Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
MORGAN
She reached the parking lot with her heart pounding in her chest and her feet aching from impacts on the asphalt. There really wasn’t a place to hide that wasn’t in her own car, but there was one problem with that. Morgan was fairly sure that the bullets in Officer Munder’s gun could tear through her baby’s CAMO painted shell.
It might look good enough for the military, but it wasn’t going to be much of a shield for her.
She heard yelling behind her and footsteps but they seemed far behind her and around a corner. It was that corner that she thought might make the difference.
Sliding in behind her car, Morgan felt the branches of the oak tree slap against her shoulder and back and her ankles scrape against the asphalt surface.
Morgan drew in a breath through her nose, holding back the whimper of pain that rose up in her throat. As she patted herself down for her keys she remembered that Jacob had always insisted on a magnetic box under the body frame of the car.
Where she was, on her right hip, she was in the exact right place to reach under the car.
Her cheek placed up against the CAMO paint that she’d put there herself, she felt the cool, matte texture of the paint against her cheek.
“Where did she go?”
How did Officer Munder get there so fast?
“I… I can’t… br-breathe.”
“You’re in shit shape. It would help if you exercised a bit.”
Morgan held her breath, waiting for him to come around the car.
She held her breath and heard the squeak of Officer Munder’s overly polished shoes nearby.
Morgan kept her breath shallow and prayed that the shadows were hiding her from their view.
Her searching fingers found the magnetic container and with a wince she slid it free from the metal car frame.
There was a quick scrape of metal on metal and she heard Officer Munder’s voice again.
“Shh…”
“Wha-”
“I said shut the fuck up, Wayne.” The officer’s tone was stringent and cold. “I thought I heard something.”
Morgan slid open the container using the hem of her top to muffle the sound. When it was open she heard the officer’s shoes moving away.
“I don’t see where we lost her. She was heading for the parking lot.”
“Well, there aren’t any cars,” the chemistry teacher was still winded, “we parked on the side street. She’s probably still running. I know I would be if I could breathe.”
“Like I said, Wayne, shut the fuck up.” There was a moment of quiet and then- “Let’s get your car. I know where she lives.”
It felt like her whole body froze for a moment.
He knew where she lived. Of course he did.
He had access to her records at the school. And even if he didn’t get it from there, he was a police officer and he could get it that way.
She closed her eyes and had her key in hand as she listened for those tell-tale squeaks of Officer Munder’s shoes as he walked away toward the sidewalk instead of the science building.
Morgan knew that she had to move. She had to go now.
Any longer and he might be able to stop her from leaving the parking lot, or something worse.
Scrambling up to her feet, Morgan shoved the key in her door and twisted it open. It was almost silent.
Thank heavens.
She swung the car door open andgot in. Morgan reached for the door meaning to almost close it, but hold it until the car started. She needed to make all the noise happen at once. That was the only way she could get away. The only chance she had.
Closing her eyes for a moment she pushed the key into the ignition and turned.
Her trooper of a car started up immediately.
She put the car in drive and stepped on the gas before she remembered that she’d set the parking brake. Her brother had always laughed at her for setting it on flat ground, but she’d decided to make it a habit even though Center City was mostly flat land where they’d lived.
Now, it had come back to haunt her at the worst possible time.
But the memory bolstered her spirits.
And when she did step on the gas and the car lurched forward, she wished she had her phone so she could call Jacob. He could tell her what to do.
But the person she wanted beside her was Palmer.
She needed his calm at that moment. She needed his reassuring presence.
Needed him to tell her it was going to be okay, but she wasn’t sure that it would be, which was why she was glad she was alone. She didn’t want Palmer hurt because of her.
She’d rather die-
Her car lurched forward and she yelped in fear, grabbing the wheel tighter as the impact of the truck against her back bumper pushed her car. Morgan slapped her foot down on the gas pedal hoping to put more distance between them.
“Uh-”
They hit her again and she lifted her gaze up to the rearview mirror and saw that Officer Munder was in the driver’s seat of the truck.
