The nights had never been pleasant for Morgan Harrison. Never had been even before all this had started but now between recent events and being in her cousin’s house again, in this room, the nights were worse.
She stopped the ragged scream before it happened as she sat up in bed, barely awake and scared to death.
Morgan blinked sleep and sweat from her eyes as she looked around her room, feeling the memories surrounding her. Actually feeling the pain from each incident she was involved in here in Houston, feeling the pain and memories of that day in her room just like it had happened and knowing that unless she got out right then, Joe would have more troubles than he already did.
"Can’t take this anymore." She whispered, reaching for her bag since she’d never unpacked, knowing she wouldn’t be able to stay.
The shaken former Federal agent had only made it halfway down the hall before she stopped in front of her cousin’s room.
Levon’s room had always been so much of himself with boots, hats and assorted ranch things laying around. Morgan could remember it always being like that, even when Caroline had been alive. She’d always loved this room because it reminded her of her cousin.
Pain hit like a hammer in her chest nearly knocking the air from her lungs as memories hit her from all sides. Bloody memories had always been a problem but especially so when confronted by the places they happened in.
Ice like fear caught her like it did that day and she could still hear the sound of material ripping, flesh striking flesh and his deep guttural laugh in her ear as he savagely attacked her.
"No. It’s only a memory." She tried to tell herself as the nausea hit and she started to run when her eyes landed on the bed. "Bloody heck."
Earlier that afternoon, while her cousin and LaFiamma had been outside working out the arrangements with the boys, she’d left a tape for Levon here. Knowing what would happen, she’d left the tape with her best apologies for their past and the rest of what he should know. Wanting him to know that she hadn’t run because of him but from the memories that were chasing her.
Now the tape was gone which meant her cousin had it or Joe had found it, which was doubtful. Either way, Morgan knew she had to get out because if Levon did find the tape, had listened to it, she’d be dead when he came home because she hadn’t left out anything or tried to soften the blows about what he learned of his ‘friends’ and that last case 6 years ago or anything else she felt he should know.
"Goodbye Levon." She whispered, leaving the bedroom behind and trying to get down the steps with her bag and pain everywhere without waking up LaFiamma. Not that she needed to worry about that.
LaFiamma was sound asleep in the den, stretched out on the small sofa under the windows, his guns well within reach if anything disturbed the house or his charge. "I am sorry about this Joe, but it’s for the best. For everyone."
Morgan knew her boys were around but she also knew they wouldn’t try to stop her. Her only regret, as she silently shut the front door, was having to ‘borrow’ Joe’s beloved little Cobra, figuring she could have one of the boys bring it back in the morning since she only needed a ride into her office where she could get one of her own cars to go…wherever she ended up.
"I hate this car." She whispered sourly, figuring if she didn’t pass out trying to hotwire the thing then she was doing alright as pain shot through her ribs, side and leg as she had to crawl under the steering wheel to find the wires she needed.
So intent on what she was doing that Morgan didn’t notice the slender shadow sitting on the porch swing watching her every move silently and wondering how bog a fit LaFiamma would throw when he found out about this or about his missing spark plugs.
"Finally." Morgan touched the wires together and expected to hear the purr of the engine but got silence. "What the bloody heck is wrong with you car?" she demanded crossly, trying again but still getting nothing but silence when she heard the footstep beside the car and automatically twisted to fight when white lights exploded from pain and she hissed sharply.
"Going somewhere?" Levon’s voice finally eased through the haze of pain as it slowed to a dull throbbing.
Morgan slowly opened her eyes to see her older cousin leaning on the car door casually as if seeing her trying to hotwire his partner’s car happened every night. "Obviously not now." She muttered, hesitating before accepting the hand he offered.
"No, obviously not now." He agreed quietly, keeping his hand on her arm until she regained some color and balance. "Doubt if trying to steal Joe’s car was what the doctor meant by ‘rest’."
"I wasn’t stealing it. Just borrowing it until I got into town." She corrected, kicking the tire. "I didn’t feel like walking and figured Roy could have the car back here before Joe even woke up. Would’ve worked if there wasn’t something wrong with the bloody stupid thing." She kicked it again then frowned at his mild, amused grin. "What?"
"Actually, I figure the car will start just fine once LaFiamma puts the spark plugs back in tomorrow. After he find them of course." Levon shrugged easily, picking her bag up and laying it back on the porch before sitting back on the swing, watching her carefully from the corner of his eye.
Morgan stared at his shadow, both cautious and disbelieving. "You took his spark plugs?" she blinked, seeing no choice but to go back on the porch though she wasn’t happy about it. "I doubt if Joe will like that."
"I have a hunch he’ll like you trying to hotwire it a whole lot less, sugar." Lundy deadpanned, noticing her lack of color and how bad she was trembling. "Where exactly were you going Morgan Elizabeth?" he asked, choosing to use both her first and middle names like he’d done infrequently when she was a child.
"Away." Was her whispered reply after a few moments of silence where only the sounds of crickets were heard as Morgan stayed near the porch railing and avoided looking at her cousin. "Anywhere that I could escape the pain and the memories and anywhere that you and Joe couldn’t be hurt."
Lundy slowly stood, careful to keep his movements slow to avoid scaring her anymore than she already was right then. "Running away isn’t going to help you and it isn’t like you either." He replied, placing the cassette tape next to her clenched hand on the railing and seeing her pale even more.
