t—I can’t…” Live without him. I need Creed, need our baby. That’s all that matters to me now. It became clear as soon as my father threw the beer at me. The only life I want to live is one with Creed in it with me and the family we’re starting.
Dodge shakes his head, pulling out his phone. “Gage, we’re going to have a problem.”
I wipe the tears from my only good eye and catch Autumn’s gaze. She reaches back, holding out her hand and I grab it, squeezing it gently.
“Try to relax…for the baby.”
Dodge doesn’t say anything. Instead, he pushes the car faster, straight to the hospital, sparing a few glances at Autumn.
When we pull into the parking lot, there’s a few more bikers waiting for us, watching on their bikes.
It clogs my throat with emotion. They barely know me, but they care about Creed so they’ll watch out for me since I’m his.
Dodge nods at them as Autumn helps me out of the car and ushers me inside. In a haze I fill out forms and wait. Time drags slower with each minute that Creed doesn’t show up.
By the time I’m led to a room, Autumn at my side, I’m exhausted. I can barely answer the questions that they ask and breathe out a sigh of relief when the last remaining doctor after hours of poking and examining gives us the news.
“No concussion, baby looks good. We can keep you for a night of observation, or we can discharge you with the promise that you’ll take it easy,” the doctor explains with a kind smile.
If anything, she probably wants to get rid of the horde of bikers that keep coming and going outside in the lobby.
“Thank you. I’d like to leave.”
She nods. “I’ll get the paperwork started.” As soon as she leaves, I turn back to Autumn. “Can you take me by the station? I have to get my stuff.”
“I don’t think Dodge will—”
“No, just me and you. They won’t notice if it’s just the two of us.”
She looks a little panicked as she chews on her lip, tucking her blonde hair behind her ear. “They’re going to be so mad if we leave without them.”
I snort and wince at how much it hurts. “They will be, but they’ll get over it. I need to do this without causing more tension.”
She doesn’t look convinced. Her hand drops to her stomach. “It’s just like a safety thing—”
“No one is dumb enough to attack us at the sheriff’s department. Suck his dick or something if he gets mad.”
She lets out a bark of laughter. “Oh god. Funny enough, I think it would work.”
I smile, ignoring the ache of my swollen lips. “You can blame it on me. Easier for them to hate me.”
Autumn looks over me. “No one will hate you, not even the club girls. I kind of expected them to be like a bunch of drama, but most of them are really nice.”
Or maybe they don’t want to rain on the parade of someone who basically embodies sunshine. I don’t say that, though.
I sigh. “I’ve been in law enforcement since I was allowed to join the academy. I’m used to being hated. It’s no skin off my back. I know they’ll be wary to accept it, but as long as Creed trusts me, wants to be with me, that’s enough for me.”
She gives me a sad smile. “I’ll have to get the keys from Dodge, and then try to tell him—”
“Tell him what?”
We both startle. I hadn’t heard the door reopen, and my heart jumps into my throat. Autumn stares at him with wide eyes, panic paling her face. I can see her loyalty is torn, and I appreciate the effort she’s putting into considering lying, so I let her off the hook.
“I was asking her to drive me to the station alone. Bikers following us will cause a big scene.”
He glares at me. “No.”
“I need to turn in my badge and gun. It’s better if I do it than them coming to look for me.”
His jaw tightens, and I know he’s considering it. “I’ll take you—”
“They’ll—”
Dodge puts his hand up. “Just me and Autumn. I'll take my cut off so it’s not so obvious.”
I deflate and nod. “Thank you.”
He nods. “We’ll go as soon as the doctor releases you.”
* * *
I make sure the sunglasses are on snug and tilt my face downward as I make my way through the station.
When I get to my desk, I pause, staring at the open case files, the half-empty coffee cup, and know if I open the first drawer I’d find my bag of M&Ms. It’s a desk that hasn’t been mine for very long, and yet, it feels harder to say goodbye than my last job.
Maybe because it’s final. I won’t be coming back anywhere.
“Morgan?”
I stiffen at Warner’s voice but don’t turn to him while I clear my throat and put my badge and gun on the table. “Just dropping these off.”
