Morgan Harrison waited until most of the yelling had died down on the other end of the phone before putting it close to her ear again. "Are you done yet?" she asked carefully, figuring the Queens Court Raiders leader must be tired to go on such a tantrum.
After leaving her cousin and LaFiamma at Chicken’s, Morgan had informed her local executives of her plans before heading for the one of her Houston properties that would be far enough away from innocent bystanders to avoid them getting hurt. The newly bought, slightly rundown house on the edge of an industrial court would suit her purpose.
The house had a decent security system though it wouldn’t stop any serious attackers and she’d done her own rigging up of a few surprises that would seriously cause the people after her some pain, if they survived.
After rigging the house Morgan knew she had a few other things to deal with before the show started. The first of which was dealing with Kelly Robinson.
At 27, only 2 years her senior, he was the leader and co-founder of the best mercs in the business but he was also her very best friend and deserved to be told what was going on by her instead of one of the boys.
Of course, he was infrequently very hard to deal with. Especially when told news like she’d just dropped on him.
"Kelly I have very little time and still need to make one more call so stop yelling a minute and listen." She urged, sitting on the newly carpeted floor behind the pile of furniture she’d set up as a make-shift shield with only her handgun and a cordless phone.
"Stop yelling?! You’re planning on confronting some unknown killers, probably get yourself killed by the sound in your voice, you fired the only two men in that God forsaken city who could’ve protected you because you didn’t want them to get hurt and you want me to stop yelling?!" Robinson practically spit into the phone, whirling to face one of the men next to him in their own temporary base in Istanbul. "Pat! Kill that guy or shut him up! I’m on the phone to Houston and our employer has finally lost what remains of her common sense!"
Morgan rolled her eyes at the picture she had of the current situation in Istanbul. "Kel, I’ll be fine. I just wanted to call you and tell you what was up before Ryan blabbed it. Also, when you get back you are forbidden from yelling, threatening or in anyway causing Joe and Levon any trouble. This was my idea, not theirs."
"Sure it wasn’t Lundy’s?" Robinson snapped, his temper getting the best of him until a hard elbow to his already cracked ribs reminded him of who he was talking to. "Morgan get out of there. We can be there in a day at the latest if we drop…"
"Queens Court Raiders do not drop things in the middle of a mission Kelly." Morgan cut in firmly, smiling slightly. "Kel, you are the greatest and I love you so take care and be good." She pushed the button to quickly disconnect the line before he could argue more. "One more call, kid." She told herself while trying to work up the guts to punch in the number she still knew by heart. "You said goodbye to Kelly. Now say it to Levon."
"BEEP. I’m not here so leave a message." Levon Lundy’s answering machine had been quite busy that night as he sat beside it in his darkened den listening to the messages come through. Most were from Joann and Chicken. One from his partner.
"Four calls Lundy and I know you’re home by now so pick it up!" LaFiamma growled on the fifth call. "Fine, be a jerk. Just thought I’d let you know that I’m heading for her office downtown to corner a kid and maybe find out where she went. One of us has to be a professional and I guess Texans don’t hold family as sacred as Italians or maybe it’s just because she’s your cousin or cause she’s half German and half British, I’ll have to ask you about that one. Anyway, I’ll call tomorrow when I find her body if I can’t locate her tonight. Ciao."
Lundy almost smiled, staring at the bottle of whiskey he’d sat in front of him but hadn’t touched yet. He knew LaFiamma was just trying to help and his partner couldn’t know how much his words did strike home, how deep their cut, but not nearly as much as the next call he’d soon learn.
As the phone rang, the lanky Texan started to reach for the machine to turn it off because he knew he wouldn’t be able to take many more calls from his partner without having to go find him just to slug him when the voice the spoke froze him in place. "Morgan."
"Levon…I’m not sure if you’re home or not but I can’t blame you for not picking up. Joe’s probably been bugging you all night. Italians are stubborn and very moral when it comes to family and stuff. Actually, I’m glad it’s the machine. It’s easier saying goodbye to a bloody machine and it’ll also be easier saying what I need to." Morgan’s voice was quiet as he knew it would be. She was always quiet when scared or upset.
Morgan sat on the floor behind her make-shift bunker, praying she had enough courage to say what she needed to. "One of the reasons I agreed to come to Houston was to put all this junk to rest because someone told me that it’s better to die without ant baggage or guilt. I have very little to be sorry for in my life except for not telling Kelly a few things I should’ve and for…losing you, Levon." She paused and was surprised by the burning tears in her eyes but forced herself to go on.
"I have plenty of family, brothers and such, but I guess you were always more important to me because you treated me like I was normal. You ignored my accents, my chums and even my odd life. You acted like you cared and I’d rather not focus on if you were lying all those years just to humor me or your grandmother. Levon, I love you and I tried never to hurt you which is why I never forced you to listen to me about those days, the last few times I saw you in Houston but…I can’t protect you anymore because it hurts to much to know that I lost you because of lies and fear." Morgan sighed, leaning back against the wall and wondering why this was so important to her now but knowing that if she was going to die then she’d die knowing that her cousin would at least hate her for the truth.
"First off and this is so you won’t pick a fight with the ‘Raiders when they get to Houston, they never killed anyone who hadn’t tried to kill them first. I knew when we accepted that case things would be bad cause the cops hated me, hated us but I took it because it was my bloody job. You told me once that a person always did their jobs no matter what personal things may be involved and I did. We came and did our jobs but it soon became apparent that no matter what I did that someone else was working against us. Also became clear that the only people who could’ve done that had to be on the inside of the operation. Cops. Dirty cops. Wasn’t a big shock since it wouldn’t have been the first time we’d seen corruption at the highest levels but this time…well.. this time was bad because the dirty cops knew we were onto them and wanted me and my boys out in the worst ways.
"First few things didn’t bother me since I’d been attacked by cops before, no big thing but it was when I saw what they were doing to you that I started to worry and that’s when things got worse. I figure Joe will tell you most of this and I probably shouldn’t have told him before you but…being back here just freaked me out and…Levon, you need to know about Martin and Lewis. You need to know that they and everyone else lied."
Lundy’s hand closed into a fist as he listened to his cousin’s words, most tore through his heart like a knife and he recalled things from that time that he’d made himself forget. The brusies she’d get from one day to the night after being out all night looking for clues or the killers, brusies she’d keep hidden from him. Robinson’s bitterness and refusal to leave Morgan alone with any of the police on that case but Lundy. Jokes and whispered comments he’d hear from the locker room that would stop whenever he’d enter the room.
