Page 15 of Decoding Morse

What was that look?

Better yet, what about it tripped up every feminine sensibility I possessed? Not like there were many. I was a strong, independent woman who was used to doing everything on my own. I wasn’t even sure what feminine sensibilities were. All I knew was if he didn’t stop looking at me like that, my panties were going to burst into flame.

“What?”

“I missed your singing,” he said before turning and continuing down the hall.

Like that had been a perfectly normal exchange.

Meanwhile, I couldn’t remember how to breathe. Was this a heart attack? Another thrilling side-effect of perimenopause? Punishment from the universe for even entertaining the idea of going cougar?

Thia elbowed me again. “You have some explaining to do.”

We followed Morse past a series of offices, restrooms, and a cafeteria before entering a giant party room that smelled of booze, leather, and bad choices. Bikers stood around drinkingwhile couples gyrated and grinded against one another on the dance floor. A redhead who appeared to be in her mid-twenties looked dangerously close to busting out of the strips of leather barely covering her boobs and ass. I moved to block Morgan’s view as we skirted the party, sliding past busy pool tables and dart boards. The bikers who saw us waved a friendly hello at Morse and cast curious glances at the rest of us but didn’t engage. The music was so loud that poor Bailey was probably peeing her doggy diaper as she dipped in and out of Thia’s legs, tangling up her leash. Despite it all, I still felt oddly safe as we followed Morse up two flights of stairs and down a hallway with rooms on both sides like a hotel corridor.

We could barely hear the thud of the bass up here. Stopping in front of a door, he pointed at the end of the hall. “Women’s bathroom is that door right there. Community showers and toilets.”

“Like a dorm,” Morgan said.

“Exactly.” He opened the door and gestured for us to precede him. “You’ll have this and the room to the left. I would have gotten you three, but figured you’d want to keep Morgan with you, and these are the only ones currently available.”

I nodded, taking it in. Queen bed, sofa, dresser, television, closet, and apartment-sized refrigerator. All the necessities were covered, and it smelled clean. Bailey immediately scooted under the bed, and Thia dropped to her hands and knees to remove her leash. Bailey whined and shuffled around before falling quiet.

“She gonna be okay?” Morse asked.

“Yes. We should all say a prayer of thanks that Thia and Morgan got the diaper on her. Thanks again for letting her come. And for everything. I don’t know what’s going on, but I know you believe I’m in danger.”

He nodded, his expression stoic. “You. Are. I’m glad I can help. The room next door doesn’t have a fridge. A brother who moved out left this one.”

Showing us the other room, he pointed out the keys hanging from a hook by the door before pulling me aside. Dark blue eyes captured mine as he leaned closer.

“I can’t tell you how relieved I am to know you’re all here. Safe. Anyway, I know this is a lot, and you need time to get acclimated, but I need to steal you away for a few minutes. Havoc and Rabbit are rounding up a team to tackle this little problem of yours. We need to interview you and come up with a suspect list. There must be a reason someone put this hit out on you, and the sooner we figure out what that is, the sooner we can confront them and get you guys back home to your normal lives.”

That sounded wonderful, so I nodded. “Okay.”

“Not so fast,” Thia said, butting into our conversation to grab my hand and tug me to her. “First, my bestie and I need to have a little conversation.”

He opened his mouth, but she threw up a finger—thank God, it wasn’t the middle one—and tugged me into the hallway between the rooms.

“You.” She stabbed the finger at Morse. “Make sure none of your bikers bug our girl. We’ll only be a minute.”

Thia started to tug me away, but I peered into the room. Morgan had her face glued to her tablet as she relaxed on the sofa like she didn’t have a care in the world. She’d made herself at home. In a biker den. My girl was all about schedules, and we’d thrown a monkey wrench into hers. She had school Monday. One week left before spring break. And she wasn’t freaking out.

Like me, she felt safe here.

“You okay for a few minutes, honey?” I asked.

Her hand shot up in a wave. “I’m good.”

“Thia and I will be right next door.”

Her head moved in acknowledgment.

I gave Morse an apologetic smile, and it hit me that it wasn’t the place that made me feel safe. It was him. “We’ll be right back.”

He looked like he wanted to argue, but she dragged me into the second room and closed the door, effectively cutting him off. As soon as we were alone, she spun on me, dropping my hand to clap hers on her hips.

“There’s a whole hell of a lot going on here you haven’t told me about. Who is this hot, nerdy biker? And why does he look at you like you’re the best thing since the internet?”

---