Page 19 of Decoding Morse

“I bet you have some questions.”

She chuckled, but it sounded more manic than amused. “A few.”

She looked so goddamn lost. I wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in my arms and shield her until my team eliminated the threat. But that wasn’t my place. It would never be my place, a truth I needed to get through my thick-ass skull.

“Wewillkeep you guys safe,” I assured her.

Her attention stayed locked on her hands, but she nodded. “I have a rations run Monday.”

“Cancel it.”

It was the smart move, but the stubborn jutting of her chin told me it was also a useless suggestion. Amelia would walk through fire for the widows she cared for. No threat to her life would be enough to keep her away.

Her hands curled into fists. “I can’t. I’ll cancel the rest of the week’s appointments but not Carol’s.”

“Surely she has someone else who can bring her a meal.”

“No. It’s not the meal she needs. It’s the companionship.” Her voice hitched on the last word, so she took a moment beforecontinuing. “She’s dying of cancer, Morse, and her son—her only remaining family—has all but forgotten her existence. Her days are numbered, and she needs this.”

Amelia needed it, too. I could tell by the tortured look in her glassy eyes when she met my gaze.

Fuck.

This woman and her goddamn heart. There was no way she would let this go.

“Give me tonight to come up with a solution.”

Hoping we were finished, I went to stand, but she gestured for me to remain sitting.

“It’s been years. We have a lot of catching up to do. I want to know what all you’ve been up to.”

No. There was no way I could endure this torture. Not when her soft lips kept forming every word.

“When did you get out of the Air Force?”

I instinctively rattled off my separation date. Why would she want to know that?

“Three years before Ted died.” Hurt flickered across her expression and bled into her tone, but she wrestled her expression into a neutral mask.

I was a piece of shit.

“Yes.”

“And you’ve been here all this time?”

I knew exactly what she had to be thinking. Her eyes had been glued to the ass of an ungrateful pissant who’d all but forgotten about the couple who’d rescued him from hell. That was fine. In fact, ensuring she kept that lousy opinion of me was for the best.

“Yes.”

“I see.”

Not just a piece of shit, I was the biggest pile of feces on the planet.

She swallowed and threw me a lifeline anyway. “You said your club helps other people in danger?”

“Yes. Link’s wife runs Ladies First, a non-profit organization that helps women and children in need. Sometimes, abusive exes are involved. You’re not the first family we’ve provided sanctuary for, and you won’t be the last.”

“What’s your job in all of this?”

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