"You ran away today." She pointed out, needing to have the conversation on anything but that tape.
"Yeah, but it was either that or scare you more and have LaFiamma slug me." The Texas cop returned, gently taking her by the hand and leading her back to the swing.
He knew that how he handled this would say how things went from then on. If he reacted the wrong way, like he’d been doing, she’d bolt from them.
"That was an…interesting tape you left for me." He spoke casually, easing her down on the swing before sitting on the railing across from her but still holding onto the girl’s closed fist, figuring this finally had to be settled before things got worse.
"Joe’s been on the phone all day trying to find out where you went." She changed the subject rapidly, looking away from his eyes and trying to control her breathing as panic began setting in. "He’s been grumpy ever since you left and then he got into this big fight with Kelly on the phone."
Lundy nearly laughed aloud at the picture of his hot-headed partner arguing with the leader of the Queens Court Raiders. "Morgan, we really need to talk."
"Why?" the question came too fast and too high as he gently opened her fingers to expose the long worn scar in the palm. "You told me you got this by messing with the branding irons after Jeremy had branded the horses for me." He reminded her quietly, lightly tracing the indented scar lines in the shape of a star that had bothered him from the minute he’d first seen it about 9 years earlier. "Why didn’t you tell me the truth, Morgan? Why didn’t you tell me that you got this after you were attacked in the barn one day while I was at work and someone had put a badge, that is what the shape is, a cop’s badge, a white hot badge in your palm and burned it?"
Morgan struggled to pull her hand back but her cousin was suddenly being very stubborn and refused to let go as he moved to sit beside her on the swing. "You were never supposed to hear that tape while I was still here Levon." She whispered almost frantically, surprised when she felt his hand on her cheek.
"Why? Because you were afraid of what would happen?" he asked, brushing the tears away gently and feeling the fever coming again. "You’re my cousin, Morgan. The only blood family I have besides Mother Minnie..well, the only blood family besides Minnie that I love, and after so many years I need you to tell me the truth."
"I did. On your answering machine and on that." She looked toward the tape but bit her lower lip suddenly. "I never wanted you to know any of the truth because I never wanted to hurt you or have you get hurt because…"
"What about all the hurt you endured Morgan?" Lundy cut in suddenly, letting go of her hand in order to frame her face and feeling her shake as she remembered too much too fast. "You ran tonight, were going to ‘borrow’ Joe’s car, because of the memories, didn’t you?"
Determined to be strong and not give in again to the fears and memories, Morgan blinked away the burning tears and shook her head. "I don’t want you and Joe…you hate me so why do you care?"
"I never hated you, sugar. Morgan, you should’ve told me what was going on with you and the others in the department. You should have told me about…Charlie and Rob and I shouldn’t have been so damn blind." Lundy declared, sighing as he sat back to watch as she curled up on the other end of the swing with her knees drawled up to her chin. "I should’ve seen the problems when you suddenly developed bruises or sprains but you just said you had fallen or tripped. You never said anything to me about what was going on, about the cops I worked with at the time hurting you or trying to…"
"Tell you something about those men meant a four hours lecture on mistrusting everyone." Morgan retorted bitterly, closing her eyes against the pain that came again and started feeling the memories. "Levon, I knew they were your friends and you loved them like brothers so I knew you’d never believe anything I’d say or anything that Caroline would say, not even when she’d drop hints after Martin had…"
Lundy heard the pain in her voice along with the shame as he reached over to lightly touch her hair, frowning toward the tape. "I never meant to hurt you Morgan or let you be hurt. I knew things were bad, I guess, when you refused to see me after that mess at the warehouse."
"I refused to see you?" she stared at him before laughing bitterly. "I never refused to see you Levon. I woke up wanting you. I woke up three days after that warehouse attack." Morgan kicked herself for telling him but figured this was going to hurt one way or the other so he’d may as well hear it from her. "I barely remember getting in touch with Kelly about Martin and Lewis setting them up when I must have passed out because I don’t remember anything else but waking up screaming. Don’t even know how I got to Houston General…"
"You were laying on the floor of that house, about 45 minutes out of town, covered in blood. You still had the rope they’d had you tied with around one wrist and were clutching a knife." Levon’s was careful to speak slowly for his words to penetrate the fog of fear his cousin was feeling right then. "I really can’t recall every detail because I was concentrating on you right then. You were like this lifeless little doll when I picked you up and even unconscious you still started fighting me, screaming that it wouldn’t happen again. Took all I had to calm you down while Joann searched the place. She found Charlie, dead in the bedroom."
Morgan’s eyes had lifted to stare at him as the words slowly gelled and she could understand what he was saying. "You…you were there? You found me?" she whispered softly. "How? I’d gotten Caroline to keep you home that day because I knew something bad was going to happen?"
"Yeah, but my wife was a lot of things and I loved her dearly but she was not a good liar. I knew she wasn’t sick and when Kelly called to ask where you were I knew something was wrong." Lundy began to explain. "I called Joann. Rob was only to willing to help since he’s the one who announced to the department that you and the ‘Raiders had sold us out. I think the plan was for him to take us out to that house where Charlie was waiting with a few of the others and let on like they’d caught you before you could betray them but things weren’t quite like that when we got there. No." he caught her hands before she could pull away. "Listen to me, Morgan.
