Page 88 of Shelter for Morgan

“I need an answer, Morgan.”

He tried to pull her closer to him, but she pulled back, bracing her feet shoulder-width apart.

“Don’t be a pain in my ass,” he warned her. “I wouldn’t mind breaking you before I drop your body somewhere.”

She was pissed. She was livid. But she tried to keep that anger out of her eyes for just another moment or two.

“I think it would be fun to put you on your knees where you belong if you want to be difficult.” She heard the cold jingle of metal in the darkness. “I have my cuffs if you want to play.”

His grip eased on her wrist and that’s what she’d been waiting for.

Turning her wrist so that the narrowest part of it slipped free of his fingers, she put her hands on his shoulders and pulled him down so that his belly met her knee.

With a painful groan, Officer Munder went down hard.

Losing hold of her bag and her cell phone, Morgan turned and ran for the parking lot using shadows to hide herself.

She knew that having her phone would have been better, but it was somewhere under the officer or well within his reach.

The last place she wanted to be was within his reach ever again.

RHETT

Rhett looked at the young man and struggled to find his normal calm demeanor. “What happened to your arm?”

“I burned it myself to get out of what Officer Munder was making us do.” Benjamin diverted his gaze from the others as if they would judge him. “I couldn’t do it anymore. Not after… not after he shot that teacher.”

Rhett felt his stomach turn in his chest.

He heard Cowboy get up from the table. “I’m going to call the sheriff’s office.”

Benjamin froze up and started to lurch out of his chair.

“Hey, hey…” Rook put up his hands and spoke to Benjamin with a kind and gentle voice. “We work with members of the Sheriff’s department all the time. When our lieutenant says he’s calling someone, you can bet that whoever is coming here to help is going to be one of the good guys.”

Benjamin looked back and forth between Rhett and Rook. “You promise?”

Rook nodded. “Absolutely. We wouldn’t ever let anyone hurt you.”

Benjamin looked at his arm before looking back at Rook. “I wish I’d met y’all before I did this to myself.” He turned his head to the side and looked at Rhett. “But if I had, Miss Rafferty wouldn’t have come to the school.” His shoulders dropped and he sighed. “Then I guess it was a good thing. At the time I thought it was the only way to get out of making those drugs.”

Rhett wanted to put his hands around the officer’s throat and any adult who was involved in this. He couldn’t believe how much stress they’d put Benjamin under. And the pressure they must have put on him where he felt the only way to get out from under their thumb was to physically hurt himself.

Cowboy stepped up to the table. “I got through to Hayden Hatcher, she’s going to come by and talk to you, Benjamin. She’s one of the best deputies in the Sheriff’s department. You can trust her.”

Benjamin looked at Rhett and Rhett didn’t delay at all in agreeing with Cowboy.

“She’s awesome.”

Benjamin nodded solemnly. “Okay. I trust, y’all.”

Rhett drew in a lung-filling breath. That meant something and he knew that they were responsible for not only his health and well-being, they were responsible for that trust.

Rhett was going to move heaven and earth to make sure that they didn’t drop that particular ball. “I want you to know how proud I am of you for coming to us for help.”

Benjamin’s expression dulled, but the look in his eyes sharpened. “I didn’t come for me, man. I can handle this okay. I came to help Miss Rafferty. I don’t think she’s safe.”

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

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