His footsteps loom closer. “You turning in? Why?”
Of course my father hasn’t told anyone yet. I mean why would he? Then he’d have to admit why.
“Yeah. I, uhh…My father and I just think it’s for the best.”
His presence draws the hair on my arms to stand on end, and I shift away from him.
“I thought you were stopping by because your favorite biker is in the cell.”
I can’t stop my head snapping up to look at him. “Creed?” Creed is in jail? What the fuck? I don’t even care to comment on how he knows that.
Warner’s eyebrows dip and he frowns as he stares at me. “Why are you wearing shades?”
My heart thuds in its cage. “Migraine.”
“Migraine comes with the bruising on your cheek too?”
I swallow down the discomfort and look away from him. “What’d Creed get picked up on?”
Warner is silent for a moment, his arms locked over his chest as we stand there. “He attacked the chief.”
I stumble a step, catching myself on the desk. Warner moves to grab me, but stops when I steady myself. I clear my throat. “Are they—how hurt is everyone?”
“Chief was taken to the hospital—”
I gasp, moving to sit on my desk instead. Warner moves closer, his fingers brushing my shoulder. When I look up at him, he uses the opportunity to lift my glasses just for a second before putting them back.
“Concussion?”
“No. Creed?”
“In the cell, and before you ask, no, I won't take you to see him.”
My chin quivers, and I take a few seconds to gather myself. “T-tell him I’ll press charges if he does.”
Warner nods, needing no explanation of what I mean. “Take care of yourself, Morgan.”
* * *
“The club won’t let anything happen to Creed,” Autumn says.
Dodge grunts. “We won’t, but it’d help if our women didn’t try to run off without telling anyone.”
She blushes, reaching over to hold his hand. “Sorry.”
I clear my throat. “I apologize. I thought it would be quick in and out.” I grab my backpack from the floor and hold up a file. “I also grabbed this.”
Dodge looks at it and then me in the rearview mirror. “What is it?”
“I didn’t have a chance to look into it deeply, but it’s connected to the string of break-ins and some investment properties within the county.”
His knuckles tighten on the steering wheel. “Alright. When we get to the club, we’ll hand it over to Gage.”
I nod, shoving it back into my bag.
“Morgan?”
I catch his gaze again.
“I don’t know what it is yet, but I know it will mean a lot to the brothers that you grabbed something to help the club.”
If it didn’t hurt to smile, I would. Instead I nod again. “I hope it does help. All I’ve ever wanted to do was help people, but I can’t seem to get away from the never-ending corruption that is somehow always involved.”
Autumn turns to stare at me pityingly. “I see it in education and social work too. I wanted to be involved so badly, but the more I was around the professionals, the more rare it seemed to find those who had compassion to help.”
I look at her, curious. “Social work?”
She smiles. “Probably a teacher. I don’t know if I have the steel heart to work within the system.”
Dodge lets out a laugh. “She’d want to take home all the strays as if they’re free puppies.”
Autumn sighs in a loving way. “I would. I want a large family. How about you, Morgan?”
I swallow roughly. “I never really thought about it. Marriage, kids. I never really thought it was in the cards for me.”
“Why?” Her eyebrows knit together.
I shrug. “Too focused on school and then my job. I didn’t date much. Honestly the one night I decided to let loose, it put me in Creed’s crosshairs.”
Autumn smiles. “Sometimes fate has a funny way of working. I came into town for school, stumbled into a bar, and got my nanny job. Now I’m with the love of my life. Weird how that works, huh?”
Dodge leans over, kissing her cheek before turning back to the road. “Your life can change too, Morgan. You never have to go back if you don’t want to.”
Back to where? My apartment or my job? Neither sound appealing. The worst part is I don’t even know where Creed lives, so it’s not like I could ask to move in with him. My hand rubs over my belly, feeling more lost than ever.
I’m lost in my thoughts for the rest of the silent drive, my heart pumping double time as we pull through the massive gate. The house seems even larger once we park in front and climb out.
Dodge pauses outside the door of the club and peers down at me.
My heart skips a beat. “What?”
Autumn moves closer to him, tucking her arm into his elbow.