"When we got there and Charlie was dead along with one of the others, Rob began getting freaked. I was too busy freaking out myself to pay him any attention until he slipped up. I’d already had a pretty good idea of what had happened to you by the way you were acting, even out cold, and your shirt was ripped off but he was mad enough that started yelling about Charlie screwing up all their plans because he couldn’t just kill you right off. He knew you could blow the whole thing if you regained consciousness and decided that you wouldn’t. He pulled his gun, I was still in shock from finding you like I had and Joann was out calling for backup.
"Rob told me you’d sold out and killed Charlie then he laughed that at least Charlie had gotten something before he died and I guess I reacted because I laid you back down and hit him." Lundy gently lifted the girl’s chin up to eye level. "Morgan, Kelly lied to you about something. He told you that he killed Rob that day but he didn’t. Lewis drew on me and was ready to kill you even though it looked like you were on death’s door. He fired and…I fired."
"You killed him." She blinked, too confused by this point. "Why?"
"He fired on me and I returned fire. It would have been justified but when it hit the streets that you and the boys had sold out Kelly knew that if anyone learned what had happened it would’ve cost me probably more than my job so he took the blame. I really regretted that action, killing my friend even if he had fired on me first, up until the last day or so." Levon gently smiled as he let his fingers brush against her cheek.
Morgan was staring at him, uncertain. "If you were there, knew what happened, why didn’t you believe me?" she demanded, tears choking her voice suddenly. "Why wouldn’t you come to the hospital, why did you say all those things when I came here?"
"Because sugar, I was trying to protect you." Lundy admitted, letting his hand drop as he admitted the thing that had haunted him for 6 years. "On this tape you told me how you were visited by some cops who ‘advised’ you to leave and let the subject drop for my sake. Well, it was after you were out of danger and I was leaving the hospital that I was confronted in the parking lot by a few of the top brass who advised that things had happened that would cause a scandal if it got out about Rob, Charlie and the others being dirty and if I wanted to keep my job or better yet make sure you kept yours and your life as well as Caroline’s I had better make sure to stay away from you and keep you out of Houston." He explained
"I never thought I chose my job over you but I did choose to hurt you if I could protect you from ever enduring what I thought you had." He spoke quietly, haunted by the thoughts of all that he’d allowed to happen. "I knew about what had happened in that house, I was told by a few others bits and pieces of other things but I never knew all this and I sure as sin never knew about what happened in this house. Damn!" he swore bitterly, feeling her touch his arm hesitantly as if unsure how he’d react. "Don’t be scared of me Morgan. I’d never hurt you or willingly let you be hurt." Lundy assured her, finally swallowing most of his anger to look at his eyes and felt the rest of his anger slid away to be dealt with at a better time. "Sugar, I didn’t know about what Charlie did until I heard you tell LaFiamma. That’s why I left today because I was mad at myself for not listening to Caroline that night and for not seeing how Charlie affected you. If I had known what he’d done to you I’d have killed him long before he had a chance to hurt you again."
Morgan couldn’t stop the tears anymore as she went ahead and told everything else, some things she’d put on tape while others she hadn’t, including the parts about Charlie Martin and the assult and she didn’t stop until she finally exhausted herself, tears spilling from her eyes as she waited for her cousin’s final reaction. She waited for the yelling to start.
Lundy had gotten up to pace, figuring it was best for both of them if he was moving while she talked. He listened to things that honestly made him wonder why her employees hadn’t killed him before now. He listened to her words, to her sobbing confession of exactly what his ‘friend’ had done to her upstairs. He listened while his mind locked onto one thing that made all of guilt triple. His 17 year old, trusting, naïve cousin was raped under his roof. He listened until finally silence rang between them and he knew that she was waiting for him to respond.
Of course, he also knew his partner was probably waiting for the same thing since Lundy was aware that LaFiamma was wide awake by now and had heard everything said through the open den window.
"I remember the first time I saw you when Minnie went to the airport and picked you up, right before Dad took off one time," Levon stared off toward the barn, stalling for time until he’d regained enough composure to look at her. "You were probably less than a year old with the biggest blue eyes I’d ever seen. Minnie and Dad had explained how you were my mother’s niece and that you were my cousin, 10 years younger, and from the minute I first held you I swore that no one would ever be able to hurt you because I’d protect you. I was your cousin and I’d protect you." He finally turned to look at the young woman, smiling gently as he came back to the swing to sit down. "I screwed up and let you be hurt by my own friends and in my own house, but…it will never happen again because I will never allow you to be hurt again."
Reacting to his heart and silently damning everyone that had come between them, Lundy reached over to gently draw Morgan into his arms fully. Feeling her tense cautiously but slowly relax against him as she accepted his embrace, the tears coming slowly this time as Morgan cried out the pain, both from their past and from this time, and slowly some of the hurt eased even though they both knew the pain and the memories would always be there.
Lundy carefully sat back and took his cousin in his arms fully to cradle her while she cried, lightly pushing the swing into a slow, lulling motion and talking to her softly, keeping his voice low and soothing until he’d felt Morgan’s body go limp into sleep, a full sleep, for the first time in a long time.
"I do love you, Morgan." He whispered after a while, waiting until he was certain she was asleep fully before gently lifting her up into his arms to carry her inside.