She didn’t know about specific trucks, but she had a feeling that any of them could beat the speed of her little Soul. It wasn’t about getting away from them, she’d have to hope that she could last until she found an area with people in it. People who could be witnesses, maybe having curious onlookers would be enough to get her away from Officer Munder and the chemistry teacher.
RHETT
When he heard that Benjamin was worried about Morgan, Rhett understood his words.
He’d never liked the things that Morgan had said about the resource officer and knew that she didn’t like him much herself.
Now, there was a tangible reason to be concerned.
Kylie moved up to the table beside him and Rhett got to his feet to offer her his chair.
She didn’t even look at it as she raised her phone to her ear.
“Come on, Morgan.” Kylie’s voice was her normal lilting singers’ voice but there was an edge to it that Rhett had never heard before. “Pick up your phone.”
Rhett was trying to explain away the delay in Morgan picking up her phone. Maybe she was in the shower, or sat down to work on her papers and fell asleep. Or maybe her battery had run down and she hadn’t noticed.
It could be any of those things.
God, he hoped it was.
Abe moved closer. “I got through to Weston Cooper. He’s headed over to your apartment to check on her.”
“Thanks…” Rhett managed a few words, “both of you.”
Abe put his hand down on Rhett’s shoulder. “Hey… she’s family, man. We need to make sure she’s okay.”
Benjamin moved around the table and met Rhett’s troubled gaze with his own. “I… I probably should have said something earlier, right?”
Rhett could hear the fear in the teen’s voice.
And while he started to fight back his own rush of fear, Rhett knew that Morgan wouldn’t want him to say anything bad in front of the teen.
“You said it, Benajamin. You did what you needed to. No one is going to fault you for waiting. You didn’t know who you could trust.”
He nodded, but stopped. “No, I knew I could trust Miss Rafferty,” he hung his head, muffling his voice a little, “I just didn’t want her to think that I was stupid.”
Rhett took him by the shoulders and settled his own emotions so he could speak clearly. “Benjamin.”
The teen shook his head.
“Benjamin, look at me.”
He lifted his head with a little gasp of breath.
“Do you honestly believe that she would think you were stupid?”
A tear gathered in the young man’s eye. “No. She’s not like that.”
“No.” Rhett smiled at him, a simple lift of the corners of his mouth. “She’s not.”
“She’ll be happy that you talked to us because now we can help you.”
Benjamin nodded. “Now we just have to make sure that she stays far away from Munder.”
MORGAN
“Where is everyone?”
Three streets and nothing.
Not even an open bar!
She didn’t know the area around the school well. It had been on her list of things to do when she started at the school, but once she met Rhett’s friends and the women who’d fallen for them, she had a whole group of people to get to know and places to explore from their recommendations alone.
She hadn’t had the time or the interest to look around the school for entertainment or anything else.
“Damn it.”
The truck clipped her on the back corner of her car and she heard glass breaking and a crunch of metal as the back end of her car swerved around.
As soon as she righted the direction of her car she used the back of her hand to wipe away the tears from her eyes.
She knew this wasn’t going to end with him just talking to her.
She’d proved that she wasn’t interested in being a part of their… game.
Morgan knew she had to get away before Officer Munder found a way to silence her for good.
She pounded her fist on the steering wheel.
Could’ve, would’ve, should’ve wasn’t going to help her at this moment. She just had to make the best out of the shit she was in and hope that she’d live to see Palmer again.
The engine revving behind her sounded louder and closer than before. Gripping onto the wheel, Morgan saw her knuckles grow almost white in passing streetlights.
“Hold it together,” she grumbled under her breath. “Hold your shit together, girl.”
Abe leaned in. “West said she’s not in your apartment.”
“Maybe she’s sleeping?” Rhett had to ask.
Abe shook his head. “A couple of the SWAT team were close by. One of them picked the lock on your apartment. She’s not there.”
Kylie looked up. “I called all the ladies, she’s not with any of them.”
Rhett and Benjamin looked at each other.
“The school.”