Morgan’s words cut deeper than any his partner could say but it was still so hard for him to picture his friends, two men he’d trained with, like they were being described both by her and LaFiamma except he could remember certain things that bothered him then, especially when even Caroline started yelling at him about being blind to what was going on. The last fight with Morgan over how she’d sold them out, sold out everything he’d taught her. The pain in her eyes, the way she moved as if hurt and….
"The day of the warehouse raid started bad because you were mad at me for reprimanding Lewis for being too rough on a snitch. I left the ranch to meet with Kelly when I was forced off the road by a pickup, one like you had then, and I knew they wanted me to think it was you but the blokes were too confident they’d kill the ‘Raiders and then me cause they didn’t even wear masks." Morgan’s voice held a bitterness he’d never heard from her before and he could hear the tears she tried to cover. "I may’ve been 19 and Washington’s best agent but even I couldn’t deal with 6 guys half my size and a needle full of enough tranquilizers to down 3 raging stallions. Woke up in pain bad enough to make me wish I was dead but I wasn’t. Charlie, he and I had a…past even before then, Charlie bragged that he’d already told you I’d sold the cops out. He and Rob had been working with Montclair VanCleef, that politician who looked liked he’d be the next Governor, for years until we showed up and dug up too much. They were going to make it look like we’d sold out, slaughtered those cops that were with the ‘Raiders and then his people killed the traitors: me and the boys.
"To make a long story short, Charlie got careless and I killed him. I won’t lie to you and deny that because I did and I killed his men at that shack in self defense or else I would’ve died Levon. I managed to radio Kelly and warn him that they were walking into a trap and they turned it around but not before Lieutenant Smith’s team got killed. My boys didn’t kill anyone Levon except those that tried to hurt us. I’m not sure how I ended up in the hospital but I woke up there 3 days later and had to deal with you thinking I’d betrayed you."
Slowly Levon let out a breath filled with bitter curses toward everyone, himself most of all as Morgan went on. "There are other things about why I left the way I did but you don’t need to know them right now. I’m not sure why it made a difference but I wanted you to know before I died and I wanted to say goodbye. I would’ve preferred telling you in person but I guess it would’ve been worse if I’d have to see your eyes and…well, hello there stranger."
Lundy sat up in his chair alarmed by the sudden change in her voice as Morgan came back on the phone.
"I need to go now Levon. My former vice president has just showed up. I guess this is it. Behave yourself and don’t pick on Joe. He’s cool for a Chicago guy. I’m sorry you hate me Levon. I love you, bye."
Lundy blinked a few times swearing violently as he grabbed his jacket and shoulder holster before slamming his front door and sprinting for his old battered GMC red Jimmy 4x4.
"I hate it when he’s right." He muttered, reaching for his radio as he swung the truck out of his driveway while throwing gravel in every direction and hoping LaFiamma was somewhere in close relation to his car phone or radio.
"LaFiamma." Detective Joseph LaFiamma answered a few short seconds later. "That you Lundy?"
His partner knew from the static on the line that the Italian cop was in his car. "Where are you now Joe?" he demanded while managing to keep the truck under control as he hit paved road with a thud.
"About 15 minutes from where this skinny Arizona vice president says Morgan’s at." LaFiamma replied coolly then asked when he caught the underlying tension in his friend’s voice. "Why?"
"Give me the address LaFiamma." Lundy ordered going on quickly. "Morgan called and left me quite a message. At the end Derek showed up. He must be the local hitman."
LaFiamma muttered something in Italian before slamming the flashing police light on the top of his car to help speed up his process through the Houston night traffic. "Local hitnerd you mean. All right, from your place it’s the old Tuscany Industrial Court. Her place is about a half mile from it. Lundy, I’ll meet you there." He snapped off the radio without even making a crack about his friend’s change in attitude. "Later. I’ll make him pay later>’ he promised, silently praying that Derek Young was a worse assassin than he was a vice president and that Morgan did know what she was doing with this stunt.
Morgan had been finishing her call to Levon when she heard the step form the hall leading out of the kitchen. "Well, hello there stranger." She greeted upon seeing Derek Young standing there.
Young glanced around him before looking at his former employer. "You forgot that the back door doesn’t have a working alarm yet." He murmered fingering the silenced 9mm Walther pistol he had out.
"No, I didn’t forget. I wanted to give you a way in." she returned, saying goodbye to her cousin and tossing the phone away to focus fully on Derek. "So, why’d you sell out?"
"It isn’t a matter of selling out as it is of making a more stable financial move." Derek corrected, stepping around a pile of clothes on the floor. "Nothing personal Morgan."
"I take it kind of personal when my vice-president starts shooting at me, chum. Why hit LaFiamma, Derek?" Morgan wanted to know as she slowly slid her hand toward the switch she’d covered his her jacket.
"I tried to get Beaumont to assign other officers to this case. Ones that worked with me but when she insisted on using your cousin and his partner I knew I had to get them outta the way." Derek shrugged, explaining. "I know you too well. I knew that once LaFiamma got shot that you’d want to protect them and that you’d probably go off on your own, Like this."
Morgan nodded, actually pleased so far that her plan was working. "Since I’m about to die anyway, care to tell me who’s trying to kill me?" she requested, giving him her best smile. One that had charmed both diplomats and terrorists alike.
"I’d be dead if I did that, chief." Derek shook his head in apology while sheathing the gun and reaching for something else in his pocket. "Besides, you won’t be dying anytime soon. They want you alive for now." He stated, pulling the hypodermic needle from his pocket. "I know what happened over in London was pretty bad but I guess not nearly like what they got planned for you this time."
"No." Morgan whispered, feeling the pain from those wounds at the merest mention of them and nearly freezing up at this point but managed to touch the small control box under her jacket. "I don’t think so, mate."
"Morgan I disconnected all your little toys before I came in." Derek started to point out when he heard a buzzing come from under the pile of clothes he’d passed. "What?"
"Not all of them kid." She pushed the button to trigger the explosives she’d planted in the room and hoped that she’d planned this part well enough as the room exploaded.
"Nice neighborhood." LaFiamma muttered as he brought the Cobra to a stop outside the slightly run down little house just as Lundy’s Jimmy arrived. "Your cousin needs to find new hangouts."
"Knowing how Morgan thought when she was a kid, she probably picked this house because there was little to no chance of any civilians getting hurt." Lundy reasoned
getting out of the truck just as the front of the house exploded in a rush of light, sound and debris that had both detectives ducking for cover.
"Holy spit!" LaFiamma shook his head to clear it of the ringing but still managed to grab his partner’s arm. "You’re going in there after that?!"