The screen door opened before he could figure out how to get it open without disturbing her. "How much of that did you hear, Joe?" he asked softly as his partner stepped aside to let him enter.
"Enough to know that underneath all that Texas pride and stubbornness you’re basically a good guy that’s gonna die if I don’t have my spark plugs back by the morning." Joseph LaFiamma remarked lightly, figuring it was best to keep thing light between them right then especially since neither of them wanted to wake Morgan up again. "She’s hurting bad."
"I know." Lundy sighed, going up the steps as carefully as he could as Morgan began stirring restlessly. "Get her bag from the porch and take it to the room across from mine, o-kay?"
LaFiamma started to mention that no place in this house would make Morgan comfortable but just nodded and went to get the bag as his partner went to get his cousin settled in the other room.
Lundy gently glanced around the room he’d chosen. It was obviously a guest room with no personal touches but figured that maybe was what Morgan needed right then. Hopefully a room where the bad memories of this house wouldn’t hurt quite so bad.
The bed was one his grandmother had given him and Caroline as a wedding present. A double canopy in deep cherry wood with a soft blue quilt she’d made herself.
Morgan tensed and cried out instinctively when he laid her down and started to step away.
"Easy sugar." Levon whispered, sitting beside her and chuckling lowly as she curled back up in his arms. "You’re safe now Morgan. LaFiamma and I’ll make sure it stays that way."
"Until a few mercs get here, sure." LaFiamma agreed from the door, laying the bag on the dresser and leaning on the bottom post of the bed to examine his partner curiously. "Are you sure you’re you?" he asked, shrugging. "It’s just that my partner hasn’t been acting too kindly these days toward her and I’m worried."
Lundy accepted the sarcasm as it was meant and figured LaFiamma was due since all he’d been putting up with the last few days.
"I know that and I’ll make it up to you." The Texan promised his still miffed partner when Morgan let out a cry and her eyes snapped open. "Easy Morgan."
"Where.." Morgan looked around before laying her head back down against her cousin’s shoulder. "I can’t sleep Levon. I dream too much."
"I wish we could protect you from those but all LaFiamma and I can protect is your body. Staying awake is making the nightmares worse though, sugar." Lundy told her, pulling the quilt up around her as she shivered. "I’ll be here with you tonight and, Morgan look at me, nothing will hurt you again while you’re with us. Now, try to go back to sleep."
Morgan murmured something about bossy cops but slowly dozed off again. "The nights are going to be hard on her." LaFiamma spoke quietly, drawing his partner out of his thoughts when he seen him getting too tense. "Want me to stay?"
"No, go get some sleep in my room. I think we’ll
need it." Lundy told him, glancing down at his sleeping cousin as she curled
against him. Her head buried against his shoulder and one hand clenched.
"I think we’ll all need it."
"Is this is a teenager, I’ll kill him." He vowed silently, taking the back steps without a sound and hearing voices muttering in the kitchen when he stepped in with both guns drawn and ready to fire.
"Hands up and guns down boys!" he snapped firmly, blinking when he realized he was facing several well armed young men that were also pointing handguns at him having been startled by the Houston cop’s sudden appearance. "I hate this. How many of you brats sold out to these scum?"
The obvious leader, a tall young man in his early 20’s with long blond hair and brown eyes, glared back at Joe when another voice broke in from the doorway to the dining room.
"Oh yeah, the boss would love this headline: ‘WORLD CLASS MERCS AND TOP NOTCH HOUSTON VIA CHICAGO COP SHOOT EACH OTHER IN KITCHEN BRAWL!’ Joe I expected better from you."
LaFiamma glanced quickly at the voice then did a double take to be sure he was seeing who he thought he was. "Mike?" he frowned. "What are you doing here, how’d you get in and who are these clowns?"
Michael LaFiamma laughed at the dark looks his older brother was getting but did step into the kitchen, waving the guns up. "These ‘clowns’ are called Marauders and are a subsidiary of H.E. based out of Baton Rouge and, in case you’re interested, you’re not making any fans with the Robinson family since this is Toby Robinson. I believe you told off his big brother last night.
"Toby, quit growling under your breath because you’re pointing a gun at Houston Detective Joseph LaFiamma. One of Morgan’s bodyguards and my big brother." He finished, grinning at both men. "Having fun yet, Joe?"
"I’m sure I don’t want to know." LaFiamma told himself, sheathing his guns and going for the coffee maker. "Great security I have out there. Letting anyone in. Smoltz, you are in big trouble when I get out there!"
Dark haired like his brother, Michael LaFiamma was lankier with long legs and longer hair pulled away from a set of deep green eyes. He was also the obvious mediator right then.
"Ryan let us in because he knew we were the good guys Joe and quit picking on those boys." Michael replied, straddling a chair as the Marauders went back outside with the exception of their leader.
"Alright, I’ve got a good hunch on why these guys are here but not you little brother." Joe stared at his kid brother sternly. "Last time I talked with Uncle Mickey he said you were on a vacation in Venice."
"Ah, yeah." Michael smiled slightly at that. "I am on vacation, sort of, but I figured when I heard about Kelly calling the Marauders in to help out in Houston that I had better come and make sure you stayed alive. Besides, Toby was in Chicago and I wanted him out of my city before they destroyed it."