“Some of the men might react to your face. We don’t take kindly to woman beaters.”
I nod. “I understand. Do you want me to keep the glasses on?”
He shakes his head. “No, it’s worse to try to hide it. They’re all nosy bitches.”
Autumn snorts. “A bunch of teddy bears I swear.”
Dodge doesn’t seem to agree, but he still doesn’t move, and I feel like there’s more he wants to say. He clears his throat and glances around the parking lot before his eyes fall back on me. “Creed seems to have claimed you, but we got family in there. Anything you see…if it gets back to the cops—”
“I quit. And there’s nothing that could convince me to go back. I would never do anything to hurt your family, or Creed. I…uhm.”
Autumn taps Dodge’s chest. “She loves him.”
My eyes widen. I’ve never said or acknowledged that, not even in my mind. Do I love Creed? It seems impossible to think about at this moment.
Dodge laughs. “Look at her. She sure does. Come on. Let’s get you introduced.”
He opens the door and Autumn walks through first, a hand on her belly and a reassuring smile thrown to me over her shoulder.
Dodge nods for me to walk in, and I do slowly. One foot in front of the other with my breath held as I enter the large house. I’m greeted by men lined up in the foyer, all in cuts, with stoic expressions on their faces.
My hands shake as I pull off the sunglasses, the snap of them closing startling me as I blink back the tears from the silent, intense air.
Dodge closes the door, moving to stand behind me. “This is Morgan. Creed’s woman.”
Autumn comes to my side, squeezing my elbow.
Gage breaks apart from the rest, and I zero in on the president patch on his chest across from his name. It feels heavier than before. “You’re safe here, Morgan. We won’t let anyone hurt you,” he says.
My lips tilt up in thanks. I vaguely remember some of their names, not fully listening at the station when others would complain about Devil’s Tide. It’s hard to keep track when some use road names and others use legal names.
“Creed got picked up before I could stop him,” Dodge tells him.
Gage nods. “Judge called.” He looks at me, his eyes staring so intensely it’s as if he’s searching into my soul. “Your father is in the hospital. A doctor on staff said it’s not looking good.”
I cast my attention to the floor and take a deep breath before straightening my shoulders and looking back up at the club’s president. My hand covers my stomach, and his eyes flit to it for a brief second.
“I turned in my badge and gun. As far as I know, the only family I have are Creed and our baby.”
A gleam of respect flashes in Gage’s eyes.
Autumn squeezes my arm. “And the rest of the club. We’re a family.”
Her words push a knot of emotion into my throat, and I turn to her with a soft smile. “Thank you. I know I’ll have to work to gain everyone’s trust, but I hope we will be.”
Gage sighs, but he doesn’t sound annoyed, more like he’s sad it’s come to this. “Alright. Let’s get you resting until whenever the fuck Creed gets home.” He waves some women over. None that I met on the bike ride I went with them that day.
“Hi. I’m Lacey,” one says, offering me a wide smile. “I basically keep the rest of these girls in check.”
A few of them roll their eyes but don’t object.
I smile back. “Morgan.”
Another girl winks. “We know who you are, Morgan. The cop that Creed is stalking. I’m Daisy.”
My eyes widen and they all laugh. It even pulls a chuckle from me. “Uuhm, well I’m not a cop anymore. I quit.” Easier to lie than explain that my father fired me…after he assaulted me.
Lacey nods. “It have something to do with that shiner?”
“Yeah.”
Murmurs break out and Lacey says, “Shoo. Go find a man or chore.” Then she turns back to me. “Hungry? We already had dinner, but I can make you something or heat up some leftovers.”
I shake my head, wincing from the movement. “I kind of just want to lay down.”
“Let me show you to Creed’s room.”
Dodge walks in. “Take her to Gage’s. Then can you help make sure the club is picked up for the kids? We’re going into a lockdown.”
Lacey nods. “Yeah, but I should call Tink. You know they’ll search her bar first.”
He raises an eyebrow but pulls her into a side hug. “Already got Nash on his way to her.”
Lacey pats my arm. “Come on. I know it must’ve been a long day for you.”