Lundy pulled his arm free. "Weren’t you the one bugging me about abandoning her?" he demanded, pulling his Colt out of its holster as he neared the house and looked back. "You want the front or back?"
"Front but be careful." LaFiamma called back as he neared the half destroyed front of the house and wondering if anyone could have survived that blast and who the heck had caused it. "Days like this I wish I would’ve become a priest like my aunt suggested."
Swallowing his fear on what he’d find inside, Levon carefully edged inside the back door to enter a kitchen and realizing that the explosion had come from the front room, next door.
"Morgan?" he called over the still low rumbles echoing in the house, stepping into the room and freezing at the body pinned under a wall of debris. Fearing the worst, Lundy gently lifted a piece of wood but quickly dropped it rather than look at the now deceased body of Derek Young. "Morgan!" he called louder, hearing LaFiamma cursing from two rooms away when another sound caught his attention from behind a well built wall of furniture.
Lundy used the barrel of the Colt 45 to move a piece of caved in ceiling tile from the little area cocooned behind the furniture and letting out a breath he hadn’t known he was holding. "Joe! Go out and radio for backup and the paramedics! Tell ‘em to be fast for once!" he yelled to his partner.
"Did you find her?" LaFiamma entered the living room, looking around and swearing when he seen Derek. "Guess I don’t get to kill him for shooting my jacket." He mused, looking back at Lundy as his partner pulled over a couch and swore. "Stay with her. I’ll be right back." He stated, going out to call for backup.
"Morgan?" Levon dropped to one knee beside his younger cousin’s prone form, relieved to find her pulse beating strong under his fingers but not liking her breathing or her color or the pieces of metal and wood sticking in her right leg. "Oh, God." He breathed taking his jacket off and gently laying her head on it when he heard a soft moan. "It’s o-kay, sugar. Don’t talk, just lay still. LaFiamma went to call for an ambulance."
The explosion was the last thing Morgan remembered seeing or hearing yet now as partial consciousness returned all she felt was the pain again. Pain and a hand gently touching her face.
"Wha?!" she started to sit up only to be restrained and heard her cousin’s voice coming from the shadows in her mind.
""No, Morgan. Lay still. I can’t be sure what else that blast might’ve hurt." Lundy carefully eased her shoulders back down, then when he was certain she was going to stay still he sat down beside her and prayed his partner hurried with their backup. "Don’t try to talk. You’re safe now."
Morgan blinked past the dust and tears in her eyes from the pain to focus on Lundy sitting beside her, his fingers gently holding her own. "Levon?" she whispered unsure if she was seeing things or not when another thought hit her. "Derek?!"
"Dead, baby. He can’t hurt you now." He promised, keeping his voice low and soothing when he seen her tense suddenly. "Morgan…damn, LaFiamma, where’s that ambulance?" he demanded, trying to keep his voice calm for her sake but failing when his cousin began curling up away from them in pain and shock.
"They’re coming Lundy." LaFiamma assured his friend but was beginning to doubt that as well the longer it went. "The medic said to keep her still, warm and quiet until they got here. Joann’s on her way too." He declared, handing the other man a blanket he’d found in the back of the Jimmy. "Keep her warm and I’ll go give ‘em another call. Threaten them with these Queens Court Raiders all the boys are freaked about having to face."
As LaFiamma went out to the cars again, Lundy was faced with being alone with a possibly critically hurt young woman that he hadn’t had to deal with in this manner since she’d been seven and fell off the pony he’d given her.
"Hang on Morgan, help’s coming." He promised gently laying the blanket over her when he reached down to carefully take her in his arms fully. Feeling her jerk at the sudden and unexpected touch, Lundy just cradled her in his arms fully being careful to keep her injured leg straight and tucking her head under his chin as he began to talk softly in order to keep her calm until their backup arrived. "Which had better be soon."
"About time." LaFiamma muttered motioning to the medics to follow him as he went back into the house to tell Lundy that the ambulance and their backup had arrived, including their Captain when he suddenly stopped in mid-step. Not quite sure he was still sane. "Lundy?" he called in a low tone unsure of this scene as his partner sat and was gently holding Morgan in his arms, talking in a soft voice that seemed to have her calmed down some. "The medics are here."
When Lundy only nodded and made no attempt to move or lay his cousin back down, LaFiamma just turned to head off their superior. "He goes with her," he told the medics that passed him on his way to meet Joann Beaumont.
"Joe, what happened?" she demanded as several more patrol cars and a lot of armed teenagers showed up. "Where’s Morgan? Is Levon here?"
"I haven’t figured out what happened yet but Morgan’s hurt bad and Lundy’s inside with her. For how long is anybody’s guess." LaFiamma shrugged reaching out to grab a red haired teenager that he knew for sure worked in town by the earring. "Roy, the keys to that rolling microwave that Lundy calls a truck are still in the ignition. Make sure it gets to the hospital in one piece for him." He ordered sternly wincing as he heard his partner snap at a medic. "I think I liked him better when he was ignoring her. Lundy."
"They’re causing her more pain than that blast did." Levon snapped as his partner handed him his hat that he barely remembered dropping. "Joann.."
LaFiamma cut him off. "I’ll handle the Captain and I’ll make sure the boys get that thing you drive into town and meet you at Houston General." He stated, keeping his voice even and steady to get through the haze of concern his friend was feeling right then. "Levon, go with her. I’ll meet you there."
Lundy looked undecided until Morgan cried out in confused fear and he quickly nodded his thanks to Joe and caught the girl’s hand before she could connect with a medic. "No sugar. I’m with you. We’re going to the hospital now, just lay still." He soothed as the paramedics shut the doors to the ambulance and left with sirens blazing.
"LaFiamma, what is going on?" Joann demanded, more insistent this time.
"Derek’s inside dead and we still have no idea who’s really behind any of this." LaFiamma replied, heading for his car while two H.E. boys took off in Lundy’s truck. "My only consolation is that this has finally brought him around some. I hope it lasts because I’ve got a bad feeling that she’ll need him. Hey guys!!" he yelled to the boys. "My partner’s truck had better not have a scratch on it when it arrives at that hospital or he’ll kill all of us."
Joann Beaumont was seriously wondering what else could go wrong with this case when a young uniformed officer brought over the portable phone. "It’s the Mayor, ma’am>" he told her grimly and Joann knew her night was just beginning.
Levon Lundy barely glanced up from the cup of cold, stale coffee he was staring at. "No word yet." He finally muttered, throwing the cup into the trash with a curse. "It’s the waiting I hate LaFiamma. Always have. Why can’t they just say something?"