LaFiamma blinked. "Exactly how would a law major get tied in with Harrison Enterprises, Michael?"
"Probably because I got my law degree two years early and I, sort of, work for Harrison Enterprises Joe." Michael replied calmly, figuring his brother would be too tired to react normally over that one.
Coffee went everywhere as LaFiamma choked, sputtering and choking while Michael tried to keep from grinning. "You what?" he finally got out.
"Kind of an inside joke in the Chicago companies that a nephew of a major Mob boss works for his biggest competitor, not to mention a Federal agent." Michael waved away the glare. "Just don’t mention this to Uncle Mickey yet. The family doesn’t know. In fact, you haven’t even seen me cause I’m on my way to Venice now."
Before LaFiamma could think of a reply his bleary eyed partner stepped into his kitchen and froze. "Don’t ask Lundy." He advised, shoving another cup of coffee toward the still half asleep Texan. "My brother just decided to drop more teenage mercs on us."
Levon Lundy examined the young men sitting with his partner, easily seeing the resemblance between Joe and his brother and having no trouble figuring out who the other young man was.
I would have preferred your brother Toby." He sighed, wincing at the coffee and knowing his partner must have made it.
"Not after last night you wouldn’t." Toby Robinson declared, grinning as he added. "I figure as soon as Kel gets here you’ll be needing a new partner cause this one will be dead. My brother doesn’t take too well to being told off, especially by a cop."
"What in God’s name did you do last night LaFiamma?" Lundy wanted to know, remembering his cousin mentioning that Joe had argued with the Queens Court Raiders leader on the phone.
LaFiamma raised both hands to ward off the accusations. "I only did what any self-respecting Italian would’ve done when confronted with a snot-nosed, high handed jerk telling me how to do our job when he isn’t here to do his." He replied calmly, shrugging. "By the way all those boys talk about this guy I figure it was time someone brought him down an ego level or five."
"He’s a dead man." Toby nodded then frowned. "Actually, my team is here to back you up in some plan to sneak out of the city. I don’t think it’ll work but, what the hey, nothing else has either."
Both cops looked at each other knowing the sooner they got out of Houston and away from these kids the better off they’d all be.
"We’ll leave as soon as Morgan wakes up." Lundy announced, rummaging in his cabinets to find something his cousin could eat when a thought hit him. "Oh yeah. LaFiamma, your spark plugs are under the chicken coop"
Michael stared at his brother who muttered under his breath as his partner carried a tray upstairs. "You let someone actually touch that Cobra of yours?" he was shocked, knowing how much that car meant to his sibling. "You had it flown here from Chicago and you actually let.."
"’Let’ is an operative word, kiddo." LaFiamma cut in, refusing to think too hard about his poor car. "Mike, go find the plugs and put ‘em back in and then we’ll talk about me not blowing your little scam to the family." He ordered, finishing his coffee before trailing after his partner to see exactly what their plans were,
"You going to tell him the rest?" Toby asked the younger LaFiamma curiously. "Are you going to tell your brother exactly who tips off the cops, the company and the Feds to all your uncle’s activities?"
"Not in this lifetime, at least not while I’m in throttling distance." Michael returned, wondering what a chicken coop actually looked like.
Lundy was still shaking his head when he entered his cousin’s room and found her sitting up in bed, still half asleep and terrified.
"Joe’s gonna be pretty upset if he finds out you knew his little brother worked for you in Chicago, sugar." He kept his voice even but spoke a little louder than usua; to get through the fog in her eyes. "Morgan, wake up baby. You’re safe."
Morgan Harrison blinked rapidly a few times, trying to clear her mind when she recognized her cousin’s voice over the din of recent horrors she woke up with until she was finally able to shake off the worst of the feelings and reached out for something solid, anything, just to reassure herself she was awake.
"You o-kay sugar?" Levon asked quietly, putting the tray on the nightstand to sit down and take her hands in his. "Morgan, answer me!"
"I don’t know which is the worst." She finally whispered, staring at nothing. "The actual events or having to relive them every bloody night."
Lundy swore under his breath as he tried to wake her enough to bring her mind back to him when Morgan suddenly blinked and looked at him.
"Hi." She greeted softly, seeing the concern in his eyes as he continued to watch her. "I’m… alright Levon." She assured him, taking one of her hands back and used it to lightly touch his face. "Are you?"
"You scare me outta my mind and another 20 years just now and then ask if ‘I’m’ alright?" Lundy actually laughed, leaning forward to kiss her forehead. "If I didn’t love you so much I’d probably ground you if I still could."
Morgan smiled shyly, not resisting when he eased her back on the pillows and glanced at the tray of food. "I don’t eat Levon."
"Yeah, I got that picture already and that’s not helping your health any." Her cousin returned, handing her the glass of orange juice. "Just eat a little now and we can stop for something on the way to Lubbock, if LaFiamma can stop yelling about his ‘little brother’ working for your Chicago company."
At that Morgan frowned a little then a small grin began to form. "He must not have mentioned the subsidiary position yet." She murmured half to herself, sipping the juice.
"You knew Michael worked for you and didn’t mention it?!" LaFiamma glared at her as he entered the room, obviously still tired and irritable. "Why?"
"It isn’t my place to announce my employees working status to their families." Morgan shrugged easily, munching on bacon and not aware of it yet. "I figured out your relationship to Michael on the plane here to Houston but then forgot all about it. Sorry, Joe."
