Chapter 7
7
Morse
A MELIA WAS CHECKING out my ass.
Of course, I noticed. It was my job to observe every detail, and I’d been tracking her reflection on every shiny surface we passed. Her gaze had been glued to my ass throughout most of the tour. I played with my fidget spinner ring, trying to process that unexpected nugget of new information. It’s not like it mattered. After all, what could I do with the data?
Ask her out?
I coughed, muffling the sardonic laugh that couldn’t quite be contained.
Amelia cocked her head and gave me a quizzical look, but I waved her off.
Sure. Like she’d ever want someone as fucked-up as me.
I led her back downstairs and into the conference room we used for non-church meetings involving civilians. Specks, Tap, and Hound were huddled around the massive roundtable with their laptops open and ready. Link raised his attention from his phone, and Havoc and Wasp stopped talking when we entered. All eyes zoomed in on Amelia. The nosey bastards were likely wondering who she was to me, so I stepped forward, shielding her from their probing inspection.
I introduced her as Ted’s wife only to immediately correct her status to widow.
My brothers introduced themselves, and chairs noisily scraped on vintage wood flooring as we sat around the table.
“I’m sorry this shit is happening to you,” Link said, getting down to business. “Thank you for taking the time to meet with us.”
“Of course.” Amelia steepled her hands on the table. “Thank you for providing a safe house for my family.”
Link nodded. “We take care of our own. Now, any information you provide will help us figure out who wants you dead and why.”
“Unfortunately, I don’t have any information to give. I wasn’t aware I was in danger until Morse showed up at my house.” She shook her head and glanced around the table. “In fact, I’m kinda hoping you’re about to tell me this is some kind of mistake.”
“No such luck. The threat’s been verified,” Tap said, clicking the keys of his laptop. He turned the screen around and showed her the original posting paired with the decoded version before copying the decrypted link and pasting it into a browser. Her picture popped up. Along with her name, height, weight, maiden name, and address.
All color drained from Amelia’s face.
“Morse tells me you have no idea who could have hired the hit.”
“No.” The tremor in her voice hadn’t been there before. Tap turned his laptop back around, but she continued staring at it. “I’ve been racking my brain, but there’s n… nobody.”
Link nodded. “Are you currently employed?”
“I own and operate a small non-profit named Black Lace Rations. It’s a meal delivery service for military widows.”
“She doesn’t just deliver meals, she spends time with the widows.” I hated that she still sold her contribution short after all this time. “Makes sure they’re not lonely. Takes those who don’t have anyone else to doctor appointments or therapy.”
Respect was in the nods of the men who thanked her for what she was doing. Color flooded back into Amelia’s cheeks, and she dropped her gaze. Her inability to handle praise clearly hadn’t improved over the years. That was unfortunate. Embarrassing her hadn’t been my intention, but my words were calculated. I knew what made my brothers tick. Apart from me and Specks, everyone in this room was married. Knowing what Amelia did for a living would prioritize her safety.
Tap glanced up from his laptop long enough to ask, “Are there any other groups you’re involved in? Civic? Church? Neighborhood? Are you on any boards of directors?”
“I’m involved in the PTA at Morgan’s school, but I don’t have a role. I… bring snacks and occasionally make suggestions.”
“What about your family?” Link asked.
Amelia went perfectly still. “You want to know about my family?”
“Yeah. Siblings. Parents. Aunts and uncles. Cousins.”
“I’m an only child. My parents live just outside of Boise. We’re not close. I haven’t kept in touch with the rest of my family.”
“Would they have the motive or means to initiate a one-hundred-thousand dollar hit?” Tap asked.
She frowned. “The means, yes, but motive? They’re more of the controlling type than the murderous, and they’ve never sent contract killers after anyone before. It’s harder to demean and humiliate a corpse.”
Her lips half raised in a mirthless smile as I mentally noted the information. I knew very little about Amelia’s relationship with her family other than there didn’t appear to be one.
“How’s your relationship with your neighbors?” Link asked. “Any boundary disputes, disagreements on decorations, or calls to the cops?”
She shook her head. “I have a young family on one side and an elderly couple on the other. They’re both perfect neighbors.”
He was grasping at straws, but it helped to know no stone would be left unturned. Their line of questioning continued. I learned nothing new, but Tap clicked away as Amelia talked. He was former intelligence and even more paranoid than me, so I was damn grateful for his presence.
“We’ll need you to hand over your phones,” Tap said.
She clutched her purse. “But. I…”
“Only until we get this mess settled, but cell phones are easy to track. Is Thia on your plan?”