"She’s alive and, if she’s anything like you, very stubborn. Lundy, she’ll be fine." Joe hoped he was right as he pulled a metal chair closer to his partner’s position near the waiting room door. "Not to start a fight but I’m surprised you came at all."
"Yeah, so am I." Lundy laughed dryly, licking at the carpet with the toe of his boot instead of meeting his partner’s gaze. "I’ve hated myself for 6 years Joe. I knew what happened between us was wrong but I guess I really couldn’t say why. Even now, thinking about all that you and Chicken said, the things Caroline told me and the things that Morgan said on my machine it just doesn’t sink in that you’re talking about men who were my best friends. I went through the academy with Charlie and Rob. I never thought I chose my job over my cousin but—"
The Texas cop pulled the pocket watch she’d given him back that very night from his pocket and flipped it open to show LaFiamma. "The only thing of my father that I had. I gave it to Morgan because it put her to sleep on nights when the nightmares got tto real." He shook his head bitterly. "Imagine, a baby having nightmares but she was always prone to them. The last few times that she’d visit me and Caroline were the worst for ‘em. Three, four times a night she’d wake up screaming. She wouldn’t calm down, just screamed until finally she’d cry herself back to sleep in my arms because I had to hold her to keep her still. Damn!"
"You’ll talk with her and straighten things out." LaFiamma assured him, taking the watch to look closer at the picture it held in the lid. "I know this horse."
"You should since you and it don’t get along real well." Lundy chuckled at his friend’s groan. "I bought Sparkle for Morgan’s 17th birthday. She loved that horse so much that the first few nights she had him she would fall asleep in his stall and I’d have to carry her into bed. I thought he’d die after she left."
LaFiamma had a few opinions on that but kept them to himself as a white coated doctor entered.
"Detective Lundy?" he asked curiously while glancing at his clipboard as the two Houston detectives faced him. "I was told that you were waiting for word on Morgan Harrison?"
"Is she alright?" Lundy demanded warily, not liking the doctor’s tone or manner right then.
"Considering the amount of trauma she’s obviously been through recently I surprised to be able to that yes she is. However," the doctor went on swiftly. "She’s stable right now and we’d like to keep her here overnight for observation. The concussion on top of all her other, more extensive injuries, does have us a bit concerned."
Both detectives exchanged looks. "What other injuries?" Lundy wanted to know, recalling that Joann had mentioned something about his cousin being hurt.
Doctor Southon just blinked behind his glasses, obviously reluctant. "I’m sorry Detective but it’s against hospital policy for us to give out that much information on any patient without her consent."
"Look Doctor, we were put on this case by the Governor of Texas himself and I’m sure he would want us to know about anything that might involve this case." Joe cut in swiftly, using his most reasonable tone since he figured Lundy’s temper was too high to be the smooth one this time. "Miss Harrison is under our protection and anything involving her health, past, present and future, concerns us.
"Now, I’m sure you realize who she is and why you have a hospital full of teenagers with attitudes, some have government clearances that I’m not sure the Secret Service have, so it would probably be best for you and your ‘policies’ to just tell us about Morgan’s ‘extensive other injuries’ before I place a few calls and have to get a federal judge out of bed to issue a warrant. I’ve learned that Texans, especially old judges, hate being woken up in the middle of the night because some overly legal doctor is more concerned about policies than his neck. Your choice, doc."
Lundy just stared between his partner and the sputtering doctor until the black haired medic decided the Italian-American cop wasn’t bluffing and he did indeed know who his patient was and exactly what that meant in the way of government trouble if he didn’t cooperate.
"Very well Detectives." He cleared his throat and looked back at his notes before going on. "Actually, I had assumed that you both were already aware that Miss Harrison had recently tortured severally."
"Oh, spit." Joe groaned, ready to throttle the first teenager he saw for not warning him about this. "How bad is ‘severally’?" he asked, sensing his partner’s shock as well as his own.
"We’ve estimated several 2nd and 3rd degree burns, six broken ribs, plenty of welts and bruises along with the stitches on her side, shoulder, back and stomach. Those injuries combined with the ones she received in that blast make us wary of releasing her too soon. Her leg isn’t damaged too bad but it will have to be kept as still as possible but I’m sure she knows how to use the brace we put on it considering her left leg appears to have had those steel plates for quite some time."
LaFiamma swore under his breath and grabbed his partner by the shoulder to hustle him past the doctor, knowing that Lundy’s temper was about to break by then. "Can he see her?" he asked quickly, ready to resort to using his police protection line again if needed.
"Well, she is in a private room but I’m not sure how coherent she’ll be this soon after the surgery." The Doctor replied, finally shrugging. "Yes, you can see her. The staff has been informed that you both can come and go as you wish, especially considering her government clearances and all."
"Thanks." Joe moved his friend down the hall and well out of earshot of any of the staff. "You calm yet?" he asked, knowing the answer before the fist slammed into a wall. "Guess not."
"I’m her cousin, her flesh and blood family, and I don’t even know she was tortured. What steel plates?" Lundy swore before finally shaking his friend’s hand off. "I’ll be alright LaFiamma. I just want to see her."
Joe nodded his agreement. "You go see the kid, Lundy." He nodded, grinning at the curious look he got. "I’ll be there soon but first I want to find that Smoltz kid. I think he knows more about your cousin than we do and I want a few answers to a lot of questions. Tell her I’ll be up in a sec."
"Just don’t hit any of them LaFiamma. Those boys carry more power than even the Governor." Lundy warned but his friend was already heading off humming to himself the way he always did right before he got them into major trouble. "Guess it could be worse. At least he can’t hit Kelly."
Leaving LaFiamma to fend for himself, Lundy went up to see his cousin. Gently knocking on the door before entering and feeling his heart jump more than a few times at what greeted him.
Morgan Harrison always looked pale when sick or hurt but now she looked like a ghost laying in the bed surrounded by machines and tubes. Her face bruised not only from the bomb blast but from recent events and he soon realized that she’s hidden the injuries from them earlier. Her right leg was wrapped and braced so that any movement wouldn’t re-damage it after the metal had been removed but what truly alarmed him the most was her complete lack of color and movement.
"Morgan?" he spoke softly as not to startle her but she didn’t stir as Lundy sat in the chair closest to the bed and lifted her limp hand in his, surprised to feel the coldness in it even as her fingers weakly closed around his. "Hey." He greeted, looking up to see big blue eyes watching him curiously. "Don’t try to talk yet." He quickly cut her off before she could try.