LaFiamma looked ready to throttle anyone right then so Lundy shoved an apple and a knife towards him. "Here, peel this and vent."
"My uncle will freak when he finds out about this." Joe muttered, absently feeling the fruit. "Bad enough I’m a cop but to have his pride and joy, his main ‘heir’ in ‘the family’ working with not only his biggest competitor but one that’s also a Fed, this will give him a stroke."
"Don’t feel too bad Joe. I have boys working for me all over the East Coast from some of the largest and most notorious Mafia families. If Don Luigi out of New York doesn’t mind his grandson Peter working for me I’m sure your uncle will understand." Morgan reassured him helpfully then added with a small smile that shone with wickedness. "Besides, if he doesn’t I could always have the Families in New York have a little….talk with him."
Lundy bit his cheek to keep a straight face as his partner looked up at the young woman then over at him before tossing the apple at her.
"You would." He snorted, mildly amused by the suggestion but frowned when she caught the apple quickly but then winced at the sudden pain. "Damn, I didn’t think.."
"My fault." She hissed, feeling the pain ease slowly as both her cousin and new friend began hovering again. "Guys, don’t start that. I hate it when Kelly hovers."
LaFiamma made some sour remark about being surprised the kid do anything but yell which got Morgan’s mind off the pain because she immediately felt it her place to stick up for the absent mercenary leader.
Lundy sat and listened to his cousin mildly argue with his partner, glad she was more vocal and animated than she’d been in recent days but still saw her fear and insecurities when she moved closer to him when loud voices from outside startled her.
"The boys will cover for us and we’ll sneak outta town as soon as you’re ready." He remarked, lightly running a hand over her hair and curling a strand around his fingers like he’d done when she was smaller.
"Now." Morgan whispered, wanting out of the house but also wanting out of Houston and away from all the hostile eyes she could feel. "Please Levon, now."
As the two Houston detectives exchanged looks, LaFiamma only shrugged. "Lets do it, partner. Anything’s better than dealing with the kiddie patrol."
"Stay with her while I throw some things in a bag." Lundy eased off the bed, satisfied that his partner could keep Morgan occupied for that small amount of time. "You going to need to stop by your place?"
"Nope. I had the boys bring what I wanted out last night." Joe grinned. "I figured if anyone was watching my apartment they’d assume I was staying here for a while."
"I’m impressed LaFiamma. You actually used your head for something other than an ad for styling mousse." Lundy went out the door before his friend caught on to that barb.
LaFiamma frowned deeply when he reran those words in his mind. "Hey, wait a minute Lundy!" he started after the Texan when Morgan snatched his arm. "Easy."
"Stay Joe." She really could’ve done without him for that little while but figured if she didn’t want the entire trip to be filled with them fighting than she had better change the subject and get his mind off the insult real fast. "Don’t fight with him, please?"
Ahh, kid." LaFiamma groaned but knew Morgan was still too shaky and unsure to put up with too much bickering between them and could easily understand why she’d mistake his bickering with Lundy as actual fighting. "Alright, I’ll try to be good." He promised reluctantly.
"Thanks Joe." Morgan smiled, refusing the memories that sudden wanted to come one. "Think this will work?"
"Lundy seems to think so but…." Joe stopped when he felt the girl’s body tense suddenly at the loud noise that came from down the hall. "Stay here Morgan." He ordered, following the noise to find his brother and Toby both outside what had been Morgan’s room. "What’s up?"
Michael glanced back at him with a shrug. "Your partner seems to be…redecorating."
"Go stay with your….employer until I get back to her." Joe returned, forcing those words out as Michael laughed. "Lundy, you’re supposed to be packing. What are you doing exactly?" he asked, looking around the room.
When he’d last been in it yesterday, it was clean and well kept but now that his friend seemed to have taken to demolishing it.
The bed was leaning as one leg was missing and the posts were all but hacked to pieces. He’d shoved both the mattress and box-spring off to the floor.
"Lundy?" he called again.
"Seems like termites got in here and her bed just fell apart." The Texan finally replied, voice tight with suppressed emotion as he leaned against the dresser staring at the glued together music box. "Yep, termites just completely destroyed this set."
LaFiamma looked toward the axe on the floor and nudged it under the tossed off blankets. "Sure, partner. Termites. Must have been big termites since that bed seemed pretty study yesterday."
"Some things fall apart after years of well caring, LaFiamma." Lundy told him, still eyeing the box when a sound made them both turn and swear at the same time.
"What good are you guys if you can’t even keep her occupied?" Joe wanted to know, trying to block Morgan’s view of the room but she slipped under his arm and eyed it critically.
"Levon?" she asked warily, looking at him then around the room until she gazed at the bed. "Looks like if I ever stay here again I’ll need new furniture."
"You can have whatever you want after we get back. LaFiamma will even volunteer to take you shopping for a new bedroom." Lundy promise while shooting his partner a look as he took the music box from the dresser and stepped over the destruction he caused to cross the room to his cousin.
Morgan was still surveying the damage when she looked quickly up at him, unsure of his emotional state right then. "Levon?"
"Break this." He placed the music box in her trembling hands, stopping her surprised objections while sensing his partner’s wary gaze. "Morgan, take this and throw it against the wall, drop it or do whatever with it but just break the damn thing."
