Around the World in 80 Men Boxed Set 31-35 (5 page)

“It's
my fault, Felix. I should have warned her to stay away from certain
parts of town. I should have taught her better. I should have
insisted that she carry pepper spray..or...,”

“None
of that, do you hear me?” He turned her around and wouldn't
allow one more word of guilt to leave her lips. “This is not
your fault. Not one bit, and you know it.” He kissed the tears
that fell to her cheeks. “Go fix yourself, you'll hate it if
she shows up and sees you less than perfect.” He smiled and
tried to get a smile in return. She couldn't manage it, not even a
fake smile, and he brought her forehead to his lips. “I love
you.” She sniffed and brought her arms around his waist.

At
that moment, Finlay was helping Morgan up in her seat, as Angel
folded her blanket back into a perfect square. It was Elena's
blanket, but she'd given it to Morgan for the trip home, and it had
kept her warm for all seven and a half hours of the trip.

That
morning, Finlay wasn't sure if she had been ready to fly, but when
Angel mentioned the idea of going home, Morgan had insisted she was
more than capable of making the trip. Angel had called Julianne as
promised, and the two made the arrangements. The three of them had
first class tickets, and Finlay and Angel were able to take care of
Morgan if she needed anything.

“
I
told you I'd sleep the whole time.” With the exception of the
hour layover in Atlanta, she had slept for the entire duration of the
flight. Morgan smiled weakly at the men on either side of her, and
placed her hands on theirs. “Thank you. Thank you both.”

“
You're
welcome, Love. Just relax no', we're landing.” Finlay put
Morgan's seat belt back on, then did his own.

Angel
grabbed Morgan's hand tightly, a little too tightly, but she allowed
him the comfort of her touch as they descended. Angel didn't mind
flying, it was the landing that frightened him. A few minutes later,
the small plane bumped down the runway at the Arkon/Canton Airport in
Ohio, and the first-class cabin was filled with Angel's cursing.

“
Stick,
I ain't flying in any of these tiny ass planes again.” It
wasn't
that
small, but the layover from Georgia had placed
them on a smaller plane than the first, and any turbulence was felt
much more. “Throwing my ass around like a mothefuckin'
wobblehead!”

Morgan
sat up as much as she could, and reached for her purse, but Finlay
handed it to her. It had been four hours since she'd taken a pain
pill, and she was due for one. “Bobblehead, Angel.” She
said quietly, and waited for his response.

“
Whatever.”
He waited for the plane to come to a complete stop, and unbuckled his
seat belt quickly, then helped Morgan with hers. “Let's get you
off of this bitch ass plane before the mothafuckin stampede.”
He waited for her to finish her water, and then with Finlay's help,
got her to her feet, and the three of them were the first off the
plane, and into the small airport.

Moving
through customs took almost no time for a change. Their baggage had
been claimed and loaded into a van taxi right after, and the three of
them were headed to Canton.

Chapter
Five

Angel's
head moved to the right to see the Football Hall of Fame, then to the
left at Morgan. He wished he cared for the sport because it would
have been something to see, but he didn't, and he sighed loudly as he
watched for anything that might get his interest. “Stick, what
the hell is there to do here?” Canton was far from a tourist
destination, and Morgan smiled at the thought of how different her
hometown is compared to walking the streets in Rio.

Her
pain medication was in full gear. Sadly, it was only after taking it
that she could relax her mind enough to not want to scream at the
world and run in fear.

She
actually giggled slightly, which turned into a cough, and she quickly
placed a hand on her side to ease the pain. It was the first time she
had laughed in days, and it quickly brought her back to the dark
reality. Even a tiny giggle brought tears to her eyes, and she was
furious that something she normally did every day of her life brought
her so much pain.

She
got her breathing under control, and put her hand back on her lap,
managing a fake smile on her swollen lips. “Why do you think I
left?” Finlay was sound asleep in the taxi, and Morgan's
whisper turned into a small, but a genuine smile formed as she tried
to imagine his reaction as well. “There's a mall not far from
here.” She thought for a few moments as Angel nodded. “Oh!”
She coughed again, but stifled it enough to not hurt as bad as the
first.
Just act normal.
“And there are actually some
pretty good restaurants too.” That was true, and she hoped that
her little town would be enough for them both. She didn't care about
any of it at the moment, but the fact Angel and Finlay had come
halfway across the world to be with her, had filled her heart.

As
they spoke quietly, Angel looked towards the front to see what was
ahead, and caught the driver staring at Morgan through the rear view
mirror. It wasn't how men typically looked at Morgan as he had a look
of disgust that covered his chubby face.

“Watch
the mothfuckin' road before I chuck your sorry ass out the car and
drive this piece of shit my own damn self.” He had moved his
small frame to the edge of the back seat and was just a few inches
from the back of the driver's head. “Thought the fuck so.”
He leaned back only when the driver's eyes went back to the road, and
off of Morgan's face. He looked to his best friend, and let out a
long sigh when he watched a tear stream over the dark purple bruise
that covered the entire right side of her face. “Boo, you're as
beautiful as always. He just NEVER SAW A GAY BRAZILLIAN BEFORE!”
Angel shouted and it brought Finlay up quickly, and the large man hit
his head on the window beside him. The driver gasped, Angel laughed,
and Finlay cursed the whole lot of them. Morgan wiped the tear off
her cheek, but another one followed.

