Page 31 of Crucified By the Dark
“Morry, please.”
“Don’t please me. I’m no different from Dean, Arek, or even Wolf, who will all have to run. We will protect the Jeep’s ass.”
He chewed his lip as the last of the bone-weary civilians were loaded into the open back area.
“Anyone else coming,” Trev asked. We all looked at one another and shook our heads no. “Okay, you know where we’re headed. The plan hasn’t changed.” Trev slammed the door, and sand was tossed in the air as the Jeep drove away.
“All right. Let’s move out,” TK said, and they formed a single file line and followed the tire tracks.
“Wow. Who are you planning on killing?”
Morry jumped and pulled her gun as she spun toward the door. She pointed it up as she saw the shocked look on Jeremy’s face.
“Shit, sorry.” Putting the gun away, she walked over to the strewn papers and bent down to start cleaning up the mess she’d made. Jeremy’s hand gripped her shoulder, and as soon as he touched her, the quaking in her limbs started.
“Hey, you’re shaking,” he said, pulling her to her feet.
She couldn’t look him in the eyes as she wrapped her arms around his waist and buried her face in his chest. The tears were flowing, and there was no stopping them as the scab on her heart covering the pain of TK’s death was ripped free. Jeremy didn’t say anything more while he held her, and she appreciated that.
Pulling back, she wiped away the wetness on her cheeks. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. Do you want to talk about it?”
She shook her head and turned away to collect herself and shake off the humiliation of crying in front of Jeremy for the second time in twenty-four hours.
“I don’t think I can right now. I just want to see Kyle. Can we do that?”
“Of course,” he said. Morry nodded and didn’t look at him as she walked to the door. “I’ll clean up later.”
* * *
Jeremy turned to her as soon as they were clear of the compound. She couldn’t see his face clearly in the darkened vehicle, but she felt the compassion and worry coming from him.
“I get that you don’t want to talk, but when you’re ready, I’m here.”
“Thanks. I want you to check on the new guy tomorrow, okay?” She glanced over at Jeremy, and he nodded.
“Sure, if that’s what you need. You usually like to do the initial welcome chat,” Jeremy said.
“Yeah, but I think it’s time you took more of the reins. Especially if taking over is something you can see yourself doing.” She was being weak. Morry hated that she couldn’t face Stephen, but she needed a couple of days to collect herself. She hated even more that she was using Jeremy to be weak.
“Okay, I’ll look at his file in the morning and then go see him.”
It felt like it took forever to get to the hospital, and when they arrived, she parked as far away from the entrance as she could, near some decorative trees. The last thing she needed was for Andrew to spot the Hummer.
“So remember, Kyle has biliary atresia, and he already had one surgery as a baby, but is now in need of a transplant,” she said as they made their way toward the front entrance of the hospital.
“I remember. Don’t worry. I’ve got this. Andrew has never met me, and I can pull off the new guy act. Do you know what room he’s in?” Morry marched in with Jeremy beside her.
“Yeah, two-thirteen,” she answered as they walked past the reception area.
It was late, so regular visiting hours were long over, but people were always coming and going, so they didn’t look out of place as they casually strolled through the hospital. A cart filled with gowns, scrubs, and other items was sitting in the hallway, and she looked around before thumbing through the sizes and grabbing ones that would fit Jeremy. Barely, but they would suffice.
“Here, you put these on and go up the elevator. I’ll take the stairs.” She walked off, pushing through the door to the stairwell and jogging to the second floor. There was a little square of glass, and she stared out, trying to gauge where Kyle’s room was.
She would dig a hole in the desert and bury Andrew if she thought Kyle would be better off without his father. Truthfully he was a really good dad to Kyle for as shitty of a husband as he was when they were married. The elevator across the way dinged, and Jeremy stepped out into the hall.
Roleplaying had its merits. He looked fucking hot in the scrubs and doctor’s jacket he’d found. He’d also found a stethoscope that hung casually around his neck while he held a clipboard and pen. It was a little old school, but Jeremy totally looked like the new guy.