The former Federal agent had woke up when her cousin first entered the room but had lay still to watch his face closely until finally closing her fingers around his hand, getting his attention.
"…You’re here." She whispered, still drowsy from shock and sedatives but awake and clear enough to know who was with her and who had been with her. "Really here."
"Yeah sugar, I’m here with you." Lundy assured her with a smile. "LaFiamma’s here too but he’s out chasing down one or two of your boys. He’ll be up soon. Just rest, Morgan." He urged, still remembering the ride to the hospital. Remembering her clinging to his hand and talking incoherently.
Morgan blinked as the pain evened off and she could see his eyes more clearly, recognizing the look well. "You’re mad."
"Yeah, just a little." He admitted then quickly sought to add when he seen her eyes go haunted again. "No. Not at you, baby. At a lot of people, myself mostly, but also at the people who tortured you."
Lundy felt the girl’s hand tighten around his but instead of letting go he just enclosed her white knuckled hand in both of his. "The Doctor told us that on top of the injuries you got recently through the….torture and the ones you got tonight that you have to stay here overnight and probably most of tomorrow.
"It kind of rocked me to learn from a doctor that my little cousin had been tortured and that she has steel plates in her left leg." He raised his eyes to meet hers. "Want to tell me where you picked those up at?"
"El Salvador." LaFiamma spoke from the door as he entered, tossing his jacket over a chair and throwing a wink at Morgan. "Your executives can be wimps when you threaten them the right way. Anyway, according to Ryan Smoltz, the kid got the plates after an explosion in the jungles of El Salvador with these Queens Court Raiders. I really don’t like these guys so far." He declared.
"I’m sure they’ll love you too if you keep threatening the boys." Morgan replied with a groan as she tried to twist but pain in her side and back stopped her. "This hurts."
"No doubt, sugar." Levon agreed, unconsciously reaching up to brush hair away from her eyes. "You probably will for awhile but I figure some of Minnie’s home cooking will fix that."
Two sets of eyes looked at him. "We’re going to your grandmothers?" Joe questioned warily. "Is that wise?"
"Probably not but it’s the only other place I can think of to take her." Lundy replied with a shrug, explaining his plan. "I figure the boys here can act like we’re still in town and we’ll sneak outta town and up to Lubbock for a couple of days until she gets some strength back and we figure out who’s doing this."
LaFiamma considered this for a few minutes before grinning. "Those boys outside won’t like that." He mused, meeting his partner’s eyes. "That’s the idea, right?"
"The only other thing I hate worse than having to have a partner is having to deal with the boys from H.E.." Lundy returned, meeting Joe’s grin. "I figure this will keep them busy and out of our hair."
"Finally. I knew eventually you’d say something right Lundy." LaFiamma stated when a small sound made them both look.
"Now that you two are done insulting my employees and planning my life, can I point out that I fired you guys from ‘protecting’ me?" Morgan chose to remind them, wondering silently if any of her boys were going to make it through this mess without killing LaFiamma.
Lundy nodded slowly but gently turned her face towards him, lightly brushing the most severe bruise on her face with his thumb. "Yeah, you did." He agreed. "Problem with that is, you can’t fire us."
"She did a pretty good job of it earlier, pal." LaFiamma seen fit to put in, wincing as his partner kicked him in the leg.
"She can’t fire us LaFiamma because #1-we were put on this case by the Governor and #2-I’m her cousin, blood family, and there’s an unwritten law in Texas that says a little cousin can’t fire her older, much adored cousin or his lame-brained Italian partner, no matter how big a jerk he’s been." Lundy declared reasonably, adding firmly. "You’re stuck with us, sugar."
Morgan figured she could’ve argued with any of that if she hadn’t been so tired but then figured it might not hurt to give the two cops their way this one time. Especially when one considered that once the Queens Court Raiders arrived, things would be different.
"O-kay Levon." She yawned, sedatives beginning to take effect again. "For now we’ll do things your way."
Morgan fell back to sleep, relaxed for the first time in weeks as her cousin and LaFiamma continued to bicker their way through plans and ideas.
"You want to flip for who stays here with her?" Joe asked curiously, keeping his face straight even though he had a hunch he’d probably get the job. "I can stay here and you can deal with Joann and those boys."
Lundy glanced at the sleeping girl before shaking his head. "No. I’ll stay with her." He felt his partner’s look and sighed. "I know what I’ve done LaFiamma and I’m not saying that we still don’t have problems but…I need to be here with Morgan tonight."
"Yep, I know that. I just wasn’t sure you did." LaFiamma reached for his jacket and headed for the door, looking back. "I’ll be back in the morning, Lundy. If you need me before then just beep me or something."
"Don’t start anything with those boys, LaFiamma. We’ll need them." Lundy called after his partner then called him back as an afterthought. "Thanks Joe."
LaFiamma waved the words away as he went out the door, already hating to see what would come next.
"If I had it paved how would I know when someone was coming?" Lundy returned shortly. Though, right then he wasn’t very happy with all the bumps either.
"’No sudden movements.’" The doctor had stressed before releasing Morgan earlier. ""She needs rest, plenty of it and no stress.’"
Right then the ride back to Lundy’s ranch was proving stressful to the two Houston detectives while Morgan seemed to be sleeping through the ride in the back seat with no trouble.
"Joann agreed to this plan?" Lundy asked yet again, still not sure how his partner had gotten Joann Beaumont to approve their ideas.
"Sure, once I sicced a few teenagers on her and offered to call the Governor." LaFiamma shrugged then turned to look out the back window, making sure they didn’t have any tails and glancing at Morgan. "She sleep alright last night?"
Lundy nearly winced at that question, hoping he never had another night like he endured last night. "No, not really." He admitted quietly, watching his cousin in the rearview mirror. "Her nightmares were a lot easier to deal with when she was little, LaFiamma."
The Chicago native started to reply when they neared the house, a two story ranch dwelling, that had several teenagers waiting in front of it.
"These kids are getting really annoying." Joe swore as Levon stopped the truck more quickly than he’d intended and he heard Morgan muttered something about stupid trucks, cops and teenagers. "Morgan, ignoring what you just called us in German, is it possible to lose these boys?"
"Doubtful, chum." Came the muffled reply as Morgan stuck her head up to see where she was.
"You guys aren’t supposed to be here." LaFiamma growled, slamming the truck door and facing a light haired young man about Morgan age or a few years younger.
Ryan Smoltz, the new vice president of the Phoenix branch of Harrison Enterprises, just gave the Italian cop a one shouldered shrug. "You two can’t watch the boss and secure this place at the same time." He pointed out, motioning to the young men with him. "That’s our job."