She
was embarrassed by her appearance, and the last thing she wanted was
to make the men uncomfortable.
I should just fucking hide until I
look normal again.
Facing Julianne and the reaction to come, was
also something she wasn't looking forward to. Morgan knew there would
be looks, it was something she could not avoid. The flight
attendants, people on the plane, in the airport, the taxi driver.
They all stared, but it never got easier to face someone you loved
when your face was black and blue.
Good news. I can
almost
open my eye.
She felt ugly, pathetic, and there was nothing she
could do to hide it.

“
This
is it.” Morgan placed her hand on the back of the driver's
seat, letting him know it was time to stop. It was the only hotel
Julianne stayed, the same one Morgan had learned the trade. A warm
feeling enveloped her body, as the familiarity sunk in. “I'm
home,” she whispered and another tear escaped her eye.
I'm
so tired of crying!

“
If
that's what you want to call...” Angel put an end to his insult
with one stern look from Finlay. “Yes, you are, baby girl!”
He changed his tone and stepped out of the van first, then popped his
head back in, “and you're not getting any mothafuckin' tip from
my GAY ass!”

Angel
grabbed Morgan's hand and helped her out of the car. If she hadn't
taken the pain pills when she did, the transition from sitting to
standing would have taken her breath away. It still wasn't a pleasant
process, but it was better than the alternative. Finlay had already
climbed out of the car, gathered their luggage and was calling
Julianne by the time Morgan was on her feet, but he insisted she take
her time and she did.

Two
minutes later, Julianne and Felix were in the lobby, and were
standing by the front door when the trio made their way inside.

“Oh, child.” Julianne's hand went to her mouth, and a
pool of tears flooded her bright eyes. Morgan's head dropped as she
refused to allow one more person to look at her face. “You lift
that head right now, Morgan Holland!” Julianne removed her hand
quickly from her own mouth and put it under Morgan's chin. Morgan
slowly, and reluctantly, lifted her face. “I need to look at
you. I need to see how badly you're injured.” She moved
Morgan's face gently from side to side, and another tear fell down
Morgan's cheek. “I'm so sorry, Morgan. I'm so very...sorry.”
Julianne broke down right there in the lobby. It was something that
the normally self-controlled woman would never do, but seeing how
badly Morgan was hurt was too much to handle.

“Let's
get her to her room, aye?” Finlay lifted Morgan from the ground
and began to carry her to the elevator as everyone else stood and
stared at the back of the man.

“He
does that shit a lot.” Angel quickly caught up with the pair
and kept pace with Finlay as he approached the elevator door. Morgan
wanted to protest the whole thing, but her will was too weak to put
up a fight. It didn't matter, she thought, she was too tired to even
try to argue with anyone right then. “What floor, Julie Annie?”
Julianne had caught up with them and they piled in together. She told
him the floor and he hit the button, then turned to Morgan who was
still in Finlay's arms. “You okay, Boo?” She nodded, and
he gently touched her cheek to get the last of her tears.

Julianne
was quietly getting herself together as she mentally chastised
herself for making Morgan feel even worse about herself. She should
have been more prepared, but there was nothing she could do about it.
All she knew was that she had to make up for it, and to do all she
could to help Morgan heal. She was so happy to have her home, and she
looked up to Felix who had also just wiped a tear from his eyes. The
two instantly grabbed one another's hands as they stood behind Finlay
and Morgan, and their world became just a little better with a
simple touch.

*****

Tanner
sat down on the edge of his seat, opened his tackle box and dug out
one his new
toys.
Girls loved shopping for the perfect pair of
shoes, he on the other hand, spent the day looking for the perfect
lure and he was ready to try it out.

It
was a weird feeling, being on someone else's boat, but for once he
didn't want to be the one to worry about everything. It wasn't his
territory, and letting someone else navigate would probably lead him
to the better areas. He tied on the yellow and blue lure, knowing
those were two of Morgan's favorite colors, and hoped it would bring
him extra luck.

“
Let's
hope what they say is right.” He chucked his line into the
water, and sat back in his chair once more. He was told that it was a
good time of the year for mahi mahi, and he was hoping to catch one
for Morgan. He knew he couldn't enjoy a fresh fish dinner with her,
but he would send her a picture of his catch and let her know he
still remembered. Yes, the day they had gone fishing together was one
of his fondest memories, and he smiled at the thought of the tiny
fish charm on her wrist.

He
hadn't heard from Morgan since he left the hotel the morning she met
Anthony, but he hoped she was having a good time. More importantly,
he only had a few more days to wait until she was in his arms again.
“Then we'll get a whole week together, Love.” He took a
swig of beer and smiled as his line was hit hard. “This one is
for you.”

*****

Pain
medication did wonders for Morgan, in more ways than just ease the
pain of her body. It also was more than strong enough to ease the
pain of her mind. She couldn't focus on what happened, nor remember
much about that night and morning when her pills kicked in. Angel
liked her best when she was drugged, at least for the time being,
because her heart didn't hurt as much.

Morgan
wanted a bath, and Angel wasn't taking no for an answer when it came
to helping her. If anyone were to help her though, she was glad it
was him.

When
she took her clothes off, she was exposed to her body for the first
time since the attack, and it was Angel who got her under control. “I
know, you've got some beautiful titties, bitch. But if you don't stop
staring at them, and get in that mothafuckin' tub right the fuck now,
they're going to jump off your stank body and get on the first flight
out of Iowa.”

“
Ohio,
Angel. We're in Ohio.” Morgan stopped staring at her
reflection, and turned to her best friend and he quickly wiped the
tears from her cheeks for the hundredth time that day. The bruises
that ran from her collar bone, down her chest, across her ribs and
down her arms didn't matter. The cut on her hip didn't matter. Her
swollen shut eye didn't matter. She had Angel, and
that
mattered.