"Levon, Grammy gave me this and---" she tried to put in but could still hear the sound of it breaking against Charles Martin’s head and couldn’t really stand to even look at it without remembering that day in this room. "Levon, I can’t—."
Lundy gently framed her face in both hands. "Mother Minnie will understand, sugar. She can always give you another one but this one here will always, forever, remind you of what happened to you. Now, break it."
Morgan slowly glanced at the box, surprised by the waves of emotion and feelings it brought on. With eyes closed, the girl’s body shook from the repressed memories. Not only of the attack at the house but also from 6 years ago in that rundown shack where Martin had taken his revenge from Carolyn’s interruption.
There, confident of his victory, he didn’t worry about sound. In fact, he did things to intentionally make her scream.
It was these memories that finally made her cry out in anguish, throwing the box against the closest wall with as much strength as she had right then before starting to lose her balance.
"Easy, Morgan. This will all be over soon." Lundy carefully enfolded Morgan in his arms to quiet her sobs while his friend removed the two younger men. "It’s over now. I can’t these memories away and I know that destroying these things won’t help much really but it’s all I can do, sugar."
Morgan finally settled again after a few more minutes. "I don’t mean to freak out Levon." She sighed, feeling foolish about the tears when she was used to being strong for her employees.
"Sugar, I’d be worried if you weren’t upset by all that’s happened." Lundy replied, keeping his arm around her as he led the girl out of the bedroom to where LaFiamma was waiting downstairs.
The Italian glanced up the steps at his partner. "The wonder geeks took your bag outside to the rental truck we must be using." He declared, giving Morgan his best exasperated look. "Do you think it’s possible that all these kids will be gone by the time we get back from Mayberry?" he asked, using the typical term for Lundy’s hometown.
"It’s really doubtful since they seem to like bugging you." Morgan returned, smiling slightly as Joe held the door open for her and then threw his partner a smirk over his shoulder.
"LaFiamma, if you hit on my cousin I’ll get to kill you before Kelly can." Lundy called in firm warning, catching Toby by the arm. "You have my grandmother’s number and LaFiamma’s cell phone number if you need us for anything important. Just keep a close eye out and have the boys clean that mess upstairs out."
Toby just nodded, wanting to get the detectives on the road. "We’ll handle all this here Levon. You and LaFiamma just take care of the boss and be careful."
"Lundy! Let’s get a move on it in this century!!" LaFiamma yelled from the silver and blue Dodge Bronco the Marauders had brought with them.
Lundy rolled his eyes as the boys snickered but he waved to his partner. "Yeah, we’re going. Tell Kelly to call me when he gets into town."
Michael LaFiamma wisely kept silent that probably his brother and his partner will see the Queens Court Raiders before any of them would.
"You probably should have told them about Stanley flying in from L.A." he spoke to Toby after the two Houston cops had departed in their rental truck.
"Yeah but where is the surprise in that?" Toby countered dryly then went on to concentrate on hoping this plan worked out well and nothing went wrong even as Ryan Smoltz was yelling into his own phone about stupid Feds. "I hate this job already."
"We need someplace quiet to keep Morgan until we can figure out who’s behind trying to kill her." Lundy replied lightly hitting LaFiamma’s hand away from the radio dial. "Besides, it got us away from the boys right?"
Joe muttered something under his breath about teenagers and country music when Morgan stirred uneasily in the backseat.
The young woman had been sleeping off and on since they’d left Houston a few hours earlier, only occasionally crying out but now she was getting edgier.
"You did tell Minnie that the kid’s sick, right?" he asked in concern, knowing that the matron of the Lundy family was ill herself. "Is she up to handling us and whoever might be coming after us?"
Lundy’s gaze strayed to the rear view mirror to watch Morgan before glancing at his partner, hearing the other man’s concern. "I told her what we knew and I told her about the risks but she still insisted we come. She’s getting paler again."
"She does every time either she thinks about what’s going on or one of us mentions it." LaFiamma turned in his seat so he could watch both Morgan and Lundy. "While we have a minute of peace, do we have any real leads on who might be behind this?"
Silence rang in the truck until finally the Texas native sighed, shaking his head. "No, not really." He admitted in disgust. "Problem is LaFiamma, is that too many people want Morgan dead. She’s made enemies all over the world from spies to kings."
"Doubt if we’re dealing with a KGB plot here Lundy." Joe snorted, concentrating on what they knew and what was obvious. "If these attacks were of that nature I think the Feds or those mercs would have sent her someplace else besides here…Lundy, why did she come here?" he asked suddenly.
Lundy started to answer when he slowly began to understand the question. Why would someone send Morgan to Houston considering the state of their relationship.
"For six years you hated her everyone knew that so why send her to you?" LaFiamma frowned, reaching over the seat to lightly nudge Morgan’s arm and quickly caught the fist that came up. "Easy, it’s me. Wake up."
Morgan Harrison blinked the sleep and nerves away to sit up and lean forward between the seats to see what was going on. "What?" she yawned, looking around to see where they were at.
"Morgan, why did Kelly decide you should come to Houston?" Levon asked carefully, figuring it wouldn’t be good to upset the girl with too many questions.