"I can’t stay here." Morgan suddenly broke in as she woke up fully and looked around, her eyes still glassy from last night. "I can’t…Levon?"
Lundy had gently caught her arm, stilling her movements away from them. "Easy baby. Why can’t you stay here?"
"Got a feeling I know." Ryan muttered, stepping back before Joe could hit him.
"I promised I…it’s bad enough that I broke the one about coming back to Houston but coming here, no." Morgan cut off quickly, shaking her head. "I can’t do this."
"Morgan, you were hurt and under a great deal of pressure when you promised that." LaFiamma stated carefully. Not wanting to set his partner off but not sure how to handle this without upsetting one of them. "We need to stay here tonight until arrangements can be made to sneak out of town."
Morgan was getting way to panicked when Lundy suddenly reached for her, gently holding her at arms length and seeing in her eyes all the pain, fear and hurt he’d been refusing to see or accept for 6 years.
"This is your home Morgan. It always was and always will be. There’s nothing here for you to be afraid of." He stated quietly, slowly taking her arm and moving towards the front porch. "What ever promise you made to whoever you made it to shouldn’t have been made. Who did you promise what?"
"I promised them so they wouldn’t…" the words died as the girl tensed suddenly when she recalled where she was and Joe grabbed the keys from his partner, opened the front door and flipped on the lights.
"You’ll have to forgive the mess." He told her lightly in hopes of changing the subject and prayed his friend didn’t press this issue right then. "Lundy still lives in the 1800’s. I’m really shocked that he doesn’t have a saddle sitting in the living room."
As he eased Morgan inside LaFiamma turned on his friend. "No fighting with her Lundy. She’s scared to death of everything right now, especially of making you mad, so ignore anything she may say until she’s gone to bed and then we’ll have a little talk about a few things you may not know yet." He replied lowly, not bothering to even acknowledge the looks he was getting from the boys. "Go guard something."
"Kelly say this arrangement isn’t going to work." Ryan told him, dismissing his team with a nod. "He says that Detective Lundy won’t be able to accept all this."
"I’ll handle my partner." Joe promised, glancing back over his shoulder and adding to himself. "I hope."
"Y’know, I really don’t think I like this Kelly guy that the boys are always quoting." LaFiamma stated a few hours later as he leaned in the doorway to Morgan’s room.
He’d been watching her for about 20 minutes just sitting on the bed staring at nothing before he finally had to say something to break the somber mood in the room and in the girl’s eyes.
"Way Smoltz talks this guy is God." He went on. Only having to make up a bit of the exasperation in his voice.
Between dealing with the boys from Harrison Enterprises, to his partner getting moody and sullen again, Joe figured he was only a step away from pulling his hair out.
"To the regular company that’s what Kelly is." Morgan replied after a while, finally looking over at the dark haired police officer. "Kelly’s pretty much equal in power, taking orders only from me and he can give orders to any company I own anywhere in the world. The ‘Raiders are my main subsidiary and they rule with fear and respect. I’m sure they won’t like you much either Joe. They don’t like cops."
LaFiamma put a hand over his heart in mock pain. "I’m wounded. Here I was thinking we’d be fast friends. So, what’re you up to?" he asked warily sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Just thinking that if I hadn’t been such a bloody coward none of this would be happening now."
Morgan stood shakily, slowly moving to the dresser and looking in the mirror at the reflection staring back. "I’m asking myself if I hadn’t been so scared for him if my cousin would still hate me."
"I find it hard to classify a world class Federal agent with all your government clearances as a coward and if Lundy hated you I doubt if he would’ve stayed at the hospital last night or even showed up at that house you blew up." LaFiamma told her dryly then frowned when he noticed her movements. "What else are you scared of Morgan?"
"This house has too many memories Joe. This room alone holds more nightmares for me than remembering half of what’s been happening to me recently." She sighed and fingered a music box of a dancer that had obviously been clued together. "Grammy, that’s what I’ve always called Levon’s grandmother, gave this to me one Christmas. Caroline glued it back together for me and told Levon it had fallen off the shelf while she was cleaning so he wouldn’t question how it got broke."
LaFiamma frowned deeper, continuing to watch the girl closely and not liking any of what he saw. "How did it get broke and why would Lundy’s wife lie to him about it?" he asked curiously.
Morgan blinked and hesitated before choosing to tell the cop the one thing that not even Kelly knew about fully. "I told Levon that I had other problems with Charlie Martin even before that case 6 years ago Joe. I was 17 and visiting Levon and Caroline for a few weeks while closing a business deal in town. Bear in mind that even when not working I still carry my clearances and authority and have had problems with Houstons’ cops for years, even before my cousin became one so the usual junk never bothered me.
"Levon was working and Caroline was shopping that afternoon, I was here working, waiting for a call from my office when I heard the front door. Since only Levon and Caroline had keys I didn’t worry about that, I mean who breaks into a cops’ house in broad daylight. My mistake."
Morgan set the music box aside when her hands started shaking and her fingers curled around the edge of the dresser as if for support as her mind went back. "You might have noticed that a lot of Texans are a trust worthy lot around people they’ve known a long time. Levon was always to bloody trusting. I…I actually don’t remember much after going out into the hall and getting hit with something. The rest that I couldn’t bury in my mind is a blur of pain. I...I remember the pain, the fear I felt waking up halfway with my hands tied to those very bedposts over there and feeling him…
"It wasn’t the first time he or Lewis had tried something like that but I’d been caught off guard, hit and stunned so I couldn’t fight back and when I was concious enough to realize what was going on there was nothing I could…do to stop him, to make him…stop…"
Joe came up behind her, watching the reflection but making no move to touch the girl right then as her words came out between clenched teeth, eyes closed and her knuckles white on the dresser.
"Officer Martin…." He took a deep breath to shake off the sudden waves of emotion he was feeling right then, swearing under his breath as her words formed in his mind. "He raped you."
Silence filled the bedroom as Morgan fought to regain control but finally managed to shake her head.
"Caroline came home, he didn’t hear her cause she always used the back door when carrying in groceries. He was still holding me down, laughing at what he’d done in his best friend’s own house when she came in and broke the music box over his head." The girl’s words were mixed with the tears she’d been burying, refusing to think about that day for so long. "She had heard him and had gotten one of Levon’s guns from their room. I don’t thin he’d have left if she hadn’t fired and actually nearly hit him.
"She wanted to tell Levon but I knew he’d never believe that of his mate, his good buddy so…she glued the music box together and reluctantly made up a story to explain the bruises I had and the bump on my head and why she’d taken me to the hospital."