“No. She’s not named on my mortgage, either.”
“We’ll still need to keep an eye on her,” I said. “Since your address is likely listed as her place of residence, and she has mail delivered to your house.”
“This is insane. I don’t have a clue what I did, and now I’m putting my best friend in danger. And my daughter….”
The panicky pitch of Amelia’s voice made me want to comfort her, but my fists clenched in my lap, and my ass stayed in my seat.
“And you guys.” She glanced around the table furtively. “My presence here puts you all at risk, doesn’t it? Shit, I?—”
“Don’t you worry about that,” Havoc said, rolling his massive shoulders and locking his no-nonsense stare on her. “We know how to protect ourselves.”
“What can you tell us about Thia?” Tap asked, getting us back on track.
Amelia shook her head, blinking rapidly and wringing her hands, looking frustrated and overwhelmed. “I can guarantee she didn’t put a hit out on me if that’s what you’re asking.”
“No.” Tap’s keys stilled on his keyboard. “I mean, what does she do? Where’s her family?”
“She’s also estranged from her family, but they’re in Kentucky. She… uh… She manages a corner coffee shop by the base. Speaking of which, she’ll need to go to work tomorrow morning. Early.”
“We’ll stick a prospect on her,” Link said with a nod.
“A what?”
“A biker who hasn’t been patched into the club yet,” I explained. Realizing that probably wouldn’t clear it up, I shook my head. “Someone to serve as a bodyguard. He’ll covertly watch over Thia. She’ll be fine.”
Amelia’s beautiful, plump lips formed an O, but she didn’t look convinced.
“As for you,” Link continued. “Please don’t leave the premises without clearing it with Morse. And refrain from using any bank or credit card accounts until we get this figured out.”
“But I have a daughter to feed.” Panicked eyes glanced at me before turning back to my president.
I practically fell to my knees at that look. She trusted me, but she’d been independent for as long as I’d known her. Ted had never been around much, too determined to serve, and Uncle Sam lapped up his dedication. He’d been the best recruiter they could have asked for, but he hadn’t always been there when she needed him, and she’d learned how to hold down the fort on her own.
Link looked at me, no doubt expecting my ass to jump in and play hero, but he should have known better. There was nothing I wouldn’t do for this woman, but I’d already crossed too many lines to get her here safe and sound. Now, it was time to retreat to the evil lair—as Rabbit liked to call the surveillance room that served as my office—and slip back behind the scenes.
I wouldn’t be offering to feed them.
I couldn’t.
When I didn’t say anything, Link’s brows pulled down before he smoothed his expression and filled Amelia in on the mess hall, meal schedule, and running grocery list. She was still looking a little wide-eyed and pale as the briefing wrapped up, and everyone rose to their feet and left. I gestured for her to follow them, but she shook her head.
“Can we… talk for a minute?”
Spending time alone with the woman I’d been secretly in love with for the majority of my adult life seemed like a horrible idea, but since I couldn’t deny the woman anything, I marched back to the table and pulled out her chair. She thanked me and slid into the seat, her rainbows-and-wildflowers fragrance all but slapping me across the face.
My thoughts headed straight for the fucking gutter, entirely inappropriate for the situation, and my traitorous libido reminded me she’d checked out my ass again on the way down.
Does she want to do more than just talk?
The question backhanded me. Air whooshed from my lungs as I sat, leaving a chair between us. This was why I didn’t people. My filter had seen some shit, and I rarely cared what others thought of me.
But Amelia….
When life gets tough, survivors need a reason not to lie down and die. Something that pushes them to continue. Since the day I fucking met her, Amelia has been mine. Which was undeniably fucked up, considering her husband had saved my life.
Now she looked up at me with a smile that made me feel like the only other goddamn person on this floating rock.
Rainbows and fucking unicorns .
I swallowed.
She clasped her hands and dropped her gaze, clearly trying to wrestle her thoughts under control. I knew the feeling. If I didn’t get this woman out of my hemisphere, I was going to explode. All I could think about was running my hands all over her body and shoving my tongue down her throat.
So goddamn wrong.
Why the fuck did she check out my ass? I could have controlled myself had it not been for her leering. Then again, maybe not since I’d also noticed how her gaze had shot to my arms every time I’d lifted a piece of luggage. All these observations were screwing with my willpower. I needed to get her out of there.
“I bet you have some questions.”
She chuckled, but it sounded more manic than amused. “A few.”