Cowboy looked over with a furrow in his brow. “I thought the school grounds were closed when it got dark.”
Benjamin looked over. “That’s because we were in the chemistry room cooking up meth. Officer Munder said it was just his luck that the teacher came onto campus that night.
“He didn’t think that she saw anything, but he shot her anyway. He said it allowed him to close the campus off and no one would question it after a teacher almost died on school grounds.”
“Then why would Morgan go back to school after dark?”
Rhett didn’t recognize the voice that asked the question. His mind was already coming to the realization that he might not be able to help Morgan. She would need law enforcement to step in.
It was the only time in his life when he’d ever regretted becoming a firefighter and EMT. If he was a police officer, he could have gone to help her himself. What could he do against an officer with a gun?
He looked up at the assembled group. “We have to get someone over to the school.”
The klaxon alarm turned everyone's head in the firehouse. Rhett’s heart clenched in his chest. His first thought in his head was Morgan.
Beside him, Benji looked like he was having trouble breathing. “What’s that?”
The speakers blared. "Hit and run accident. Gable Street. Single car on scene. Victim enclosed in the vehicle."
Rhett looked at Cowboy. "Let's go." He put a hand on Benjamin’s shoulder. “You can stay here if you like.”
Peace looked at him and turned toward Kylie. “Can you stay with Benjamin?”
“Of course,” she moved closer to the young man. “We’ll wait here until you have news. I’ll make sure he’s safe.”
Cowboy was already moving around the table. "Everyone on the truck!"
Rhett was the first one to reach his gear, stepping into his pants and boots, yanking them up over his clothes. He picked up his turnout coat and hat and jumped into the truck. Everyone else was inside in seconds and the truck pealed out onto the street.
Rhett wasn't one who talked while they were in transit. Even when they were on scene he rarely offered up a comment unless he noticed something the crew should know.
This time was different.
He was quiet because he didn't have a thing to say out loud.
He was busy trying to make deals with his maker.
Praying. Begging.
Shit. He'd lay down his life for hers.
No, he had no reason to believe that the accident involved Morgan, but that didn’t stop his heart from believing it was her. He didn’t want her hurt, but there was just something… something in his soul that told him they were being called to the scene because of Morgan.
He lowered his head and prayed. Please, just let me save her first.
Fish called back from the driver's seat. "Up ahead. There's a car wrapped around a pole."
Rhett sat up, his hands grasped his helmet so tight he could barely feel his fingers.
Cowboy turned around in the front passenger seat and Rhett saw the lieutenant's eyes land on him. "Rhett."
Rhett nodded. "Yeah?"
"It's Morgan's car."
Everyone went still at that moment and as soon as Fish brought the truck to a stop, everyone jumped out and went straight to the car.
Rhett rounded the vehicle, his legs stiff but still swift. As he headed straight for the car, someone grabbed his arm.
He turned, ready to shrug them off and move on, but it was an older woman with deep worry in her wide eyes. "Ma'am?"
"I saw it happen. The truck hit her several times. Pushed her into that pole." Her grip on his arm was like iron. "Please. Save her."
He nodded and covered her hand with his own. "I'm going to do everything I can."
The older woman let go of his arm and walked away toward the other curb where other people were gathering.
Rhett started moving again and brushed past Abe who was headed back to the truck.
"Rhett, come here."
He followed Cowboy's order and stepped up beside him.
The frame of the car was twisted, but the worst of it was in the front and rear of the vehicle. While the interior was smaller than it had been and was bent at a strange angle, Rhett could see Morgan inside the vehicle. "Morgan?"
Cowboy's hand clapped down on his shoulder. "She's breathing, but we need to get her out. I sent Abe for the jaws."
Rhett nodded and reached into the car through the broken driver's side window. The window had broken and it looked like Cowboy had knocked out the damaged glass. Rhett felt pieces of it catch on his turnout coat, but he didn't care. His coat could, and had, taken a beating over and over in the years he'd had it.
Cowboy stepped back to manage the scene. "If she wakes up, keep her alert."