Morgan slowly turned to look at LaFiamma, eyes wide with both shock and memories. "I managed to stay two more days but then he invited that bloody animal here for Sunday dinner and I freaked, made up a lie that I had to leave and ran until I had to come back for that job and ran right into him. Joe, do you want to know why I killed Martin? Why I didn’t leave him to be handled by the law?" she asked him, going on before the cop could reply. "I killed him because he did it again."
"Damn, Morgan." LaFiamma cursed, knowing that this was bound to make their job harder. "You only told Lundy a little of all that you really know, didn’t you?"
"I have enough people trying to kill me, mate." She replied with a bitter laugh.
"I love my cousin Joe and I refused to hurt him by telling him half of what I could or by telling him about why I left but if he finds out about Martin, I'd be the one getting hurt." She looked up when something caught her attention and they both heard the front door slam. "Oh, bloody hell. Levon." She whispered, fear and the past all automatically returning.
"Damn him." LaFiamma swore, pointing a finger at the girl. "You stay here and I’ll be right back."
"Lundy!!" by the time Joe got downstairs his partner was already at the door of his truck. "Where do you thing you’re going?" he demanded, realizing that the hot-headed Texan must have heard Morgan’s admission. "Levon."
Lundy stopped to look at his partner, anger in his blue eyes like the Chicago native had never seen before and that truly worried him. "Stay here LaFiamma!" he snapped. "I need to get out of here before something happens we’d all regret."
"You weren’t meant to hear what you did." Joe tried to say, hoping to reason with the man but knowing it was useless when the truck door slammed and gravel flew the the truck tires spun going out of the driveway. "Damn!"
"He’s mad." The soft words behind him caused Joe to jump as Morgan stepped out of the screen door, her pale face nearly white again.
LaFiamma started to say something but blew air out between his clenched teeth in frustration, vowing hi wouldn’t do what so many others had obviously done and lie to the girl.
"Yeah kid, he’s mad." He sighed, glancing back down the driveway as the cloud of dust still flew. "Lundy’s temperamental. Always blows a gasket at something I do and then gets over it. He’ll be back."
Morgan’s small smile surprised him as she glanced toward the stabled and headed in that direction. "You’ve a very smart man Joe so don’t get dumb now. We both know that he tolerated me last night and today probably because you made him feel guilty but now he’s mad again and won’t be back until I’m long gone."
"Don’t even say it." Joe warned Ryan Smoltz as the young man started to speak. "I’m still here and I’ll protect her if need be but I know my partner and I say he’ll be back."
Smoltz eyed the East Coast cop with amusement as Joe followed Morgan into the stables. "Oh yeah. Kel will love that one." He snorted, reaching for his cellular phone to call the Houston office and warn them about Lundy’s retreat.
"Be careful Morgan." LaFiamma warned quickly, nearly having a stroke when he seen the shaky young woman holding out a hand to the meanest horse alive in his opinion. "That thing is…is actually letting you pet him."
Morgan threw a mild ‘I-told-you-so’ look over at him as the tan and white stallion continued to allow her to pet his mane and head. "Levon gave me Sparkle for my 17th birthday, though I’m sure he’s told you that already. When I left Houston the last time I made sure he got back the money he spent for him because I knew I’d never be back to care for him."
"I wish I was as close to my cousins as you seem to be with Lundy." Joe mused, leaning against a post and staying well away from Sparkle since the horse still seemed to be giving him nasty looks. "Actually, I’m not as close with my own brother as you seemed to have been with him."
"Levon was always there when I was growing up. He’s been more of a brother at times than most of the ones I have." Morgan shrugged as she looked around the stables at the other horses and three cows along with several cats. "My mother died when I was born and I never knew my father so I was adopted, kind of hard to explain, by several families. All connected one way or the other but Levon was always special to me. Even when he was in college he was never ashamed of me or anything. I love him Joe and I wish to God that I could change what happened to make him hate me.
"We’ll have to feed them." She murmured suddenly and absently as her mind went back to another time when as a child spending her summers or off work time with Levon was about the only good thing she had growing up. When he taught her to ride a horse or swim or just be with him and pretend her life was like any normal little girl’s.
"Feed them? ‘We’ as in you and me?" LaFiamma blinked and looked down at his Italian leather loafers. "I do not think so, kid."
"I can do it Joe. You’ll have to…" Morgan’s voice drew off too suddenly for Joe’s peace of mind and he stepped up behind her, letting his hand rest on her shoulder. Not too surprised to feel it shaking.
"Morgan, you need to lay down." He chose these words very carefully, figuring he didn’t her getting stubborn on him but before he could press the issue Morgan took two steps toward the house and suddenly collapsed.
LaFiamma hissed out a string of curses as he lunged to catch her in his arms barely a second before she hit the stable floor. "Oh yeah, Joe. We’re having a great day." He muttered to himself, gently lifting Morgan up to carry her inside when Ryan and the boys appeared in the stable door looking concerned. "She passed out. No, I don’t know why. No, I don’t want to hear any opinions and yes, you can shoot my partner on sight." He declared in a quiet voice as not to wake Morgan up, then added cheerfully as he passed. "By the way boys? You can feed the animals."
"Feed the…" Ryan blinked at that before swearing under his breath, wondering where the backup Kelly had promised him were. "I hate that guy. I left Atlanta so I wouldn’t have to feed horses anymore."
"No Joann, I don’t know where he is. If I did I sure wouldn’t have spent all stinking day calling all over Houston for him." LaFiamma glared at the phone as if his superior could see him. "He’s Lundy for cryin’ out loud, that’s what’s wrong with him. No, she’s still asleep and yes, I’ve been over-run by snot nosed kids. All in all I’m having a wonderful day."
Whatever Captain Joann Beaumont said was lost in a stream of harsh Italian as LaFiamma cursed everything from his partner to the weather in Mexico until a hand punched him lightly on the shoulder.
Morgan Harrison opened one eye to watch the cop as he sat on the other end of the living room couch where she’d been curled up. She could tell by the way he was sitting that he was mad and getting madder by the minute.
"I think the Pope frowns on that sort of Italian." She commented softly, yawning.
"I was never a very good Catholic. Spent most of my school time in the office or getting hit by nuns." Joe shrugged, leaning back with a muttered curse and ran both hands over his face. "Alright Morgan, I’m going to be honest with ya. We have a problem.