"He said they figured it would be safer for me here until the ‘Raiders could get back." The girl replied, laying her head on the back of the seat. "It didn’t make sense to me considering how we got along but I didn’t feel like arguing after what happened in London."
The two partners exchanged looks. "’They’? Robinson and who else decided?" Joe asked her, finally getting the chance to turn the radio down while his partner was distracted. "That kid takes directions from someone other than you?"
"No but I guess he discussed it with someone at the Justice department since that’s who we used to work with most of the times." Morgan stated, sitting back with a yawn. "Kel said Paul figured Houston would be the choice since who would think to look for me there."
"Everyone obviously." LaFiamma muttered sourly catching his friend’s look and reading the exact same idea in his eyes. "Sounds like someone in Justice may be working both sides."
Morgan’s mind was clear enough to catch that. "You think that Paul convinced Kelly to send me here? Why?"
"Why would someone buy off more than one of your boys in Houston?" Lundy countered, hating where this whole idea was going. "You were tagged only hours after arriving in Houston so someone knew you were going to be there besides us. Who?"
"The Governor and his office since he asked for us by name. That’s what I don’t get is why would he ask for us when Houston’s full of good cops and when everyone knew you hadn’t seen Morgan in 6 years." LaFiamma was starting to tap a finger on the seat back as he thought. "Joann and our office but why would anyone want to lure Morgan to Houston?"
Lundy’s fingers had frozen on the wheel as he considered something he really had been avoiding. "Suppose the threat came from Houston in the first place.
Both Morgan and Joe looked at him. "Huh? Who in Houston would want her dead?" Joe asked, seeing the red Chevy that had been following them start to get closer but concentrated on his partner. "I mean besides every cop I’ve talked to that is."
"Consider if someone wanted to bring her back here, the perfect way would be to get Kelly’s people out of the country and then scare the hell of her that she’d have no one else to turn to but me when forced to return here." Lundy was silently cursing his own stupidity for not thinking of this in the first place. "If someone with a long enough memory and enough pull to get her attacked in multiple states not to mention in England."
LaFiamma was staring at his partner now as if he’d lost his mind. "Too much country music for you Lundy? Speak in English or come right out with it. The last time she was in Houston everyone either got killed or is in prison so who would want to kill her?"
"What if not everyone died?" Levon suddenly slammed the brakes and made a screeching U-turn in the middle of the road catching both his partner and his cousin off guard.
"Levon?" Morgan blinked at the sudden turn, leaning back over the seat in concern. "What’s going on? I thought we were going to Grammy’s?"
"We’re playing right into their hands." Lundy cursed, looking back at her quickly and seeing the fear in her eyes. "It’s alright sugar. Just a change in plans is all."
LaFiamma waited until the girl had drifted off again to nail his friend with questions. "Lundy, just what the hell are you doing?" he demanded.
"Whoever’s behind this knows what we’re doing so that makes me think that this someone either knows us or is in a position to know our plans." Lundy saw the red Chevy now and frowned as it too turned around. "Six years ago Morgan and the ‘Raiders were sent to stop a political threat that involved a string of operatives from around the country who wanted the government ran differently than it is."
"Kind of like those militia types." Joe nodded but still not understanding his friend. "I got the impression that most of the people involved in that job were dead, Lundy."
"Somebody wanted her back here and that somebody knows too much for my liking, partner." Lundy started to reach for the radio to call the boys when the red Chevy suddenly rammed into their rear end with enough force that he nearly lost control. "What the hell?!"
LaFiamma turned to look, getting a bad feeling. "This guy’s been following us for awhile Lundy." He gritted his teeth as they were rammed again and Morgan cried out when she fell off the seat with the impact. "Lose this joker Lundy!"
"What’s going on?" she demanded, starting to look over her shoulder when Joe shoved her back down just as a rifle blast shot out the back window. "Guys?!"
"Radio for backup LaFiamma. Any kind that answers." Lundy snapped, swerving to avoid the next blast as the Chevy’s passenger leaned out his window and fired at them again. "We’ve been found out again!"
Joe restrained from replying to that as he reached for the radio but got nothing but static in return. "We’re being blocked." He swore, starting to pull his Colt’s out to attempt to return fire to buy some time when the Bronco suddenly swerved violently as a rifle blast took out a tire. "Lundy!"
"Damn!" Levon cursed violently even as he was losing control of the truck and having no chance to warn his partner or cousin to hold on as the Chevy rammed into them, causing the truck to hit the side of the road and roll into a ditch with a sickening, metal crashing crunch.
The red Chevy pulled off the road and two men got out to survey the damage. The driver, a large burly man with a tattoo of a snake on his arm, glanced at the shooter curiously. "Now what?"
The other man, a tall, skinny man with slicked back hair and gold star of a local state trooper, tossed the gun back into the Chevy. "The boss said he wanted the girl alive and brought to him but to leave the two Houston jokers here."
"Alive or dead?" the driver asked, pulling on a pair of gloves as he neared the wrecked Bronco to view the front seat and seeing both detectives were still breathing but banged up while Morgan was limp in the back seat of the overturned truck.
"Leave them as they are just get the girl out,
drug her and lets get outta here before the real law show up." The passenger
ordered briskly as his partner dragged the unconcious young woman out the
broken back window and already had her in the back of their truck when
the first sirens started sounding. "Lets go! By the time these two recover
she’ll be dead or worse."