"Yeah." He spoke loud enough for Cowboy to hear him, but he didn't take his gaze off of Morgan. "Hey. Hey, gorgeous. Can you hear me?"
Her eyes stayed closed and her lips were slack.
He didn't see any movement from her besides the lift and fall of her chest as she breathed in and out.
That was enough for now.
"I've got it! Rhett?"
He heard Abe calling his name and pried his focus from Morgan to look at his friend.
Abe lifted his chin at the car. "You want to do this?"
"No." He gave his head a single and decisive shake. "You do it."
Abe didn't argue. He didn't ask if Rhett was sure. He just stepped in and took a look at the twisted metal that had been her car. "I need to get where you are, you want to go around the other side of the pole? You can reach her through that window. I need more room."
Rhett didn't argue and darted around the pole. He took off his turnout coat and dropped it over the frame of the window with the protective fabric between the glass and himself. He climbed in and squeezed himself into the passenger seat. From there, he picked his coat up and shook it off before draping it over Morgan, between her and the window.
If any metal or glass broke loose, he could help protect her.
He didn't have to ask when Abe started up the hydraulic tool, they could all hear it.
The first time the tool dug into the metal, it sounded like the car was screaming.
That's when Morgan started to come around.
It was a rush at first. She sat up, gasping in a breath as if she'd just broken free of a bad dream, only to find herself in something worse.
"No!" She brought her hands up in front of her as if she was trying to protect her face, but from the looks of the steering wheel, the airbags had been cut away.
"Morgan. Hey! It's me."
She turned to him, her hand reaching out first, fisting in his T-shirt. "Palmer!"
"Hey. Yeah. It's me, honey. It's me."
The screech of metal almost stole his hearing, but he leaned in toward Morgan, making sure that his coat was over her face and head, putting his arm between her and the door.
"We're all here. Abe's going to have your door open in just a sec and then we'll get you out."
She turned to look at him, blinking. "What about you?"
"I got in here to be with you."
"Why?" She was near tears. He could see it and hear it in her voice.
"Why?" He used his free hand to gently touch her face and brush away little shards of glass. "Because I love you, Morgana Rafferty. All I had to do was climb in through a broken window, but if I had to crawl through fire without my gear, I'd do it."
"You're here," she leaned her forehead against his. "You're here with me."
Her voice was softening and Rhett knew what that might mean.
"Hey." He nudged her with his shoulder. "Look at me."
She reacted and lifted her gaze to his face, but her reaction time was slow. "Hey."
"You have to stay awake, sweetheart. Focus. On me. Stay. With me."
Her smile was slow, languid... lethargic.
He used this free hand to grip her jaw, turn her face to his as he moved forward in the seat to meet her gaze. "Please, Morgana. Stay with me."
"It was the chemistry teacher..."
He shook his head to clear his thoughts. "The chemistry teacher hit your car?"
"No," her head kept shaking back and forth and he lowered his coat to look out of the window.
"Hurry up, she's fading!"
He didn't wait for a response. He didn't need one. They were doing their best. He knew that.
He'd apologize later, but at that very moment, he was frantic.
He had to get her out of that car and to the hospital as soon as he could.
"It was the re- resource officer. He was driving. The ch- the teacher was in the..."
"Come on, Morgana. Come on beautiful," he hunched over trying to catch her gaze as her chin continued to drop, her whole body slowing... sagging, "stay with me. Please, baby. I... I need you."
"Well, good..." The corners of her mouth lifted up and she drew in a breath that rattled in her lungs. "I need you, t-"
Her whole body went slack and calm, cool-headed Palmer Butler lost his mind.
"Get us the fuck out of here!"
The frame screeched again and the door tore off of the car.
Rhett pulled his jacket away from her and looked out into the face of the EMTs who had replaced the firefighters outside of the car.
"She was out when we found her. She regained consciousness. And was coherent and communicating. I heard wet sounds in her lungs and then... then she-"
"Lost consciousness?" Someone finished for him.
He nodded and a moment later, he was helping them lift her from the mangled heap of her car.