She looked so goddamn lost. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in my arms and shield her until my team eliminated the threat. But that wasn’t my place. It would never be my place, a truth I needed to get through my thick-ass skull.
“We will keep you guys safe,” I assured her.
Her attention stayed locked on her hands, but she nodded. “I have a rations run Monday.”
“Cancel it.”
It was the smart move, but the stubborn jutting of her chin told me it was also a useless suggestion. Amelia would walk through fire for the widows she cared for. No threat to her life would be enough to keep her away.
Her hands curled into fists. “I can’t. I’ll cancel the rest of the week’s appointments but not Carol’s.”
“Surely she has someone else who can bring her a meal.”
“No. It’s not the meal she needs. It’s the companionship.” Her voice hitched on the last word, so she took a moment before continuing. “She’s dying of cancer, Morse, and her son—her only remaining family—has all but forgotten her existence. Her days are numbered, and she needs this.”
Amelia needed it, too. I could tell by the tortured look in her glassy eyes when she met my gaze.
Fuck.
This woman and her goddamn heart. There was no way she would let this go.
“Give me tonight to come up with a solution.”
Hoping we were finished, I went to stand, but she gestured for me to remain sitting.
“It’s been years. We have a lot of catching up to do. I want to know what all you’ve been up to.”
No. There was no way I could endure this torture. Not when her soft lips kept forming every word.
“When did you get out of the Air Force?”
I instinctively rattled off my separation date. Why would she want to know that?
“Three years before Ted died.” Hurt flickered across her expression and bled into her tone, but she wrestled her expression into a neutral mask.
I was a piece of shit.
“Yes.”
“And you’ve been here all this time?”
I knew exactly what she had to be thinking. Her eyes had been glued to the ass of an ungrateful pissant who’d all but forgotten about the couple who’d rescued him from hell. That was fine. In fact, ensuring she kept that lousy opinion of me was for the best.
“Yes.”
“I see.”
Not just a piece of shit, I was the biggest pile of feces on the planet.
She swallowed and threw me a lifeline anyway. “You said your club helps other people in danger?”
“Yes. Link’s wife runs Ladies First, a non-profit organization that helps women and children in need. Sometimes, abusive exes are involved. You’re not the first family we’ve provided sanctuary for, and you won’t be the last.”
“What’s your job in all of this?”
Another question I hadn’t been prepared for. I didn’t want to tell her, but outright lying wasn’t an option. In the end, I settled on a partial truth.
“Surveillance.”
She scanned the room, eyes widening when she spotted the camera. Beside it, a sign warned that the area was being recorded. “Does the club need a lot of surveillance?”
“Some of my brothers struggle with PTSD and other demons. We help those we can, but some… they don’t have a strong enough reason to keep trying.”
She nodded, her eyes filling with sympathy. “Ted always warned his recruits that nobody came home unchanged.” She searched my gaze. “Is that what happened to you? Why you never reached out after you got out? Did you come back changed?”
The concern in her voice cracked open my chest. I couldn’t let her see what was in there. Time to end this.
“Ted was a wise man and an honest recruiter. Not many of them out there.” I stood, signaling an end to the conversation. “Come on. I’ll walk you back to your room.”
She hesitated, confusion flickering across her features. Then, hurt flooded her eyes, and she didn’t disguise it. The sight almost made me sit my ass back down, but I held firm. At last, she got to her feet, wincing as she used the table to push herself upright.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, unable to help myself.
“I… I’m fine.”
Before I could think better of it, I stepped into her personal space, studying the pain in her eyes. “What’s wrong, Amelia?”
She shrugged. “It’s just sciatica, I think.”
I held out my hand, offering assistance. She ignored it, instead grabbing my forearm. Electricity shot through me at the contact, practically scorching my skin. I bit back a curse and directed us toward the door, trying to stay focused so I didn’t do something stupid like pull her into my arms and sample those plump, sexy lips.
“Have you seen a doctor?”
“I have an appointment Tuesday morning. I should probably cancel it.”
There was a slight limp to her steps as she made her way to the door. Was that there before? How had I not noticed? Too goddamn busy checking her out to realize she was hurting. How fucking useless was I? That shit stopped now.
“No. Keep it.” Her steps had grown more stable, so I slid away and opened the door. “I’ll find a way to get you there safely.”
That was the second promise I’d made to her that I wasn’t sure I could keep. I needed to put my nose to the grindstone and find out why her life was in danger. But first, I had to get away from her.
Because I’d wanted nothing in my life more than I wanted to take care of Amelia right then. And that couldn’t happen.