"#1, nobody knows where Lundy is. I’ve tried Chicken’s about 70 times until he’s threatening me with butcher knives. #2, I’m not sure if I can protect you and those boys out there aren’t doing me any good what so ever. #3, Joann says another one of your boys has turned up dead down by the docks. Gunshot wound to the head. Once, quick and clean. I could go on but it would just depress us both."
Morgan could easily read the concern in his dark eyes and understood it. If more than just Derek had sold out then their security was in the gutter all the way around. "I released you once Joe. This isn’t…" he placed two fingers against her lips to stop the rest of her words.
"I’m a cop. This is my business so shut up about ‘releasing me’ from it." He cut in firmly, sitting back up to face her fully. "The big thing is, I don’t know if we should follow the plan and go see Mother Minnie or not. One thing against us and that idea is I’m not sure I could find Lubbock even with a computer driven car and the other…"
"I won’t put her at risk." Morgan refused when a buzzing started. "Is that my phone or yours?" she asked, frowning at the little cellular he pulled from her jacket.
LaFiamma held it out of her reach, not intending to allow her to answer it in case her attackers decided to play another mind game.
"Hello." He spoke carefully then frowned at the voice he heard.
"Who the heck is this?!" Kelly Robinson demanded when a strange man answered his employer’s private phone.
"I could ask you the same question, pal." Joe retorted sharply, too on edge to put up with any more smart mouthed kids today. "But, to reduce the amount of games, I’m Detective Joseph LaFiamma, Houston PD. Now, who’s this?"
Robinson frowned, wincing at the sound of glass crashing behind him but chose to focus on the phone and the cop that had been giving Ryan a hard time. "What’re you doing answering Morgan’s phone?" he demanded. "Where’s she?"
"Resting. What do you want, Mr…" Joe paused and waited expectantly while rolling his eyes.
"I’m Kelly Robinson Detective and I want my employer on the phone, NOW."
Kelly declared firmly, using his best authority voice that never failed to get him what he wanted.
The name went straight through Joe and he suddenly sat up straighter and grinned. "So you’re God." He winked at Morgan as she sat up, now fully aware of who was on the phone. "It’s nice to finally meet you since I’ve been hearing about you and your ideas for two days now."
"Huh?" Kelly blinked but refused to be sidetracked. "Look LaFiamma, I’ve talked with Ryan and a few of the boys and from what I’m hearing you and your buddy are screwing this op up big time. You’re supposed to be protecting her from the killers not from your own partner."
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, Mr. Big-Time Mercenary leader who is too busy playing savior in the Middle East to be here protecting your own friend." Joe snapped angrily, more than willing to admit that some things were very wrong with this case but not willing to sit and be insulted over the phone. "For a smart mouth punk you’ve got guts but no brains. When you get here, where you should be, then you can tell me how to do my job but until then I highly suggest that you stick with blowing up sheiks or locating a harem or two to play with because at least I’m here trying to do ‘MY’ job. What exactly are you doing right now kid?" he demanded, starting to say more when Morgan grabbed the phone out of his hand. "Hey, I wasn’t done with him yet."
Morgan rolled her eyes at him. "Oh, yes you are." She replied, keeping the phone away from her ears until the yelling had died down some and she figured it was either safe to talk or Pat Anderson, the ‘Raiders 2nd in command, had gotten the phone off his leader. "Kel?" she tried tentatively, wincing as his voice echoed in her head.
"Put him back on and I’ll give him something to yell about!" Robinson snarled. So mad that he didn’t hear the shake in his friend’s voice. "Who does he think he is? Does he have any clue who he was talking to?!"
The Queens Court Raiders presently with their leader in Turkey had all come running when he’d started snarling. "Guess he must’ve gotten hold of that Texas cop Ryan’s been complaining about." Justin McDowell, the merc outfit’s British 3rd boss, mused.
"Kelly, stop yelling please." Morgan urged, feeling her head start to hurt again but still managed to keep Joe from regaining the phone. "Robinson, shut up!" she finally snapped, getting the merc leader’s attention. "Joe’s tired and stressed. Ryan and the boys are being intentionally annoying and Levon’s taken off. Don’t start with me about that since it was your bloody idea that I come here in the first place and you have no place yelling at Joe since you aren’t here like you should be and until you can talk to me at a decent level, don’t call me again!!"
The phone slammed into a wall, breaking apart and Morgan slowly tried to take deep breaths so the tears wouldn’t come again.
"Hey," LaFiamma gently touched her cheek when he seen the tears shining in her eyes. "Don’t cry. He’ll get over it. I’m sure that I’m not the first cop to tell that kid off." He soothed, trying to ease the mood and stop her tears but upon seeing that wasn’t working he did the only other thing he could do. "Morgan, it’s alright. Everything’ll be fine soon." He promised lightly, carefully easing an arm around her shoulders. "Ssshh now. Don’t cry or those boys will never leave me alone."
Kelly’s words were still ringing in her head, the look in her brother’s eyes still haunted her and Morgan knew it would be a long time before she’d forget the torture or the injuries she got from it or the memories being here had brought back.
Those things among others caused the tears to come and no matter how matter much she tried to stop them they wouldn’t stop until she finally gave up trying and just turned into his shoulder and cried.
LaFiamma tensed and knew this was not a good thing but also knew he was the only person present that the girl could lean on since he doubted she’d ever show this much emotion to those boys outside and his stupid, macho partner was God only knew where.
"Go ahead and cry." He told her softly, gently drawing her into his arms and holding her tighter when the sobs increased. Staying like that until she had quieted down some. "Lundy, wherever you are, you are a dead man." He vowed in a whisper.
"Detective?" Ryan Smoltz entered the house quietly since he figured all the yelling must have come from Kelly’s call.
Joe never moved as he glanced up at the young man. "Kid, if she wasn’t sleeping right now I’d kick you tail from here back to Phoenix for calling that punk in Turkey but that can wait until she’s calm again. Now, what do you want?" he asked, keeping his voice low as Morgan continued to sleep with her head laying on his shoulder.
"We wanted to let you know that Captain Beaumont had your Cobra brought out in case you needed it since Lundy kind of left you here with no transportation." Ryan replied, scuffing his shoe. "Kelly really isn’t as bad as he made out just now. He’s scared."
"So is she." LaFiamma snapped, sighing. "Stay on guard Ryan because I don’t know who might show up tonight. I’m going to lay her down and then I’ll be in the den in case my ‘partner’ calls."
Ryan recognized the tension in the detective’s voice and decided against telling him that Levon might not call at all until, as Morgan had said earlier, she was gone.
"Right, I had a better life in Atlanta. Less trouble." He decided, knowing that no one could that close to this place without his people knowing about it.