Page 22 of Crucified By the Dark
“Not much to tell. I barely know him. He robbed a friend of mine, stole her money, and left her for dead.” Dean shrugged like it was an everyday occurrence, and for Dean, it probably was. He tended to collect odd personalities around him. Hers included.
“Oh, well, it makes sense now as to why you’d like him,” she teased.
“Fuck off,” he said but laughed hard.
“You took a real risk bringing him here. This close to your father’s reach—that takes balls. So tell me, why him?” She leaned forward, grabbed a small log sitting off to the side, and tossed it on top of the embers to rejuvenate the fire.
“In a way, I guess because I get him. I see a lot of me in him. He’s what I could’ve ended up like if I had stayed. There is real potential behind that arrogant asshole personality. I’ve seen it in his eyes, and the remorse he felt for what he did was real, which tells me he’s not completely lost, just fumbling in the dark. Besides, if he doesn’t get his shit sorted out, kill him.”
After Dean left her alone at the fire, Morry couldn’t say how long she sat there staring into the soft glow and thinking about her regrets. Marrying her ex was first on the list. She would’ve been better off having Kyle as a single mother than marrying a man she barely knew. Maybe if her mother hadn’t died when she was so young, it would’ve made a difference, but she’d been brought up to marry the man who got you pregnant, and that was what she had done. And he ended up breaking her heart.
“You’re still out here?”
She looked up at Dean as he stepped up to the fire. “I am. You headin’ out?”
“Yeah. I’ll grab a coffee from your mess, then shove off, but I have a favor to ask of you,” Dean said and slowly sat down.
Morry lifted a brow at him. She wasn’t sure where this was going but knew she probably wouldn’t like it, based on the look on his face.
“Oh yeah, what kind of favor are we talking?”
“So my father took someone important from someone else, and I stole her when I ran.”
Morry leaned back in the lawn chair. “Oh, I’m really not liking the sound of this already.”
Dean rubbed the back of his neck before reaching into the pocket in his fatigues and pulling out a piece of paper. “This is the name I think she is going by and the last place I saw her. I’m asking you to find her and see if she is safe. If she is, don’t do anything, just let me know you found her, and all is great. If not…then….” Dean looked off into the distance, and there was deep pain in his eyes. “Then please help her.”
She leaned forward and took the paper from his fingers to study. “Why are you asking me to do this? You’re capable of finding her just as easily as I am?”
“I never sleep soundly, Morry. Even now, I’m still hiding from my father and his reach. I don’t know if he’s still looking for me, but if he is, he can’t know where she is or who she is. If I’m found, and I find her, I’ll lead him right to her, and trust me. He doesn’t want her for anything good. Please, Morry, I don’t beg often, but I’m asking you for this favor because you’re the only one I trust one hundred percent. I need to know that she is okay.”
Morry looked at the small paper again and the wordsMaeve (Fire Station 131, Utah).It wasn’t exactly much to go on. “This girl means that much to you?”
“Yeah, she really does.”
“Are you going to tell me who she is and why she’s so important,” she asked but figured she already knew the answer to this question.
“No, I think it’s safer if I don’t.”
“This is getting serious. Are you putting my place at risk by asking me this favor? Are the lives of those I look after in trouble?” Morry watched Dean’s face carefully. She didn’t think he would try to lie to her, but his reaction would certainly tell her the threat level clearer than his words.
“Not if the people looking for her don’t find her. And not if anyone who meets her doesn’t know who she is. It’s why I’m not telling you. This is my cross to bear, but I don’t dare do this myself.”
“Dean, why the fuck can’t you be like a normal guy and ask me something like,hey, can you go pick out a gift for my girlfriend for her birthday because I suck at it?” She crossed her arms over her chest but knew she would cave. Dean was her best friend and her brother, blood be damned. If he needed help, she would freely give it.
“Is that like a bonus I can ask for? Because I do suck at gifts,” he said, making her laugh. “I made a promise to this girl, and I can’t break it. Please, Morry, I will owe you one, whatever you want. You just call in. The favor is yours, no questions asked.”
“Well now, that is enticing.” Morry rubbed her face and had a gut feeling this was going to be a tough mission. She couldn’t say why, but if she said yes, then one day, shit was going sideways. Even knowing that she couldn’t say no. “Okay, fine. You know I can’t say no to you. If this girl is alive, I’ll find her.”
“Thanks, this means everything to me.” Dean stood, and she followed suit. After a brief hug, Dean got his coffee and headed home.
“Who the heck are you, Maeve?” Morry whispered as she stuffed the paper into her pocket.
Present Day
Morry’s eyes fluttered open. The heat radiating into her naked body told her that what happened with Jeremy wasn’t a dream. She moved slightly and sucked in a long breath feeling achy in every part of her body. It was moments like this that reminded her she was no longer twenty.
Her leg was flung over his body, and by some miraculous feat, Jeremy’s cock was still inside of her. How he managed that was beyond remarkable. She flicked her eyes up to his face. He was still sound asleep, his muscles lax as he rested. It wasn’t fair that he had such stunning eyelashes. She would’ve killed to have the length and thickness he did.
